Highlights January 2013
Welcome to the January edition of Highlights. This month we are focussing on the Baronnies (a beautiful area in Northern Provence) and what this area has to offer the walkers on our Guided and Independent Holidays. There's also a few reminders: we have extended our Early Bird Offer on scheduled Guided Walking Holidays, you now have until the end of January to receive a £25 reduction per person, and if you have booked with us before, we have launched Loyalty Rewards. We would also love you to enter our Photography Competition. This is less of a competition and more of a celebration of High Point Holidays' first 5 years. And there are some great prizes!
And what better way to forget the winter cold (or Australian heat!), than by digging out your holiday snaps. Or why not plan your next holiday with a browse through our 2013 Brochure.
Mark Armstrong |
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Focus on our Guided Walking Holiday Secret Provence: Les Baronnies
Les Baronnies is a secret and unspoilt corner of France where the Alps meet the Provence with beautiful historic villages clinging to rocky mountainsides decorated in purple lavender flowers. Sheltered by the mountains, its privileged position and distinct climate gives the region a remarkable light that draws you into the rugged and beautiful landscapes laid out before you. Also wild thyme, lavender, herbs and pine produce a wonderfully scented landscape. Each corner of this fascinating area has its own characteristics; rocky bluffs and cliffs define summit tops from which steep slopes marked by ravines descend into narrow gorges or wide fertile valleys covered in lavender, fruit trees and olive groves. Oak forests, scrub and moorland add to the tapestry of vegetation covering the hills on this French walking holiday. The influence of both the Alps and the Mediterranean has created an exceptionally rich fauna and flora including orchids such as the Sabot de Venus, vultures, chamois, wolves and wild boar.
Early summer is perhaps the best time to visit the Baronnies if you are looking for warm conditions as you are more or less guaranteed good weather (although not as hot as in July and August) and the lavender is starting to flower. We have chosen this period in late June (22nd-29th) as well as mid October (13th-20th), for our Guided Walking Holiday whilst our Independent Walking Tour is available from April to June and in September and October.
On our website you can read customers' Testimonials from the Guided and Independent Walking Holidays in the Baronnies as well as view a slideshow of pictures from previous holidays.
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Competitions
Sunflower Books' Eastern Provence - Cote d'Azur to the Alps Competition You only have until end of the month to enter this competition to win one of 3 copies of this useful guide to Eastern Provence by answering this question: On our Marvels of Mercantour independent walking holiday, you can have a foot in each of which countries? Click here for details
Photographic Competition: We have some fantastic prizes up for grabs in our inaugral photo competition. The total prize fund is worth (RRP) over £300 and 1st prize alone worth over £130. We are looking for our customers to send in their favourite photos from their High Point Holiday. We want photos that sum up your holiday or an aspect of the holiday that was special to you. There will be prizes for the chosen top 3 pictures.
2nd and 3rd prizes: A copy of the fabulous book Outdoor Photography from Cicerone along with PhotoPlus x6, the latest top photo editing software from Serif to help you edit, enhance, and organise your entire image collection.
1st prize winner will get the above plus a year's subscription to Outdoor Photography Magazine
We are not looking for 'award winning' photography,, so don't be shy. For full details click HERE |
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Lavender in the Baronnies
Fields of violet lavender underneath colbalt blue skies come to mind when one thinks of Provence in Southern France. Our Guided and Independent Walking Holidays in the Baronnies will pass through lavender fields that cover limestone slopes in a tapestry of vibrant colours. Its use for medicinal and herbal purposes dates back to the time of the ancient Greeks. In Provence, lavender has been used since the middle ages to make perfumes and medicines, but it was not until the 19th century that the plant was cultivated on a large scale creating the fields that we see today. The French production reached its height in the mid 20th century with the installation of perfume manufacturers in southern Provence.
Harvesting of the flowers takes place during the flowering from the end of June to August. Cutting is done by machines with the exception of flowers used for ornamental purposes. Our French Guided Walks in late June should see the lavender plants in flower.
Uses of Lavender from Provence include essential oils, medicines, perfume and cooking. On our Guided Walking Holiday Secret Provence: Les Baronnies, you will have the opportunity to visit both a lavender distillery and farm.
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Accommodation in the Baronnies
La Honas is one of the B&B's we use on our Guided and Independent Walking Holidays in the beautiful region of the Baronnies and typifies the High Point Holidays' experience. La Honas is a lovingly restored 17th century farm set in an isolated and peaceful location, surrounded by 8 hectares of lavender, thyme and oak. It's location at the intersection of two gorges, the Touournec and Ouveze gives the place a remarkable beauty and tranquility. La Honas has 5 individually styled rooms with traditional furniture and a predominance of natural stone. Some of the rooms have direct and individual access onto the inner courtyard. Here, or by the 12m long swimming pool you can relax in the glorious Provence sun after a day's walking and exploring. Cathy and Pascal will take great pleasure in welcoming you to their home. Breakfast is a chance to enjoy home made bread, honey and jams all made on the farm and they also provide delicious evening meals, with a lot of the ingredients coming from the garden. You can try a number of local regional dishes as well as some classic French meals.
"Situation was beautiful, wonderful food, very relaxed, felt I could be at home, sun was shining and other guests lovely - as was Pascal - I like his easy approach." M Barlow, UK
"At La Honas hosts were excellent and the food was the best, setting also beautiful." K Cooke, Australia
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