The Gard is a fantastic region to explore, and though we have barely scraped the surface, we never fail to be astonished wherever we go. Turn into almost any village and you'll love the stone buildings, the unfailingly attractive Mairie, and you're bound to find a cafe open. Stop by a river, stroll for just 5 minutes and you're sure to find a swimming spot. Or call into a local boulangerie and drool at the meringues, cakes, tarts, and enormous selection of breads. Round the corner perhaps you'll find a little local market. At every turn there's something to discover. And you don't have to go far from our gites at Lussan.
Our gite guests are always keen to explore very locally - after all, who doesn't want to spend LESS time in the car so here I look at a few things to do just minutes from the Mas.
Best known is Les Concluses - a gorgeous gorge a relatively easy hike from the house. Pale green shimmering pools darken to emerald in deeper parts, fantastically curved rocks crest above your head. Swim or picnic, or in mid summer when the water runs low just follow the gorge and admire the rock formations.
Rent an electric bike - let us book you a top of the range electric mountain bike and a guide, then head out and explore the garrigue. Technically challenging routes are available but for the more timid, like me, there are hundreds of miles of simple gravel tracks. Head up to the hidden Grottes des Merderis and marvel at these rarely visited caves.
Cycle or drive, or indeed walk, up Mont Bouquet, the highest point around at 629m. You can see from the Alps to the Med on a clear day, and watch the paragliders taking off from one of the three launch sites.
At the bottom of the mountain stop for lunch at La Farigoulette in Seynes. Owned by the next door butcher, everything is cooked over a wood fired oven. YUM!
And right on our doorstep of course is Lussan itself. A beautiful, medieval village, surrounded by ramparts with views across the Gard. With a fascinating history as a Huguenot village, a centre for silk manufacture and the birthplace of Andre Gide, today its a charming 'Plus Beaux Village de France". Visit the pottery, watch the boules tournament in the square or enjoy an apertif at the auberge. Then back down the 300m to the Mas...what's not to like here?