Hidden gems of the Cote d'Azur
Many people head to the Cote d’Azur but behind the coastline, you can have a lot of fun in the Provencal hills, from sailing to hiking.
One hidden secret, if you need to cool off, is the Lac de Sainte Croix, in Bauduen, Var, Provence, Southern France. It is a 12km long fresh water reservoir, surrounded by hills with a few villages dotted around the edge. At either end it leads into the famous Gorges du Verdon, where you can do some amazing hikes.
The only vessels allowed on the lake are non-motorised, so you can relax without the sound of speed boats, just the gentle flap of sails or the swish of people canoeing. You can also rent pedaloes and electric boats.
There are two sailing clubs at the villages of Bauduen and Saint Croix, where you can hire sailing boats, catamarans, windsurfers or canoes and you can also hire canoes near Aiguines at the entrance to the gorges. You can also take lessons at the clubs. You can also fish if you get a licence from the mayor’s office.
The villages around the lake have bakeries, general stores and a handful of restaurants. On Sundays, in Bauduen, there is a small market along the promenade in front of the shops. You can pick up local goats cheese, olives, fruit and vegetables.
The mediaeval village of Bauduen has narrow, cool streets leading to the church at the top, as well as an ancient washing area, boules pitch and tennis courts.
You can also take several walks around the village, which are marked with stripes on trees etc. For example, you can walk beyond the sailing club, along a wide track, which leads to two tennis courts. Continue past the courts, under a metal barrier and along the lakeside for about half an hour, passing some picnic tables. When you reach the end of the wide track, continue walking along a narrow path that borders the lake. You have to scramble over some rocks in places. If you want a really long walk, you can continue to the next village of Les Salles, which is a modern village, built to replace the village that was flooded in 1973 when the reservoir was established.
The nearest town is Aups, which is 8km away from the Lac de Sainte Croix and has supermarkets, banks etc. The lake is about an hour and a quarter's drive from St Tropez and a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Cote d’Azur.
For more information, visit:
Club Nautique de Bauduen - www.centre-nautique-bauduen.com
Somewhere to stay:
Modern three-bedroom villa, sleeps 8. Two kilometres from Bauduen with view of lake. www.provencevilla.net
Posted 19th July 2010
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