La Colline Vagabonde

This part of the Cévennes National Park has yet to be discovered by most tourists – and that’s a bonus for guests at La Colline Vagabonde, as it means lots of quiet hiking trails and very little development to disturb the views up into the starry skies at night (this area has been designated an International Dark Sky Reserve). As well as the hiking trails around the site and mountain biking through local beech forests, there’s also the option of heading to Villefort Lake (40 minutes’ drive) for kayaking, via ferrata climbing and a lakeside lunch. Alternatively, you could head underground to explore the subterranean scenery of Grotte de la Cocalière (half an hour). Elsewhere in the area, you can visit the 11th-century Château de Portes (25 minutes), learning about the area’s industrial heritage at La Maison du Mineur (half an hour) or wander among more than 1000 species of bamboo at La Bambouseraie en Cévennes (55 minutes).