Les Cigales

This is indeed a right pretty part of France, deep in the Ardèche and among spectacular scenery of river and countryside as well as being close to the spectacular Chassezac Gorges, a place of watersports and hiking, cliffs and canyons, climbing and kilometres of sand and stone beaches. The Les Cigales team points out that many a pretty village is around here too: among the scenically recommended are Banne, Thines, Joyeuse, Balazuc, and Labeaume, with its 14th-century Church of Saint-Pierre aux Liens. The pedestrian-only Naves (yep, cars are pas permitted here) is also one of the team’s top local picks, for its narrow streets and handsome old houses covered in plants and flowers. A botanical trail runs around the back of the village into the surrounding landscape. Another firm must is a tour La Cocalière cave, the vast formation between Cévennes and Ardèche that's part of a mammoth underground network covering over 30 kilometres.