Camping L'Eau Vive

Stays at Camping L’Eau Vive simply have to start with a trip into Dauphin, five minutes’ drive from the site. The medieval hilltop village is full of pretty winding streets and there are free guided tours and hikes every week – an obvious must. Dauphin is far from the only scenic spot hereabouts either: the similarly hilly village of Mane (check out the botanical gardens at the Salagon Priory) is also about five minutes away, and Forcalquier and Volx – and their markets and lavender fields – are both within 15 minutes. There are some big names within easy reach too… For anyone who goes weak at the knees for dramatic scenery, make steady tracks to the spectacular Verdon Gorge (an hour and a quarter), with a pitstop at Lac du Sainte-Croix along the way for beaches, boating and swimming. If natural beauty is generating that glow, head instead to the headquarters of L’Occitane, 20 minutes away in Manosque. In need of an urban day? The city of Aix-en-Provence – its museums, artist studios, mansions and fountains (so many fountains) – is an hour away and, if longer car journeys aren’t an issue, the stunning Marseille is just 15 minutes further.