Le Mas de la Grenouillère

Away from the site, there’s plenty to entertain, starting with the medieval Joyeuse: roam the cobbled streets between the 16th-century castle and the old ramparts; pour a couple of glasses of vin at Cave de Lablachère, and sign up for canyoning and rappelling at Gecco Aventure, all within 10 minutes’ drive. Getting out in nature is essential around here too: the site is close to the border between Monts d’Ardèche Natural Regional Park and Cévennes National Park, so there are lots of hiking and biking trails as well as choice spots for climbing, canoeing, kayaking, paragliding and treetop adventures. A visit to the Ardèche gorge is a must: known as the European Grand Canyon, the spectacular valley cut by the Ardèche river is absolutely worthy of exploration. Head to Vallon-Pont-d’Arc 35 minutes from base and hire a canoe to follow the gorge as far as Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche – all the better for seeing the gorge(ous) UNESCO-listed Pont d’Arc as the river passes beneath it. There’s loads above ground – pretty villages, museums, castles and even dinosaur parks – but diving below the surface is where things get interesting: the fab Grotte de la Cocalière, Aven Marzal and Aven d’Orgnac are all within an hour. But the one can’t-miss is the Caverne du Pont d’Arc, a life-size replica of the nearby Chauvet cave and its stunning cave paintings.