North side of the gorge: La Palud-sur-Verdon and Rougon
France > Provence > Eastern > Gorges du Verdon > North of the gorgeThe loop of the Route des Crêtes joins at LA PALUD-SUR-VERDON, a tiny village on the northern face of the gorge and the best base from which to explore it. Life in the village revolves around the Lou Cafetier bar-restaurant. There are one or two other places to eat and a market on Wednesday morning around the church.The tourist office and the Maison des Gorges du Verdon – a newly opened ecological centre – are on the main road in La Palud (Easter–May & Sept to mid-Dec Thurs & Fri 10am–noon & 4–6pm, Sat 10am–noon; June–Aug Wed–Mon 10am–noon & 3.30–6.30pm; tel 04.92.77.32.02, www.lapaludsurverdon.com), with a nearby Bureau des Guides (Mon–Sat 10am–12.30pm & 2–5.30pm; tel 04.92.77.30.50), where you can find out about guided walks. UCPA (Union National de Centres Sportifs de Plein Air) in La Placette (tel 04.92.77.30.13, www.ucpa.com) has information on all Verdon activities, and is another contact point for guides, as is the climbing shop, Le Perroquet Vert (tel 04.92.77.33.39). If you want to stay, there's Le Provence on the route de la Maline (tel 04.92.77.38.88, fax 04.92.77.31.05; €40–55) and the slightly cheaper Auberge des Crêtes, 1km east towards Castellane (tel 04.92.77.38.47, fax 04.92.77.30.40; €40–55). The Auberge du Point Sublime, 8km to the east in ROUGON (tel 04.92.77.60.35, fax 04.92.83.74.31; €40–55), is stunningly situated and not wildly expensive. There's a municipal campsite, Le Grand Canyon, 800m to the west of the village (tel 04.92.77.38.13). If these are full, there are no fewer than six other campsites around the town. Two gîtes to try are L'Étable, on route des Crêtes in Palud (tel 04.92.77.30.63), and Le Wapiti, just outside the village on the Moustiers road (tel 04.92.77.30.02; closed mid-Nov to Easter), both offering accommodation for around €30. The Chalet de la Maline, on route des Crêtes 8km to the south of La Palud (tel 04.92.77.38.05, [email protected]; closed mid-Nov to Easter; €11.65), is a mountain refuge run by the Club Alpin Français, and is also a good trailhead from which to start descents into the gorge.
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