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Another French icon, the Solex motorised bicycle used to be a common sight throughout France - although in earlier times it was powered by a noisy smelly little 2-stroke petrol engine. Something like 80 million Solexs were produced as a cheap form of transport after the Second World War.The original production line closed at the end of the 1980s, but now it has been re-invented as the E-Solex an environmentally-friendly way of getting around town using battery high efficeincy power to boost your pedalling.

You can now enjoy a one of these very French machines by hiring one for a day or half-day in St Omer (62 Pas-de-Calais, Nord Pas-de-Calais).

Les Belles Echappees also hire out Citroen 2CVs, tandems and trikes and offer a number of packages which can include route suggestions, restaurant and hotel combinations etc.

Les Belles Echappées invite you to a journey off the beaten track in search of simple pleasures connected with emotion and collective memory.

You can find a video showing the 2CVs in action on You Tube Les Belles Echappees translates as a good time or break!

Les Belles Echappees, Chemin des murs, Ferme de l’Abbaye - 62500 CLAIRMARAIS
Tél : 03.21.98.11.72

There are other options for raking to the road “a la francaise” - e.g. the 2CV tours of Paris with 4 roues sous un Parapluie (4 wheels under 1 umbrella); Or hire a classic Citroen TA in the Loire Valley with Quart de Tours (37 Indre-et-Loire, Centre)

Further south Joffreny Tours offer classic and modern British cars (and others) for touring the French countryside from their base near Chalus (87 Haut Vienne, Limousin) - although helpfully they have an office in the UK

Lots to do and see - Hire a classic standard MGB Roadster, a V8 MGB Roadster, a BMW Z3 Roadster or a Triumph Stag (soft-top or hard-top) and take off on a sightseeing tour of the Limousin, Charente and Dordogne, in west central France, with all of its historic towns and picturesque chateaux, and sample some of the fine food and wine along the way. This is beautiful touring country and there are very few cars on the road…

An opportunity to visit France’s rich heritage of Gardens is offered for the weekend of 29 May - 1 June 2008 with the “Rendezvous des Jardins” (meetings with gardens).

Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture, more than 2000 private and public parks and gardens across France will be open to the public.

On the Culture Ministry’s website (only in French) there is a clickable map to select the region you are visiting - and details of the gardens open and what they are offering - open visits, guided tours, music, photographic exhibitions, lectures etc. Many are open until dusk on the Saturday.

The fun thing is that there is such a range available - for example in Picardie you can visit the Vegetable Garden (potager) of the Princes at Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie), and also an artist’s private garden near Beauvais (60 Oise, Picardie) where painter Andre van Beck uses the plants as subjects of his paintings and where he will be showing some of his floral pictures alongside the garden which inspired them! (see le Jardin Du Peintre Andre Van Beek
- see our customised map of the Oise département.
Meanwhile in the Charente, you can visit the medieval Pilgrim Hospital Garden (Hopital des Pelerins) at Pons (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) - a stop on one of routes to St Jean de Compostelle (Halte sur les chemins de St Jean). Whilst at St Andre de Lidon (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) the Cognac and Pineau des Charentes producer J M Deau will be opening their Botanic Garden to the public - plus the opportunity to taste or buy some Cognac!

An opportunity to visit France’s rich heritage of Gardens is offered for the weekend of 29 May - 1 June 2008 with the “Rendezvous des Jardins” (meetings with gardens).

Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture, more than 2000 private and public parks and gardens across France will be open to the public.

On the Culture Ministry’s website (only in French) there is a clickable map to select the region you are visiting - and details of the gardens open and what they are offering - open visits, guided tours, music, photographic exhibitions, lectures etc. Many are open until dusk on the Saturday.

The fun thing is that there is such a range available - for example in Picardie you can visit the Vegetable Garden (potager) of the Princes at Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie), and also an artist’s private garden near Beauvais (60 Oise, Picardie) where painter Andre van Beck uses the plants as subjects of his paintings and where he will be showing some of his floral pictures alongside the garden which inspired them! (see le Jardin Du Peintre Andre Van Beek
- see our customised map of the Oise département.
Meanwhile in the Charente, you can visit the medieval Pilgrim Hospital Garden (Hopital des Pelerins) at Pons (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) - a stop on one of routes to St Jean de Compostelle (Halte sur les chemins de St Jean). Whilst at St Andre de Lidon (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) the Cognac and Pineau des Charentes producer J M Deau will be opening their Botanic Garden to the public - plus the opportunity to taste or buy some Cognac!

An opportunity to visit France’s rich heritage of Gardens is offered for the weekend of 29 May - 1 June 2008 with the “Rendezvous des Jardins” (meetings with gardens).

Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture, more than 2000 private and public parks and gardens across France will be open to the public.

On the Culture Ministry’s website (only in French) there is a clickable map to select the region you are visiting - and details of the gardens open and what they are offering - open visits, guided tours, music, photographic exhibitions, lectures etc. Many are open until dusk on the Saturday.

The fun thing is that there is such a range available - for example in Picardie you can visit the Vegetable Garden (potager) of the Princes at Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie), and also an artist’s private garden near Beauvais (60 Oise, Picardie) where painter Andre van Beck uses the plants as subjects of his paintings and where he will be showing some of his floral pictures alongside the garden which inspired them! (see le Jardin Du Peintre Andre Van Beek
- see our customised map of the Oise département.
Meanwhile in the Charente, you can visit the medieval Pilgrim Hospital Garden (Hopital des Pelerins) at Pons (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) - a stop on one of routes to St Jean de Compostelle (Halte sur les chemins de St Jean). Whilst at St Andre de Lidon (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) the Cognac and Pineau des Charentes producer J M Deau will be opening their Botanic Garden to the public - plus the opportunity to taste or buy some Cognac!

Deep in deepest southern France the wine cooperative of Mont Tauch is in the heart of the Fitou and southern Corbieres appellations - this is not, rugged country which can produce excellent rich reds, and some surprisingly fresh white wines. You have to take a detour off the main autoroutes and explore narrow country lanes to reach them, but the effort is well worthwhile. The scenery is impressive and the wines have never disappointed.

In many ways Mont Tauch is the antithesis of what we usually look for in a wine producer - firstly it is a co-operative, which can be very variable in ethos and quality; and secondly it is a big, and too often size can undermine quality and distinctiveness in the quest for more commercial (i.e. bland unoffensive) wines.

However Mont Tauch will open its new visitor centre in Languedoc at the end of July 2008. The centre, located at the winery in Tuchan (11 Aude, Languedoc) and

aims to educate visitors about the cooperative and its wines, as well as about the surrounding Fitou appellation.

Visitors will be able to learn about a range of themes, including the diversity of vineyards and village life; soils and grape varieties; vinification; and sustainable agriculture and environment. Tutored tastings in both French and English will teach visitors about the cooperative’s range of wines, and tours of the winery and vineyards will also be available later in the year.

The centre includes a shop, which will sell up to 96 different wines made by the Mont Tauch cooperative, including rare vintages, premium products, vins doux naturels and bag-in-box wines. In addition, visitors will be able to purchase local produce and will have access to tourist information on the surrounding Fitou appellation.

Katie Jones, UK Sales & Marketing Director at Mont Tauch, comments, “We decided to build a visitor centre and offer tours and tastings as wine tourism is something that we feel is very important and works well in other countries, but France has so far lagged behind. We think the new centre and shop will be a great way to attract more visitors to Mont Tauch and to introduce them to our wines and the unique way of life at the cooperative.”

Mont Tauch also has a good informative website about the wines and the region - see www.mont-tauch.com

In the UK numerous merchants stock these wines - e.g.Majestic Wine, who offer Fitou AC Les Hauts de Montluzy from £4.49 and the Fitou AC L’Exception from £9.99.“This characterful Fitou reveals rich, warming textures. Its lushness and power demands hearty food. ‘a powerful and seductive red with lovely fruit. Gutsy, well-balanced and complex.’ (Steve Pryer, ES Magazine) ‘A serious demonstration of Haut-Fitou’s potential.’ (Joanna Simon, The Sunday Times)”

Another very good co-operative in the region is at Embres-et-Castelmaure - about 12 miles south - making some expcetionally good Corbières AC wines - see MORE . In the area you can also explore the Cathar castles at Peyrepertouse and Queribus.

The Tour de France 2008 (21 stages, 3500 km) traverses France (with an excursion into Italy) starting in Brittany on 5 July and ending on the Champs Elysees in Paris on 27 July 2008.

Love it or hate it, you may not be able to ignore it. Roads are closed, towns come to a halt as a large proportion of the local population plus many spectators from around the world (plus press and publicity) descend on the individual stages. It is quite a spectacle with a great atmosphere - and yet unless it is a time trial or mountain stage, the actual racing cyclists can be come and gone in a matter of minutes. Mountain stages get manic with enthusiasts parking on the mountainside several days in advance to get a good position.
Because the French take the Tour so seriously be prepared for road and town closures on the route - it seldom affects main autoroutes, but other roads can be closed for several hours.

For details of coverage on ITV see www.itv.com

For details of the 2008 stages see www.frenchduck.com

The Tour has produced a short video which flies you across the landscape of France following the route of the 2008 Tour (worth seeing even if you are not interested in the race!):-

For more on the Tour de France 2008 see www.letour.fr/

The Chateau of Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie) hosts an International Firework Festival in the grounds 12-14 June 2008.
With at least 11 displays of pyrotechnic spectacles designed by some of the top firework display designers in the world - there are strict rules as in any serious competition - some elements against prescribed music, some silent, some freestyle - all against the backdrop of the historic Chateau, its lakes and formal gardens.
Doors open at 8.00pm and a full evening of entertainment is promised - it should be illuminating!
For more info see www.nuitsdefeu.com/ - there is a video showing the preparations and some idea of what to expect.

The Chateau of Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie) hosts an International Firework Festival in the grounds 12-14 June 2008.
With at least 11 displays of pyrotechnic spectacles designed by some of the top firework display designers in the world - there are strict rules as in any serious competition - some elements against prescribed music, some silent, some freestyle - all against the backdrop of the historic Chateau, its lakes and formal gardens.
Doors open at 8.00pm and a full evening of entertainment is promised - it should be illuminating!
For more info see www.nuitsdefeu.com/ - there is a video showing the preparations and some idea of what to expect.

The Chateau of Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie) hosts an International Firework Festival in the grounds 12-14 June 2008.
With at least 11 displays of pyrotechnic spectacles designed by some of the top firework display designers in the world - there are strict rules as in any serious competition - some elements against prescribed music, some silent, some freestyle - all against the backdrop of the historic Chateau, its lakes and formal gardens.
Doors open at 8.00pm and a full evening of entertainment is promised - it should be illuminating!
For more info see www.nuitsdefeu.com/ - there is a video showing the preparations and some idea of what to expect.

We tend to think of the Rose as a quintessentially English flower, but the French have their moments. Avignon (84 Vaucluse, Provence) celebrates the rose with its Altera Rosa Festival in May, whilst in the north the Royal Abbey of Chaalis near Senlis (60 Oise, Picardie) throws its own Rose festival in June

Chaalis Abbey was a French Cistercian abbey founded in 1136 by Louis VI of Franc. There had previously been a Benedictine monastery in the same place.

The Journees de la Rose festival runs from 6-8 June in the delightful (and usually peaceful) gardens of the abbey - you’ll be greeted by a vast display of roses, be able to talk to rose experts, see an exhibition of photos and attend workshops on perfume and flower arranging.

See map and more info on the Oise département