Les Vans

The Bear and the Lion, locked in mortal combat and frozen into stone in the Bois de Paiolive.
The Bois de Paiolive is another extraordinary natural wonder in the Ardeche. in the main it is a massive tangle of stunted white Oak trees that grow up and around bizarrely shaped outcrops of limestone, such as L'Ours et le Lion, (the Bear and the Lion) which is a good 10 metres high. It is such a labyrinth that it is quite easy to get disorientated in amongst the towers, passages, and trees. It is a quite a tricky place to photograph, but quite extraordinary to visit. ...and if you do end up down that way, drop in for lunch at the L'Olivier de Paiolive which is close to the Bear and the Lion on the same road - that restuarant is absolutely outstanding!

I watched another sunrise from the fort at the picturesque village of Banne in the Ardeche, southern France. It was yet another glorious morning, with the grape harvest underway in the valley below. The shot is looking across the olive groves with the early morning sun picking out the silvery leaves, towards the village church on the opposite hill.

These gentle rapids are deep in the Gorge du Chassezac, near the town of Les Vans and the village of Berrias et Castlejau in the Ardeche, Southern France. The Chassezac carves its way through Limestone hills that are topped with the Bois do Paiolive, an Oak wood with the most extraordinary limestone towers and outcrops.

Sometimes you look at nature and wonder how on earth did that happen? I had that feeling when I found this full grown tree sprouting out of the wall of the fort at Banne.
I had watched the sunrise from the top of this fort, and as the sun started to climb over the low hills to the east I had a walk round the lower level if the fort to see how it looked in the low sun. The walls are sheer and glowed nicely in the golden light, but how that tree managed to take hold and thrive is beyond me. Oh and the view out across the vineyards in the valley below was quite wonderful.