Purple and Gold, not a football shirt but the colours of Provence

Poppy takeover

Last week we went for our annual foray to see the lavender and add to my collection of photos. Usually we go to the Valensol plateau near Digne-les-Bains, but this year we decided to go slightly further afield and do the Sault/Mont Ventoux area lavender trail and to take two days rather than one.

We were a little unlucky as it was a little early and the lavender was not in full bloom (I figure it will be at it's peak in about two weeks). The area around Sault had several patchwork fields but nothing like the sweeeping fields of the Valensole. The other parts of the trail was very scenic but seemed to missing the lavender! On the second day, heavy rain was predicted so we decided to come home taking a detour through the Valensole.

Luck was on our side as the weather started to clear up after midday and when we got to Valensole the sun was shining. The Valensole lavender was also much more advanced, so I got my fix of the purples and the lavender scent.  The only down side was the blustery wind resulting in several blurry photos. (you can see the lavender blowing about in the photo).

An added bonus was the fields of sunflowers on the way in the Durance valley. Just breathtakingly beautiful.