Lavender in the Enclave of the Popes

Lovely to look at, lavender is also the plant with a thousand virtues. We’ll start our discovery of this plant with a summary of the benefits.

Used in essential oil for for its olfactory characteristics, lavender also has uses in cosmetics, for cleaning and medicinal attributes.

Here’s a little overview:
– found in tea and herbal tea, lavender relaxes you and helps with digestion
– in decoction (flowers soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes), it’s used in massages to relax the muscles (wait for the decoction to cool down!)
– essential oils soothe insect bites
– lavender honey helps you sleep
– its scent deters ticks, mosquitos and other lice

To find out more, don’t hesitate to go to the Tourist Office in Valréas where you’ll get to know the plant like the back of your hand.

Did you know?

• Lavender and lavandin are cousin plants: while lavender is an “original” plant, lavandin is a hybrid plant created from “fine” lavender and “spike” lavender.
• Lavender grows above 800 m of altitude whereas lavandin grows on the plains.

And here goes! A bike ride on little roads lined with stretches of blue!

Take your time to cycle at your own pace and admire the landscapes which are shaped by lavender.

Starting at the Tourist Office, take the looped path around the Enclave of the Popes, crossing vineyards and lavender fields. From the first few kilometres, as you leave Valréas and head in the direction of Vinsobres, a patchwork of green and lavender blue colours the countryside. This is an introduction which foreshadows the panoramas that will be seen throughout the itinerary, which will then lead you through Visan, the village of Richerenches, once inhabited by the Knights Templar, and Grillon, before returning to Valréas.

A nice 3.5 hour bike ride with views that will really blow you away!

Take note

• Best time to see the lavender in flower: July
• 36 km with a 540 m increase in altitude. Not recommended for small children.
• Itinerary duration: 3.5 hours

A few kilometres west of Valréas, discover this producer of organic cosmetics made from lavender and lavandin

You’ve made the effort, now enjoy the well-deserved reward!

Remember that lavender loosens up and relaxes the muscles, so why not pay a visit to “L’essential de lavande”, an organic producer of cosmetic products.
After a tour of the estate to understand how lavender grows and about the harvest of the famous sprigs, you’ll be unable to resist a massage in the fields with shea and lavandin essential oil!

Take note

• Estate tours by appointment from September to June and every day in July and August
• Massage in the fields: from June to July / €70 per person