Lavender. One little word that conjures up a multitude of sensory experiences. The heady aroma. Fields of purple plants rolling in lines to the horizon. The essential oils for scenting your bath or aiding the healing process. You can even cook with it – delicious with a roast joint of lamb or chopped into a shortbread mix.
The flowering season in France is short, generally from mid-July through mid-August, so if you are in Provence in high summer, book a full-day tour of the lavender fields with Abi and Pierre, Provence residents and the expert guides behind idreamProvence. Abi is a passionate traveller who hails from London and has spent years studying Provence, its culture, customs and cuisine. Pierre’s roots are in Marseille but he has spent time in England and is bilingual.
Lavender tours are a new departure this year for the couple, who also run city tours to Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Marseille. Your full-day adventure will take you into the heart of the picturesque countryside dotted by ancient villages where every stone seems soaked in history.
You will never forget your first sight of a lavender field with its broad purple lines of uniform plants. Nor the aroma, especially if you stop by as a specialised tractor is cutting the stems releasing even more fragrance into the already scented air. Pierre and Abi can tell you everything you wanted to know – and more – about the cultivation and distillation process, as well as the history and uses of this sought-after plant.
A few facts about lavender
Lavender is thought to have come from Persia and the Canary Islands but has been widely grown in Provence since ancient times. Greek and Roman ladies used it to scent their bath water and the name may in fact come from the Latin word lavare, to wash. Many medicinal remedies were based on lavender and Virgil writes about delicious lavender honey.
This hardy shrub grows to a high of around 80 cm with a woody stem and narrow leaves with the fragrant blooms on top of tall spikes. With long roots to penetrate deep into hits favourite limestone soil, lavender is perfectly suited to the weather and geological conditions in Provence.
But there is more than one plant in the lavender family and in Provence, you will see True Lavender, Spike Lavender, and Lavandin, a larger hybrid version of its two cousins that is created naturally by bees. During your tour with idreamprovence, you will visit different areas and almost certainly notice differences in colour from rich purple to deep blue.
Specialist visits
Your tour will take you to some of the most enchanting parts of Provence where you’ll visit the most beautiful lavender fields. Bonnieux, Senanque with its iconic abbey where the monks grow lavender, Roussillon, Gordes, Sault and Valensole. Included in the day tour are visits to a distillery and lavender museum and you can notify Abi and Pierre in advance if you wish them to book you a restaurant for lunch.
When you book your tour, idreamProvence will confirm the meeting point to suit you and their knowledgeable guides will whisk you away by air-conditioned luxury minibus on your lavender adventure.
Find out more and book your lavender field day trip at: idreamprovence.com
