Things to see and do around the naturist campsite in Haute Provence

One mile from l’Origan, the naturist village campsite at the gateway to the Var gives way to a medieval history by letting you visit one of the most remarkable villages in the region: Entrevaux, a Vauban town.

A medieval city, surrounded by Vauban’s ramparts, Entrevaux was the advanced position of the French kingdom. Today, its citadel offers magnificent views over the meandering Var river. Don’t miss the museum of the powder magazine, which pays tribute to the stronghold that was Entrevaux through panels telling the military adventures of the citadel. To get there, an 800m long ramp is built into the rock face, on a narrow rocky spur. Beyond, a remarkable cathedral with listed organs and furniture as well as works of art from the 17th and 18th centuries will delight art lovers.

More modern, its motorbike museum with its numerous models ready to bring back nostalgia for all 2-wheel enthusiasts.

The Ecomuseum of Roudoule, created in 1986, offers temporary exhibitions on the themes of communications and travel in the South of France. This museum is located in Puget-Rostang, at an altitude of 700 metres and 5 kms from Puget-Théniers.

This village dates from the 11th century and was built on the side of a mountain. It is dominated by an austere seigneurial house. We are in a medieval village, and the recent rehabilitation of the site has taken nothing away from its character. The heart of the village is still made up of houses in narrow paved or cobbled streets and alleys. It is in Puget-Rostang, in a modern building, that are the premises of the house of the ecomuseum of the Roudoule country.

From Puget-Rostang, at the Bertric farm, you can take the Sainte-Catherine trail, set up by the eco-museum, which leads you into the valley to discover nature and the links that man has woven there. Interpretation panels line the trail, which is not physically difficult to follow. A discovery booklet is available at the ecomuseum.

Through its exhibitions, the ecomuseum offers you a great journey through time and the region’s heritage. You will find all the history of the Roudoule valley, the trades practised by our ancestors, and the economic activity with in particular the exploitation of the copper mines in the Daluis gorges (Mine Museum).

Steam Train

This train operates on a line between Nice and Digne les Bains. It stops at Puget-Théniers, a campsite in the South of France, and will give you the opportunity to discover unparalleled landscapes. This line serves a number of picturesque villages, and offers you on its route unsuspected landscapes of gorges and lavender fields. A selected stop will allow you to stop for a few hours to visit the hinterland of Nice.

Legend has it that the train that has linked Nice to Digne for more than a century is called “le train des Pignes” (the train of the pine nuts) because it was sometimes so slow that the passengers had time to get off to pick up pine nuts! Others simply say that it was because the drivers put pine nuts in the boiler of the locomotive. What is the truth? It’s hard to know, but who cares? The train is still there, resurrected by volunteer railwaymen. And so are the pine nuts, which can still be collected by the naturist hikers of l’Origan.

Sport in the wilderness

As far as sporting emotions are concerned, you are in the right place. Canyoning without any great requirement of form, hikes for the curious or enlightened amateurs, rafting and kayaking on the Var, mountain biking on marked circuits and less than an hour from l’Origan, the Nice Country Club golf course offers you a 9-hole course, here is what you need to practice. For the amateurs, an obligation: the Via Ferrata, although it requires a first experience, it will be the occasion of great emotions.