Thanks Alewife, yes its a beautiful area, few people until Castellane, which I then stayed at for a few days. Once I awoke from my camp, George kindly drove me back to the base of Rougon which is les Lauves, the point where the gorge walk starts or finishes, the Point Sublime. I decided it would be my finish, so I hiked to la Palud sur Verdon to stay the night. Only a small place but I had a great time, drinking, eating and meeting climbers. Sometimes I wish people wouldn't buy me drinks because the next morning I had a BIG hangover!
I had already determined that this was going to be the day when I would walk at the bottom of the Gorge du Verdun, it would take about 6 hours, so I was told. I set off from the village and the first few kilometers was roadwalking, it was so very hot and sunny. Eventually I came to my starting point, the Chalet de Maline, its a bar, a place to eat and a good resting point. My feet at this point were burning! I think the walk I was just about to start is called the Sentier Blanc Martel.
I'd thought about hiking this walk for years. My wife and I drove to the area in the 80s and although we explored the area we did little walking, I always told myself that one day I would be back.
The Chalet de Maline starting point for me was the right decision, it meant that I was going to walk towards les Lauves, which had a bar, hotel/restaurant and a camp site nearby. If I had walked from Rougon to the Chalet de Maline I would have found nothing else there other than this building and a Gite next door but I did not inquire about it. I stopped for a while, massaged and cooled my feet and had a couple of cups of coffee, some apple tart and cream before setting off.
An hour later and I was ready!