Esparron-de-Verdon, Provence, France
Esparron-de-Verdon is nicely situated on the lake Lac d'Esparron with turquoise-colored water, which lies on the path of the river Verdon. The area is famous for Verdon Gorge and the Lac de Sainte-Croix. The town is located about 13 km east of Gréoux-les-Bains and 10 km south of Allemagne-en-Provence.
Access and parking in Esparron-de-Verdon
The D82 road leads to the town. Our plan involves first seeing the area of Chateau d'Esparron, and then walking near the shore of Lac d'Esparron. For this purpose, we will first park the car near the castle (P1; GPS: 43.739773, 5.975061), and later we will come closer to the lake (P2; GPS: 43.737571, 5.971715).
Chateau d'Esparron
After parking the car on a small parking lot along the D82 road we walk narrow path uphill near old buildings and the church of Saint-André (A; GPS: 43.739374, 5.975387) built in the Romanesque style. Nearby the church we can already see the thick walls of Chateau d'Esparron (B; GPS: 43.739072, 5.975466). The castle dates from the thirteenth century (expanded in the eighteenth century) and belongs to the family of Castellane from very beginning. If you are interested, the owners provide accommodation in the form of rooms of "Bed & Breakfast" type and also larger apartments, but with self-catering.
Lac d'Esparron
We move to another parking lot located at the Lac d'Esparron. The waters of the lake really impress with beautiful turquoise color. You could sit on one of the benches placed on a slope, observe floating boats and enjoy the tranquility around - the town has a small marina for boats and sailboats (C; GPS: 43.736469, 5.970416). To get something to eat or drink, you should just go across the street to a nearby bar/restaurant called "Le Bistro".
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