Surroundings

Located at the north west tip of the department Alpes de Haute Provence, between Sisteron and Laragne-Montéglin, you will find the village of Mison-les-Armands. A couple of hundred meters outside the village, towards Mison-le-Village, you will find Les Glycines surrounded by many trees and lush vegetation. The wonderful climate, at least 300 sunny days a year, makes it an ideal place for outdoor activities. From the house you can take varied walks across the rolling hills and into the foothills of the southern Alps visible on the horizon. An excellent way to wake up: join us on our early-morning jogging trip through the hills, over the plateau de Mison with a stunning view on the Büech river and the Gorges de la Méouge. Mountain hikes and climbing are popular local sports, as are horse riding and mountain biking. Water sports are a big feature, with wind surfing, sailing, canoeing and canyoning nearby: check www.rckn.fr for a canoe trip in the Vallée de la moyenne Durance. You can bathe in the Gorges de la Méouge, wonderfully cool blue/green water with rough beaches between two nearby mountains, or in one of several swimming lakes, for example the "Lac de Riou" north of Laragne.

Flying
The area is renowned for its excellent free flying opportunities: hang gliding, sailplane gliding and paragliding, almost all year round! Flying cross country in this area is ideal with many take-off sites and reliable thermal activity.  Many pilots take their first cross country flights here with safe outlandings in wide valleys and easy retrieve along the valley roads. Would you like to try paragliding? Please check www.mahonyaviation.com .

Several international hang gliding and paragliding competitions take place in Laragne every year. In 2010 there will be the Ozone Chabre Open for paragliding, look at www.flylaragne.com for more information.

Culture, Villages, Cities
For those who prefer to remain on the ground, there are routes through the lavender growing area, waiting to be discovered. There are perched villages, and many nearby towns and villages with weekly markets like the huge regional market in Forcalquier every Monday morning. You can make a cultural trip to Aix-en-Provence, which is an hour's drive from Mison. Another half hour's drive will take you to the "Vieux Port" of Marseille where you can enjoy a pastis on one of the cosy harbour terraces. Continuing west along the coast you will find the Calanques where you can swim and sunbathe or you can have a tasty fish meal - with sea urchins! - in one of the little fishing villages such as La Redonne, Niolon-La Vesse, Carry-le-Rouet or Carro......