Welcome to France For Families’ 15th newsletter.  Spring is most definitely in the air, and how lovely it is to see the daffodils and early blossom in our gardens and along the wayside. It puts one in holiday mood and with Easter just around the corner, many of you may be heading off for a short (or longer) break to France. Some of you may even be fortunate enough to already own property in France where you can escape the busyness of life in the UK. Others may be contemplating buying somewhere in France either as a holiday property or as a permanent move. If you fall into the latter category check out our new section dedicated to buying property in France.  This new section has been written with information as well as the help and advice provided by the French based company Help In France.

Site Updates
Just as we spring clean our homes J, so at this time of year the France For Families site also receives its own ‘spring clean’. By the time you read this much of the site will have been updated with 2007 prices and opening times as well as new information and attractions added on many of the regions. Keep a look out for further changes and improvements by bookmarking France For families in the “Favourites” section of your computer.  If you’re not sure how to do this, have a look at our home page and near the bottom right hand corner you will see the words “Bookmark this site”….click there and it’s done for you!

New Gites Page
Our regional gite pages just keep on growing. We have now added a section for The Pyrénées where hopefully you will find inspiration to find your ideal holiday rental. Read on below for a brief resumé of why The Pyrénées make a first class area as a holiday destination.  If you would like to advertise your property on France For Families then please contact us for more information on the options available – we can offer everything from a free link from a regional map through to building you your own website.

Focus on the Pyrénées
With our new Pyrénées gite pages (see above), it seems appropriate to continue with our occasional ‘Focus On…..’ series by looking at that diverse region. The Pyrénées region is a great place for a holiday, as a good mix of activities can be found for all the family. The glorious mountains beckon for exploration, walks and all things energetic. The mountains can be readily explored on foot, with one of the most exhilarating being to the Cirque de Gavarnie. Alternatively combine a walk with a couple of exciting train rides. In addition, the nature of the terrain is such that there are lots of underground caves worth visiting – a good way to escape the heat!

For something a bit more sedentary there are miles upon miles of beaches on both the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts for chilled out days, basking in the sun, interspersed with the odd swim and sandcastle building. There are also several possibilities of visits to water parks where the children will be in their element and you’ll probably only see older children when they get hungry.

Between these two extremes the countryside offers plenty of pretty villages and larger towns to visit, including Carcassonne, a fascinating walled town, perched above the Canal du Midi. Finally don’t miss the Cathar castles that are worth exploring which children especially will find great fun. 

Tour de France
For us here in the UK 2007 is an historic year. The 94th Tour de France for the first time in its history will start in London. Traditionally the race begins in a city outside France and this year after an opening ceremony in Trafalgar Square on Friday 6th July, the prologue stage of 7.9 km will be in the capital on Saturday 7th July passing by many of London’s famous landmarks. This will be followed on Sunday 8th by the first stage of 203 km from London-Canterbury taking a route past the London Eye and St Pauls Cathedral, going via Greenwich and then out across the Kent countryside. This should be a great day out for the family whether you chose to be one of an estimated million spectators watching from the capital or along the day 2 the route.

Having left the UK the route heads into Belgium before taking a clockwise route around France, stopping at Compiègne (famous for its Chateau), Chablis (for a spot of wine tasting), Bourg en Bresse (of chicken fame) and eventually hitting the Alps with tough circuits around Tignes and Val d’Isere. Leaving the Alps behind the stages pass through Marseille and Montpellier before the first of 2 time trials at Albi. More mountain stages follow in the Pyrénées.

The final stages take place between Cahors and  Angoulême with a final time trial between Cognac and Angoulême. 

The 3547 km and 20 stages finish in Paris (LINK) on the Champs-Elyssés on 29th July.

New Air Routes
Flybe has just become Europe’s largest regional airline having completed its acquisition of BA Connect which was the regional operation of British Airways. As a result there will be lots of new opportunities for low cost air travel between the UK and France. The new routes will be Manchester to Bergerac, Rennes, Brest, Limoges and La Rochelle; Southampton to Paris and Nice; London Gatwick to Bergerac; Cardiff to Paris; Edinburgh to Rennes and Bergerac; Belfast to Rennes; Exeter to Avignon, Nice and Rennes; Newcastle to Limoges.

For holidaymakers wishing to avoid a long drive to their holiday destination or second home owners, these new routes can only be a big boom for travel. Indeed they could be a factor in helping you decide where to holiday/re-locate/buy. If you are not sure which region to stay in why not look through our regional guides and then check out our gite pages where there are many different holiday homes available to suit all tastes. 

Disneyland Paris
It seems hard to believe especially after all the early controversy over whether or not it should be built, but Disneyland Paris is 15 years old this year. This is of course cause for big celebrations and the resort is planning to do this in style, starting from 1st April right through to March 2008.   There will be special deals for under 7’s if you book a package at one of the resort hotels between 30th March-8th November.  These children will get free hotel accommodation and entry to both parks.  Once inside the parks there is so much to see and do, including for this celebratory year 2 new attractions.  The first is the Cars Race Rally, based on the Pixar movie and the second is Crush’s Coaster Ride based on the hit movie – ‘Finding Nemo’.

Finally the all important daily parade not surprisingly has a celebration theme and for everyone’s enjoyment is called ‘Once upon a Dream Parade’.  This year, 2007 at Disneyland is one not to be missed! 

Other News
Berck-sur-Mer in the Nord Pas-de-Calais plays host to Europe’s largest kite festival.(www.cerf-volant-berck.com) This colourful event takes place from Sat 31st March through to 9th April, with the weekend days being especially popular.  This is an easy day trip from the UK if you live in the SE corner of England and take advantage of a crossing either into Calais,  Boulogne or use Eurotunnel. Take the opportunity to explore an area of France that most visitors simply pass through en route to somewhere else.

Looking ahead, 2007 is France’s turn to host the Rugby World Cup. This prestigious event in the sporting calendar takes place from Sept 7th –October 20th. Matches take place in towns throughout France, so careful planning now and you could combine a holiday with a spot of rugby on the side. Check out www.rugbyworldcup.com.

Vulcania
Vulcania in the Massif Central has 3 new attractions for 2007 when it re-opens on 21st March. The first of these is a Le Grand Cratère (a large crater) where visitors get a sensory experience of what happens inside the crater of a volcano – smells, rumblings and heat. The Magma Explorer (the second new attraction), recreates a virtual journey right inside a volcano – a journey full of surprises, which includes an in depth look at magma, the stuff of which volcanoes are made.

Finally, the Awakening of the volcanoes in the Auvergne, is a 3D film. From the comfort of your seat in the theatre you can experience the sights and sounds of an actual volcanic eruption.

This growing centre is definitely worth a visit if you are holidaying in the region. 

We hope you have enjoyed this latest edition of the France For Families newsletter and all that remains is to wish everyone a very Happy Easter and hopefully some relaxing family time over the Easter holidays.