France - The Vercors (by train)

Heading south from Lyon in southeastern France, an awe-inspiring massif of jagged limestone looms into view. Framed perfectly by the resplendent snow-capped Alps in the distance, and the deep Isère Valley in the foreground, the Vercors Regional Nature Park is an area of exceptional beauty. Incorporating France’s largest nature reserve — the splendid Hauts Plateaux — this is one of the oldest ‘Nature Parks’ in France and a most interesting region for the visiting naturalist. We will explore its thousands of hectares of unspoiled countryside on this holiday, focusing on the rich and varied fauna and flora of the massif’s deep limestone gorges, high summits (dominated by the Grand Veymont at 2,341 metres) and vast expanses of forest. From our base in La Chapelle, a delightful village in the heart of the massif, we are within easy striking distance of the many rich habitats which, after centuries of glacial and then fluvial erosion, form a harmonious limestone landscape of damp, flower-filled meadows alternating with majestic vertical cliffs and high wooded plateaux.

One of the highlights of our week will be a day spent in the Hauts Plateaux nature reserve in the company of a local guide. This wild area, in many respects unique in Europe, consists of a patchwork of meadows, moorlands, forests and high mountain ridges, shaped by savage winters and centuries of forestry and grazing. A small, pioneering population of Wolves, presumed to have recently recolonised this part of France from the Italian Alps, hides in the vast Silver Fir (Abies alba) and Mountain Pine (Pinus uncinata) forest, their presence betrayed only by tracks left in the extensive winter snows. Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Black Grouse, Ring Ouzel, Firecrest, Crossbill, Citril Finch and perhaps even a Tengmalm’s Owl or Black Woodpecker are amongst the avian possibilities here, whilst the alpine flora is at its dazzling best at this time of year.

The pretty winter ski station of Font d’Urle provides an unusual backdrop to beautiful alpine meadows carpeted with wild pansies, gentians, wild tulips and snowbells. The path to Font d’Urle leads us through an unspoiled alpine habitat with stunning views south across the Forêt de Quint. We must keep our eyes open here for Chough, Alpine Chough, Golden Eagle, Rock Thrush, Water Pipit and Alpine Marmot. The numerous limestone cliffs in the Vercors attract resident Wallcreepers, and one or two of our picnic spots make ideal points from which to scan for this sought-after species. On the drier, sunnier southern slopes, Rock Sparrows breed, while Short-toed Eagles glide and hover overhead hunting for snakes. Orphean and Subalpine Warblers and the attractive Ortolan Bunting, too, will also be amongst our targets during this part of our holiday.

The Vercors is one of the very few regions in western Europe harbouring six species of wild ungulates — Ibex, Chamois, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Mouflon and Wild Boar all occuring here. Whilst these animals invariably remain elusive in the wooded areas, they may sometimes be seen on the higher, rocky slopes. Smaller carnivores such as Fox, Badger and Pine Marten are well represented, while Mountain Hare, a relict from the Ice Age, is confined to the high mountain ridges. We will look for some of these smaller mammals in the freshly cut hay meadows at dusk.

It is perhaps the stunning flora, however, with several rare orchids present in an overall list of 64 species, for which the Vercors massif is best known. The spectacular Lady’s Slipper Orchid is relatively common in the fir and beech forests, and we will look for the endemic Ophrys bertolonii ssp. drumana in the drier Mediterranean climate of the Gervannes. Orchis spitzelii, Toothed Orchid (Orchis tridentata) and, on our later tour, Ghost Orchid (Epipogium aphyllum) will all provide excitement during our walks and picnic lunches, throughout what promises to be a varied and enjoyable week in this, one of the most beautiful regions of France.