Villa with Pool

Summer in Fons outre Gardon is hot and dry (apart from very occasional thunderstorms that clear the air), but there is a gentle breeze from the north, called the Mistral, which keeps the atmosphere pleasant.

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The swimming pool comes into its own, reaching temperatures of 30 degrees and over by mid-July. You will want to spend lots of time in the pool, or under the shady mulberry trees, or in the hammock. There are pool toys, garden games, boules, board games and books. The wifi allows access to your own information. There are, however, plenty of other things to do:

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If you are a walker, a cyclist or just a general tourist, then Fons, situated in the Garrigue (the ridge between the Mediterranean coast and the Cevennes mountain range), is an ideal place for exploration of the delights of the department of the Gard. You can use your car, or take the bus or train that leave from the village for the Roman city of Nimes, or Ales to the north or Saint Jean du Gard (where in 1878 Robert Louis Stevenson completed his 200km walk with a donkey, Modestine, immortalised in his pioneering travelogue, ‘Travels with a Donkey’).

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Although ramblers have to be careful in summer due to the heat, there are easy walks along the along Grand Randonne (GR) 63 which runs past the house into the shady Bois de Lens. Hardier walkers can explore the thousands of kilometres of paths through the Cevennes to the north or in the Camargue to the south.

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Cyclists can enjoy the four bikes provided at the house (dad, mum, teenage and 8-10 year-old sizes) to explore the many safe off-road cycle tracks described in the House Diary by previous visitors. There is every level of difficulty provided for and we offer helmets for safety too.

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Bird watchers will be enthralled by the summer migrants, the sea birds down on the Camargue (45 minutes) and especially the pink flamingos in the shallow waters. The nightingale sings in our trees and the hoopoe is a regular visitor to our lawn, along with black redstarts, finches, tits and tree-creepers. Raptors circle above.

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Naturalists can enjoy the summer flora of the garrigue. Orchids abound in early summer. But in this season the land is generally dry and brown, ideal for the growth of the vines and olive trees that surround the area around the house. Numerous beautiful butterflies and dragon flies inhabit the garden.

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During the summer nearly all the villages around Fons hold village festivals – mainly centred on the culture of the bull. Bulls are driven through village streets by superb horsemen and women called ‘guardians’. Read more about them here. 

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The youngsters' 'job' is to catch hold of a bull and wrestle it to the floor! The whole atmosphere is full of good humour and gaiety. Fons outre Gardon holds one bull ‘abbrivado’ on the 13th July, the eve of Bastille day, and a four-day festival over the last weekend in August.  Watch a video here.

 

There are also nearby bull-rings which house 'Course Camarguaise' meetings. This is another non-deadly bull festival in which people known as 'razeteurs' dressed in white attempt to steal cockades from between the ears of the bull using a comb (a ‘razet’). Read more here.

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For the music lover there are opera and music festivals in:

Avignon Drama Festival in July - see webpages here.

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Uzes in late July  - see webpages here.

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Orange opera and music festival (throughout the summer) - see webpages here.

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Montpellier’s Festival Radio France - see webpages here.

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