Drôme, Ardèche and the Cèze

Your journey begins in Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye, where the huge Gothic abbey church rises above lanes of timber-framed houses. Go inside to see the great organ, then visit the museum that tells the story of the Antonine order. Stay the night here and let the lanes quieten around you.

Next comes Châtillon-en-Diois, a small village tucked under the limestone cliffs of the Glandasse plateau. Look for the coat of arms that sums up the story of its barony, then walk out to the scant ruins of Guignaise abbey nearby. Spend the night here, perhaps with a glass of Clairette de Die.

This morning begins at Mirmande, a hill village stacked along a ridge over the Teyssone valley. Climb through its upper streets and look back at the wooded hills of Malivet, Peygrand and Montpourchier rising behind the roofs. Then on to Le Poët-Laval.

At Le Poët-Laval, leave the car behind and walk up through the largely traffic-free upper village to the Hospitaller castle. Climb the keep and follow the wall walk for the views, then step into the museum of Protestantism in the old temple. Next, on to Grignan.

Grignan is where the day ends. Climb to the Renaissance château, then pay your respects at Madame de Sévigné's tomb in the Collégiale Saint-Sauveur, and perhaps try the local Grignan-les-Adhémar wine over supper. Stay the night here; each July the village holds its Festival de la Correspondance.

Begin the day at La Garde-Adhémar, where you leave the car outside the walls and explore on foot. Visit the Romanesque church of Saint-Michel and the Jardin des Herbes, which looks out over the Rhône valley. Pick up a bottle of Grignan-les-Adhémar wine if you like, then on to Vogüé.

Vogüé sits right above the Ardèche. Walk or cycle the Via Ardèche greenway across the old viaduct, taking in the limestone gorges of the middle valley, then look up to the château with its gardens in terraces. After that, on to Balazuc.

Reach Balazuc by the river, where an ancient ford gave the village its start. Lose yourself in the callades, the narrow medieval lanes between fortified houses, and climb to the castle and its square keep. Stay the night here, with the Ardèche running below.

Lussan starts the day in scrubby, fragrant garrigue country. Wander the stone houses on their rocky outcrop, then follow the waymarked path to the Concluses gorge and its pools worn into the riverbed. Then on to La Roque-sur-Cèze.

At La Roque-sur-Cèze, cross the medieval Pont Charles-Martel and look back at the little village on its knoll. Then walk to the Cascades du Sautadet, where the river has drilled deep round potholes; admire them from the bank, as they are dangerous. On to Montclus.

Montclus lies just past the end of the Cèze's gorges. Visit the 13th-century castle with its rectangular keep and vaulted rooms, then stroll among the vineyards towards the Mas du Grand Galès and its avenue of fruit trees. Stay the night here.

Your last stop is Aiguèze, perched over the Ardèche at the mouth of its gorges. Follow the watch path of the old fort for a look into the canyon, and call into the church that an archbishop born in the village helped to decorate. Then the road runs on to Marseille Airport.