Ride the rim of a canyon seven hundred meters deep

The Gorges du Verdon run about 25 kilometers through the limestone of Haute-Provence and are up to 700 meters deep. Along the north rim, out of La Palud-sur-Verdon, the Route des Crêtes follows the edge past about fifteen viewpoints.

The road was begun in 1949 and its loop was not finished until 1972, which says something about the ground it is built on. It is driven clockwise, and its middle stretch is one-way, because it is narrow and climbs at up to fifteen percent. The tourist office advises going before ten in the morning, and that is when the group goes.

From the viewpoints the green thread at the bottom is the river paddled the day before. Three of France's four vulture species nest in these walls.