Auvergne

7 nights full board; 1-3* hotels & Chambres d'Hôtes, £795; single supplement £225

Dates & Prices 2000/2001 Thu 4 May - Fri 12 May 2000 Thu 27 Jul - Fri 4 Aug 2000 Thu 31 Aug - Fri 7 Sep 2000 Thu 3 May - Fri 11 May 2001 From Clermont Ferrand £795 Ferry Dover - Calais or Portsmouth - Le Havre/Cherbourg from £70 Train from UK from £179 Flights UK to Clermont Ferrand from £199

Where volcanoes tower over medieval spas, and forests rise up to lonely plateaux, the remote Auvergne is full of unsuspecting richness. Tiny villages rich with beautiful Romanesque churches and ancients castles, spectacular landscapes crossed with tumbling streams, and some excellent wines almost unknown beyond the region. We stay in country hotels that excel in hearty regional cooking, and walk through this dramatic volcanic countryside past Puy de Dôme, Montagne de la Serre & St Nectaire to Boudes. Almost untouched and rustic, this is rural France at its best.