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The Maritime Alps rests neatly between France and Italy close to the Riviera. It can combine a great beach holiday with active days out in superb mountains. I’ve played in and around the area when visiting friends in Nice – who inform me there is also a little skiing to be had during the winter!
Gillian Price has produced a lovely guide to the best the region has to offer – and it seems it does have a lot to offer for hikers and trekkers. Firstly Gillian must be congratulated on the depth of information she is providing in the guide – there is a wealth of information on places to stay, amenities and travel in the area and as an enthusiast for public transport (to help minimise you impact) there is good information on travel.
This together with the information she provides on wildlife, flowers and history the introduction makes an easy read and should get you in the mood for a great holiday in great surroundings.
The guide itself is laid out the usual Cicerone manner and those of you who have used a Cicerone guide before will find it reassuringly familiar. The mapping for the walks is a little basic, I would have liked to have seen a little more detail in them such as contours etc, as I find that useful. But then hopefully you will have bought maps to compliment the guide when you go.
The guide has 18 day walks and 6 long distance treks to choose from with difficulties ranging from the easy and popular Fontanalba Rock engravings to the spectacular 7 day Alpi Martime circuit. So there is something for everybody. The walks begin in France and work their way around and into Italy in a clockwise direction.
So the Cicerone guide to Walks and Treks in the Maritime Alps is a neat little guide to an area you really should visit if you are a keen hiker, you could quite happily have a 10 day holiday by flying to Nice and taking public transport around the region, staying in beautiful villages, enjoying stunning food and wine by working up an appetite with spectacular day hikes. Then head back to the coast for a few days of R&R in the sun – what’s not to like!
SRP £16:95
Available from Cicerone.
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