Mama take these guns off me, I don't need them anymore

We are camping near Anduze, on the edge of the Cevennes; an area of scrub or Maquis thick with aromatic plants, Strawberry trees and Holm Oak, with no shortage of walking trails.

It is the hunting season in France and the guide books warn you to stay away from the the woods at the weekends. On Sunday we saw gatherings of two or three men dressed in khaki with guns slung over their shoulders intent on terrifying the red squirrels.

After a long days hike on Monday, we chose a shorter route the next day, following a walk in a leaflet from the Tourist Office to a view point above Anduze. In England this walk would have been featured in the local scrambles guide and provided us with some excitement, particularly on the descent. This reminded us of the Austrian Tourist Office cycling leaflet that suggested 60 kms cycle rides as suitable for families. It was reassuring to know that if we had injured ourselves on the scramble the camp site staff all had up-to-date First Aid training; we had watched them absorbing a power point presentation and practising on each other while we had breakfast that morning.