Cycling and kayaking in the Luberon

You don’t need to bring bikes. Two shops in the village hire them, and both are a short walk from the villa. Sun-E-Bike, on Avenue Clovis Hugues, hires classic and electric bikes, and also sells and repairs them and runs guided day rides. Rent Bike Luberon, on Rue Raspail, has been going since 2012 and hires e-bikes, electric mountain bikes, carbon road bikes, hybrids and children’s bikes. It delivers free across the Luberon for hires of three days or more.

Our honest advice: unless you ride a lot at home, take an e-bike. Bonnieux sits on a hillside and every ride ends with a climb back up to the village. With a little assistance, a family can manage a morning out to Lacoste or down to the Pont Julien and still be back at the pool by lunchtime.

Look out for the Accueil Vélo sign as you ride. It is a national label for places within 5 km of a cycle route that offer cyclists things like secure bike storage, a repair kit and route advice, and there are dozens of them along the Luberon routes.

From the villa terrace you look straight across to Mont Ventoux, 1,910 m, and many riders want to climb it. There are three roads to the top. From Bédoin it is 21.8 km at an average of about 7.4%, the most famous side. From Malaucène it is 21.5 km and almost as hard. From Sault it is 26 km at about 4.4%, the gentlest way up.

Bédoin is about 1 hr 10 min from Bonnieux by car and Sault about 51 minutes, so most guests drive over with the bikes early in the morning. Start at first light in summer, carry a windproof layer for the descent and plenty of water. The top of the mountain is closed to all traffic, bikes included, from mid-November until spring; Ventoux Provence tourism posts the dates each year.

This is our favourite summer morning out with children. The Sorgue rises at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and stays at around 12.5 to 13°C all year, so the water is gin-clear, green and properly cold, which is wonderful on a hot day. The usual trip is about 8 km downstream to the Partage des Eaux on the edge of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, around two hours of easy paddling with a couple of weirs you walk round, and a bus back to your car.

Two companies run the descent from mid-May to the end of September: Kayak Vert and Canoë Évasion. Kayak Vert takes children from six, and paddlers need to be able to swim 25 m; at Canoë Évasion children over ten can have their own boat, and younger ones ride with adults. Life jackets are compulsory, swimming in the river is not allowed, and you should wear shoes that can get wet. Book ahead in July and August and go early, before the river gets busy.

Afterwards, walk up to the spring at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse or head into L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for lunch by the water and the antique shops.

For a full day out, the Gorges du Verdon are about 1 hr 45 min away. At the Pont du Galetas, where the river leaves the gorge and opens into the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix, you can hire canoes, kayaks, pedalos and paddleboards and paddle up between cliffs hundreds of metres high. In summer it gets very busy, so arrive early. Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is close by for lunch, and the drive home can take in the lavender of Valensole in early summer.