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(Longitude 5 deg. 38' East, Latitude 44 deg 19' North, altitude 900 metres.)

By car:

Good motorway access from the north. Calais is just over 600 miles.

35 km from Gap (N85)
100 km from Grenoble (N75)
100 km from Valence (D93)
115 km from Briançon – Tighten Knight (N85)
125 km from Marseilles (N96 or A51)
125 km from Avignon (D942 or D946)
170 km from Nice – Monaco (N202)
225 km from Turin (N85 or E70)
225 km from Lyon (N75 or A48)
250 km from Geneva (N75 or A 41)

By train:

Go to Veynes, Serres or Laragne:
Paris - Briançon (via Valence): stops in Veynes, change in Veynes for Serres and Laragne.
Marseilles - Briançon: stops in Laragne, Serres and Veynes.
Grenoble - Veynes - Gap: stop in Aspres-sur-Buëch.

To Sisteron:
TGV to Aix-en-Provence, Grenoble or Valence
Bus between Sisteron and Aix TGV stations: fare included in the rail ticket (1 in the morning and 1 return in the evening)
Car-train in Avignon and Marseilles.

By Air:

Bargain flights go to Marseille (the nearest), Nice, Nimes, Montpellier, Lyons and Grenoble. (Cheapest return flight to date; one penny!)
You will need transport to enjoy Les Granges but car hire is inexpensive.

Cyclists:

Consider the European Bike Express or contact us for help.

When to come

April to mid October are likely to be 'shorts and T-shirts' weather with the high summer months hot!

However, the massive stone walls and shuttered windows are well adapted to provide natural cool relief and the altitude eliminates mugginess.

Autumn is just exquisite with blazing reds, yellows and golds in the vast hillside forests all around.

Winters tend to be bright and clear but with crisp chilly air and cold clear nights. (The woodburners are great fun, cosy and romantic.)

We have found that around Easter and again in late October/early November there seems to be the risk of a transition period during which low cloud can sit on the area on and off for a week or two. Astronomers shouldn't forget that, in skies like these, a full moon brings near-daylight conditions all night.
Contact us for advice on the best observing possibilities.