Tales from the Hilltop

Much more than a travel memoir ... it's an invitation to go and see for yourself. Whether roaming through forests of forbidden fruits or wandering in swaying fields of sunflowers, it's time to head off to the next mediaeval marvel and the next four-course feast. Pedalling along curvaceous country lanes or freewheeling through valleys and vineyards - earning your supper in this sleepy corner of France is nothing short of a privilege. Tony and Ludmilla have landed a job with a specialist cycling and walking holiday company in the South of France ... but that's not something we can hold against them for too long! They head off to the mediaeval marvel of Cordes-sur-Ciel in the Tarn - a region so achingly beautiful and laden with history and mystery they have to pinch themselves to be sure such a place really does exist. When their cyclists turn up for a week's pedal-powered adventure they will need a reliable back-up service when they puncture a tyre or come face to jowl with a 'devil dog' intent on devouring their panniers. And when their walkers take the wrong trail and find themselves humming Bonnie Tyler's '70s hit 'Lost in France', they too will need a timely rescue. Well, that's the theory ...