Photo by Mike Kirwan

Recently, while staying in the beautiful Ardèche region of southeastern France, we were visited by a rather friendly and energetic canine named Plume (”Feather” in French.) Plume was nice enough to lead us on an exhausting hike through the swath of mountains she calls home.

Soft spoken and with a perma-smile, Plume lives by the mantra “bark softly, but carry a big stick.” Although her countryside French accent was a bit hard to understand, we sensed from the swift wagging of her tail that she appears to enjoy l’Ardèche as much as we do.

The Ardèche region is filled with mountains and streams. And while it’s become a favored summer hiking and camping destination for French as well as international visitors, it remains off the beaten path. The region provides a provincial respite from the pace of Paris and glitz of the Mediterranean coast.

Plus, the dogs roam without leashes and even lead hikes.

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