Méolans-Revel is a town in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, 10 km west of Barcelonnette, on the edge of the Hautes-Alpes department.
The vast municipality (more than 127 km²) ranges from 912 to 2928 m above sea level, crossed by the course of Ubaye and several of its tributaries. It is made up of 60% wood and forests, and dominated by several massifs.
The town is the result of the merger of Meolans and Revel in 1973. These villages dependent on the county of Provence and Savoy before being attached to France were very early occupied by monks clearers and the activity related to the exploitation wood was very prosperous until the beginning of the twentieth century, Méolans and Revel then counting more than 2000 inhabitants.
There are now nearly 350, and the economy is based on the exploitation of a quarry and some agricultural fields (livestock).
The town and neighboring villages are labeled Country of Art and History. In fact, the historical heritage scattered between the two villages and many hamlets and the rich natural environment are the delight of lovers of green tourism, especially in summer, the locality has no ski area (the nearest station, Pra Loup, is less than 10 km away).
Historically, religious built heritage is disseminated between the main villages of the Ubaye Valley and hamlets located on the foothills. In Revel, we will linger especially at the level of the Saint-Jacques the Major church, Gothic style, which dates essentially from the fifteenth century. At Méolans, a rock overlooking the village housed the church of Saint-Julien which remains only the bell tower of the sixteenth, constituting a singular landscape classified since the end of the second war. See also, the Chapel of Our Lady of Salette, Chaudon, eighteenth century, with an amazing bell-shaped pierced wall, and the Church of St. Anthony, Lavercq which was connected to an established priory in the twelfth century. Rebuilt in the seventeenth century, the church whose choir is surmounted by a dome was restored in the nineteenth. In Rioclar, the church Notre-Dame de la Visitation dates from the eighteenth and has a bell tower. As is typically the case in mountain areas, other chapels on the heights once allowed isolated peasants to practice their worship in winter. The oldest is that of the hamlet of Saint-Jacques, built in the twelfth century, which houses remarkable paintings but degraded.
Finally, we will notice that many traditional dwellings in the villages are decorated with sundials that are sometimes very old (eighteenth, nineteenth), accompanied by inscriptions in the form of proverbs.
Many walks allow to include these different sites in their course, as of course remarkable natural sites such as the Laverq valley, the rock Meolans or the many forests overlooking the course of the Ubaye. "Family" routes have been designed, as well as more difficult circuits, coming from the high mountains, approaching for example the top of the head of Louis XVI (because the profile of the crest evokes the face of the king), the points of the Three bishoprics or Grande Séolane. In addition, thematic hikes are proposed (connecting fountains or chapels). All are dotted with spectacular views. We will also mention the GR 56, also known as the Ubaye Tour, whose route includes incursions into the Alpes-Maritimes. For mountain bikers, the Transubayenne trail that connects different points along the Ubaye is advisable. Documentation and information for all walks at +33 4 92 81 04 71.
For young and old, drawn in green landscapes, including tree climbing and ziplines, an adventure trail can be rich in thrills. Information on +33 4 92 81 92 03 or +33 6 86 99 97 28.
Other sensations and amazing views can also be apprehended via the practice of rafting on rivers: contact +33 6 61 22 42 78.
As for tourists who want to learn climbing, they can contact +33 4 92 36 34 72 or +33 6 81 55 83 91 to be accompanied by confirmed guides.
Activity much more peaceful finally, hikes accompanied by donkeys broken to steep paths. Join +33 4 92 81 94 14.
In addition, on the cultural level, a visit is required at the Maison du Bois, La Fresquière. It is a real eco-museum dedicated to wood in all its facets and the history of know-how developed in the region to enhance it. The visit of this establishment housed in a building obviously built in wood but via a bold contemporary architecture, includes exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations. Closed from November 1st to December 15th. Open every afternoon in July-August and Wednesday to Saturday from September to June. Price: 25,50 and 4,50 euros. Information on +33 4 92 37 25 40.