A much needed autumn break walking in the Verdon Gorge region of Provence turns into a fraught lesson in how not to speak French as the author gets to grips with the language of love, romance and strange combinations of Cs, Qs, apostrophes and genders. Written with her by now trademark self-deprecating humour, this, the author's tenth travelogue, recounts the beauty, the peace and the quieter way of life to be found walking in idyllic rural France.

Never a successful student of languages, but believing you ought to try, Julia displays an enthusiastic if dreadful grasp (or should that be stranglehold?) of the French language as the week unfolds. Whilst coping with a lack of underpants, some rather smelly food and the intricacies of French, A Week in Provence tells of the walks walked, the food eaten, the language butchered and the stretched patience of her long suffering partner as they embark on a walking holiday in south east France.