Daffodils in the Dolomies

Yesterday, we walked in Les Dolomies, which you could confuse with the Dolomites with its craggy pillars and rocky outcrops: though actually it’s a small area between Lavelanet and Foix, just along from Roquefixade.  After a few days of hot sun and blue skies, it was disappointing to have the threat of rain, but the slight mistiness brought its own beauty to the landscape, softening the distant views, and enhancing the vibrant greens of the springtime meadows. Everywhere, blossom and flowers.

We walked upwards through the woods.  Anny and Maguy had a surprise for us.  And quite suddenly, there they were.  Daffodils.  Thousands and thousands of them, extending upwards over the hillside, tumbling over rocks, leaving not an inch of path for us to walk along.  The weather cleared. The sun came out.  We were entirely happy.

Come and share the walk with us, along blossom-laden paths, through the daffodil woods, and then down into the valley, looking across at those still snow-covered peaks.

Craggy peaks above the blossom
Apple blossom
Our upward path
Those dolomies
First sight of the daffodils
At the edge of the woods: our view
Maguy enjoys the view
Endless daffodils
Now bluebells: Spanish variety, not our beloved English
Cherry blossom
Walking down to the valley
An early gentian
A magnolia in Soula

To view any of these photos  full-size, click on the image.

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

17 thoughts on “Daffodils in the Dolomies”

  1. It looks beautiful and the terrain might provide the clue as to why the dozens I planted in my garden in A-V all died. We tried to walk in this area but the book, usually very reliable, let us down and we couldn’t find the start.

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    1. Oh, my Laroque ones do OK. They’e all over now though – even the tulips are past their best. I’ll talk you through the start of the walk when you want to know. It’s easy when you know, but not otherwise.

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  2. The daffodils here are JUST starting to come up, right alongside the tulips. When everything decides to bloom, it’s going to be stunning.

    For about a day.

    And then the deer will eat all the tulips.

    Apparently, they’re like lollipops.

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    1. Oh! It’s hard to be cross with deer…. but how annoying. Make sure you take a photo. Of the tulips. Or the deer eating lollipops 😉

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  3. Margaret those photographs are stunning! I’m very envious. We saw the bulbfields in Spalding last week and they’re only just getting going. The apple orchards around us are only just showing signs of life. And as for tulips…

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  4. Pingback: ‘…. a host of golden daffodils’* | From Pyrenees to Pennines

  5. Reblogged this on From Pyrenees to Pennines and commented:

    Anyone who knows me even a little bit must be aware that I consider daffodils to be the main reason to be in England in the spring. We have wild daffodils of course. Think Wordsworth tramping through fields of flowers in the Lake District: think Farndale’s charming walk through the daffodils crowded along the River Dove in Yorkshire. But it’s the vibrant displays planted along roadside verges, in urban parks and on village greens, in garden tubs and along dual carriageways that grab my attention, every day.

    Today though, I was thinking of a walk in France, just two years ago, to see the astonishing display of wild daffodils, in hills nort so far from Foix. I thought you might like to remember it too.

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  7. This is amazing, Margaret–I’ve never seen anything like those daffodils! That region looks fascinating and I actually really like the moodiness of the photos.

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    1. They are a special sight, aren’t they? And they’re such delicate blooms: a fragile, lemony cast to the petals, and so slender too.

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  10. thank you for a walk back in time, the past is the reason for the present, and the present is the reason for the future. I am grateful that our walks have intercepted. The daffodils are in bloom again and Earth is awakening from her winter slumber. Love daffodils, love spring. Have a wonderful week.

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