"I have another business that organizes tours and stays in the vineyard, and we realize that once the tasting is over, it’s quite complicated to stroll around and enjoy nature and the surroundings,” says Cyrielle Nau.
The idea behind La Bulle Verte originated from a reflection on mobility and the enhancement of heritage, both natural and architectural, cultural, around the vineyards.
With hoteliers and winemakers, the goal is to co-create discovery routes that will highlight the living and historical heritage in the area, whether on foot or by bike, addressing the issue of the last mile once we arrive at the gateways to these areas, such as train stations or river docks.
"We realize that if we want to have a truly low-carbon stay by train, on foot, or using public transport, the most obvious places will be in city centers. But as soon as we are in the countryside, we find ourselves on the train platform, and there we encounter what is called the last mile problem. So, how do I get to my accommodation or my tourist site?" questions Cyrielle Nau.
“This is where we come in. To find a solution to what we call this transport disruption in tourism.” Riding the wave of the cycling tourism boom, La Bulle Verte offers half-day or full-day itineraries, either on foot or on electric bikes. Short outdoor walks for non-sporty individuals, some of whom have never even ridden an electric bike before.
"This is really interesting because it also allows us to introduce people to this type of mobility since they don’t use it in their daily lives,” emphasizes Cyrielle Nau. "We also started from the idea of slowing down.” On the routes, La Bulle Verte ensures that people stop, and besides visiting producers, there are planned stops in nature to focus on different types of trees, the species encountered, rivers and streams, their impact on local history and economy, and birdwatching routes for families. The idea is also to reconnect with nature, from which the products of the vineyards we visit originate.
But there is also an emphasis on facilitating mobility to reduce impact. First, "we also realize that more and more young people are not getting their driver's licenses and do not own cars. Access to cars is becoming increasingly expensive. So I think we need to start anticipating that fewer people will have cars. So it’s primarily for tourist use. But we also want locals to be able to use our means of transport if they need to, at a favorable rate. The use of soft mobility, if possible for everyone, is also important for opening up these areas,” concludes Cyrielle Nau.
