There are places in the South of France where everyone can have a go at diving, climbing, fencing or tai-chi, at walking on sticks or skiing on concrete… and all of this for free! You will come across these places after a long journey on the Autoroute du Soleil (The Sun Highway) when everyone in the car is tired and needs to stretch. The motorway boasts 18 of these ‘Sporting Stopovers’. Last year, around half a million people tried a sport. This year, from July to August, instructors from the French Sport Federation will come every day of the week to give a playful introduction of their activity to kids and adults. These photographs were taken in the summer 2001, mainly at Montelimar, the biggest rest area in Europe with its fifty-five thousand visitors a day in the summer time. The whole South of France network registered 25 million people last year for the months of July and August! Twenty per cent of the visitors were tourists, mostly German, Dutch and English families heading for the beaches of the South or Spain.
At Montélimar rest area, the sporting stop over are advertised for the tourists
DEM0005366 © Magali Delporte
Abseiling
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Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
DEM0005358 © Magali Delporte
Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
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Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
DEM0005357 © Magali Delporte
A whole family is trying on the gear from the gymnastic workshop
DEM0005363 © Magali Delporte
Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
DEM0005368 © Magali Delporte
Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
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Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
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a first timer horse rider
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Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
DEM0005369 © Magali Delporte
Sport sur les aires d'autoroute du Sud de la France
DEM0005364 © Magali Delporte