>>1215143I live in southern France, (Languedoc-Roussillon) on the Mediterranean shores but got access to several mountain ranges, the Pyrenees proper are a 1h30 drive away and their foothills even closer
But I mostly go /out/ in the southern part of the Massif Central range, in particular the Cévennes and its national park.
I love where I live, the coast can be a big mess especially during summer but once you reach the first mountains not even 30km (18 miles) away it's suddenly quiet, sparsely populated with a great variety of landscapes.
You have rocky cliffs and river gorges, plateaux, round forested summits, lush or arid places, lakes... in what is quite a small space especially from an American point of view.
People always talk about the Alps and Provence but my region is fucking great
You also have the occasional medieval village or ruined castles so it enhances the whole thing if you are into that
