I’m not going to pretend that I’m a nature kinda girl. It’s not that I have anything against Mother Nature but I’m more of a city beast and so activities such as hiking, nature walking and rock climbing are not on the top of my to-do-list. However, it’s hard not to be impressed by the force of nature when one comes across a tourist sight such as Les Tours de Merle in France. Donning my sneakers we climbed the rocky paths and stone staircases of this ancient citadel and castle dating back to the 12th century, which was later classified as an Historical monument in 1927.

My boys were in their element imagining how the Medieval knights lived, put ‘badies’ in the stocks and stood guard over seven castles, two chapels, a citadel and a whole village, which is pretty hard to imagine when you see the tangled ruin that has been left.
What is completely fascinating to me is this picture-perfect example of how Mother Nature will eventually win over what we as human build. Author of the book, The World Without Us, Alan Wiseman (good name huh?) estimates it would only take about 500 years for nature to completely reclaim the earth should all humans die out – thats not such a long time considering the planet is 4.5 million years old!

If you’re ever in France, head to the Tour de Merles – nature is slowly swallowing this beautiful, tranquil sight so you may not have too long! Plus it’s definitely the perfect place to take the kiddos too!