The Ardèche region, one of the most popular travel and holiday destinations in the south of France, casts its spell over thousands of tourists every year. This area is named after the River Ardèche, which has shaped the picturesque landscape on the eastern edge of the Massif Central lastingly and impressively. As a holidaymaker in the south of France you can set off on the most varied sporting as well as culinary voyages of discovery. The range of water sports in particular is especially varied here – whether kayak trips, raft trips or adventurous white-water rafting, everything is possible. The idyll can, however, be explored not only on the water but also on land. This is best done by bicycle, either brought along to the holiday region or hired on the spot.
A cycle tour through the Ardèche valley
The Ardèche, which over centuries has cut itself hundreds of metres deep into the karstified rock, offers plenty of room to explore the landscape on different paths. The section of the region billed as the French Grand Canyon is also called the Gorges de l’Ardèche and is especially suitable for advanced bikers – and anyone who expects a relaxed riverside path here is quickly taught otherwise.
The route follows the normal road, which is also very hilly. The tour starts right on the Rhône in Pont-Saint-Esprit – historic buildings along the bank of the Rhône form an impressive skyline right at the start. The route then leads towards Laval-Saint-Roman. Gentle hills, without steep climbs, give a small foretaste of what awaits the biker in the next kilometres. The route continues to Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche, a small sleepy town. There the first rock walls appear and the road climbs up to the crest of the Ardèche Gorge. A particular highlight is then the valley at the Pont d’Arc, a mighty rock arch that impressively spans the Ardèche.
A few kilometres later you reach the busy tourist town of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. Across a small low mountain range the tour finally leads back along lovely scrub forests towards Saint-Remèze and from there on to Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche. The whole circuit is about 70 kilometres long and corresponds to roughly a day tour.