Christophe Nury rolls his eyes and makes a face to look as scary as possible. When he's done making faces, he looks just as friendly as before and explains with a smile: "Sometimes people think I'm a zombie or an alien." Nury is on a mission. Neither on an alien galaxy nor as the undead, but on an entirely earthly mission: as a kind of fighter for good on two wheels. Christophe Nury has been trying for years to promote cycle tourism in the Ardèche region of southern France, to expand the existing network of cycle paths and to create new tourist attractions for cyclists. But when he presents his ideas to the politicians in charge, he says he feels like a creature from another planet.
Dolce Via: Travelling on one of the best cycle paths in Europe
It's hard to believe. But in the country where the Tour de France, the largest and most famous cycling race in the world, takes place - a kind of sanctuary for the French - leisure and everyday cyclists have virtually no lobby. Climate change, high petrol prices - hardly anyone seems to care. In France, you go to the bakery around the corner by car - and on holiday anyway. Racing cyclists are revered, while cycle tourists are sneered at. This makes it all the more remarkable what Nury and his fellow campaigners have achieved in recent years in terms of infrastructure for cyclists in their home region, the Département of Ardèche. MYBIKE wanted to test how good the conditions are; on a round trip on the Via Rhona, the Dolce Via, through the Parc naturel régional des Monts d'Ardèche, past numerous "Villages de charactère" and along the Gorges de l'Ardèche.
Soon after the start in Valence, we turn off onto the Dolce Via. The route through the wild and romantic Eyrieux valley is probably one of the most beautiful railway cycle paths in Europe. Christophe Nury & Co. even have this in writing: in 2017, the cycle path through the stunningly beautiful landscape was honoured as the best cycle path in Europe at the "Fiets en Wandelbeurs" cycling trade fair in Utrecht. Once upon a time, the chimneys of the factories in the Vallée de l'Eyrieux smoked here, mainly producing silk. And until 1968, a railway ran here to deliver raw materials and transport the goods produced. Today, neither the chimneys of the silk spinning mills nor the locomotives smoke.
Along steep slopes to the Pont d'Arc hotspot
The villages and small towns are tranquil. Picture-book France, almost a little kitschy. On the village square, in the shade of mighty plane trees, the boules balls clatter, people sit outside the bars and cafés enjoying a pastis and a chat. Terraced, sometimes steep slopes characterise the landscape along the river. The branches of the cherry trees bend under the weight of the bright red fruit, and wine is also cultivated. You could take a dip in the river every few metres, but then you wouldn't make any progress. Sometimes you roll along perfectly smooth tarmac roads, then again fine gravel crunches under your tyres. And picnic benches have been set up at the former railway stations, where you can recharge your e-bike batteries, pump up the air and find out more about the region from the information boards. A cycle path doesn't get much better than the Dolce Via.
When you think of Ardèche, you probably think first and foremost of the Gorges de l'Ardèche, one of these breathtaking canyons in the south of France.
Natural spectacle in the UNESCO Geopark
Over millions of years, the river has carved its way through the limestone mountains between Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche. And of course that's exactly where we want to go - to the canyon and the spectacular natural stone bridge Pont d'Arc. It's just as well that the route there is anything but a simple overpass stage. From the Vallée de l'Eyrieux, the route leads us into the Parc naturel régional des Monts d'Ardèche, which has also been recognised as a UNESCO Geopark. And after just a few turns of the pedals, you know exactly why chestnuts are one of the culinary specialities in this region and one of the main sources of income for the rural population. In the middle of the 19th century, around 40,000 tonnes of chestnuts were harvested every year; today there are still 6,000 tonnes, processed into ice cream, puree, jam, wine, beer and liqueur.
There is not yet a cycle path through this remote area, but the roads are so quiet that cyclists need not worry. And if you have an e-bike under your backside, it doesn't matter if you have to climb a good 600 metres in altitude from Eyrieux to the Col de Mezinhac in just under 20 kilometres. It was more the weather that worried us; a thunderstorm that was slowly but surely brewing, but was kind enough not to reach us until we had once again reached Antraigues-sur-Volane. On the Place de la Résistance, we sat cosily warm in a French picture-book restaurant with a cuisse de canard confite aux pêches et balsamique, a duck leg with peach and balsamic confit, a good red wine and chestnut ice cream for dessert. Once the thunderstorm has passed, we continue along the tiny roads to Vals-les-Bains. The really great days of the spa town are over, but it is precisely this slightly morbid charm that appeals to us. Just as we like the Saturday market in Aubenas, where we stock up on nuts and dried fruit.
On the Via Ardèche railway cycle path to the start of the gorge
Shortly before Aubenas, we come across the river after which the Ardèche region was named for the first time, and a little further on at Vogüé, recognised as one of the "Plus beaux villages de France", we sit right on the riverbank and enjoy a pastis. We have now reached another railway line cycle path, the Via Ardèche. It's easy to cycle on the cycle path without car traffic, it's dead straight and has no gradients worth mentioning. But apart from the view into the distance, what there is to see to the left and right of the path is comparatively unspectacular. That's why we take a diversion to Balazuc. Built on the rocks, or rather into the rocks, this historic little town - also voted one of the "Plus beaux villages de France" - lies directly on the rock faces of the Ardèche, and our anticipation of the Gorges de l'Ardèche grows.
We give the village of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc a miss and head straight for the natural monument of the same name, where the Gorges de l'Ardèche begin. Things have changed a bit since I was here for the first time forty years ago. Instead of two campsites, there are now around 60, more than 3,000 kayaks are available for hire, and in high season it really is the case that you could walk from one bank to the other without getting wet - you just have to hop from kayak to kayak. As unbelievably beautiful as this corner of the region may be, it definitely has a touch of "overtourisme" about it. "You have to see it once in your life, but you can also find so much worth seeing away from the gorges: fantastic caves, medieval villages, good wine, great regional cuisine," says Nathalie Sisteron from the Ardèche tourist office, pointing out that there is not a single kilometre of motorway in the entire département. "If you're looking for unspoilt nature, then you've come to the right place."
Magical light on the natural stone bridge
But you can understand why people make a pilgrimage to the Pont d'Arc. It's early evening and an almost magical light illuminates the 50 metre high natural stone bridge. We take pictures of the natural monument from all angles until the batteries in our cameras give up the ghost. The next morning, we tackle the 35-kilometre route along the Gorges de l'Ardèche. You could cover the distance in two hours on an e-bike. But that doesn't work out; we need more than four hours because we stop at ten of the eleven viewpoints and marvel at the magnificent natural spectacle each time.
From Saint-Martin d'Ardèche, we meander along regional cycle routes towards Bourg-Sainte-Andéol on the Rhône and end up back on the Via Rhôna. We still had a good hundred kilometres ahead of us on one of the best-known and busiest long-distance cycle routes in France, which we hadn't expected too much from. After all, the first few kilometres at the start led through industrial estates quite far away from the river. But we were pleasantly surprised. The cicadas chirp, an eagle soars majestically in front of the rocky backdrop along the river, the scent of lavender and rosemary fills the air. We cycle through picturesque floodplains, forests and orchards as well as picturesque little towns such as Viviers and get a little spooky at the gigantic nuclear power station in Cruas before returning to Valence.
Swaying ground: over the suspension bridge by bike
Christophe Nury particularly recommended the suspension bridge on the Via Rhôna near Rochemaure. A modern suspension bridge for cyclists and pedestrians was built here on the foundations of a bridge from the middle of the 19th century, which also bears the name "Paserelle himalayenne". It's quite swaying as we cycle over this architectural masterpiece. But we will always remember another bridge: the Pont du Robinet over the Rhône at Donzère. It is so wide that two lorries can easily fit next to each other. But as I lean against the parapet with my bike and enjoy the view, a car drives up to me honking its horn; the driver swears at me savagely and finally drives so close to me that he grazes my saddlebags.
Even Christophe Nury can't do anything against such idiots. But he can continue his "fight" for better conditions for cyclists in the south of France. When we meet Christophe again at the end of the tour, he simply praises himself by calling our 320 kilometre route a "great patchwork". We can only agree with him and say "merci". And above all, we wish him success, so that we don't encounter such aggressive morons as on the Rhône bridge on a cycle tour in the beautiful Ardèche region.
General information & travel tips for the Ardèche
The Département de l'Ardèche (registration number and licence plate 07) is located in the south-east of France in the Auverge-Rhône-Alpes region, extends west of the Rhône over an area of around 5,500 square kilometres and has a total population of around 330,000. The capital of the département is Privas, the largest town with around 16,000 inhabitants is Annonay, followed by Aubenas (12,000 inhabitants), which is located directly on the MYBIKE route.
The region was named after the river of the same name, which rises in the Parc naturel régional des Monts d'Ardèche in the west and flows into the Rhône at Pont-Saint-Esprit. The extremely sparsely populated, often wooded and mountainous region is best known for the Gorges de l'Ardèche. Between Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, the river has carved its way deep into the limestone over thousands of years; the gorge is one of the most impressive gorges in France alongside the Grand Canyon du Verdon and the Gorges du Tarn.
Tour character
The route runs mainly on signposted cycle paths: on the Dolce Via, on the Via Ardèche - both former railway lines - and on the Via Rhona along the Rhone; a smaller part of the MYBIKE route, which is around 320 kilometres long in total, runs on small, low-traffic side roads. Only on the part along the Gorges de l'Ardèche is a little more traffic to be expected. Most of the cycle paths are tarmac, otherwise you cycle on gravel that is easy to ride on, only between Saint-Didier-sous-Aubenas and Saint-Sernin does the route lead over a fairly bumpy stretch.
On the section along the breathtaking canyon between Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and St. Martin d'Ardèche, but also on the cycle path just before Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, there are some nasty climbs. If you are prepared to struggle a little, you can do the tour on a trekking bike; for everyone else, a bike with electronic support is recommended.
Charging stations: There are nine charging stations along the 80 km section of the Via Rhona, half a dozen on the Dolce Via and four on the Via Ardèche.
Tour itinerary
320 kilometres, 2700 metres in altitude
Valence - Beauchastel - Les Ollières-sur-Eyrieux - Le Cheylard - Dornas - Mezilhac - Antraigues-sur-Volane - Vals-les-Bains - Aubenas - Vogüé - Vallon-Pont-d'Arc - Les Gorges de l'Ardèche - St. Martin d'Ardèche - Bourg-Saint-Andéol - Viviers - La Voulte-sur-Rhone - Soyons - Valence
GPX data for the cycle tour through the Ardèche
You can find the GPX track for the cycle tour through the Ardèche in the DK tour portal:
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Arrival
Railway: From Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Mannheim, there are direct TGV connections via Lyon to Valence, with some connections requiring a change of trains in Strasbourg. Others go via Paris, which always involves an - annoying - change of station within the French capital. The TGV journey from Mannheim takes around six hours. It is generally possible to take bicycles on TGV trains, but this requires very careful planning. Info: bahn.de or sncf-connect.com
Bus: The Flixbus at least travels to Lyon, from Frankfurt it takes just over twelve hours, from Munich (with a change in Strasbourg) a little longer for most connections. Bicycles can be transported, but not e-bikes. flixbus.com
Car: The journey by car is either via Luxembourg, Metz and Nancy (A31/A6) or from Mulhouse on the A36 via Belfort and Besancon in the direction of Dijon. From there, take the l'Autoroute via Lyon to Valence. From Cologne, for example, it is 820 km, from Leipzig just under 1,200 km. In addition to the petrol costs, there are toll costs of just over €40 per route. The network of e-charging stations is more developed in France than in Germany.
aeroplane: There are direct flights to Lyon from several German airports. These include Lufthansa, Eurowings and Volotea.
Bicycle service
Culture vélo Soyonsa very well-stocked shop in an industrial estate in Soyons near Valence, which rents out various models (gravel, trekking and e-bikes). Renting an e-bike costs 40-50 euros per day, approx. 180 euros per week, trekking bikes 35/150 euros.
Z.C les Freydières, 07130 Soyons, Tel +33 475 404208, culturvelo.com
Similar prices can be found at Cycles AMC7 (amc7.com) in Aubenas and Chandolas.
Recommended accommodation
Soyons:
- Logis Hôtel le Cèdre de Soyons, double room from 100 euros, logishotels.com
- La Gare de Soyons, double room from 60 euros, lagaresoyons.fr
Saint-Martin-de-Valamas:
Hôtel Restaurant Le Payanke Ardéchois, double room from 59 euros, lepayankeardechois.fr
Vals-les-bains:
Logis Grand Hôtel de Lyon, double room from 110 euros, logishotels.com
Gorges de l'Ardèche:
Hôtel Le Belvédère, double room from € 140, le-belvedere-hotel.com
Viviers:
Hôtel Relais de Vivarais, double room from approx. 100, relaisduvivarais.fr
Food and drink
In the restaurants of the Ardèche region, you will generally find all the classics of French cuisine that are also served in Paris or Marseille. Ubiquitous in the regional cuisine is the ChestnutIt is used in soups and stews, chestnut jam is always served for breakfast, the chestnut flavour is a big hit at the ice cream parlour and as an aperitif you can drink a Crème de Chataigne with sparkling wine.
The Salade Ardèchoise also includes "chataigne" and, in addition to fresh green salads, bacon and onions, caillettes, a terrine or dumpling made from pork, chard or spinach and, depending on the local tradition, various spices, nuts or, of course, chestnuts.
If you order a "Plateau à fromage" at the end of the menu, you can be pretty sure that the typical regional cheese will be among the cheeses. Picodon goat's cheese is.
Whether red, white or rosé, excellent wines are now produced in the Ardèche, including, of course, many good Côtes du Rhône.
MYBIKE tip:
Enjoy first-class regional cuisine with a modern twist in a cosy atmosphere at the Restaurant Arkadia in Vallon Pont d'Arc. arkadia-restaurant.business.site/
Excursion tips/sightseeing
On Pont d'Arc The natural stone bridge over the Ardèche is a unique natural spectacle, although you have to share it with hordes of other tourists.
Not far from the small town of Vallon-Pont d'Arc you will find the Chauvet Grotto. In 1994, cave paintings were discovered here that were created around 36,000 years ago, making them the oldest in human history. The original cave is not open to the public; the climate in the cave is too fragile and could destroy the works of art, which were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014. In order to present the unique cave paintings to the public, quasi-copies of the originals have been made and can be admired at the Grotte Chauvet 2 Ardèche visitor centre (grottechauvet2ardeche.com).
Saturday morning is Market in Aubenas and - even if it is quite an ascent from the Ardèche - definitely worth a diversion. Otherwise, you can take a break at the boules court in almost any small town, marvel at the accuracy of the players and immerse yourself in the typical French way of life.
The most beautiful places along the route are Balazuc and Vogüé on the Ardèche, Beauchastel and Viviers on the Rhone and Antraigues-sur-Volane.
Events and activities
Every year in June L'Ardèchoise one of the biggest everyman events in the world. The start for all cycling enthusiasts - from hardcore to sporty - is in Saint-Félicien, north-west of Valence (ardechoise.com).
Paddling instead of pedalling. There are more than 50 canoe hire stations in and around Vallon Pont d'Arc. If you want to paddle with the current in the truest sense of the word, but don't necessarily want to be travelling down the Ardèche with hundreds of other kayaks, we recommend a two-day tour with an overnight bivouac. The tours start much later than the usual day trips and spending the night in the canyon is a special experience.
More information can be found at en.gorges-ardeche-pontdarc.fr
Maps and literature
Travel Guide South of FranceMichael-Müller-Verlag, (9th edition 2022), 28.90 euros, michael-mueller-verlag.de
Ardèche, Tarn and CévennesDuMont direkt, (2nd edition 2022), 12.95 euros, dumontreise.de
Useful links
- en.francevelotourisme.com/radroute/dolce-via
- dolce-via.com
- en.viarhona.com
Info and information
Agence de Développement Touristique de l'Ardèche
Pôle Bésignoles, 6 route des Mines, 07000 Privas, Tel.: +33 475 640466, ardeche-guide.com
Atout France - French National Tourist Board
P.O. Box 100128, D-60001 Frankfurt am Main, en.france.fr/en
