Vaison la Romaine to Carpentras

Vaison la Romaine is incredibly rich in Roman culture and we spent most of our 'rest day' walking around the ruins and the museum. There is an amphitheatre, which has been restored, and most of the central part of the old town. 

We left for Vaison la Romaine and took a route through Séguret, Sablet, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes de Venise and then a cycle route that took us along the canal to Carpentras. Along the way we passed many hilltop towns and took detours to see them up close.

 The designated cycle route from Beaumes de Venise was excellent, as it went along tiny, quiet roads through vineyards and up hilltops for views across the plains, where Mont Venteaux was still on the horizon. 

The last part of the route was unexpected though, as it ran along the canal and consisted of a well worn footpath gouged into the grass on either side. 

Our bikes bumped along and we were very uncomfortable. It must have been a VTT route and we would not pick it again.

Carpentras to Avignon

A hot day was forecast again, but fortunately it was cloudy when we left Carpentras. We did not go the direct route to Avignon as the roads looked like they would be busy. Instead we cycled west and then north to Chateaunef du Pape and then further north to the bridge over the Rhone and then down the west bank to cross into Avignon from Villeneuve lez Avignon

 It turned out to be a lovely day after we left the main roads and there was plenty of shade from the trees that lined the route. The villages here are very pretty and many are located on hilltops with old towers and chateau in the centre.  As with our previous trips to wine growing areas the cafés have been replaced by 'caves' offering wine tasting and selling their produce. 

Chateuneuf du Pape seemed to have whole streets lined with these outlets. We bought fruit along the way from local markets and sat with the locals for refreshments as the day started to get very hot. 

As we crossed the road bridge into Avignon we saw the famous old bridge and were surprised that it was a bridge to nowhere, only going part the way across.

 We are staying in the city for a few days visiting art galleries and museums and sampling the local cuisine. Our bikes also need new brakes so we have left them at a shop for repair. The steep descents have taken their toll and we don't want to risk any accidents.

Nyons to Vaison la Romaine

As there was so much to see in Vaison la Romaine we made this a short day, although we travelled by a roundabout route as it was only around 25km in a straight line. It was also forecast to be hot and sunny again. Jilie took a photo of a stature in the main square before we left Nyons as it was quite unusual.

We chose to travel by minor roads out of Nyons but they were very narrow and winding with a white line down the middle for several kilometres. It was not very pleasant as some of the drivers did not leave us much room when overtaking with cars coming the opposite way. Nearly all the drivers here are very considerate but you only need one idiot to have an accident. We rode very defensively and stopped to let vehicles pass if there seemed too little room. We were very glad to leave the road and take a rest and some drinks in the small, but pretty hilltop village of Mirabel-aux-Baronnies where we had good views over the surrounding area including Mont Ventoux in the distance.

After taking a diversion to avoid the direct route to Vaison la Romaine the road became very pleasant with hardly any traffic. We were quite surprised when we came to a road block. The was a Dutch company making a film and they had closed the road temporarily to allow filming. The story is about a rider who was killed on Mont Ventoux and some friends came back years later to make the ride. it will be released later this year.

While we were waiting a couple more cyclists joined us and we chatted to them and the film crew. One of the riders was from Perth, like us, but worked in London and the other was a Belgian woman out for a day ride. The man told us that the same film crew had blocked off the summit road to Mont Ventoux a few days ago around 6km from the summit and some of the riders had to go back.

The day was getting very hot so we stopped off in a bus stop shelter to have lunch looking out to Mont Ventoux.

It was only a short ride from here to the old Roman town and as we cycled along th river it came into view. Our hotel was near the top and the views from our bedroom window are amazing.

Today we spent most of the time visiting the Roman remains which are quite extensive. This is a photo we took the night before of part of them.

Crest to Nyons

This was one of the best days so far although it was also the most hilly with over 1000m of ascents. We left crest quite early as a sunny day was forecast and we wanted to get up the first col before it got too hot. Looking back on Crest there was a good view of the hilltop tower.

The scenery on this route was exceptional with the mountains on our left and views over the plains on our right. The buildings have taken on a Provençal character and the landscape is changing with less corn and more vineyards. 

The sunflowers are long past their best and are brown and drooping. the area also seems more affluent, at least in the many small hamlets, and their is a tourist feel to some of them with potters, painters and sculptors having ateliers in some of the villages.

The area around Nyons is also an olive growing area and we saw our first groves today.

Le Tour was here in 2013 and there are still the names of cyclists painted on the road: Kittel, Voeckler etc. We stopped to eat our sandwiches near the top of the second col and took in the views.

The descents from some of the cols were very steep, particularly the last one as we approached Nyons. it was also very windy and we kept our speed down to avoid getting blown off the path. earlier in the day the wind had practically brought me to a standstill when I was cycling along the flat. Fortunately it was behind us most of the way. Approaching Nyons we became closer to the mountains again and the views continued to impress. This part of France is very beautiful and also very quiet. We rode all day on the road with hardly any traffic until around 4pm when everyone was returning home from work.

Tournons sur Rhone to Crest

We set off late today as the route to Crest looked to be about 50km or so and we could not check to our next chambre d'hôte until 5 pm. As usual we bought some sandwiches and cruit to eat during the day. On Mondays many shops are closed and we have been caught without lunch before.

It was sunny but very windy. In fact there had been weather warnings as it was predicted to be over 40km/hr and had been noisy all the previous night. Fortunately it was behind us most of the way but it took the bike sideways a bit on the bridges across the Rhone. Valence was th only large place we pased through and the cycle path through the city was well marked and went through the centre of town and down through the park.

As usual the Via Rhôna bike path was smooth and well signposted but it took us off the direct route and we had travelled 50km or so before leaving it to travel inland to Crest. In the end the trip was around 73km and we arrived later than planned. 

The chambre d'hôte was difficult to find but we got the route from the tourist office which was a pretty old building.

Before finding a restaurant we walked up the many steep steps in the old town and took in the views.

 The tower closed at 7pm, so we missed out on entry, but the medieval streets and buildings were still interesting, particularly as there were no other tourists around. We ate at the C'resto restaurant on one of the narrow streets and had a lovely evening after what turned out to be a long tiring day in the saddle. 

Tomorrow we head for Nyons.

Pont en Royans to Tournon sur Rhone

We hardly took any photos on this trip as it was pretty much a flat day across farmland from one side of the Rhone valley to the other. Despite the lack of photogenic views it was quite a pleasant trip although one quiet road we planned turned out to be very busy and we found out why soon after. There was an antique market in one of the villages and there must have been 5000 to 10000 people there. It encompassed the whole town and roads were closed at all its entry points. In the end we dismounted and made our way through the crowds to the other side. Had we not been on our bikes I am sure we would have bought something. It looked just he sort of place that you could imagine finding an old impressionist painting. Most of the stalls looked like they had been brought from homes rather than a professional dealers.

The crops in the fields are changing now. The walnuts have been replaced by market gardens and vineyards are sprouting up. When we reached Tournon the hillsides were covered with vines as this is the hermitage region. Our hotel was probably as old as the vines and had a musty smell as we entered. It was one of the Logis chain and they pride themselves on authentic family run hotels. It turned out ok and we had a lovely breakfast there the following morning.

The town's main claim to fame is that they have the first suspension bridge on the Rhone designed by the architect and inventor Marc Seguin.

 It's now a pedestrian bridge over to Tain where most of the hermitage grapes grow.

The main part of the town has a large shady park where so e serious boules. Arches are played.

Night view of the ramparts from our window

Grenoble to Pont en Royans

We had a rest day in Grenoble before setting out for Pont en Royans this morning. It is a beautiful city and the best place we have visited so far. It is very cycle friendly and they are used extensively throughout the city centre. 

We used a guide from the tourist office and walked around all the main historic sites, spending sometime in the Musée des Beaux Arts and the area around the Bastille that is reached via the cable car. 

The views from the top are remarkable. 

The main occupation of the residents seems to be eating or drinking at the cafés or sitting in the parks and there are secluded, traffic-free squares that come to life at night.

Our ride started off down the voie verte by the river for around 35km so it was very easy riding and, as the clouds were forecast to clear later in the day, we made best use of these ideal conditions. The area we are travelling in is called the Vercors and to the east of our route were high cliffs and mountains. At Cognin-les-Gorges we cycled up the village as far as the road would go and I walked up the path to get a good view of the gorge while Julie stayed to look after the bikes. It looked to be a good walking area a bit like Malham in the UK.

We pressed on towards Saint Romans using the main road and surprisingly there was little traffic. When we turned off we passed through more of the many walnut orchards that are in this area. 

Perhaps it is because the French school holidays are over this weekend. In any case the cycling was great, especially as it was mostly downhill. We arrived at Pont en Royans around 3:30pm and at first is did not look anything special apart from a nice village by a river, but when we walked into town after checking into our hotel we were pleasantly surprised by how interesting and scenic the place was. 

The river above the town passes through a narrow gorge before spilling into a wide, clear river. The buildings are incorporated into the rock and suspended over the water. It is a great place for everyone.

 Children play in the shallow water and dive from the rocks into the deep gorge, fishermen angle for trout and cyclists and bikers love the area for its winding roads and dramatic scenery. 

Others just walk around and neat ice creams or sit in the cafés drinking wine and beer, looking out at the amazing scenery. Julie could not resist walking up the old medieval steps to the top of the village  to get an even better view. She may pay for this tomorrow as it was a steep climb.

Our own hotel looks over the river and we ate our evening meal on the terrace as the sun set over the river. It was a really nice day.