In December 1994, three cavers felt a draught coming from a pile of rocks above the Ardèche gorge, dug their way in and found themselves in a cave that nobody had entered for thousands of years. On the walls were lions, rhinoceroses, mammoths, horses and bears, drawn with a mastery that changed what we thought we knew about early art. The paintings of the Chauvet cave, named after one of the trio, Jean-Marie Chauvet, are around thirty-six thousand years old, roughly twice the age of Lascaux. The original cave is sealed to protect it, but a full-scale replica, the Grotte Chauvet 2, opened nearby in 2015.
The cave lies close to the Pont d'Arc, a natural limestone arch over the Ardèche river near Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Downstream, the river carves the Gorges de l'Ardèche, one of the most spectacular canyons in France, with cliffs up to three hundred metres high. The Gorges road runs along the rim with viewpoints over the river and its meanders, a gift for riders. Canoeists paddle down the gorge in summer, and the river below the arch is a popular swimming spot.
The riding is superb, with a warning. The Gorges road, from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, is twisty, narrow and full of views, but in July and August it is clogged with camper vans, cars and coaches. Spring and autumn are much better, with clear air and empty bends. Surfaces are generally good, but gravel collects in corners, and the heat can be intense. The plateaus north and west of the gorge offer quieter roads through oak woods, vineyards and lavender fields, with villages of honey-coloured stone.
Vallon-Pont-d'Arc has fuel, shops and restaurants, and Ruoms and Barjac are close by. The local food is southern and simple: chestnuts are a regional speciality, along with goat's cheese, charcuterie and wines from the Ardèche. For the replica cave, book in advance in summer; visits are guided and timed. If you can, ride the Gorges road early in the morning, when the cliffs glow and the river is still quiet, and then visit the cave in the afternoon, when the heat sends everyone else to the water.