Lyon · Ardèche Gorges Long Day

A 371 km loop from Saint-Étienne

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Why this ride

Big canyon energy, hard daylight discipline and a real destination. A 371 km loop that starts and ends near Saint-Étienne, about 6 h 24 of riding. On the way it passes Monts d’Ardèche roads, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop and Ardèche swim window.

Roadbook

1. Saint-Étienne fuel gate fuel

   Saint-Étienne wears its history in layers of coal, iron and cloth, and from the ring roads on the north side you can see how a city spread across a series of ridges, with the hills of the Pilat to the south and the mining basin of the Gier to the east. This is the second time the rides use it as a base, and it makes sense: with nearly a hundred and seventy-six thousand people, it has fuel on every approach, early bakeries and a tram that runs through the centre. The suburbs of Saint-Genest-Lerpt and Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, each with about six thousand people, climb the hills on the north side and make the quickest exit onto quieter roads.

   The city's industrial story is still visible, not least in the preserved Puits Couriot, a former pithead with a tall headframe that now forms part of a mining museum. Nearby in Firminy, about ten kilometres west, stands the largest ensemble of buildings designed by Le Corbusier in Europe, including a housing block, a stadium and a church whose concrete cone rises against the sky. These are the places to see if you have a free hour or an interest in modern architecture, and they are no distance from the route.

   As a ride start, Saint-Étienne offers an easy exit to the hills. In twenty minutes you can be climbing among beech and fir toward the Pilat, with the ridge road and its views opening out over the Rhône valley, and in an hour you can be in the high country, the air noticeably thinner and cooler. The same roads bring you back at the end of the day, usually in the lower light of evening, with the glow of the city below you and the smell of woodsmoke on the air.

   Coming back in the dark, take care at the junctions near the ring road, where trams, buses and delivery vans share narrow streets. The city can be damp and foggy in autumn and winter, while in summer the heat in the valley is a pleasant contrast to the hills. A plate of local sausage with potatoes in a simple restaurant is the right way to end it.

2. Monts d’Ardèche roads scenic

   The Monts d'Ardèche are not tall, but they are steep, and that is what makes them interesting. Around the valley of the Eyrieux, between Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut, Le Cheylard and Privas, the land is a tangle of narrow ridges and deep, wooded gorges, falling from the high plateau toward the Rhône. Chestnut woods cover most of the slopes, and on the lower ground the old terraces, built by hand to hold soil on the hillsides, still step down in grey stone walls, many of them abandoned and overgrown.

   The roads here are the pleasure. They follow the ridges and the river sides in a long run of tight bends, with hairpins where they have to climb and drop and a lot of blind corners that reward a measured speed. The surface varies from smooth to patchy, with gravel on the corners after rain or after a wash of chestnut leaves, so scan ahead. There is little traffic outside the summer holidays, and in the early morning the valley can be filled with mist while the ridges stand clear above it.

   Chestnut is the key to the culture of the place. For centuries the tree provided flour, food for animals and timber, and the Ardèche's chestnut is still protected as a regional product, celebrated in markets and festivals in autumn. The Eyrieux valley is also known for its fruit, especially peaches, cherries and apricots, which ripen in the warm, sheltered lower reaches, so that in spring the blossom is a strong reason to ride the valley floor. Silk was once a major industry, too, and traces of old mills and mulberry trees remain.

   Fuel is the thing to plan with care. Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut and Le Cheylard are small towns with basic services and a pump or two, but they close early and on Sundays, and hamlets between them have nothing. Privas, about fifteen kilometres away, is the bigger option, and the main roads to the east are better supplied. Carry water in summer, since the valley can be very hot and still, and expect phone signal to vanish in the deepest folds.

3. Vallon-Pont-d’Arc canyon stop photo

   The first sight of the Pont d'Arc is the sort of thing that makes you stop without being asked. A single arch of pale limestone, about sixty metres wide, spans the Ardèche river like a doorway cut by water, with the river running through and canoes drifting in the shade. It is a natural bridge, shaped over a very long time as the river found a shortcut through a narrow meander, and the little town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc sits close beside it, full of campsites, bakeries and shops that sell kayaks and ice cream in about equal numbers.

   The riding along the gorges is the main event. The road above the canyon, the Route des Gorges, runs for about thirty kilometres along the rim with a string of belvederes, each looking down onto the river through cliffs hundreds of metres high. Corners are open but numerous, the surface is generally good, and the views are among the best in southern France. The weakness is the traffic: in July and August the road can crawl, with camper vans, canoe shuttles and tourist cars filling the lay-bys, so go early or late, or choose a shoulder-season day.

   Nearby, hidden in a limestone cliff, is the Chauvet cave, found in 1994 and containing some of the oldest known paintings in the world, more than thirty thousand years old. The cave itself is closed to the public to protect it, but a full-scale replica, the Caverne du Pont d'Arc, opened in 2015 and is a remarkable visit if you have the time. It adds a deep human layer to a landscape that already feels ancient.

   Vallon has about two and a half thousand residents and the services you would expect of a busy holiday town, including fuel in the area, though prices are higher than in the larger centres. Bourg-Saint-Andéol, about twenty kilometres away, is bigger if you need more choice. Wear light layers in summer, because the gorge holds heat, and keep water in the panniers, as there are long stretches of the canyon road with no shops at all.

4. Ardèche swim window swim

   Sometimes the best reason to stop is simply that it is hot. The Ardèche river just downstream of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is a broad, shallow, clear stretch of water over pale stones, with small gravel beaches along the banks, and in summer it is the natural place to cool off. The label says swim window, and that is accurate: for an hour in the middle of the day, the heat of the gorge makes the river feel like a gift, and riders in boots and jackets quickly start thinking about paddling.

   A few cautions are worth stating. The water is cold at first and the current is mild in normal conditions but changes with rainfall; the Ardèche is known for sudden rises after autumn storms in the Cévennes, which can turn a calm river into a dangerous one within hours. In summer, canoeists and kayakers fill the water, so keep clear of their line. Secure your kit before you go in, because a heap of helmet, jacket and bag on a beach is an obvious target, and ideally have someone stay with the bikes or leave your valuables locked away.

   The landscape here is Mediterranean in feel, with holm oaks, scrub and the sharp smell of thyme and cistus on hot days. Cicadas make a constant noise, and the limestone walls change colour from white to gold as the light shifts. In the evenings the canoe traffic stops and the river is still, with swifts and martins feeding over the water. This is the time of day when the place feels most like itself.

   The town is a minute away, so food and drink are easy: bakeries, small supermarkets, cafés with shade and, for the evening, simple restaurants serving local dishes. Ruoms, a short ride north, is the next sizeable village. If you need more fuel than a small station can provide, Bourg-Saint-Andéol is the larger town to the east. Take your time, because the riding home through the gorge is better with a cool head.

5. Back to Saint-Étienne finish

   Back at Saint-Étienne. That is the ride.

Where this sits

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