Why this ride
From Vers-Pont-du-Gard it runs 138 km to Vers-Pont-du-Gard; allow about 2 h 10 of riding. It goes by way of The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, Arles and back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Pont du Gard and Arles
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 138 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 10
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Camargue Scenic Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 36 km this is Camargue Scenic Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 36 km
- Named road
- Camargue Scenic Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Pont du Gard
Built without mortar, three tiers of arches carry a water channel across the gorge of the Gardon nearly fifty metres above the river, and the stones still fit together as if they had been placed last week. The Pont du Gard was one section of an aqueduct some fifty kilometres long that brought spring water from near Uzès to Roman Nîmes in the first century, with a total drop of only a few metres over the whole distance. It is a masterpiece of surveying as much as building, and it has stood through floods that have destroyed far younger bridges.
Read the complete Pont du Gard write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pont du Gard is where the day begins. Next is The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
2. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Most Roman temples survive as a jumble of columns and a lot of imagination. The Maison Carrée in Nîmes is the exception: a complete temple, standing on its podium with its roof and columns intact, two thousand years after it was built for the grandsons of Augustus. It owes its survival to being constantly reused, as a meeting hall, a stable, a church and a museum. Thomas Jefferson admired it so much that he based the Virginia State Capitol on it, and in 2023 UNESCO finally listed it in its own right.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Arles.
3. Arles
Arles is where the Rhône splits in two and the Camargue begins, and for more than two thousand years it has been a city of power, art and sun. The Romans made it one of the great cities of Gaul, building an amphitheatre that still hosts events, a theatre, baths and an underground gallery, the cryptoportiques, and the Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romanesque church of Saint-Trophime, with its carved portal and cloister, is one of the finest in Provence.
Read the complete Arles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 70 km into the recorded legs you reach Arles. Next is back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
4. back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Maison Carrée of Nîmes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes, late in the day. Next is Pont du Gard.
5. Pont du Gard
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pont du Gard write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Pont du Gard. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Pont du Gard to The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Pont du Gard → The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to Arles
The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → Arles is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Arles to back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
Arles → back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes to Pont du Gard
back through The Maison Carrée of Nîmes → Pont du Gard is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.