Verdon Gorge Grand Day

A 210 km loop from Grasse

Open this ride in the planner →

Why this ride

Big canyon drama, long day discipline. 210 km round from Grasse - plan on about 3 h 37 of riding. On the way it passes Castellane, Verdon balcony road and Lake Sainte-Croix. The highest point is about 1,450 m.

Roadbook

1. Grasse fuel fuel

   Grasse smells of something before you can see it. The old perfume capital of France climbs a steep limestone hillside about a dozen kilometres from the Mediterranean, high enough above Cannes to catch a cooler, more mountain air, and for generations the fields of jasmine, rose and tuberose on the terraces around the town fed its distilleries. Perfume came here from the leather trade: glovemakers in the seventeenth century began scenting their gloves, and the business outgrew the leather. Today the town still has big perfume houses and a handful of working fields, and in May the rose harvest and in late summer the jasmine are the times to be around.

   For a rider, Grasse is where the sea-level traffic and the real hills meet. A town of nearly fifty thousand people, it has ample petrol, supermarkets, bakeries and cafés, and it makes a sensible stop before heading up toward the Gorges du Verdon or down to the coast. The old centre is a knot of steep one-way lanes, steps, and tall ochre houses with shutters that peel in the sun, and driving through it on a big bike is more of an adventure than anyone needs; leave the machine at the edge and walk up to the Place aux Aires and the cathedral.

   The roads around are another matter. Heading north on the D-roads toward the plateau, you climb into the Préalpes de Grasse, where the corners tighten, the pines thicken, and the air smells of thyme and dry earth. The surface is generally decent but narrow, with plenty of blind bends, cyclists in the early morning, and walkers' cars parked on the verges at weekends.

   It is worth knowing that summer here is hot and the dust-dry hills are a fire risk, so some forest roads close on bad days. In winter the high ground can be icy even when the coast is warm, and the cold is sharper than you expect from the postcard. In spring the light is soft and the hillside terraces go quiet green.

   Pick a table in the sun on one of the squares, get the tank topped up before the hills, and try a socca or a pissaladière if the bakery has them; both are Provençal ways of making a good lunch from almost nothing.

2. Castellane food food

   Castellane sits at the bottom of a bowl, with a huge limestone rock standing over it like a stopper. The rock, simply called le Roc, rises about a hundred and eighty metres above the old town, and a small pilgrimage chapel, Notre-Dame du Roc, perches on top, reached by a steep path through the pines. The town lies on the Verdon river a little upstream of the great canyon, and it has been a gateway to this country for as long as there have been roads.

   The most famous traveller to pass through was Napoleon, who came this way in March 1815 on his march from Elba to Paris, along what is now the Route Napoléon. The N85 follows his route, and Castellane makes much of the connection. The town square, the Place Marcel Sauvaire, is a lively place with plane trees, a fountain and a number of cafes and restaurants that spill onto the pavement in summer, and it makes an excellent place to eat.

   Expect Provençal basics done decently: soupe au pistou, grilled lamb, a salad with local goat's cheese, fougasse bread, and a glass of rosé. It is also a base for rafting and canoeing trips on the river, and in July and August the main street fills with people in wetsuits and flip-flops, which makes for a cheerful if slightly chaotic atmosphere. The town has about sixteen hundred permanent residents, but that number grows several times over in the high season.

   The riding in and out is the highlight. The roads converge here from every direction: the Route Napoléon runs north and south through the hills, the great gorge road runs west, and the quiet lanes toward Annot and the Var valley climb over the pass. Surfaces are mostly good, bends are flowing, and gradients are manageable, though the mountain weather means sudden rain and cold fronts even in summer. Check your fuel before arriving, because there are stations in Castellane itself but the nearest large town, Draguignan, is a long way south.

   At around seven hundred metres, Castellane is cooler than the coast, with a clear light and the smell of lavender and thyme drifting from the hills. Late spring and early autumn are the best times, when the traffic is thinner and the colours are rich.

3. Verdon balcony road photo

   The Verdon is a canyon for people who thought they had seen canyons. The river has cut a gorge through the limestone of Haute Provence, some twenty-five kilometres long, with cliffs that rise as much as seven hundred metres above the green water at the bottom, and the roads that run along the rims give you ridiculous views. This stretch, between Castellane and the area of Point Sublime, runs along the northern edge, and the balcony viewpoints along the road look down into a crack in the earth that appears to have no floor.

   The geology is simple and spectacular: the limestone was laid down under an ancient sea, and the river has spent millions of years sawing through it. The water is a vivid turquoise from fine mineral particles, and the rock is pale grey and ochre, with pines and box clinging on every ledge. Griffon vultures, reintroduced here some decades ago after disappearing, ride the thermals along the cliffs, and with a bit of luck you will see one pass at eye level, wings spread, as if inspecting you.

   The riding is a mix of spectacle and caution. The road clings to the rim, sometimes with a modest wall and sometimes with nothing at all, and corners can be tight and blind, with sheer drops beyond the verge. The surface is mostly good, but sand and gravel gather in the bends, and the tourist traffic in summer is heavy, with campervans, hire cars and cyclists. Take it slowly and pull into the signed viewpoints rather than stopping on the road. Early morning is when the light is best and the road emptiest.

   The canyon is a place for photographers, but be aware of the glare at midday and the heat that radiates from the rock. A few viewpoints have railings and small car parks, and some have short paths that lead to even better angles. In spring the hillsides are bright with broom and wild flowers, and in autumn the oak and maple turn gold.

   For fuel and food, Castellane is the sensible base, with services in the town itself, while the small villages along the rim have cafes of varying quality and limited opening hours.

4. Lake Sainte-Croix swim

   This is where the Verdon stops being a canyon and becomes a lake. At the western end of the gorge, a dam was built in the early 1970s at Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon, and the water backed up through the valleys behind it to form the Lac de Sainte-Croix, a sheet of vivid turquoise about ten kilometres long that fills the end of the canyon and laps against the Valensole plateau. The village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon was drowned when the water rose, and the people were moved to a new settlement built higher on the shore; in very dry years, old walls and fields are said to emerge from the water.

   The colour is the thing. The Verdon's water comes from the Alps and carries fine rock flour that gives it a milky blue-green tint, and in sunlight the lake is a strikingly bright shade against the pale cliffs and dark pines. The shoreline is a mix of small beaches, rocky coves and boat ramps, and in summer the lake is crowded with pedalos, kayaks and swimmers. The water is cool, even in August, which is a relief after a morning on a motorcycle in the Provençal heat.

   For swimming, the villages of Bauduen, Les Salles and Sainte-Croix all have beaches and landing stages, with cafes and rental shops, and you can paddle out to quiet coves along the north shore. Riez, the nearest town, has Roman columns standing in a field, a remnant of a temple to Apollo.

   The ride along the lake road is a mix of gentle curves and short climbs, with views through the pines to the water. The surface is generally good, though narrow, and traffic is heavy in July and August, especially at weekends. The wind can blow hard along the lake, and a sudden storm can bring cold and rain, even when the morning started clear.

   For fuel, plan ahead, as the shoreline villages are small. Aups and Riez are modest towns, and Manosque is the larger centre to the west, around thirty kilometres away. Bring a towel, and be prepared to park on the verge.

5. Back to Grasse fuel finish

   Back at Grasse fuel. That is the ride.

Where this sits

Rides near here