Provençe and the Ardèche
Mountains give way to vast gorges as we approach the Côte d'azur
THE SKIES ARE darkening we leave the café in St Martind’ardèche. No rain, just roiling clouds and a palpable build-up in atmospherics that add to the sense of drama as we turn onto the D290 along the Gorges de l’ardèche. The grand gorges of France are unlike any riding in the UK. They display the landscape on a huge scale, easily enjoyed on involving roads. The road along the Ardèche Gorge sweeps through scrubby land beside the river, climbing slowly until finally bursting out to run dramatically along the clifftops. The views are immense; naked rocks and rolling hills on the far side of the vast valley.
Then the road descends, in sweeping curves, to run beside the river at the foot of the cliffs. As trees close in on one side and rock walls piecerd by caves loom on the other, it feels as we’ve moved from the big screen to the small screen. And that’s the real appeal of the riding here – it’s so varied, with every kind of landscape and all kinds of road.
PLACES TO STAY ORANGE
A compact city crammed with heritage (including masses of Roman remains) but all the facilities you could need on tour.
Hotel tip: Le Glacier (le-glacier.com)
SISTERON
Sitting beside the A51 motorway, Sisteron is easy to reach and an ideal base for exploring the north of Provençe.
Hotel tip: Hotel les Chenes (www.logishotels.com)
ST REMY-DE-PROVENCE
A perfect place for a taste of ‘traditional’ Provençe - handy for the tourist sites in Arles and Nimes, but packed with small-town charm
Hotel tip: Hotel le Mas St Joseph (www.hotel-mas-saint-joseph. com)
OFF THE BIKE ROMAN RUINS
What have the Romans ever done for motorcycle tourists? Er, the aqueduct… in this case, the staggering, must-see Pont du Gard. However, they’ve peppered the area with impressive ruins, including the theater in Orange and the enormous arena at the heart of Nimes, like Rome’s Colosseum but with the benefit of slightly saner traffic (www.pontdugard. fr, www.orange-tourisme.fr, www.ot-nimes.fr)
ART IN PROVENCE
Lots of people have come to Provençe to paint – most famously Van Gough and his chums (and there are plenty of painting courses if you fancy it). This means plenty of great galleries, many focusing on the Impressionists. Try the Monastere St Paul de Masoule, where Vincent was treated after the ear incident (www. saintpauldemausole.fr), or the huge Cezanne gallery in Aix-en-provençe. (www.atelier-cezanne.com)
AVEN D’ORNAC
There are caves, then there’s the huge l’aven d’ornac system of caverns to the south of the Gorge de l’ardèche. Packed with eye-popping rock formations (and pleasantly cool after the heat of Provençe) it’s a strange and fabulous place. Needs to be booked in advance. (www.orgnac.com)
LAVENDAR FIELDS
Get the time of your visit just right and Provençe is a riot for both the nose and the eyes, with fields full of neat rows of purple lavendar in fragrant bloom. From June to August, the area around the foot of Mont
Ventoux, especially between Sault and Manosque, is spectacular. If you need a gift to take back, top-end fragrance brand l’occitane is based in Manosque, with an outlet shop.
CASTLES
All kinds of castles adorn the hilltops of Provençe. When the pope was based in Avignon, a particularly fine new one was built, which you can still visit (www.palais-des-papes.com) though you may prefer his vineyard – Châteauneuf-dupape. At the other end of the scale is the impressive ruined Château de Baux, north-east of Arles. (www.chateau-bauxprovence.com)
WILD HORSES
Britain has Dartmoor and New Forest ponies, but France has the wild white horses of the Camargue. Not easy to spot, but a splendid sight if you can. (www.midifrance.info)
MOTOR MUSEUM
Cars get more attention than bikes in the compact but still fun Provençe Motor Museum. A good, short break from the heat of the day (www.musee-autoprovence.com)
SWEET TOOTH
Montélimar is the home of nougat and there’s nowhere better to taste it. There’s even a museum dedicated to it (www.nougatsoubeyran.com). Nearer the coast the pretty 1000-year-old village of Roquebrune-sur-argens has a Chocolate Museum with 5000 exhibits – it also produces the local nougat and speciality chocolates. (www. roquebrunesurargens.fr)
A SIGHT TO SEA
Tucked away in the Luberon is the Extraordinary Museum of Georges Mazoyer. Georges was a diver and artist, so there’s an eclectic mix of shells, rocks and fish alongside paintings, stained glass and objets d’art from items found in the sea. (www. chateauansouis.fr/)
TURKISH BATH
A few miles east of Aix-enprovençe, Saint-maximin offers something a bit different: the Hammanjana, a proper Turkish Bath offering steam rooms, baths and massages if you are feeling a little saddle sore. (hammamjana.com)
BARJOLS
A small hillside town that used to be a major tanning centre and is now left with more than 40 fountains and washhouses including the delightfully-named Fontaine des Limaces (slug fountain) as well as numerous art galleries and artist workshops. (www.la-provence-verte.net)