Part 3 : The Gorges du Tarn

(This is a continuation of the trip log from Part 2 : The Land of the Cathars)

Day 23 (63 km): We headed east along the Tarn, passing through two rather frightening dark tunnels, one almost a kilometre long. At Ambialet, the river takes an unusual meander so that the neck of the peninsula produced is only a few metres wide. The tiny walled village of Brousse-le-Château is on a rocky ridge between the Tarn and the little river Alrance, accessible from the road only by a little cobbled footbridge. The narrow twisting lanes of the village are unsuitable for vehicles. There are ruins of the castle which gave the village its name. We had hoped to stay there but the one small hotel (Relays du Chasteau) was complet (full). Next time we'll phone ahead. We did phone the hotel in the next town to ensure we had a place to stay - this region is sparsely populated. The 9 km ride from Brousse to Broquiès featured a couple of steep climbs, complete with switch backs, and a couple of speedy descents. At 37°C, the climbs were especially tough. Nice meal at the hotel (H. le Pescadou).

Day 24 (68 km): We had a nice ride beside the Dourdou river to St. Affrique. It was 37°C again and windy. When we came to the turnoff to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, we had a vote to decide whether we would climb the 3 km to visit the caves where the world's best cheese is made. Carol lost, 3 to 1. The international demand for Roquefort is so great that there are great herds of sheep on the high causses (plateaus) in the region and sheep's milk is imported from Portugal and North Africa to supplement that produced locally. Unfortunately, the male lambs which are born will not be milk producers and so they are slaughtered for the meat and for their hides. That's one of the reasons that the busy town of Millau is noted for its kid leather products. We found a hotel (H. La Capelle) in Millau. We were tired after the wind, the hills and the heat and so the rest of the day was quiet.

Day 25 (61 km): We decided to spend another day in Millau, but we didn't like our hotel so we moved to the Hotel Cristal where we asked madame to phone the hotel in Ste. Enimie to book tomorrow night's rooms. After Peter replaced the leaking tube in Heather's tire, we set out on a ride without panniers down the Canyon de la Dourbie, a deep gorge with tiny villages perched high above. A great ride, although Peter had a puncture on the way back. We had a very good meal at La Marmite du Pecheur. We were concerned about the street noises but we had been assured that the windows would provide adequate sound-proofing. Unfortunately, while closing the windows did shut out the noise, it also made the room too hot so we listened through the open window to live music until after midnight.

Day 26 (52 km): We headed north from Millau , following the Tarn. At Le Rozier we entered the Gorges du Tarn. Even though the most spectacular section was still 10 km upstream, it was immediately obvious why the gorge attracted so many visitors. We saw the first of many groups of canoeists. It's easy stuff. A van takes you and your canoe upstream several km then you canoe downstream with the fast moving current to your starting point. At Les Vignes we were held up as a herd of sheep filled the road ahead of us. We had to wait as the shepherds and a very smart dog moved them across a bridge in front of us. The stretch of the gorge between Les Vignes and La Malène is really spectacular. From the Cirque des Baumes, a large natural amphitheatre at the base of a 500 m cliff, the gorge narrows dramatically at Les Détroits, a small channel between two high rock faces. We stopped for a beer at La Malène and, even though it was just past noon, it clouded over and became so dark that the street lights came on. We mounted up, hoping to sprint the last 15 km ahead of the storm which was developing. No such luck! We got caught in the worst rain of our combined cycling experience. We were drenched! Plus que mouillé! Trempé! When we arrived at Ste. Enimie we were dripping on the floor of the hotel reception (H. Burlatis). I tell people it never rains in the south of France in the summer. That's almost true. In our first 13 trips totaling 50 weeks, (excluding the occasional mist) we've been rained on 6 times and never for more than an hour. This was one of those times. Ste. Enimie is an attractive ancient village with a nice legend associated with its name. There were lots of tourists, lots of restaurants to choose from.

Day 27 (30 km): We stayed a second day in Ste. Enimie. We had planned to try the canoeing but they told us that the water was too high and fast after yesterday's deluge. We wandered through all the nooks and crannies of this very pretty little town. After a picnic lunch, Carol and I went out for a ride, making the 8 km climb to the Col de Cauperlac on the Causse Méjean, 500 m above the village. It was cool and windy atop the causse, only about 20°C compared to the 31°C at river level. While we climbed to Méjean, Peter and Heather climbed the north side of the river to the Causse de Sauveterre, finding the same wind-swept terrain where the sheep outnumber the people about 100 to 1. The descent was chilly.

Day 28 (32 km): We decided we'd still like to try one of those canoe trips. When we went to make the arrangement, we found that Carol wouldn't be allowed to do it because she can't swim so Peter and Heather went ahead while we went for a ride. They had a fun experience, once they got the hang of it. We all continued east along the river and stopped in the old town of Florac, the administrative centre for the wilderness area known as the Parc Régional des Cévennes. Our hotel (H. Bureau des Gorges du Tarn) was modern (not really a selling point with me). We had a rare (for France) poor meal that night at the restaurant of the Central Hotel de la Poste. There was still enough light for an evening promenade to see the Source du Pecher, a spring gushing from the base of a cliff, and the large trout visible in the stream flowing through the town.

Day 29 (62 km): About 5 km south we began the 10 km climb to the Col de Solperière, at over 1000 m about 500 m above Florac, the western entrance to the Corniche des Cévennes, a 40 km long ridge between two river valleys with magnificent views in all directions. There are few trees but a lot of interesting alpine vegetation. At the end of this splendid ride, we descended to the quiet town of St. Jean-du-Gard where we decided to splurge and booked into a "chateau" which had been converted into a hotel (Le Château de Cabrières) - unfortunately, a work in progress, and a disappointment to the four of us who were looking for a rare elegant experience. The pool was nice. We ate light (omelettes or salads) in town. The whole experience in the town was so-so, a let-down after the exhilarating ride along the corniche.

Day 30 (63 km): We stopped for breakfast in Anduze. Fortunately for the women, there was a market. We hadn't come across a serious one since Arles and they were beginning to show signs of withdrawal. We had a picnic lunch in the school yard in the village of Cruviers and carried on to Uzès, an entrancing medieval town with narrow arcaded streets and a number of towers dominated by the Tour Fenestrelle (the "windowed tower"), a very Italian looking edifice. We found a modern hotel on the outskirts of town (H. Emeraude), with a welcomed pool - it was 34°C again, of course. We are in the south of France in the summer, you know. After a fine dinner that evening (Restaurant l'Abbaye), we wandered along the braderie (the best translation is "sidewalk sale") which was still open late in the evening. As you must know by now, two of our group were thrilled with that! A fun day!

Day 31 (45 km): We had decided to stay an extra day in Uzès. After breakfast, I went for a 45 km loop in the surrounding countryside while the others toured the town . The 17ème Foire aux Vins was on in town. Lots of activity. Heather had her hair cut by Nathalie. Nice job. Look her up! We toured the fair. We sampled lots of wine and bought a half-dozen bottles - only gold medal winners: some Côtes du Rhône and some Châteauneuf du Pape - to bring back home with us. (I had hoped to keep some until the turn of the century, but unfortunately all were gone by 1998. I couldn't resist!) We had another fine meal in the charming Restaurant la Vielle Tour. Because of the wine fair and the braderie and the great weather, we remember Uzès as one of our favorite towns in France.

Day 32 (58 km): We had coffee in Uzès. We later learned that the square we were in had been used in the Gérard Dépardieu movie "Cyrano de Bergerac" (good flick!). As we sat there, the tube I had just repaired on Carol's bike exploded in the growing heat of the Provençal sun. Quick re-repair! This time I did it right. While Peter and I were doing the repair, Carol and Heather did one last sprint around the market. They both bought some fabric. My panniers are starting to bulge but since most of it is caused by my wine purchases, I can't really complain. We took an indirect route via the charming village of Collias to the Pont du Gard. This 2000 year old aqueduct deservedly draws hordes of tourists. We had a picnic lunch there then continued on to Avignon where we found rooms in the now defunct Hotel du Midi. I am not an Avignon fan so it would be better if I did not poison your anticipation of visiting this busy touristique city. I will not go into the highlights of things to see. You must bear with my prejudice here. We decided to take Peter Mayle's advice (from his book "Toujours Provence") and we dined at the very good (but expensive) Restaurant Hiély. It was outstanding - worth the 70$CAD per person.

Day 33 (56 km): We cycled north to Chateauneuf-du-Pape where I bought another bottle of wine at Chateau Mont Redon. (I picked up one of the famous rounded stones which cover the soil in the vineyards. When I got home, I told a wine-loving colleague to drop by my office because I had brought a little something back for him from Chateauneuf du Pape. He rushed down expecting a bottle of wine and instead got a small round stone!) We passed by the ruins of the papal palace (Chateauneuf du Pape means "new papal palace")which survived many centuries until being destroyed near the end of WW II by a couple of German soldiers. Every age has its Barbarians! We arrived in Orange and went immediately to the station. We bought our tickets for the 6:10 AM train to Lyon (bikes free - that's a considerable saving from the cost of shipping them). Because the train was so early, we booked into the Hotel de la Gare right beside the station. There was a "Grande Brocante" (big junk fair) in Orange that day. Carol and Heather went to look at it but found it very expensive.

Day 34 (No cycling!): We got up early enough for the train but our bikes were locked in the garage so we had a bit of frantic activity trying to awaken someone who could extricate our bikes. We managed and loaded the bikes on the train (in the dark) and boarded for the 3 hour trip to Lyon. We found a nice hotel (H. Azur) close to Gare Perrache. The hotelier is a cyclist. We stayed there again in '93, '97 and 2000. We walked up to Vieux Lyon, toured a bit, and selected a spot for dinner - there's a great variety of options and very good food. Competition, I guess.

Day 35 (31 km): We decided to find someplace close to the airport so we could get there quickly on the next morning. We headed east through Lyon, stopping at Les Halles, a large, disappointing indoor market, and on through the suburb of Villeurbanne where there was one last market. Peter and I found a bar where we decided we would finally have a beer before noon. We almost didn't make it because the waiter was slow. You know where the women were! We struggled eastward (35°C again!) until we were finally free of the city and found a modern hotel (Forum Hotel) about 8 km from the airport. We had a nice meal at the hotel. Two of the waiters (including ours) were identical twins. Complicated!

Day 36 (8 km): Still hot! We cycled to the airport where we met our friends who were returning from their house exchange experience. They really enjoyed it (although they haven't done it since). Our preparation and flight home was uneventful.

Overall, it was a great area to cycle in, especially the Luberon, the Pyrénées (or at least the beginnings of the Pyrénées, which was all that we were in that year), the Gorges du Tarn and the Cévennes. Great weather, although Provençal hot. Good food. Good wine. It's France, after all! What did you expect?

Our Other Cycle Trips in Europe