La Dolce Via cycle route in Ardeche

[suavecarve]

I found this 90 km disused railway line cycle track whilst researching and it appeared nobody had been here.

Owing to not realising I hadn't motd the motorbike we have had to leave that behind but we were always coming here anyway.

We have electric bikes. We are generally fit and we are not cyclists per se. Just holiday cyclists.

There is a website with the route on.

We decided to stay at le cheylard. Top Jonny banana Aire next to the barraged part of the river eyrieux. 7 euros a night is a steal even for a flt like me.

From here you can go to lamastre (later in holiday but will stay at Aire there and do train dardeche) or go dow river (tomorrow) or up river to st agree (just returned)

The at agree route is about 25 Kms of 3% incline. There are 2 pubs en route. 80% is packed hard stone but nothing to worry about. 20% tarmac. The tarmac isn't traffic free however 3 vans in 25 mins in a respected 30 kph it might as well be.

Once you you're off the tarmac about every 300 metres there is something new to see. Bridges viaducts scenery cuttings woodland mountains and tunnels just keep coming. Seated stopping points every km or sooner.

Not that busy. Reckon we saw a couple together every km. Not really possible to scramble down to river on this stretch.

If you cycle and can get in at le cheylard it is well worthy. Super U has space for 30 couple of Kms up the hill
About 30% in the shade.
NB st Agreve is higher than Snowdon you may need a jumper

Enjoy

 

[violet]

This looks great. We are considering it for our next French trip. I know you have electric bikes but do you think they are necessary? We still have pedal power only.

 

[Figaro]

Looks a great area, someone else posted about it a few weeks ago and I book marked it for when in that area, sadly not this year though

 

[Lenny HB]

Looks nice not been to the Ardeche for about 25 years.

 

[suavecarve]

This looks great. We are considering it for our next French trip. I know you have electric bikes but do you think they are necessary? We still have pedal power only.

The bit we did yesterday I would say you need to be a cyclist OR have electric OR don't do as much.
20kms of 3% would hurt my legs.
There are a couple of entry points and I noted another point (which I will try to pinpoint later) where there are toilets and big car park further up.

Speaking to Dutch and Germans yesterday it appears we have done the less pretty part but today we do the prettiest bit which has a gradient of 0.9% then 0.6% for 34 Kms and we can get to the river and see towns. That is to Les ollieres.

The bit to lamastre is also supposed to be flatter.

To give you some idea we didn't pedal on the way back and we're doing 30kph.

We have a cunning plan for lamastre which is to continue with our holiday after today then park at lamastre against the river on the way back then cycle here.
This means we can cycle downhill down the gorges du doux and catch the train dardeche back which carry out bikes for 39 euros (for 2) if we book the 1500 hrs and then we can see the whole of the gorge. The first 8 Kms are steam train then diesel but also possible to velorail it but not sure how or where.

There is another cycle track from st Agreve (and another steam train) the cycle path is called la fluvia or something similar.

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[suavecarve]

Looks a great area, someone else posted about it a few weeks ago and I book marked it for when in that area, sadly not this year though

Twas me when I found it. I was hoping someone had been here so could get some info.
Nobody had so thought a thread on first hand experience would be helpful.
I ought to have reiterated how lucky we were to get into this Aire.
Only 10 places. Can't see any obvious "French creative" overflow parking as they are marked out spots. There is a car park 200 m up the path which is for the swimming pool. But if you turned up after that was empty you could park there for the night.
I would need Google maps (later) to pinpoint a couple of other spots to park at.

 

[rb62]

Daughter was only saying the other day could we go to the Ardeche to give her a hand while eldest is on a PGL camp,this would keep the others occupied

Dolce Via - Voie Douce Ardèche - Dolce-Via en Ardèche

90 km de voie douce aménagée et sécurisée, au cœur des paysages préservés et des grands espaces naturels de l’Ardèche.

www.dolce-via.com

 

[gpat]

This looks great. We are considering it for our next French trip. I know you have electric bikes but do you think they are necessary? We still have pedal power only.

20kms at 3%! Yes it will hurt your legs a lot. The trouble with long slight inclines is you never get a rest. Seems OK for a few kms but than starts to wear you down. Depends how fit you are of course.

 

[suavecarve]

Le cheylard downhill to Les ollieres completed today.
Somewhere around 50 Kms return journey.
Downhill stretch we could cruise at 17kph without peddling whereas it was 30kph yesterday.
This stretch is alongside the river all the way so different scenery less bridges tunnels and only a couple of unphotographable viaducts.
Going downhill was not by design but we didn't use any leccy so had that for way back.
There is a swimming area at Les ollieres and they go canoeing from there as well.

In terms of the Aire at le cheylard there was a mass exodus between 0900 and 1100 hrs then we went cycling with only 3 vans here. Upon our return at 1600 hrs there were 4 and 1 turned up within 5 mins.

Water points at regular spots and the photo of a green box is where you lock your bike up and charge it presumably free of charge
There was also a kiddies/immature adults course for climbing up zip lines etc I think it was called aqua rock

 

[gpat]

Le cheylard downhill to Les ollieres completed today.
Somewhere around 50 Kms return journey.
Downhill stretch we could cruise at 17kph without peddling whereas it was 30kph yesterday.
This stretch is alongside the river all the way so different scenery less bridges tunnels and only a couple of unphotographable viaducts.
Going downhill was not by design but we didn't use any leccy so had that for way back.
There is a swimming area at Les ollieres and they go canoeing from there as well.

In terms of the Aire at le cheylard there was a mass exodus between 0900 and 1100 hrs then we went cycling with only 3 vans here. Upon our return at 1600 hrs there were 4 and 1 turned up within 5 mins.

Water points at regular spots and the photo of a green box is where you lock your bike up and charge it presumably free of charge
There was also a kiddies/immature adults course for climbing up zip lines etc I think it was called aqua rockView attachment 532503View attachment 532504View attachment 532505View attachment 532506View attachment 532507View attachment 532508View attachment 532509View attachment 532510View attachment 532511View attachment 532512View attachment 532514View attachment 532515View attachment 532516

Great pictures

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[suavecarve]

We are now off down to the ceze and Provence but intend to do the last 2 sections on the way back as well as the train dardeche and gorges du doux as it is getting up to 34 degrees from tomorrow.
No photo updates for couple of weeks

 

[suavecarve]

Just an update that our 2 extra days to do from Les ollieres to the Rhone and from lamastre to le cheylard have had to be postponed because of incoming torrents of rain. We could get one done but we also wanted to catch the train up to lamastre from tournon and cycle back down so probably better off waiting til next year.
Hopefully someone will do them in the meantime

 

[suavecarve]

violet

 

[suavecarve]

We came back to finish off the bottom leg today from Les ollieres to st Laurent du pape.
Free Aire at beauchastel. Very slight gradient uphill from the Rhone.
Cutting to your left going uphill and embankment to river on right.
Mainly shady.
Only a couple of unphotographable viaducts. No beer stops.19 Kms.
4 or 5 really good swimming spots. Chain bike up like everyone else and scramble down footpath to see youths tombstoning but swimming in warm water not an issue.
Hardly saw anyone but it was 94 degrees today. Good surface throughout

 

[suavecarve]

Finally done lamastre

to Les chelated.

19 Kms of rough stone on quite a gradient. Our normal pace is 23kph and 15 kph up here.
The first part up to nonieres from the free Aire at lamaste was uninspiring but then steep downhill came the viaducts and tunnels.
Beautiful really beautiful scenery but hard work. Far better suited to mountain bikes.
Loads of stopping points and the Aire at Les cheylards only had 2 vans in it.
If we had to miss one out it would be this one or only go as far as Les nonieres from Les cheylard.

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