Day 16: Villefort to Vallon Pont d’Arc

September 16, 2022

It was a brisk morning as we set off from Mas de l’Affenadou following the group of hikers down the hill back into the village of Villefort. But feeling cool didn’t last long since the first 2 km out of town made for a steep climb before it settles into a nice gentle climb. We passed an English couple who were touring, too, and they’re headed to Nice as well. However, they’re camping along the way and had a story about not closing the rain fly before a storm hit. Their adventure made me happy we’re doing it the east way - warm beds and someone cooking our meals!

As you can see, we’re climbing up into the forest

Third col of this trip. No fear, there are more to come.

The Cévennes region is beautiful.

All we worry about is … the weather … how tough are the climbs or descents … will there be a boulangerie open to grab a picnic lunch … and we wonder what site or experience will materialize today. Yep, it feels pretty free out here on the road.

Apparently there aren’t many Protestant churches in the smaller villages. This one is in Les Vans, but it was locked up so we couldn’t view the inside. The round building was intriguing. Legend says that the Protestants built it that way so the Devil has no corners to hide in.

If you zoom in on the hillside, you’ll see how the rock layers formed. From a distance it looked like someone took a comb to the landscape - perfectly straight lines.

Beautiful road down below - we don’t get to ride it

Following the Route de Païolive - rock formations would make the perfect game of hide and seek. It would be so easy to get lost in this labyrinth of rock.

After the stunning rocky scenery, we popped out into the vineyards of the Ardèche. We happened upon this crop that was being harvested and stopped to take photos. The vineyard owner invited us into the vineyard and taught us how the machine harvests. We’ve done ‘vindage’ before - hand cutting the grapes from the vine with our pruners. The machine straddles the row of vines and drives down while shaking the vines. The grapes fall of the stems into its holding tanks.

Then the harvester dumps the picked grapes into the wagon for transport to the sorting facility.

Such a unexpected event. The vineyard owner spoke only French but was very courteous and made sure we understood each process. We were even given some grapes to eat - direct from the vine. They were so sweet!

Moving along we saw more vineyards and followed the Chassezac River. Traffic was minimal which was a pleasant surprise.

Clock given to the church - the mechanisms were fully intact

Our road and the new river were following

That bridge is called “Pont des Brasseries”. The road through town had quite a few brasseries along it. We focused on the artisanal ice cream instead. We were only a few kilometers from Vallon Pont d’Arc now.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Le Clos Charmant, we realized that we were too early to check in. We took advantage of the extra time to tune up the tandem. We thought about swimming in the pool, but the shower room was locked. We didn’t think it was a good thing to jump in with the road debris on us. So we just hung out in comfy chairs in the shade and relaxed.

After our usual routine of showers and laundry, we wandered around town and enjoyed a cool beer. We caught up with that English couple again and chatted about alternatives to tomorrow’s route. We looked for a low key restaurant for a light dinner. Chuck had a salad and pizza and I had a salad and pasta.

Another great day. But I’m starting to worry that we don’t have the next trip planned … I think I might be hooked on this touring thing!

Stats: 61 kilometers 501 meters elevation

Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles)
Total: 1,441 km (895 miles)

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Rich FrasierIt sounds like you’re having too much fun out there! Love the pictures and commentary!
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