October 17, 2022
To Melvieu
Ambialat is located on a small, rocky peninsula formed by a three-mile loop in the Tarn River. The village itself consists of two parts: Ambialat le bas, located down along the river, and Ambialat le haut, perched high above the river. It is a quite picturesque village, one with the French designation “small town of character” - a place that likely deserves more than the brief pass-through I gave it. Instead, I continued my journey up the Tarn River, following close to the river’s edge, crossing from one bank to the next as it wound its way up the Tarn Valley. There were castles, long dark tunnels, and glorious fall foliage. Despite the clouds, some drizzle, and the continuing winds, it was a most enjoyable day.
The forecast for today was cloudy, windy and seasonably warm temperatures. Although not ideal cycling weather, it’s getting to be late October and conditions could certainly be much worse. And to cheer me up right at the start was an excited greeting from Loki, a friendly chocolate lab. I loaded up Vivien George and fter two quick crossings of the Tarn River, I headed down a quiet road and up the river.
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I’d wanted to cycle the Tarn River for several years, inspired by tales from fellow Cycle Blazers of long, unlit tunnels and the spectacular Gorges de Tarn. So I was well prepared for the tunnels on today’s ride – these were not the short rock-arched tunnels that so enchanted me on the Route de Corniche, but rather long, concrete tunnels that often curved and were sometimes unlit. Thus, a front light appeared mandatory. My handlebar bag left no room for mounting a headlight in its logical place, so I’d mounted two small lights on the fork.
I met the first tunnel less than two miles into the ride, the 125m long, and lighted, Tunnel de Courris. I took off my sunglass and sailed on through. Next up was the Tunnel de St. Cyrice, which at 440m was the longest. However it was lined with reflecting lights and had a signal that I activated to let drivers know there was a bike in the tunnel. Still, it was a bit eerie. The reflecting lights were a small help augmenting my headlights, which illuminated only about six feet in front of me. More unsettling was not knowing how long the “cyclist lights” would keep flashing. As it turned out, long enough for me to transverse the tunnel – as they were still flashing when I exited. The next two tunnels, Janolles and Beluet, were both unlit and curved - a bit more exciting but I happened upon them I was feeling a like a tunnel pro.
When I wasn’t going through tunnels or crossing bridges, I was enjoying a pleasant ride on quiet, mostly flat roads. There was the occasional pass-through small settlement or village, and a couple of steep-ish headlands, but mostly I just cruised along enjoying the foliage and the tranquility of my surroundings. Brousse-le-Château, located at the confluence of the Tarn and the Alrance rivers, boasts a 15th century medieval château and marks the western edge of what are referred to as the Gorges des Raspes du Tarn, which extend eastward to Saint-Rome-de-Tarn. Here, the Tarn Valley narrows, forming high tree-covered slopes as the river cuts into the Lévezou plateau. I found a wonderful picnic area just past Brousse-le-Château, but didn’t linger as the day had clouded. In fact, it soon began to rain – a light drizzle, but one that kept me focused on the cycling rather than the scenery.
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My destination today was La Charmeraie, in the small village of Melvieu, located about 600 feet above the left bank of river, in the Grand Causses regional park. Why here? I first learned of La Charmeraie in Scott and Pat Fenwick’s journal post describing their trip through the Tarn Valley in May, 2021. Unable to find lodging between Ambialat and Millau, they had discovered La Charmeraie, a chambre d’hôte with a engaging host, Nadine, who prepared a remarkable four-course meal sourced from local products. It sounded wonderful, but it did involve a 2-mile climb up off the river. My search for lodging had successfully found something before Millau, in Saint-Rome-de-Tarn; however there were several headlands to surmount before arriving in Saint-Rome-de-Tarn. When I did the calculations, it turned out that cycling to Melview would be fewer miles, and less climbing overall for the day, not to mention Nadine’s cooking.
The climb up to Melvieu was a steady at 5-6%, with some steeper spots thrown in to test me. Arriving at La Charmeraie, Nadine greeted with a big smile and a rapid barrage of French, indicating all the important information on my room, bike storage, dinner time, etc. When I asked about WiFi, she indicated the password was 8 0, holding up 8 fingers while saying “zero”. I tried 80, quatrevingt, quatre-vingt and even eighty. Nothing worked, so I found Nadine and asked again – 00000000.
La Charmeraie and Nadine were everything the Fenwicks had described – I enjoyed a four-course meal (could have been five, but I declined the cheese course) served with warmth and enthusiasm. I went to bed happy and full of a fine meal and the myriad experiences of a day spent cycling along the Valley and Raspes du Tarn.
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Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 3,287 miles (5,290 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
2 years ago
2 years ago
You are running this section in the opposite direction to my last ride there. There was a hotel restaurant at St.Paul de Tarn that I stayed in but it might be gone now.
The church at St. Victor is worth a visit, if you are so inclined.
Cheers,
Keith
2 years ago