Cycling in the Issole Valley, nr St Andre-les-Alpes, Haute Provence
For the part-time cyclist or those just preferring something a bit more leisurely, quieter and relaxing, then I can recommend the route that the follows the River Issole up its valley from St Andres-les-Alpes to Thorame Basse , Lac Des Sagnes and Thorame Haute (D2).
The route is particularly scenic, very quiet with hardly any vehicles and is very popular with those cyclists seeking an enjoyable cycle route without too many hills to worry about. The river is pretty and the backdrop of the mountains makes it all the more scenic. In all honesty I can’t remember one single serious incline or decline on the whole route which is a quite a feat for twenty kilometres.
About four kilometres north of St Andre-les-Alpes, just after you cross the river Issole, there is a rather nice wooded picnic area on the right-hand side of the road (picture above). Personally, I think that if you are out for the day, it is far better to cycle on further past Château-Garnier and Thorame Basse to the Lac Des Signes which is about one kilometre from Thorame Haute. It is a beautifully quiet and tranquil setting for a lake and makes a perfect place to stop off for la picnic lunch. Then you can cycle back down the valley after lunch, the way you came. There is a very slight downhill slope, so the journey back to St Andre-les-Alpes should seem easier and quicker.
The route although not circular, doubles back on itself (avoiding busy roads) and makes an enjoyable day out, and forty kilometres (26 miles) cycling on a flat road should not tax anyone too much. Furthermore, it is suitable for families as well as there should be virtually no traffic along the way.
There are two places to hire bikes in St Andre-les-Alpes, and they are: the Total service station just outside of St Andre-les-Alpes on the road to Nice (opposite the Spar supermarket) or the Hotel-Restaurant le Lac et Forêt , just past the Total service station. Alternatively, if you are staying higher up the Verdon valley, you could hire bikes in Beauvezer and cycle the route in reverse, but it is preferable to start at St Andre-les-Alpes.
The cost of bike hire from the Total garage (open 0730-1900) where we hired them from was fifteen euros for the day which is very reasonable. You can also reserve bikes in advance if you want to be sure of getting them.
This entry was posted on Wednesday July 23rd, 2008 at 1:52 PM and is filed under Places to Cycle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
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