Family bike tour around Lake Salagou

Welcome and time to settle in to your room(s).

Dinner, night and breakfast in lovely 3-star hotel.

24km - total uphill 516 metres.

This return-trip takes you through the "ghost village" of Clelles. The parish was scheduled to be drowned in the waters of the artificial lake-in-the-making, but History thought otherwise as it turned out...
Stay a while in the village then go on to the "base nautique nord" (water sport centre) where there are lots of activities to enjoy.

Dinner, night and breakfast at the hotel.

19km - total uphill 470 metres.

Right up your street if you like history and old stones. As you cycle along pleasant sunny roads, the Valley of Salagou reveals its grazing meadows, vineyards, and oak, pine and box woods. A tall statue of the Virgin Mary watches over it all from a lofty promontory. At the summit of Le Castellas, the ruins of the castle of Malavieille (XIII century) overlook the Valley. Today only one tower survives and for safety reasons, visiting is forbidden. Stop at the paleontoligical site in the commune ('parish') of Lieude/Mérifons to see the footprints of dinosaurs that lived 400,000,000 years ago!

Dinner, night and breakfast at the hotel.

34km - total uphill 300 metres

Superb return trip along fine single-track and narrow paths that form a fun-filled route that demands a certain mastery of ones bike. You are in among the "ruffes" - remarkable rock formations - and the red rocks that typify the banks of the Lake. Otherwise there is an alternative route - a quiet byroad - for those who don't want to tackle the tricky narrow paths. The view will surely tempt you to just stop and gaze at the Lake and its surroundings, perhaps take a dip when and where access at the water's edge permits. After the ride, the water sports centre ("Base Nautique") has plenty of activities suitable for families - it's cool!

Dinner, night and breakfast at the hotel.

24km - total uphill 545metres

At first the way weaves through those unique Terres Rouges of Le Salagou. Pleasant roads then lead you to Salasc, which is a lovely old village with an inviting town-square terrace where it's good to take a break. After Salasc there's a change in the surroundings - the rocks are of a different hue, red earth giving way to sparkling white limestone.
And once in Mourèze, why not lock up your bikes, take your panniers and bags with you for safety, and explore on foot the mind-blowing weatherbeaten rocky outcrops that the French call a "chaos" - with good reason! Welcome to the Cirque de Mourèze.

Dinner, night and breakfast at the hotel.

26km - total uphill 663 metres

There's a fairly easy run along narrow roads down to Saint Martin des Combes. In Valadarès you can visit the chapel of Notre Dame de Roubignac, a 10th century monument with a romanesque portion from the XII century. The road then goes hrough an oak forest becoming very narrow, ziggy and zaggy (not necessarily in that order). The shade here can be very welcome. Vineyards accompany you then till you reach the Centre Equestre (stables) of the Moulin de l'Aubaygue. A XII century parish church sits on a rocky promontory that gives its name to Le Puech, which means "the mountain". A dolmen dating from 5000 years ago bears witness to human inhabitants long ago on the Red Lands. Later, the Romans were to come here to mine copper ore.

Dinner, night and breakfast at the hotel.

9Km - total uphill 350 metres

Car link: discovery classified village of couvertoirade and hiking in Navacelles.

Dinner, night and breakfast at the hotel.

Breakfast and departure.