Day 11 - A day in the Gorges
Wednesday 20th July 2016
Last night the Old Boy recommended two more ravine roads to us. He said they were very beautiful, which considering how beautiful it is here in his gorge, means we really have to go see. We are up early and use the time to get some washing done. It's a beautiful morning for drying our clothes and we are back on the road at 10am.
Sean is still holed up in his hotel. The repair shop is still waiting for a slave cylinder to arrive so it will be a minimum of two days before he is back on two wheels and he is getting stir crazy.
So for us it is a day for the riding of the gorges. We travel back down the Gorges de Vesubie, in and out of short tunnels down the narrow ravine on a switchback ride with vertical rock faces on the right and a steep drop down to the river on the left.
Next comes a section of the Vallee du Var before we hang a right and climb up Gorges du Cians road. It's another crazy switchback through tunnels on a narrow road clinging to the side of a vertical rock face. But now the exposed rock is a rich deep red in colour, it looks like it has been painted.
We emerge at the head of the valley at Beuil and stop for coffee and fuel.
It is stupendously hot even here up in the mountains, high 30s I would judge and the heat is beginning to take its toll on us and on the bikes. My water temp guage is close to the red as we continue up and through the ski resort of Valberg, back on the Route des Grandes Alpes
We turn south down the third gorge road of the day as recommended by the old boy at last night's campsite. A sign tells us that this one has 17 tunnels. The road has been widened, with single track tunnels built for southbound traffic, while northbound traffic uses the old road on the edge of the cliff.
This road brings us back down to the Var river where we turn west and then head north again up the Verdon river with the Col d'Allos at the top at 2,200 metres.
This is the very same river that further down its course carved out the Verdon Gorge that we visited a few days ago. The source of the river is high on Mont Pelat, at 3,051m the highest peak hereabouts.
We stop for lunch at The small town of Annot before we reach the Verdon River.
We are intending to head up and then east to the big one, the Col de la Bonette, but we are both beginning to flag. So halfway up the pass road near the village of Colmars we find a camp site and call it a day.
Like many of the spur of the moment ideas we come up with, this is another serendipitous find.
We camp by the rushing Verdon River at a Camping Le Haut Verdon near Colmars. It has a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, tennis & boules courts and the friendliest lady imaginable with the largest and most expressive dog I have ever seen.
We quickly set up camp and I go for a paddle in the nearby river to cool my feet down. Later I go for a swim in the pool while Mick has a rest. He is still full of cold and suffering silently.
In the cool of the evening we repair to the restaurant. It is very busy but we don't mind waiting in such pleasant surroundings. I'm on the local wine and Mick has draught Kronenbourg.
Food is ham and mushroom omelette for Mick, tagliatelle bolognese for me. The moon is full, the bellies are full and all is good with the world.
Last night the Old Boy recommended two more ravine roads to us. He said they were very beautiful, which considering how beautiful it is here in his gorge, means we really have to go see. We are up early and use the time to get some washing done. It's a beautiful morning for drying our clothes and we are back on the road at 10am.
 |
| That's another week's clothing sorted |
Sean is still holed up in his hotel. The repair shop is still waiting for a slave cylinder to arrive so it will be a minimum of two days before he is back on two wheels and he is getting stir crazy.
So for us it is a day for the riding of the gorges. We travel back down the Gorges de Vesubie, in and out of short tunnels down the narrow ravine on a switchback ride with vertical rock faces on the right and a steep drop down to the river on the left.
 |
| In the Gorges des Versubie |
Next comes a section of the Vallee du Var before we hang a right and climb up Gorges du Cians road. It's another crazy switchback through tunnels on a narrow road clinging to the side of a vertical rock face. But now the exposed rock is a rich deep red in colour, it looks like it has been painted.
 |
| Gorges du Cians |
We emerge at the head of the valley at Beuil and stop for coffee and fuel.
It is stupendously hot even here up in the mountains, high 30s I would judge and the heat is beginning to take its toll on us and on the bikes. My water temp guage is close to the red as we continue up and through the ski resort of Valberg, back on the Route des Grandes Alpes
We turn south down the third gorge road of the day as recommended by the old boy at last night's campsite. A sign tells us that this one has 17 tunnels. The road has been widened, with single track tunnels built for southbound traffic, while northbound traffic uses the old road on the edge of the cliff.
This road brings us back down to the Var river where we turn west and then head north again up the Verdon river with the Col d'Allos at the top at 2,200 metres.
 |
| Gorges du Cians or is it Gorges de Dalius? |
 |
| Dual carriageway |
This is the very same river that further down its course carved out the Verdon Gorge that we visited a few days ago. The source of the river is high on Mont Pelat, at 3,051m the highest peak hereabouts.
 |
| Trundling through the red rock |
We stop for lunch at The small town of Annot before we reach the Verdon River.
We are intending to head up and then east to the big one, the Col de la Bonette, but we are both beginning to flag. So halfway up the pass road near the village of Colmars we find a camp site and call it a day.
 | |||
| Camping le Haut Verdon |
 |
| Camp dog |
Like many of the spur of the moment ideas we come up with, this is another serendipitous find.
We camp by the rushing Verdon River at a Camping Le Haut Verdon near Colmars. It has a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, tennis & boules courts and the friendliest lady imaginable with the largest and most expressive dog I have ever seen.
We quickly set up camp and I go for a paddle in the nearby river to cool my feet down. Later I go for a swim in the pool while Mick has a rest. He is still full of cold and suffering silently.
In the cool of the evening we repair to the restaurant. It is very busy but we don't mind waiting in such pleasant surroundings. I'm on the local wine and Mick has draught Kronenbourg.
Food is ham and mushroom omelette for Mick, tagliatelle bolognese for me. The moon is full, the bellies are full and all is good with the world.
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