Aiguines

Just when I thought France couldn't get more stunning it does. The ride from Manosque to Aiguines is certainly a thigh burner with over 1300 meters of climbing with fully loaded panniers I was pleased I took it easy yesteday.

With the climbing though you get the views and the views along the plateau around Valensole are well worth it. Living in London you can forget how big the sky can be if that makes sense. With 360 degrees of views and well over 50 miles in any direction its a real moment to take a step back and try and take it all in.

After Valensole and past Riez it is very up and down until you reach the mountains and roll down the most stunning valley and to the entrance (or exit to be more precise) of Gorge to Verdon. With the turquoise waters of lake Sainte-Croix behind you and the huge cliffs of the gorge in front of you it is a simply stunning setting. With the highest peak nearly 1 and 1/2 times the height of Ben Nevis the scale and size of the place does not come across in photos.

The final climb of the day was from the bridge in picture 3 (very small) and picture 4 upto the beautiful mountain side village of Aiguines at about 800 meters and my starting point for tomorrow's ride to Castellane along the cliff top roads through the gorge.Read more