Apr – Jul 2023

Baguette Bike Travels

A family cycling trip from Barcelona to Paris to explore the Mediterranean coast, the Alpes and reconnect with old friends. Read more

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Trip start
April 5, 2023
Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 1
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 10:00 AM
☀️ 22 °C
Altitude: 14 m
Spain Aeroport 41.303385, 2.07692941°18’12” N 2°4’37” E
Made it!
April 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
After 30+ hours of travel and an overnight flight across the Atlantic we made it, and our bikes did too! Ready to ride into the city.
TravelerBonne route!
4/18/23ReplyTranslate
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 2
Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 7:52 PM
⛅ 17 °C
Altitude: 45 m
Spain Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família 41.403513, 2.17470541°24’13” N 2°10’29” E
Forms and Tastes of Barcelona
April 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
With the help of the Hop On Hop Off bus, we covered some ground exploring the sights of the city: stunning modernist architecture, ambling and tasting our way down La Rambla and an Easter Vigil mass in Sagrada Familia, among others.Read more
TravelerNice building!
4/18/23Reply
TravelerThey finally finished Sagrada Familia!!
4/18/23Reply
TravelerImpressive architecture!
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 3
Friday, April 7, 2023 at 7:47 PM
☀️ 18 °C
Altitude: 139 m
Spain Park Güell 41.413544, 2.15304741°24’49” N 2°9’11” E
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Parks and Squares
April 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Another day in the city filled with chill moments wandering town squares, watching buskers and a visit to Park Guëll.
Traveler Yum, Claire, looks like ice cream is going to be a favourite treat!
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 4
Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 3:10 PM
☀️ 16 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Spain Platja de Badalona 41.441289, 2.24611141°26’29” N 2°14’46” E
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Cycling Start
April 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
We took off from Barcelona after visiting a few more areas, including the Arc de Triunfo and the beaches. We were able to cycle on paths along the beach almost all the way to Mataró.
Traveler Who is your very big friend Claire?
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 5
Sunday, April 9, 2023 at 1:00 PM
☁️ 17 °C
Altitude: 23 m
Spain Cabrera de Mar 41.515939, 2.39632641°30’57” N 2°23’47” E
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Connecting at Casa Abellan
April 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We were lucky to be hosted by Ceasar and Claudia from Warmshowers for 2 nights. They had friends visiting from the Basque region, but still opened up their home and a trailer in their yard for us. We shared some amazing moments over delicious meals with fresh veggies from their garden, played soccer on the beach and volleyball in the yard with all the kids and got to learn a little bit about their lives. This is why we love this kind of travelling - for the magic of these connections!Read more
TravelerWhat a great experience for Claire! Hablas mucho Español, Claire?
4/18/23Reply
Traveler Great family pic!
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 6
Monday, April 10, 2023 at 2:00 PM
☁️ 19 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Spain Platja de Fenals 41.694679, 2.83498741°41’41” N 2°50’6” E
Back on the Road
April 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
After our amazing stay with Cesar and Claudia, we set off again, along bike trails beside the beach and finally some highway time too. We made it to Loret de Mar for our first night of camping.
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 7
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 3:00 PM
☁️ 17 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Spain Castillo de Tossa de Mar 41.717235, 2.9345941°43’2” N 2°56’5” E
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A Castle in Tossa de Mar
April 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
After some beach time in Loret de Mar, we climbed up over a few headlands and descended into Tossa de Mar, where we were excited to find an old castle to explore and enjoy the sea views. We ended the day exploring some steep dirt trails to wild camp well above the water's edge.Read more
TravelerHolà Claire! Como estas?
4/18/23ReplyTranslate
TravelerI love your hat Claire. I need one just like it for my hiking trip. How can I get one? What is it called?
4/29/23Reply
Barb and I visited this spot in 1973 on a trip to Spain. WOW [Steve Jordan]
5/8/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 8
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 1:00 PM
⛅ 18 °C
Altitude: 11 m
Spain Port de Palamós 41.850412, 3.12964141°51’1” N 3°7’47” E
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Coastal Views and Pool Time
April 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
It was a stunning ride to Sant Feliu de Guixols, rolling around cliffs high above the sea on a road with decent grades and minimal traffic given the time of year. After finding yet another park for Claire to play in over lunchtime, we worked our way to Palamos, where we treated ourselves to a campground with a pool to better enjoy the warm afternoon. Holly was also able to get in a little coastal jaunt in the area in the evening.Read more
Is that a bike path?!! [Genevieve]
5/5/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 9
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 2:00 PM
☁️ 15 °C
Altitude: 6 m
Spain Viladamat 42.133424, 3.07748842°8’0” N 3°4’39” E
Rural Bike Wandering
April 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Today we finally followed a more defined version of the EuroVelo 8 route that we will follow all the way to Italy. Between separated bike paths and marked routes through small towns, it was a lovely day in the countryside, and despite threatening clouds we only got sprinkled on for a few minutes. To end the day, we arrived in Villadamat to stay with Warmshowers host Macià at his beautiful family home.Read more
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 10
Friday, April 14, 2023 at 1:00 PM
☁️ 14 °C
Altitude: 350 m
France Coll de Banyuls 42.450127, 3.05415342°27’0” N 3°3’15” E
A Climb out of Spain
April 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
We enjoyed a delicious breakfast provided by our Warmshowers host Macià and his friend Barry. We very much enjoyed learning about Macià's trips across Europe on his recumbent bike, the story of his family home and its restoration, and seeing his beautiful and varied garden. He suggested a good route for our last day in Spain - climbing on quiet roads to the coll de Banyuls. We went through a few more small towns, biked by quite a few farms and cows, then after a few steep pitches, we were at the border. We were happy to learn there was a refugio (hut) at the coll, and we spent a warm night there while the rain then wind howled around us. Some celebratory wine topped off our last day in Spain.Read more
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 11
Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 2:00 PM
🌬 16 °C
Altitude: 8 m
France Saint-Hippolyte 42.784424, 2.96643242°47’4” N 2°57’59” E
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Tramontane = Howling Winds
April 15, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
We enjoyed a smooth steep descent from the coll de Banyuls. To the knowledgeable (Holly), things now felt distinctly French - the buildings, shutters, road signs, cars... Then, as we arrived in Banyuls sur Mer we got to experience our first taste of the tramontane winds. Strongs winds that blow from northwest, from the mountains to the sea. Even on the downhills we struggled against the winds, with strong gusts knocking us off the road. After a break in Port Vendres to get some tasty treats at the Saturday market, it was a struggle for the rest of the day into headwinds and crosswinds as we worked our way to Sainte Hippolyte, where we thankfully had a place to stay inside out of the winds with Warmshowers host Jacques. Only ~800 km to go on the Mediterranean coast!Read more
Wow! [barb]
5/12/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 12
Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 4:00 PM
🌬 19 °C
Altitude: 14 m
France Narbonne 43.184056, 3.0040243°11’3” N 3°0’14” E
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Estuaries and Train Time
April 16, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 19 °C
We hummed and hawed about what to do with the continued strong winds, and ultimately decided to carry on along the coastal route, albeit slowly. We biked along large 'etangs', or estuaries, to Leucate, and finally decided to hop on a train to skip ahead given our slow progress in the wind. The 35 km bump put us in Narbonne, where we rented an apartment for the night with a terrasse, and enjoyed another quiet night out of the wind.Read more
Traveler Looks like Claire enjoyed your decision to travel by train!
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 13
Monday, April 17, 2023 at 2:00 PM
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 42 m
France Colombiers 43.307868, 3.12610543°18’28” N 3°7’34” E
Canal Cycling
April 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We left Narbonne following the Canal de Robin to join the Canal du Midi, which we descended all the way to Béziers. As we searched for a lunch spot we got invited to eat with two friendly cyclists. One was a carpenter who travelled around France on his bicycle and got paid in alternative money (G1, called the "june"). They invited us to camp with them at a friend's property outside of Béziers, so we headed there after a great day along the canals and checking out the tunnel of Malpas.Read more
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 14
Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 3:00 PM
⛅ 18 °C
Altitude: Sea level
France Le Castellas 43.366668, 3.61710743°22’0” N 3°37’2” E
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Lots of Locks
April 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We started our day at the 9 Écluses de Fonseranes, and continued by many a lock as the day wore on. The engineering of the Canal du Midi is very impressive, with the canal even crossing rivers on bridges of its own. As we got closer to Sète, we snuck into a campground to play in the playground (with bouncy castles!), then we spent a warm afternoon at the beach, swimming and making friends to play in the sand with.Read more
Traveler Love this architect!
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 15
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 3:00 PM
☀️ 18 °C
Altitude: 172 m
France Mont Saint-Clair 43.402086, 3.68571443°24’8” N 3°41’9” E
Walking Tour of Sète
April 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
We were hosted by a long time friend of Holly's family, Marianne, in Sète. It was a huge pleasure getting to catch up with her over delicious dinners, and we were grateful getting to stay in her appartment for a few nights to feel settled for a short while. We took the opportunity to get off the bikes and explore the city on foot for a day, after which we took a real 'rest' day that didn't involve walking over 10 km!Read more
TravelerLooks like you have had really good warm travelling weather
4/28/23Reply
TravelerYour trip brings back lovely memories of long ago people and places
4/29/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 17
Friday, April 21, 2023 at 6:00 PM
🌬 17 °C
Altitude: 5 m
France Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport 43.5643, 3.9569743°33’51” N 3°57’25” E
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Flamingos!
April 21, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 17 °C
After an excellent break in Sète we rolled back into estuary country, with many pink flamingo sitings! We enjoyed more windy beach time, then a great evening connecting with Warmshowers hosts Jelle, Bérangère and their two little boys Emile and Marcel over dinner, playing (with a few tears, as it goes), dessert and bedtime stories. It was very refreshing to hang out with another cycling family and share stories and tips. Also, Berangère's business is organizing bike trips for clients, and her and Jelle's insights helped us plan our route forward for the next little while.Read more
An excellent addition to a growing bird list! [Grampio]
4/25/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 18
Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM
🌬 19 °C
Altitude: 9 m
France Aigues-Mortes 43.567131, 4.19267443°34’2” N 4°11’34” E
Fortified Walls
April 22, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 19 °C
We were escorted out of Pérols by Jelle, Bérangère and the whole family on bikes. After a few kilometres on the coast, we finally headed inland up the Canal du Rhone à Sète to the fortified town of Aigues-Morte, where much of the local sea salt is produced. We wandered the streets and squares inside the town ramparts, then continued up the canal and enjoyed a peaceful night filled with bird song and the odd bellowing of cows and bulls in the adjacent fields.Read more
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 19
Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 12:00 PM
☁️ 20 °C
Altitude: 26 m
France Arènes d'Arles 43.677754, 4.63096243°40’40” N 4°37’51” E
Theatres and Amphitheatres
April 23, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
We got an early start and made it to Arles before lunch time, finally crossing the Rhône River into the city. Claire was super keen on visiting the ancient roman amphitheatre ("I want to go up and down the stairs!"), so we took turns visiting the antique theatre and the amphitheatre with her, to her delight. We then headed into the Alpilles, and Claire's evening highlight was petting the donkeys in the field behind our campground. For the cyclists, it was the tailwind on smooth bike trails ;)Read more
Merci pour les traductions. Geo et Françoise qui vous suivent depuis la Haute Savoie . Nous avons fait une partie du canal du Midi en péniche avec le vent c'est moins fatiguant .Bises à Chris et Bob [Picard Françoise]
4/26/23ReplyTranslate
TravelerThank you for the report and the nice pictures. Greetings from Germany.
4/27/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 20
Monday, April 24, 2023 at 12:00 PM
☀️ 18 °C
Altitude: 207 m
France Eglise Saint Vincent 43.744005, 4.79533343°44’38” N 4°47’43” E
1 1
Les Baux-de-Provence
April 24, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
On a whim after seeing a photo in a brochure, we decided to make the detour to Les Baux-de-Provence - 10 kilometres extra in distance, 300 m extra of climbing, would it be worth it? Yes indeed! We were blown away by the cool rock formations, the fortress up on the hill with a perched village hanging off the side of the cliff, and among the streets filled with restaurants and souvenir shops we also found some new tasty treats - nougat and meringues. Adding to the outing, the climbing was also excellent - relaxed road grades with a wide shoulder, then fun flowy descents. The pedalling was then back to flat as we passed through Cavaillon (with a pedestrian bridge over the highway!) to a campsite in the small village of Maubec, just below the village ramparts.Read more
TravelerNous avons beaucoup aimé les Beaux de Provence!
4/28/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Are these tourists or village folks?
4/28/23Reply
Traveler Really like these pictures through narrow streets/roads
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 21
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 1:00 PM
🌬 17 °C
Altitude: 321 m
France Roussillon 43.902266, 5.29285943°54’8” N 5°17’34” E
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La Route des Ocres
April 25, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 17 °C
It was a day of exploring fortified villages and ochre coloured sediments as we followed la Route des Ocres. We enjoyed the weekly market in Gordes, with great samples of olives, spreads, artisanal cheeses and meats (for the carnivores in the family - turns out saucisson is very popular with Claire!). In Roussillon we enjoyed the coloured hills while tasting lavender ice cream. Then the last active ochre mine was a colourful site to see outside Gargas.Read more
TravelerSeems like you‘re having a lot of fun 😀! And ice cream 🍦😍.
4/27/23Reply
Traveler Great souvenir pictures for Claire.
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 22
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 11:00 AM
☀️ 16 °C
Altitude: 386 m
France Rustrel 43.913694, 5.49743543°54’49” N 5°29’51” E
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Backroads of the Luberon
April 26, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
We had one more stop on la Route des Ocres, the Colorado Provençal, another old ochre mine that is now a great hiking area. We climbed to Viens for lunch with a view, then climbed some more to Reillanne, and ended our day in Villeneuve where we took in some pétanque before being hosted in a lovely little backyard trailer by Josiane and Pascal. We had some great conversations with them over appéro and a delicious dinner, and loved the beautiful decorations and artwork in their colouful home and garden. The opportunity for connection was a real treat after our longest day on the bikes (66 km) and a few challenging trail conditions along the way (the worst being a section of ~20% grade up a loose gravel road).Read more
So stunning! [Barb]
5/12/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 23
Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 2:00 PM
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 548 m
France Valensole 43.834626, 5.98345443°50’5” N 5°59’0” E
2 2
Up to the Plateau
April 27, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We started our day with tea in the trailer and a lovely breakfast with Josiane. Claire has started her photography career and captured Karl at work checking our brakes before more big days ahead. After checking the chicken coop for the daily eggs and capturing tadpoles in the backyard pond, we finally managed to get Claire in the Weehoo, say goodbye to Josiane and set off up to Valensole on the plateau. We are too early to see lavender in bloom, but the fields, views and hillside villages are still stunning.Read more
TravelerSo great to find lots of treasures, n’est-ce pas, Claire?
4/28/23Reply
Traveler Claire, you are such a big girl now. Have fun.
4/28/23Reply
TravelerWonderful adventure.
4/28/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 24
Friday, April 28, 2023 at 10:00 AM
⛅ 16 °C
Altitude: 663 m
France Moustiers-Sainte-Marie 43.847297, 6.22293643°50’50” N 6°13’23” E
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
April 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We camped just before the beautiful village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, so pedalled up into the village first thing in the morning, only to stumble on the weekly market. It was much quieter than some of the other markets we've visited, and we enjoyed chatting with merchants as we purchased delicious cheeses and crackers. We wondered about setting up at a campsite close to town so we could amble the streets of the beautiful village and maybe hike above the town for a day, but knowing that a long weekend was coming, along with two days of rain, we decided it was best to bike to the Gorges du Verdun while we still had good weather. While at the market we learned about the Chalet de la Maline, an Alpine Club hut along the edge of the canyon, so we made a booking there, explored around Moustiers a bit, then got back on the bikes to pedal up up up...Read more
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 24
Friday, April 28, 2023 at 3:00 PM
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 817 m
France Le Pont 43.776361, 6.28237143°46’35” N 6°16’57” E
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Canyon Ride
April 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We pedalled away from Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, past the stunningly blue Lac de Sainte Croix and saw our first views of the Gorges du Verdun. After the first bit of climbing we met Stéphanie and Jean who were on a bike tour around the Verdun with their children Celeste and Augustin and we swapped notes about the routes we were on, while enjoying lunch together. Claire was thrilled to hold a baby and check out someone else's lunch ;) We continued climbing to La Palud-sur-Verdon, where we were able to fill up our bottles with delicious spring water, eat more ice cream, and then load up with food for a couple of nights at the Chalet de la Maline. Then we set off on the Route des Crêtes - more climbing to stunning view points of the Gorges du Verdun, followed by some pretty serious downhills to the hut.Read more
The level of the lake appears low - similar to BC lakes right now. [Allen]
5/2/23Reply
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Baguette Bike Travels Holly and Karl
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Day 25
Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 12:00 PM
☁️ 20 °C
Altitude: 599 m
France La Palud-sur-Verdon 43.742641, 6.34154243°44’34” N 6°20’30” E
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Into the Gorge
April 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
We finally planned a day off the bikes to hike down into the Gorges du Verdun. We followed the Blanc-Martel trail down to the river, then hiked downstream partway along the Imbut Trail. The water was low as the upstream dams were closed, but the iridescent blue of the river against the white canyon walls was beautiful. Claire was super stoked to hike and managed about 7 or 8 km before taking a break and a nap in Karl's backpack for part of the way back up to the hut. We celebrated our arrival with ice cream and cold drinks before having dinner at the hut with a full house of hikers. It was a beautiful and relaxed day in a stunning location!Read more
I recognized this immediately .. Verdun and the ardeche valley are so amazing [Verena]
5/5/23Reply
Wow c'est trop chouette ! [GUERETTE JESSICA]
5/6/23ReplyTranslate
Breathtaking backdrop to a beautiful family photo! [Barb]
5/12/23Reply
Traveler This is awesome :)
5/20/23Reply
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