Cycling Stay Castagnades
- Privas
- 3 days
- in loops
- 295€
- All levels
-
2 stays
June 10 and September 6 -
duration
3 days / 2 nights -
2* hotel
1/2 board + light lunch -
distances
80 to 120 km per day -
altitude difference
from 800 to 2100 m per day
Warm welcome and atmosphere guaranteed
Come and enjoy the spirit of the Ardéchoise, (re)discover its highlights, meet other participants.
What to expect
Starting from Privas, famous for its marrons glacés, this Castagnades cycling trip will make you discover a more southern side of the Ardèche. You will immerse yourself in authentic natural sites: the Eyrieux valley and its viewpoints, the Coiron plateau, the Ardèche chestnut groves or the Rhone valley.
Numerous villages of character (Mirabel, Saint-Laurent sous Coiron, Sceautres or Alba la Romaine), witnesses of a rich historical past will punctuate your days.
Your Castagnades cycling trip day by day
The Coiron plateau and the Rhône valley
70 km (840 m), 110 km (1000 m) or 125 km (1200 m)
Head south for this first day with the morning ascent of the Benas pass. From there, it’s a very gentle day that awaits you.
You will cross the Coiron, a volcanic plateau which extends to the Rhône valley. You will observe numerous basaltic rocks, the most famous of which is the Neck of Sceautres.
The vineyards of the Southern Ardèche will punctuate the rest of your journey before heading back up the Rhône valley on the ViaRhôna.
A new greenway, the “voie douce de la Payre”, will take you back to your hotel. Following the route of the old railway line linking Le Pouzin to Privas, this greenway has many viaducts, bridges and engineering structures.
The Eyrieux valley and the Ardèche chestnut groves
85 km (1900 m), 105 km (2100 m)
It is in the middle of the chestnut trees that we will join the Eyrieux valley by the Moulin à vent pass. These chestnut trees will be our common thread for this day where you will understand why Privas is the capital of marrons glacés.
Leaving the Eyrieux, you will take picturesque and winding roads, characteristic of this region where hamlets and villages nestle in the hillsides. Numerous viewpoints will enhance your journey and delight photographers.
Regular riders of the Ardéchoise over several days will recognise well-known roads and villages: Saint-Pierreville, Tauzuc or Saint-Julien du Gua at the foot of the last climb to the Col de la Fayolle.
The Ardèche river and the perched villages
60 km (1200 m), 105 km (1600 m), 125 km (1800m)
We will cross the Coiron again to descend to the Ardèche river.
For the more courageous, the picturesque villages of Balazuc, Vogüé and Rochecolombe await you. Perched on the hillside or on the water’s edge, these villages of character will enliven your day.
For the more timid, there are new attractions such as the magnificent villages of Mirabel and Saint-Laurent sous Coiron.
Whatever your trip, you will have plenty of time to observe the rich heritage of the Southern Ardèche.
* Depending on the weather conditions, the routes may be modified.
Your accommodation
80 rooms, 2 star rating
Showers or baths, WC, hair dryer
TV, telephone, WiFi and air conditioning in all rooms
Relaxation area, swimming pool
Private parking
Terrace
Bicycle garage
If you wish to arrive before or extend your stay, the tourist office of Privas is at your disposal to inform you about the accommodations of the region:
https://www.ardeche-buissonniere.fr/ – 04.75.20.81.81
Our evaluation
Guided tour of the Mandy Mill in Pranles, with the functioning of the millstone room and the gears, the bread oven. The Mill of Mandy is a place of memory of the activity of milling and use of hydraulic energy.
Visit of the city of Privas, its historical heart and its numerous stores selling chestnuts and other specialities made with chestnuts. Your accommodation is located 200 m from the Clément Faugier factory and its store.
For those who wish, we invite you to visit Ardelaine: Located in Saint-Pierreville on the site of an old spinning mill, Ardelaine is a cooperative that develops one of the resources of the territory: wool. More than 50,000 fleeces are transformed each year into quilts, mattresses, clothing and pillows. Shearing, carding, mattress making, sewing, styling, knitting… you will discover all the know-how of this sector. Ardelaine is now a certified Living Heritage Company.
Animation
Castagnades - what are they?
Originally, the castagnade is the term used to describe the action of collecting chestnuts. The traditional tasting of roasted chestnuts, between friends and neighbors or in family, initially named “roustide”, gave place to the term “castagnade“.
At the initiative of the Monts d’Ardèche Regional Natural Park, the Castagnades have become, since 2001, a festive event on the theme of chestnuts, where Ardèche inhabitants and tourists can discover this local fruit and its natural environment.
From the beginning of October to mid-November, the villages organize, in turn, on the theme of the chestnut and the time of a weekend, many events such as walks and hikes in the heart of the Ardèche nature, markets, concerts, musical animations, exhibitions, games, animations for children, contests, and many others.
List of organizing villages: Saint-Pierreville, Jaujac, Saint-André Lachamp, Privas, Désaignes, Antraigues sur Volane, Chalencon, Saint-Laurent Les Bains – Laval d’Aurelle, Vesseaux and Joannas.
The rates
Stay in a room for 2 persons: 295 €.
Single room option + 50 €.
Cancellation option + 15 €.
2 nights in a 2* hotel.
Half board + light lunch on the course
Welcome drink on the first evening
A coordinator present throughout your stay
GPS tracks of the routes we have created
Daily road books
Drinks during meals
Personal expenses during the stay
book your cycling trip Castagnades
Would you like to know more about our stays in the Ardèche organized by the Ardéchoise Autrement? We will be happy to answer your questions and advise you.
- +33 4 75 06 13 43
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