Bicycle circuits
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Bicycle circuits |
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20,5km / 25km / 27,7km / 30km / 36km / 37km / 41,5km / 48,4km / 57,5km / 59,4km / 60km / 70km / 65km / 74km / 81km / 90km / 95,7km
At L'Etoile, you'll find a secure garage for your bike, recharging points and a workshop for any repairs you may need. You can download GPX files of the routes onto your smartphone and print them out from the website.
Around La Bastide-Puylaurent, a multitude of small, picturesque and peaceful roads offer an ideal setting for road cycling, whether electric or classic for the more sporty. Located just 300 metres from L'Etoile, the station offers train connections in three directions (east, south and north), giving you even more cycling opportunities.
Ardèche side
The gradients are steeper, the scenery more spectacular, and the rivers with their granite basins are veritable bathing havens. The typical little villages, perched on the sides of the mountains like Loubaresse and Thines, or situated at altitude like Montselgues, are well worth a visit.
The small town of Les Vans is a popular destination for cycling outings, particularly for its Saturday morning market where local producers from the mountains sell their goat's cheese, craft products, fruit and vegetables. Further north, towards Mont Mézenc, on the border between the Haute-Loire and Ardèche, the landscape becomes more barren and wild.
Lozère side
The gradients here are gentler, as you stay on the higher ground, with undulating landscapes covered in forests and pastures, where the trout rivers flow gently. There are plenty of idyllic spots for picnics and siestas.
Small bucolic villages, such as Le Cheylard-l'Evêque, evoke fairytale settings, almost reminiscent of the village in The Smurfs. The vast Mercoire forest is a favourite with mushroom lovers. The quiet, well-maintained roads that run through it lead to the Abbaye de Mercoire and to corners unspoilt by pollution.
Mont Lozère, with its arid summit strewn with large stones, offers grandiose panoramas of the Cévennes. You'll come across flocks of sheep and be able to watch birds of prey soaring in the distance in the Cévennes National Park.
Haute-Loire side
Further north, the Haute-Loire plateau is home to Lac du Bouchet, surrounded by small farms where legumes and cereals are grown and herds of cows graze. The landscape of the Haute-Loire is bounded by the Allier valley, which flows north-westwards in the west of the département.
To the west of the Allier lies the Margeride; to the east lies the Velay region, with several valleys running through it, including those of the Loire and the Lignon du Velay. Some parts of the département have names associated with their mountain ranges: the Mont Mézenc massif and the Meygal massif.
The Allier gorges offer a change of scenery, leaving behind the plateau to plunge into a wild territory, crossed only by the train and a few isolated roads. This area is renowned for its fly fishing. The Allier gorges are home to many remarkable sites, including the castle and castral chapel at Saint-Ilpize, the Benedictine abbey at Lavoûte-Chilhac and the chapel of Sainte-Marie-des-Chazes at Chanteuges, overlooking the gorges.
Brioude and Le Puy-en-Velay are also great places to cycle, if you avoid the N88.
Former resort hotel with a garden on the banks of the Allier River, L'Etoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent, between Lozère, Ardèche, and the Cévennes in the mountains of southern France. At the crossroads of the GR®7, GR®70 Stevenson Trail, GR®72, GR®700 Regordane Way (St Gilles), GR®470 Sources and Gorges of the Allier, GRP® Cévenol, Montagne Ardéchoise, Margeride, and many day loop hikes. Ideal for a relaxing and hiking stay.
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