Tour of the Verdon Gorges

A somewhat physical road loop (the real D+ is 1850m, Komoot lacks precision in the gorges and fantasizes about climbs which fortunately do not exist) but which is well worth the effort for its multiple views of the gorges, so deep that the 'sometimes you don't even really see the bottom of it anymore. Grand!

I did this route in a clockwise direction. As a result, there is a little less elevation and distance. This comes from not doing the loop below Aiguine to avoid this very steep portion.

Fantastic route along both sides of the Gorges Du Verdon. Beautiful viewpoints after every bend. Climbs are easy to do, generally between 4% and 7%. One of the most beautiful cycling routes in Europe.

A round so beautiful you could cry 🥹✨. People seem very small in that respect 🙏.

My husband was last in the Verdon gorge 40 years ago and I was 30 years ago because it is usually too crowded for us. That's why we use the off-season to come here again (a good alternative to today's teachers' conference at home😁). At that time you could still paddle a boat into the gorge, but at the moment this is not possible due to a lack of water (see photo: I found the sign funny that you shouldn't jump off the bridge). First, I did the circuit around the Gorges du Verdon alone, clockwise from Palud-sur-Verdon, so that when you stop, look and take pictures, you always have the gorge on the right and don't have to cross the road. From Palud, this round is like an adventure essay, the 😳 increase is definitely recognizable. When I cycled the big loop at 20 km/h, the Route des Crêtes, where my husband was with me, progressed very slowly because we stopped at every vantage point - and there were a lot of them . It was great to watch the griffon vultures. When I thought I couldn't get anyone in front of my cell phone camera (their super zoom was on strike), someone suddenly sails past us and I still have my photo😊. If you only want to do a short lap, you should cycle the Route des Crêtes (also clockwise, as there are one-way streets in places).

The Verdon Gorge is not only one of the largest gorges in Europe, but is also one of the most famous sights in France. Naturally, we're excited when we get on our bikes in the bright sunshine in the morning. What can I say? There were really many reasons why we made poor progress on our tours, such as headwind, bad meal planning or breakdowns - today there is a new problem: the incredibly beautiful landscape! We could stop every 10 meters (which we do initially) and are happy that the camera has so much memory ;) The path meanders in a gentle up and down always along the gorge and the view gives us quite a few wow- Moments, which is why we don't notice the kilometers or meters in altitude that we cover. Of course it's not just us; one or the other car chugs slowly in front of us and stops every 5 meters to let a few people jump out, take a photo and then hop back into their vehicle. If we didn't feel the same way, it would be kind of shooting;) We use the half-time for a break, climb on some rocks and rummage out of our jersey pockets everything edible that they have to offer. Here's a little note: If you're already thinking about lunch at the start of the tour, it's not really smart to only take 4 biscuits and 1 Balisto with you ;) In my defense: Normally that's enough for a 100 tour, but the last few days we were already well on the way, you notice that. I'm excited to see how things will go and I'm keeping the last biscuit as an emergency ration just to be on the safe side. We could really sit here forever and take in this picture, but at some point we have to move on, after all, the descent is already waiting for us. And once again it's just wonderful! Fantastic views, perfect road quality and most important: the perfect meander; we can really give stuff again and almost never have to slow down. Because all that is of course not enough, the Lac de Sainte-Croix, a bright turquoise reservoir, suddenly appears in our field of vision. We ride along it for a bit, then we climb again until we reach the altitude of this morning; just on the other side. It's funny when you can see the street from this morning again. Incidentally, it makes a big difference whether the French or the Italians warn of poor road quality: we have searched in vain for what is said to have been bad here to this day; in Italy, on the other hand, one should begin to pray at the sight of a warning sign; Experience has shown that they are only set up when there is no road at all;) We take a last photo break (haha, good joke) and I eat my last biscuit, and am, who would have thought? Still hungry. According to the elevation profile, we still have 800m to climb. I wonder a bit where they are supposed to come from, but the pass actually finds an opportunity to climb further behind every curve. Incidentally, the street here is actually designated as a one-way street and is therefore closed to us. However, nobody is obviously interested in this and it will probably only become interesting in the main season. In case you're wondering if the views can get any better - yes, it can. In the meantime we have left the gorge behind us and can see completely into the mountains. And then that's it; the descent begins. David packs the camera, because nothing exciting is coming anyway. Yes because of! Suddenly, without warning, we felt a gigantic view in front, behind, above and below and so we still take one or the other photo. At some point we actually arrive in the valley - and I'm so happy to see Jumpy. High time for a double portion of pasta! We more than earned it today.

Beautiful scenery. Be careful, the Aiguines and Rte du Verdon roads are a road with no possibility of turning, and there are few snack bars/bars along the way. The first campsite is in Aiguine, the Aigle campsite: very good. Bring water!