The Languedoc tour itinerary

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

Day 1

Café in the Market Square, Uzés

The Cathedral and Tour Fenestrel
in Uzès

We transfer from Avignon TGV station to our hotel which is in the heart of the medieval city of Uzès. Often overlooked by tourists, Uzès is marvellously preserved but retains the heart of a real working community. Early arrivals may choose to take an excursion to the incredible Roman Pont du Gard about 12km away. Otherwise just take in the atmosphere of the traffic-free old town, stopping for a coffee or pastis at a café in the market square

Our first evening will be spent in our hotel's superb restaurant, enjoying the cuisine for which the city is famous.

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Day 2

Alfresco breakfast before the
day's riding

We set out south, descending gently to the valley of the River Gardon, which we cross over the fantastic Pont St-Nicholas. The 16th C bridge was swept away in the floods of 2002 but has been painstakingly rebuilt. Following the River Gardon upstream our next port of call is the hilltop village of Vézénobres. The medieval cite includes several unique buildings including the Chateau de Thoiras which is now the village town hall.

Bambouseraie Anduze

In the afternoon we continue to the historic town of Anduze. Inhabited since megalithic times, subsequently occupied by the Gauls and then the Romans, in the 12th Century it was the most powerful town in the Languedoc. It was the centre of Protestant revolt in the 17th century. After a coffee stop in the old town we visit the Bambousaraie de Prafrance, a marvelous collection of exotic plants set in hectares of bamboo groves.

Our final destination today is the village of Tornac, 5m from Anduze and overlooked by the Chateau de Tornac. At our delightful hotel we will dine in the shadow of the ancient fortifications.

Daily Distance 64km / 40 miles , vertical elevation 650m / 2,050ft

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Day 3

St-Hyppolite on the Vidourle

the Grotte des Demoiselles

Our second full day of riding takes us westwards to the village of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort on the banks of the River Vidourle. In the village, which is ideally placed for a coffee stop, keep a lookout for the fountains and sundials which abound in the village.

Continuing, we arrive in the village of St-Bauzillé-du-Putois where there is a fantastic restaurant for lunch, before visiting the Grotte des Demoiselles. This massive cavern, with its enormous stalactite and stalagmite formations, is visited by an underground funicular railway.

Back on the road, a coffee stop in the market town of Ganges is followed by the last leg of today's ride, up the spectacular Gorges of the River Vis to the Château de Madières, our hotel for the next two nights.

Daily Distance 67km / 42 miles , vertical elevation 700m / 2,250ft

Chateau de Madières

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Day 4

Causse de Larzac

Today can be a short or a long day according to how your legs are feeling! We head north up the sides of the Vis valley on to the wild Larzac plateau that dominates the coastal plain. The landscapes here are home to grazing sheep and stunted oaks. The sheep's milk produces local Roquefort cheese. Truffles can be found in the shade of the oaks.

the Cirque de Navacelles

Optionally we can continue north and descend to the town of Le Vigan for lunch on the river Hérault before looping round back onto the plateau, or we can go directly west where come to a heart-stopping vista over the Cirque de Navacelles. What was a loop of the river Vis has joined up with itself to leave a hill in the centre. The village of Navacelles huddles at the foot of the hill in a gorge that is over 300m deep. The breathtaking views continue as we descend on a series of hairpins to the river and the village. What goes down must go up, of course, and we climb the hairpins to the north of the cirque, stopping to admire views back to the river.

After leaving the Cirque, the last 20km of the day are all down hill, as we follow the spectacular Gorges de la Vis back to the Château de Madières.

Daily Distance 68km / 43 miles , vertical elevation 1,000m / 3,300ft or 35km / 22 miles, vertical elevation 500m / 1,650 ft (short option)

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Day 5

a panoramic view across Lac du Salagou

Up bright and early because there is a longer day in the saddle today. We head west climbing up the Vis Valley into the heart of the Cevennes, the area documented by Robert Louis Stephenson in Travels with Donkey in the Cevennes. The climbing is rewarded by a dramatic descent from the Col d'Arboras with magnificent views to the Pyrénées and the Mediterranean on a clear day.

After lunch, we pass the Lac du Salagou, a vast man-made lake whose waters teem with fish and whose reeded banks abound with bird life. The rocky landscape around the lake is a striking deep red colour. We continue through the Cirque de Moureze. A short detour by foot reveals an alien landscape of dolomitic rocks forming pinnacles eroded into bizarre shapes.

We finish the day descending the beautiful valley of the River Orb to the village of Hérépian. Hérépian has a history of bell-making, and we can visit the still working bell foundry. Our hotel is a converted convent, but there is nothing austere about the sumptuous table d'hôte that rewards us for the day's exertions.

Daily Distance 78km / 49 miles , vertical elevation 900m / 2,900 ft

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Day 6

Cycling through the vineyards of Faugères and St-Chinian

Our last day of riding takes us out of the mountains onto the coastal plain. On the way we visit a winery in Faugères. Grenache Carignan, Syrah and Mourvedre are the grape varieties that go to make this highly regarded appellation.

Hotel entrance in Pézenas

Continuing through typical Languedocien villages each with their distinctive wrought-iron bell-towers, we come to the historic town of Pézenas. The home of the playwright Molière, the charmingly preserved old quarters feature a Jewish ghetto dating from the 14th Century. All around the town you will see the intricately carved doorways and courtyards of which the town is proud.

Our final stretch of riding is a relaxed affair and brings us to the village of Murviel-les-Béziers, where our Hotel is the old wine making domaine of the Château de Saint-Martin-des-Champs. The château still produces some fabulous wines using unusual grape combinations and we will be welcome to sample the different varieties, and to drink some in earnest at our final dinner.

Daily Distance 70km / 44 miles , vertical elevation 450m / 1,480ft

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Day 7

Château de St-Martin-des-Champs

After breakfast we might like to take a dip in the pool or wander the picturesque Chateau grounds. Then exchange addresses with new friends before the short transfer to Béziers station or Montpellier for connections for the onward journey.

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The Languedoc tour overview

Overview of our tours