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Through Deepest Ardèche

When the autoroute run has put most of the long journey to the South safely behind you you’ll be ready for a change of scenery, and a change of pace. We have just the thing...

Unsurprisingly, genuinely unforgettable journeys only reveal themselves as such when viewed with hindsight. And the more of them you experience, the more surely one in particular will begin to stick in the memory above all others. For me the enduring love affair with the whole back-road France experience began years ago along the very route I’ll be describing, and which I recently had the great pleasure of retracing. The old magic, I’m pleased to report, is still there.

Our point of departure this time is roughly 20km south of Issoire on the busy A75 autoroute, one of the most important routes down to the Languedoc and the Mediterranean. We’ll turn off in favour of the fast, enjoyable N102, signed to Le Puy. On this occasion we’ll resist the temptation to visit the town itself, instead bypassing it a little to the south on the D906 to join the N88 for the run down towards Aubenas. Small-scale road maps give few clues as to what lies ahead once we’ve re-joined the N102 near Pradelles for the long, tortuous descent through the valley of the Ardèche river; for a key trunk road it’s surprisingly dramatic stuff, and provides a reminder of the slow pace of journeys through much of France before major road improvements warped our awareness of the distances we now habitually travel. By the time we’ve dropped down to Thueyts (a recommended overnight stop) it’s hard to believe that we’ve still not reached the valley floor, yet the view from the road-bridge reveals the river to be still far below in a deep gorge. Way down there, spanning the river at its narrowest point is the centuries-old, single-arched pack-mule bridge known as the Pont du Diable. If you feel like stretching your legs it’s well worth taking a closer look, via the steep, narrow footpath which winds all the way down from near the road bridge. If not, there’s another excellent viewpoint signed from the village centre. The name? Well, according to local legend, the devil cast the bridge across the river to tempt young lovers from the village to enjoy illicit liaisons on the opposite bank. Many slipped and fell into the abyss, however, never to return. It is said that their cries can sometimes still be heard mixed with the roar of the rushing waters. Or it might merely be the wheezes of those making the long return climb.

After Thueyts the road descends more gently, passing a riverside picnic area (plus a small road, useful for those with limited mobility, down to the Pont du Diable). The N102 soon crosses the river, overlooked by the medieval Château de Ventadour, which has been undergoing a long campaign of works. A few kilometres later we turn sharp right onto the minor D119, signed to Fabras. Immediately we’re in a different world, rising through lush chestnut forest, silent except for birdsong, the roadside overhung by clouds of pale cherry blossom (or, later in the season, deep, crimson fruit). The village of Fabras straggles between 280m and 612m altitude and has camping, off-road parking with maps showing the local footpath network. We also get a first taste of the big views which lie ahead. As the route continues its climb, chestnut gradually gives way to evergreen oak. At the T-junction we turn right onto the D19 towards Jaujac (unsigned, at this point), whose modest selection of shops surrounds a large village square shaded by giant plane trees. Leave the village on the D5 signed left to Largentière, then left again on the Route de Largentière. From here it’s another uplifting series of twists and turns, rising to the 764m Col de la Croix de Millet. By now the rest of the world seems not only far away, but pretty irrelevant; right here is the place to be. Vast views open up across the valley of the Ligne, while long-distance footpaths cross the route, tempting even reluctant walkers to see where they may lead. And even if you just stay put, in summer you’ll be surrounded by vast swirls of cadmium yellow broom, with a distant mountain backdrop.

A short descent through more chestnut forest brings us to the sleepy village of Prunet, huddled around its 12th Century Romanesque church high above a steep-sided valley. Any time now we’ll see a first uplifting glimpse of the distant hills of Provence. The road now swoops down before recovering its composure along the side of a broad valley, home to farm terraces and enclosures of grazing sheep, as we approach Rocher, a small village with extensive, well-tended vineyards and the beautifully-situated Logis ‘Le Chêne Vert’. At the T-junction we turn left to follow the D5 on the gentle 3km run down through a rocky gorge to Largentière, a medieval walled village accessed (preferably on foot) via a narrow stone bridge spanning the river which for centuries afforded some protection from attack. The Pont Récollets was rebuilt in 1880, after flash floods carried it away, along with its four companions. Despite having lost its drawbridge, gates and portcullis, it still retains its sturdy Gothic stone gateway.  More secure still is the substantial Château des Evêques, built during the 12th Century on a rocky spur overlooking the village and its river gorge. After the Revolution it served as a prison, a court of justice and then a hospital, before finally assuming its present role as the home of the Musée International du Facteur, or International Postal Museum. There’s car parking on the site of a former convent opposite the bridge, making it easy to explore the assortment of narrow, cobbled streets tucked away at the heart of this remarkable village. As its name suggests, Largentière’s fortune was founded on valuable silver deposits, the mines later succeeded by silk mills and vineyards. Quite a place.

A few kilometres beyond Largentière, the D5 terminates at the D104. We turn right then left onto the D4, which we follow beside the Ardèche as far as Ruoms, joining the D579 signed to Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. From here we’re on the D290, taking a gentle breather before things close in once again at the approach to the huge natural limestone arch spanning the river. For many visitors this represents the starting point of a gentle canoe journey through the Gorges de l’Ardèche, while our own adventure is far from over. From Pont-d’Arc the road winds its way through a series of hairpins and a rocky tunnel up to the Haute Corniche, which hugs the rim of the gorges along the course of their wild meanders. For some of the time the big views are obscured by dense, scrubby vegetation, but this only heightens the impact of the more celebrated open viewpoints. Some have intriguing names, such as le Rocher de la Cathédrale, or the Balcon des Templiers, which overlooks one of the river’s more extreme meanders. Nearby are the ruins of the leper hospital built by the Templars. The sheer scale of what confronts you along this incredible route makes it difficult to take it all in, until you suddenly realise that the tiny specks floating far below are in fact groups of canoeists, floating lazily downstream towards their rendezvous with the minibuses and trailers waiting to whisk them with their hired canoes back to their starting point.

All too soon our journey also nears its end, as the gorges gradually broaden and become shallower. By the time we pass the village of St Martin-d’Ardèche we’re leaving the massif and descending towards relatively suburban roadside development around St Just. From here a right turn onto the N86 will take us in a very few minutes down to the Rhône at Pont St Esprit, and the end of our itinerary. We’ve come all the way from Issoire to the gateway to Provence, without an autoroute in sight and, better still, with the greater part of the route virtually to ourselves. Perfect.

© Words and pictures Roger Moss
This feature first appeared in everything France magazine Issue 10

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