The Cévenole crossing

Not far from the Trappist convent of Notre-Dame des Neiges, head for Montselgues and its granite chaos, les boules de Gargantua. From there, you'll plunge through woods alternating between coniferous and chestnut trees to reach Les Vans. Between holm oaks, cades, vines and almond trees, here schist sets the tone. Then comes Malbosc, with its lauze roofs, steep slopes and man-made faïsses. You're right in the heart of the Cévennes ardéchoises. The route links the stations of La Bastide-Puylaurent (48) and Génolhac (30) in 3 Ardèche stages, passing through Montselgues, Les Vans and Malbosc before reaching Génolhac. Total length of route: 133 Km (99km by bike from La Bastide-Puylaurent to Génolhac + 34km by train from Génolhac to La Bastide-Puylaurent) Total ascent: 3,540m including 2,170m by bike Main entry/exit points: La Bastide-Puylaurent / Montselgues / Les Vans / Malbosc / Génolhac By bike: 99km from La Bastide-Puylaurent to Génolhac By train: 33km from Génolhac to La Bastide-Puylaurent Stage 1: La Bastide-Puylaurent - Montselgues 25km / D+ 680m / D- 680m / Alti max 1083m / Alti mini 567m / Difficult Leaving La Bastide, you'll pass by the Palet de Gargantua, a huge sandstone slab that suggests it may have been a dolmen. Then, without forcing your way through the woods, you'll reach the Beaumes chapel. From here, the road rises over this magnificent valley, with a 15% gradient to reach the hamlet of Pradons and on to Montselgues. Stage 2: Montselgues - Les Vans 32.6km / D+ 300m / D- 1,140m / Alti max 1,020 / Alti mini 140m / Average Head for the Col de l'Echelette to reach the corniche of the Vivarais cévenol and its highly contrasting landscapes. The breaks in slope are so abrupt that you don't just descend from the plateau, you fall off it. Leaving the magnificent Thines valley on your right, and the magic of its perched village, you plunge through woods alternating coniferous and chestnut trees, punctuated by a few clearings and dotted with small hamlets of old stone houses with slate roofs, to reach Les Vans. Stage 3: Les Vans - Génolhac 41.4km / D+ 1,170m / D- 700m / Alti max 620m / Alti mini 180m / Difficult Leaving Les Vans, holm oaks, almond trees, vines and cades announce Mediterranean vegetation. The countless "accols", terraces held back by low dry-stone walls, and "clapas", scree slopes that bear witness to the past, when peasants, in order to find a little arable land, had to relentlessly remove stones from their plots by hand.