Tour de Pays Drôme des Collines

This trail is quite long and is usually performed in four stages enabling you to discover the culture and pleasures of the palate. You can make the trip shorter or longer depending on your level and preferences. The numerous landscapes and the scenery it has to offer make it extremely rich in diversity. The trail is for cyclists of all levels and ages, however, you need to practice the sport regularly.

1 - 0 km Here in Tain l’Hermitage, the great wines of northern Côtes du Rhône carry the national label Vignobles & Découvertes « d’Hermitage en Saint Joseph ». In addition to that, the chocolate fragrances emanating from the Cité du Chocolat ValRhona will titillate your senses. A real treat for your tastebuds, rich in tannins. But best to keep for the return journey…. 2 – 4.6 km Head for Larnage then Chantemerle les Blés surrounded by terraced vineyards.3 – 8.2 km In Chantemerle les Blés you can visit the church Notre Dame, a gem of Roman art dating back to 11th and 12th centuries.4 – 10.7 km The trail then takes you up and down hills and on the way, past the small lake of Mouchet in Chavannes. The pond is a sensitive nature reserve developed for learning about the fauna and flora of the wetlands and is also an ideal place for relaxing under some of the impressive trees there. 5 – 21.7 km In Saint Donat why not take a swim at the Lake Champos. A slide along with other activities will delight the young and not so young ones. Others may prefer visiting the old town with its collegiate cathedral where each year the Bach Festival takes place in June and July.6 – 36.9 km The trail then continues through the « green lung » of Drome des Collines along the valley of Herbasse to Peyrins near the town of Romans, famous for its industrial and craft heritage (leather and prêt à porter Made in France). 7 – 71.2 km It then carries on to Montrigaud with its pond named Joana Maria where fisherman and tranquillity make it a place to be appreciated. This section, more difficult physically than the two previous ones, has steep uphill inclines. All along, the magnificent views of the Vercors mountains add to its beauty. Worth seeing along the journey, in the neighbouring county Isère, is the medieval village of Saint Antoine l’Abbaye, classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France. As you leave Montrigaud the landscape becomes mainly forest land.8 – 77.2 km The trail then takes you through forests, one after the other, such as the forest of Thivollet and Chambaran, going as far as Roybon.9 – 95.4 km Arriving in le Grand Serre with its medieval market hall, you are back in Drôme. From here you head to Hauterives and the famous Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval, a gem of art brut where music concerts, including jazz, take place every year in June and July. 10 – 118.6 km Some steep uphill sections and great downhill slopes will then take you to the town of Saint Vallier. Why not make a few stops on the way in Moras en Valloire for instance, a pretty medieval village at the heart of the region, granted the label « site remarquable du gôut » for its succulent pear. Another village is Anneyron with its frescoes in the choir of the church Notre Dame or its outlets like Lafuma or Jars pottery. 11 – 124.4 km You come next to Albon with its classified medieval watchtower. At that point you have plenty of time to warm up as it’s mostly downhill from here to Saint Vallier. 12 – 141.8 km Saint Vallier and the majestic meanders of the Rhône, is the beginning of a succession of views overlooking the great river, the hills of Ardèche and Pilat as well as the Galaure Valley. Another place worth seeing and only a few kilometres away, is the natural site of the Roches qui Dansent in Saint Barthélémy de Vals. Finally the trail zizags through many orchards and terraced vineyards heading towards Larnage then back to Tain l’Hermitage.