Drôme Valley by gravel bike

We start our tour of the Diois gravel region by heading for the Glandasse cliffs, majestic foothills of the Vercors high plateau. After a warm-up on small, lightly travelled roads, we set off on our first trails, passing small  passes that play leapfrog with charming, pastoral valleys. We pass many villages with dry stone houses and Roman tile roofs. The vineyards of the famous Clairette de Die then make their appearance, forming beautiful undulations that cover the hills of the Drôme valley. We reach the medieval village of Châtillon-en-Diois, with its pretty, narrow, labyrinthine streets. After a break on one of the village's pleasant terraces, we embark on our final gentle climb to the sumptuous Archiane cirque and its towering cliffs. In the hollow of this valley, the hamlet of Archiane nestles, welcoming us for the night in its refuge. On level 3, an alternative route takes you to the gateway to the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors reserve, via the Combeau valley, renowned for its carpet of colourful flowers. The cliffs above us give the area an "American West" feel...

This morning, we take advantage of the coolness of the gorges des Gâts to warm up gently. This magnificent canyon leads to the "stagecoach route", once used by postal carriages to reach the village of Glandage. We reach this village, taking in the many panoramic views of the orange cliffs, then after descending through tunnels carved into the rock, we emerge from the gorge along another old historic track. It's a long, gentle climb, a testament to the need at the time for trails that didn't exhaust the animals pulling or carrying heavy loads. We arrive at the remote, hilltop hamlet of Souberoche, which offers a fine panoramic view over the Boulc valley. A balcony path takes us to the village (with its café, perfect for a short break!). We set off again to climb yet another little lost pass and head for Le Claps, a famous geological curiosity in the Diois region. This gigantic rock slide dating from the 15th century formed two lakes that have now dried up. We walk alongside the larger of the two before making our final ascent of the day to the hilltop village of Lesches-en-Diois.

A typical Drôme Provençale day, with the scent of broom, boxwood and juniper wafting from the bushes in the first rays of sunshine... We thread our way through the cool Valdrôme valley, skirting a stream, before climbing the Col de Rossas on a little lost road typical of Drôme Provençale cycling. We then flirt with the Parc Régional des Baronnies Provençales, scanning the sky to try and spot a few griffon vultures, regulars of the area... A network of tracks takes us into the Oule valley, at the foot of the orange cliffs of the Saint-Auban rock. We walk up this valley to the pretty village of La Motte Chalancon, with a possible swimming break at the Pas des Ondes lake a few kilometres before the finish.

We continue to enjoy the "Manon des sources" atmosphere of the region as we make our way to Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert via a series of small, wild passes. A pretty track takes us to the Col Jeannin, where a superb panorama awaits us of the towering cliffs of the Trois Becs, a renowned spot for adventure climbing. We glide down to the pretty village of Saillans, ideal for a drink break and/or a dip in the Drôme, then plunge back into the world of Clairette de Die vineyards near Aurel and Barsac. The final stretch runs alongside the Drôme, offering several opportunities for a swim or a riverside stop. Here we are in Die, a medieval town with typical narrow streets.