Gorges de verdon

[Lanerboy]

We are leaving the south coast of france tomorrow after doing Monaco, Antibes, Nice, and a few other places to head inland

We are thinking of heading to the gorges de verdon to hire a boat and go up the river gorges has anyone done it and is it worth visiting this area, found this pic on Google images of the area

 

[funflair]

I don't know how far up you can go in a boat, might be easier coming down

We cycle camped from Nice via Grasse and did both sides of the gorge du Verdon before heading to Manaco via the Col de Turini and the valley of the Var, it was a lot of years ago but quite spectacular and the memories will stay with us forever, I believe @DavidG58 drove some of it in his van but I imagine it could get tight.

Martin

EDIT I read Vernon as Verdon or maybe I just wanted to read that but the phot does look like the bottom end of the "Verdon"

 

[Lanerboy]

Yes it does look tight if entering from the east so we are going back down the A8 and entering more from the west as checked the roads and they are much better this way

If entering from the west it looks very narrow in places with large over hanging cliffs waiting to open the roof up like a can opener

 

[Riverbankannie]

It’s definitely worth a visit, tourist coaches drive the south side so I’m sure you can but it’s nice to travel it when quieter so I would do the drive very early in the morning. We drove from west to east.

I wouldn’t want to go out in a boat if it were that crowded as in the stock photo but we did take out an electric boat and enjoyed it very much. It should be nice this time of year.

 

[DavidG58]

we have been there a couple of times, this is my thread for our trip last year, Castellane and the gorge is pretty much in middle of the thread

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/foru...r-day-for-22-days.167806/page-14#post-2725415

the road on the north side of the gorge is the most spectacular, one way traffic which makes it easier and safer, runs east to west, technically it has a weight limit (cant recall now but less than we are) but it seems to be generally ignored, I think it is to keep lorries off the road, although it doesn't really go anywhere other than for the views

the north side is a must do, south IMO only for convenience of making a loop

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[funflair]

I think the photo might be from this bridge,

It was a long slog on a bike with camping gear, but "was it worth it" 1990 and I am still rambling on about it

Plenty of headroom on this one I think.

Martin

 

[mikebeaches]

We went along the road shown above in our previous coachbuilt. One or two narrow pinch points, but perfectly OK if driven with care.

 

[Riverbankannie]

we have been there a couple of times, this is my thread for our trip last year, Castellane and the gorge is pretty much in middle of the thread

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/foru...r-day-for-22-days.167806/page-14#post-2725415

the road on the north side of the gorge is the most spectacular, one way traffic which makes it easier and safer, runs east to west, technically it has a weight limit (cant recall now but less than we are) but it seems to be generally ignored, I think it is to keep lorries off the road, although it doesn't really go anywhere other than for the views

the north side is a must do, south IMO only for convenience of making a loop

Are you thinking of the Route des Cretes David? That might be one way loop. I was thinking of the drive down the length of the gorge “Corniche Sublime” which is on the south but not one way.

 

[DavidG58]

@Riverbankannie yes that's the one, the red loop is clockwise only, although I suspect that isn't overly well enforced at quiet times, I wouldn't presume the French to be compliant for such signage

and our lucky find was the Pont Sublime car park, although we might have been luckier with it being February for our last trip, might be a lot busier now

 

[Delboyarapaho]

We did the north route in our 9m Elegance. Started out from campsite at 07.30 to avoid traffic as much as pos. You have to have your whits about you and be lucky because the commuters and white van men don't give a s**T about your wing mirrors. I wouldn't do it again, I would stop well outside and spend a couple of days touring from all directions in a hire car. Don't get me wrong it is very doable but not really worth the risk given the muppets you are competing with for a bit of road. Stay lucky if you do do it

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[4Travel]

Yes it does look tight if entering from the east so we are going back down the A8 and entering more from the west as checked the roads and they are much better this way

If entering from the west it looks very narrow in places with large over hanging cliffs waiting to open the roof up like a can opener

We drove the Route des Gorges in a 6.99m coachbuilt in June last year from east to west having driven up from Monaco. The gorge starts soon after Castellane ( an excellent Citroen museum there!) yes it's narrow in places but quite do able and if you think about it, it doesn't matter which end you start from, it's the same!

 

[deleted-member02]

We followed Route Des Gorges, East to West, starting at Castellane. It was a comfortable drive, albeit with a few impatient locals along the way.

Boating on the lake should be fine, even in August it's reasonably quiet, only feeling busy further up the gorge as it narrows.
We used our inflatable kayak but boats, kayaks and pedlos are available to hire.

We stayed at as it has great views over the lake (and dated, basic facilities)
Aire located at gate for half the price but no views....

 

[Riverbankannie]

We did the north route in our 9m Elegance. Started out from campsite at 07.30 to avoid traffic as much as pos. You have to have your whits about you and be lucky because the commuters and white van men don't give a s**T about your wing mirrors. I wouldn't do it again, I would stop well outside and spend a couple of days touring from all directions in a hire car. Don't get me wrong it is very doable but not really worth the risk given the muppets you are competing with for a bit of road. Stay lucky if you do do it

Yes, the northern road is horrible and we went a short way along from the west and turned back. No views from it. The next day we went on the southern road and it was fabulous. Only tourist traffic but including big coaches. We went early and only met one.

 

[icantremember]

I think the photo might be from this bridge,

View attachment 303476

View attachment 303479

It was a long slog on a bike with camping gear, but "was it worth it" 1990 and I am still rambling on about it

View attachment 303481

Plenty of headroom on this one I think.

Martin

I well remember those overhanging rocks, kept expecting to lose the sat dome.

 

[Figaro]

Yes, the northern road is horrible

Is that the brown route on your map ?
So you'd recommend the green route ?
On my to do list but probably not this year

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[Riverbankannie]

Is that the brown route on your map ?
So you'd recommend the green route ?
On my to do list but probably not this year

Yes, the brown Route is the locals, white van man and trucks. Because we turned back, we didn’t get as far as the red route and we only discovered it by looking down on it from the green route. We only saw tourists on the green route and one coach. It is high up so you see the gorge way down below you. Lots of pulling over places to stop and take photos and we stopped in one for lunch. That put us back a bit and then we met the coach, of course in one of the very few narrow bits where a short tunnel cut through the rock. It was easy enough for us to back up

 

[DavidG58]

The red road in the map above has the best views, but is the trickiest section, albeit one way it goes about 500’ higher than the green and brown roads, if you only go up as far as the first view point on the red route that is impressive but it would be a shame not to when so close

 

[Stanbrook]

You can also experience near death by experiencing a Bungee jump from the Pont de l'Artuby (182m) in the Verdon. I Got the T-shirt. Have a wonderful time in France.

 

[Lanerboy]

After reading this I think we are going to drive the green route from east to west joining it at the junction where the D71 meets the D90 then drive west to the lake

Then I am going to drive the brown route from the lake to the red route then go down the red route to the 1st view point of Belvedere de la carelle then park here..

Then get the electric mountain bikes out put them in turbo mode and ride the red route clockwise for as long as we feel the need then back to the MH for a cuppa

What do you think to this idea

 

[Gaston aires]

Wonderful area. In fact Provence is one of the nicest areas in France full stop.
Good in aire in Moustiere St Marie looks up at the village and hanging star.
Phil

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[Riverbankannie]

After reading this I think we are going to drive the green route from east to west joining it at the junction where the D71 meets the D90 then drive west to the lake

Then I am going to drive the brown route from the lake to the red route then go down the red route to the 1st view point of Belvedere de la carelle then park here..

Then get the electric mountain bikes out put them in turbo mode and ride the red route clockwise for as long as we feel the need then back to the MH for a cuppa

What do you think to this idea

It’s a plan Don’t underestimate how long it will take ! Especially if you want to stop and take photos etc.

 

[Lanerboy]

Well a big thank you for all the help in seeing the gorge de verdon, we actually hired a car for the day in the end and had the most fantastic day that We will remember for a long time

We drove the top road the bottom road and the small loop in the middle which were all marked on the map posted by @Riverbankannie thank you this was a great help

We saw huge griffin vulchers circling above us and one came right down close to us they are amazing to watch

We walked along the gorge and through some very long dark wet tunnels just wish we had time to walk the rest of that walk it was stunning

For us hiring a car was the best way to see the gorge from every angle it took any stress out of driving those narrow roads, is it possible in a MH yes of course it is people will always say it is but would it be as enjoyable, not in my view it wouldn't some of those roads are really tight and I'm so glad I didn't take my MH up there

Thanks again for all the advise the 2 of us us had an amazing day

 

[Figaro]

Where did you camp please ?
........................and was it any good ?

 

[Riverbankannie]

Well a big thank you for all the help in seeing the gorge de verdon, we actually hired a car for the day in the end and had the most fantastic day that We will remember for a long time

We drove the top road the bottom road and the small loop in the middle which were all marked on the map posted by @Riverbankannie thank you this was a great help

We saw huge griffin vulchers circling above us and one came right down close to us they are amazing to watch

We walked along the gorge and through some very long dark wet tunnels just wish we had time to walk the rest of that walk it was stunning

For us hiring a car was the best way to see the gorge from every angle it took any stress out of driving those narrow roads, is it possible in a MH yes of course it is people will always say it is but would it be as enjoyable, not in my view it wouldn't some of those roads are really tight and I'm so glad I didn't take my MH up there

Thanks again for all the advise the 2 of us us had an amazing day

So glad you found a good way to enjoy it. That was such a good idea to hire a car, would never have occurred to me. A good tip I shall remember.

 

[suavecarve]

Where did you camp please ?
........................and was it any good ?

We get down there today and going the france passion site just north of st croix. Best to have alternative transport if going here.
Moustiers is a very good stopover.
I wouldnt go to riez.
Les salles is supposed to be good but looks v close to road.
@Northernraider found a great stop a bit higher than aiguines on a bend overlooking the gorge.
Trigance at the other end of the road is a nice stop aswell.
St croix is ok but just starting to get busy. Perfect if you can get in and the lake is warm.

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[Lanerboy]

Where did you camp please ?
........................and was it any good ?

We stayed at a campsite called camping provence vallee in monosque and hired a car from thrifty

 

[TPMM]

There's an Aire at Trigance (to the east of the gorge) that has amazing views. In 2015 it was free with free services and a very basic loo. We weren't impressed with the Aire at Moustieres - tho the village is stunning. Don't drive through the village - we did by mistake and it was a bit "emotional"! The whole area is fabulous.

 

[Shrimp]

Fantastic area, we ‘did’ it a few years back, very interesting.
Roads are ok, just take your time, don’t remember us having a problem!

 

[Guigsy]

Thanks for the info all. We're in Italy at the moment, but we'll heading down there on a few days.