My Biking Blog: 100 Cols Day 23 Manosque to Gorges du Verdon 145km 2100m climbing

Monday 6 July 2015

100 Cols Day 23 Manosque to Gorges du Verdon 145km 2100m climbing

Well, a spectacular day for sure. The area of the Gorges Du Verdon is world famous and attracts lots of tourists in the summer season. Before reaching the Gorges there is a very large lake called the Lac de Sainte Croix. Popular in holiday season for water sports. The Gorge de Verdon is massive and you enter it from Moustiers-Ste-Marie perched high on the mountainside. The village has a stream running through it with beautiful views and a waterfall directly under the main bridge in the centre of town. Stephanie and I enjoyed a coke here before heading up the climb. Shortly after this village as a site for paragliding, and several gliders were preparing for flight.
I expected to see some very large and deep gorges at the Gorges Du Verdon, but this was certainly beyond all expectation. We departed from the “Circuit des 100 Cols” to complete a scenic loop of the Gorge. As it was quite hot this afternoon, the grind to the top of the 22km loop was very tiring. The name the one-way road around the Gorge is “Route des Cretes” means the “Path of the Roosters Crest”. So the ridge of the cliffs that it follows is similar in shape to the roosters crest. The river running below is almost impossible to see as it is so far down. After stopping at all the lookouts and taking photos it was a great descent through the gorges, following the river to campsite. The camp is beside a river in the gorge and the opportunity to enjoy a swim and a cold beer whilst sitting in the stream was too tempting.
Tomorrow we start in the Alpes with the Gorges Supremes des Cians (The Red Gorge) and the Col de Couillole which is quite a long climb with a nasty gradient. My netbook battery failed today so can only use it when connected to power. Bit of a nuisance since most WiFi is available outside the kiosk at each campsite and power isn't always available. Will just have to update as the opportunity arises. Garmin link here
Manosque Cycling by peterjkemp at Garmin Connect - Details