07 The Ardèche

The Ardeche is part of the south-eastern corner of the Massif Central and the further west you go the more mountainous it gets. The area around Aubenas is a very popular place for holiday homes although many of the outlying villages can become almost impossible to reach during the winter months.

It was in the area around Aubenas that the channel 4 programme ‘A Place In France ’ was filmed where Nigel and Nippy bought a run down house to restore in a small village. They then went on to open an Indian restaurant in the village of Laurac-en-Vivarais, which failed miserably. The French just don’t seem to like curry!

The Ardeche with it’s gorges and fast flowing rivers is a popular place for canoeing and kayaking and those same gorges have twisting roads clinging to their cliffs that are a bikers heaven. If you get the chance, ride the D290 from Pont d’Arc to Sauze.

You will even find sandy beaches on the banks of the Ardeche river and there are many campsites in the area all with their own swimming pools.

The Ardeche provided us with a fantastic holiday and with so much to offer together with its interesting geography I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a holiday with a difference.