{"id":2459,"date":"2012-04-06T00:56:40","date_gmt":"2012-04-05T23:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/followthebaldie.com\/?p=2459"},"modified":"2016-10-24T22:19:22","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T21:19:22","slug":"free-route-description-for-500km-cycling-tour-of-mountainous-south-central-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/2012\/04\/06\/free-route-description-for-500km-cycling-tour-of-mountainous-south-central-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Free route description for 500km cycling tour of mountainous south-central France"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This was designed for easy train access from Barcelona without having to dismantle and pack the bike - eg midweek 06:16 regional to Portbou, 09:39 TER to N\u00eemes, 12:56 TER to Al\u00e8s, cycle 500km to Albi, 09:04\/09:50 TER to Toulouse, 11:54 TER to Narbonne, 13:53 TER to Portbou, 15:59 regional to Barcelona. Altitude ranges from ca. 150m to ca. 1450, and non-brass monkeys will need to take care with winter cold on some of the higher bits. Most of the roads are small, well-engineered, and low in traffic, with often stunningly beautiful views to which the photos below completely fail to do justice. There are reasonably frequent bars and shops, and along considerable stretches there are still (infrequent) trains to help you out if you or your bike breaks down. If you can't manage it all in one day \ud83d\ude42 you should be able to figure out accommodation - there's plenty out of season. Here's the approximate route:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"458\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?saddr=Al%C3%A8s,+France&amp;daddr=La+Grand-Combe,+France+to:Portes,+France+to:Planchamp+Sup%C3%A9rieur,+Pied-de-Borne,+France+to:Luc,+France+to:Langogne,+France+to:Laval-Atger,+France+to:Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole,+France+to:Lorci%C3%A8res,+France+to:Saint-Michel,+Saint-Georges,+Cantal,+France+to:Aurillac,+France+to:Marcol%C3%A8s,+France+to:Saint-Constant,+France+to:Le+Trioulou,+France+to:Figeac,+France+to:44.59899,2.0407+to:Tombebiau,+Figeac,+France+to:Capdenac-Gare,+France+to:Saint-Julien+d'Empar%C3%A9,+Capdenac-Gare,+France+to:Salles-Courbati%C3%A8s,+France+to:Saint-Igest,+France+to:La+Sicardie,+La+Rouquette,+France+to:Najac,+France+to:Mirandol-Bourgnounac,+France+to:Albi,+France&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;sll=44.317953,2.026291&amp;sspn=0.287396,0.617294&amp;geocode=FeRToQIdmE4-ACnj2LeHQkK0EjEwSGsWIYgHBA%3BFVmaogId9H09ACmVYMYNAGe0EjG8-6H2fXQmfQ%3BFYmCowId2Fs9ACkNuVfu2WC0EjEgPGsWIYgHBA%3BFaDApgIdPq88ACktvWvT4pG0EjHKO5Q3SdbrKA%3BFaxOqQIdPWA7ACmbYUd6h6K0EjEgo2kWIYgHBA%3BFcR7qgIdONQ6ACn3i-W2GqS0EjGAo2kWIYgHBA%3BFeW2qwId0GI4ACnX44bHclezEjGEk9SbDwaWiQ%3BFcNPqwId0qozACnRNv8wHDizEjGQoGkWIYgHBA%3BFYEBrgIdEvExACnrIIx-1DKzEjGQy-rLrzwJBA%3BFSfirgIdbMkvAClX4IeqbSv2RzF8W0PwPzD8yw%3BFYmXrQIdxU4lACn3XiEJl1WtEjFepT45SB9IyA%3BFflRqwIdhOMjACmj1dpaqVutEjEQy-rLrzwJBA%3BFa3XqQIdJQsiACnTFV0HBUKtEjEHSMQPKwamDA%3BFRCYqQIdaV4hACkJDVSUfGqtEjGAw-rLrzwJBA%3BFSCrqAId5wQfACk7T_u71BCtEjHgyj8vnPYGBA%3BFc6GqAIdfCMfACnX5idsMBGtEjGRy7BLnPYGEw%3BFSmHqAIdYi8fACmdh2ksOBGtEjGAXfLmnvYGCg%3BFbEkqAId-b4fACkZ2VPFhxGtEjFQFUMvnPYGBA%3BFcjnpwIdk6EfACkD6xi8JRKtEjEqpUm66SIcIg%3BFUGWpgIdq68fACmTesTmFgytEjG1-RvvQ8o-ew%3BFSEWpgIdPtcfACnhDt4EkgutEjFwCkMvnPYGBA%3BFZQzpAId_64eACkPBD-IbaatEjESi5KUlTE3PA%3BFYq8ogIdOTAeACndHU8uErCtEjHnaA5TK9f2vg%3BFS2SoQIdfBchACkbIGcvw5WtEjH47jtmzKA3DQ%3BFXBFngIdJ8AgACkLt5d5scKtEjHg8DsvnPYGBA&amp;oq=tombeb&amp;mra=ls&amp;via=15&amp;t=p&amp;ll=44.52001,3.026733&amp;spn=2.291162,4.938354&amp;output=embed\"><\/iframe><br \/><small><a href=\"http:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?saddr=Al%C3%A8s,+France&amp;daddr=La+Grand-Combe,+France+to:Portes,+France+to:Planchamp+Sup%C3%A9rieur,+Pied-de-Borne,+France+to:Luc,+France+to:Langogne,+France+to:Laval-Atger,+France+to:Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole,+France+to:Lorci%C3%A8res,+France+to:Saint-Michel,+Saint-Georges,+Cantal,+France+to:Aurillac,+France+to:Marcol%C3%A8s,+France+to:Saint-Constant,+France+to:Le+Trioulou,+France+to:Figeac,+France+to:44.59899,2.0407+to:Tombebiau,+Figeac,+France+to:Capdenac-Gare,+France+to:Saint-Julien+d'Empar%C3%A9,+Capdenac-Gare,+France+to:Salles-Courbati%C3%A8s,+France+to:Saint-Igest,+France+to:La+Sicardie,+La+Rouquette,+France+to:Najac,+France+to:Mirandol-Bourgnounac,+France+to:Albi,+France&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;sll=44.317953,2.026291&amp;sspn=0.287396,0.617294&amp;geocode=FeRToQIdmE4-ACnj2LeHQkK0EjEwSGsWIYgHBA%3BFVmaogId9H09ACmVYMYNAGe0EjG8-6H2fXQmfQ%3BFYmCowId2Fs9ACkNuVfu2WC0EjEgPGsWIYgHBA%3BFaDApgIdPq88ACktvWvT4pG0EjHKO5Q3SdbrKA%3BFaxOqQIdPWA7ACmbYUd6h6K0EjEgo2kWIYgHBA%3BFcR7qgIdONQ6ACn3i-W2GqS0EjGAo2kWIYgHBA%3BFeW2qwId0GI4ACnX44bHclezEjGEk9SbDwaWiQ%3BFcNPqwId0qozACnRNv8wHDizEjGQoGkWIYgHBA%3BFYEBrgIdEvExACnrIIx-1DKzEjGQy-rLrzwJBA%3BFSfirgIdbMkvAClX4IeqbSv2RzF8W0PwPzD8yw%3BFYmXrQIdxU4lACn3XiEJl1WtEjFepT45SB9IyA%3BFflRqwIdhOMjACmj1dpaqVutEjEQy-rLrzwJBA%3BFa3XqQIdJQsiACnTFV0HBUKtEjEHSMQPKwamDA%3BFRCYqQIdaV4hACkJDVSUfGqtEjGAw-rLrzwJBA%3BFSCrqAId5wQfACk7T_u71BCtEjHgyj8vnPYGBA%3BFc6GqAIdfCMfACnX5idsMBGtEjGRy7BLnPYGEw%3BFSmHqAIdYi8fACmdh2ksOBGtEjGAXfLmnvYGCg%3BFbEkqAId-b4fACkZ2VPFhxGtEjFQFUMvnPYGBA%3BFcjnpwIdk6EfACkD6xi8JRKtEjEqpUm66SIcIg%3BFUGWpgIdq68fACmTesTmFgytEjG1-RvvQ8o-ew%3BFSEWpgIdPtcfACnhDt4EkgutEjFwCkMvnPYGBA%3BFZQzpAId_64eACkPBD-IbaatEjESi5KUlTE3PA%3BFYq8ogIdOTAeACndHU8uErCtEjHnaA5TK9f2vg%3BFS2SoQIdfBchACkbIGcvw5WtEjH47jtmzKA3DQ%3BFXBFngIdJ8AgACkLt5d5scKtEjHg8DsvnPYGBA&amp;oq=tombeb&amp;mra=ls&amp;via=15&amp;t=p&amp;ll=44.52001,3.026733&amp;spn=2.291162,4.938354&amp;source=embed\" style=\"color:#0000FF;text-align:left\">View larger map<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n<p>Now here's a list of settlements visited, which should enable reconstruction if Google Maps disappears before this website or if you refuse to submit to the monster: <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Al\u00e8s<\/li>\n<li>La Grand Combe (mine museum)<\/li>\n<li>Portes<\/li>\n<li>Chamborigaud<\/li>\n<li>G\u00e9nolhac<\/li>\n<li>Concoules<\/li>\n<li>Villefort<\/li>\n<li>very beautiful valley (check the path on the other side) leading to Pied-de-Borne<\/li>\n<li>steep climb to and beyond Planchamp<\/li>\n<li>hilltop moorland and forest leading to La Bastide-Puylaurent<\/li>\n<li>Luc<\/li>\n<li>Langogne (brilliant centre)<\/li>\n<li>Briges<\/li>\n<li>Laval-Atger<\/li>\n<li>Grandrieu (splendid little church, atmospheric restaurant (also hotel) Laures, <a href=\"http:\/\/oreneta.com\/kalebeul\/2012\/04\/04\/epic-occitan-language-fail\/\">bar Viviane<\/a>, Hotel Daudet, whose amiable boss, like an extraordinary number of people, speaks excellent Spanish)<\/li>\n<li>climb through farmland, moor and forest to Baraque des Bouviers at ca. 1400m<\/li>\n<li>gorgeous descent (larks, red kites) thru Saint-Denis-en-Margeride (bar)<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole (nice barmaid in the bar behind the apse of the <a href=\"http:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/B%C3%AAte_du_G%C3%A9vaudan\">beastly<\/a> Romanesque church)<\/li>\n<li>Le Malzieu-Ville<\/li>\n<li>slow climb through lovely countryside & Saint-L\u00e9ger-du-Malzieu<\/li>\n<li>Lorci\u00e8res<\/li>\n<li>Combechalde<\/li>\n<li>Le Pirou<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Michel<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Georges<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Flour<\/li>\n<li>Murat<\/li>\n<li>fairly heavy (ski-)traffic up to the col (you can't go through the tunnel so have to climb a good bit more) and then very fast (50 km\/h) but busy descent to Aurillac<\/li>\n<li>Roannes-Saint-Mary (couple of excellent bars)<\/li>\n<li>Marcol\u00e8s (wannabe Disney \"medieval\" - don't stop)<\/li>\n<li>splendid, quiet, hilltop road via Saint-Antoine<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Constant<\/li>\n<li>Le Trioulou<\/li>\n<li>Bagnac-sur-C\u00e9l\u00e8<\/li>\n<li>main road via Viazac to<\/li>\n<li>Figeac<\/li>\n<li>the aiguille on the road to Villefranche<\/li>\n<li>Tombebiau<\/li>\n<li>Capdenac<\/li>\n<li>Capdenac-Gare<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Julien d'Empar\u00e9<\/li>\n<li>up the gorgeous Di\u00e9ge valley<\/li>\n<li>Pomels<\/li>\n<li>Salles-Courbati\u00e8s<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Igest<\/li>\n<li>B\u00e9rals<\/li>\n<li>Villefranche-de-Rouergue<\/li>\n<li>Ordiget and the west bank of the river<\/li>\n<li>Najac<\/li>\n<li>Saint-Andr\u00e9-de-Najac<\/li>\n<li>Montirat<\/li>\n<li>Mirandol<\/li>\n<li>Carmaux<\/li>\n<li>fairly unpleasant and dirty road to Albi.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Several alternatives:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>If you start from N\u00eemes, head across country from Brignon to les Vans then follow the river (via Gravi\u00e8res) to Pied-de-Borne<\/li>\n<li>From Pied-de-Borne, follow the river to La Bastide (D151) - more shade in summer, & very pretty<\/li>\n<li>Forget Albi and from Najac head south via Lagu\u00e9pie to Cordes-sur-Ciel, where the Toulouse plateau begins & there's a TER to the metropolis<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>And here finally are some photos, most pretty bad and with some quite large gaps. I'll try to add captions this weekend:<br \/>\n<strong>Error:<\/strong> the communication with Picasa Web Albums didn't go as expected. Here's what Picasa Web Albums said:<\/p>\n<p><!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<html lang=en><br \/>\n  <meta charset=utf-8><br \/>\n  <meta name=viewport content=\"initial-scale=1, minimum-scale=1, width=device-width\"><br \/>\n  <title>Error 404 (Not Found)!!1<\/title><\/p>\n<style>\n    *{margin:0;padding:0}html,code{font:15px\/22px arial,sans-serif}html{background:#fff;color:#222;padding:15px}body{margin:7% auto 0;max-width:390px;min-height:180px;padding:30px 0 15px}* > body{background:url(\/\/www.google.com\/images\/errors\/robot.png) 100% 5px no-repeat;padding-right:205px}p{margin:11px 0 22px;overflow:hidden}ins{color:#777;text-decoration:none}a img{border:0}@media screen and (max-width:772px){body{background:none;margin-top:0;max-width:none;padding-right:0}}#logo{background:url(\/\/www.google.com\/images\/branding\/googlelogo\/1x\/googlelogo_color_150x54dp.png) no-repeat;margin-left:-5px}@media only screen and (min-resolution:192dpi){#logo{background:url(\/\/www.google.com\/images\/branding\/googlelogo\/2x\/googlelogo_color_150x54dp.png) no-repeat 0% 0%\/100% 100%;-moz-border-image:url(\/\/www.google.com\/images\/branding\/googlelogo\/2x\/googlelogo_color_150x54dp.png) 0}}@media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio:2){#logo{background:url(\/\/www.google.com\/images\/branding\/googlelogo\/2x\/googlelogo_color_150x54dp.png) no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:100% 100%}}#logo{display:inline-block;height:54px;width:150px}\n  <\/style>\n<p>  <a href=\/\/www.google.com\/><span id=logo aria-label=Google><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>404.<\/b> <ins>That\u2019s an error.<\/ins><\/p>\n<p>The requested URL <code>\/data\/feed\/api\/user\/111257672258796628424\/album\/FranceSpring2012?kind=photo<\/code> was not found on this server.  <ins>That\u2019s all we know.<\/ins><\/p>\n<p>There, didn't mention Robert Louis Stevenson or donkeys once.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Featuring bit of the C\u00e9vennes, part of the volcanoes of the Auvergne; the departments of Loz\u00e8re, Ard\u00e8che, Cantal, Lot, Aveyron, and Tarn; and the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes, Auvergne, and Midi-Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-default"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2459"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3035,"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2459\/revisions\/3035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oreneta.com\/baldie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}