Véloroute at the foot of mont ventoux
Fantastic bike ride at full speed on the Via Venaissia
More than any ordinary bike ride, this ‘voie verte’ (greenway) runs along what used to be a railway line between Orange and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, offering an experience like none you’ve ever had before! Cycle as fast as you like in total safety, go behind the ghostly scenes of the history of the railway, geocache and learn about Jonquières, Loriol, Sarrians and Carpentras!
facile
intermédiaire
difficile
Duration:
2 hours
Distance:
14 km
Pratice:
Bike rides
Type:
round trip
Car park:
ancienne gar de Jonduières
- The Via Venaissia is a 15 km cycle route (from Jonquières to Carpentras) that runs on its own site, avoiding contact with main roads. As well as bikes, the route is open to pedestrians and those using roller skates.
- You can also start in Orange (10.4 km further along from Jonquières station), and continue from Carpentras on to the medieval city of Pernes-les-Fontaines (10.6 km).
JONQUIERES: ALL ABOARD!
And we’re on the railway line setting off from the old Jonquières station. Jump on your saddle and it’s full steam ahead!
This section starts on the platform of the old Jonquières station, which is very easily accessible. It’s great fun taking the place of trains! The ground is flat, without ups or downs, making it a great, smooth-running ride. We race out of the village, safe from any dangerous traffic. Before us, the plains of the Comtat-Venaissin, nicknamed “Le Jardin de la France” (the Garden of France) make up a rolling landscape of vineyards, vegetable crops and trees, with Mont Ventoux as a magnificent backdrop.
Did you know?
Information boards on peasant and industrial life around the Via Venaissia can be found along the way. The railway line represented a major economic advantage for the Comtat Venaissin, which benefits from exceptional irrigation and fertility.
INSIDE A COLOURFUL PAINTING
Between vineyards, farmland, fields of flowers and sculpted mountains
The section between Jonquières and Sarrians is a straight line with beautiful views of the vineyards. After having crossed the Ouvèze on a metal viaduct, we carry on through the undergrowth before entering an agricultural landscape brightened up by the colours of tulip fields in full bloom. The panoramic views of the Dentelles de Montmirail and Mont Ventoux mountains are fantastic!
Firm favourite
Jonquières is home to 4 castles – a very rare thing for a village! It is also well-known for its furniture production and spectacular tulip fields stretching as far as the eye can see during blooming season.
LEARN ALL ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SARRIANS
We arrive at the old Sarrians station and its goods market has fallen into disuse. On the wall, a vintage advert boasts about the benefits of a very special water!
Did you know about Montmirail’s purgative water? Well, neither did I, and I was a thousand miles away from imagining that there had ever been thermal baths round here!
In fact, people coming to the baths (which included celebrities such as Sarah Besnard and Frédéric Mistral) used this railway to get to Gigondas where the sulphurous, magnesian and ferruginous waters from the Dentelles de Montmirail could relieve their rheumatism and other ailments. The remains of the thermal baths can still be seen at Hôtel de Montmirail, which can be found at the foot of the massif.
The advert was not actually created by the thermal baths but by the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée railway company who saw it as a great way of increasing their number of passengers.
LUNCH AT THE TRAIN STATION?
Having passed Sarrians, we cycle through some more woodland until we reach the old Aubignan/Loriol train station. The path is really lovely all year round with its woody scents! But I have to admit, I have a weakness for coming this way in the springtime – the chirping of the birds and the first flowers waving in the wind are just too lovely!
After having passed over the cross-brace bridge, we decide to make a stop at the train station bistro. The kitchens and dressed tables sit in place of the ticket office and ticket validation machines. Today, walkers can eat or hire bikes here! Enjoy delicious, local cuisine inside this old building that now serves a new purpose, or under the plane trees on the terrace.
A place to add to your bucket list!
Recommended
Vel’Art Vintage bike rental company in Loriol-du-Comtat rents out a range of environmentally friendly bikes (pixie, fatbike, and other oddities) and brings it to you on the bike path. Let’s try a tandem bike!
Bike rental
ENTERING CARPENTRAS
As the fields whizz by, the roads and the clock towers are almost in sight…
The unusual train guard’s houses are still visible as well as beautiful mansions. We then glide down into some kind of trench, which had been dug out for the railway line and is overhung by 3 successive bridges including the Carpentras Canal, which you can get a better look at if you turn round on the path to Meyras at the end of the “corridor”. Cross the Auzon viaduct above the road to Orange and voilà! The entrance to Carpentras. Facing the ancient centre, we enjoy unobstructed views of the city’s roofs: the belfry, the clock of St Siffrein Cathedral, the remains of the fortified tower of the Porte d’Orange etc.
Firm favourite
Like us, we recommend you stop in Carpentras on the banks of the Auzon, a large green space at the side of the river.
Here you will find picnic tables in the shade of large trees. These banks are particularly lovely in the summer months!
