Via Fluvia

France’s two greatest rivers, the Loire and the Rhône, come tantalisingly close… but to cycle between them, you need to conquer the hilly country of the Haute-Loire and the Ardèche.

Until now. A brand new rail trail, the Via Fluvia (‘Way of the Rivers’), connects Loire to Rhône via fabulous scenery and gentle climbs. It’s a work in progress, so you’ll have to divert onto roads now and then, but this is already shaping up to be one of the country’s finest véloroutes – whether ridden in its own right or as part of a longer cross-country tour.

The old metre-gauge railways of the Vivarais take you up to the watershed near Dunières, after which a former freight line whisks you downhill to Annonay. From there, enjoy the glorious descent of the Cance valley to the Rhône at Sarras.

If you have a GCN+ subscription, you’ll recognise the Via Fluvia as the route that Jack Thurston and Alec Briggs cycled in an episode of Slow Cycling. If not… let’s just say they enjoyed it.

Stage-by-stage guide

Basics

Route

Getting there

Basics

What sort of bike?

The westernmost section of the route is compacted gravel and not ideally suited to a skinny-tyred road bike, though you can follow parallel D roads. Anything with robust tyres will be fine. From there, it’s paved all the way, fine for anything from a road bike to an MTB.

How complete is it?

About 80%. The rail trail extends almost all the way from the Loire to the summit near Saint Sauveur en Rue. Across the top and down to the Loire, it’s a bit more patchy, with several sections where you’ll need to divert onto roads.

Is it suitable for a first-timer?

It will be. At present, the climb over the watershed and the diversions onto busy roads aren’t ideal for a beginner or a family ride. The 60 kilometres of glorious traffic-free cycleway certainly are. For now, choose your ride wisely.

Route

Is it signposted?

Yes: the completed sections are signed with a colourful Via Fluvia logo. You’ll need to find your own way on the missing sections, perhaps with the aid of our map, app or GPX files.

What does it connect to?

Both the Loire and the Rhône have fantastic EuroVelo cycle routes along their banks. In fact, the Via Fluvia would make a perfect link in a north-south cycle tour: take the Velo Francette across Normandy to the Loire, then follow Loire à Velo upstream, cross to the Rhône on the Via Fluvia, then the Via Rhôna to the Med. Bear in mind that the official Loire route gives out (for now) at Digoin, so you’ll need to make your own way upstream from there.

For a more unusual connection, you can take the Velay Express steam train from Raucoules to Saint-Agrève (bikes welcome with reservation), then follow the winding Dolce Via route – another rail-trail – down to La Voulte sur Rhône.

Getting there

How do you get there and back?

There are railway stations at both ends: Lavôute sur Loire and Saint Vallier (Rhône). Both lines are served by TER regional trains, on which bikes are welcome, and connect at Lyon.