Once found all over France, some of the secondary railroad lines, abandoned at the end of the 20^th century, have been converted into cycle paths. The slopes are always gentle, and so is the ride.

Taking it easy in the Ardèche

In 1968, the Saint-Agrève - La Voulte-sur-Rhône line in the Ardèche was closed after 70 years of loyal service. Yet a lot of sweat had gone into linking these villages along the clear waters of the Eyrieux. The ravines and gorges of this Boutières region required the construction of a large number of tunnels and viaducts. At last, the inhabitants of this beautiful but isolated valley were linked by rail to Valence!

In recent years, this former railroad line has been reopened to cyclists, offering 90 kilometers of easy cycling through the Ardèche countryside, past orchards, terraced fields and a mosaic of oak, box, acacia, chestnut and larch trees. In the warmer months, two tourist trains help cyclists reach the highest points of the route, Saint-Agrève or Lamastre, allowing them to glide downhill on the gentle slope. It's so gentle that cycling up to Le Cheylard from the Rhône Valley is child's play and a great way for families to embark on a cycling adventure!

Along the bends of the Orne River

There was a time when the Caen-Flers line, linking the two towns of Calvados and Orne, was a favorite of railwaymen. This section, which crosses two départements, passes through the landscapes of Suisse Normande, a unique region south of Caen, with an unusually hilly terrain for Normandy, situated on the edge of the Armorican Massif. The Orne winds its way between rocky outcrops and wooded hills. Today, the Vélo Francette, a 600-kilometer cycle route between Ouistreham (Calvados) and La Rochelle, follows this former railroad line for some 40 kilometers, following the curves of the river, with paved paths, no cars and no incline. Crossing the Clécy viaduct and its nine stone arches, cyclists can stop on foot, suspended 30 meters above the white water, to admire the stunning panorama. In Clécy, you'll find châteaux, manor houses, art galleries and open-air cafés – just the thing for a break! For the return journey, line 117 welcomes deserving bikes in its holds.

Mingling with chickens in the Bresse countryside

The noise of the Dombes railway is a thing of the past. For a century, until 1971, this railroad linked Chalon-sur-Saône in Saône-et-Loire to Lons-le-Saunier in the Jura. More than 250,000 trains carried passengers on this line until 1938, then goods destined for Dijon and Bourg-en-Bresse. On this 70-kilometer stretch, cyclists take flat, shady paths through the Bresse countryside, reaching the foothills of the Revermont which heralds the Jura landscapes.

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