Currently in Bedoin and thinking of heading over to the Verdon gorge after been recommended it. Has anyone been and if so can you recommend a place to stay that has campsites. Also any routes and places to see. Cheers.
I've been a couple of times climbing but the last time was over twenty years ago! There used to be a typical municipal campsite at La Palud, Google maps shows it still there.
Routes as in biking routes? No idea.
Thanks. Yes I should of made it clear I meant road rides.
I have been, one of the most beautiful places i have seen. V Busy in walking season but worth it. Sadly don't have on the ground knowledge regarding routes- French family members were the guides at the time.
Riding along the Belvedere road, D23, basically the road that runs along the top of the gorge is worth doing. It's only a short loop from La Palud though. There's only a couple of roads in and out of the area so they aren't the most pleasant. The area to the south of the gorge is a military firing range so you are limited in that direction. Looking at Google maps D71 might give you a decent loop but I've never been on it.
Municipal campsite in La Palud is good, think there is another campsite in town. It's actually pretty high so might feel nippy at night, which could be an advantage. The belvedere is pretty stunning, it's a one-way so would be quite a chilled way to take in the scenery and look at the climbers.
Fabulous place.
If you can get the transport links, it's well worth walking along the gorge, the path varies in altitude but in parts it's down at the bottom and it's just beautiful
Having driven one of the roads (north I think) and walked briefly in it, I'd say walk in it as much as cycle round/near it.
Best thing to do is hire a pedalo and float up / down it. By far the best way.
Take a leisurely ride that day and stop to take it in... it is well worth it.
Stayed in Flayosc, near Draguignan a few years back; which is a bit South of the gorge. We took a day trip up and drove both the North (D23) and South (D71) routes and hired pedalos to go into the gorge itself. I didn't get to cycle the gorge roads as they were a bit too far away, but the road up from Les Salles-sur-Verdon to Aiguines and beyond looked quite tasty. Just go early to avoid the heat and the inevitable cars. Also, there's some tunnels on the South (D71) road, so just be aware.
The closest I managed to get to the gorge, was a cycle up to Comps-sur-Artuby, which is the Eastern end of the South (D71) road.
Given you're in Bédoin, shirley your just doing laps of Ventoux no...?
Looove that part of France.
Can't imagine the roads along the top of the gorge are the most pleasant to ride, as they're pretty much single lane wide. Buses and cars approach each other at speed, so a bike may not get a look in.
That said, if you were keen, you could park down at the bottom of the gorge and (I think?) do a loop going out along one side of the gorge andb ack along the other.
A couple on the road out towards Castellane. Like whitestone it's been some years so I can't remember the name, but a very pleasant site with a pool and good facilities. Let's face it it's hard to go wrong with French campsites - even the municipals.
If you are there for a few days I can highly recommend walking through the gorge (and the very dark tunnels).
I'm no expert on the region (and you may already have done this) but there are great road loops you could do from Bedoin along Les Gorges de la Nesque, including Ventoux if you wish. Presume you've done this, as it's v. obvious - but if not, I'd recommend it. [typical stw recommend something completely different to the OP, but anyway...]