This developing 330km (200mi) route is all about the landscape. The gentle, looping curves of the lower Tarn valley; the limestone plateaus and big skies of the Grand Causses national park; the stunning steep-sided valleys of the south Cevennes.

Cycling-wise it’s a series of railway trails, built through remote countryside you’d never have thought merited a train service, connected by the quiet lanes of the Tarn valley and valley roads. The elevation profile is pretty simple: two easy valleys with a sharp climb up and down to the Grand Causses in between.

The one settlement of any significance is Albi, a cathedral city and the birthplace of Toulouse-Lautrec. The soaring cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is said to be the largest brick building in the world.

As you reach the Cevennes, there are a few gaps in the route for now, where you’ll need to take the main D999 road. The old railway trackbed, a fabulous succession of viaducts and tunnels, is earmarked for conversion to a voie verte: some sections are currently cyclable by those with chunkier tyres. After Sumène the railway has been fully converted to cyclable status, enjoying a smooth glide past a series of chateaux in the Vidourle valley.

Note that this route doesn’t include the famous Tarn gorges. They’re further upstream, and by then the veloroute has forsaken the Tarn for the valley of the Dourdo instead. 

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