This has to be one of the favourite areas for our clients , and is ideally suited to the smaller capacity lighter bikes such as the Velocette Venom, Ariel NH or RE Bullet. If riding with a passenger one may wish to chose a BSA A10 or an A65.
The fun starts straight away as we depart from St Rémy and traverse the Alpilles via the Val d’Enfer (“valley of hell” ), which was the inspiration for Dante’s inferno.
Passing fantastic views of the citadelle of les Baux we continue east along the small lanes in the Alpilles national park and cross the Durance river at Mallemort to enter another national park…the lovely Luberon. This is the mountainous region immortalised by Peter Mayle in “A year in Provence”.
The run to the Luberon wine region is a relaxing ride through hidden Provence. We head eastwards for Lourmarin and enjoy a great ride along the Combe de Lourmarin climbing up the ridge towards Bonnieux.
A popular stop before lunch is the Forest of Cedars on the top of the petit luberon ridge at a height of approx 800 meters. Here we can view the route we will be taking in the afternoon through the famous hanging villages of Bonnieux, Gordes, La Coste and Peter Mayles’s Menerbes. Not that PM owns the village but he could probably afford to buy it, just as Pierre Cardin has invested much of his money into La Coste, as did the Marquis de Sade!
This area has real history and although popular in the summer months with tourists is still extremely enjoyable if you know where to go to avoid the crowds.
After passing by Oppede Le Vieux, the oldest and highest of the Petit Luberon villages, we leave the national park crossing the Durance near Cavaillon.
A popular refreshment stop in the afternoon is at Orgon where the classic car and bike museum is always welcoming.
The final run back to St Remy via the country route to Eygalieres is a great way to finish a memorable day. Not a big mileage , but enough quality time in the saddle for the bikers and loved by the passengers for its sheer beauty – the picture postcard vision of Provence.
