Ardèche Verte
Ardèche Verte Haut-Vivarais – natural attractions, forests and meadows
Also known as Haut-Vivarais, Ardèche Verte is in the north of the Ardèche, extending from Lamastre to the northern tip of the region and from Saint-Agrève in the west to Tournon-sur-Rhône in the east. It is bordered by the Haute-Loire and Loire regions to the west, Drôme to the east and Isère to the north-east.
Ardèche Verte (green) owes its name to its forests and meadows, unlike the dry, arid south and Plateau Ardéchois. It is an ideal destination for countryside lovers seeking peace and tranquillity as well as those interested in history and curiosities with a full range of sporting, cultural and gourmet activities.
There is so much to see in Ardèche Verte. The natural attractions are too numerous to name them all, but include Pierremale at Vanosc, a walk to top of Montmiandon hill (679m) with superb views of the surrounding countryside, the amazing vistas over Gorges de la Daronne between Nozières and the hamlet of Sibila, the Gorges du Doux and their subtle mix of hills, forests, meadows and orchards, Mont Chiniac, the Forêt du Pontet and many other hidden treasures.
Nature, cultural and gourmet holidays in Ardèche
There are plenty of places of interest to visit : character villages (Désaignes and Boucieu-le-Roi), the Château de Maisonseule with its 13th century keep, Musée du Charronnage au Car (from cartwheels to buses), the Château de la Rivoire at Vanosc, Campo de Saint-Cyr, Canson-Montgolfier paper mills and the famous zoo and safari park at Peaugres where you can see animals from around the world. Hot-air ballooning was invented in Annonay and the first flight by the Montgolfier brothers took place there 1783.
Ardèche is also full to the brim with gourmet specialities including criques (potato cakes), caillette (paté), chestnuts and picodon cheese which you can taste at the numerous local markets and restaurants of Ardèche Verte.
The landscape of Ardèche Verte is well-suited to numerous outdoor activities for all ages like canoeing, cycling, walking, water sports, fishing in lakes and rivers and even skiing in winter at Lalouvesc and Saint-André-en-Vivarais. Visitors with a head for heights can take to the skies with one of the many hot air ballooning clubs in and around Annonay to enjoy a spectacular bird’s eye view of Ardèche and beyond. There are plenty of natural places to swim in Ardèche Verte (some with lifeguards) : the reservoirs at Lamastre, Désaignes, Labatie d’Andore, the water park at Eyrium and Lac de Devesset.
« The Gorges du Doux near Colombier-le-Vieux is a wonderful, unspoilt place for contemplation. The gorges can be explored on foot along lots of footpaths and also by steam train and rail bike. » (Arnaud, employee at Gîtes de France Ardèche)
Ardèche Verte is ideally situated between the major cities which surround it : 45 minutes from Valence and Saint Etienne, 1 hour from Lyon and 1½ hours from Grenoble."
