Heavenly Cévennes – Bikerafting in the Gorges du Tarn in France

Mountain Biking Collection by Louise

Tours

11:49 h

83.1 mi

9,075 ft

Inspired by the women from The Adventure Syndicate, we’ve been focused on the topic of bikerafting for a while now. But what is it? Bikerafting is the clever combination of packrafting (with a super light, inflatable kayak) and bikepacking (with a bike loaded with bags).

So when Antonin suggested that we try it out in the Cevennes mountains in France before taking on a longer trip, we didn’t think twice! I set off with Nathan and Sophie to meet in the heart of the Cevennes. The idea was simple – we wanted to go down the Tarn gorge with the rafts and then ride back up the Causse Méjean plateau by bike, folding the rafts and fitting them on our small bike racks.

This Collection presents our outward journey (La Malène-Les Vignes-Saint Pierre des Tripiers) and return journey (Saint Pierre des Tripiers-Saint Énimie-La Malène) as well as the gravel route from Plan de Fontmort to Signal de Ventalon as a little added extra.

Dive into the Tarn gorge and lose yourself on the plateaus, keep an eye out for herons and kingfishers, deer and wild boar, ride by small stone cottages with slate roofs, old railway tracks, and along long-distance footpaths pass – this is the autumn adventure of four outdoor enthusiasts who are passionate about gravel and bike-packing and wanted to get some fresh air before winter.

On The Map

Tours & Highlights

Cévennes Heaven - Bikerafting 1/2
03:51
26.7 mi
7.0 mph
4,300 ft
2,850 ft
First day of our bikerafting trip in the Gorges du Tarn. We start from Malène, a small village in the Cévennes Natural Park.

The start of the route is in a packraft, to descend the Tarn to Les Vignes. We start by inflating the boats, dismantling the bikes, fixing them, checking the stability. This 12…
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Cévennes Heaven - Bikerafting 2/2
03:27
25.3 mi
7.3 mph
1,125 ft
2,525 ft
The sun begins to break through the massive clouds as we set off for this second day. The colors are incredible, and the small stone buildings typical of the region.

We quickly leave the road to embark on a beautiful track which follows the GR. Loaded like donkeys, we take advantage of these beautiful…
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Cévennes Heaven - Gravel
04:31
31.0 mi
6.9 mph
3,650 ft
3,650 ft
The first laps of the wheels are done in a cool drizzle, in the direction of the Col de Fontmor. We quickly branch off towards gravel tracks then an old railway line. The sun is rising, and autumn bursts in our faces. An old bridge recalls the railway's past on the route, and further on, you get off…
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