MTG2 20 Aubignac Saint Jean du Gard Le Rozier Corniche des Cevennes and Gorges du Tarn

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RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)

Last edit: 23-09-2025

Route Summary

It's undeniable that France is one of the most beautiful and best touring countries. It offers an incredibly diverse landscape with good roads and a pleasant climate. It's no wonder you see so many motorcyclists there. My previous series of routes in France was based on the route descriptions from the French Motor Tour Guide Part 1, created by Bert Loorbach.

This route comes from the French Motor Tour Guide Part 2 and the original name is "Tarn and Cévennes; Route Description 1 Corniche des Cévennes and Gorges du Tarn".

In the French Motorcycle Tour Guide, Part 2, a distinction is made between approach routes and tours within a specific area. The approach routes can also be used in conjunction with the routes from the French Motorcycle Tour Guide, Part 1.

The routes have sometimes been slightly modified based on tips Bert Loorbach provides in his description, or because of a different overnight stay, or to meet the minimum 2-hour time limit for the MRA Library. Each route review includes a more detailed description, including overnight options and points of interest along the way, which are also indicated with a point of interest and, if possible, a short description.

The end point of this fantastic 5***** star route is in Le Rozier, just below Beauregard. There are several campsites in this area where you can stay overnight.

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Verdict

Duration

5h 49m

Mode of travel

Car or motorcycle

Distance

168.60 km

Countries

RouteXpert Review

The entire stretch of southern France between the A7 Autoroute du Soleil and the A20 towards Toulouse is a motorcycle paradise. You can spend hours, even days, exploring here. The Auvergne and Ardèche have already been described (Ardèche in Motor Tour Guide Part 1 and Auvergne in Motor Tour Guide Part 2).

Now it's the turn of the regions to the south: the Cévennes (east) and the Tarn (west). Characteristic of much of this region are the "causses," expansive and barren plateaus with deep gorges. The Cévennes differ in their granite and slate subsoil. The ravines are somewhat less steep, and the landscape is less rugged. A trip from east to west, or vice versa, is incredibly scenic, giving you a good impression of this diverse region.

This is the description of the first of three routes in Tarn and Cévennes from the Motorcycle Touring Guide France part 2.

This ride offers two absolute highlights, and these 169 kilometers are guaranteed to be a blast. The original route is only 115 km long, but it includes several options to incorporate some extra passes, which I've included.

Keep in mind that this area can be very busy during peak season, so you might want to choose to drive early or a little later in the day. As the sun rises or sets, you'll get a free bonus of a beautiful spectacle.

We start in St. Jean-du-Gard and take the D260 to the Corniche de Cévennes. This stage is a series of climbs, descents, and delightful bends. The start in St. Jean-du-Gard is promising. First, you climb to an altitude of 597 meters to the Col de St-Pierre. Then the road winds further to an elevation of 704 meters at the Col de l'Exil.

Then you descend gently, and from Le Pompidou, the final stretch begins, leading to the Col des Solpérière and the Col des Faîsses. At the last mountain pass, the road reaches an altitude of 1,026 meters. We ride up the Col du Rey towards Barre-des-Cévennes. In this 12th-century village, you'll get a taste of the beautiful panoramas that await you. After Barre-des-Cévennes, you take the increasingly narrowing D13 through a magnificent area with stunning scenery and panoramic views.

At St. Germain-de-Calberte, take the D984, a lovely winding road through a beautiful, inhospitable area. At the end of the D984, turn left onto the N106, The Col de Jalcreste, which we follow until our lunch stop in Florac-Trois-Rivières. There are several restaurants and terraces in the center.

After lunch, we continue to Sainte-Énimie, where the Gorges du Tarn begins at the beautiful bridge in the town center. This route is well-marked and is another motorcyclist's delight. Thousands of words have already been used to describe the beauty of the Gorges du Tarn. The best way to experience it is to experience it for yourself and enjoy this road that follows the Tarn River. It's often a choice between riding the motorcycle or enjoying the scenery. This wonderful road is approximately 50 km long and offers a continuous journey of beautiful curves and picturesque panoramas. The overhanging rocks along the route are impressive.

Along the Gorges du Tarn are several charming villages with terraces where you can relax after this breathtaking drive. Along the route are several viewpoints where it's definitely worth stopping to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. For water sports enthusiasts, there are also canoe rentals.

The end point of this beautiful ride is Le Rozier, where you can spend the night at the local campsite on the Tarn River. There are also hotels in the town where you can stay overnight.

Route Collections in this region

25 Magnificent trails in France

This MRA route collection contains 25 beautiful motorcycle routes in different parts of France, such as the Ardennes, the Alsace, Vercors, the Drôme, the Ardèche, Cote d'Azure, Gorges du Verdon, the Ariège, the Dordogne and Brittany.

The routes have been carefully created by Bert Loorbach, who is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself. He lived in France for a year and a half, during which time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful back roads of France especially for motorcyclists.

The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.

I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.

24 Magnificent trails in France

It is clear that France is one of the most beautiful and best touring countries. It offers an incredibly varied landscape with good roads and a pleasant climate. It is not for nothing that you see so many motorcyclists there. My previous collection of 25 routes in France (25 Magnificent routes in France) were based on the route descriptions from the Motortourgids France part 1 made by Bert Loorbach.

This collection of 24 routes comes from Motortourgids France part 2. In this collection, a difference has been made between approach routes and motorcycle tours in a certain area. The approach routes can also be used in combination with the routes from Motortourgids France part 1

The routes are sometimes slightly adjusted based on the tips that Bert Loorbach gives in his description, or because of another place to spend the night, or to reach the minimum length of 2 hours for the MRA Library. For each route, the review contains a more detailed description, including options to stay overnight or places of interest along the way, which are also indicated with a POI and if possible with a short description.

Two or more routes have been created for a number of areas, such as for Burgundy, Auvergne, The Alps, Tarn and Cévennes and Nord-Pas de Calais. These routes can be nicely combined in a multi-day trip.