Hautes Alpes

An excellent trip from Horizon Motorcycle Travel for many years: the Hautes Alpes trip.

You will stay in a beautiful hotel a few minutes away Lac de Serre Poncon. The hotel has beautiful rooms, great food and very helpful staff. It also comes with a nice pool. So after the ride, it is excellent to take a dip in the pool.

You can park your motorbikes safely in the hotel's private car park. Besides that, it is a very nice hotel to stay in. It's in a quiet area, so you can sleep perfectly. With excellent chefs working in the hotel's restaurant, your taste buds will not be short of anything. 

The outward journey (first day) and return journey (last day) you will drive on your own initiative.

You kick off the week well with three big cols:

Col D' Agnel (2,744m)
Col D' Izoard (2,360m)
Col D' Vars (2,109m)

Col Agnel is the first pass you will climb. Going up, it is beautiful steering. At the top of the pass is the border to Italy, here you turn around. The pass down is known for the fact that on the way down you can see all the curves in front of you. Once down, you will immediately climb the Col Izoard, another beautiful col to ride with fantastic views. Along the way today there will be plenty of time to stop for a rest or a photo session!

After a short ride, you can get ready for the next col, Col D' Vars. This one is very rewarding. The final stretch goes along the little river L'Ubaye, Where you ride back to the hotel over Col de la Sentille (981m).

Leaving on time is highly recommended today. The route goes through the famous Gorges Du Verdon in the Provence region. After Lac de Serre Ponçon, you will head south today. The roads get narrower and (even) more curved than yesterday. You drive past rocks and ravines where the views are breathtaking. You follow a stretch of ''Route Napoleon'' to Castellane which is a nice place to stretch your legs. There are many shops and terraces. After this, it's another few kilometres along and sometimes even between the rocks. That afternoon, you have a view of the 182-metre-high bridge over the green-coloured Verdon River. Then the roads become less jagged to ''Lac de Sainte-Croix'' into which the Verdon River flows. A splash in the lake is definitely a possibility! Driving out of the national park, you enter the apple region with mostly yellow apples in the month of July. Swinging through the apple orchards, you drive back to Montclar.

From the hotel, it's straight into winding roads and some great (hairpin) bends on a slightly busier road than you're used to from yesterday. The N85 forms the basis of this route but is often deviated from because there is a nice winding road next to it. On the Col de Ornon (1360m) you will encounter a couple of ski jumps, well signposted, but still a strange feeling if you haven't been to the Alps before. Next is the famous Alp d' Huez, what a cool pass! Next up is the narrow Col de Sarenne (1999m). If you want a fierce activity after lunch, you can bungee jump around kilometre 200. Taking a moment to watch others do it is highly recommended. The last part of the route is on beautiful steering roads.

Today's programme includes Col de la Bonette, one of Europe's highest passes at 2,802 metres. The first 60 kilometres go along the small river where the campsite is also located. The road winds nicely along the water. Then you enter the national park ''Du Mercantour''. This park is known for its great diversity of landscapes, animals and plants. The perfect chance to spot animals today. There is also new asphalt on the roads, making the countless bends immense fun to drive. You climb up to 2,802 metres. Here you have the option of covering the last 63 metres by foot to the summit. After this, the unbeatable descent and drive back to Montclar.

Today's long route goes over Mont Ventoux (aka Bald Mountain). This route is definitely worthwhile. In the summer months, many avid cyclists can be found there and among motorcyclists, this mountain is also very popular. It is known from the Tour de France and for its views because it is well above the tree line, so your view is not disturbed. The road to it starts with a through road, then it gets narrower. Just below the summit you have a breathtaking view; photo opportunity. After Mont Ventoux, you come to Chatau d' Aulan. A castle from the 1300s that is open to the public. After the castle come two more winding colls. After this, you drive back full of stories. That evening dinner is arranged after which you drive back home the next day with wonderful memories.