Aspremont Tourette Falicon Cycle Route

Starting from Promenades des Anglais, head west in the direction of the airport and turn up towards Madeleine shortly after you pass the Magnan bus stop. This intersection can be a bit of a traffic nightmare so see the map for our sneaky shortcut that avoids the worst of it. Heading up Boulevard de la Madeleine can be a bit hairy but it doesn’t take long, you just have to stay alert for cars randomly pulling out or changing lanes without warning.

As soon as you’ve passed the last of the shops the road gets much quieter and you’ll soon find yourself cycling up amongst the forest. Wherever there is a gap in the trees you’ll see that you’ve already started to climb high above sea level and the mountains will come into view.

The first village you reach is Saint Roman de Bellet; it’s a sleepy little place which, although pretty, doesn’t have much of interest. Bellet is however, one of France’s oldest wine producing areas and you can visit the Vignobles de Bellet at certain times of the year to taste some of their produce. You’ll next pass through Colomars, the first of the perched villages on our route. Again, it isn’t the most happening place in the world but it is renowned for its olive oil - produced from the “cailletier” tree, specific to the region.

Continuing upwards towards the second perched village of Aspremont, the road becomes steeper as the higgledy-piggledy buildings come into view and you reach the highest point of the ride at 550m. Aspremont is the starting point for many hikes and you can also cycle from here up to another perched village called Saint-Blaise; for our route however, you skirt round in front of the town hall and follow the signs for Tourrette-Levens.

The road from Aspremont to Tourrette-Levens is an absolute peach - smooth as a velodrome track and once you hit the descent it widens out nicely so that traffic has plenty of space to pass safely. The road twists and turns in wide arcs, allowing you to swoop round corners without losing speed - we like swooping.

Of all the villages on this route, Tourrette-Levens is the one most worth stopping for an explore. When you enter the village you are greeted by the sight of the Baroque church of Sainte-Rosalie, opposite which there is a pleasant square with benches and a drinking fountain - a lovely spot for a picnic lunch and water refill. There is also a small friendly restaurant with a few tables outside if you fancy a bit of local cuisine. It’s worth mentioning that none of these villages are very touristy, which adds to their charm but means that they keep very traditional hours. If you want to stop at a café or restaurant then they will probably only have the kitchen open from midday to 3pm. If you want to pick up supplies from a shop then they’ll probably be closed for lunch during the same hours - it’s usually easier to take sandwiches.

If you continue past the church you’ll come to the old town where a steep cobbled street leads you up to the 12th century castle ruins. You’ll also pass a couple of museums charting the village’s prehistoric history and ye olde traditional crafts and farming methods. The natural history museum apparently has a collection of 4,500 butterflies and insects, if that’s what floats your boat. All attractions have limited opening hours of 14:00-18:00, so if you have a particular interest in visiting any of them then you should plan your route to coincide.

You’ll need to double back to leave the village from the same road that you entered and continue along the M19 to our final perched village of Falicon, passing through the rugged rocks of the Gorges de Gabres. While you’re unlikely to suffer a blow to the bonce, rock falls are not uncommon so keep an eye on the road for possible debris that could puncture a tyre. Falicon is another charming medieval eyrie that holds an eagle’s nest vantage over the valley. If you continue up to the very top of the village you’ll find yourself at a viewpoint that has fantastic vistas across olive groves, farmland, hills and villages all the way to the big blue sea beyond.

From here you cruise downhill in the direction of Saint André de la Roche before climbing back up towards Aspremont. From Aspremont continue back through Saint Roman de Bellet along the same route as earlier, however instead of turning off left to return via the Chemin du Genié continue along the Route de Bellet towards Ventabrun. This road has more traffic on it than the road you took to get up here and the surface is a bit rougher, but the views on the descent more than make up for it. As the road weaves down through the villages the bay of Nice comes into view, sparkling enticingly in the distance. Flowers spill over garden walls, olive trees line the roads, and all the while the cobalt blue of the Mediterranean gets closer and closer.

Eventually you’ll come out onto Boulevard Carlone, turn left at the traffic lights and you’ll find yourself back where you started at the Madeleine intersection. Throw a right and follow the traffic under the railway bridge and you’ll pop out at the Promenade des Anglais. Et voila, time for an ice cream.

• DISTANCE: 60KM
• TOTAL ELEVATION: 1500M
• MAP & INFO: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=http:%2F%2Fwww.mapmyfitness.com%2Froutes%2Fkml%2F505746012%2F