Moustiers-Sainte-Marie / Quinson
The Grande Traversée VTT TransVerdon takes on a distinctly more Provençal look on this stage, with its bright colours and heady scents. After a brief pause at the Lac de Ste-Croix beach, maybe enjoying a quick dip, climb to the Plateau de Valensole, from where you get great views across the whole lake. A series of fields full of lavender, cereals, sunflowers and rapeseed, plus truffle oaks, line the way up to the village of Sainte-Croix. This bucolic stage then takes you down via smaller lakes (their waters colder) separated by a series of gorges to Quinson.
The route from Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to Quinson by mountain bike
The route leads via a minor road, then a track beside the Petit Lac and via La Maïre, to the beach at Sainte-Croix Lake. The climb to the Valensole Plateau is steep and pebbly, but the rest of the way to Sainte-Croix makes for easy riding. Then rejoin the GR4 hiking trail, descending to the little Baie de Repentance. Next, head due west into woods, towards Montpezat and its lakes. A tarmacked road leads to St-Laurent-du-Verdon, then a track takes you up the Ravin des Caillades, up to the D11 road, or opt to go via the minor Route de la Vudèle and the Source de Vaudoudurde.
Gradients and elevation
Don't miss
- The lavender fields
- Sainte-Croix Table d’orientation (a spot with great views marked out)
- The villages of Sainte-Croix, Montpezat and Saint-Laurent-du-Verdon
- Quinson: the Musée de la Préhistoire
