718 m
The Col d'Ey
From Buis-les-Baronnies: 8.3 km, 370 metres of ascent, 4.5% average and 7% at its steepest.
The gateway col into the Baronnies, steady, with no brutal section. A good first col of the week.
This is neither the Ventoux nor the Alpe d'Huez, and that is precisely the point. The Baronnies provençales offer cols of 700 to 1,000 metres, honest gradients, decent tarmac, and above all county roads where you meet more cyclists than cars outside July and August.
The Ventoux is within a day's ride for those who want the postcard. The rest of the time, you ride loops through the valleys of the Lez, the Eygues and the Ouvèze.
Everything you can ride here
The area's main cols, with verified figures. The rest you make up as you go.
990 m
The Col de Soubeyrand
From Sainte-Jalle, the high point of the area at 990 metres, and one of the most open views over the Baronnies.
Link it with the Col d'Ey for a full day's loop.
82 km
The five-col circuit
A signed loop starting from Rémuzat, in the Eygues valley, listed by La Drôme Tourisme.
The big ride of the week: allow the whole day, plenty of water, and food — the villages you pass through are small.
- Col d'Ey 718 m · 8.3 km · +370 m · 4.5% avg
- Col de Soubeyrand 990 m, from Sainte-Jalle
- Five-col circuit, Rémuzat 82 km, signed loop
- Old Nyons – Venterol railway line 14 km · 220 m ascent · traffic-free
- Waymarked mountain bike circuits, Baronnies county network
- Mont Ventoux within reach of a day ride
Why this is good riding country
The traffic. On the roads of the Lez and the Eygues, in April, in May, in September, you often ride several kilometres without meeting a car. That is what cyclists come for, and what the big Provençal cols no longer offer.
Climbing to order. From the farm, at 500 metres, you choose: the valley floors for a recovery ride, the cols for a proper day out. You do not have to grind through ten kilometres of urban flat before you start.
The long season. You can ride here from March to November. July and August are the two months to avoid for the heat — go out before nine or after five. Spring and autumn are considerably better, and the cottage rates are lower then.
- Starting altitude 500 m, at the farm
- Best seasons April to June · September to October
- To avoid July and August in the afternoon
- Terrain rolling valleys and cols of 700 to 1,000 m
- Surface maintained county roads
- Traffic light outside the summer season
Hiring a bike, electric included
You do not have to carry your own on the roof.
| Hire company | Area | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Ebike Grignan — electric bikes Delivery advertised as free within 25 km of Grignan: check with the hire firm that the farm is covered. Indicative prices from €28 to €32 a day. | Grignan | 07 81 47 01 33 |
| Ecyclo — electric bike hire Branch at Nyons. Check the terms and availability with them directly. | Nyons | ecyclo.fr |
Prices and delivery areas are given as a guide only and change from one season to the next: confirm them when you book. If you are bringing your own bikes, tell Corine and she will show you where to put them under cover.
Advice and local resources
Set off early from May to September. The valleys heat up quickly and there is little shade on the cols. Two bottles minimum, and note the village fountains — Sainte-Jalle, Buis-les-Baronnies, Venterol.
The descents are technical. Tight hairpins, loose grit at the end of winter, and stretches where the surface breaks up. This is not terrain for riding blind down an unfamiliar descent.
The mistral reaches here too. It blows from the north, along the axis of the Rhône valley, and is felt as far as the Baronnies. Check the forecast before deciding which way round to ride your loop: better to face it on the way out.
Mountain biking and the tracks
The Baronnies provençales regional nature park and the Drôme county council maintain a network of waymarked circuits, with a map online. The farm sits in the middle of that network: the tracks start at the gate.
On the property, ride at walking pace near the buildings and the animals — there are around thirty Rove goats, donkeys and horses, and around thirty hectares under cultivation.
Who to ask
Pays de Dieulefit-Bourdeaux — 04 75 46 42 49. This is the tourist office the farm belongs to: it keeps the lists of providers, the maps and the events up to date, in French, English, Dutch and German.
How far from the farm
- Start of the tracks at the farm gate
- Grignan, electric bike hire 21 min · delivery to be confirmed
- Nyons, Eygues valley 24 min
- Old Nyons – Venterol railway line starts at Nyons
- Sainte-Jalle and the Col de Soubeyrand beyond Nyons
- Buis-les-Baronnies and the Col d'Ey Ouvèze valley
Contact details and information checked in August 2026. Providers change their number, their season and their prices: call before you drive out. If you spot a mistake, tell Corine and we will correct it.
All of it on one map
The map we keep up to date: the farm, the cliff, the trailheads, the bathing spots, the canoe bases and every provider named on these pages.
The activities around the farm
The map is supplied by Google. It only loads once you click, so that no cookie is set without your consent.
Frequently asked questions
- Which cols can you ride from the cottage?
- The Col d'Ey at 718 metres, climbed from Buis-les-Baronnies over 8.3 kilometres at 4.5% average, and the Col de Soubeyrand at 990 metres from Sainte-Jalle. The five-col circuit starting at Rémuzat is 82 kilometres. Mont Ventoux is within reach of a day ride.
- Can you hire an electric bike near the cottage?
- Yes. Ebike Grignan, on 07 81 47 01 33, advertises free delivery within 25 kilometres of Grignan; ask whether the farm is covered. Ecyclo also has a branch at Nyons. Confirm prices and availability with them directly.
- When is the best time to ride in the Drôme provençale?
- April to June and September to October. In July and August the heat means going out before nine in the morning or after five in the afternoon. The roads are far quieter outside the school holidays.
- Are there any traffic-free routes?
- Yes, the old railway line from Nyons to Venterol, 14 kilometres with 220 metres of ascent, can be ridden as well as walked. The network of waymarked mountain bike circuits in the Baronnies provençales also starts from the tracks around the farm.
- Can you store your bikes at the cottage?
- Yes, tell Corine when you book and she will show you somewhere under cover. The farm is at the end of a track, on eighty hectares of private land.