Is this France’s most beautiful motorcycle route? In this 3rd episode of my UK to Corsica motorcycle series, we leave Castellane after lunch and ride one of the most iconic motorcycle roads in Europe—the breathtaking Gorges du Verdon.
Known as the largest canyon in Europe, the Verdon Gorge (or Gorges du Verdon) cuts through limestone cliffs formed during the Jurassic period. The result is a truly jaw-dropping landscape carved over millennia by the Verdon River. With perfect riding weather, dramatic rock formations, turquoise lakes, and tight mountain twisties, this episode is packed with natural beauty and unforgettable roads.
🏍 In This Episode:
We depart Castellane, a charming gateway town to the gorge, and head along the edge of the canyon.
The Jurassic limestone formations tower above us as we ride cliffside roads with incredible views.
Quick stops at viewpoints overlooking the stunning Lac de Sainte-Croix and the Pont du Galetas.
Navigating the D952 and D957, roads beloved by motorcyclists and cyclists alike.
Scenic stop in the peaceful town of Aups for a well-earned coffee break.
We ride south through Provence towards Toulon, catching the overnight ferry to Corsica.
📍 Route Highlights:
Gorges du Verdon: Often called France’s Grand Canyon, the gorge is a bucket-list ride for any motorcyclist touring Southern France.
Lac de Sainte-Croix: Known for its vibrant turquoise waters, this artificial lake sits at the mouth of the gorge and offers a surreal contrast to the pale stone cliffs.
Pont du Galetas: A famous viewpoint where the river flows into the lake—ideal for photo stops and drone footage (if you can find space to pull over!).
D952/D957: These scenic French roads offer technical riding, dramatic drop-offs, and very few guardrails—ride carefully!
Aups: A tranquil Provençal village where we paused for a coffee and a break from the bends.
Toulon Port: Gateway to Corsica, where we board the ferry bound for Bastia.
🚢 Boarding the Corsica Ferry (Toulon → Bastia):
After a long and scenic ride, we arrive in Toulon and navigate to the ferry terminal. With motorcyclists waved to the front of the queue, boarding is easy—though slightly chaotic! No tie-downs for the bikes this time, but the crossing promises calm seas.
Once on board, I share my thoughts from the Panorama Bar overlooking the port, reflect on the day’s ride, and look ahead to the Corsican adventure that awaits. It’s time for dinner, a few cold beers, and some well-earned rest in the cabin before our 6:30 AM arrival in Bastia.
🧭 Episode Summary:
This episode offers more than just a ride—it’s a journey through one of the most stunning natural landscapes in Europe, coupled with the thrill of adventure motorcycling. From limestone cliffs and river valleys to mountain roads and seaside ports, this is the perfect taste of what motorcycle touring in France has to offer.
If you love:
Motorcycle road trips
Scenic riding routes in Europe
France travel vlogs
Adventure biking experiences
…this episode is for you.
🎥 Subscribe for More European Motorcycle Adventures:
This is part of a larger journey as I ride from the UK to Corsica and explore the island over four full days.
Catch up on the previous episodes:
Ep 1 – UK to Bourges via Caen ferry
Ep 2 – Bourges to Gap then Castellane via the Route Napoleon
Be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss the upcoming Corsican episodes—featuring coastal roads, twisty mountain passes, and hidden gems across the island.
💬 Let’s Connect:
Enjoyed this ride? Drop a comment below—have you ridden the Gorges du Verdon or plan to add it to your motorcycle travel bucket list?
Hit like if this route blew your mind like it did mine, and share with a fellow biker looking for their next great adventure.
🏷 Tags:
#motorcycletouring
#gorgesduverdon
#francemotorcycletrip
#verdonride
#motorbikeadventures
#motorcycletravelvlog
#castellane
#lacdesaintecroix
#adventuremotorcycling
#routeNapoleon
coming up in this episode we ride
the Gorges du Verdon, we take in some beautiful views and we board our
second ferry of the trip at Toulon Hello YouTube and welcome back to the channel. You
join us after a nice spot of lunch in Castellane where we’ve just left, and we’re now starting to
ride along the beautiful Gorges du Verdon. It’s a river gorge located in the southeast of
France and it’s the largest gorge in Europe. The weather’s perfect, the scenery is going to be
fantastic, so please join me as we get on the road oh it’s quite an impressive overhang i’m just blown away by these beautiful limestone
formations on either side of the gorge and these date back to the Jurassic period and have
been revealed over thousands of years as the Verdon River has slowly carved out this
stunning gorge. It’s left this absolutely fantastic landscape that I feel privileged
to ride through on a day as beautiful as this Even more impressive overhang Not surprisingly this route proves popular
with cyclists and motorcyclists alike, all keen to take in this stunning view there weren’t too many opportunities
to pull in and take a photograph, so when they presented themselves
we we tended to do exactly that We still have quite a bit to go. So it’ll be the D957 off to the left just
after we’ve gone past the tip of the lake As I pulled over at this viewpoint
I was really struck by the vibrant turquoise color of of the lake down
below, and also the lack of guardrail! so here we overlook the Lac du Saint
Croix and the Pont du Galetas and we’ll be stopping closer to the Pont du Galetas
a little bit further on along the gorge The car park looked a little rammed and we found a nice area just next to the
road and left the bikes there Sightseeing completed, it was time to get on the
bikes again continue heading south towards Toulon at times along this route you could have
been forgiven for thinking that you were in Tuscany That’s a nice tree Right we’re here in Aups that’s A-U-P-S. stopping
for a quick coffee before we continue on to Toulon So we are leaving Aups and heading south to Toulon
where we should arrive in 1 hour and 33 minutes according to the satnav and then we’re going to
board the ferry to take us to Corsica overnight so stick with me and I’ll talk
to you when we get to the ferry so just in the center of Toulon
now just looking for the port which hopefully is this way so finding the port was fairly straightforward,
and once there the initial boarding process was was pretty easy as well providing you had the app
on your phone with a with a relevant QR code and we were directed to go past all the traffic
and and board first – so we did exactly that so once on board the ferry we got directed
to the area where we’d be parking and it was apparent that we were just going
to park the bikes next to each other. no strapping down was required i guess the
crossing was calm but yeah it doesn’t leave you with a a warm fuzzy feeling inside that
your bike’s going to be left unstrapped but I guess that’s just the way they do it
and it all turned out well in the end So here we are we are finally on
the ferry from Toulon to Bastia. Slightly chaotic boarding procedure but we’re
on. Most of the way through the first beer, big queue at the bar, could be a while to
the second beer but that’s okay, you know we can we can do this. We should be setting
sail shortly, maybe 15 – 20 minutes i think, scheduled time. I think we’re on time, so let me
flip you around so you can see the port of Toulon So there we are, i’m just outside
the bar Panorama and this is the port as it’s laid out in front of me Temperature- wise it’s cooled down a little
bit which is nice and the nice thing about being on with a motorcycle is you get waved
through to the front of the queue. So the lady tells you to overtake everything go on
first, which we did, so you get to the bar first which is nice ’cause there’s a huge
queue now, so yeah it works quite well. So you know feeling is is good
so far, a little bit chaotic, not sure how to book the restaurant so
I’ll check in later and let you know if that was successful, but the
good news is we’re on the ferry, tomorrow morning 06:30 we will be in Corsica,
and then we’ve got four full days in Corsica. So I look forward to bringing that to you,
thank you for following me so far, i still am the motorcycle wanderer, I think, and let’s
adventure more in the coming days. See you soon So it’s about 10 p.m, just got back to the
cabin after a few beers and a nice evening meal, we’re due in at Bastia at 06:30 in the
morning, we did depart Toulon a little bit early so you know, maybe we’ll be a
touch early in Bastia as well. But anyway, I’ll check in with you then and it’ll be
a big welcome to Corsica. I can’t wait! Coming up next time – we finally
arrive at Corsica – we take in some stunning mountain scenery and we
stop in a beautiful town for lunch
2 Comments
Great series. It would be nice if you could share a google map or similar showing your route!
Beautiful vlog!! Nice one!