Échappées belles – Les villages du Gard

Encore plus de vidéo https://www.france.tv/france-5/echappees-belles/
Et pour ne rater aucune de vos Échappées belles, abonnez-vous ici : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-HX7z7qJlbuYvhTa3VhGKQ/featured?sub_confirmation=1

Échappées belles – Les villages du Gard 20 septembre 2025

Le Gard, entre Cévennes, Provence et Camargue, offre un paysage pluriel où le temps semble suspendu, entre les pierres des ruelles, les rituels d’autrefois et les parfums d’une nature généreuse. Des vestiges préhistoriques aux cités médiévales perchées, en passant par les ponts romains ou les menhirs oubliés, chaque recoin semble garder en secret une part du mystère des hommes. Fêtes votives, contes populaires, artisanats anciens, ici les traditions ne s’exposent pas, elles se vivent et se partagent. Territoire ancré dans son passé, le Gard regarde aussi vers l’avenir et attire artistes et créateurs qui trouvent dans ses lumières dorées et ses paysages contrastés un souffle créatif unique.

-Jérôme, let’s take a look at what route we’re doing? A little program for today, it’s going to be nice. -It’s not a stage of the Tour, reassure me? -No, not too much. We’re doing a little less, but hey… -You’re a seasoned cyclist, not me. -We’re leaving from Monteils, our little hamlet here. We take this tiny road through fields of cherry trees, apricot trees, vineyards, lavender fields… There, it’s a nice long descent in a national forest. We arrive at Saint-Laurent and we go back up to see the Chartreuse de Valbonne. We go back down and arrive at La Roque-sur-Cèze, our destination. -Come on, saddle up. -Let’s go. -It’s just extremely pleasant. -Aren’t we feeling good here? -With these little birds giving us a most musical welcome. Birdsong. Olivier, before you had guesthouses like Maison Papillons, were you a guide? Not just locally, I think you did long-distance trips, right? -Yes, I worked for an American bike company for 7 years. I guided all over France. I was the head guide in Corsica, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Provence, and Burgundy. It’s very nice. -Are you a seasoned cyclist? -We try to be. You know, with age… -You don’t seem to be suffering. -It’s okay. I admit that I really like guiding here. It’s a region that I really like. We’re still in the South, we have smells… Look, a cherry orchard right next door. There are lots of things happening, lots of flavors, here. I particularly like this part of France. That’s good, I live here. -Yes, it’s not a random choice. -Exactly. On your left, you’ll have a small rose garden with the church behind it. -It’s vast. -It’s one of the most beautiful charterhouses in Europe, a very large one. Around the charterhouse, you have a lot of hiking trails, too. What do you think of a little ice cream in the square? How about that? -It’s an excellent idea. -Look at this. We’ll be comfortable here. -HELLO. -Here are the supplies we need. Is it homemade ice cream? -Organic, artisanal ice cream, yes. Made in Ardèche. -I’ll try hazelnut. -A scoop of hazelnut? -Yes, please. -I’ll have passion fruit. Come on. -Have a nice rest of the day. -Have a good day, goodbye. -You see, the cobblestones on the ground? They come from the river. They made the streets with cobblestones. In front of you, you have the church, which dates from the 19th century, so rather recent. There’s a very old church at the top of the village, where we’re going. -It’s charming. -It’s superb, eh? Here, we’re really in a very old part of the village. At the very top, we’ll arrive at the castle. On your left, you have the medieval castle and adjoining it, the first church that was built. -It’s an integral part of the building. -Exactly. We’re going back down into the village. There’s a must-see in La Roque, the Sautadet waterfalls. -Let’s go see that. -Here we are, the Sautadet waterfalls. You’ll see that there are large slabs of limestone that have been hollowed out by time and that form large holes. -The limestone has turned into Gruyère, a little, in fact. -That’s a bit like it, yes. You see, that’s where it starts, the formations, the large holes. -I see there are red flags. No swimming, you can understand why, when you see the current… It’s not a good idea to venture into the water. -Every year, people jump into the water and it’s a cauldron. It remains very dangerous, there are accidents every year. At the end of this meander which lasts 200 or 300 m, over there, there is the beach where normally, all the people go to swim. It’s still a particular geological formation. It’s very impressive, this limestone, these little waterfalls falling like that. In any case, it’s a site that’s very popular in the region. It’s one of the remarkable sites in the Cèze Valley. -I really like this kind of site because it’s alive. In a year, the landscape will have changed a little. I always find it very impressive what nature can produce. -It’s different every season, it’s incredible. I suggest we go back to the Butterfly House. We have a short 15-kilometer ride, not necessarily hilly, afterward, we have a little dinner. -Planned there? -Do you fancy it? -I think I’ll go home at 150 km/h. -Let’s go. -Hello! How are you? -How are you, Caro? I didn’t expect to see so many people. -We invited the whole village. -It’s great! You’ve brought together a lot of foodies. -Lots of friends, people from here… -How often do you do this? -2 to 3 times a week. We have a chef at home, as you can see. They’re working, you can see them through the window. -I’m not going to resist the urge to go and see her do it. -Go ahead. -I’ll be right back. -There’s the olive oil over there. -Good evening. -GOOD EVENING. -I’m always curious about what’s going on in the kitchen. As apparently, you left it a bit of a mystery earlier by saying there were lots of surprises… -Yes, we do surprises. -Do you work as a couple? -Yes. -The idea is to go… -We do nomadic cooking. We travel. When people are nice, we go. -Is your cooking in the same direction, the same approach as what Olivier and Caroline do? -We share a love of the land, and a desire to support the people who bring it to life year-round. That’s why we work a lot with local producers, people we often know who work well, who pay attention to what they do. We’re also keen to showcase local cuisine, that of our travels, of our origins. -You don’t have a Gard accent. -Not at all. -Where are you from? -From Saint-Etienne. Luckily I don’t have a Saint-Etienne accent. -It’s that particular accent. We like accents. And you, where are you from? -From Lyon. -Not very far. That’s good, they’re not two cities that… -No, not at all. -I’ll let you work. I can’t wait to taste your work. -See you later. In the small bowls, you have labneh. On top, there’s an olive oil from our friends in Ardèche. On top, a blend of spices called dukkah and artichoke focaccia and sage from the garden. Enjoy. -Thank you. It’s original. -I hope you enjoyed this bike ride ? -I loved it. Really. The scenery and also the enthusiasm you put into it. We can tell that it’s something you’re passionate about, cycling and the region, that you know it well. You put your heart into it, in any case. -In any case, thank you. -Bravo, Maison Papillons. Congratulations to you both, for what you’ve accomplished, achieved, through talent, but also physical investment and passion. I wish you many wonderful things in the future and I’ll come back to see you. -THANK YOU.