Exploring Eurovelo 8
in La Provence Verte
Immersive, Slow Cycling from Meyrargues to Les Arcs
The EV8 runs 4500 km from Cadiz to Athens.
Welcome to our stretch
SLOW CYCLING
Watch our short introductory video…..
Welcome
We are Beatrix and Richard, writers, film-makers, and photographers. We’ve been living here in la Provence Verte for over 15 years. As everyday cyclists we are rather chuffed that a European cycle route is being built just 700 metres from our house. We are joined by Odile, who hails from Brittany but has lived here in the south for over 40 years.
EV8 : From Cadiz to Athens
We are here to give you an in-depth taste of the stretch of EuroVelo 8 that passes through our region. From Meyrargues, north of Aix-en-Provence, in the west, to Les Arcs and the approaches to the Cote d’Azur in the east, we take you along the way step by step.
Getting About
Local knowledge about our short stretch of the EV8. Get to know where to stay, eat, get your bike repaired and more as you pass through our area.
Our Philosophy - Slow Cycling
Slow Cycling means cycling for all, not just the super-fit. Slow cyclists ride in a leisurely way, looking up and around you, not just down and ahead. Slow cyclists enjoy the landscape, it, colours and smells. Slow cycling is a social activity, accessible to children and adults alike.
Provence verte
Our stretch of the EuroVelo 8 runs right through the middle of Provence verte, the “Green Provence”, also called the “green lung” of Provence. This friendly region is steeped in history, loves good food, and is dotted with small independent vineyards and olive groves.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Train des Pignes
EuroVelo 8 in Provence will, once it is completed, consist essentially of a converted railway line, the Train des Pignes. The line ran from Meyrargues in the west, where it joined the then main line to Avignon and the north, to Draguignan, and then on to Nice in the east.
The history of the railway line that now hosts EuroVelo 8 is relatively short. Conceived in 1886, and built between 1887 and 1896, the line lasted for little more than half a century. The initial idea for a railway line in Central Var was formulated in the so-called Freycinet plan, named after Charles De Freycinet, minister for Public Works, in 1879. This plan envisaged a line from Nice to Mirabeau, 16 kilometres north east of Meyrargues. But after a feasibility study was carried out in 1882/3, this was quickly changed to Meyrargues.