Family-friendly and safe: we tested the Vineyard bike path linking Les Arcs to Châteaudouble

Monday, 9:30 a.m. I cling to a bike like a grape to its branch. My rental choice is a modern mountain bike in a bright orange color. The trail has the advantage of being accessible to all types of cycling, from tandems to mountain bikes. So, with all due respect to those who have invested in a carbon bike, we'll be playing in the same category this time... Or not!

With asphalt as a surface, I set off towards La Clappe, the first stop on my 20-kilometer route. The path is shaded and flat, so I take advantage of it. If the sun is already shining, I can pedal without suffocating.

After a few minutes, I spot the first vineyards, arranged in parallel rows. I pause and admire the chromatic appearance of the bunch, sheltering the first purple colors of the berries, alternating with the still green hues of a certain number of grapes. Despite these few plants, several passages offer no view of a wine estate. Enough to question the name of the circuit. A vineyard by bike without a vineyard?

A safe, family-friendly trail

In any case, this is the reflection I raise about the section from Draguignan to Trans-en-Provence. Very busy, there are cyclists, walkers, runners and strollers, but no trace of vines. On the contrary! A pile of rubbish litters the edges of the path near the junction at Draguignan. A difficult symbiosis when you expect to see a noble grape transformed into a vulgar bag of crisps. As for the rest of the path, I don't complain; it's clean and very well maintained.

The route offers an intercommunal network. And, to the delight of contradicting myself, a few pedal strokes allow me to see the Var vineyards blooming again. Particularly on the section from Le Muy to Arcs-sur-Argens, enhanced by the song of the cicadas.

The testimonies collected along the route are glowing: safe, shaded, and family-friendly. Another user assures me that these are "necessary and sustainable investments." One Canadian woman even confided that she wanted to spread her ashes on the trail. Illegal, certainly, but poetic...

Other routes are under consideration. This is the case for the section between Les Arcs-sur-Argens and Taradeau, the start of which is facing "blockages due to land issues," says an agent at the urban area. Discussions are also underway on the section from the Sainte-Roseline roundabout to the communes of La Motte and Le Muy.