Areas of natural beauty in France?

>>1261980
Well just like with the other anon thread I'll make a proper post later when I got time, in the meantine there are a few informations here >>1261701

>>1262007
thank you, I'm reading the thread now.

just to clarify a little, my end destination is Spain, so for my stop off in France I'm really looking for somewhere a little quieter (yeah right in July) with a short hike in as it'll be a late start.

Scenic drive is a bonus, as is not too much of a detour from pic related route.

Bumping this because I promised I'd make a post when I could and in the meantime it can't disapear

>>1261980
tarn gorges are great

File: Massif Central topo.jpg (3MB, 2481x3506px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1261980
Here at last
The Morvan and Livradois-Forez have a lot of common points but I'd recommend Livradois-Forez over the Morvan because it's slightly "wilder", higer mountains and less fields/cultivated areas.
However above both I recommend the "Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne", regional park of Auvergne volcanoes. It's isn't a big detour from Livradois-Forez and it will definitely be more spectacular. It has dormant volcanoes, the highest peaks in the Massif Central (Monts Dore), many lakes...
Assuming you take the blue road I also repeat everything I sayed to the other Anon in the other thread, you should definitely stop at the Cévennes national park and surrounding areas.
Your road follows the Rhône and then the Mediterranean coast, the easiest way. I don't know how much time you have but I highly recommend ditching some parts of the coast to instead drive south following the mountains, pic related. It didn't draw a precise line at all but my point is the coast, albeit interesting, doesn't have the best natural areas out there whereas if you follow the mountains you'll get to see many, many different things, even if it doesn't go straight to the south.
I live in the coast where your itinerary goes and know the beauty of the nearby mountains, the Espinouse and Caroux range offer great hikes, the first one with forested round peaks and the second one with very rocky and steep ones (and other places I won't mention here because already did in the other thread I linked)

(cont)

File: Monts du Forez nuages.jpg (292KB, 1900x896px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263214
Then when you are finally out of the Massif Central and ready to go to Spain you also have several options. You can join the coastline road directly or make a quick detour to the Corbières range (where the red line goes in my pic above).
To explain: unlike the Spanish side where the Pyrenees rise slowly, they are quite a brutal wall on the French side. Well the Corbières range is pretty much the only place in France where the Pyrenees start slowly, they are the pre-Pyrenees with peaks around 1000m high, devoid of foreign tourists, many famous ruined castles (the Cathars castles), and great hikes that doesn't require as much precautions as the Pyrenees themselves or the Alps.
When you are done you can either go to Spain with the coastline road, which is very beautiful, great Mediterranean feel with all the cliff-side vineyards looking over the sea, or through the Pyrenees which obviously are also great.

Also when you mentionned the "Pilat" I assume you weren't talking about the Dune du Pilat because that's a huge detour*

As a conclusion: once you are past the Morvan the road will be squeezed between maaaany beautiful places, in the Massif Central, Jura range, and Alps. So you will have to make several detour to see the most interesting things, because the google map road only follows the highway in between those places. I didn't talk about the Jura and stuff because I don't know those places as much as I know the Massif Central and my coast. Also didn't talk about villages and town because you requested natural areas.
Now for some pics

File: Puy-de-Dôme paysage.jpg (233KB, 2200x600px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263216

File: Puy de Sancy paysage.jpg (2MB, 2048x1152px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263217

File: Parc national des Cévennes paysage.jpg (691KB, 1728x1000px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263219

File: Monts de l'Espinouse_Hérault paysage.jpg (281KB, 1600x584px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263220

File: Monts du Caroux paysage_Hérault.jpg (1MB, 2000x1500px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263221

File: Château de Quéribus (Aude).jpg (816KB, 2000x1333px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263223

File: Massif des Corbières paysage.jpg (327KB, 1024x678px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1263224

File: Vignobles de Banyuls.jpg (292KB, 1721x727px) Image search: [Google]

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Coastal road to Spain

wow great content, thanks anon

I did a roadtrip myself through the south of France/Italy/Switzerland and around the Alps is supremely beautiful, as well as Provence. We stayed in St-Remy and Annecy. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

>>1263375
A pleasure
I love my contry and people who take genuine interest in it, and I think despite being one of the most visited country out there are we still have hidden gems

File: IMG_5223.jpg (3MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1261980
Verdon Gorges.

Calanques.

pic related. verdon gorges.

File: DSCN1882.jpg (4MB, 5152x3864px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1261980
calanques

>>1263474
>>1263476

Not OP here, they are both beautiful but will be full of tourists during summer

>>1261980
Oh and also OP, I notice google only gave you 2 itineraries, but there is actually a highway running through the Massif Central via Clermont-Ferrand, the A71
It would bring you closer to most the places I mentionned than the other 2

>>1263423
>Cévennes national park

Now that I've digested what you've suggested I've started incorporating it into our plan,,

The Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne sounds like a great shout, and is in the right kind of spot for a stop before heading on.

We'll for sure take teh A75 down and probably cut across Espinouse as you suggested.

I think we're also going to try and hit the Gorges de Galanus or some other balcony roads - there are a few gnarly ones near Grenoble that my buddy wants to drive.

Unfortunately we won't have much time for detours (we have 1-2 days to get where we're going). I have family in Provence and have spent many Summers there.
I LOVE the south of France but I know how chocablock it is with tourists!

Any recommendations of places to wild camp in the Bourgogne or NW Rhone Alps?

File: Gorges de la Bourne route 01.jpg (708KB, 1200x686px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1264142
If you are interested in balcony roads the gorges de Galamus are a good choice. It also has a religious building built inside a cliffside, the hermitage de Galamus, should you be interested.
There are also the roads of the gorges de la Bourne, gorge de la Nesque, gorges de Daluis/Cians, among others. I'll let you look up on google where they are, but mostly east in Provence unlike the gorges de Galamus. The gorges du Verdon also offer great roads and it's one of the most magnificent place of the country, the other anon mentionned it as well, but it's true it will be full of tourists.

The A71/75 is a good idea if you choose to visit mostly moutains of the Massif Central, if you choose to go near Grenobles well you'll have to take another road.

I don't really know about north-west Rhône-Alpes, I know it does have many beautiful places with the Alps and the Jura but I don't really know specifics. I've been in the Alps but not there. I guess any mountain road over there would be pretty scenic, but with your tight schedule I don't image you can afford to wander there aimlessly
Don't know much about Bourgogne either sorry, except it's one of the most forested French region and there may be a national park in a near future. So it must have plenty spots for camping but again I couldn't tell you precisely where to go

If you've been to Provence you should definitely go to the south-west one day, Aquitaine is based as fuck and very different from the south-east it's worth seing both since most stereotypes about southern France comes from Provence

If you are in Nice you should climb the hill to the East. Many tourists miss this little gem, theres a few great little restaurants tucked at back of the hill.

>>1264225
Won't be going so far east bit thanks for the suggestion

File: Espinouse route.jpg (445KB, 1969x1329px) Image search: [Google]

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Since you mentionned balcony roads and the Espinouse, the D 180 road there is one of the most scenic

https://montagne-hautlanguedoc.com/pays-du-haut-languedoc/espinouse/

bump out of interest
also op check the laws about wild camping