Team Triplet

Towns and Villages of the Isère Valley

Home Pont-en-Royans St-Marcellin    
Col de la Machine Towns & Villages of the Isère Valley Rides around the Isère Valley A Day in the Alpes Villard-de-Lans
 

2007 Review

Man in Suit

 Shepshed-Domont

 Vercors

 Soar Valley Floods

Frankenhand

 WHR

 

Romans-sur-Isère is the town that is twinned with Coalville.  It is through the Coalville town twinning Association and its links with Romans-sur-Isère that Ceri went to St-Marcillin in 2006 and we hosted a girl in Shepshed in 2007.  We paid two visit to Romans-sur-Isère, both on market day, ie Thursday.  Our trip we got to the market lunch time when it was winding down.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-03-22667

Romans-sur-Isère

Côte Jacquemart - a narrow alley in the town.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-03-22668

ID 2007-08-03-22668

 

Romans-sur-Isère - a water feature statue of a flutist

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-03-22671

Our second visit we made sure we got Romans-sur-Isère in morning so we could go around the main food market to buy French goodies.  The food market at Romans-sur-Isère is spread around the streets that rise up from the river bank.  This is the street that continues straight from the river crossing seen below.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-10-23604

In Romans-sur-Isère, the Isère river is fairly wide.  On the opposite bank is the the town of Bourg-de-Péage.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-03-22674

Bourg-de-Péage is twinned with East Grinstead,  The residents of East Grinstead have presented the town with a classic red phone box where you can make a call on a French telephone.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-10-23596

St-Nazaire-en-Royans a nice little village located around a crossing of the la Bourne, just before its confluence with the Isère.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23434

St-Nazaire-en-Royans is typical of many villages in France, on what was a Route Nationale, N532, which is being down graded to a Departmental Road.  As with many Route National, the main road  goes through the narrow streets and the villages seem to cope.  Whilst we were walking around, there was not un, nor deux, but trios "convoi exceptionnel" going through the village, one of which is seen negotiating one of the bends in the village..

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23434

What makes St-Nazaire-en-Royans interesting is "Canal de la Bourne", which as far as I could tell is a bit like the "New River" in the Lea Valley in Hertfordshire, an open water main in the form of a canal.  In order to cross the la Bourne it does so on an aqueduct which dominates the village.  This is a view looking though the arch that crosses the N532. 

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23455

 

A classic view of St-Nazaire-en-Royans, from the west side of the village from the N532 looking across the aqueduct to the limestone cliffs of the Vercors.  Unfortunately we were graced with better weather before going home to take an afternoon shot.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23451

After visiting St-Nazaire-en-Royans, due to the cloudy weather we went to Valance, the préfecture of Drôme, department 26.  The weather brightened up and after parking the car we emerged from the underground car park to find a nice park between the town and the river Rhône.  The Isère flows into the Rhône just north of Valance.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23462

The town crest in flowers

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23463

Looking back towards the town centre

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23471

Looking across the bandstand in Valance to the cliffs on the opposite bank of the Rhône.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23459

Some views of Valance city centre

©Stephen Dee

2007-08-08-23479

2007-08-08-23480

We drove back through the Vercors to Pont-en-Royens, first climbing over Col des Limouches, 1086m, then Col de la Bataille, 1313m, Col de la Portette, 1175m, Col de Lachau, 1337, Col de Proncel, 1100m.  For those of little faith (ie Ceri's driving instructor!) yes, not only did our car get us all the way to the south of France, it took us up all those cols, plus Alpe-d’Huez, 1850 m and Col du Lautaret, 2058m.

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23483

As we headed down from Col des Limouches to Léoncel, the weather deteriorated and turned to low cloud and rain.  We managed a photo of Abbaye de Léoncel.  After that photos were out of the question.  The advantage of driving over cols such as Col de al Bataille in such weather, is that you do not see how far the drop is either side of the car!

©Stephen Dee

ID 2007-08-08-23486

Home           Top
 

2007 Review

Man in Suit

 Shepshed-Domont

 Vercors

 Soar Valley Floods

Frankenhand

 WHR

 

Page last changed 21 Dec 2007