Quiet lanes, hedged farmland, Bresse farmhouses and the banks of the Saône: from the campsite, the L’Ain à vélo network is yours to explore at your own pace, on a family ride or a tour of several days.
A network across the whole département
L’Ain à vélo is the Ain département’s cycle network: around 1,100 km of routes signposted in both directions, mostly on quiet minor roads. It links up with greenways and long-distance routes such as the Voie Bleue along the Saône and the ViaRhôna. The Bresse is gently rolling, perfect for unhurried pedalling between meadows, hedgerows and villages with cob and half-timbered farmhouses.
Three family loops around Pont-de-Vaux
The Pays de Bâgé et de Pont-de-Vaux tourist office offers three leisure loops carrying the L’Ain à vélo label, designed with families in mind:
- ‘Dunes et bocage’ (no. 1, nearly 30 km) starts from the Dunes des Charmes at Sermoyer, a surprising sandy landscape protected as a sensitive natural area, and passes very close to the campsite;
- ‘Les 2 rives de la Saône’ (no. 2, about 22 km) follows the Pont-de-Vaux canal and then the Voie Bleue, returning through the farmland of Arbigny and Saint-Bénigne;
- ‘Circuit des maraîchers’ (no. 3, nearly 30 km) takes in Gorrevod church, the peat heath of Les Oignons at Boz, Chevroux, Manziat and Ozan.
Please note that these loops are not yet signposted on the ground, so download the GPX tracks from the tourist office website before you set off.
Several days in the saddle
Fancy a cycling tour? Two L’Ain à vélo itineraries start from Pont-de-Vaux and can be ridden from April to October. ‘La Bresse, étranges sarrasines’ (3 days, 127 km, intermediate) goes via Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes, follows La Traverse greenway to Montrevel-en-Bresse, heads on to Vonnas and returns along the Voie Bleue via Mâcon. More ambitious, ‘Du bocage bressan aux étangs de la Dombes’ is a 264 km loop over 7 days. La Traverse itself, a former railway line turned greenway, links Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes and Bourg-en-Bresse away from traffic.
Practical tips
On much of the network you share the road with cars, so stay alert. Helmets are compulsory for children under 12, and a reflective vest is required outside built-up areas at night or in poor visibility. Take water and a picnic, and when you get back, there is nothing like a dip in the campsite pool.