Published on 18 May 2022
For this last idea of getaway in Ardèche Hautes Vallées, we suggest you a trip of two days and one night across the whole destination!
Ardèche Hautes Vallées is a very vast territory, precisely defined by its different geographical sectors and the diversity they offer to this region. We wanted to enjoy all these treasures!
Our little journey begins in Saint-Pierreville, a typical Ardèche village. We take the time to stroll through the streets animated by the market. Stone houses, flowery streets, stalls of local products… This small village is alive, a friendly atmosphere reigns. A magnificent hike is offered to us to enjoy this unique scenery of reliefs facing us.
We quickly understood it by crossing the roads with chestnut trees to arrive, here is the country of chestnut. Then a visit to the Chestnut House is essential! This museum is part of the authenticity of the village. A nice free visit allows us to explore three floors of exhibition. A visit booklet accompanies our discovery. Games and riddles make us interact with the facilities.
A visit to the shop ends our visit: chestnut cream, chestnut flour, chestnut biscuits… There is a wide range of products, it is ideal to leave with a piece of this local gem with us.
Ardelaine is also a must in Saint-Pierreville. Located on the site of a former spinning mill, this local development cooperative offers 4 guided tours to discover the know-how around wool. Mowing, carding, mattress manufacturing, sewing, styling, knitting… The entire wool industry has been restructured! The visit is very informative and interesting, for both adults and children who can meet the sheeps.
In the late afternoon, we take the road for an hour to cross this beautiful region. We leave the chestnut trees to go up the Eyrieux valley to the Ardèche plateau. An amazing change of scenery that makes us appreciate the journey to Mars. It is not the planet but a village located further north on the territory. Although we are not embarking on a journey into space, we are going into the stars at Planet Mars. This observatory welcomes us for an evening of stargazing in the company of an astronomy mediator.
We start with a guided tour of the observatory. We discover the many quality optical instruments: glasses, telescopes, solarscopes… We then discover the dome that houses a large telescope of professional quality, specialized in astrophotography and the study of the stars. After all these learnings, let’s practice! We embark on an exploration of the sky and constellations. The mediator teaches us how to observe the stars with the naked eye and using the instruments. The site is renowned for the quality of the sky away from light pollution, ideal to study stars.
After this magical evening, we leave with stars in our eyes to spend an unusual night. We test the accommodations of Nuits D’y Cimes in Jaunac, nestled at 900 m altitude. Each one is decorated with their theme: Romance, Cotton, Meadow… We will sleep in the brand new bubble: Glam’. The transparency of the structure places us as close as possible to the surrounding nature, while being in a cocoon of serenity. In the morning, the sun rises in front of us to reveal the magnificent panorama of the Eyrieux valley.
We are right next to the Rock of Brion, which we had the opportunity to explore during a previous adventure. We enjoy the breakfast included in the night on the terrace, then we enjoy other bubbles: the ones of the jacuzzi.
Our trip ends with this great moment of relaxation. We leave with a lots of memories after these two days filled with emotions and magic.