and the Chapeauroux Viaduct
Le Nouveau-Monde (The New World) owes its existence and its name to the construction in the 19th century of a ground-breaking railway line linking Paris to Marseille. Located on the east bank of the Allier River, at the foot of the protected, listed cliffs of Le Thord, the hamlet looks across to the Chapeauroux Viaduct with its 28 arches.
Map of the route
Map of the route
17 Le Pont d'Alleyras / Saint-Haon - Nouveau Monde
Having relaxed a little and feeling reinvigorated, time to get going again on your adventure along the Via Allier cycle route. You’ll need to use those leg muscles to tackle the slopes up to the Devès volcanic plateau, crossing through exceptional, unspoilt, traditional natural parts. Enjoy the many views down onto the Allier Gorges, offering good excuses to stop and catch your breath, observing more closely the landscapes here, so marked by fire and water. At Saint-Haon, take the time for a little detour to the hamlet of Le Thord to enjoy exceptional views over the Allier Gorges and the viaduct at Chapeauroux.
18 Saint-Haon - Nouveau Monde / Langogne
You may be reaching the end of the Via Allier cycle route, but the hamlet of Le Nouveau Monde makes for a stunning start to this last stage. Located in the parish of Chapeauroux, the combination here of curving 19th-century railway viaduct and basalt cirque (or geological amphitheatre), dug out by the river over millions of years, makes for a glorious sight. Pedal beside the river and the Cévennes railway line for a time before climbing onto the Devès Plateau to reach the little medieval town of Pradelles, at the frontier between the Auvergne and Occitanie Regions.