The Charcoal Burners of Vercors - Cycling and Cheese

Initially, the village of Saint-Martin-en-Vercors is in a green cirque, surrounded by forests, at an altitude of 750 m, it enjoys a mild climate on this southern slope, in the shade of the famous Sully lime tree dating from the 16th century, adorning the small village square. An atmosphere that deserves to linger there at the start or at the finish... We travel through the hamlets through the meadows to reach Saint-Julien-en-Vercors by a 2 km climb. After enjoying Saint-Julien-en-Vercors and in particular the Café Brochier, we retrace our steps to reach the Briac plateau and cross its various hamlets. The surrounding forest, the Bois de l'Allier, was home to charcoal burners who worked on the production of charcoal essential to the local metallurgy. The end of the plateau approaches and we embark on a good, twisting descent allowing us to reach the hamlet of Tourtre and then the village of Saint-Martin-en-Vercors.