Pont-en-Royans / Presles (step 18)

4 points of interest

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  View of Pont-en-Royans

  It is one of the most famous villages of Dauphiné, thanks to its houses hanging above the Bourne. In this narrow site, surrounded by mountains, one had to gain space. Many houses, built in advance on the rock, are actually suspended in the void, with wooden supports. It was very practical at the time to fish and get water. Today, a water museum is set up in the heart of the village.

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  Gorges of the Bourne

  The Bourne is the main river of the Vercors, which drains all the rainwater, make snow, but also all the waters that have circulated in the kilometers of galleries and caves. These subterranean waters recover the open air by resurgences which form periodic majestic cascades emerging as if by enchantment of the rock and coming to dress up the great limestone cliffs, symbols of the landscapes of the Vercors. This torrential river also marks the territory as a way of communication between the top and the bottom. It stimulates the passions, like a magnet in this relatively dry territory, since a large part of the water circulates in the subsoil. She quietly finishes her race at St Nazaire-en-Royans in a lake located at the confluence with the Isère. For the fishermen this river is still a myth in front of the richness of its aquatic ecosystem which is home to a large population of trout and other fish. We must ensure that uses (hydropower, irrigation, agriculture, development) do not degrade this vital vein for the territory, in an uncertain future subject to the vagaries of climate change.

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  Circus of Bournillon

  From the path, a belvedere allows you to admire the waterfall of Moulin Marquis and the Cirque du Bournillon. With its 400 m of fall, it is one of the most important waterfalls in France. At its foot stands the cave of Bournillon with its magnificent porch. This cave is today the temporary emergence of the largest karst basin of the Vercors.

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  The Goulandière

  The ruins of Goulandière tell the story of men who came to cultivate the land in this hamlet lost in the heart of the forest of Coulmes, without any water, as a challenge to nature. The houses are built on the rock, not to reduce the fields gained on the forest. The recent rehabilitation of the hamlet makes it possible to imagine this rude existence. Theme circuits invite you to discover the lifestyles of the Middle Ages.