RAIL BIKE

RAIL BIKE OF PRADELLES
Office de Tourisme - 43240 - Pradelles
Information directly into Gare de Pradelles
A ride extraordinary relaxation in bicycle-rail at 1000 m of altitude.
Come and escape in the middle of the natural riches of the volcanic Velay. The nature moment punctuated by the tolling of the rails...

Using this old railway line dating from the end of the 19th century, how not to feel struck by the magnitude of the work of men?

Tunnel of Valletta at 950 metres altitude,
173 metres long.
Departing from the station of Pradelles, is the invitation to an extraordinary journey to the quiet rhythm of the rail bike.
Group or family, you will discover a railway decommissioned, line that travels between landes broom, cultures of lenses and bogs. On an available 18 kilometre journey, you will have the possibility to make a nature discovery in the middle of a country water and volcanoes have shaped. Bicycle-rail in the land of the horse: a range of products adapted to your physical condition and your availability.


Viaduct of the Mazignon at an altitude of 980 metres, 5 arches of 15 m and a length of 75 metres.
The goods from end to end service was maintained daily until the end of the 1960s, then was more assertive than at the least cost, in almost artisanal conditions: thus, in 1973, there were departing from le Puy, two rotations limited Coubon-Volhac and Bernice.
Every Monday, at the end of the important market of Costaros, the last cited movement led some wagons of cattle up to Pradelles, where they were picked up by the switcher from Langogne station and then finally harnessed, in this last station, train Clermont-Ferrand - Nîmes, responsible for driving them to the edge of some southern slaughterhouse.
After the loss of this traffic, section Landos - Langogne was deactivated in April 1981. On the remaining northern portion, served at the request, become train weekly tri was more frequently limited Costaros from the 1980s.
Despite some emotional interest demonstrated by four circulations of special railbuses from 1976 to 1985, the decline continued until the neutralization of November 1, 1988. Since that date, only remains primer Le Puy - Brives-Charensac, served by tractor



Courses from 1 hour to 4 hours on two courses of 15km (tunnels and viaducts)