La Vigne à Vélo section #5 | Greenway Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence


La Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence

Layout

This stretch (4 km long and 3 m wide of asphalt) offers users traffic-free cycling or in-line skating.

It follows the route of the lost railway line between Les Arcs and Draguignan put into operation in 1864 by the PLM Company.

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - Draguignan - PLM railway station - arrival of a train The poscard of that time shows a train arriving in Draguignan PLM station from Les Arcs.

The second poscard of that time shows the PLM station square before the age of the motor vehicle. And the same station square while everyone has a car.Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - Draguignan - PLM railway station

It is worth mentioning that in Draguignan, the Vigne à Vélo connects to the new mediterranean long-distance cycling route EuroVelo 8 (EV8) that follows another lost railway line called Central-Var (or Train des Pignes in popular usage) operated by SF Company to link The Rhône valley to the Comté de Nice (County of Nice) via the Durance valley and the back country.

Both companies had their own station in Draguignan. A few words of explanation on the story How railway beds turns into bicycle paths... in the last section of this page.

The railway station (last stop) of the PLM Company, reconverted into la Halte Routière (bus terminal) has de facto become the historical endpoint of this part of the bicycle route La Vigne à Vélo.

Landscapes

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - along the VHV electrical substationThis section runs through woodlands and also along commercial, industrial and residential areas.
The map of the Section Draguignan > Trans-en-Provence shows more details of the terrain.

Start point (alt. 183 m)

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - Draguignan - PLM railway station reconverted into bus terminalThe Halte Routière (bus terminal) of Draguignan built against the old PLM passenger building (provençal style building with red tiles at the very right of the picture) of the rail link to Les Arcs.

The picture shows the place where the tracks have been removed. The available space is nowadays used for car parking in every nook and cranny.

Arrival point (alt. 156 m)

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - Trans - former train stationOld railway station of Trans-en-Provence

Other access

Riding from Draguignan, junctions with road network are possible at:
  • km 0.3 (Boulevard du Comte Muraire - alt. 182 m)
  • km 0.7 (Avenue du 15eme Corps D'Armée - D555 - alt. 180 m)
  • km 2.0 (Chemin du Bois des Demoiselles - alt. 165 m)
  • km 3.5 (Route du Plan - alt. 168 m)

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - panneau d'information Boulevard du Comte MuraireAt Boulevard du Comte Muraire, this road sign shows the map of cycling routes and greenways around Draguignan, either completed or just planned (dotted lines) i.e.:

- the local intervillage cycling route La Vigne à Vélo. The route of La Vigne à Vélo Vidauban - Taradeau - Les Arcs - La Motte - Le Muy - Trans en provence - Draguignan is shown in green on this map.
- the Mediterranean long-distance cycling route EuroVelo 8 (EV8) in red
- some regional tourist routes (that follow roads) issued by the conseil général du var (county council) in blue.

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - panneau d'information Route du PlanAt Route du Plan, this other road sign shows aerial photography of the greenway Vigne à Vélo Draguignan - Trans (section 5 - 4 km) together with traffic rules and some tourism information as well.

Waypoints

  • km 0.8 (under bridge - Boulevard des Oliviers )
  • km 1.5 (over bridge - Boulevard Jean Mermoz)
  • km 1.7 (over bridge - Nartuby river)
  • km 1.9 (over bridge - Chemin des Incapis)

Facilities

Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - Banks set up along the greenwayVigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence - Car park at south endpoint situated Route du Plan nearby the old railway station of Trans-en-ProvenceBanks and picnic areas have been set up along the greenway.

A car park is available at south endpoint situated Route du Plan nearby the old railway station of Trans-en-Provence.

⚠ Safety Tips:

  1. km 3.0 (poste électrique et lignes THT - substation and VHV 400 kV electrical lines )

How to get to La Vigne à Vélo Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence

North Endpoint

Location
Halte Routière (bus terminal) situated Boulevard des Fleurs 83300 Draguignan.
GPS
GPS N 43° 32' 3 - E 6° 27' 49

South Endpoint

Location
Ancienne Gare (old railway station) de Trans situated along the D1555 four-lane highway at number 485-561. The place is called Saint-Roch.
Address
3 Route du Plan 83720 Trans-en-Provence
GPS
N 43° 30' 16 - E 6° 28' 56

Services Nearby

This section links to

  • Halte Routière (bus terminal) of Draguignan
  • Draguignan town centre
  • Trans-en-Provence village centre (500m)

How railway beds turns into bicycle paths...

Old winding metric-gauge railroads follow the contour lines and cross the countryside in harmony with its surroundings.
Gradually closed because ever-faster is now trendy, the practice of bicycle touring is being giving them a second life.

When the train is away, the cyclist will play !

Slopes are gentle, landscape is mostly unspoilt, state of the art civil engineering works are still there. So why not try it ?

Draguignan once by train

From Draguignan it was once possible to take a train ticket for Les Arcs-sur-Argens (12 km south - with connection to the line Paris - Marseilles - Nice) or for the inland line Nice - Meyrargues described below.
Each company had its own station in Draguignan, both located side by side at the current place of La Halte Routière (bus terminal) and l'école maternelle Jean Jaurès (nursey school).

Old railway Les Arcs - Draguignan

It was a 12 km long single-track line put into operation by PLM in 1864 and closed by SNCF in 1981.
This line was connected to the main PLM network Paris - Marseilles - Nice).
Origins/Destinations of this line (1.435 m) was Les Arcs | La Motte | Trans | Draguignan (last stop)

It is replaced now with a bus shuttle - Ligne 5 | Les Arcs Gare SNCF - Draguignan Halte Routière.

Old railway Nice - Rhône Valley via Draguignan

It was a 210 km long line called Central-Var (or Train des Pignes in popular usage) operated by SF (1889-1938) then by SNCF until it closed in 1950.
The idea was an inland rail link between the Rhône valley to the Comté de Nice (County of Nice - annexed by France a few years earlier in 1860) in order to satisfy both the military and the politicians: the existing line along the coast was considered too exposed to italian fleet and too far from central Var towns.
Main Origins/Destinations of this line Nice - Meyrargues (metre gauge) wasNice (département 06 - Les Alpes Maritimes) | Vence | Grasse | Fayence (département 83 - Le Var) | Draguignan | Lorgues | Barjols | Rians | Meyrargues (département 13 - Les Bouches du Rhône).

It was closed in 1950 after it had benn considered too expensive to rebuild the viaduc du Loup (stone bridge between Grasse and Vence) destroyed near the end of World War II in 1944.

The railroad bed has been reclassified in many place as public roadways like in Draguignan with the following streets:
Westward,
towards Flayosc: Avenue des Vignerons - Avenue des Anciens Combattants d'Afrique du Nord - Boulevard Léo Lagrange - Avenue du Pont d'Aups - Avenue du Col de l'Ange - Avenue de Tuttlingen - Avenue Salvatore Allende (D557)- D557 in direction of Flayosc; Eastward,
towards Figanières: Avenue des Vignerons - Avenue du 15eme Corps D'Armée (D555) - Avenue du 18 juin 40 - Avenue Julien Gazelle - Avenue de Verdun - D59 - Avenue de la Vaugine - then in direction of Figanières

Draguignan now... by bike

Les Arcs - Draguignan on the Vigne à Vélo

The current greenway La Vigne à Vélo Draguignan - Trans (section 5 - 4 km) follows the course of the old PLM railway Les Arcs - Draguignan between the old PLM station of Draguignan and the old railway station of Trans-en-Provence.

Peymeinade -  Rians on the EuroVelo 8

The current EuroVelo 8 follows the course of the old SF railway Nice - Meyrargues between Rians and Peymeinade via Draguignan.
It comes from Spain by le massif du Lubéron then le Col de l'Ange, pass over the bridge le Pont d'Aups, then Avenue du Pont d'Aups, Avenue de Montferrat, Boulevard de la Liberté, Boulevard Carnot, Boulevard John Kennedy, Avenue Jacqueline Badord, Avenue de la Grande Armée, Avenue de la Vaugine and keep going in direction of Italy then Greece via Figanières

The map of the route in Draguignan may help.

more readings

The six sections of La Vigne à Vélo

  1. Vidauban - Taradeau - Les Arcs
  2. Les Arcs - Sainte Roseline
  3. Sainte Roseline - La Motte - Le Muy
  4. Sainte Roseline - Le Muy
  5. Draguignan-Trans-en-Provence
  6. Trans - La Motte