The Pont du Gard

Remoulins old town is nothing particularly special, but it’s our stop for the night for a reason. That’s because this has one of the most spectacular sights in all of France – The Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct.

Fortunately, there’s a really good Aire just beyond the river bridge at Remoulins. This is a Camping-Car Park Aire so it’s easier if you join the scheme before leaving home. If you’re not a member already, you can join at the entrance machine, but one fellow traveller was having great difficulty doing just that during our stay.

Remoulins is the nearest town to the Pont du Gard site, and has plenty of cafe type establishments along its long main road. However, there’s not much in the way of food shops, maybe because there’s an out of town area before the town, but that’s a little too far on foot. In other words, our search for milk didn’t get us very far, so it’s tea and coffee without milk for a couple of days.

Walking to The Pont du Gard

After a night on the Aire, we set out the following morning to walk the traffic-free path to The Pont du Gard itself. The good thing about this Aire is its location, being only about 20 minutes on foot to this remarkable site.

There’s also a cycle path which takes just 5 minutes from the Aire, so this really is a perfect place to stop.

The tree-lined walkways pass a campsite, which is still open during our visit in early October. Then as we arrive at the parking areas for the Pont du Gard, Nigel takes an unexpected tumble. We can’t believe it, as he remains on the dusty path while he gathers his composure. He’s fallen to the ground, twisting his ankle on a small dip in the path.

This is an ankle he broke a few years ago, so it’s a bit vulnerable to say the least. As he hobbles back to his feet, we catch our first glimpse of this mighty structure. There in all its glory is the absolutely mesmerising stone arches of The Pont du Gard.

Visitor centre and parking

Our walking route hasn’t taken us to a visitor centre which is a bit strange. Instead, the footpath, leads towards the aqueduct and beautiful river. Our route misses the visitor centre out until we’re leaving, when we exit via a different path. There are toilets there, but none on this path towards the river.

It’s many years since our last visit and the parking area is different. If you’re driving to the site itself, there’s a barrier entrance and payment for parking. I remember us parking here in our first motorhome, when it was just a dusty open area leading up to the river. There were lovely wooden sun loungers on the waters edge where you could sunbathe and swim.

Unfortunately, we’re disappointed to see these are no longer here, although the parking area is now properly marked out and a sealed surface.

What is The Pont du Gard?

We first came to The Pont du Gard on recommendation of an elderly motorhome couple that we got talking to on an Aire in Bergerac. That was 20 years ago and for anyone who hasn’t seen this superb structure, then I’d certainly say it’s one of the must see sights in France.

The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct dating to the 1st century, built by 1000 workers over a 5 year period. It’s actually one of the best preserved Roman structures in the World, it’s quite simply extraordinary.

At 49m high and running a length of 50km from its source in Uzes to Nimes. The aqueduct supplied water to Nimes for 5 centuries and was built using stone from the Estel quarry just 600m downstream.

Exploring the site

We walk from the dirt paths of the river bank up towards a tree-lined promenade. Here we find cafe’s and toilets, along with good views of the aqueduct. It’s a great place to sit and take it all in and luckily for us there are few people here.

There’s no entrance fee, so you can walk onto the lower section of the aqueduct and marvel at its huge construction. However, there’s no walking elsewhere, although you can book a guided tour. This costs about 15 Euro and guides take visitors up to the 3rd tier of the aqueduct.

We walk beyond, along a marked footpath to a viewpoint above the river bank. From here we’re able to get a birds eye view, giving a different perspective.

By now, there’s numerous groups arriving with lanyards and cameras in hand. A reminder it does get busy here, even in October.

After exploring the footpaths and finding a rather dark tunnel, we head for a soft drink on a shady terraced cafe. With fine views of the aqueduct and taking time for Nigel to rest his ankle before walking back to the campervan.

Glimmering in the Autumn sun

The river is flat calm, shallow and crystal clear today. However, we have seen a very different side to this river. That’s because on our last visit some years ago, rains had brought floods and a thick brown tinge to this normally picturesque stretch of water.

In contrast, our first visit saw people swimming, whilst today we watch canoes glide by.

This wonderful, 2000 year old structure is somewhat magical in the glimmering, late afternoon Autumn sun. For now we’re going to remember its charismatic draw as we walk back to the Aire at Remoulins.

Today, seeing the magical Pont du Gard again is as special as the very first time. This is one impressive monument and being here is very humbling indeed.

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