AE Fontan mountain bike circuit via the Ceva track and the Berghe road

The start of this magnificent mountain bike tour from the village of Fontan, if possible AE as it is long and well worth the effort, is accessible by public transport: TER Nice-Breil-Tende, Trenitalia Ventimiglia-Cuneo, and the Zest 25 Menton-Tende bus line. NB: Rental shop in Breil Recycle 2E

Bicycle access to the TER and Italian trains is free and without reservation - subject to availability at weekends in high season.
From the station shared by the villages of Fontan and Saorge, turn left to reach the village of Fontan. At the crossroads with the RD 6204, turn right and drive up the village.
If you are coming by car from the south and from Breil-sur-Roya, drive through the village of Fontan.
Take the RD 42 on your left towards the hamlets of Berghe inférieur and supérieur: 6 km of road cut into the superb purple pelite, offering breathtaking views over Fontan and the Roya valley.
Possibility of a short round trip to the end of the RD 42 to contemplate the hamlet nestled against the mountain of Berghe supérieur.
Before the washhouse at the entrance to Berghe inférieur, which is set on its terraces, surrounded by chestnut groves, turn left towards Les Celles/les plateaux de la Ceva/lac Jugale/vallée des Merveilles. You will discover a mountain landscape sculpted by rural life, culture and transhumance: barns at Amatte, Coulette, Ughetto...
Climb another 7 km to the place called Celles, entrance to the Mercantour National Park, and the start of the hikes towards the high plateaus of the Ceva and the Jugale lake in the heart of the Mercantour Park, a paradise for ungulates, roe deer, stags and chamois.
Continue northwards through a magnificent forest of pines and larches with blueberry bushes, to emerge to the south.
Don't miss a break at the DFCI basin on the edge of the track, you overlook the whole Roya valley and the village of Saorge.
The track descends into the Cairos valley (Saorge commune), and you join the RD 40 road a little above the hamlet of Maurion.
You then descend to the RD 6204 which you find again a little before Fontan.

The loop can be done in either direction. Experienced bikers will prefer to ride up the incredible and winding little tarmac road from Fontan to the lower Berghe and down the Cairos track. Amateurs will probably prefer the more manageable tarmac route down and the more technical track up.

The upper part of the route may be blocked by snow during the winter.

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