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Return to Mâcon and Lyon

Today we rode from Paray le Monial over to Mâcon, and when I say ‘over’ I mean it because there are nothing but hills between the two. We looked at alternatives but selected one using smaller roads, but not ‘smallest’. It was a lot of climbing anyway and this one was fine with little traffic. The weather has now decided to be hot for our last few days so at the end of it we were well spent. At one point we lucked out and came upon a bar at just the right time as they are not frequent out in the agricultural hinterland. Terrific views were had along the way and also a 1.6km tunnel under a hill (thanks!). We were also happy to be back in the vines as we neared Mâcon. We are staying at the same apartment we were in 3 weeks ago and really liked. Mâcon seems much more alive now as we strolled about in the evening.

Back to canal riding for our last one but a bit of a problem. Tara has hurt a toe by stubbing it on a corner and it is hurting her. She is okay with cycling but not good for walking as we think it may be broken. It is another hot day for cycling and a long way but flat again. This stretch is probably the best one for beauty as well as services like water , toilets, and cold drinks. It got busy as we got close to Lyon as cities often are, but also we got to ride through another tunnel which dropped the temperature likely by 15 degrees for an excellent break from the 30+.

Now we sit waiting for the hotel to find our bike case which has gone astray. *** ten days later *** The hotel LOST OUR BIKE CASE! This was a biblical level disaster for us and we are now home but there was a lot of angst, tears, and total mystification and disbelief along the way. The short story is a) the hotel has taken full responsibility (in writing) and will reimburse us for a new case and expenses, b) the manager found us a bike box just under the maximum size allowed by the airlines, c) we packed the bike in with a lot of padding also hotel supplied, d) we got a huge taxi to get us to the airport, e) we got it on the flight to London ok, f) we had to plead with a bus driver at Heathrow to allow it on his bus to go between terminals, g) we got it on the flight home, h) and finally, our brilliant friend Rob came to pick us up in his van rather than Lyndsay and her smaller Subaru.

Alas, no relaxing and re-visiting Lyon in our final 2 days. C’est la guerre. Au revoir. p.s. Tara’s toe is recovering but carrying rather than rolling bike cases didn’t help.

Tags: bikepacking, biking, bourgogne, cycling, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Cronat and Paray le Monial

9 Jun

We left our accommodation in Chatillon with our 300euro damage deposit intact despite one (previously sabotaged) broken chair and a sore derriere. The weather was starting to clear up and we only had a few sprinkles on the ride today. We were heading to a one night stopover in the town of Cronat, marking a change in our route from the Nivernais canal network, turning south alongside the Loire river. This also meant joining the Eurovelo 6 cycling path for the next two days. It is well known as it traverses Europe all the way from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. It has been interesting being exclusively on a cycle route as we have met many other cyclists following the same route and some we have met several times and even had dinner in Paray le Monial with a charming couple from Luxembourg (Yvonne and Dan). Once off the canal we were met by some hilly terrain, finally, as we were not really close to the Loire at this point and found we could still climb hills.

Cronat is a small town in the heart of Charolais country. We saw many Charolais as well as a fair number of sheep and some goats. Our lodging for the night was a B&B called La Heron Pourpre managed by a very hospitable couple from The Netherlands, Jolanda and Martin. This seems like an unusual name but not if you have been here. Along the canal we saw many herons pourpre. We attempted many times to get a good picture of one but they are shy so fly off as soon as they sense we are near. The B&B was lovely with a garden in the back and a pool but unfortunately not quite warm enough to swim. We also had our dinner here as there wasn’t anywhere else in town and Martin is a capable chef. Our meal consisted of four courses: fresh salmon on white asparagus/egg/greens as a starter, Charolais veal with an oyster mushroom sauce/fresh vegetables/potato and leek fritata(?) for main course; chevre in pastry and other cheeses with honey third course; choux pastry filled with whipped cream and blackberries for dessert and finally a home made coffee liquor. All very tasty except Tara slipped the hard boiled egg and potato fritata onto George’s plate which he accepted gratefully. Interestingly, the meal was a very reasonable cost at 30 euros each or about $48 CDN. Wine was less than $5/glass as well. It helps to get outside of the bigger cities cost wise.

The next day our ride took us to Paray le Monial and the weather was perfect. The first 15 km was again through the hilly countryside amongst the Charolais herds and pretty villages. After this the route again followed the water, along the Loire river. It was a beautiful day and we saw many cyclists, local and touring like us (even one fellow Canadian from Quebec), pretty villages, boaters, fishers and bird life.

We arrived at our new lodgings, Maison St. Louis, and were greeted by lovely hosts again with a cold drink and a “sort of” conversation about the city and its religious importance in broken French and English. This is a bit of a quirky place, again a dorm-like environment with shared spaces and overtly religious. The city is famous due to a saint having a vision or apparition of the heart of Jesus Christ. Consequently since the late 19th century this has been a pilgrimage destination, which was obvious as we walked around to the various sites, mostly religious, today. The town is very clean, well maintained, and certainly picturesque; I think there is good money in religious tourism. Indeed, our host said about 3000 people live here but 5000 more are tourists at peak.

Tags: cycling, france, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Clamecy

5 Jun

We woke up to heavy rain in Auxerre but by the time we left to ride it had stopped. The forecast looked rather bleak (cool and precipitation) but somehow we managed to evade the rain. It was cool, but a comfortable temperature when pedaling. There is heavy rain and hail south and east of us today in France so luckily we were in the right place. We did encounter one problem on our route today, a large tree that had fallen across the path and onto power lines. We could not get past it with our bike and bags so had to back track a bit and find a road to go around the blockage.

There are many boat tourists on this canal. Every lock we came to today either had boats in it or waiting to enter and all the locks were manned by staff, unlike the Burgundy canal where we saw few boats. We witnessed one fellow on the Burgundy canal working at one lock then racing ahead on his motorbike (passed us) to the next one ahead of the boat he just put through. We spoke to one couple on a boat today and they said they aren’t required to book the locks, they just arrive and wait. It is a slow way to travel, we are much faster. There were 38(!) locks on the ride today from Auxerre to Clamecy, about 70kms. I think all the waiting would get tiresome.

We arrived at our new abode for the next 2 nights, La Boule D’or, in Clamecy. It’s an older place with a hostel feel (shared kitchen, courtyard with ping pong, etc.) but we have our own room and bathroom and it’s very bike friendly. An old chapel is where breakfast is served so that is a new experience. There is very little choice for accommodation in the smaller places like this, you take what you can get.

We did a walking tour here as well to get a good look around. The town is very medieval looking, sort of like Auxerre, with narrow streets and half timber construction. There are also many canals within the city and a confluence of two rivers, the Yonne and the Beuvron, and is sometimes described as the Venice of the Nivernais. It is famous for timber floating (flottage de bois) as it is in a rich forested area and on a river. The wood was cut around here and then assembled into large rafts/trains (75 meters long) which raftsmen (flotteurs) then took downstream to Paris where the need for wood to burn was great and supply inadequate. This was happening from the 16th to the 19th century until coal heating took over. It is quite a fascinating history as it went on for nearly 4 centuries and is the genesis of the canal system on the Yonne river, and contributed hugely to the development of so many places along the route.

Clamecy is also the birthplace of a famous writer/historian, Romain Rolland (1866-1944), who received the nobel prize for literature in 1915. He wrote novels but also commentary about the two world wars he lived through. He was a pacifist who lamented the destruction and loss of relationships between the French and German people. He was an interesting man who apparently influenced and had relationships with notable people including Ghandi, Freud and Richard Strauss, I may have to read more about him. This much we learned in the excellent museum here, along with the flottage history.

Tags: canal, cycling, france, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Auxerre

3 Jun

Auxerre is pronounced with an “s” sound rather than an x, as opposed to Auxois which is pronounced with the x sound. Not sure why. We are very close to Chablis and other wine producers such as some who produce Crémant de Bourgogne, a lovely bubbly white wine.

Our ride from Tonnerre to here was a bit longer, a bit cooler and extremely buggy. All of these bugs, especially aphids must have hatched recently. We saw a few people riding on the canal with face masks and George finally had to do the same after eating too many and having to try to keep his mouth closed while cycling. I am luckily in his draft and don’t have as much trouble. They land on my arms and legs but not in my face and mouth.

We came to the end of the Canal de Bourgogne and turned south to join up with the Canal du Nivernais. We are now riding beside the Yonne river, no longer a canal, with many more boats and tourists and even bigger locks. We haven’t seen vineyards yet but we will soon as we ride south. We rode through predominantly grain farming regions for the last few days so a much different feel here. I thought it seemed more economically depressed with less activity in general in the farm areas whereas Auxerre seems bustling with activity, economy and tourists on bikes and boats, or both.

We found our new apartment quite easily just up from the river. It is hidden behind an ordinary looking blue door after which you enter a traboule (pathway through buildings) which leads to several apartments. We found our apartment which is lovely with a nice terrace. It amazes me what you find behind the doors here.

We spent the first day here on a walking tour. It is a very interesting looking city as many of the buildings in the old city are the half timbered style, including our apartment. It is full of narrow windy streets and there are also two large churches and another abbey creating a breathtaking view. Our second day was spent riding around the surrounding area to a few small towns close to Auxerre. We are back in the wine growing areas, however tasting excursions don’t work well with riding a bike, so we focus on the scenery and history. We were able to visit an interesting archaeological site from the Roman times that has uncovered evidence of grape cultivating as well as a villa with baths and in-floor heating!