I'm sitting on the back of the boat drinking Port'o' (on the rocks). Please don't try this until you are least my age, or you will become instantly hooked and an alcoholic and have an early death.
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| Me doing this blog. The Orange thing is our bike cover. |
Today we have enjoyed possibly the most interesting and satisfying cycle ride so far. From the boat in Pont de Vaux we cycled down to the River Saone and along the cycle path to near Macon. (I always do my research the day before, so although our cycle rides have nothing impulsive about them, at least they always have a mid point of interest, we know roughly how many miles we will cover, the metres of ascent, and whether we can take a picnic or whether we can be (absolutely) sure of finding lunch, (at lunchtime).
At this point, just before Macon, I saw a marked cycle path heading West and discussed the possibility of diverting along it to avoid Macon altogether (no loss I assure you, Macon is not the most beautiful town, but the countryside to the West of Macon where we were headed is unsurpassed)
Consulting with my husband and agreeing on this course, having already done my homework the night before, I was pretty confident that this would take us across the rail track and two motorways to the countryside southwest of Macon and to Solutre Pouilly just under the magnificent La Roche Solutre, surrounded by Beaujolais vineyards and finally to a car boot sale, or in Fench 'Vide Grenier'.
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| Vide Grenier |
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| La Roche Solutre - absolutely spectacular. Thankfully I felt no compulsion to wlk up as we had done that on previous visit when t was not so hot! |
I'm not as obsessed with these as I have been in the past, but it makes a good mid way point for a cycle ride and there is always something to eat available on site. In this case chips with tomato sauce followed by Tarte de Apricot - the best two course meal we have had for 8 euros (for two) in a long time.
Back to the cycle path and my proposed diversion. Not 100 yards had passed on the new, and agreed, route before Julian was on Google maps and saying that we should have stayed on the Saone cycle path. There is one thing that is guaranteed to get my goat, and that is when my husband decides to override our joint decision and on a whim tell me that I have headed the wrong way. Or I have taken us up a dirt track, or I have set us on an impossibly steep and long route.
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| Berze Chatel |
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Anyhow, apart from a 10 minute silence, good humour resumed for the rest of the day and we had a brilliant ride to car boot sale which sits directly under La Roche Solutre, one of my favourite places, followed by tea in a nearby cosmopolitan cafe. We then cycled along the Cluny Macon path to the Chateau Berze Chatel, the most beautiful chateau in the world! At the end of May the roses are at their best and - that was the icing on the cake.
So we spent the day in Beaujolais wine country, asking ourselves, what happened to Beaujolais Nouveau? But you don't have to be a wine lover or a wine buff to enjoy the undulating countryside, row upon row of vines, fine country houses, stone villages and chateaux. Passing the many roadside wine tasting caves, (in warehouses and even suburban looking bungalows) there was no sign of what I really wanted, a cafe and a cup of tea. We decided to press on for home and the boat and were impressed with our 52 miles covered. By battery told me I had 4 miles left.
Next day cycling brought more chateaux Cormatin, Brancion and Nobles
Small village with Auberge de Grisson where we had lunch and will be returning to stay there when I do my pottery course with Monique Degulaire.
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| Chateaux Nobles near Cormatin and Brancion. Makes wine and has chambre d'otes |
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| Chapaize Romanesque Church. The back view not roadside which is less impressive |
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| Pottery in Chapaize |
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| We bought some of these lovely bowls for ourselves and for Rachel and Max |
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