Europe 6, France

Wednesday 22 July,

Leaving Arnay-le-Duc in very overcast and hot and humid conditions,and it doesn't take long and I get rained on, not very hard, but with large drops, which make me pretty wet through. By the time I stop to make coffee I am dry again, this is after about 30 km near Chagny, where I spot a picnic table at this small road intersection. Across from where I am sitting I notice 4 monoliths standing in a small paddock. They are from the same era as Stone Henge, I am told and have some religious and historic significance.

I enjoyed my coffee without any rain, and met a nice Dutch couple, who shared their knowledge about the monolith with me.  I got wet again shortly after leaving there. It was the pattern of the day, wet and dry about six or seven times.

I am on the small roads again, through forests and mixed cropping and cattle farming.  I pass through some very old villages where time has stood still. If I imagine taking away the cars and lampposts it would have been exactly like this for more than a thousand years.

This village where I stopped for lunch had these two defensive towers overlooking the town, the far one is still at its original height.

 Then I notice the GPS indicating that the next turn is onto a "trail". That is new to me and as far as I know, the GPS doesn't know about dedicated cycle ways. But indeed it takes me onto a rail trail, nicely tar sealed along a redundant railway route, for about 40 km into Cluny. Fantastic, more or less level all the way, with the rail bridges still in place over highways and water ways.

 I arrive in Cluny after 110 km and climbing another 819 m. It is a nice place and I am staying in an old fashioned hotel in town. The rooms are small, and although I have a 3 person room, there is barely enough room between the beds. However I arrived early enough to enjoy the Tour de France stage of the day on TV. The dinner was of high quality, but got a bit out of hand with a family at the next table with 3 small children, between 1.5 and 5 years old. Jr was in the highchair, the other 2 girls managed to sit at the table. They did a lot of staring, and were restless to say the least. Jr was let out of the chair from time to time and got very noisy when dad dropped him quite hard back in the chair.
The next thing I know mother rushing out with Jr's bare buttocks flashing by very close over my table. The next thing he is parading around with a potty, which was a little over the top I thought. I requested my after dinner coffee served next to the restaurant in a small lounge, which was fine, until dad put Jr in a corner of the lounge for a time out, leaving him almost next to me screaming! I would be the first to admit to have no child management experience, but this is ridiculous.

My next surprise was that they occupied the room next to mine, but after some initial screaming, including the parents, the night passed relatively peaceful. 

Thursday 23 July, started with clear blue skies again and turned out to be another very hot day. Going South to Macon, there is a huge range of hills to get over. I had programmed my route into the GPS and It took me back onto the trail. I was pleased because i had heard that the trail goes through a rail tunnel. But after a few km it directed me off the trail and onto a steeply climbing small road. I stopped and lookedT the map, the road South and the rail trail both end up in Macon, so I decided to stay on the trail, although it felt like cheating when I did go through the hill, via an almost 2 km long well lit and paved ex railway tunnel.

There was a bit of climbing to get to the tunnel, unlikely that the old railway had those short bends and elevation changes. History is probably similar to the NZ rail trail development, where tracks were abandoned and strips of land sold off before the idea of creating these fantastic trails. Once through the tunnel, the landscape changed to larger rolling hills, covered in vineyards, of the Beaujolais province stretching as far South as Lyon.

I ride along several waterways, contributors to the river Rhone, which again has dedicated cycleways along its banks. Which makes for great safe riding away from the traffic. I pass through Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne, Villers-les-Dombesand Chalamont, arriving at Amberieu-en-Bugey after 93 km and climbing 524 m at an average speed of 21.9 km/h in 30*C. The hotel is a new modern affair in an industrial type area, with a hospital, a rescue service centre with ambulances and helicopters. Very close to a motorway intersection North East of Lyon. The hotel has 3 floors but no lift, is of pretty high standard with an excellent bar and restaurant. It has only 2 stars, but that must be purely because of the lack of a lift. Good value for money at €100 for the room, drinks, dinner with wine, cheese and dessert and a good breakfast