June 13, 2024
Dljon
For us the end of the Canal de Bourgogne
Two things had been concerning me. The first was how I would get down the nightmare stairs from our 2nd floor room. The top flight worried me the most because as well as being narrow and steep there was no handrail for part of the way. I got down with no major disaster to our usual French breakfast - this time Ken was able to get cereal
As we expected the route out was rather trying. We had to rise up over the tunnel of the canal and part of this climb was on a busy road involving a Motorway interchange. Actually it wasnt too bad and not too steep and we were over the motorway and found the cycle path which was about at the top of the hill
From here on the going was particularly easy. The locks were coming thick and fast but now they were going downhill and every time we went past one we got a burst of speed as we flew down the slope. At first the landscape was very rural. We came to a small village with coffee on offer early on but it was too early for us, this was rather a mistake as there wasnt another all day. Ken was impressed by the hundreds of acres of mown grass waiting to be made into baleage. It allways pleases me when I see this as it means that the farmers must be expecting fine weather. Today the weather was beautiful but it was cold and I had all my layers on all day
Ken (as well as tractors) loves old farm machinery. It reminds him of his childhood and the wonderful collection we came across is what his father would have used on their farm pulled by Blackie until the amazing day in 1941 when all the horse attachments were cut off, a tow bar was welded on and a tractor arrived - a 1940 John Deere Model B two cylinder hand start
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The canal turned direction and suddenly we were into quite a strong head wind which we were to battle on and off for the rest of the day. The countryside had changed too and there was lush looking thick forest on both sides of the track
Coming near to Dijon the path got very busy. As well as as the tourers like us there were the day trippers and those superior training cyclists who I am sure feel we shouldn’t be on the track. The cycle tracks through Dijon are fantastic and we were led with ease through parks to the Ibis near the train station where we are staying Thank goodness it has a lift
Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 372 km (231 miles)
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6 months ago