September 12, 2022
Dijon to Pouilly en Auxois
A green day in Burgundy
Dijon to Pouilly en Auxois
A green day in Burgundy
September 12 2022
56 kilometres
Away slightly later, and finding our way out of town a little challenging, however once we find Porte Canal we’re away.
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And what a beautiful day it is. Jean, our French friend, we will meet on the trail over the next days, tells us that canal cycling allows you to zone out and meditate. There is a feeling that we are heading into the interior created by the closeness of the trees and hills.
The trail continues through small villages and frequently by ecluses. Some of the canal ‘boats’ look like ocean liners; we’re told some even have a lap pool. Not sure about that but they are massive and the width of the lock seems to dictate size. They ‘hire’ canal worker help- these uniformed people, buzz up and down on mopeds and put every ounce of energy into opening and closing locks. We watch two women wrestling with the handles as the boat owners look on. It doesn’t seem to be something the boat owners deign to do themselves Or perhaps they’re not permitted.
A D road runs nearby and occasionally we hear the motorway. We lunch at St Victory- baguette, butter with crystals of salt (compulsive eating), tomatoes and cheese. Every now and then we’ve bought Camembert but after a couple of days it tends to run away on us. The chilly bag with a bottle of frozen water helps though. Share a delicious French Delicious.
There are numerous herons along the canal, some not intimidated by cyclists, some taking off just as we approach. We also see a Ragondin or Coypu, like and oversized river rat with webbed feet. I saw one close up in 2016 near Mulhouse. As yet I haven’t found out if the French have found a way to add it to their culinary delicacies. They are protected I think.
Chateauneuf appears dramatically in the horizon like a castle from a movie. It’s high on a hill and has five tall towers. Into Pouilly we have to go away from the canal and climb to avoid the motorway. When a jubilant cyclist comes downhill towards us going ‘Wheeee!’ We know it’s going to be a climb. It is.
We arrive at Camping vert and find a beautiful spot for Marmot. There are some very cute chalets of wood and clever design around us. The fee is 13euros and there’s a pool! No water issues in what Shakespeare referred to as ‘watery Burgundy’. We eat from another can found in Super U- sauerkraut and sausage, but also accompanied with a healthy salad. We meet a Scots woman who tells us about cycling NZ, including the momentous Haast Pass. We share our bench with Jean, a cyclist of about our vintage, who lives in Paris. We will meet several times over the next few days and learn about his fascinating past travels in Asia. The amazing thing about him is that his bike and gear is quite basic, but he makes it work.
Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,009 km (627 miles)
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