September 17, 2022
St Boil to Macon.
Tunnel fermé, climbing only way.
St Boil to Macon.
Tunnel fermé, climbing only way.
63 kilometres
Waiting for the sun to warm us, means a bit of a slow start. The Dutch couple nearby say they admire our resilience- after the cold last night, we’ll need it! Ann also chats to a young woman from Manchester who works at the campground. She’s enthusiastic about France and Bourgogne, exclaiming how beautiful it is when the colours change in Autumn. The campground uses beautiful old farmhouse buildings with enormously high, steep gables and tiled roofs.
Back on the Voie verte we have a good straight run along a path that never ceases to amaze, with its views of the countryside, and the old station buildings reassigned as cafes and information centres.
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St Gengoux is a small medieval walled town with a Super U where we buy yoghurt, cheese and pâté. Ann carries these in an insulated bag with a small bottle of frozen water which it’s sometimes possible to freeze at camping grounds.
The wind is cold and it’s not until afternoon that we start to shed layers. At Taizé we go up the hill and look at the old and new churches. Brother Roger, the founder of Taizé is buried here.
The new church’s interior is impressive in its colours and its acoustics. It’s cavernous and has subdued lighting. One lone voice singing echoes around the church.
Outside a long line of secondary aged students is queuing for lunch, and those who prepared it sing a simple grace.
Further on at Cluny, we wonder about staying, but nothing is available and so after a look through the ruin of the massive abbey, we decide to head for Macon where we have booked somewhere to stay. The route should be straightforward with the tunnel Bois Clair (possibly with bats) to add a frisson of excitement.
On the trail at 4:00pm and a bit of a climb, all ready for tunnel, bats, whatever is on offer, when we are confronted with a sign telling us that the tunnel is closed. Quel horreur! What will this mean for getting to Macon? As with all things in cycle touring, there’s plan B which tells us we can climb over on the D road. This we do. It is long but has a gentle slope.
Nevertheless, getting to Macon takes us until 6:30. All is well there and we simply store our bikes in their storage room and put our feet up. It’s been a long day, but it’s good to know we have two days to get to Lyon and the weather promises to be very good, if chilly, at night.
Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 1,233 km (766 miles)
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