Day 7 Decize to Pont-des-Moulins
38 km (34 miles) day, 445 miles total. Pretty close to the distance Lindsay and I did on the Camino.
England lost last night! Congratulations, and good luck, to Croatia. Moving swiftly on…
Besançon
Daubs Gorge
Today was a really good day. Those who have been following my blog may have recognised that I was getting a little frustrated for last few days regarding the time spent on the embankments of the Loire. Checking the map showed that I would have at least another day of this so I decided not to. I got up early and spent first couple of hours doing some routine maintenance on myself and the bike. I had decided to catch a train to Dijon and then change for Bresançon so cutting the corner between the Loire and the Soane.
I still can’t work out the French opening hours! I went to the station and I can fully understand why a small town station would it not have a booking office, - Darwen doesn’t. However, if you do have a booking office why would you wait till 9;30 to open - after everyone has gone to work? Similarly, the very large McDonald’s next door (I was looking for a cheap coffee) wasn’t open when I left the station at 10! On the platform I met Sebastian and Mathilde, a cycling couple from Bremen who had also got bored with the embankment and were doing exactly the same as me. The only difference was they were going to Chalon-Sur-Soane rather than Besançon. I had considered this but chose Bresançon because of its World Heritage status. We chatted for the first hour of the journey. Had a little bit of a time-related panic changing trains Dijon (why would you put a lift to go down to the passage under the platforms but steep steps up?). I had to take off all my bags, take them to the train, run back and carry the bike up the steps. Made the train with about 30 seconds to spare and I arrived around lunchtime. Besançon is a wonderful town and, given this, surprisingly free of the tourist crowds of the Loire. No English voices heard. It is built in the loop in the Doubs river. Where the loop almost closes a citadel was built and city walls protect the open side. These are a World Heritage site. The place is lovely, and the photos don’t do it justice. It is constructed of a beautiful cream stone with brown mottlin (see pic). I spent three hours looking around the town, including having a Guiness at the inevitable Irish pub, and it was fantastic! I decided I could not have a completely lazy day and did wonderful 40 km ride up the Doubs gorge. Here the mountains, which are the Jura, come down closer to the river. The cycle path goes close by each village and The river is beautiful. Again, the photos don’t really capture the grandeur. Further on the gorge there are many rapids which are bypassed by small canals with licks. Many boats. Found a fabulous campsite around 6 o’clock and had a fantastic at shower, cooked a nice curry, and wrote this blog. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi was non-existent and I couldn’t publish this until the day after. Planning for a big days ride tomorrow as I approach Switzerland.
I still can’t work out the French opening hours! I went to the station and I can fully understand why a small town station would it not have a booking office, - Darwen doesn’t. However, if you do have a booking office why would you wait till 9;30 to open - after everyone has gone to work? Similarly, the very large McDonald’s next door (I was looking for a cheap coffee) wasn’t open when I left the station at 10! On the platform I met Sebastian and Mathilde, a cycling couple from Bremen who had also got bored with the embankment and were doing exactly the same as me. The only difference was they were going to Chalon-Sur-Soane rather than Besançon. I had considered this but chose Bresançon because of its World Heritage status. We chatted for the first hour of the journey. Had a little bit of a time-related panic changing trains Dijon (why would you put a lift to go down to the passage under the platforms but steep steps up?). I had to take off all my bags, take them to the train, run back and carry the bike up the steps. Made the train with about 30 seconds to spare and I arrived around lunchtime. Besançon is a wonderful town and, given this, surprisingly free of the tourist crowds of the Loire. No English voices heard. It is built in the loop in the Doubs river. Where the loop almost closes a citadel was built and city walls protect the open side. These are a World Heritage site. The place is lovely, and the photos don’t do it justice. It is constructed of a beautiful cream stone with brown mottlin (see pic). I spent three hours looking around the town, including having a Guiness at the inevitable Irish pub, and it was fantastic! I decided I could not have a completely lazy day and did wonderful 40 km ride up the Doubs gorge. Here the mountains, which are the Jura, come down closer to the river. The cycle path goes close by each village and The river is beautiful. Again, the photos don’t really capture the grandeur. Further on the gorge there are many rapids which are bypassed by small canals with licks. Many boats. Found a fabulous campsite around 6 o’clock and had a fantastic at shower, cooked a nice curry, and wrote this blog. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi was non-existent and I couldn’t publish this until the day after. Planning for a big days ride tomorrow as I approach Switzerland.
Decize station
Besançon
Daubs Gorge
Bed 😀
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