Route de la baguette
Lagging behind
August 22, 2024
Crossing the Ardeche and Vercors
October 14, 2024
In September 2024 we cycled for 2 weeks in France
Tuesday 10 September - Beaune, Frankrijk
At 9:30 in the morning, we arrive in Beaune. Suddenly we are in France. We load the panniers on the old Troopers and cycle to the city center. It already feels completely France! Old buildings and cozy streets, lovely. At the first bakery we buy French bread, a croissant, brie and camembert. Then we walk to the next bench. Olivier opens his phone and shows Zoë the route he made on the bus this morning. We seem totally unprepared, Zoë has forgotten half her garment bag, yet we feel completely at home. Wonderful to be back on an adventure, wonderful to be back in France. Although we have a lot of work to do along the way, it still feels a bit like a vacation. On y va!
Working holiday
The first day we cycle just under 5 kilometers to a nice camping spot in the forest. The next morning we cycle into Parc Naturel Regional du Pilat. In fact, the landscape doesn't change much. Agricultural fields alternate with small villages and patches of forest. A thick cloud cover covers the sky, but the temperature is still pleasant. Uphill we cycle in t-shirts, downhill we put on our windbreakers. After 30 kilometers, in a small village, we find a cafe with a terrace, two power outlets and wifi. This is what our routine will look like for the next few days. Two hours of cycling, two hours of work, lunch on a bench near the church, two hours of cycling, find a place to sleep, pitch the tent, wash up, cook dinner, do some work in the tent and then slowly doze off.
At the end of the day, it slowly begins to drip. We cycle along an old railroad track and duck into a farmer's field. Overlooking the village, but barely visible, we have another nice spot. Under the gentle tapping of the rain on the tent, we slowly doze off in the evening.
"When we suddenly see flakes swirling on the tent canvas in the morning, we are quite surprised."
C'est pas toujours joli
Over old railroad lines and through quiet villages we slowly cycle towards the Ardèche. Now and then a few rain drops fall, but then the sun dries them up again. Having filled our water at the fountain in a garden, we find a camping spot overlooking a small lake.
When we suddenly see flakes swirling on the tent cloth in the morning, we are quite surprised. We are in the Ardèche, at an altitude of 1,100 meters, but even here we do not expect snow in early September. Stuffed inside our sleeping bag is the down coat Zoë stuffed into her bags at the last minute. 'You never know,' Zoë said with a laugh.
An hour later, we really have to get out of the tent and pack. The wet snow is freezing cold, our fingers freezing. We are in a beautiful spot with the tent, but now we like that spot on top of a hill less. With all our clothes on and the rain poncho over it, we descend to the first village. Frozen, we step into the supermarket and eat our breakfast under the shelter. It looks pretty pathetic. 'C'est pas toujours joli' says a woman walking by with her shopping cart.
We may spend two hours working with the laptop in the tourist center. The sun comes out occasionally, and when we get on our bikes there is actually a lot of blue in the sky. From here we follow the Dolce Via, an old train track over old arched bridges and through short tunnels. The first thirty kilometers it goes only downhill and we don't have to pedal. Wonderfully normal, but today we would have preferred this uphill cycling. Occasionally we stop to warm up in the sun and enjoy the beautiful views. After 50 kilometers of shivering, we find a nice spot next to the bike path, sheltered from the enormous wind. The weather report already tells us that the temperature will rise a little every day starting tomorrow.
Le Vercors
We leave the Ardeche and quickly cross the Rhone valley toward the Vercors. The wind is extremely strong throughout the region, but the sun and blue skies are back. Moreover, we have fine company. Our Dutch friends Wim and Karin also happen to be in France. They asked about our route and suddenly find themselves with their camper in the middle of our path. Together with Wim we climb into the Parc Naturel Regional du Vercors. On Komoot we saw all the highlights with carved tunnels in the rocks and steep mountain walls. The first day in particular we battle against the wind and were glad when we found a sheltered spot on a deserted forest road.
It is extremely windy all night, but fortunately the tent is well sheltered. Zoë suddenly became nauseous last night and went to bed without food. Fortunately, this morning she is better. When we get on our bikes, the thermometer indicates -1 degree. Fortunately, we get to climb to warm up. We save breakfast for at the top, in the sun and with a beautiful view. That plan doesn't work out. A dense fog has packed the mountains. The Col de la Bataille is a roadside sign, but everything else is white. A little disappointed, we descend when we suddenly see a parking lot with a building. We turn off and see a couple of bikes parked against the window. One of the cyclists waves us inside. The wood stove is burning and the man actually speaks Dutch; he moved to France 25 years ago. The four friends are riding bikes as old as ours and are going in search of mushrooms today. That type that gives you beautiful and sometimes not so beautiful dreams. Zoe is especially happy with the stove where she can warm up her dinner from yesterday.
Meanwhile, the fog slowly recedes. Olivier convinces Zoë to cycle back a kilometer, up, to the viewpoint. Then comes one of the most beautiful routes we have ever done on a bicycle. We go through little tunnels and along deep gorges where the road is stuck against. Oh oh oh how beautiful here!
At the very bottom of the village we find a small bakery with the most delicious nutella croissants in all of France. In the next village we find Wim and Karin at the campsite, enjoying the sunshine. A splash in the water, sunshine, beer there, summer feeling. Finally!
"We left totally unprepared and didn't really have time for this trip, but it's the best we could have done."
5 stars
The next day we first have a lot of work to do and get to spend a few hours at the local museum. It is already almost one o'clock when we buy some baguettes at the bakery and get on our bikes. From the village it is another 1,000 vertical meters of climbing, and how beautiful it is again! The mountains are so beautiful here! If we ever move anywhere else... . We stop so often for photos that we literally barely make any progress. After 10 kilometers we reach the top of a plateau. It's still early and we've barely cycled, but Olivier smells a wonderful camping spot. We both go in a different direction to explore for a while, as we so often do. When we return, we tell each other what we found. Olivier is convinced that his spot is worth 5 stars, Zoe has no doubts. And it really is a five-star place! Wow! On the edge of a deep gorge, overlooking the mountains, windless and with the sun. Such spots are unique and rare to find. What lucky people we are!
Thanksful
Slowly we leave the Vercors and cycle through the lower hills toward our final destination, Annecy. The wild camping spots are a little harder to find in the landscape full of agriculture and scattered houses. Just outside the village of Les Eschelles, we keep cycling until we see someone standing outside. A man is busy chopping wood. We ask if maybe we can pitch the tent in the field next to his house. “That field is not mine,” he says, ”but you can sleep in my garden.' He quickly brings in his wife and before we know it we are sitting inside on the couch with a Belgian Maredsous beer and cheese. They invite us over for dinner and Veronique carefully asks if we like what's in the casserole. Olivier's eyes spring wide open and sparkle all over. Chicory with cheese and ham! His favorite food! “I made it yesterday,” she says, ”as if it was destined that you would come."
As we lay in the bed of one of the daughters at night, we are so grateful for this trip. It brings us right back to the feeling of our trip around the world. The freedom, unexpected invitations, being outside and enjoying every day. Although we work a few hours every day, it feels anything but a working vacation. It feels normal and nice. After the difficult months we had with buying a house, these are very nice weeks. We are finding each other and finding our positivity again. We left totally unprepared and really had no time for this trip, but it is the best thing we could have done. We feel we are back on the right path!
