Canal de Bourgogne - Second Day

Monday 5/23

The next morning dawned with no rain and some drying of the ground.  After a light breakfast at our Chambre de Hôte, we set off again.  Gerard told David to take us back to the canal – a mistake as David not only took a wrong turn but somehow lost the rest of the group.  As the only one with no cell phone, he decided to continue to the canal with the idea that everyone would be there at some point.  Unfortunately, he found no one there when he arrived.  Not sure whether they were ahead or behind, he set off down the canal at a moderate rate.  After 10km, just outside Velars-sur-Ouche, he encountered a group walking the canal path and asked them if they had seen the other riders.  They said they had not but kindly offered the use of a phone with which David called Roger.  Turned out they were in the town having a cup of coffee only about 400 yards away!  David quickly joined, apologized for having gotten lost and paid for everyone’s drinks as a penance.

We started off again – the path was now either paved or packed earth which allowed us to up our rate a bit, although a steady head wind made it tough going.  The light rain started again and again we got wet – we would stop under a tree during heavier showers.  A bit after noon we arrived at a lock where the old lock-keeper’s house had been turned into a small restaurant.  Actually, the eating area was outside, but tents had been set up with a heater and blankets that we used to warm up a bit while we ate.  The restaurateur was a Swiss former canal barge captain who rented the house and ran a retirement business with his wife during the warmer months. 

Lock and Bikes From the Lunch Tent

Lunch Tent on Right

Roger and Tom Enjoying Lunch

Roger, Tom, and Gerard Trying to Warm Up

We enjoyed our lunch – home-made potato soup as a starter, then David had chicken Cordon Bleu, the others had pasta. We all had peach-apricot tart for dessert. We also had a nice liter bottle of red wine from southern France.

The locks on the canal all function but they are now operated not by people in the little lock-houses but by people who zip from lock to lock on motor scooters in response to phone calls.  Many of the lock houses are empty while others have been turned into residences.

Canal with Chateau on the Hill

Village Along the Way

The canal entered a long tunnel that passed through a hill as we approached Pouilly-en- Auxois, near where we were to stay the night.  The path went up the hill, luckily a gentle slope for about 2 km.  Spaced along the path were stone cylinders about 8-9 feet high and about 6 feet in diameter.  Turns out they functioned as ventilation shafts and light sources for the canal in the tunnel.

We reached our hotel where a very pleasant woman was the innkeeper.  We ate next door at a Courtepaille restaurant, a French chain.  We received a 15% discount because we were staying at the hotel next door.

David did 75km for the day, a bit more than the others thanks to his unplanned wanderings around Dijon.

The next morning we had a very nice buffet breakfast at the hotel.