In Which David Takes a Bike and Boat Ride

A few days later, May 10, another of our impromptu bike rides involved a boat trip up the Saône river, one of the two rivers in Lyon.  We first were to ride a bit around town and then, with our bikes, take a 2-1/2 hour boat ride to Neuville-sur-Saône, about 25km up river.  We would then ride back to Lyon, combining exercise with a bit of effortless sight-seeing.

A word about the boat - it is a "Sapine", a reproduction of the old flat-bottom boats used in Gallo-Roman times on the Rhone to move people and goods.  This one has an engine as well as solar panels so you recharge your electric bike battery while traveling on the boat!

Our Boat - a Modern Sapine

The whole package of the boat ride plus a couple of glasses of wine to accompany our sack lunches cost 10 euros per person, which, as there were only about 12 of us, could hardly have paid the fuel bill on the boat.  The next day, David noticed an article in the Progress, the local paper, that the same boat was running excursions out of Neuville-sur-Saône that weekend, so we had obviously been the beneficiaries of the ‘repositioning rate’, plus the man who organized this bike ride was a friend of the man and wife who operated the boat.

After we assembled that morning, we had a pleasant ride down the bike path along the Rhône river to the ‘Confluence’, the area where the Saône joins the Rhône at the south end of Lyon.  We found the marina where the boat was moored and loaded our bikes on the boat, where they were securely fastened down by the owner.

Roger and David on the Boat Leaving Lyon

After getting under way, we were served a glass of wine to celebrate, and sat back to enjoy our ride.  

As the boat motored slowly up the Saône, we ate our sack lunches and enjoyed the scenery.  We saw a number of sights during the trip, including Ile Barbe, just north of Lyon, where there has been a religious settlement at least since the days of Charlemagne.  Anna and I have visited this island several times as it is very scenic.  

Ile Barbe in the Middle of the Saône

We passed through the lock at Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, a very small boat in a relatively large lock!  

Entering the Lock

We then docked at Neuville-sur-Saône, unloaded our bikes and pedaled back down the river to Lyon – a different and very enjoyable way to take a bike trip. 

Unloading the Bikes

Preparing to Bike back to Lyon