Congratulations!

Thanks, Kathleen. She'll be a year old next fall but also has 3 other local grandparents.

Al would never notice my bibs as he rarely rides behind me. I'm the little engine puffing along well behind!

As for CB reading, Scott is always good for that. And the Classens seem to do a lot of fall trips... I'm sure there are others too.

Me too! Awaiting that first paycheque to put in my "fun fund".

See through shorts? I understand. On our tour this summer, Sue mentioned that my bibs where getting quite transparent. Congratulations to you and Al for your grandchild. Too bad you have to postpone your trip until next year. Was looking forward to some CB reading this fall!

Oh Jacquie! Congratulations! A grandchild. Such a beautiful baby and such an amazing name. You and Ryder are going to have such an amazing year it will fly by. France will wait for you and be all the sweeter for it.

Congratulations on the grandbaby!! It's understandable that you would decide to postpone. France will still be here in 2024 - I'll look forward to your journal firing back up then.

I can’t remember if I’ve been to Montpellier but I’ve been to Lyon twice. The second time was in 1992; Al and I had some time to kill between trains as we escaped the rain in Burgundy and headed south. The first time in Lyon was 1981, when I was doing the backpack-and-railpass thing after graduating from university. A guy tried to convince me I was going the wrong way to the youth hostel and wanted to drive me there. I turned and walked the way he’d indicated and he crawled along beside me in his car. I met a woman and asked her for directions. I’d been going the correct way from the beginning. I explain about the guy in the car—he was still nearby— and she went over and chewed him out. Not the greatest memory of a city but that sort of thing can happen anywhere.

Seems worth considering to me, but then I’m biased. We really liked Montpellier and didn’t really care for the brief look we got of Lyon for no obvious reason. But then we didn’t care all that much for Avignon the one time we were there either. But that’s just us. So judgmental!

I've had another look and it seems flying in and out of Montpellier is similar to Lyon in terms of price, with the big plus that I could take Le Cévenol (famous scenic train route) from Nîmes to Clermont-Ferrand. Then either train or ride back from the Avignon area.

I can see from websites whether or not they are open, but "open" and open to tents are two different things. A campground operator in Brittany, when I said I'd skipped going to St-Malo because the one campground close enough to bother only accepted tents in July and August, said that many did that so as not to have to fully open and maintain their sanitary blocks.

I realize it will be a lot of up, especially at the beginning, but I should be okay for it after a summer of local riding. Even a "flat" ride around here involves over 600 metres of climbing. And from our new place, the popular Cypress climb starts almost from our door (about 1200 m ascent).

Sounds like a great tour, Jacquie! My experience with camping in France in September and October is about ten years old, but most of the campgrounds in the south were closed at the beginning or in mid-September. Might be a good idea to check their websites to see if they give any information.

Hi Jacquie,
I’ve done most of the routes you have outlined in your tour, and I think you’ve got a cracking great idea. Bring your climbing legs, you will need them, from the first kilometer in Clermont, which may actually be the hardest part! Campings are somewhat sparse in the region, but with careful planning you can do it. I’m not sure if there will be many open in October, but September should be fine. The Aubrac is spectacular for it’s barrenness, but well worth a visit. Again the only way to get there is to climb. It seems as though it was always foggy when I went that way, but that just emphasized the air of mystery that seems to hover about the country. Your planned side trip to Vallon Pont d’Arc will be well timed to avoid the crowds of summer, and the ride is fantastic. Ditto for your rides around Avignon.
Actually
, I’m making myself jealous of your plans. I shall be following along when you go.
Bonne route!
Keith

My plan was to fly in and out of Lyon. Getting there will mean at least one and probably two stops each way, aka chances for a bag to go awol. I hadn’t thought of coming home from a different airport. Somehow I think that might double the cost of the flight but I’ll check.