Avallon to near Chazelle-l'Echo: a tower in the countryside

October 18, 2011

WEATHER: sunny again!

We left Avallon about 9:30 after a good breakfast at the hotel. The ride today was mostly up and down because of our decision to avoid a busy more direct route. This involved climbing up and over numerous moderate hills and down through pleasing dales. It was a winding route which crossed and re-crossed the much more direct D606 and D70. This also enabled us to see a lot more of the rural character of this part of Burgundy (still mostly pastureland and fields of canola).

We saw lots of these along the way--this part of Burgundy is definitely cattle country.

We stopped for lunch in the village of Rouvray at Le Detour bar/restaurant. The patron appeared as we were parking our bikes near some tables on the small patio and urged us to use his specially made bicycle rack bordered with flower boxes. Our small Bike Friday tires didn't fit very well, but he was quite insistent. The restaurant was cheerful and sunny inside, and their menu du jour was excellent: leek tart, blanquette de veau, cheese and dessert. We felt well fortified for the ride ahead.

After lunch the up and down topography continued. The last few kilometres were tiring with a steep uphill through a small village where Eva kept expecting the B&B to show up at any moment. She was getting a bit cranky (which often happened when she'd had enough for the day). Finally about 5:00 pm, we passed through the gate to La Tour de Giry, and spied our hosts high up on a scaffolding above an old roofless stone building. (http://www.latourdegiry.fr) The place looked so interesting that we forgot about our fatigue.

Some of the renovated buildings at Tour de Giry.

The actual Tour de Giry. Originally a 14th century guard tower, then in later centuries a pigeonnier (dovecote).

Elisabeth and Jean-Michel had purchased this farming property, complete with 14th century stone tower, about six years ago and had been renovating it slowly and carefully, doing most of the work themselves. The 17th century building which housed the chambre d'hote and dining room was warm and comfortable, with stone walls and woodstove downstairs, and the original ceiling beams showing upstairs in the bedrooms. Outside was a large vegetable garden and flocks of ducks and chickens.

Original hand-hewn roof beams in our room.

Looking across part of the garden toward some of the hills we had come through.

The garden entrance to the building we stayed in. The partial wall on the left is part of the remains of a ruined chateau.

We ate dinner with them that evening and enjoyed interesting conversation about buying farmland in France and house building in general. Since we had built several homes in rural British Columbia we compared notes about insulation and wood heaters and vegetable gardening. Elisabeth spoke excellent English, and it was very pleasant to learn more about their lifestyle in a very rural part of Burgundy. Her dinner was delicious: a squash soup to start, then pork pieces simmered with mushrooms, served with absolutely scrumptious potatoes dauphinoise, and finishing with cheese and a freshly made apple tart. The wine flowed freely as well, and after our long ride that day, we were pleased to toddle up to bed after dinner.

Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 266 km (165 miles)

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