A tough choice

I have never felt driven to write a review of a campsite up until now. Why would I? In the last year I have visited many in Europe; good, bad, indifferent, expensive and cheap. Usually it’s a place to sleep, wash, eat and move on. After a while they all become one in your memory.
However, Tournus camping in the town of Tournus, north of Lyon, deserves a special mention. The business is owned and run by Lilian and Rene, ably assisted by Rene’s wife, who serves the fresh bread in the mornings, and made me a very good cup of coffee. Their pizzas aren’t bad either.
By their own admission they cater for people travelling through rather than long-stays, although it would be a fine place to base yourself. You are extended a warm welcome, and nothing is too much trouble. The facilities are immaculate, and the small eating area a useful place for a lone cyclist to sit on a cold morning. These things make a difference to a solitary traveller. I rate this campsite the best I have visited. Give them a try if you are passing.

As if to rubber-stamp my choice, a nightingale sings in the dark hours close to my tent. A full repertoire and note perfect. These birds have been with me all along the two great rivers, calling from the banks as I cycled by. Heralds of Spring.
I have now definitely left the south.The landscape and vegetation is very different, and I am greeted with a huge temperature drop which came as something of a shock; I haven’t cycled in a cold head-wind since Scandinavia last year. Southern Europe has made me soft.
The road takes you through the village of St Loup de Varennes where Nicephore Niepce began the process of photography. The Museum unfortunately was closed, and the sign commemorating the history was easily missed. Couldn’t they have made it bigger?

I had a choice, north to Dijon (mustard) or to stop in Beaune ( wine). Both have a route leading north west, south of Paris. The good thing about travelling alone is that you can please yourself. Beaune it was then, I can live without mustard.
This is Burgundy, the Côte D’or. As you ride into the area, the great wine estates slide past on your left under the hills, themselves covered in world famous vines. A noble profession with a great ancestry.

Beaune trades on its location amongst the vineyards, and although this has become it’s main function it does have other attractions. The Hotel-Diieu was set up as a poor hospital and survived as such for five centuries. It was still operating in 1955, staffed by nuns. It now carries the most colourful glazed roof tiles

A town surrounded by famous vineyards of necessity must have many bars and restaurants. There is certainly no shortage of choice, which attracts the tourists into this pretty unspoilt centre.

I’m staying here for two nights to rest the muscles and infuse some atmosphere, and then my course changes to the north west. France still has plenty to offer.