St Symphorien church from the Keep in Morstel
Good start the next day, excellent breakfast and we had both slept well. Enjoyed todays riding. It was more varied than yesterday and we had a full day to pace ourselves. A similar elevation gain and a little longer at 67 km
Highlights were
Morning break on the banks of a side channel to the Rhone (Derivation de Bregnier-Cordon) just before Eview (great name) through a beautiful woodland and nature reserve. Lovely section as the Rhone was broken up by a number of small islands and side channels.
- A grand chateau (Chateau de Brangues) which we could admire on a hill behind some very ornate gates. The origins of this estate were a more humble medieval stronghold built on a hill 100m above the Rhone as a defensive position. Today we had several reminders that the history of this area was brutal with many conflicts.
- We arrived in Morestel (“city of painters”) in time for lunch. After a brush off from the first place we tried we found a friendly alternative near the old town. Shared a really nice ham salad and a couple of beers enjoying the sun before heading up the hill to the 11 century keep overlooking the rooftops of the old town. One thing that really caught my eye here was a stone marked out for measuring lengths of cloth.
- The church (St Symphorien) that dominates the skyline below the keep was part of an Augustinian convent from the 10th century.
- Nice to have time to explore this town, and have the old town to ourselves.
- Back to our cycle and not long before we were inundated by an afternoon rainstorm. Gave us a good opportunity to test Mikes jacket. We did spend some time sheltering under trees before deciding that we should just keep going. Fortunately the rain soon lessened so we did not get too wet and soon dried off.
- I did wonder (aloud) if we should take the direct shorter road route and come off the bike path. Mike persuaded me otherwise and glad he did.
- When the sun came back out we sat by a canal and disused railway line enjoying the respite and refueling on dried fruit and nuts.
- It was slightly surreal shortly thereafter cycling through a marina / water world and holiday park (Vallee Bleue). Had to pay attention and not bump into people / street furniture.
- I enjoyed the ride along the north side of the Rhone from Sault Brenaz to Lagnieu. Most of the day had been spent away from the banks of the river so this was a nice change and good run into the end of our ride.
First though we stopped off at Lidl in search of milk, but as I was quite cold also bought some trousers and a knit top! Came in handy for our evening walk round the town as otherwise all I had was a very lightweight shift!
Our B&B (le Clos du Bois Joli) in Lagnieu was excellent. It was nice our room was on the ground floor and opened into the garden with a small private terrace area. Great for drying our cycing clothes and relaxing in. We decided to wander round the old town before our dinner reservation at le Lion d’or.
The church was very beautiful and I liked the juxtaposition of the modern stained glass by the main entrance with the murals on the walls and traditional arches.
An excellent meal at the Lion d’or. Glad I am able to get by in French but would like to be more fluent. Altogether a successful day.
See below for a video of our ride. Note to see the full controls click on the < control on the progress bar. This will allow you to watch the video full screen.
