Day 6 – Friday 20 June 2014

Bar-sur-Seine to St-Seine-l'Abbaye

Hotel

Hôtel de la Poste

Notes

The Champagne region comes to an end just south of Les Riceys and we crossed into Burgundy. Wow – vinyards everywhere! Apparently some of them are allowed to call themselves Champagne even though they are in Burgundy. It's something to do with a relaxation of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée rules, and probably an example of French self interest.

We puffed up and down the varied terrain, gradually gaining height as we went upstream. I found it quite exhausting. This was the day I found a bush and pulled off my nylon underpants (see my complaint earlier in the trip). I found it much easier only wearing my cycle shorts that had a fleece pad on the inside and didn't rub so much.

Lunch by the war memorial at Coulmier-le-Sec was interesting. We'd bought quiches and other nibbles earlier in the day and sat on stone benches round the square. It was very quiet despite what looked like a school on the other side of the square.

At Chanceaux we came to a signpost directing us to the source of the river Seine. There was a debate whether we could cope with the detour as it involved a bit more of a climb, but in the end the spirit of adventure overcame our reluctance, after all it is the source of one of France's major rivers. There was a very nicely laid out park with a grotto occupied by a nymph, and very appealing she was too – oh, and a plaque to Napoleon.

A final 10 mile puff brought me to our hotel, slightly behind the others, where I found them already downing a welcome beer in the shade by the side of a swimming pool. None of us ventured to swim, opting instead to eat a splendid meal in the hotel restaurant, which turned out to be one of our most expensive. The bidet in the hotel bedroom was rather splendid, the type of which I've never seen before. It swung out from under the wash basin on little wheels.