Burgundy

This morning I woke to a dawn chorus like I don't think I've heard before. Breakfast and then I walked along the disused railway from St Desert towards Buxy and up to Rosey, some 7.5 km. The disused railway is really a cycle path, flat and a bit boring being also boxed in by hedgerows. And those hedgerows are at 10:30 in the morning absolutely full of birds singing, calling, trilling under high-pressure blue skies; it's a beautiful day and it feels like a world apart from the rest. You would never know that fascists and comments are vying for power via the ballot box, today the first voting day in the French presidential elections.

There were lots of Charolais in the fields, not surprising since we are only a few kilometres from their origin at Charolles. The vineyards of Givry, think Premier Cru (Côte Challonnaise), are visible to the north from Rosey. So many well manicured towns here. And so many second homes. 

As to the rugby, we were a bit late to the start due to traffic, much like Leinster themselves. Ten down as we reached our already occupied seats; we had heard all the scores as we circled the stadium looking for the right entrance. The carnival continued and that brief period of yellow shocked quiet in the second half, before the TMO broke our hearts, was reason enough to have traveled so far.

We lost. but we lost well. And they won and of all the teams in Europe, their fans are reason enough not to begrudge Clermont yet another shot at their first European Rugby Cup title. Their opponents are a good second reason to support the "lions" slayers. A tough ask, I don't see Clermont beating Saracens but we can hope Ici. Ici. C’est Mont-ferrand!

I think it's OK to have digressed to Lyon for this post because after the game we rented bikes and cycled some 8 km around the two rivers and old town. After this short cycle, perhaps foolhardy because my knee had been quite sore earlier, it stopped hurting. Nonetheless, I'm taking a few days off to recuperate.

It's 235 km walked in 28 walks taking about 50 hours. So projecting this average pace to the Y3P, where degrees are C and distances imperial, the 25 miles should be achieved in well under the mandatory 12 hours even allowing for those three peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

Hurrah, we've raised 65% of our £5000 target. Could it be your time to sponsor us here?