The Vines Of Burgundy
Posted Friday 8th November 2024
Contents
- Afternoon Stroll to Sauvigny
- Onward to Meursault
- Caffeine Deprivation to Santenay
- Over the Top to Nolay
Afternoon Stroll to Sauvigny
After almost four weeks of Umbria (Italy), Florence, Venice and Paris we set out for a four day walk in the vineyards of Burgundy.
Our Monday morning journey from Paris was by a double consist TGV train to Dijon where we changed to something that was from much nearer the bottom of the railway food chain – a rather rough and ready four car electric train that looked a bit like an retiree from the suburbs of Paris.
Start of our walking journey – the entry archway to medieval Beaune.
It got us into Beaune in time for lunch where Sue and I, my sister Jenny and her partner Keith all finally came together. We had around nine kilometres to cover to get to Sauvigny for the night but didn’t actually up sticks at Beaune until around 14·30. We had a bit of distance to cover through town to a very abrupt change from laneways and drab houses to slopes of massed vines.
By simply crossing the road at this ‘discontinuity’ we found ourselves out on GR7 (GRs are Grand Randonnes or walking tracks), walking among a vast array of vines framed by low walls – a magnificent, manicured patchwork of green.
Looking back to Beaune over the vast array of premium vines.
Every so often a small cluster of white vans highlighted groups of people stooping lovingly over their vines – so much so that we developed a theory that the French sing and talk to their vines as part of viticultural process.
Tending their vines – we were too far away to hear them singing, but we are sure they do.
We didn’t actually hear them sing but we still think we were on to something. They also use helicopters to spray the vines – something that was noisily apparent for some of the afternoon.
A noisy visitor presumably coming back for a refill.
We eventually reached the top of the slopes and found ourselves in a maze of tracks through patches of woodland and cereal cropping for a change. It seems that vines are grown on east facing slopes, leaving the rest for more ordinary forms of agriculture.
Out of the vines and into the woodlands.
We headed along a shortcut toward our destination, but that ended abruptly where a freeway had simply chopped off any further progress. Around this point we had a feeling that we were somewhat lost, although a bit of creative map reading served to clarify matters.
Eventually we found the underpass that gave us access to Sauvigny. At the entry to the village we observed a grand Chateau that had a retired Vampire (aircraft) on display in its front garden – a very odd combination.
Chateau at entry to Sauvigny with a bit of the wing of their unusual garden ornament visible.
We headed to the local hotel which we found near the middle of the village (L’Ouvree) while Jenny and Keith found the camping area out near the southern edge.
Hotel L’Ouvree wrapped in creeper makes it a rather charming looking place.
We all had dinner at Le Morgan (and it did have a Morgan car after which it had been named), all selecting Boeuf Bourguignonne as our main course, washed down with a pichet or two of local red.
Onward to Meursault
Next morning it wasn’t until around 09·15 that we retraced our steps beneath the freeway. In the meantime, we had breakfast and then when Jenny and Keith appeared we had second morning coffee for good measure. Once under the freeway we found GR76 which took us through forest and isolated cleared areas well away from any sort of habitation.
A bright yellow field punctuated a mainly woodland morning walk.
At one point there was an isolated building, clearly marked ‘ferme’ (shut) and under some sort of serious restoration. Eventually we crested a rise which had grand views of Beaune to the east and Pommard and Meursault to the south, all framed by the lush green of vines.
Pommard in view to the south but still with some distance to go.
The walk down walled laneways through the vines to Pommard was pure magic – a brilliant day, picturesque villages and all surrounded by ancient walls and vineyards on a grand scale.
Not far to go to arrive in Pommard – second morning coffee and lunch coming up.
At Pommard, which is known for its premium whites, we found the bar, initially hidden behind a parked truck, and had a second morning coffee (or in our case a third morning coffee) along with a couple of ice-creams for the ambulatory newbies, before we finally settled on a shaded bench near the church as a place for lunch. Here we were introduced to the classic walking in France lunch – baguette with camembert and hard sausage.
Streetscape in Pommard.
By the time we decamped and set off for Meursault the temperature had gone up considerably, making the afternoon rather more arduous than the morning had been. The same walled laneways threaded their way through the lush vines but with no shade for the plodders. In less than two kilometres the village of Volnay turned up but with no discernible shelter from the afternoon sun.
Volnay offers little in the way of shade in the warm afternoon sun.
Equally the nearby larger village of Monthelie produced no usable shade but did have some excellent examples of the ornate Burgundian enamel tiled rooves as a distraction.
The enamelled tiles of Burgundy are a notable aspect of that region.
Jenny and Keith dropped off at the camp ground as we entered Meursault, while we continued on and found a room at the hotel near the village centre. The Hotel Mont Melian was adequate and, after the workmen opposite had gone home, pleasantly quiet. Meursault is known for its reds despite being only a small distance from Pommard and largely of the same terroir.
Aperitifs at the Restaurant which is also an Hotel – all very convenient.
We again got together at the appointed hour for pre-dinner drinks ands nibbles, but even though we extended it out, we had trouble killing time until the restaurant opened at 19:00, despite all being in the same establishment. The wait was worth it since we had a very enjoyable meal, after which Sue and I went down to the adjacent vineyards so Sue could sketch the delightful rustic scene. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 23:00 but had a very good sleep as a consequence.
Sue doing her after dinner sketching as dusk slowly embraces the scene.
Caffeine Deprivation to Santenay
We had planned an early start but 07·20 was rather ahead of what we had expected. We headed off up a long slow climb to the nearby ridge from where we followed a series of mostly rough walking tracks through bushland. There were occasional crashing and banging noises in the bush which we assumed were wild boar – something we did not relish having to trifle with. As it happened, they must have been of a similar view.
In time we dropped steeply down to the village of Gamay, only to discover that there was no prospect of a second morning coffee, or in fact any sustenance – there were no trading outlets other than those related to wines at all. Even our ‘Walking in France’ companions seemed a bit non-plussed by this situation. However not to be deprived, we set off to Chassangne Montrachet via a short route, hoping to fulfil our needs.
Wherever the soil is disturbed poppies will appear as here where they share space with vines.
Again we had no luck – it seems the nearby town of Chagny had sucked the lifeblood out of these villages leaving them as rather lifeless semi-suburban enclaves. Having fortified on nibbles and water that we were carrying, we continued to Remigny, which being even closer to Chagny produced no surprises when it too was coffee free.
A local doing a bit of work by the roadside pointed out that it was only two kilometres to Santenay, our destination for the day, so we simply kept going to end our formal walking day at around 11:50. Here the hotel, Le Lion d’Or, was still operational and did produce our now very overdue second morning coffees. Having taken an inordinate time to re-caffienate we then retired to a small park near the station to do another of our walkers lunches. This took us through until 14:00 when Information re-opened. In time we acquired the ‘good’ room at the hotel and set ourselves up for a siesta. The camp ground was about one kilometre away at Haute Santenay – a reversal of yesterday’s situation.
The windmill at Santenay looks like it just needs sails to get going again.
We had time to get the makings for tomorrows breakfast before Jenny and Keith re-appeared around 18·00 for dinner. Pending the one and only restaurant, Le Terroir, opening we went up the nearby hill to the windmill (moulin) there. For dinner we were given an outdoor table in a pleasant little village square where we enjoyed yet another splendid French evening meal. Afterwards we engaged in a bit more wandering until the sun was near setting (22:00 at that time of year).
Over the Top to Nolay
This morning involved an even earlier start, meeting our compatriots up at Haute Santenay at 07:15. For the first time on this walk it was overcast – a bit of a blessing since we had a climb from 220 metres at the village to 520 metres atop the Mountain of The Three Crosses. The road initially rose steeply but just when it was getting a bit tiresome the track (now GR7 again, instead of the earlier GR76) separated from the road and sidled the ridge on a very reasonable grade.
Santenay is a long way down from the top of the Mountain of The Three Crosses.
Towards the top it levelled out, passed through a short forest, went straight through the middle of a cereal crop and then made a sharp steep climb to the summit. Overall, it took us an hour to make the ascent, good in the circumstances. Despite earlier misgivings, Sue made the ascent in fine style.
We spent around half an hour at the summit surveying our surroundings and just getting our collective breath back. The Three Crosses were rather uninspiring concrete creations of no particular merit but the views from up there were definitely worth the effort.
The route forward from the summit was initially down a minor road for some distance to where it separated from the walking track, which then took us on a rather interesting and varied route almost to the village of Nolay. Along the road we noted a Neolithic dolman (burial chamber), something that is not all that uncommon in these parts.
A neolithic dolman is just another bit of roadside interest in these parts.
When we separated from the road, we initially wandered through a glorious field of wildflowers – poppies, cornflowers, daisies and numerous other varieties.
The wildflowers made quite a show beside the more formal crops.
In turn we then had cereal and canola crops, woodland, knee high grass beside a newly planted field then more crops including lupins before we zig zagged our way down to the valley below then shortly after arrived at the edge of Nolay – our destination.
Approaching Nolay after a longer than expected walk.
Keith had calculated the day at 10 km but now hurriedly re-estimated it to have been nearer 14 km. We fairly quickly found the village square (Place de la Halle) which among other things included the Church (with bells) and Halle (ancient undercover market place). It also had a bar (coffee), hotel (room with a Juliette balcony), and a pizza place which solved our evening meal concerns.
Place de la Halle with the bar on left, Halle ahead and church a bit off right.
Apart from going to Information to find the location of the camping area and get a bus schedule for the morrow, we were discouraged by the onset of drizzle from further serious exploration. Considerably later we set out for a bit of a wander, finding a rather attractive town with interesting variations on the village theme such as older looking stonework, the odd small church and washing troughs in the streets, all relics of times long ago.
…the odd small church…
Dinner was much later again and was at the pizza place at the back of the square. As we retired for the evening the flood lights lit up the Halle and Church, but the bells fell silent until daybreak.
The church floodlit but the bells have fallen silent.
Our four days of walking had covered an estimated 57 kilometres, ascended 1127 metres, taking an elapsed 16h 20m to complete.
Next morning we were woken at an early hour by our camping companions who were walking back to Beaune. We farewelled them from our Juliette balcony then went back to sleep until a more reasonable hour. We had now returned to more normal travel – late morning local bus to Beaune then on the following day to Paris for a final couple of days then to London for a part day before flying home via Singapore to arrive home at our church in the hills in the morning of the following Wednesday. Although short, our little walk had opened up future possibilities which came to fruition in 2012 and 2013.
