Distance today = 48.32 km; Total distance = 17,973.82 km; Location = Le Filletiere – 46 40.133′ N, 04 41.048′ E; Start time = 0832, Finish time = 1635

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/284599266

I will keep today’s report relatively short, as we have our first visitors on the run since Chook and Don last October. Old friends, Steve and Judith, have dropped in to spend a night with us in Burgundy, on their way back from Geneva to London. More on this tomorrow.

Today was great. While it was still cold, the wind let up and I was quite comfortable. And, in addition, I spent the whole day on a bike path that used to be a rail line. It was a joy to be able to run freely, without constantly jumping off the road to avoid cars. France’s roads are on a par with some of the worst in the southern US states, in terms of no shoulders for pedestrians. Most of the time there is nothing. It was great to avoid this today.

I headed from the Saone Valley, over a ridge into Cluny, which I reached late in the morning. Cluny used to have the largest cathedral in the world, until Notre Dame was built in Paris, some 900 years ago.  Nowadays, there are only the foundations to see. I’m not sure what happened to it. The foundations still attract quite a few tourists, though.

The afternoon was spent on a quite flat and straight section heading north. After lunch at St Gengoux le National (a great name for a town), it was on to the end of the day at Le Filletiere, enjoying the bike path every step of the way.

PS The tracker shows me about 30 km north of my official position.

Carmel asked me to report that there will be no photos uploaded tonight. Her i-photo is repairing inconsistencies in its library! It could take hours to repair!