11 La Rothière to Orges
826m climbing
6h 36m elapsed
29th July 2019, 25°C, sunny
63.51km
4h 30m moving
56% off-road
The route today followed the walking route for much of the time. Some diversions to avoid a theme park and hills and some others later in the day to stay more on gravel tracks in the forests.
Red line - the route I took, Orange line - “official” Via Francigena, Blue line - Sigeric’s probable route
HillS.
Champagne vines grow on some steep slopes. Plenty of up and down today between various valleys.
Bar-sur-Aube
A quiet small town at the bottom of a valley. Great place to stop for lunch in a cool cellar.
Reusing old buildings in France
Clairvaux Prison
Yesterday was the chateau that became a psychiatric institution... today the world’s largest Cistercian abbey that became a prison... this was as close as I could get with a camera, even on Google Maps it is hashed out. There was a lot of building work going on tidying the place up and I’d expect it might properly open to the public at some point in the future.
Overnight: Orges, Au Bord de La Dhuy
Orges is a quiet small village that reminded me slightly of the English Cotswolds with a shallow stream running through the centre.
Accommodation was a gite with a lovely couple, again eating with them and enjoying some good wine. By this time I think I managed some passable conversations in French. I’d recommend this as a place to stay.