Iteranti
A loaded orange gravel bike rests against a rustic wooden fence at a viewpoint, with stone benches and a panorama of fields and rooftops spread out below.

La Rothière to Orges (day 11)

Ridden · Jamie Brammer

The route today (gpx) 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.

Route map

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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

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.

  • A shallow river bend with a pale gravel beach, overhung by dense willow and poplar trees under a clear blue sky.
  • A cluster of yellow waymark signs for the GR654 Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle and GR145 Via Francigena routes on a wooden post beside a field of hay bales, with a broken blue metal gate nearby.
  • A ramshackle roadside garage crammed with vintage motoring memorabilia, including an old Renault van, mannequins, tyre adverts and a bicycle propped against the stone wall.
  • The photographer's shadow falls across a red-and-white GR waymark painted on a low wooden post standing in a field of cut hay.
  • Bicycle handlebars frame a view across a freshly harrowed field, with an agricultural roller parked beside the tramlines.
  • Rows of vine-covered trellises climb a hillside towards a band of woodland under a clear sky.
  • A loaded orange gravel bike leans against a tree marked with a hand-carved wooden arrow reading 'VF', beside a dirt track through hedgerow.
  • A chalky gravel track drops away downhill towards a town in the valley below, with a cycling computer reading 'RIDE AUTO-PAUSED' visible on the handlebars.
    Looking down into Bar-sur-Aube
  • A stone parapet overlooks a slow green river curving past an ivy-clad house and a church spire, with a road sign reading 'TOUTES DIRECTIONS' on the far bank.
  • A vaulted stone-ceilinged cellar bar furnished with orange and purple armchairs, wine glasses and a large glass water carafe on the table.
  • A slate-covered clock tower and spire rise above a half-timbered building on a village square, seen against a cloudless sky.
  • A lily-covered stretch of river runs past stone houses with pale blue shutters, with a weir and metal walkway spanning the water.
  • A narrow path runs through a tunnel of ivy-covered hedgerow and overhanging trees, dappled with sunlight.
  • A hilltop town spreads across the valley floor, glimpsed through a gap in the tree canopy.
  • A loaded orange gravel bike rests against a rustic wooden fence at a viewpoint, with stone benches and a panorama of fields and rooftops spread out below.
    View from the hill on the other side of Bar-sur-Aube
  • A mud-spattered gravel bike, laden with bikepacking bags and water bottles, stands at a viewpoint overlooking a town in the valley below.
  • A weathered Touring Club de France orientation table, mounted on a stone plinth, overlooks wooded hills with a loaded bike leaning against the railings beside it.
  • A bikepacking saddle bag and sunglasses sit atop a bicycle seat, with a chalky white track leading down towards a village in the distance.
  • A dirt track runs along the edge of a ploughed field towards a distant belt of woodland, bordered by dry grass and a hedgerow.
  • A quiet village road lined with mature trees leads towards a cluster of stone houses, with a parked car and a pedestrian in the distance.
    Clairvaux Prison
  • A muddy sunken track cuts through woodland, with a shallow puddle pooling in the eroded ruts ahead.
    Proper mud in the forests today
  • Two yellow GR145 Via Francigena waymarks point along a dry stone wall, backed by tall conifers and a banana plant.
  • A 'STOP 50m' sign and a yield sign stand beside a stone-walled house with a red tiled roof, with a small yellow Via Francigena marker on a post nearby.
  • A clear, spring-fed pool reflects a small stone building and a roadside crucifix, with an iron grille set into the retaining wall.
  • Sunlight filters through streamside trees onto a grassy bank beside a slow, weed-covered stretch of water.
  • A canalised stream runs between an ivy-topped hedge and a row of stone houses with pale shutters, with a small stone bridge visible ahead.
  • A tree-lined river runs through the centre of a village, flanked by a stone parapet on one side and pollarded trees on the other.
  • A multi-arched stone bridge with green wrought-iron railings and flower boxes crosses a weed-strewn river, with village houses beyond.
    The stream running through Orges
  • A stone-arched bridge crosses a river overhung with willows, with a wayside cross and a 'STOP' sign standing at its near end.
    The stream running through Orges
  • A stone farmhouse with shuttered windows and flowering shrubs sits beside a clear, weed-filled stream running through the village.
  • A wine bottle label for 'Marquis de Génissac', a 2016 Bordeaux Clairet, photographed at an angle indoors.