Sous La Manche!

So in the end, it was worth getting up at 4am and being on the road not long after 5. There were delays of up to an hour at the Folkestone end of the Channel Tunnel, due to migrant activity overnight. Being relatively early we were able to get on an earlier train which, when the delay was added, left at almost the same time as the service we should have been on. And when we left the train in Calais, it was as if someone had turned the summer on. Result!

As expected, the French motorway system on a Sunday is a delight. Aside from stopping for lunch, an afternoon break, and the occasional peage toll booth, we simply cruised down at 130 kph, arriving at our overnight stop at a very civilized hour.

Epernay-sous-Gevrey is a small village slap bang in the middle of a major wine growing region of France. A couple of weeks ago, we cycled past one of the vineyards on the Isle of Wight. It has a small field with vines planted in it. Here, in contrast, it's vines as far as the eye can see! The most imposing is Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, which, as the name suggests, is a huge Chateau surrounded by enormous vineyards. The terroire must be something special! It is on the Route de Grand Cru, after all.

The back garden of our overnight stop. Beats Premier Inn!