Domblans

This morning we were awake at 6am. It was 3°c outside and just 6°c inside. We were warm under the covers but anything exposed was freezing including my nose.
By 8am Wanda was warm as we had, had the fire in since 6:15 and we were both dressed and the bed was away. Last time we stayed here we remembered something going on in this car park and we nearly got blocked in and we didn’t want that happening today so we were ready incase an army of cars suddenly turned up but at 8am it looked pretty safe.
Our first job today was to drive 100 meters around the corner and empty the toilet and grey water and top up the fresh water. Once again it was one of those crappy taps so we had to use the bags again and put the water in the top of the water tank. Luckily we didn’t much.
All we had to do today was drive to another park up 85 miles away. It would all be back lanes as we’re heading up France but still avoiding the toll roads but even the quiet non toll roads are pretty fast in France.
We left Cremiue at 8:45am and our first stop was around 10am for diesel at an intermarchè supermarket. We still had just under half a tank but this is the cheapest place to get fuel in France. Then we stopped in a little village at a Boulangerie because I had a craving for fresh bread. I also got a cheesy bread slice which was amazing.
Our next stop should have been for LPG but after finding 2 garages that were both out of gas we gave up. We’re not desperate for gas yet, but tomorrow it will have to be a priority.
At 1pm we arrived at our little aire in Domblans. It’s just a concrete pad, big enough for 4 motorhomes comfortably with free water and a dump station. It’s also right at the end of the village with Vinyards behind us, huge hills to our left and a forest and it’s unbelievably quiet. We really feel like we’re at the end of the world.
At 2pm I decided to go for a bike ride. I’d searched through my app, found a nice little route of 25km with 600 meters of climbing and after putting my cold weather clothes on and sorting my bike and gps out by 2:30pm I was ready to leave.
I left the car park via a little track running around the side of the vineyard and popped out on the main road into the village. I crossed straight over and into a park where the Domblans castle is and stopped for some photos, then I turned left and picked up a gravel track and I was climbing. I didn’t think the climb was that big so I pushed myself to my limit and when I reached the top of the short 10% gradient my heart rate was 181bpm. That’s a new record for me. Then my gps beeped and said I had a climb coming up in 160 meters.
I reached the start of the next climb and looked at the climb meter. It said I had 8.5km to go. This was going to be a tough climb.
It started off fine at a gradient of 3%, then 6%, then 10%, then the gravel ran out and I was on mud and it was wet and now the gradient was 14%. To top it off, being a Saturday all the hunters had been out in there 4x4s and the track was really churned up so I really had no traction. By the time I got to the first plateau of the climb I was knackered and I was only 2km in.
The next section was on tarmac which was much easier and I kept in my lowest gear, rode slow and got my breath back and by the time it started ramping up again I was ready to dig in. I was back on more gravel at 14%, then that run out and I was on double track but luckily there was some stone mixed in with the mud which made traction a little better. Then the track changed to old brick and stone which was super slippery but I could see the ridge line and pushed all the way to the top. Then I had some downhill before getting onto a single gravel track and more climbing. At the next plateau I rounded a bend and about 50 meters in front of me was what looked like a gold backed wolf. These are real animals found in Europe. I don’t know if they have them in France but I thought I was now looking at one. I stopped and as I put my foot on the ground the gravel crunched and the wolf turned a stared at me. I pulled my phone out to take a picture and then thought should I video this. It might eat me. Then the wolf started coming towards me. I stayed on the bike, not really knowing what to do. Only food runs. And I was too tired to do an all out sprint so I stood my ground. Right up to the point where he was next to me I still thought this was a wolf. Then he wagged his tail and put his head in my leg because he wanted a cuddle. It was definitely a dog and I was glad it was.
The going was really slow and really tough, much tougher than I’d expected and by the time I’d reached the summit of the climb where the viewpoint was the sun had just set. It would be dark in an hour.
I took my pictures and then started the decent. It started on single track mud winding down the mountainside. Then I was into woods and they were really dark but luckily I had my lights. Then the angle of the decent started dropping rapidly to a gradient of 20%. I thought this was going to be my chance to fly home but the next 3km were on an ancient cobbled stone track that was unbelievably bumpy. By the time I got to smoother ground my arms and wrists were aching from the bumps. Then I came out onto a concrete track and I put the hammer down speeding up to 40kph winding around the mountainside. Just as I was getting into the decent the track ended and the gps said turn left which would take me literally straight down the mountainside. I looked down and could see where other people had walked and ridden there bikes and on a dry day in daylight I would have done the same. But on a wet mountainside in poor light I decided to walk my bike down and two steps in I had absolutely no grip and I slipped on to my arse and slid about 50 meters down with my bike on top of me. My arse and legs were caked in thick mud.
After the slide I was back onto concrete track and then tarmac. It was now 5pm and almost completely dark and it was just 2km back to Wanda I raced the last part of the ride back, it had taken a lot longer than I thought but it had been a great ride.
Back in Wanda I got changed into my pyjamas. I was done for the day and Ellie was now hungry and before I’d even strapped my bike back on she had the oven on. Then with dinner done we pulled the blinds down and settled in for the night.Read more