Meursault to Trevoux
Friday 22nd September 2017
Today started like many others in that we didn’t really know where we would end up that night. We knew that we wanted to get down to the Lyon area but had not identified a particular site. OK, so we had done some research but nothing stood out as being a must go to site. We were going to stop off in Macon for some provisions (mainly wine, one of my favourites Macon) and we needed one or two camping consumables that we hadn’t managed to get before we left the UK.
First things first though, and a stroll into Meursault for a quick look around before we left. We had also been told that Friday was market day and there’s usually a bit of a buzz around at a French market. Now Meursault isn’t that big so it was quite a modest market but there was a nice vibe with people milling around looking at what was on offer.
If you haven’t walked around a village or town in a wine producing region at this time of year it is a must. There is that distinctive aroma of mashed grapes and the start of fermentation everywhere. We first experienced it in Bordeaux some 25 years ago and it is unmistakable.
We decided to have a coffee and take in some of the atmosphere. We sat outside and for a while we alone but very shortly others started to appear. It seems the thing to do in Meursault is to buy your breakfast pastry from the patisserie in the market square, then come across to the bar where we were sat to enjoy your pastry with a coffee. Before long it was quite a busy little place.
As pleasant as it was to people watch we had tracks to make and it was time to head back to the campsite and ready for the off. Back at our pitch I heard a ‘hello there’ to be greeted by a man who were in the vehicle immediately in front of us on the channel crossing. They were towing a caravan and heading down to Provence. Such a small world.
It was getting on for lunchtime before we left that day and we knew that the camping accessory shop would be closed for lunch, so Macon first for provisions, lunch, and then to the accessory shop. Our route then took us down towards Lyon and we knew that trying to get past Lyon without using a toll road would be a challenge too far, and just where were we going to stay?
We made a last-minute decision to stop off at Trevoux, and a campsite called Kanopee adjacent to the river Soane. We caught Trevoux just at the wrong time, evening rush hour on a Friday! The place was full of activity.
The campsite is located in a beautiful spot on the outskirts of the main town and running alongside the banks of the river Soane. OK, it is fenced off from the river path but it still has a great outlook. We had our pic of pitches and chose one that overlooked the river.
The river path was busy with people walking and cycling, as was the river with a large cruise boat (I’m never sure when a boat becomes a ship but this was on the large side) preparing for the next leg of it’s journey.
It was a lovely evening and we took the opportunity to walk along the river path and let the dogs stretch their legs. It’s a lovely walk with various picnic spots, and we even found some ‘beach’ areas where Lily (one of our Dalmatians) could get in for a swim.
The campsite also has cabins for rent and this was to be the downside to this particular stay. Many cabins did not appear to be occupied but we were adjacent to one that was and as we found out from another Brit staying on the site, they were adjacent to another occupied cabin. Well let’s just say that the occupants of both cabins were having a real good time drinking, merry-making, and enjoying their music. Now I’m OK with others having a good time but when it goes on until 3AM, that’s no joke. Let’s just say that we didn’t get a good night’s sleep.
Maybe a Friday night was the wrong night to stay at this site but we shouldn’t really have to think about that. It’s a shame because otherwise it was a great location.
