A very long cycle ride was on the cards today - a total of 40miles (64km) was to be achieved by end of play! There are so few trains out of Auxerre. This meant that I had to get the 08h16 out, arriving in Clamecy at 09h12 - a little too early to start, but a better option than the next train. Leaving the town, I headed for the Canal du Nivernais, stopping for lunch at the Ecluse de la Place, before eventually getting back into Auxerre at 17h00. The story is in the photos ...... read more

07h30, and the dining room was filling up. By 08h30, the dining room was becoming empty. By 08h45, the heaven's had opened and the gutters were filling up. I left the hotel and walked through the rain to buy some lunch. Having acquired suitable sustenance, I went off to hire a bike for the day. As before, my plan was, until lunchtime, to follow the Canal du Nivernais down to Cravant, have lunch, then carry on before turning round and returning to Auxerre - a modest 29 miles. And so, with the rain having stopped, I strapped my bag to the bike and cycled through the park and onto the main road, heading downhill alongside the Boulevard Vaubelle to the River Yonne. Not wanting to take any chances, I used a couple of pedestrian crossings before ... read more

Following yesterday's breakfast with the masses, I made a conscious effort to ensure I was there early. 07h30 seemed a good time and I was relieved to find that I was the only guest in the dining room. By 08h15, I was still the only guest in the dining room - clearly, yesterday's UN resolution had been agreed and issued. After a leisurely breakfast, I left the hotel about 09h00 and headed into town to buy some lunch. Having a bag full of bread, I went off to hire a bike for the day. Not having ridden for about 15 years, this was going to be and interesting experience! My plan was, until lunchtime, to follow the Canal du Nivernais down to Cravant, where the Scots were thrashed by the English in an away game in ... read more

Having arrived in London the previous evening, I was able to start this trip with the minimum of fuss, arriving at the Eurostar terminal an hour before the train was due to leave. Despite the queues, the positions in extremis once again proved the fastest route through security and passport control. Thus, five minutes after checking in, I was sitting on the far side watching my fellow travellers become more and more hassled. The journey to Paris was uneventful - probably because I slept much of the way, waking just before our arrival. My neighbour, however, seemed to spend the entire trip sitting side-saddle and staring out of the window, afraid to miss something! Heading through Gare du Nord, I headed straight to the RER where, without any planning, a train was waiting. Leaving immediately, two ... read more

With a whole day to spare, the final day of the trip was spent relaxing in Chania ... I'll be back in September!... read more