Sun 11 May 2014 Cumulative Distance 225km
A grey, wet and misty morning greeted us but, after a sumptuous breakfast, we determined to be on our way despite the weather and so we set off to retrieve our bikes from their imprisonment. All was in order and we rode back to the hotel to load our panniers before taking a detour to visit the local Aigle Castle. The castle is an impressive structure built sometime in the 13th century, made all the more dramatic by the low cloud and mist shrouding the surrounding peaks.
The approach to the castle is steep and narrow, paved with well polished cobblestones and, in the wet, this proved a treacherous combination for one of our group. Fortunately bruised pride was the only real consequence. We wandered around the castle in the light rain before continuing on northwards towards Montreaux and the Lake of Geneva.
Releasing the Beasts
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Aigle Castle
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Our next goal was the Chillon Castle, situated on a small island in the lake near Montreaux. This castle has adorned millions of boxes of Swiss chocolates and internationally is almost as well known as a Swiss icon as the Matterhorn. This castle too was impressive although it was surprising (and a little disappointing) to find it surrounded by expressways and multi-storey apartments. These had been artfully hidden in the most famous photos.
After a coffee (tea) break in Villeneuve we headed westwards, crossing the Rhone and entering France. There was little to indicate that we were in another country except that we now had to drag out our Euros, and stow our Swiss Francs to use at a later time. Cycling along the southern shore of Lake Geneva would have been easy except for a fierce head wind that seemed to get steadily stronger. The skies blackened and it was obvious that a severe squall was coming our way. Around the lake storm warning lights were flashing. Just in the nick of time we decided to seek out a small hotel Marianne had seen sign-posted by the road and just as we reached it the rain began, accompanied by a massive crack of thunder.
After unloading our bikes and stowing them safely in a garage we waited out the storm in our rooms, confident that the sun would soon re-appear. We were not disappointed.
Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva
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Heading into France
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For more photos of Vaud click on the Picasa link on the right side of the webpage.
Aigle
Sat 10 May 2014 Cumulative Distance 176km
We woke to a glorious, if chilly, morning - sun shining in a clear blue sky - surrounded by high snow covered peaks. A few others were just stirring as we set off from the campground to follow an alternate route through the vineyards that cover the valley floor and extend up steep valley sides.
The climbs to the higher regions at the edge of the valley floor were not severe and we were compensated with some exhilerating downhill runs as the route weaved its way down valley towards Martigny which is located on the Rhone elbow in the Lower Valais. Martgny is the hub of the pass routes across the Simplon, Great St. Bernard and Forclaz.
As the day progressed the cloud moved in and the wind picked up (another headwind of course) and so, after a pleasant picnic lunch on a bench near a canal, we bypassed Martigny and followed the Rhone northwards towards the Lake of Geneva. Being a weekend the traffic on the well-made cycle path was far greater than we had previously encountered with a preponderance of cyclists in BMC strip, all getting fit in preparation for watching the Tour de France! Denis commented that that was being a bit too cynical.
After consulting the map and the sky we decided to head to Aigle to find some accommodation for the night. As we entered the old town in search of a hotel we encountered the Saturday market with crowds of people, live music and numerous colourful stalls - a totally unexpected experience that convinced us we had come to the right place.
While entering the town we were intigued to see various sculptures of bicycles adorning the roundabouts. Later we discovered that Aigle is the headquarters of L'Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s International Federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
We found the hotel (its entrance partially hidden by one of stalls selling local cheeses) and checked in. When we asked regarding secure storage for our bikes we were told that the hotel had a reserved bay in the 3rd level down of the town's underground parking garage located nearby. However, as it was a public carpark, it would be prudent to lock them well and the hotel provided us with four lengths of chain and four padlocks! Loaded down with chains like a bunch of convicts we wheeled our bikes to the carpark (located directly under the local Gendarmerie office) and left them festooned with chains and locks after removing all detachable items (bike computers, pumps, water bottles) just in case. Almost certainly an unnecessary precaution but who knows?
Fortunately the sun reappeared in the late afternoon and we could enjoy wandering around the old town with its dramatic mountain backdrop.
Down Valley towards Martigny
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Aigle
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