Château-Chalon, France 🇫🇷 2023

Date: 1st July 2023

Travelled: 150 kms from Baumé-les-Messieurs to Pérouges 

Visited: Château-Chalon and Cize-Bolozon Viaduct 

Stayed: Pérouges Parking, free, N45.90570, E05.17530  

Budget: 39 days @ €95 per day

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No thunderstorms and rain last night, so we peacefully slept through till nearly 6 am. Having lost half a day to rain yesterday we decide to make an early start and visit Château Chalon this morning before moving on.

Château-Chalon is an easy scooter ride (10 kms) from Baumé. So once breakfast is done we get the Kisbee on its way. The first 8 kms is a breeze but the last 2 kms a steep grinding climb the scooter doesn’t enjoy.

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We arrive in Chalon and the scooter takes a deep breath. The first thing we note is the spectacular views. Helmets away, Pam checks her look, telling me that we should keep a scarf in the scooter for emergencies. My comment you, mean like we keep an air-conditioner on the Hymer doesn’t go down well, so I let it go.

From our guide book the Most Beautiful Villages in France you’ll find Château-Chalon on page 60. Château-Chalon stands on the edge of the Jura Plateau overlooking the vineyards of the Vin Jaune, once again situated in the Bourgogne Region of France.

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As we wander there are signs for various wine caves (the French version of cellar door) offering this or that. We are not into wine tastings especially at 11 in the morning. A huge bus unloads its tourists at the viewing point above, then drives off. They unload slowly half crossing the road to the conveniences, whilst the rest take photos.

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Our next stop is the Église Saint-Pierre. Once part of a Benedictine Abbey that dominated Chalon. Long after the monks had departed the abbey was disassembled and used to build the school and other public building, the church is all that remains.

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Best picture I could get of the relic of Saint Just circa 1590.

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Château Chalon is possibly the smallest of our French villages to date, but we will remember it for the spectacular views across the valleys that surround it. The farms the vineyards and the villages in the distance.

So Chalon is done we scooter back to Baumé, load it back onto the Hymer and make ready for the road. I set the GPS for the Cize-Bolozon Viaduct and we’re on our way.

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Watching an episode of Michael Portello’s railway journeys last year he highlighted the Coze-Bozolon Viaduct. Noting its location I put a marker on our map, on the off chance we would pass this way and have a look.

So here we are having lunch next to this gigantic symbol of 19th century engineering. Completed in 1877 it carries regular rail services including the TGV. It has a single lane of road traffic on the lower level. Not high enough for the Hymer or I would have got an even better picture.

Lunch done we continue on to Pérouges and tomorrows adventure.

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Michael + Pam