Regular readers will know how hard I try to get decent photos of our tours, and therefore the awe with which I view Patrick Hudgell and his photographs.
Last summer Patrick and his pals joined us in Burgundy, and I’ve uploaded a selection of his photos onto our Flickr photostream.
I’ve chosen 5 here as examples, but if you want to see the whole set click here to view them on Flickr.
1. The Hospice de Dieu in Beaune was a charitable hospital in the centre of Beaune established in the 15th century, and parts of the hospital were still used into the 1980s.
Surely, this is the most spectacular roof in the world? The traditional Burgundian roof is made of painted ceramic tiles arranged in patterns, and as you cycle through Aloxe Corton and Savigny-les-Beaune, you’ll see some wonderful examples. But nothing that prepares you for the scale and splendour of this place. Click on the photo, you’ll see just what I mean.
2. Chateauneuf, close to the summit of the Canal de Bourgogne, is like a fairytale village. An Israeli customer once said to me “Bernard, I thought Loubressac [in the Dordogne] was the most beautiful village in the world. But is Chateauneuf”.I do think we’re lucky to be able to spend a night in this village, and the view of the village as we leave the following morning is one of my favourites. Again, click on the photo to enlarge, and I think you’ll see what I mean.
3. Keith and Heather in MontbardKeith and Heather modelling brand new Chain Gang jerseys with brand new Chain Gang bikes, the ever-reliable 7.3FX from Trek. What’s not to love?If you look behind Keith and Heather, you’ll see a bit of seriousness going on. We generally discourage this, but our guides can’t be everywhere, and you will occasionally witness stretching behaviour and even ‘the warm-up’!
4. The second half of our week in Burgundy is spend in the Côtes d’Or, arguably the most famous stretch of vines anywhere in the world.
We organise a series of tastings in villages with iconic names for wine-lovers, Gevrey Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits St Georges. We cycle past the ‘clos’ of the most expensive wine in the world, Romanée Conti. And I love the fact that you can cycle through the vineards themselves, on tiny roads and tracks, barely troubled by traffic.
5. This photo was taken at the end of our day cycling into Chateauneuf. It’s a tiny village, just the one hotel, we usually have all the rooms, or almost, and there is a feeling of being ‘Tonight’s Guests’ not just of the hotel, but of the village. And this photo just makes me wish I was there.
View The Whole Gallery
These five photos were a personal choice, but if they’ve whetted your appetite, once again you can view the whole gallery here…
