Cycling the Canal du Bourgogne...

 

... from lock 83 to 90.  Come and join me...

I’m heading down the canal today, towards its source.  So this trip means that I will be cycling downhill.  The canal's lowest point is where it joins the river Yonne a little further west of Tonerre.  However I'm not going that far today as there's yet another fabulous château that I want to see.  From where I'm camped at Lézinnes it’s up to the main road, the D905, across the river and then a left onto the canal path.  From here it's a steady run through Vinnemer to Tanlay and the marina.  At Tanlay there's a wide basin and picnic area.  I can park the bike here, cross the canal and walk into yet another sleepy little village.

With a population of around 1000 people, it’s one of the larger villages on the canal, but, as I stroll from the marina and along the main street, as always, the place is quiet and mostly deserted.  Grande rue brings you right out in front of the petit château - what we Brits would call the gatehouse or the lodge - and access is over a walled moat.

At the time the château was built the moat and the bridge that crosses it from the town would have been very necessary precautions during France’s turbulent past.  Indeed, as large and as gracious as the building is, if you look at the masonry above the entrance to the gatehouse closely you will see military devices carved into the stonework indicating that soldiers were probably garrisoned here at some point.

Built a little after the château at Ancy-le-Franc, this property is a shining example of French Renaissance style and form rather than Italian – that southerly influence having been eschewed.  The building has symmetry and is beautifully decorated both inside and out.  I was not prepared for what I found inside.
Constructed by François de Coligny d’Andelot, in the mid-sixteenth century, it replaced a feudal fort and provided a sumptuous upgrade on what would have been little better than garrison life.  Since the late seventeenth century the house has been and still is, in the possession of the Thévenin de Tanlay family.

The stunning Long Gallery

The tours around the property are guided. I prefer to wander through such places at my own pace.  However, this property did not disappoint.  The great gallery is a stunning example of trompe I’œil in monochrome.  As I stood at one end of the room and gazed around I could imagine ladies in fabulous gowns and gentlemen in their doublets.  I could almost hear the soft swish of the silk, lace and velvet as these imaginary ladies moved across the floor.  Had I been an independent visitor I would probably have written a story in my head before I moved up the spiral staircase to the next floor.  But that was not to be and I, along with three others, was ushered out.
Up on the top floor, there are some lovely views of the grounds, but it had started to rain whilst I was inside so I passed on the opportunity to get pics.  But in the turret room was a secret place.  A small circular room has a fresco on the ceiling attributed to the Fontainebleau school of art that depicts notable people from the sixteenth century.  Our guide then lets us into the secret.  The turret room was the meeting place for Huguenot conspirators during the Wars of Religion.  I make a mental note to do some research when I get home.  It is quite apparent that this period of history is as important to the French as our own Wars of the Roses are to us.
The walk back to get the bike is under a grey and threatening sky.  I decide not to hang about and make the trip back from Tanlay (Lock 90) to Lézinnes (Lock 83) without stopping.  It’s just over 10Ks but it’s uphill this time!  I’m back at the campsite just before the heavens opened.  The rain didn’t stop for the next three days…

I will be taking another trip along the canal on May 18th and if you want to read about other stretches of the canal you can find my posts Here and Here