Bourgoin-Jallieu and Domarin lie in the Nord-Isère, the broad rolling country between Lyon and Grenoble known as the Bas-Dauphiné, where the landscape is of low hills, maize fields, ponds and small woods. It is an unglamorous corner, a place that most people see only from the motorway, but it has its own quiet pleasures. Bourgoin-Jallieu is a town of about twenty-three thousand that grew rich on textile printing, and old mills and workers' housing still line some of its streets.
Behind you, the day has probably been spent in the Isère valley and the Belledonne range, one of the great mountain walls of the French Alps. The Isère flows from the high Tarentaise toward Grenoble through a broad valley of orchards, poplars and walnut groves, and the Belledonne, to the east, rises to more than 2,900 metres, with a long ridge of jagged rock. The roads that climb into it, through villages like Les Sept Laux, are narrow and steep, and offer views across the valley to the Chartreuse and Vercors.
The Dauphiné has a character of its own. The region is known for walnuts, a protected product called Noix de Grenoble, and for gratin dauphinois, a dish of potatoes baked in cream that is a classic of French cooking. It has also long been a land of independent spirits, and the famous Day of the Tiles, in 1788, when the people of Grenoble threw roof tiles at royal troops, is regarded as a prelude to the Revolution.
The riding in the Nord-Isère is straightforward and relaxed. Roads are quiet, with gentle curves, and run through villages with old stone farmhouses and big barns. Speed cameras are common around larger towns, and traffic is heavy near Bourgoin and the L'Isle-d'Abeau new town. In summer, the maize stands high and the roads feel tunnel-like, so watch for tractors at junctions.
Fuel is easy at Bourgoin-Jallieu, with supermarkets and stations on the ring road, and bakeries and cafes in the centre. A simple lunch in a village restaurant, with the plat du jour and a quarter-litre of wine, is a reliable pleasure.