Oingt is a village built of a stone that seems to have been dipped in honey. The limestone in this part of the Beaujolais is coloured by iron oxide, and in low sunlight it glows from pale cream to deep orange, which is why the region is known as the Pierres Dorées, the Golden Stones. Oingt perches on a hilltop, its old houses wrapped around a medieval keep and a church, with narrow cobbled lanes that curve and climb between walls hung with wisteria and roses. It has been named one of the most beautiful villages in France, and a handful of artisans' workshops and galleries occupy the old houses.
Around it lie the villages of Théizé, Le Bois-d'Oingt and Cogny, and the Beaujolais vineyards run in neat lines across the hills, with Gamay vines growing on granite and limestone. The Pierres Dorées wines are mostly lighter and fruitier than the famous crus further north, and many growers sell directly from their cellars. The view from the hilltop looks across a patchwork of vines, orchards and woods to the Monts du Lyonnais and, on a clear day, the Alps.
A motorcycle suits these hills. The roads are narrow, twisting and quick, with short climbs and drops between villages, and the surfaces are generally good, though some are rough where tractors have passed. The Beaujolais gets busy on fine weekends, especially in harvest season, so a weekday ride is better. In September and October, vendange tractors crowd the lanes, and grape juice and mud can make corners slippery. Fuel is not available in Oingt itself, and the nearest sizeable towns are Gleizé and Villefranche-sur-Saône, which are about ten kilometres away.
Spend a few minutes walking up through the village to the keep and look out over the roofs. A café near the entrance serves coffee and a glass of local wine, and a stall sometimes sells goat's cheese and honey. After the cliffs and gorges of a day's riding, the soft hills and warm stone make a gentle, cheerful ending.