Chaleins is a village on the western edge of the Dombes, close to the river Saône, about thirty-five kilometres north of Lyon. It sits on the gentle slope between the plateau of the Dombes, with its countless ponds, and the broad valley of the Saône, with its meadows and poplars. Across the river, the hills of the Beaujolais rise in a green wave of vineyards.
The landscape here is soft and pastoral. Fields of maize and wheat, hedgerows, small woods and farms built of pisé, rammed earth, give the countryside a distinctive look. Many old buildings in the Dombes and the Val de Saône are made this way, with thick earthen walls on stone foundations and wide roofs to keep off the rain. The villages often have small churches and châteaux, some dating back to the Middle Ages.
The riding is easy and pleasant. The roads around Chaleins are mostly flat, with gentle curves and good surfaces, and very little traffic. Heading east, you climb onto the Dombes plateau, where the roads wind between ponds and woods. To the west, the bridges over the Saône at Montmerle and Belleville lead into the Beaujolais, where the riding becomes more varied, with steep climbs and tight bends through the vineyards.
There are no services in Chaleins itself, but fuel and food are available in Montmerle-sur-Saône and Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans nearby. Montmerle has a pleasant riverside setting, and the views across the Saône to the Beaujolais hills are lovely, especially in the evening light.