Why this ride
From Montbard it runs 367 km to Montbard; allow about 5 h 06 of riding. The stops in between: Vézelay, The Climats and back through Vézelay. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay and The Climats
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 367 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 06
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay → Vézelay
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 70 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 64 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
The Abbey of Fontenay lies in a narrow, wooded valley in northern Burgundy, a few kilometres from the small town of Montbard. It was founded in 1118 by Bernard of Clairvaux's circle and became one of the earliest and best-preserved Cistercian houses in Europe. The Cistercians wanted a life of simplicity, work and silence, and they built accordingly: plain stone, no carvings of saints, no coloured glass, and a site chosen for water and seclusion. The result is a place of extraordinary calm.
Read the complete Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay is where the day begins. Next is Vézelay.
2. Vézelay
You see Vézelay from a long way off, a hill crowned with a basilica, with a village strung along the ridge below it. It is one of the great Romanesque churches of France, the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, begun in the early twelfth century to house relics said to be those of Mary Magdalene. Pilgrims came in thousands, and in 1146 Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade here, to a crowd so large that he spoke in the open air. It is also a starting point for one of the Camino de Santiago routes, so you often see walkers with scallop shells on their packs.
Read the complete Vézelay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Vézelay comes up about 64 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Climats.
3. The Climats
The Climats of Burgundy are, in plain terms, the vineyard plots of the Côte d'Or, each one with its own name and character, worked and described by monks and growers for nearly a thousand years. The word means little parcels of land with a specific soil, slope and exposure, and the idea is that two vines a few metres apart can yield wines that taste different. Near Ladoix-Serrigny and Beaune the slope faces east and south-east, and the great hill of Corton rises above the villages, covered in vines and crowned with woods.
Read the complete The Climats write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 183 km into the recorded legs you reach The Climats. Next is back through Vézelay.
4. back through Vézelay
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vézelay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Vézelay, late in the day. Next is Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay.
5. Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay to Vézelay
Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay → Vézelay is 64 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Vézelay to The Climats
Vézelay → The Climats is 119 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
The Climats to back through Vézelay
The Climats → back through Vézelay is 119 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Vézelay to Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
back through Vézelay → Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay is 65 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Vézelay and The Climats · 327 km
- Corbigny and The Climats · 328 km