This first section took us along the Canal of Burgundy from its confluence with the Saône to the large metropolis of Dijon, where we were glad to have the canal to guide us through the built-up area.
From there the canal followed the valley of the Ouche for two days, as far as Pont d’Ouche. This is as far as we went on the canal in 2017, as we had already walked from here to Tonnerre in 2015.
The accommodation at Pont d’Ouche is doubtful, but it is possible to keep going along the canal to Pouilly, although it is a rather long day (36 km). Probably a better idea would be to diverge to Bligny for the night, as it has all the amenities. It is 10 km on the marked walking track, or 8 km by road.
As soon as we started on the canal, the weather turned cool and rainy. The stretch from St-Jean-de Losne to Dijon was long and largely treeless, so we were happy to exchange searing heat for a bit of inconvenience with raincoats.
We were also lucky that it was never actually raining while we were putting up or taking down our tent.
We spent a delightful evening dining in the old quarter of Dijon, but the next night, for the first time this year, we had to have a picnic in our tent for lack of a restaurant nearby. This was no bad thing, as it was pouring with rain at the time.
In Bligny we finally got to eat at the gracious hotel which had been closed “exceptionally” on the Saturday night when we were here last time.
Getting to St-Jean-de-Losne
St-Jean-de-Losne has a railway station so you can get there from almost anywhere in France.
This section was part of a longer walk that we did in 2017.
Day 1: Saint-Jean-de-Losne to Dijon
Day 2: Dijon to Sainte-Marie-sur-Ouche