How to take the different path on an 11-day cycling and wine holiday through France

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The region’s pinot noir and chardonnay wines are considered among the best in the world, and the well-marked Voie des Vignes route from Beaune south to Santenay is the perfect introductory Burgundy ride. open image in gallery A fountain appears in the village of Meursault on the Voie des Vignes, in the Burgundy region of France I was immersed in vineyards and weaved my way along the narrow, well-paved and mostly flat access roads through Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, familiar names to oenophiles. open image in gallery A vineyard appears along the Voie des Vignes near Beaune, in the Burgundy region of France “I wonder if I can get up to the top?” I asked myself, and started another climb. open image in gallery Looking downfrom atop the Cirque du Bout de Monde, near the vineyards of Beaune Over the next several days, I rode to the medieval, hilltop village of Brancion; through the mile-long Tunnel du Bois Clair, a former railroad tunnel and now the longest bicycle tunnel in France; to the famed Chateau de Cormatin and Abbaye de Cluny; on bike paths along the Saone River and the Canal du Bourgogne; and on an endless string of small country roads.