From here, the Massif Central stretches down across the middle of Southern France, and this highland region, with its mountains and plateaus, covers about 15% of mainland France. In short, we are about to embark on a three-day labyrinth journey, made up of gravel tracks through thick pine forests, and twisting, deserted roads which are often covered with a strip of moss, autumn leaves and a nice layer of water to top it off. The downpour of rain on the hotel veranda at breakfast on the first day confirms our worst fears. We take an extra espresso for courage, and then we attack the first kilometre, which is often the hardest to conquer.

We stop at a bistro, which is lively as everybody who lives here knows one another. Then, with full stomachs and high spirits, we hit the road again to attack our first sections of gravel, some of which have been flattened by previous rainfalls. As we approach the central part of the Morvan, we find ourselves riding past a network of large artificial lakes created in the 19th century by damming several tributaries of the Yonne and Cure rivers.

After a difficult night’s sleep in Château-Chinon, we are about to tackle the most significant chunk of the weekend, a large part of which will be on the tarmac. It takes us the best part of an hour to reach the Southern part of the Morvan via a winding route that takes us back to the North-East so we can ride on one of the most beautiful gravel sections of the whole trip, which crisscrosses at around 700 metres above sea-level. We have these stunning gravel tracks to ourselves as they take us past La Socrates Maquis, the main encampment of the Morvandelle Resistance during WWII. At Haut-Folin, we find ourselves at the highest point of the Morvan, at over 900 metres, back on gravel tracks again, and the mountainside offers up a maze of cross-country ski trails that just seem made for our bikes as we test them to their very limits many times over.

To portray an image of the Morvan being frozen in time would be false. We discuss this on the last day of the ride as we leave this special place, climbing up the winding foothills to reach the Nivernais, which takes us to the very edges of the Loire valley. As with every time we enter such a parallel universe, we are deeply touched by the desire to maintain a particular way of life, with its natural surroundings, an incredible sense of solidarity and warm welcomes. A bit of a cliché, maybe? Probably in part as we’re just passing through. The fact remains that times are changing, yet this region seems to succeed in the feat of staying true to itself and safely tucked away from all the problems in the world that we have right now. It also provided us with a limitless cycling playground.