It was good to be back on the bikes today after a rest. In fact, the day was a bit short!

Today we were retracing more landmarks from a family house exchange holiday with Catherine and Daniel in 1997, when we had use of an apartment in Burgdorf. This lovely small town in the Emmental is 12 miles from Bern, over a ridge. We arrived mid morning and wandered around reminiscing. More usefully, we found a small bike shop where a mechanic tuned my misfiring rear derailleur.

From Burgdorf we turned up the Emmental valley. This has none of the spectacular mountains of the Simmental, but it has a rural charm all of its own. We used a cycle route off the main road and rode through tiny rural hamlets and farmyards. With dampness from rain the previous night, and more storms brewing, you could smell the grass growing and the cheese curdling!

In the absence of convenient campsites the plan had been to stay at the Youth Hostel in Langnau. But there was clearly a storm brewing, and the YH dorm was very basic indeed – so we remembered that we are 50 after all, and checked into the hotel instead! This is lovely, and I am now watching both the rain hammer down outside and the final big mountain day of the TDF. Heaven!