It turns out one of our regular “cycling” guests, Mr Constant-Duquesnoy has a family vineyard in the foothills of a famous French cycling region (Mt Vontoux) and we thought it would be interesting to offer a similar regions wine at the Homestay.
High quality family run and made wines. Perfect accompaniment to our BBQ and various types to suit local flavours.
Mathieu practicing his cycling skills at the homestay 🙂
Landscape similar to our own. Mathieu hard at work collecting his grapes
Some background: Domaine CONSTANT-DUQUESNOY is located near the villages of Vaison-la-Romaine, Gigondas and Nyons. The estate’s vineyards cover 20 hectares (49 acres) in 4 prestigious appellations:
VINSOBRES
CAIRANNE
CÔTES DU RHÔNE VILLAGES
CÔTES DU RHÔNE
They grow noble varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan for our red wines which account for most of their production.
For white wines, they grow white Grenache, Clairette and Viognier.
Some of their plots contain vines aged over 60 years old located at over 400m (1,300 feet) elevation (similar to the homestay).
For over 70 years, the vineyards of the Domaine have been grown with the utmost respect for the environment. For the past 3 years, we’ve been practicing organic farming on some of our plots. We are converting the rest of our plots to organic farming and employ practices such as : repeated plowing, using a high trellis, manual pruning, careful debudding and fruit thinning to keep yields under 30 hectoliters per hectare (a little over 2 tons per acre).
A larger selection of Domaine Constant-Duquesnoy wines can be bought directly through Mathieu @ WeChat ID: constant-duquesnoy .
On the 24th of April we will be holding the first Somewhat Dirty Cycling Challenge aimed at people wanting to gain a taste of “gravel” or off road riding. Our Dirty Challenges are designed and are described as the toughest 1 day mixed surface cycling Challenges in the region with many of the participants not finishing. This “Somewhat” Dirty Challenge is suitable for newer and less endurance or experienced riders, is still a real challenge and lots of fun.
Somewhat Dirty Pigs (the easier one)
Date: April 24th 2021, 8am.
JR’s Intro: A little bit of everything for the less experienced adventure “gravel” rider. At the end it will leave you wanting to explore more on your bike. The route takes in the broken concrete of the river out of Sanyang and segment #1, followed by perfect tarmac towards Poshan. Crossing the river you head up through segment #2 to the first real off road section and segment #3. Segment #4 takes you to the highest point of the day and the ability to get a great view. The downhill is fun but be very careful. When you hit the main road there is segment #5 which rolls back the way you came. Then relax until segment #6 which is the final stretch back to the homestay.
Time: Depends on your level but assume 3h for fast rider and 6h to 8h for slow rider with some pushing.
Level: Basic with strong fitness. You need to be confident braking downhill. You need stamina to spin uphill for more than an hour! If you’vejust starting out on a bike this is not for you. Come up another time for one of our Tanqi Adventure Riding weekends.
Equipment: Gravel, Mountain Bike, Hybrids, Road bike with 32 or wider tires. MTB or flat shoes.
If you don’t have a suitable bike we might be able to provide you one through our Tanqi Adventure Riding program with Specalized. We have a great range of Diverage adventure gravel bikes and mountain bikes with gravel tires which are highly suited to the challenge.
Just before the main downhill after the Pig Farm ClimbThe range of Tanqi Specalized Diverges. Fantastic carbon adventure bikes!
A few days of exploring our area by motorbike is great fun. Many years exploring the area by bicycle has meant we have found great local routes taking in the best scenery, windy roads and varied destinations. We are pleased to offer these routes to motorcylists along with a motorbike shed for storing and washing of your bikes while here. Use Wildhomestay as your base exploring the Huizhou area over a few days or a few visits.
Motorcycle Rental
We don’t rent motorcycles but we can put you in contact with people and shops in Hangzhou or Huangshan City (Tunxi) who do. The motorbike loops from there and back are epic and well-known. Valid license, safety gear, insurance, clothing etc a must.
A Note on Safety
Motorcycling is even more dangerous than cycling due to reaction times and the loss of traction. We have small roads with lots of tight corners! They are not busy but a donkey could be walking around a blind corner! Don’t race on the roads, there are tracks for that. Go to a track day! Take your time and be careful. Wear proper safety gear and we even ride with airbags, which are cheaper, more comfortable, and easier than replacing your bone with metal. Go extra slow or just go for a hike instead if it’s wet! Go slow at your own pace and skill level, enjoy the scenery, get lots of breaks, and be chilled!
Routes In & Out
From Hangzhou / East: Ah, so nice. Go direct (Gaode it S105), some places are a little boring but still ok and fastest route or go adjacent to that. We love motorcycling (and biking) on this route: Routes from / to Hangzhou – you will not regret it.
From Qiandao Lake / South: Basically all routes from the south / Qiandao Hu direction to us are really good! Take in Damingshan on the way! Go via Linqi or Tuankou or Weiping or link them up. There are scenic rivers, old villages and epic mountain roads to deal with!
From Tunxi / West: Wuyuan, Tunxi to Wildhomestay is amazing. Check out this cycle route (merchant trail) which is also very good with a motor!
From Huangshan / Jixi, North: Take in the areas of Yixian, Jixi and the amazing north mountains. See below.
Routes Around the Area
Let us know your level, the amount of time and type of bike and we will point you in the right direction regarding routes. A few of the routes can be downloaded here. We have Coros GPS devices guests can borrow which also have the routes and are very good for adventure motorcycling!
The North Loop
A fantastic long day taking in 3 Hills. An unforgettable motoring experience!
Optional WindsGreat ViewsWinding roads and hills.
Eastern Big One
Take in the Botanical Climb (optional) and then motor around tankou hotsprings, and the south eastern accent of Qianniugang (Daming Shan – 1300m climb of twists!. Save it for a clear day or you will be in the clouds.
BotanicalsQianniugang Daming in the parcial clouds
Southern Lakes
2 windy small climbs to start. Lunch on Qiandao lake and then the big climb up Qianniugang mountain or cut a bit short if you’ve been to the top before!
Daming down!Route South
Western River Villages
Taking in 4 hill climbs. 1 area is quite steep which can be bypassed. Stunning views all over. Lunch in Shendu or Weiping.
Windy Rivers
If you have a adventure or off road bike and are interested in more mixed surface riding we can suggest various other routes. Steep concrete slopes, simple off-road. Not suitable for big road cruisers! We also have some great routes if your coming in from Huangshan / Wuyuan area. Come with a group of friends and we can also provide van support to take picnic stuff and help organise third party motorbike rental
The top of the main climb on the Somewhat Dirty. 
Just before the main downhill after the Pig Farm Climb
