I have just returned from a sojourn to rural France and very pleasant it was too apart from the heat and road chaos caused by a few cyclists.

The area where we were was effectively cut off from the rest of the country because the Tour de France snaked its way across the region. This meant that every shop and road for around 150km along the route was closed from 8am to 3pm to allow the race to pass by without incident.

Such a large-scale road disruption would probably have caused apoplexy among some in the UK, but in France it is actually embraced. And when I say embraced, the whole region made a day of it, with every household receiving flags to wave, banners put up in the windows of the closed shops and hundreds of campervans lined the route from the day before to get the best view.

Then, quick as a flash, it was over and the picnic tables were all packed away, the camper vans moved on and life returned to normal. Of course, Le Grand Tour is as intrinsic a part of French life as baguettes or café au lait and locals feel honoured to welcome it and support the cyclists despite the disruption.

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I’m not sure those of us in Scotland would do the same if a mere cycle race caused such widespread disruption to our daily lives but maybe we would although there are bound to be local Facebook groups set up to decry the inconvenience........

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