Heading to Camping d'Isle just on the edge of the medieval village of Beauleigh-sur-Dordogne we passed through many very small typical French villages (St Pierre Loufelle, Relacoy, Labastide Murat, Goudou, Le Bastit, Lavergne, Gary and Alltilac), skirting round the larger towns of Sedez, Cahors and Bretenaux and found ourselves in a rather dreary campsite overrun by very large trees, very soggy after continuous heavy rainfall and half closed!!!!! All the indicators were pointing to our need to head South and into Spain for better weather. (As I write this blog we are in Spain and are experiencing the most dramatic thunderstorm and torrential rain only surpassed by our Langkawi experience!!!)
The Medieval village was interesting, beautiful, very round and is entered or exited through La Porte Sainte-Catherine. Old villages were built in this fashion in medieval times for protection purposes and in the centre is always a magnificent church in the village square. In this case the church was named Sainte- Catherine. Narrow lanes spread from the centre square like spokes in a wheel and down each of these spokes can be found wonderful, ancient houses predominantly made from wood and straw (and obviously stuff that sticks the straw together, maybe mud or clay?) which scream cute and French. Honestly the higgledy piggaldy, colourful architecture is to die for. Adding to this the streets are cobbled, with the cobbles on their sides making walking quite uncomfortable but still none the less cute and it is all sooooo old!!!!! Just imagine who walked these cobblestoned streets before us!!!!! The original village water-well is now filled with an abundance of purple, pink and white flowers. This is what Gary and I thrive on and why we avoid the big newer cities. We could have stayed here longer and the sun had finally shown her face but the village was starting to be inundated with tourists and walking groups and we needed to move on again to Lempes-sur-Allagnon which would get us one step closer to Spain.
Setting off after our early morning tour of Beauleigh we, once again, opted for the scenic roads rather than the motorways. As I said earlier this takes us through true French villages rather than tourist towns. (We have decided we are "travellers" not "tourists"!) So Aitillac, La Chapelle St. Gerard, Sexcles, Goulle (where we had our last, fabulous Menu de Formulae lunch), St Paul des Landes, Espinat, Yolet, Polminhac and Vic-sur-Cere are all very, very pretty and some worthy of a hasty stop. We are, once again, in a very beautiful part of the French countryside. We are driving through valleys, rolling hills, green trees and bush. There are little red-tiled villages and generous chateaux dotted here-and-there on the hillsides. We are travelling along the "Circuit du Monts du Cantal" (the Cantal Mountain scenic route) and it is all very green and lush.
At the top of the mountain range at St. Jacques des Blats, we drive through a very long tunnel (if you remember tunnels are not my thing) into Le Lioran and then begin our downward descent round hair-pin bends with either stone walls or steep drops to the side. It is a good road though and even though we have been at a reasonable high altitude it has been easy with Molly B.
Passing through Murat, Ussel and Rofflac we arrive at St Flour - another large walled city - but decide to take the motorway past and head directly through to Lempdes via the Vallie de Allagnon. Descending into Massiac - a very long and protracted descent it was too with only the thin white line separating this way and that way - heaven forbid we finally made it to our campsite "Le Pont de Allagnon". Remember this place and don't ever go there. Lempdes itself is absolutely nothing and the campsite? ....... we actually could not, and still cannot, find words to describe it. Downright filthy comes to mind but that is probably too bland. What a waste of time and diesel is sufficient but I did let them know before we left.
So the next day we backtrack up the long descent back to St Flour, take another little peak of the houses clinging onto the cliff edges and head for Millau. 163kms on the motorway, back over the Cantals, through the Gorge du Tarn, back into the Vallie du Lot (but further down this time - East I think) and to our next campsite Les 2 Rivieres in Millau.
Millau is quite a large town with an Old Town within and this, of course, is where we head for. It is about an 8 minute walk from the campsite over the bridge and the town is happy, The streets treelined and bustling. An absolute pleasure to be in. The Old town is small with narrow streets and tall, old, rickety buildings which sometimes seem to bulge and push against each other but.........they are very old and are still standing!!!!!! We had a lovely lunch in an old Cave here, had a good look around the fresh food and fish market in the town square and on our first night were entertained by a marching band as they passed close to the campsite marking the opening of a new promenade. All in all I would give Millau a 10/10 - it is old but upmarket and definitely looking after it's infrastucture. The Camp was OK too.
Two nights was enough here though so we plugged Roses, Spain into the GPS and the next morning we were off. We were soooooooooo looking forward to Roses and Camping Salata as it had been recommended to us by other people we had met along this journey.
Did we like it when we got there? You will just have to wait for my next blog.
Enjoy xxxx
Sunday, 25 September 2016
Saturday, 17 September 2016
THE DORDOGNE AND THE LOT FRANCE
THE DORDOGNE.
We have so been looking forward to completing the Dordogne journey we started a couple of years ago now. It is such a picturesque area of France and we managed only to see a small portion on our last trip. We are excited as we pass through Brive-Les-Gillard and see the "Welcome to the Dordogne" sign. The landscape changes, we are back in the agricultural areas again and the sunshine is beautiful. Driving through Terrasson, La Galibe, La Lardon Saint Lazarre and La Machont we stop in Montignac briefly to take a few photos. Unfortunately it is siesta time and everywhere is closed but it is also too hot to be out and about for too long (no complaints though). One of the special things about France is that they do provide ample parking space close to most towns and villages which are big enough for a campervan to park and are also FREE.
Happy that we stopped just for a short while we were anxious to move on to the more exciting parts of the Dordogne and after driving through Thonac and Le Moustier we happened across the Maison Forte de Reignac which was so incredibly not busy it was a pleasure to visit. This is now an historic chateau built into a cliff face and comprises several levels. It is 18 thousand years old, originally inhabited by cave men and mammoths, over time evolving as a fort and then a chateaux. It is now purely a tourist attraction but is maintained impeccably in the Edwardian era. The Dordogne is famous for its cliff-face architecture which is a wonder to behold and what we noticed as we wandered through the different levels was the natural temperature control in each room on each level. Although we perused the chateau for hours sadly we needed to move on but could have stayed much longer such was the captivating nature of this place.
We were heading for Limeuil so we toddled through Tursac, Les Eyzies de Tarrac, Campagne and La Bougue where unfortunately on a narrow road and a right hand bend a manic French driver towing a canoe trailer approached us at a pace of knots with his trailer hanging over the centre line. BANG - one of the steel bars on the trailer made contact with the mirror and the noise was horrendous. Fortunately the actual mirror was only loosened and was able to be pushed back in place and we have a scuff mark on the outside plastic but the French slow down for nothing however narrow and windy the road is or however big the opposing traffic might be.
Staying 3 nights at La Porte de Limeuil campsite was lovely. We had a good private site, the river with beaches, a fabulous swimming pool and spa, a really cheap bar and restaurant on site and another pretty French Village to explore within a few metres of the camp. Run by a very excitable French couple it was a great place to have found and eventually very hard to leave. Before we did though we spent a morning in the village which boasted maybe 3 shops and a massage therapist but it was so so cute. The church was at the very top - these villages are always steep it seems - and inside a man was playing popular, but appropriate, music on the electric organ with his smelly dog lying beside him. It was quite special really - the music not the dog that is - as the acoustics were so good. We discovered a little restaurant on our way back down where we had a Formulae lunch and a half bottle of Rose wine. These are the great things you can do in France and the food is heavenly - always. Friday evening a few of us congregated down at the river to hear a band playing great music in a restaurant at the base of the village..The following morning we left for just a short trip along the Dordogne river to another campsite with great potential - according to the book that is!!!!!
We were now reliving our last trek along this part of the Dordogne through Siorac Perigord, St Cyprien, Beynac et Cazenac, La Roque Gageac only to find it was chocker block with tourists. We were fortunate enough previously to see it during a quiet time and it was so, so beautiful - this time we drove on through, not stopping till we arrived at a spectacular castle in Monfort where we managed to shoot off a few photos but couldn't find a legal park. So Carsac, Grolejac, Veyrignac (bit of a theme going on here), St Julien de Lampon all whizzed past, very narrow winding roads through fields of sunflowers and cute villages winding in rythmn with the splendid Dordogne. Heading in land to Le Roc where we met a paragliding team we finally arrived at Souillac, our destination, and all was not well.
We really should have appreciated the signs when Kate (our GPS) took us down a narrow, hedge-lined lane which culminated in an immense block of painted concrete. Reversing out with the freshly cut hedge scraping the side mirrors for a few hundred yards does not make for a very happy Gary nor a very happy Cathie either. When we finally got to the site-entrance it was all locked up for "Siesta time" and pleased we were too. Everywhere and everything was covered in white dust within and without the campsite and as vehicles moved around great clouds of whiteness enveloped everything. Long story short we barrelled out of there in our own cloud of dust leaving grey, not green, trees behind deciding to bite the bullet and move from the Dordogne to the Lot river. We had been warned that the Dordogne had become over touristed and the Lot was as the Dordogne had been a few years ago and they were jolly correct. We were relieved we had seen the Dordogne in all it's beauty at the right time and now was our opportunity to explore The Lot.
We were not disappointed at all.
THE LOT
Our destination was Juillac and a small campsite on the Lot called Camping Florias. We had met an English couple, John and Glenda, at St Germain Les Belles who were on the way to this site and were eager to meet up again with us here. It meant turning our short drive along the Dordogne to a very long drive to the Lot but the call of that loopy river was very strong.
The drive was fantastic but hair-raising also. Most of the villages we drove through are too small to even appear on the map and many had height and width restrictions that we just managed to scrape under and through but the magical charm of these places made it all worth while. Lanzac, Payrac, Pont de Rhodes and Mas de Camp. Heading across country to Boissierres, where we encountered a warning - (2metre gap) - between houses, Nousjouls, Le Causse, Crayssac, La Bastide du Vert, Castlefranc, Anglais and finally Juillac. This journey has very few photos - to be honest it was too scary to take my eyes off the road!!!!!
We stayed in Juillac for 10 nights. The weather was perfect, as was the river, as was the company. Sometimes as we travel we come across a site that is perfect and this was one of those special ones. John and Glenda, Jan and Rob, Hettie, Steve and Lydnsey you are all amazing. We miss you all so much and wish we could have stayed longer but alas we had to move on.
It is not often that one comes across another Gary but to our constant amazement we did - in John. They look not at all alike but the expressions, sayings and sense of humour were seriously the exact same. Glenda was heard to say "John I cannot believe I am hearing your sayings coming out of Gary's mouth!" To this end, of course, we were set to have some serious fun times. Glenda and John did in fact spoil us, as they had a car and good knowledge of the region, taking us far and wide to explore the local and not so local area. We saw small, typically French villages we would otherwise not have had the ability to see and we will forever remain grateful. We had formulae lunches in all kinds of restaurants and villages, a curry evening, a fake farewell to Cathie and Gary evening (we decided we really couldn't leave the next day after all) and each evening we would meet for drinks after dinner at someones campsite. There were: John (marine biologist) and Glenda (Geography teacher), Rob (undertaker) and Jan (burser). Hettie (a policewoman from the Netherlands - small, strong and very fit. Has done several missions in Afganistan keeping people safe where her life has been on the line. She has just returned from her last mission and is now training riot police, is a police driving and swimming instructor. You name it she is it - she is also a very quick draw on the gun!!!!!) Quite a mixed bunch when you include us but we all got on like a house on fire. Jan 70+ ran and swam in the river each morning before breakfast, then she and her husband cycled for what seemed like most of the day all over the region. Jan also cooked amazing food in her camper - the smells wafting our way were heavenly.
No smells from Glenda and Johns caravan though - Glenda does not cook on holiday and good on her (I mean why would you when you can get a 3 or 4 course meal with wine at lunchtime for 13Euro50) - but they do bike ride, increasing their milage every day come rain or shine. They also like Mille Fueille just like me!!!! Hettie also cycled everywhere and we really missed our bikes this time (we gave them away as they had become quite rusty in storage) as we were surrounded there with beautiful bikerides through vineyards and villages. So walking was our main form of transport here and we did a lot of that even though it was quite steep in many places and very hot.
We walked to Belay, a village high on a hill overlooking the valley and were rewarded with a savoury crepe and salad for our troubles. The view overlooking the valley was just incredible and the weather so perfect. We walked through the vineyards to Preysacc - hours away - and discovered the Pukeko Cafe run by a New Zealander from the North Island serving really cold beer. Small things mean a lot sometimes. Walking towards Castlefranc one day we stumbled across an experimental vineyard where they bring rootstock and vines from Argentina and Chile to grow in the French climate and different French soil compositions. A lovely lady explained it all to us and gave us a tasting of an incredibly smooth wine and, of course, we had to buy a couple of bottles didn't we?. At 9Euros a bottle though it was quite expensive given we can buy an albeit inferior wine from Lidls for 1Euro99c. but it is sooooo smooth to drink and very superior.
It was John and Glenda"s 46th wedding anniversary whilst at Florias so we used one bottle to celebrate that. The next bottle we will keep for ourselves it is so luscious.
Waking up on the anniversay morning the anniversary fairy, in the form of Hettie, had done her bit decorating John and Glenda's pitch and caravan with toilet paper, wine, beer, chocolates and everything else under the sun. It was hilarious and a celebratory lunch followed by French pastries, champagne and good wine in the evening sealed their happy, monumental occasion.
Whilst on the subject of marital happiness we were never too far from entertainment in the form of "The Lovers". No need to explain here all you need is your imagination.
Another memorable experience here was the arrival of Steve and Lindsey Brookes from the UK next door to us on the campsite and Steve played the guitar and sang. He had just converted a van to a camper himself and this was their inaugural run. He had done such a great job but he is also very musically talented doing gigs around London. We suspect he could be semi famous and we were lucky to have him and Lindsey at our evening gatherings. He gave us a CD when they left saying the few days they were there had been the happiest and most friendly out of their entire trip - they had been lonely till then.
It was also our turn to seriously start to think about moving on. We loved it here but the weather started to change and during an evening of stormy weather we knew it would be the next day.
Having our last drinks together as a group we were presented with a sketch of Molly B, hand drawn by John and very good, with notes of encouragement, best wishes and love from these 5 awesome people - John the organiser, Glenda the noncooker, Rob the mortician, Jan the fit one and Hettie the quick draw. We hope our paths will cross once again throughout our journey but if not there is always a bed in Nelson whenever we are home.
Next morning we left, in the rain, with sad hearts and lots of "7 kisses hugs" on our way to Beaulieu - sur Dordogne
We have so been looking forward to completing the Dordogne journey we started a couple of years ago now. It is such a picturesque area of France and we managed only to see a small portion on our last trip. We are excited as we pass through Brive-Les-Gillard and see the "Welcome to the Dordogne" sign. The landscape changes, we are back in the agricultural areas again and the sunshine is beautiful. Driving through Terrasson, La Galibe, La Lardon Saint Lazarre and La Machont we stop in Montignac briefly to take a few photos. Unfortunately it is siesta time and everywhere is closed but it is also too hot to be out and about for too long (no complaints though). One of the special things about France is that they do provide ample parking space close to most towns and villages which are big enough for a campervan to park and are also FREE.
Happy that we stopped just for a short while we were anxious to move on to the more exciting parts of the Dordogne and after driving through Thonac and Le Moustier we happened across the Maison Forte de Reignac which was so incredibly not busy it was a pleasure to visit. This is now an historic chateau built into a cliff face and comprises several levels. It is 18 thousand years old, originally inhabited by cave men and mammoths, over time evolving as a fort and then a chateaux. It is now purely a tourist attraction but is maintained impeccably in the Edwardian era. The Dordogne is famous for its cliff-face architecture which is a wonder to behold and what we noticed as we wandered through the different levels was the natural temperature control in each room on each level. Although we perused the chateau for hours sadly we needed to move on but could have stayed much longer such was the captivating nature of this place.
We were heading for Limeuil so we toddled through Tursac, Les Eyzies de Tarrac, Campagne and La Bougue where unfortunately on a narrow road and a right hand bend a manic French driver towing a canoe trailer approached us at a pace of knots with his trailer hanging over the centre line. BANG - one of the steel bars on the trailer made contact with the mirror and the noise was horrendous. Fortunately the actual mirror was only loosened and was able to be pushed back in place and we have a scuff mark on the outside plastic but the French slow down for nothing however narrow and windy the road is or however big the opposing traffic might be.
Staying 3 nights at La Porte de Limeuil campsite was lovely. We had a good private site, the river with beaches, a fabulous swimming pool and spa, a really cheap bar and restaurant on site and another pretty French Village to explore within a few metres of the camp. Run by a very excitable French couple it was a great place to have found and eventually very hard to leave. Before we did though we spent a morning in the village which boasted maybe 3 shops and a massage therapist but it was so so cute. The church was at the very top - these villages are always steep it seems - and inside a man was playing popular, but appropriate, music on the electric organ with his smelly dog lying beside him. It was quite special really - the music not the dog that is - as the acoustics were so good. We discovered a little restaurant on our way back down where we had a Formulae lunch and a half bottle of Rose wine. These are the great things you can do in France and the food is heavenly - always. Friday evening a few of us congregated down at the river to hear a band playing great music in a restaurant at the base of the village..The following morning we left for just a short trip along the Dordogne river to another campsite with great potential - according to the book that is!!!!!
We were now reliving our last trek along this part of the Dordogne through Siorac Perigord, St Cyprien, Beynac et Cazenac, La Roque Gageac only to find it was chocker block with tourists. We were fortunate enough previously to see it during a quiet time and it was so, so beautiful - this time we drove on through, not stopping till we arrived at a spectacular castle in Monfort where we managed to shoot off a few photos but couldn't find a legal park. So Carsac, Grolejac, Veyrignac (bit of a theme going on here), St Julien de Lampon all whizzed past, very narrow winding roads through fields of sunflowers and cute villages winding in rythmn with the splendid Dordogne. Heading in land to Le Roc where we met a paragliding team we finally arrived at Souillac, our destination, and all was not well.
We really should have appreciated the signs when Kate (our GPS) took us down a narrow, hedge-lined lane which culminated in an immense block of painted concrete. Reversing out with the freshly cut hedge scraping the side mirrors for a few hundred yards does not make for a very happy Gary nor a very happy Cathie either. When we finally got to the site-entrance it was all locked up for "Siesta time" and pleased we were too. Everywhere and everything was covered in white dust within and without the campsite and as vehicles moved around great clouds of whiteness enveloped everything. Long story short we barrelled out of there in our own cloud of dust leaving grey, not green, trees behind deciding to bite the bullet and move from the Dordogne to the Lot river. We had been warned that the Dordogne had become over touristed and the Lot was as the Dordogne had been a few years ago and they were jolly correct. We were relieved we had seen the Dordogne in all it's beauty at the right time and now was our opportunity to explore The Lot.
We were not disappointed at all.
THE LOT
Our destination was Juillac and a small campsite on the Lot called Camping Florias. We had met an English couple, John and Glenda, at St Germain Les Belles who were on the way to this site and were eager to meet up again with us here. It meant turning our short drive along the Dordogne to a very long drive to the Lot but the call of that loopy river was very strong.
The drive was fantastic but hair-raising also. Most of the villages we drove through are too small to even appear on the map and many had height and width restrictions that we just managed to scrape under and through but the magical charm of these places made it all worth while. Lanzac, Payrac, Pont de Rhodes and Mas de Camp. Heading across country to Boissierres, where we encountered a warning - (2metre gap) - between houses, Nousjouls, Le Causse, Crayssac, La Bastide du Vert, Castlefranc, Anglais and finally Juillac. This journey has very few photos - to be honest it was too scary to take my eyes off the road!!!!!
We stayed in Juillac for 10 nights. The weather was perfect, as was the river, as was the company. Sometimes as we travel we come across a site that is perfect and this was one of those special ones. John and Glenda, Jan and Rob, Hettie, Steve and Lydnsey you are all amazing. We miss you all so much and wish we could have stayed longer but alas we had to move on.
It is not often that one comes across another Gary but to our constant amazement we did - in John. They look not at all alike but the expressions, sayings and sense of humour were seriously the exact same. Glenda was heard to say "John I cannot believe I am hearing your sayings coming out of Gary's mouth!" To this end, of course, we were set to have some serious fun times. Glenda and John did in fact spoil us, as they had a car and good knowledge of the region, taking us far and wide to explore the local and not so local area. We saw small, typically French villages we would otherwise not have had the ability to see and we will forever remain grateful. We had formulae lunches in all kinds of restaurants and villages, a curry evening, a fake farewell to Cathie and Gary evening (we decided we really couldn't leave the next day after all) and each evening we would meet for drinks after dinner at someones campsite. There were: John (marine biologist) and Glenda (Geography teacher), Rob (undertaker) and Jan (burser). Hettie (a policewoman from the Netherlands - small, strong and very fit. Has done several missions in Afganistan keeping people safe where her life has been on the line. She has just returned from her last mission and is now training riot police, is a police driving and swimming instructor. You name it she is it - she is also a very quick draw on the gun!!!!!) Quite a mixed bunch when you include us but we all got on like a house on fire. Jan 70+ ran and swam in the river each morning before breakfast, then she and her husband cycled for what seemed like most of the day all over the region. Jan also cooked amazing food in her camper - the smells wafting our way were heavenly.
No smells from Glenda and Johns caravan though - Glenda does not cook on holiday and good on her (I mean why would you when you can get a 3 or 4 course meal with wine at lunchtime for 13Euro50) - but they do bike ride, increasing their milage every day come rain or shine. They also like Mille Fueille just like me!!!! Hettie also cycled everywhere and we really missed our bikes this time (we gave them away as they had become quite rusty in storage) as we were surrounded there with beautiful bikerides through vineyards and villages. So walking was our main form of transport here and we did a lot of that even though it was quite steep in many places and very hot.
We walked to Belay, a village high on a hill overlooking the valley and were rewarded with a savoury crepe and salad for our troubles. The view overlooking the valley was just incredible and the weather so perfect. We walked through the vineyards to Preysacc - hours away - and discovered the Pukeko Cafe run by a New Zealander from the North Island serving really cold beer. Small things mean a lot sometimes. Walking towards Castlefranc one day we stumbled across an experimental vineyard where they bring rootstock and vines from Argentina and Chile to grow in the French climate and different French soil compositions. A lovely lady explained it all to us and gave us a tasting of an incredibly smooth wine and, of course, we had to buy a couple of bottles didn't we?. At 9Euros a bottle though it was quite expensive given we can buy an albeit inferior wine from Lidls for 1Euro99c. but it is sooooo smooth to drink and very superior.
It was John and Glenda"s 46th wedding anniversary whilst at Florias so we used one bottle to celebrate that. The next bottle we will keep for ourselves it is so luscious.
Waking up on the anniversay morning the anniversary fairy, in the form of Hettie, had done her bit decorating John and Glenda's pitch and caravan with toilet paper, wine, beer, chocolates and everything else under the sun. It was hilarious and a celebratory lunch followed by French pastries, champagne and good wine in the evening sealed their happy, monumental occasion.
Whilst on the subject of marital happiness we were never too far from entertainment in the form of "The Lovers". No need to explain here all you need is your imagination.
Another memorable experience here was the arrival of Steve and Lindsey Brookes from the UK next door to us on the campsite and Steve played the guitar and sang. He had just converted a van to a camper himself and this was their inaugural run. He had done such a great job but he is also very musically talented doing gigs around London. We suspect he could be semi famous and we were lucky to have him and Lindsey at our evening gatherings. He gave us a CD when they left saying the few days they were there had been the happiest and most friendly out of their entire trip - they had been lonely till then.
It was also our turn to seriously start to think about moving on. We loved it here but the weather started to change and during an evening of stormy weather we knew it would be the next day.
Having our last drinks together as a group we were presented with a sketch of Molly B, hand drawn by John and very good, with notes of encouragement, best wishes and love from these 5 awesome people - John the organiser, Glenda the noncooker, Rob the mortician, Jan the fit one and Hettie the quick draw. We hope our paths will cross once again throughout our journey but if not there is always a bed in Nelson whenever we are home.
Next morning we left, in the rain, with sad hearts and lots of "7 kisses hugs" on our way to Beaulieu - sur Dordogne
Saturday, 3 September 2016
FRANCE - PART 2
It seems a long while since I have written a blog. Our journey has been so picturesque and enjoyable there seems to have been very little time. On that note I am truly serious however strange it may sound. Where our days go in this beautiful country is confounding but the very warm weather with endless hours of sunshine has a big part to play in our enjoyment. We love France and really feel it's character.
On Thursday morning we set off from Plage de Pors Peron heading towards Malestroit where we hoped to spend one night freedom camping. Passing through Confort Melas, St. Yvi and Pont Aven (a very busy tourist town) we stocked up at our favourite supermarket - Lidls - in Quimperle. Good French cheeses and wine on board we set off again and suddenly we experience an earsplitting screeching which scared the pants of us both. It was the heat/smoke alarm and the only reason we believe this happened was the inordinate heat of the day.
We have now crossed the District border from Finistere to Morbihan and we traverse Vanne (too big for us) through St. Marcel and onto Malestroit defined as a "petite city of character" and it was. The down side of here was that the Aire for motorhomes had been closed and was now in an open paddock where more than 50 motorhomes were parked cheek by jowl along the canal. Scuttling to an overgrown corner away from the huddle we were quite happy, walked into the village which was very picturesque, stopped for a wine in the village square and toddled off early the next morning heading for Rablay sur Layon.
If you are map following us on our travels we passed through: St.Congard; St.Grave; Peillac; St.Vincent where we stopped at the village market and bought the most amazing French lettuce for 1 Euro; Redon; Derval; Lusanger; through fields and fields of corn and maze; Chateaubriant; La Touche; St.Julien de Vouvantes and into La Chapelle Glain where we stopped to have the most exquisite French Formulae lunch which for Gary included the biggest piece of Tuna I have seen!!!!
Replete we continued our journey on through La Pin; Cande; skirted Angrie; through Le Loiraix Beconnais; Becon-Les-Granites; St.Augustin des Bois; St.Georges sur Loire; beautiful Savineres with it's extremely narrow streets; over the Loire river where there had been a very nasty accident; through Rockfort sur Loire where we started to see vineyards again - as in Marlborough, vineyard after vineyard creating the most fascinating views over the steep hillsides and finally into Rablay sur Layon where we overnight free-camped in a small aire at the base of the village. Walking into the village it was desolate - not a restaurant, not a shop of any description. Although the village was obviously very old and had great history and architecture it had seemingly been given over to the artistic community and this particular evening it was deserted and uninspiring. We did note that the following morning there was a pottery exhibition in the now empty town square which gave us a little hope and decided we would stay and explore in the morning before moving on. Well I am sure you know what I am going to say next...........it was FANTASTIC!!!! Some of the talent was unbelievable and in the very French style of fine leaves of clay layered and rustic and rough. The village was rocking too and much to our surprise we discovered an Artisan Gallery in which we spent an hour or so as it was so absorbing. It was a shame we could not bring any items home with us, such was their uniqueness, but for those on facebook getting our photos you will know what I mean as I try to describe my memories.
Happy that we had stayed and seen some life in the old village we travelled on again this time heading for the coast - St.Palais sur Mer. Plotting a course through Chemille; La Barre; St. Georges des Gardes; Cholet; we dropped down into the Vallie du Puppe. All this time the All Blacks are playing their first game in the Bledisloe Cup against Australia and along with navigating, taking photos and writing down where we are, I was reading the live commentary to Gary from my phone. The down side is that I am on the left of Gary in Molly B!!!!!????
We are travelling for 5hours plus today and we cover a lot of territory as we whizz through Endrennes; St Vincents Sterlanges; les troix pigeons; La Leue; Feole; St Hermine; Le Magny; St Jean de Beugne; La Cherant Maritime; Borge Champon and suddenly we have left all the charming delightful little villages behind along with their narrow roads,village squares and colourful hanging baskets and we are out on very flat plains full of fields of sunflowers turning their big yellow heads to kiss the sun.
Skirting around the very big City of Aytre it is full time and the ALL BLACKS HAVE WON 42 - 8!!!!! and our happiness is complete.
Rochefort, Marennes and Le Gua fly past and we move into the Oyster area of France - St. Sulpice de Royan (very cute) and Taupignac and then we are where we set off to be - Saint Palais sur Mer where we plan to spend 3 nights which turns into 7????? Funny that.
Setting up our campsite - so easy and straightforward with our amazing new van Molly B - we are first welcomed by an elderly ex school teacher couple from Britain who join us in a glass of wine and a chat. Departing the next morning we wave goodbye, wish them good travels and settle down to relax, read and enjoy the amazing sunshine we are experiencing. There is a beach across the road - very rocky unless the tide is out - and a soft, sandy beach just along the promenade which, when we arrive there, looks like it is infested with ants it is so busy, This is quite an expensive, touristy place but there are some good walks and there is a circus coming to town. The campsite is very busy with people coming and going every single day and we are really just marking time until the school holidays finish. People at this campsite are very interested in us coming from New Zealand, some of whom are mystified as to how we got here with our camper, some of whom have visited New Zealand and seem to know the North Island quite well!! Eventually we meet a lovely Irish couple who we spend time with, give us lots of travelling tips and who we hope to meet up with again in Roses, Northern Spain later. Una had a wicked sense of humour quite belying the serious person we thought we had first met.
The circus did come to town as mentioned above - took all day to set up their huge encampment and animals - had just one show that night and by dawn the next morning had gone!!! It was a though they had never been. We sat watching the set up for a few hours as it was quite fascinating and entertaining for many reasons. The animals were definitely well cared for on the ground but to be constantly on the move in 32 degree heat must take it's toll on humans and animals alike. The amount of humans and machinery it took to set up was incredible - most seem to be conversing in Russian.
We were content here for a while, relaxing, but after 7 nights and the intrusion of a nearby smoker we decided it was time to move on.
So on Saturday 27th we headed towards Oradour sur Glane via the Vallie des Cheronte, Cherac and Cognac where we parked by a river and had lunch. So many small, sometimes very plain and sometimes very pretty villages of little significance appeared almost on top of one another - Chateaubernard, Hiersac, the historic town of Anguoleme, Suaux, La Peruse, Etegnac, St.Junien and suddenly Gary veers off the road to our right. He has spotted the perfect overnight parking spot next to the river Vienne just before the river Vienne meets the river Glane. It is perfect for freedom camping and we are eventually joined by another campervan to keep us safe and cosy. French people come and picnic beside the river and fish along the river - it is very nice.
Next morning we set off for Oradour sur Glane just a short distance away. This is a village which was surrounded by the Nazis, all its inhabitants killed and the village and bodies set on fire. This was a retaliatory move after a German Nazi officer was captured. Over 600 men women and children died here and the village has been left exactly how it was found after the massacre although any bodies or bones interred. Heaps of Singer sewing machines, cars, bikes, prams, metal bedsteads burnt and rusting litter the village. It is heart breaking and soul destroying to see. Mans inhumanity to man never ceases to make us despair. The sites were shocking. The French have kept the memory of the villagers alive and they have done it well.
The same day we travel on to Limoge where we had the most amazing 4 nights at Camping Montreal. Initially we had thought we would camp at a different site with a swimming pool but on arrival and a quick glance around we realised things were not how they had been portrayed in our ACSI campsite book. "It will be like swimming in a bucket" came from Gary as we spotted the pool. Mmmmm how true that was.
So we moved on to our next site at Saint Germain Les Belles overlooking a man made lake with a swimming pool to die for and not many children if any at all. Run by a Dutch couple Hans and Leonie they did everything on the campsite including cooking for and running the restaurant which was busy every night. The food was great and the vin cheap. Once again we met some fabulous people here Gillian and Alan who we hope to also meet in Roses and John and Glenda who we hope to meet again in the Lot valley. One little incident had us laughing though. One morning I woke up to only one Keene sandle outside the door and when I enquired of Hans if this was a regular happening he had to admit that yes it happened often but not just with shoes although this was his speciality. He would take buckets of food, clogs anything he could pick up and carry in his teeth. He never damaged what he took, just moved it from one place to another. It was a night-time habit of a local black dog and it was our job to seek and find. Of course we did find it, hidden behind a chalet several metres away, intact and unchewed. Much was my relief.
It was hard to leave here. Once again we came for 2 nights and stayed for four. On the morning we were leaving so many people came to our site chatting, giving travel advice, saying their goodbyes and giving us their best wishes it was awesome. We finally left with a container of homemade Aioli, a gift from Hans and Leonie - very special and delicious - and headed for the Dordogne. We have looked forward to this part of our journey for so long and we were not to be disappointed.
On Thursday morning we set off from Plage de Pors Peron heading towards Malestroit where we hoped to spend one night freedom camping. Passing through Confort Melas, St. Yvi and Pont Aven (a very busy tourist town) we stocked up at our favourite supermarket - Lidls - in Quimperle. Good French cheeses and wine on board we set off again and suddenly we experience an earsplitting screeching which scared the pants of us both. It was the heat/smoke alarm and the only reason we believe this happened was the inordinate heat of the day.
We have now crossed the District border from Finistere to Morbihan and we traverse Vanne (too big for us) through St. Marcel and onto Malestroit defined as a "petite city of character" and it was. The down side of here was that the Aire for motorhomes had been closed and was now in an open paddock where more than 50 motorhomes were parked cheek by jowl along the canal. Scuttling to an overgrown corner away from the huddle we were quite happy, walked into the village which was very picturesque, stopped for a wine in the village square and toddled off early the next morning heading for Rablay sur Layon.
If you are map following us on our travels we passed through: St.Congard; St.Grave; Peillac; St.Vincent where we stopped at the village market and bought the most amazing French lettuce for 1 Euro; Redon; Derval; Lusanger; through fields and fields of corn and maze; Chateaubriant; La Touche; St.Julien de Vouvantes and into La Chapelle Glain where we stopped to have the most exquisite French Formulae lunch which for Gary included the biggest piece of Tuna I have seen!!!!
Replete we continued our journey on through La Pin; Cande; skirted Angrie; through Le Loiraix Beconnais; Becon-Les-Granites; St.Augustin des Bois; St.Georges sur Loire; beautiful Savineres with it's extremely narrow streets; over the Loire river where there had been a very nasty accident; through Rockfort sur Loire where we started to see vineyards again - as in Marlborough, vineyard after vineyard creating the most fascinating views over the steep hillsides and finally into Rablay sur Layon where we overnight free-camped in a small aire at the base of the village. Walking into the village it was desolate - not a restaurant, not a shop of any description. Although the village was obviously very old and had great history and architecture it had seemingly been given over to the artistic community and this particular evening it was deserted and uninspiring. We did note that the following morning there was a pottery exhibition in the now empty town square which gave us a little hope and decided we would stay and explore in the morning before moving on. Well I am sure you know what I am going to say next...........it was FANTASTIC!!!! Some of the talent was unbelievable and in the very French style of fine leaves of clay layered and rustic and rough. The village was rocking too and much to our surprise we discovered an Artisan Gallery in which we spent an hour or so as it was so absorbing. It was a shame we could not bring any items home with us, such was their uniqueness, but for those on facebook getting our photos you will know what I mean as I try to describe my memories.
Happy that we had stayed and seen some life in the old village we travelled on again this time heading for the coast - St.Palais sur Mer. Plotting a course through Chemille; La Barre; St. Georges des Gardes; Cholet; we dropped down into the Vallie du Puppe. All this time the All Blacks are playing their first game in the Bledisloe Cup against Australia and along with navigating, taking photos and writing down where we are, I was reading the live commentary to Gary from my phone. The down side is that I am on the left of Gary in Molly B!!!!!????
We are travelling for 5hours plus today and we cover a lot of territory as we whizz through Endrennes; St Vincents Sterlanges; les troix pigeons; La Leue; Feole; St Hermine; Le Magny; St Jean de Beugne; La Cherant Maritime; Borge Champon and suddenly we have left all the charming delightful little villages behind along with their narrow roads,village squares and colourful hanging baskets and we are out on very flat plains full of fields of sunflowers turning their big yellow heads to kiss the sun.
Skirting around the very big City of Aytre it is full time and the ALL BLACKS HAVE WON 42 - 8!!!!! and our happiness is complete.
Rochefort, Marennes and Le Gua fly past and we move into the Oyster area of France - St. Sulpice de Royan (very cute) and Taupignac and then we are where we set off to be - Saint Palais sur Mer where we plan to spend 3 nights which turns into 7????? Funny that.
Setting up our campsite - so easy and straightforward with our amazing new van Molly B - we are first welcomed by an elderly ex school teacher couple from Britain who join us in a glass of wine and a chat. Departing the next morning we wave goodbye, wish them good travels and settle down to relax, read and enjoy the amazing sunshine we are experiencing. There is a beach across the road - very rocky unless the tide is out - and a soft, sandy beach just along the promenade which, when we arrive there, looks like it is infested with ants it is so busy, This is quite an expensive, touristy place but there are some good walks and there is a circus coming to town. The campsite is very busy with people coming and going every single day and we are really just marking time until the school holidays finish. People at this campsite are very interested in us coming from New Zealand, some of whom are mystified as to how we got here with our camper, some of whom have visited New Zealand and seem to know the North Island quite well!! Eventually we meet a lovely Irish couple who we spend time with, give us lots of travelling tips and who we hope to meet up with again in Roses, Northern Spain later. Una had a wicked sense of humour quite belying the serious person we thought we had first met.
The circus did come to town as mentioned above - took all day to set up their huge encampment and animals - had just one show that night and by dawn the next morning had gone!!! It was a though they had never been. We sat watching the set up for a few hours as it was quite fascinating and entertaining for many reasons. The animals were definitely well cared for on the ground but to be constantly on the move in 32 degree heat must take it's toll on humans and animals alike. The amount of humans and machinery it took to set up was incredible - most seem to be conversing in Russian.
We were content here for a while, relaxing, but after 7 nights and the intrusion of a nearby smoker we decided it was time to move on.
So on Saturday 27th we headed towards Oradour sur Glane via the Vallie des Cheronte, Cherac and Cognac where we parked by a river and had lunch. So many small, sometimes very plain and sometimes very pretty villages of little significance appeared almost on top of one another - Chateaubernard, Hiersac, the historic town of Anguoleme, Suaux, La Peruse, Etegnac, St.Junien and suddenly Gary veers off the road to our right. He has spotted the perfect overnight parking spot next to the river Vienne just before the river Vienne meets the river Glane. It is perfect for freedom camping and we are eventually joined by another campervan to keep us safe and cosy. French people come and picnic beside the river and fish along the river - it is very nice.
Next morning we set off for Oradour sur Glane just a short distance away. This is a village which was surrounded by the Nazis, all its inhabitants killed and the village and bodies set on fire. This was a retaliatory move after a German Nazi officer was captured. Over 600 men women and children died here and the village has been left exactly how it was found after the massacre although any bodies or bones interred. Heaps of Singer sewing machines, cars, bikes, prams, metal bedsteads burnt and rusting litter the village. It is heart breaking and soul destroying to see. Mans inhumanity to man never ceases to make us despair. The sites were shocking. The French have kept the memory of the villagers alive and they have done it well.
The same day we travel on to Limoge where we had the most amazing 4 nights at Camping Montreal. Initially we had thought we would camp at a different site with a swimming pool but on arrival and a quick glance around we realised things were not how they had been portrayed in our ACSI campsite book. "It will be like swimming in a bucket" came from Gary as we spotted the pool. Mmmmm how true that was.
So we moved on to our next site at Saint Germain Les Belles overlooking a man made lake with a swimming pool to die for and not many children if any at all. Run by a Dutch couple Hans and Leonie they did everything on the campsite including cooking for and running the restaurant which was busy every night. The food was great and the vin cheap. Once again we met some fabulous people here Gillian and Alan who we hope to also meet in Roses and John and Glenda who we hope to meet again in the Lot valley. One little incident had us laughing though. One morning I woke up to only one Keene sandle outside the door and when I enquired of Hans if this was a regular happening he had to admit that yes it happened often but not just with shoes although this was his speciality. He would take buckets of food, clogs anything he could pick up and carry in his teeth. He never damaged what he took, just moved it from one place to another. It was a night-time habit of a local black dog and it was our job to seek and find. Of course we did find it, hidden behind a chalet several metres away, intact and unchewed. Much was my relief.
It was hard to leave here. Once again we came for 2 nights and stayed for four. On the morning we were leaving so many people came to our site chatting, giving travel advice, saying their goodbyes and giving us their best wishes it was awesome. We finally left with a container of homemade Aioli, a gift from Hans and Leonie - very special and delicious - and headed for the Dordogne. We have looked forward to this part of our journey for so long and we were not to be disappointed.
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