Pujols, Camping Lot and Bastides, Eguzon-Chantome, Camping La Garenne, Marboue (April 10th - April 16th 2015 )

 Friday, 10th April 2015

It is "out of season" here, and, during our time here so far, there have been few people here, but, this morning, even some of them leave, and we are down to three vans!.

The weather forecast suggests today is going to be "changeable", so, we decide to visit St Liverade-sur-Lot, an eight mile ride along the back roads, on the scooter.

We discover, Friday is market day.

It is rather an amazing market, in terms of size, it seems to take up the whole town, we even have difficulty finding somewhere to park the scooter.

The market (other than it's size) turns out to be rather disappointing to Kathleen, most of the clothes on sale appear to be of the type favoured by muslim women!

The town too, is a disappointment, mostly in a run-down state, and, despite it's name, we do not find the River Lot!

All is not lost, we return to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and Kathleen is able to do a "recce" of the available churches, so, this weekends church going is organised.

Saturday, 11th April 2015

The perils of cycling, my bicycle has a puncture.

I take the scooter and ride along the road to the Auchan supermarket along the road, where I am able to buy a replacement inner-tube.

The original punctured inner-tube is repaired and kept as a spare.

I do not know why I am rushing to do this, since, Kathleen has spent all morning "doing her hair", so, there is no way either a cycling helmet, or a motorcycle helmet is going on THAT head, today.

Sunday, 12th April 2015

Sunday, church day for Kathleen, whilst I have a wander around town and choose somewhere for Sunday Lunch.

It is not a difficult task to choose somewhere for lunch, there appears to be only two restaurants open on Sundays!

Fortunately, given the 50/50 choice, my choice turns out to be very good.

Cocktails, Lunch, Bottle of wine, then we wobble back to the campsite on our bicycles.

Monday, 13th April 2015

Another beautiful day, it seems a shame to leave!

The sun shines for the whole journey,  including our picnic lunch, in a very civilised aire on the A20.

We are heading 240 miles north, N21 and A20 to Eguzon-Chantome, Camping La Garenne, an ACSI site, owned and run by a Dutch young couple.

As you would expect, everything works!

The journey, if you really want to see it!

Pujols to Eguzon-Chantome Part 1 of 28

Part 2 of 28

Part 3 of 28

Part 4 of 28

Part 5 of 28, Part 6 of 28, Part 7 of 28, Part 8 of 28, Part 9 of 28, Part 10 of 28, Part 11 of 28, Part 12 of 28, Part 13 of 28, Part 14 of 28, Part 15 of 28, Part 16 of 28, Part 17 of 28, Part 18 of 28, Part 19 of 28, Part 20 of 28, Part 21 of 28, Part 22 of 28, Part 23 of 28, Part 24 of 28, Part 25 of 28, Part 26 of 28, Part 27 of 28, Part 28 of 28



It is incomplete, because the SD Card became full!

The owner is really on the ball, when he sees we are towing a scooter on a trailer, he immediately offers us a map of interesting places to visit, on the scooter.

We arrive to a sweltering 24C, so not much to do until later in the afternoon, and then a stroll into the village, which appears to have quite a few restaurants, bars and, even a hotel.

In true French style however, it being Monday, only one bar was open, plus the Super-U supermarket!

The village of Eguzon-Chantome is not very big, just a few hundred houses, one supermarket, a church and a few shops.

Personally, I am not too keen on dwelling on the War (either WW1 or WW2), except to say, we do not want to see a repeat performance.

I certainly do not appreciate the sort of
"Biggles" jokes and anti German sentiment, which seem to be essential to many Brits.

But, I cannot help but notice the way in which the French honour their war dead, and the way we Brits do.

As I say, this is a tiny place, but, bang in the middle of the village, just outside the church, there is an immaculately kept war memorial. This is not unique, you will see similar in small towns and villages throughout France.

Tuesday, 14th April 2015

Straight after breakfast, I take a trip to the supermarket, on the scooter, much to my surprise, on my return, Kathleen is all kitted up, ready to go on the scooter, exploring the area.

So, using the map given to us by the campsite owner, we head off for Argenton-sur-Creuse.

This turns out to be a very pretty and incredibly lively small French town.

Kathleen then treats me to lunch, at one of

the cafes in the main square.

Sadly, because we are on the scooter, I cannot make full use of the drinks.

I am not sure what is going on, enthusiasm for riding on the scooter, buying my lunch, is there something I should know?

After lunch, we take the road to Gargilesse-Dampierre, which, we have been told, holds the accolade of being one of the (many) prettiest villages in France.

This turns into a real adventure.

After a few miles, we find the road to Gargilesse-Dampierre is closed for repairs.

In true French fashion, there is a large sign saying "Route Barre, Suivre Deviation", but, of course, no signs to indicate the Diversion!

We follow a likely looking road, which appears to be heading in the right general direction, but, after a few more miles, the tarmac runs out at the entrance to a farm.

We retrace our route, and start again, eventually,  following roller coaster of a road, with numerous twists and turns, success, we find Gargilesse-Dampierre.

Kathleen actually says she has enjoyed the ride on the scooter!

While strolling around the village, and having refreshments, we meet, two Dutch ladies, taking refreshment in a café.

Being a gentleman, I will not say elderly, but, I doubt they will see 60 again, who are walking the Pilgrim Route, from Holland to St Jacques Compestelle.

Now, we have driven to St Jacques Compestelle, it is a long way! We wish them "good luck" on their journey.

We are now on the "other side" of the river from the campsite, so, we head back to Eguzon, via the Barrage and Lac Eguzon.

Wednesday, 15th April 2015.

Wednesday, is Market day in Eguzon, so, off we go after breakfast.

It is a fairly tame affair, only six or seven stalls. Of these only one is selling clothes, and, they are all "granny" clothes. Now, Kathleen is a Grandmother, but, as she often says, "I don't want to look like a Granny".

 After lunch, I am amazed to find, Kathleen is all fired up to go out exploring, on the scooter, maybe, we are into reliving the 60's?

It is another scorching day, but, cool enough as we breeze along the country lanes.

I think the road repair gangs of France must have conspired to have a laugh at our expense, we encounter yet another "Route Barre, Suivre Deviation"!

This time, there are at least a few signs to give a clue which way to go.

At least we get to go the scenic route along the back roads, to Lac Eguzon.

Thursday, 16th April 2015

Just under 90 miles, and we arrive at an Aire, Marboue,  (N48 6.744' E1 19.722), a pleasant spot, about 25 miles south of Chartres. It has the usual Service point items, plus a well maintained toilet.

It is literally just off the N10, but, given how close it is to a major road, road noise is not a problem.

The whole journey, if you want to see some or all of it:

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 1 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 2 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 3 of 28
Eguzon to Marboue, Part 4 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 5 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 6 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 7 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 8 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 9 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 10 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 11 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 12 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 13 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 14 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 15 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 16 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 17 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 18 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 19 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 20 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 21 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 22 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 23 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 24 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 25 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 26 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 27 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 28 of 28

   

Montrejeau, Camping Midi-Pyrenees, Pujols, Camping Lot and Bastides (April 4th - April 9th 2015 )

Saturday, 4th April 2015

Oh dear, a little rain today, but, it coincides with the most important day for weeks, it is hair dyeing day, so, no harm done.

Just to be clear, it is Kathleen having her hair dyed, and me, doing the dying.

Even if I say so myself, I have done a superb job.

Needless to say, with a morning spent dying, washing, drying, straightening the hair, there is no way Kathleen is going to put on either a cycle helmet, or a motorcycle helmet, so, no trips on the scooter today, or cycling outings, a gentle stroll is all.

Sunday, 5th April 2015

Fog this morning when we get up, have not seen fog since we left the UK in January.

By 10:00, the fog has cleared, the sun is out, and Kathleen is walking to church for Easter Sunday service. I have a few chores to do, before walking along to the bar in the square outside of the Church.

Monday, 6th April 2015

A crisp morning to leave Montrejeau, it is 0C and frost on the van at 08:00, but, the sun is up, and soon warms the place up.

Today, we travelling 126 miles north, to Pujols, near Villeneuve-sur-Lot, leaving the Pyrenees well behind us.

The whole journey in Video, if you cannot sleep! is below:

Part 1 of 22

Part 2 of 22

Part 3 of 22

Part 4 of 22

Part 5 of 22

Part 6 of 22

Part 7 of 22

Part 8 of 22

Part 9 of 22

Part 10 of 22

Part 11 of 22

Part 12 of 22

Part 13 of 22

Part 14 of 22

Part 15 of 22

Part 16 of 22

Part 17 of 22

Part 18 of 22

Part 19 of 22

Part 20 of 22, we encounter a cycle race!

Part 21 of 22

Part 22 of 22

It is a blissful drive, beautiful day, just about empty roads.

But, when we are almost at our destination, less than a mile away in fact, we encounter a cycle race.

They have the road closed off, we don't know it yet, but, this is to go on all day!

We are directed up a hill, at first, it looks good, a motorcycle, with flashing lights, leads us through, but, after a short distance, he pulls over and leaves us to wend our way through the cyclists and enthusiastic onlookers by ourselves.

It all looks very organised, I wonder if we will be on TV, gate crashing a cycle race? 

Eventually we arrive at Camping Lot and Bastides (N44 23'41" E0 41'13"), an ACSI site, only 12Euros.

By the way, for the un-initiated, a Bastide is a form of fortified French town or village, not the offspring of some roaming Knight, and the local milk-maid.

Soon I am preparing a meal, is there no rest?

Tuesday, 7th April 2015

Todays plan is to take the scooter and ride to the medieval village of Pujols.

It is not very far, in fact, we can see it from the campsite, but, it is at the top of a rather steep hill.

We are all ready to go, motorcycle jackets and helmets on, the damned scooter will not start, the battery is flat!

Change of plan, connect up the battery charger, and, while it is charging, walk the two miles into Villeneuve-sur-Lot.

There is a market in the main square, by good fortune, it is almost over.

Find a nice little café for lunch in the sun, bliss.

When we get back to the van, the scooter battery is charged enough to start it, and, we can go shopping (running out of beer).








Wednesday, 8th April 2015

Another beautiful day.

Today, we do yesterdays planned outing, ie take the scooter to the medieval village of Pujols.

Pujols is described in the Tourist literature as one of the most beautiful villages in France.

This is the view over Villeneuve-sur-Lot, from the top of the hill where the village stands, as you can see, it is rather high, which explains our desire to come here on the scooter, rather than walk up the hill!.

It is incredibly well preserved, and, it is very beautiful.

Yes, there is a but, I appreciated, if it was full of shops selling tourist tat, it would spoil it, however, there is a happy medium.

Although there are at least three cafes/restaurants, none are open, so, on this hot and beautifully sunny day, there is not even a place to have a drink and admire the surroundings!

There are two churches, almost as many churches a houses, people must have been very religious in medieval times!

Amazingly, one of the old properties has been converted into a Gite, it looks authentic medieval on the outside, all stone and half timbered, but, inside is modern and looks very comfortable.

After such a suitable dose of culture and history, we return to the van for lunch, then, we swap the scooter for our bicycles and explore some of the cycle tracks in the area.

A very pleasant 9 miles.

Thursday, 9th April 2015

A clear morning with frost on the ground again this morning, but, by 9:30, it is warm enough to sit outside.

A short shopping trip on the scooter, followed by a few chores, then it is time for having fun.

Yesterday, we explored the cycle track near the campsite, today, we set off to pedal to a village called Casseneuil.

It is a pleasant ride there, along a disused railway line, which has been converted into a cycle track.

Fifteen miles round trip.

Rather disappointingly, the village of Casseneuil, although it has some rather magnificent and ancient buildings, is a bit of a disappointment.

Very pretty, but, mostly Closed!

Never mind, there is a bar / café open, so, the essentials are catered for.

Amusingly, for those of you familiar with the musical Les Miserable, the Patron of the Café is a M. Didier!

We do manage to leave with all of our teeth and valuables intact however!

 

Benicassim, Bonterra Park, Bonansa, Camping Baliera, Montrejeau, Camping Midi-Pyrenees (March 28th - April 3rd 2015)

Saturday, March 28th 2015

Another sunny day.

We have been let loose, after almost five days of being kept indoors, because of the weather.

Off cycling again, 14 miles along the coast to Oropesa.

The cycle track has re-opened, after whatever work it was they were doing, all nicely resurfaced.

It is an old railway line, which runs along the

coast, but with some stunning scenery, and a few tunnels.

Oropesa is the next "town" north along the coast from Benicassim.

It is more "resort style" than Benicassim, a bit tacky, in our opinion, but, different people have different tastes.

Back to the van, a late lunch, then Kathleen heads off to church.

It is the week before Easter, Palm Sunday weekend, to the un-initiated. The Spanish are beginning to arrive in force for their Easter break.

Lots of grumbling from the British OAP's near us, complaints about the Spanish and their noise.

It is true, they are a bit loud, but, after all, it is their country!

Plus, they are not really that much more load, than the complaining OAP's, most of

whom seem to be so deaf they can only converse at a shout.

No sooner than I have myself settled with a glass of wine to have an hours relaxation, whilst Kathleen is at church, and, she is back.

No Mass tonight apparently, so, Kathleen will be going tomorrow morning, 09:00, too early in the morning for a glass of Red however, even by my standards.

Clocks change tonight, move forward an hour, so, lighter nights.

Sunday, 29th March 2015

A leisurely day, well, every day is leisurely now, I suppose I should say "an even more leisurely day".

A walk along the coast for about 3.5 miles.

Lots of the bars and Cafes, which had been closed for winter, have opened up this weekend, so, we sample one for tapas and a drink.

My turn to cook, lamb chops grilled on my griddle, purchased from the Chinese Bazaar.

Snooze away the rest of the afternoon and another 2.5 mile walk in the evening, to wake us up!

Monday, 30th March 2015

Well, the good times are over, Kathleen has entered "going home mode".

Thoughts of weight gain etc.

So, a few new "rules":

• no more crisps
• no more biscuits with our morning coffee
• no more snacks, ie nuts, olives, gerkins etc
• no more lunch time beers
• reduce alcohol intake

These of course are Kathleen's rules, but, to use that phrase so beloved of the female of the species, I am expected to "support", her in her efforts, which, in male speak means suffer alongside her.

I ask you, what fun is there in that?

For today, I have circumvented the rules, under the pretence of going for a healthy walk along the coast (2.5 miles) took her to lunch, ordered a bottle of wine before she could object.

Packing started, well, scooter loaded onto it's trailer and positioned ready for hitch-up.

Tuesday, 31st March 2015

A 4.5 mile walk along the coast to one of our favourite bars, for an Orange juice, I told you the fun  times are over.

Lie in the sun, pay the campsite bill and then complete the packing.

Wednesday, 1st April 2015

We leave Bonterra Park and Benicassim

Today, we are travelling approximately 230 miles north into the foothills of the Pyrenees to Camping Baliera, Bonansa (N42 26'21.8" E0 41'53.9"). An ACSI site, which is open all year around.

If you really want to see it, there is video here.

Looks like an ideal spot for outdoor activity enthusiasts, rafting, canoeing, mountain biking, hiking and, in season skiing.

Trying out this route, which misses out Barcelona, and the slog along the N340.

Although not designated as a major road, on the map, the road is excellent quality, very scenic, without being too scary, Kathleen even managed some photographs.

For most of the way today, we are travelling across a broad plateau, surrounded by hills.

Not too much traffic, and not too many slow lorries.

After Lleida, it becomes a little more hilly, and twisty, as the valley narrows, and, there

is a large man made lake on one side of the road (hydro electric scheme, I think).

Surprisingly, considering how far inland we are, and, how high we are, it is remarkably warm, a very pleasant 22C.

Thursday, 2nd April 2015

A very small "hop" today, just over 60 miles, through the Vielha Tunnel, and into France
.

The whole  journey, in approximately 10 minute clips is below:

The approach to the tunnel, going North, Part 1

The approach to the tunnel, going North, Part 2

Ascent and entering tunnel, going north.

Tunnel, exit, and descent, going North. (part 4)

Descent from tunnel, going North, (Part 5)

Descent French side, going North - Part 6

Entering France, not that there is a border, Part 7

N125 - Part 8

N125 - Part 9

N125 - Part 10

Montrejeau - Part 11

Montrejeau, find the campsite! - Part 12

We have become used to daytime temperatures of 25C, even in the early morning, it was typically 18C.

This morning is therefore a bit of a surprise, we are well inland here, and quite high in up, there was frost on the outside of the van when we woke up, and the outside temperature was -1C!

But, a beautiful morning.

It soon warms up, by 10:00 when we leave, it is up to 15C.

The climb to the Vielha tunnel on this (the South side) is nothing alarming a steady 7%, with no really sharp bends.

The Tunnel itself is no problem, just over 5 kilometres (3.1 miles), well lit, slightly downhill as you go north.

The descent on the South side, into Vielha town, is steeper, with more twists and a couple of hairpins, but, nothing to get alarmed about.

Soon, we are at Montrejeau, Camping Midi-Pyrenees, (N43 5'31" E0 33'14"). An ACSI site, which is open all year.

The site is quiet, with fantastic views, temperature is 25C by shortly after lunch time.

The church is found, Easter Services checked out, so, Kathleen is set.

Friday 3rd April 2015.

The morning starts cool, only 1C at breakfast time, but, by 10:30 it is a pleasant 15C.

We decide to visit St Gaudens, about ten miles away, on the scooter.

Kathleen is becoming blasé about riding on the back, she had forgotten to put her gloves on, when her hands become cold, her solution was to sit on her hands, which means of course, she was not holding on at all.

I did have spare gloves with me, and, I did offer to give her my gloves and use the "spares" myself, so, Dana, Claire, Phillippa, don't blame me!

There is a pleasant "medieval" centre, with the usual proliferation of bars, and cafes, and, of course, a church.

By lunch time, it is 21C, so, what better than lunch in the square.

One disadvantage of travelling on the scooter, we have to limit our alcohol intake, me, because I am "driving", and Kathleen because she is (supposed to be) holding on.

After travelling back to Montrejeau, Kathleen heads of to church, it being Good Friday.