Grianan’s final trip (in this van) to warmer climes …

[Jane NotRog]

Flynn loves that kind of thing, he just gets too excited for his own good. The vet has “high drive” written on his records.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Flynn loves that kind of thing, he just gets too excited for his own good. The vet has “high drive” written on his records.

What is it they say about owners and their dogs?

 

[Grianan]

After some fairly thundery downpours we woke to a warm still day and the barking of hundreds of dogs! The large pointer in the van next door had a high pitched yap that was comically incongruous with his large muscular physique. Having watched the dogs and runners set off we headed to Pont l’Evêque (sadly no useable aire as it looked a fabulous town) for supplies (local cider) then west to Beuvron en Auge. There’s a free aire there by the former station and a pleasant flat stroll into the beautiful half timbered village which was packed with restaurants and tourists … probably with the holiday weekend.

We decided to move on and drove an hour through fields of horses and stud farms to Ecouchés-les-Vallées which has a very small free aire. We arrived just in time to sneak the last space - 3 other vans drive in and out in the next half hour looking to get in.

The town was decimated by bombs in June 1994 and the memorial has photos of the aftermath of the numbing with quotes from the mayor at the time.

It’s a vibrant little town with 2 boulangeries a little supermarket.

 

[scousebird]

Ecouchés-les-Vallées

We went there last year to find the aire being dug up so no access. It's good to see it's reopened.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Both look pretty towns. We like the way you are just pootling around. We are not very good at that and need to work on it.

The bombing from the Allies prior to D Day was pretty extensive wasn’t it. Killed around 60,000 civilians from memory. But isn’t it great the way the French rebuilt these small towns in the original style.

 

[Graydo]

and the house where composer Ravel lived, which is now privately owned (though there was an estate agents car parked outside

Was it Ravel's Allegro

Graydo

 

[Graydo]

We miss France a little bit, we tend to keep pushing north and we always end in Germany
Have a fantastic trip.

We tend to overlook France and end up in Germany too, should really spend some more time there again.

Graydo

 

[carolyn]

This morning we walked up to Lyons -La-Fôret. It was picture-postcard-perfect with half timbered buildings, blue skies and fresh spring foliage. We bought some (rather expensive) fruit and veg in the producers market under the covered market hall and partook of a delicious escargot de pistache pastry from the excellent bakery and a robust coffee from the café opposite. In the market, the haricots verts were priced by the ‘livre’ rather than by the kilo. I don’t know whether I’ve just not noticed this before … I assumed a livre was about a pound (1 lb) and the stall owner confirmed it was 500g.

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We then walked down the ‘Rue d’Enfer’ in the heavenly direction and down another road past the convent to the Trois Moulins. Bucolic is a word that keeps coming to mind in rural Normandy …

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Back up the hill we stopped to see the war memorial and the house where composer Ravel lived, which is now privately owned (though there was an estate agents car parked outside so if anyone’s looking for a renovation project …)

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We decided to move on after doing the services. The water on the bourne wasn’t working but luckily the campsite taps are easily reachable through the open wire fencing behind where you park up .

We were tempted by a few villages St Georges-de-Vièvre (municipal campsite), Cormeilles (aire) but settled on Blagny-le-Chateau with its free aire backing on to mown open grassland. There are 6 hedged spaces, paid services and free toilets with open air urinals (no hand washing facilities I noticed as I averted my eyes … just saying … no hand shaking here … maybe that’s why the French prefer to kiss as a greeting).

We could not miss the Lavoir if only for Lenny HB … it was just ee-opened after restoration on 11th April this year.

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The gendarmerie was pretty grand too, especially for a small village.

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Such a lovely place. One of Nick’s old school friends lives in Les Andelys about 20 mins SW of there and has done for 30 odd years. It’s right on the Seine. Such a pretty area.

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[Grianan]

Both look pretty towns. We like the way you are just pootling around. We are not very good at that and need to work on it.

The bombing from the Allies prior to D Day was pretty extensive wasn’t it. Killed around 60,000 civilians from memory. But isn’t it great the way the French rebuilt these small towns in the original style.

We’re trying to pootle … but it goes against the grain

The French seem to have retained traditional woodworking and masonry skills. At Dumfries House in Ayrshire there are courses teaching these skills to youngsters but I guess that they’re few and far between.

We tend to overlook France and end up in Germany too, should really spend some more time there again.

Graydo

Were the opposite. The pull to France is always greater though we did love Germany when we visited.

Such a lovely place. One of Nick’s old school friends lives in Les Andelys about 20 mins SW of there and has done for 30 odd years. It’s right on the Seine. Such a pretty area.

It is indeed. We visited Les Andelys on a road trip (car, chambre d’hôtes) about 35 years ago and loved it. We should revisit.


So, after the rain stopped this morning, we went for another walk around the town. On the way back, I went flying on a metal manhole cover that must have still been slippy … it must have been spectacular because 2 cars stopped to check I was ok. Which I was really, though shaken, and unfortunately I landed on the knee I’ve been told to avoid bumping (lymphodoema). Typical!

Anyway we had to move on because we had run out of water last night (no bournes working at any of our 3 stops so far). We’ve never had this problem before … but we’ve not travelled in May … maybe we’re early or maybe it’s cost saving?

We decided on a short hop of 10km to the rather genteel village of Rânes which has a paid aire - €9.73/night - with working services! It’s well laid out with 8 separate pitches each with gravel for motorhome and tarmac for table and chairs. The pitches run alongside the hippodrome which only runs 5 trotting races a year and sadly not this weekend.

After filling up,we took a walk into the village to see its 15th Century church, the chateau and the municipal park behind, on what must have been the chateau gardens. From there we walked back across the racecourse and down to the fishing pond then back to the van. Interestingly they have 2 Mammotion Luba robot mowers keeping the grass down on the racecourse.

We’re now sitting out chilling. The forecast is dire but we’re taking advantage of sunny spells!

 

[scousebird]

On the way back, I went flying on a metal manhole cover that must have still been slippy … it must have been spectacular because 2 cars stopped to check I was ok. Which I was really, though shaken, and unfortunately I landed on the knee I’ve been told to avoid bumping (lymphodoema). Typical!

Ouch, I hope it's not too hurty.

 

[carolyn]

We’re trying to pootle … but it goes against the grain

The French seem to have retained traditional woodworking and masonry skills. At Dumfries House in Ayrshire there are courses teaching these skills to youngsters but I guess that they’re few and far between.

Were the opposite. The pull to France is always greater though we did love Germany when we visited.


It is indeed. We visited Les Andelys on a road trip (car, chambre d’hôtes) about 35 years ago and loved it. We should revisit.


So, after the rain stopped this morning, we went for another walk around the town. On the way back, I went flying on a metal manhole cover that must have still been slippy … it must have been spectacular because 2 cars stopped to check I was ok. Which I was really, though shaken, and unfortunately I landed on the knee I’ve been told to avoid bumping (lymphodoema). Typical!

Anyway we had to move on because we had run out of water last night (no bournes working at any of our 3 stops so far). We’ve never had this problem before … but we’ve not travelled in May … maybe we’re early or maybe it’s cost saving?

We decided on a short hop of 10km to the rather genteel village of Rânes which has a paid aire - €9.73/night - with working services! It’s well laid out with 8 separate pitches each with gravel for motorhome and tarmac for table and chairs. The pitches run alongside the hippodrome which only runs 5 trotting races a year and sadly not this weekend.

After filling up,we took a walk into the village to see its 15th Century church, the chateau and the municipal park behind, on what must have been the chateau gardens. From there we walked back across the racecourse and down to the fishing pond then back to the van. Interestingly they have 2 Mammotion Luba robot mowers keeping the grass down on the racecourse.

We’re now sitting out chilling. The forecast is dire but we’re taking advantage of sunny spells!


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I would as Petit Andelys has refurbished a lot of the old buildings really beautifully. So much so that some of the river cruise boats stop there. Not too many so it’s given a boost to the shops but not caused havoc!

 

[Wanders from Glos]

The French seem to have retained traditional woodworking and masonry skills. At Dumfries House in Ayrshire there are courses teaching these skills to youngsters but I guess that they’re few and far between.

I suspect these skills are more highly prized in France where it is often still important to do a good job.

I hope the knee is okay.

 

[Grianan]

Another short hop of 30km today brought us the picturesque and feisty village of Saint Céneri-le-Gérei.

The aire is lovely (€5, a friendly lady comes around in the evening but free during the day, because the car park has a 2m height barrier. Wee people can overnight there for the same cost). It is a grassy meadow bordering the wide river Sartre/Orne.

The village name derives from Guillaume 1er Geroie who, along with his descendants, led the village to survive numerous seiges from, amongst others, William the Conqueror and Henry 1st of England and through the 100 years war.

The church perched high on the hill overlooking the river, overlooking the bridge and houses including the former water mill was a famous subject for French painters throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries. Some painters romanticised the dwellings, though one was more brutal describing ‘a partially ruined hamlet, footless thatched roof cottages with clay floors, the openings covered with screens of straw and wicker, a lone run down inn where the food and hospitality was just as miserable’.

Luckily for us the restaurant scene had improved, though the best of the four was shut on a Monday. The highlights were a pinsa with fabulous light crust (rice, soy and corn flour and a poulish as rising agent) and a local organic dry cider ‘de caractère’. I always forget to take good photos - apologies!

The oldest parts of the church date back to the 12th Century and the newest to the 15th. A 3-d sculpture of the stations of the cross (14 rather than the usual 12) hangs on the plain white walls of the nave, with the altar sanctuary walls painted with (renovated) 12-15th Century red frescoes.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Somehow I didn’t see any of these posts until just now. Weird. What a lovely trip you are having and those frescoes are fantastic. Bad weather is coming for all of us I fear.

 

[Grianan]

Well today started with heavy rain and was doomed to continue all day so we decided there wasn’t much to lose by heading south.

In the spirit of our pottering approach we pootled along enjoying the changing countryside as we moved from Normandy to Sarthe, Loire then (almost) La Brenne. Le Mans was the only grim bit, though Tim was super excited to be driving on the 24 hour circuit, down the Mulsanne Straight then off at the Mulsanne Corner.

We had enough by 4pm so looked at Park4Night and found a lovely free aire in Azay-le-Ferron. There are a few grass pitches where the old municipal campsite used to be, behind the salle-de-fêtes, and just a few metres down the main road at the roundabout there is a service point which we will use tomorrow.

There are paths through the park opposite which lead past the tennis courts and basketball pitch to the main square with the Mairie, the church and the chateau entrance.

We were tempted by the chateau gardens but it was paid entry and we were too close to closing time for it to be worthwhile so we came back and sat outside the van reading for an hour or so, in the sun before the weather finally broke. A thunderstorm has just passed overhead so time to make dinner I think.

If the weather’s nice tomorrow we’ll do a short hop, if not we’ll head further south.

 

[captainPaul]

Well today started with heavy rain and was doomed to continue all day so we decided there wasn’t much to lose by heading south.

In the spirit of our pottering approach we pootled along enjoying the changing countryside as we moved from Normandy to Sarthe, Loire then (almost) La Brenne. Le Mans was the only grim bit, though Tim was super excited to be driving on the 24 hour circuit, down the Mulsanne Straight then off at the Mulsanne Corner.

We had enough by 4pm so looked at Park4Night and found a lovely free aire in Azay-le-Ferron. There are a few grass pitches where the old municipal campsite used to be, behind the salle-de-fêtes, and just a few metres down the main road at the roundabout there is a service point which we will use tomorrow.

There are paths through the park opposite which lead past the tennis courts and basketball pitch to the main square with the Mairie, the church and the chateau entrance.

We were tempted by the chateau gardens but it was paid entry and we were too close to closing time for it to be worthwhile so we came back and sat outside the van reading for an hour or so, in the sun before the weather finally broke. A thunderstorm has just passed overhead so time to make dinner I think.

If the weather’s nice tomorrow we’ll do a short hop, if not we’ll head further south.

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That maypole would put you in mind of Germany..
Not surprised you get the sun with that name you have on here

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[Grianan]

That maypole would put you in mind of Germany..
Not surprised you get the sun with that name you have on here

Ha, yes it’s the name of our house up north, so maybe it’s the same in Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic? And being south facing it is indeed a sunny spot … and my happy place

Yes, it is a German maypole so we were surprised to see it but closer inspection showed it was a gift from their twin town in Bavaria Gars am Inn. It’s a lovely symbol of the link.

 

[Grianan]

Well today was ‘mixed’ again so we got up at a reasonable time, dropped in to the boulangerie, did the services and set off for Saint Robert on the edge of the Corrèze and Périgord.

Taking the D roads certainly takes lingering but is a tad more scenic than N or Autoroutes.

We arrived in the medieval village of Saint Robert with its fortified church late afternoon, when the rain had passed and we could enjoy the warmth of the sun.



The origins of the village date back to 1122 when the Benedictine Abbey was built. The town’s name has been changed several times but has now reverted to Saint Robert named after the Benedictine monk Robert de Turlande, born in 1001 and taking orders at the age of 25. The church is simple in style with a primitive 13th century statue of Jesus.

The beautiful village has many blond sandstone houses of the ‘noblisse’ from 15th and 16th century. There is a boulangerie, apparently run by a Singapourien which we will try tomorrow, a restaurant and épicerie. Wednesday is a shut day, of course .

The aire is simple, on grass and surrounded by meadows. Just 2 vans gear tonight and the sound of birds. The only odd thing is that Nala doesn’t like the grass. For the first time ever she sat inside when we sat out - and jumped straight back in the van when her feet touched it.

 

[captainPaul]

Ha, yes it’s the name of our house up north, so maybe it’s the same in Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic? And being south facing it is indeed a sunny spot … and my happy place

Yes, it is a German maypole so we were surprised to see it but closer inspection showed it was a gift from their twin town in Bavaria Gars am Inn. It’s a lovely symbol of the link.

Yes Grianan in Irish means sunny place
There's a lovely place in Donegal called
Grianán of Aileach it means stone palace of the sun worth a wee visit if your ever in the area

Loving your latest photos in Saint Robert, strange about Nala not liking the grass, wonder what thats about
Wonder is there mites or anything in it that she's got nipped by or something.....

 

[Jane NotRog]

Fantastic photos, and that aire looks like my kind of aire. We have generally given up on keeping the van clean with a dog - it gets a once a day go over before we settle in for the evening.

 

[Grianan]

strange about Nala not liking the grass, wonder what thats about
Wonder is there mites or anything in it that she's got nipped by or something.....

Yes it could be that … it was only the bit near the van … the rest was fine and no problem now we’ve moved on. Strange!

So today saw us head to Monpazier. It was quite a run and Google tried to take us down a road with a max 2t bridge that looked about 1.5m wide . Needless to say we didn’t attempt it!

By the time we got to Monpazier they were clearing away the market so we decided to have lunch before we wandered round. It’s a typical and rather beautiful bastide town with your usual mix of restaurants, ceramic, wine, cotton clothes and local produce shops. The aire was fine, behind the fire station but we didn’t want to stay overnight so we headed to Issigeac which had been recommended to us by an American we had met, who was now living in the area. Unfortunately the aire, though pleasant, was waterlogged and time was getting on so we backtracked completely and are now in an aire just outside another bastide, Villefranche-du-Perigord. The plan is to take a look round in the morning and decide where to head next.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Beautiful town. I remember eating at a lovely restaurant there a few years ago.

 

[Grianan]

Well Villefranche-du-Périgord was much nicer inside the bastide than it was out … and helped by the fact the market had just set up. The halle was huge and very impressive but was not original - it was rebuilt in 1818 BUT it does have a full set of 5 grain measures.

After breakfast we chatted to a lovely English couple who had hired a motorhome from their home in Norfolk for a 4 week tour. They were very keen to keep it pristine! But said this would be their last tour as he was over 80 so couldn’t get insurance any more .

We headed back to Castillonnès which we had skipped yesterday but still didn’t make it to the village as I had seen an advert for trotting races at the hippodrome just outside the village and couldn’t resist.

We turned up 2 hours early just in time for poulet frites from the hospitality tent. Tim’s was great, mine had very little meat on the chicken but it was great fun sharing a table with other local race goers and quizzing them about the races, the form, shoeing and training. My only knowledge of racing comes from Dick/Felix Francis so is a bit outdated and luckily there were no murders today. I liked the fact that the spectators were local farmers and villagers and there was none of this ‘frocks, high heels and hats’ get up they put me off race-going at home.

The first seven races were harness races, the final one under saddle but still trotting. I’m convinced harness racing is even less predictable than flat racing as they start at a trot in line alongside the track but have to turn at 90 degrees when the flag goes down. It’s a bit like the start of a dinghy race as they circle to find their spot. Horses which feel left behind at the start or get over-excited in the race often try to gallop … which leads to disqualification. Tim proved very successful in predicting winners with two of his picks coming from back of the pack to first but I think we’d still have lost money had we actually placed bets .

There was a bit of drama at the beginning of one of the races when a jockey came off and the horse went galloping round the track several times with the broken harness flailing behind it. Luckily they managed to evacuate the other horses and riders but they didn’t seem to have any idea how to stop the terrified loose horse other than waving their arms wildly at it. A bucket of feed may have had more effect?

it was 7pm by the time we left … so we parked up in the next village as there is a market tomorrow and services too .

 

[Harrogate motorhomer]

Yes it could be that … it was only the bit near the van … the rest was fine and no problem now we’ve moved on. Strange!

So today saw us head to Monpazier. It was quite a run and Google tried to take us down a road with a max 2t bridge that looked about 1.5m wide . Needless to say we didn’t attempt it!

By the time we got to Monpazier they were clearing away the market so we decided to have lunch before we wandered round. It’s a typical and rather beautiful bastide town with your usual mix of restaurants, ceramic, wine, cotton clothes and local produce shops. The aire was fine, behind the fire station but we didn’t want to stay overnight so we headed to Issigeac which had been recommended to us by an American we had met, who was now living in the area. Unfortunately the aire, though pleasant, was waterlogged and time was getting on so we backtracked completely and are now in an aire just outside another bastide, Villefranche-du-Perigord. The plan is to take a look round in the morning and decide where to head next.


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Isn’t Monpazier the place where the English couple opened a brewery & bar a few years ago. Looked really good on Channel4 New life in the sun. Meant to go there but not got round to it yet. Think there’s a small Aire there.

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[Grianan]

Isn’t Monpazier the place where the English couple opened a brewery & bar a few years ago. Looked really good on Channel4 New life in the sun. Meant to go there but not got round to it yet. Think there’s a small Aire there.

Very close … I think it’s at Belvès … gets a lot of mentions on P4N and S4S!

A new life in the sun – Planches et Plonk

 

[Lusky]

Isn’t Monpazier the place where the English couple opened a brewery & bar a few years ago. Looked really good on Channel4 New life in the sun. Meant to go there but not got round to it yet. Think there’s a small Aire there.

Stayed at the free aire a few days back, and yes there is an English owned bar in town.
A tad cheaper than the pint of Corsican IPA I had in the central square at 9 euros. It was very nice; juicy!

 

[Grianan]

Isn’t Monpazier the place where the English couple opened a brewery & bar a few years ago. Looked really good on Channel4 New life in the sun. Meant to go there but not got round to it yet. Think there’s a small Aire there.

Stayed at the free aire a few days back, and yes there is an English owned bar in town.
A tad cheaper than the pint of Corsican IPA I had in the central square at 9 euros. It was very nice; juicy!

Is it this one?

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g674129-d14132926-Reviews-Biere_de_la_Bastide-Monpazier_Dordogne_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html

 

[Harrogate motorhomer]

Is it this one?

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g674129-d14132926-Reviews-Biere_de_la_Bastide-Monpazier_Dordogne_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html

It certainly is. May try it in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Grianan]

I’ve had a thankfully short if vicious bout of food poisoning so back tracking to Saturday which I started but didn’t post …

Turns out the market in Issigeac is Sunday and we didn’t want to stay 2 nights so we had a wander round the town … the Little Greene paint advertised outside this chic shop made me laugh. This part of the Dordogne is full of UK expats. The rolling countryside is very British … like the Cotswolds on steroids.

From Issigéac we headed to Villeréal, another of the villages we had been recommended. We had a look round the main square then headed to a rather nice cafe which seemed to be frequented by the very friendly English expat community. We really did like Villeréal, there was nothing pretentious about it … and we were lucky enough to be there for a mariage in the attractive (rather Spanish looking) church. Even luckier, we hadn’t peaked in when we heard the music. The applause at one point convinced Tim it was a singing competition , I presume that was at the vows. It was rather lovely as when the doors opened and the bride and groom came out in a shower of rose petals, everyone in the surrounding cafés stood and clapped. The older gentleman of the couple we were sitting with definitely had a tear in his eye .

We gave up waiting for the Bride and Groom to leave in their rather smart British Racing Green MGB and we headed off to Monflanquin, which our cafe-friends had recommended.

The aire at Monflanquin is multi-level and, naturally, the lowest aire is flattest, leaving a rather steep shortish walk up into the town. It was very peaceful though, with amazing views as far as Chateau Biron.

Monflanquin wasn’t easy to photograph … the centre is an arched square on a steep slope. Being a Sunday almost everything was shut so it was quiet, but still pleasant.

We then headed on to another medieval village, Eymet, where we stopped last night, in the nicest CCP we have stayed at. Over a quarter of the population in Eymet is British, and it’s not hard to see why. Even on a Monday there were a few cafes open and the stroll along the Dropt to the old mill was really pretty.

From Eymet we have headed back to Castillones for our third attempt at visiting as it’s the market tomorrow. We’ve given up and parked in the CCP overnight as MH parking is not straightforward. It’s an OK site, mainly given over to statics, and close enough to hear the nearby N21 loud and clear . However we’ve found a sunny flattish pitch so can’t really complain. And the local Blackcaps are doing a good job of trying to drown out the road noise.

 

[Ingwe]

I’ve had a thankfully short if vicious bout of food poisoning so back tracking to Saturday which I started but didn’t post …

Turns out the market in Issigeac is Sunday and we didn’t want to stay 2 nights so we had a wander round the town … the Little Greene paint advertised outside this chic shop made me laugh. This part of the Dordogne is full of UK expats. The rolling countryside is very British … like the Cotswolds on steroids.

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From Issigéac we headed to Villeréal, another of the villages we had been recommended. We had a look round the main square then headed to a rather nice cafe which seemed to be frequented by the very friendly English expat community. We really did like Villeréal, there was nothing pretentious about it … and we were lucky enough to be there for a mariage in the attractive (rather Spanish looking) church. Even luckier, we hadn’t peaked in when we heard the music. The applause at one point convinced Tim it was a singing competition , I presume that was at the vows. It was rather lovely as when the doors opened and the bride and groom came out in a shower of rose petals, everyone in the surrounding cafés stood and clapped. The older gentleman of the couple we were sitting with definitely had a tear in his eye .

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We gave up waiting for the Bride and Groom to leave in their rather smart British Racing Green MGB and we headed off to Monflanquin, which our cafe-friends had recommended.

The aire at Monflanquin is multi-level and, naturally, the lowest aire is flattest, leaving a rather steep shortish walk up into the town. It was very peaceful though, with amazing views as far as Chateau Biron.

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Monflanquin wasn’t easy to photograph … the centre is an arched square on a steep slope. Being a Sunday almost everything was shut so it was quiet, but still pleasant.

We then headed on to another medieval village, Eymet, where we stopped last night, in the nicest CCP we have stayed at. Over a quarter of the population in Eymet is British, and it’s not hard to see why. Even on a Monday there were a few cafes open and the stroll along the Dropt to the old mill was really pretty.

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From Eymet we have headed back to Castillones for our third attempt at visiting as it’s the market tomorrow. We’ve given up and parked in the CCP overnight as MH parking is not straightforward. It’s an OK site, mainly given over to statics, and close enough to hear the nearby N21 loud and clear . However we’ve found a sunny flattish pitch so can’t really complain. And the local Blackcaps are doing a good job of trying to drown out the road noise.

Lovely photos and interesting narrative. Thank you.
Hope you’re over the food poisoning. Truly horrible thing to expereince.