Tim & Ruth's holiday in France 2019

Day 17   Wed 31.7.19 On our way to the slow return home.  Our target destination was the Gorges du Tarn. Not a long drive, just over an hour and we were at the southern end of Gorges du Tarn.  The approach was over big, rolling hills.   We passed under the Millau bridge.  A superb bit of engineering. I stopped the van to take a picture of the suspension bridge, and as I walked into a nearby field locusts started jumping all over the place as I walked!    Locust Then the scenery turned more rugged, and we found ourselves on a winding road next to the river Tarn.   Stopped off for lunch at an unknown place right next to the Tarn, before finally stopping at Camping Terrados, Les Vignes on a 3 star campsite, for 20 Euros.   Not posh, but adequate.   Our pitch was right next to the river.  By that I mean 20 metres away.  A short slide down the bank and one could be in the river, -...

Day 16   Tue 30.7.19 We left our hosts, Brian & Marianne with a tinge of sadness.  They had been such good hosts.  A steady, gentle drive through miles and miles of unspoilt countryside.  It one good thing about France, - they have back roads that run for miles without much traffic.  Drove to Plaisance in the Tarn valley and camped in the municipal site there.  Cheap as chips, but very welcoming, and easy going.  When I asked which pitch we should use, the gracious manageress (about my age) said, "ou vous voulez" - wherever you want. When I asked when she wanted paying, she wasn't worried so long as I paid before I left.You could be forgiven for believing that the Tour de France is the French national sport.  Or even rugby.  But I need to tell you that throughout France a more popular sport has poll position. It's the game of boules!  And while I waited patiently for dinner to be served, I was treated to the thrill of the loc...

Day 15  Mon 29.7.19 At the top of Superbagneres Our super-hosts Brian & Marianne recommended a drive to Luchon and then up to Superbagneres, then Into Spain, and back to their B&B.   This we did.   Luchon was pleasant town, with a cable-car that can take you up to the top of the mountains.  Skiers in winter, cyclists and walkers in summer.  Boo was busy on the phone, so we didn’t stop there.   It would have been a great place for busking, I thought, but drove to Superbagneres instead.   Hotel at the top At the top of Superbagneres one gets a commanding 360 degree view of the Pyrenees.  It was splendid.  We could see the tallest peak in the Pyrenees from Superbagneres.   Cracking view! It was just over the border in Spain. We met a couple from Skipton while we were eating our lunch.  They too, had a Mercedes Sprinter van, and so we exchanged opinions with them about van conversations and the l...

Day 14 Sun 28.7.19 We sat around after a lazy b/f, and talking to Brian & Marianne.  Spent the morning in their garden, reading and relaxing.  Then after lunch we went off to Saint Bernad de Comminges, at the recommendation of Brian & Marianne.   It was a little drive away.  There we found a fortified village up no a hill with an imposing  cathedral dominating everything else.  Something was going on, and people in medieval costume were walking around everywhere.  Parking was free, but access to the town was for residents only anyway.  So the walk to the top was a quite steep 700 metre  hike.  When we got to the walls of the town, they were charging to go in.  Not my idea of liberte, egaligte, et fraternity.   Pay up and look big! Nice town After a little debate between us, and realising that the charge to get into the imposing basilica was 5 bucks anyway, and they only wanted 8 bucks to get ...

Day 13   Sat 27.7.19 Not a great day.  It rained all day.  We waited all morning on site until midday, then left.  We took our time getting to our B&B at Loudet, in Haute Garrone region of France.   Pyrenees Bed & Breakfast . Check it out! So we made numerous stops on the way, even though we didn’t really want to!    Arrived in Loudet at 3 pm, and were greeted by Brian and Marianne, who showed us our room.  What a great place.  They showed us all the other rooms in their separate gite too.   We had a snooze, then went for dinner at La Casera.  This was on the recommendation of Brian & Marianne.  An unassuming place, that you would drive past if you saw it by the roadside.  You wouldn't bother to stop!  But, the grub was great, and they looked after us well.  The evidence that it was an "OK place" was that it was pretty well near full for the 3 nights we used it. La Casera, on the road to Mo...

Day 12   Fri 26.7.19 It was cool!   Fabulous!   We woke up to drizzle.  I never thought I liked rain so much! So we hung around the campsite all morning, chatting, and then went to Leclerc’s for dinner again.   Lasagne, fried pommes de terre, courgettes, and  a drink.  Delicious!  All for about 15 Euros for us both.  Not bad.   Today, it was so much more busy than yesterday in Leclerc’s.   We chatted to a French family in the queue.  They sort of jumped the queue a bit on us, but we forgave them, and engaged in some small talk.   They (mum & dad, and 3 kids) had climbed a 3000m peak yesterday.  No wonder they looked thin. I asked him what the French think about Brexit.  He thinks that some people in France are ok with it, but others are really worried, particularly in the northern provinces.   We stayed in Leclerc’s for about 4 hours.   This time it was for the exact opposite r...

Day 11  Thu 25.7.19 All ye who pass by, "Abandon hope of a cool day"!   We had a dip in the swimming pool then had a shower, and then went to E Leclerc for lunch and to sit out the afternoon in the aircon there!  To those unfamiliar with things Francais, Leclerc's is one of big supermarkets in France.  It was like saying that we had spent all afternoon in Tesco or Sainsburys. We know this sounds rather pathetic, but it was simply unbearable heat today.   Ruth read her book, and I blogged.   We left there at about 5.30 pm.   The temperature outside the van was 40 C, and inside was 50 C.  At nearly 6 pm in the evening!  It was all too much.   Unbelievably and unbearably HOT.  Inside temp on L, outside temp on R We were instantly sweating and couldn’t get cool even with all the windows open and the fans blowing.  Simply because the outside temperature was 40 C.  As the early evening arrived, we had a sm...