Friday 8th September 2023
We left the site around 9am and have a 3 hour plus journey to our next stop, Millau, in the Tarn Gorge. We stopped once for coffee, legs stretch and a coffee , and arrived at our new site around 12.30. We climbed some big steep hills on the way and were treated to far reaching views of the countryside. We dropped down into a gorge as we arrived at Millau. Booked in for 2 nights and set up camp in a pitch with shade. After lunch we waited til mid afternoon to cycle into the centre of Millau. One thing the town is well known for is the huge viaduct which holds the world record for the tallest bridge, culminating at 343 metres (higher than the Eiffel tower), 2460 metres long and touching the bottom of the Tarn vslley in only 9 places. Conceived by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and designed by the English architect Lord Norman Foster, it fits perfectly into the naturally intact and grandiose landscape: a very thin slightly curved steel roadway supported by stays gives it the appearance of a huge yacht and the ensemble rests on 7 very slender pillars. We will see the viaduct tomorrow so today we visited the Tourist Centre and got a map of the town. It has many old building and thin alleyways connecting them, we saw the 42 meter tall belfry tower, the towns oldest square where justice was dispensed in the Middle Ages. We also cycled to the Pont Vieux et Moulin which is a bridge dating back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest in the Rouergue area.
Back at camp we had a bottle of cider and nibbles before showering. Had tea later around 7.45, it’s much cooler now the sun has gone down.
Saturday 9th September 2023
After breakfast we cycled into the town centre of Millau. I’d thought there was a market this morning but I was wrong! We wandered around the shops, Del bought a pair of leather sandals as the ones he’d been wearing have broken. We also bought a vacuum flask to keep as a water bottle and in the boulangerie we got bread and some wraps for lunch.
Had coffee back at the van and sat outside under the shade of the van’s awning. Around 3pm we decided to cycle the 6 miles to a pretty village further along the river Tarn. It’s called Peyre and sits on the cliff edge with some of the older buildings seemingly carved out of the rock face! We rode under the huge Millau viaduct and stopped to take photos. After a wander round the village we found a bistro and had ice creams under the shade of an umbrella with views of the river, gorge and viaduct.
Had showers after Del put the bikes away then sat outside with drinks. Had cheeses with bread and apples for tea, came inside around 8.30pm. Walked up to the club house to see if they had the England v Argentina rugby match on but no such luck! Del listened to the match on the radio and I read till bedtime.
Moving onto Avignon tomorrow.
We left the site around 9am and have a 3 hour plus journey to our next stop, Millau, in the Tarn Gorge. We stopped once for coffee, legs stretch and a coffee , and arrived at our new site around 12.30. We climbed some big steep hills on the way and were treated to far reaching views of the countryside. We dropped down into a gorge as we arrived at Millau. Booked in for 2 nights and set up camp in a pitch with shade. After lunch we waited til mid afternoon to cycle into the centre of Millau. One thing the town is well known for is the huge viaduct which holds the world record for the tallest bridge, culminating at 343 metres (higher than the Eiffel tower), 2460 metres long and touching the bottom of the Tarn vslley in only 9 places. Conceived by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and designed by the English architect Lord Norman Foster, it fits perfectly into the naturally intact and grandiose landscape: a very thin slightly curved steel roadway supported by stays gives it the appearance of a huge yacht and the ensemble rests on 7 very slender pillars. We will see the viaduct tomorrow so today we visited the Tourist Centre and got a map of the town. It has many old building and thin alleyways connecting them, we saw the 42 meter tall belfry tower, the towns oldest square where justice was dispensed in the Middle Ages. We also cycled to the Pont Vieux et Moulin which is a bridge dating back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest in the Rouergue area.
Back at camp we had a bottle of cider and nibbles before showering. Had tea later around 7.45, it’s much cooler now the sun has gone down.
Saturday 9th September 2023
After breakfast we cycled into the town centre of Millau. I’d thought there was a market this morning but I was wrong! We wandered around the shops, Del bought a pair of leather sandals as the ones he’d been wearing have broken. We also bought a vacuum flask to keep as a water bottle and in the boulangerie we got bread and some wraps for lunch.
Had coffee back at the van and sat outside under the shade of the van’s awning. Around 3pm we decided to cycle the 6 miles to a pretty village further along the river Tarn. It’s called Peyre and sits on the cliff edge with some of the older buildings seemingly carved out of the rock face! We rode under the huge Millau viaduct and stopped to take photos. After a wander round the village we found a bistro and had ice creams under the shade of an umbrella with views of the river, gorge and viaduct.
Had showers after Del put the bikes away then sat outside with drinks. Had cheeses with bread and apples for tea, came inside around 8.30pm. Walked up to the club house to see if they had the England v Argentina rugby match on but no such luck! Del listened to the match on the radio and I read till bedtime.
Moving onto Avignon tomorrow.
