We were all alone when we stayed in March but interesting history.
Two Go Back For More Cheese
- Thread starter DBK
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It's got a complicated history. I didn't attempt to explain it after a couple of glasses of wine.
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We drove the short distance back to the town of Saint Savinien this morning. We passed through it yesterday and wanted to return to explore it a little.
The town is beside the Charente and has an island formed by a short canal section cutting the bend.
The town marks the end of the tidal section of the Charente. There is a weir below the bridge across the apex of the bend and across the canal section a curious structure incorporating a lock, swing-bridge and gates which can be raised to release floodwater downstream.
The Église de Saint Savinien overlooks the town.
The photo above was taken from the bridge with the weir below it, looking downstream onto the tidal section.
Looking the other way, upstream and non-tidal.
Like most buildings found on the top of a hill the church was not easy to photograph.
In the lower left are stone figures.
There are 12 of them, which is a big clue.
The 12th Apostle is facing the other way to all the rest.
The name plate is new, the original might have been defaced or more likely, as it faces the road, hit by a vehicle.
Saint Savinien was a 3rd century saint who might have been a bishop and might have been killed by an axe. Beyond that not much is known about him.
These two figures are probably St Savinien and St Potentian who are commemorated as the founders of the diocese of Sens which is south east of Paris and nowhere near here. These saints travel well.
This is a limestone area and stone has been cut here for a long time. It was often transported on the river, on the banks of which in the middle of the town we found this figure.
Behind him was his bag of tools.
There were other figures around the church.
The theme of these two figures seems to be learning. The girl is reading and the boy was writing.
It will be hard to spot but sitting on the satchel above the door is an owl, another symbol of learning.
We took a different route down from the church. At the start I noticed the walls either side were built on natural rock.
As we descended the cutting got deeper. If you look below you can see the natural rock forms about half the height with a man-made wall above it. I assume there must have been a natural escarpment above the river and this road was cut through it. It must have taken a lot of effort though the stone removed was probably put to good use.
The lower town has the obligatory street of artists.
There are bars and restaurants in the town centre. The big building is a covered market but was closed today. I suspect they have a market here but I haven't looked up when it is.
There is a free aire on the island between the two arms of the river. This was where we parked before walking into the town.
It looks a good aire. There are services outside the campsite next door and also further down the track according to the description I read. It is closed in winter but then they open a car park on the other side of the road. We saw the sign for this: "Camping-cars (hiver)".
The town is beside the Charente and has an island formed by a short canal section cutting the bend.
The town marks the end of the tidal section of the Charente. There is a weir below the bridge across the apex of the bend and across the canal section a curious structure incorporating a lock, swing-bridge and gates which can be raised to release floodwater downstream.
The Église de Saint Savinien overlooks the town.
The photo above was taken from the bridge with the weir below it, looking downstream onto the tidal section.
Looking the other way, upstream and non-tidal.
Like most buildings found on the top of a hill the church was not easy to photograph.
In the lower left are stone figures.
There are 12 of them, which is a big clue.
The 12th Apostle is facing the other way to all the rest.
The name plate is new, the original might have been defaced or more likely, as it faces the road, hit by a vehicle.
Saint Savinien was a 3rd century saint who might have been a bishop and might have been killed by an axe. Beyond that not much is known about him.
These two figures are probably St Savinien and St Potentian who are commemorated as the founders of the diocese of Sens which is south east of Paris and nowhere near here. These saints travel well.
This is a limestone area and stone has been cut here for a long time. It was often transported on the river, on the banks of which in the middle of the town we found this figure.
Behind him was his bag of tools.
There were other figures around the church.
The theme of these two figures seems to be learning. The girl is reading and the boy was writing.
It will be hard to spot but sitting on the satchel above the door is an owl, another symbol of learning.
We took a different route down from the church. At the start I noticed the walls either side were built on natural rock.
As we descended the cutting got deeper. If you look below you can see the natural rock forms about half the height with a man-made wall above it. I assume there must have been a natural escarpment above the river and this road was cut through it. It must have taken a lot of effort though the stone removed was probably put to good use.
The lower town has the obligatory street of artists.
There are bars and restaurants in the town centre. The big building is a covered market but was closed today. I suspect they have a market here but I haven't looked up when it is.
There is a free aire on the island between the two arms of the river. This was where we parked before walking into the town.
It looks a good aire. There are services outside the campsite next door and also further down the track according to the description I read. It is closed in winter but then they open a car park on the other side of the road. We saw the sign for this: "Camping-cars (hiver)".
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DBK
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We are having a lazy weekend and staying put.
Well, not completely immobile. This morning I took Charlie for a walk before it got too hot for him and found ripe figs growing by a footpath. We had them with our lunch.
Later in the morning, leaving Charlie in charge of the van, we walked into the village on a path I had discovered along the river bank. At the quay this classic speedboat looked very smart. Its engine was running with a very throaty rumble which I should have recorded but didn't.
A little further on was another which was even shinier.
Further on we came across several more.
And there were yet more queuing up to launch.
It wasn't hard to work out it was some sort of club for these craft.
French menus can be a test of my limited knowledge of the language.
This menu at the Auberge des Glycines* had as a starter Montgolfière de Cagouilles.
I knew a Montgolfière was a hot air balloon but these are not something normally considered edible! Cagouilles might mean balaclavas according to Google which are equally inedible.
But a bit more research reveals it is a souflé of some sort and seems to be a speciality of the restaurant.
Image stolen from TripAdvisor. If you cut two holes in it I guess it would look like an inflated balaclava.
But for someone of more limited means I was just pleased to have found these yesterday which I will be taking home.
* Glycines = wisteria
Well, not completely immobile. This morning I took Charlie for a walk before it got too hot for him and found ripe figs growing by a footpath. We had them with our lunch.
Later in the morning, leaving Charlie in charge of the van, we walked into the village on a path I had discovered along the river bank. At the quay this classic speedboat looked very smart. Its engine was running with a very throaty rumble which I should have recorded but didn't.
A little further on was another which was even shinier.
Further on we came across several more.
And there were yet more queuing up to launch.
It wasn't hard to work out it was some sort of club for these craft.
French menus can be a test of my limited knowledge of the language.
This menu at the Auberge des Glycines* had as a starter Montgolfière de Cagouilles.
I knew a Montgolfière was a hot air balloon but these are not something normally considered edible! Cagouilles might mean balaclavas according to Google which are equally inedible.
But a bit more research reveals it is a souflé of some sort and seems to be a speciality of the restaurant.
Image stolen from TripAdvisor. If you cut two holes in it I guess it would look like an inflated balaclava.
But for someone of more limited means I was just pleased to have found these yesterday which I will be taking home.
* Glycines = wisteria
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DBK
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An even lazier day today. But I collected some more figs which we'll eat with goats' cheese, parma ham and a mixed salad tomorrow or the day after.
We will continue our trip up the Charente tomorrow probably getting to somewhere around Angoulême. I've found a free aire but we might go for a campsite. Decisions, decisions...
But I collected some more figs which we'll eat with goats' cheese, parma ham and a mixed salad tomorrow or the day after. We will continue our trip up the Charente tomorrow probably getting to somewhere around Angoulême. I've found a free aire but we might go for a campsite. Decisions, decisions...
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Good to see a fellow forager.
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DBK
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Mrs DBK was apple scrumping this afternoon.
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DBK
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Today being Monday it was laundry day which we did at the Intermarché supermarket in Saintes after a short drive from our weekend stopover site at Taillebourg. Supermarket laundries can be hit and miss because unlike a typical laundrette they don't have many machines. Today's had only two washing machines and one dryer, which is not untypical but they were fortunately all free and the system took cards which is a big plus when you only have a limited number of coins. I did have a Plan B as there was a laundrette within walking distance but we didn't need it. The laundrette was a "Speed Queen" which we have used before on this trip and it had very modern machines. It was also probably cheaper than the Intermarché which might explain why we found everything free. The reason we didn't look there first was parking near it looked challenging and the sky was overcast and threatening which discouraged walking there from the supermarket.
My original plan for today was to follow the Charente to Angoulême but by the time the laundry and shopping was stowed away this wasn't going to be possible so I headed for Camping du Cognac in, you've guessed it, Cognac which was the next big town further up the river.
We arrived at 12:30 and read a notice which said the reception was closed between 12:00 and 16:00 and under no circumstances should you enter the site unless you have been booked in...
... and so we moved on...
... to the significantly better Camping de Bourg Charente where they operate the more civilised system of find-your-pitch-and-come-back-to-the-office-when-we-are-open.
Which is here on a larger map.
At the top of the first map you can find Château de Bourg-Charente. It is where Grand Marnier is made and we intend to drop in tomorrow.
Camping Bourg-Charente is a small site with an equally small shower/toilet block but as we won't trouble it this isn't an issue. It isn't expensive either, they do a MH rate of €7.50 if you don't want electric or access to the toilet block - which is protected by a code pad. My suspicions are this is to prevent people passing through on the river in canoes etc nipping in for a quick shower. There is a sign outside the camp which says if you want a shower buy a token from reception which presumably works in the other more tatty looking toilet block they have nearer the river.
In the afternoon I took Charlie for a walk along the track beside the river.
The river might look green but I think that is just the depth. It looked very clear at the edges.
We had a short but very light shower which I hardly noticed unless I looked at the river.
This evening's entertainment was provided by a young hen which came wandering around the site. Charlie wanted to chase her back home and we had to shut him in the van to stop him barking at it. We weren't long joining him as biting insects were discovered sizing us up for a meal. Once inside the van we heard it circling us, clucking away to itself. This was followed by a couple of unexplained crashes from the front of the van. A little later we saw it trying to get onto the top of the bonnet of another MH with more crashing sounds.
At this point a lady with a very large fishing net appeared and swooped it up.
Fill in your own ending here. Either a stern talking to about wandering off...
... or...
www.deliaonline.com
The reason we didn't look there first was parking near it looked challenging and the sky was overcast and threatening which discouraged walking there from the supermarket.My original plan for today was to follow the Charente to Angoulême but by the time the laundry and shopping was stowed away this wasn't going to be possible so I headed for Camping du Cognac in, you've guessed it, Cognac which was the next big town further up the river.
We arrived at 12:30 and read a notice which said the reception was closed between 12:00 and 16:00 and under no circumstances should you enter the site unless you have been booked in...
... and so we moved on...
... to the significantly better Camping de Bourg Charente where they operate the more civilised system of find-your-pitch-and-come-back-to-the-office-when-we-are-open.
Which is here on a larger map.
At the top of the first map you can find Château de Bourg-Charente. It is where Grand Marnier is made and we intend to drop in tomorrow.
Camping Bourg-Charente is a small site with an equally small shower/toilet block but as we won't trouble it this isn't an issue. It isn't expensive either, they do a MH rate of €7.50 if you don't want electric or access to the toilet block - which is protected by a code pad. My suspicions are this is to prevent people passing through on the river in canoes etc nipping in for a quick shower. There is a sign outside the camp which says if you want a shower buy a token from reception which presumably works in the other more tatty looking toilet block they have nearer the river.
In the afternoon I took Charlie for a walk along the track beside the river.
The river might look green but I think that is just the depth. It looked very clear at the edges.
We had a short but very light shower which I hardly noticed unless I looked at the river.
This evening's entertainment was provided by a young hen which came wandering around the site. Charlie wanted to chase her back home and we had to shut him in the van to stop him barking at it. We weren't long joining him as biting insects were discovered sizing us up for a meal. Once inside the van we heard it circling us, clucking away to itself. This was followed by a couple of unexplained crashes from the front of the van. A little later we saw it trying to get onto the top of the bonnet of another MH with more crashing sounds.
At this point a lady with a very large fishing net appeared and swooped it up.
Fill in your own ending here. Either a stern talking to about wandering off...
... or...
Chicken in the Pot
This is my version of the famous poule au pot associated with Henri IV of France, whose ambition was that every family in his kingdom might be able to afford to eat this dish every Sunday. I’m really pleased to be able to re-introduce a great classic. The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how...
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DBK
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We left the campsite this morning and headed for the Château de Bourg-Charente only to find the home of Grand Marnier was firmly shut. This was probably for the better as otherwise we may have been tempted to buy a bottle.
So after doing a three point turn we turned around and headed off on our quest for the source of the Charente.
I've only recently worked out how to add waypoints when using Google Maps. It isn't difficult but I'd never bothered before. Today they proved useful as the next stretch of the Charente did a few turns and loops and there was no single road you could use to follow the river.
I had entered in a few waypoints on bridges across the river at a few strategic places and these managed to take us up the Charente valley and give us glimpses of the river as it slowly shrunk in size.
This is where we have stopped (under the blue blob) for tonight. You could say we are about halfway down France and still well to the west.
Zoomed in a bit.
Today's route started off the map to the left of Angoulême in the lower left corner. From there the river flows north until at Civray, which is near the top of the map just left of centre, it turns south again where we can be found under another blue blob to the right of the middle of the map. South East of us you may see two lakes. The one on the right is the Lac de Haute Charente and the source of the river is not far from there.
We've stopped tonight at Camping Laurent which is directly on the now diminished in size river.
The water looks muddy but that is probably due to the recent rain.
The site is adults only and not cheap but it is very peaceful being, to be blunt, in the middle of nowhere and a long way from anywhere else. The owners are English, or at least one of them (Tracy) is and very pleasant and helpful they are too.
The site has a small swimming pool which we tried in the late afternoon. Getting in was a bit of a shock but the pool was very clean and we felt much better after our dip. I went back later with a thermometer and found the water temperature was 24.6°C!
The air temperature this evening has now dropped to a similar temperature and we have put on fleeces! How quickly you adapt to the heat.
I confess to going online to identify this car, it's a Ford V8 F1 pickup from around 1950. Pristine examples can be over £10K. This one needs attention and sad it is not garaged.
I seem to have become one of the obscure plant identifiers on MHF so I had to work out what this was as it was right next to our pitch.
With its curious upward pointing fruit.
Its latin name is Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree and empress tree. It has a mass of blue flowers in the spring.
Tomorrow we should reach the end of this part of our trip.
So after doing a three point turn we turned around and headed off on our quest for the source of the Charente.
I've only recently worked out how to add waypoints when using Google Maps. It isn't difficult but I'd never bothered before. Today they proved useful as the next stretch of the Charente did a few turns and loops and there was no single road you could use to follow the river.
I had entered in a few waypoints on bridges across the river at a few strategic places and these managed to take us up the Charente valley and give us glimpses of the river as it slowly shrunk in size.
This is where we have stopped (under the blue blob) for tonight. You could say we are about halfway down France and still well to the west.
Zoomed in a bit.
Today's route started off the map to the left of Angoulême in the lower left corner. From there the river flows north until at Civray, which is near the top of the map just left of centre, it turns south again where we can be found under another blue blob to the right of the middle of the map. South East of us you may see two lakes. The one on the right is the Lac de Haute Charente and the source of the river is not far from there.
We've stopped tonight at Camping Laurent which is directly on the now diminished in size river.
The water looks muddy but that is probably due to the recent rain.
The site is adults only and not cheap but it is very peaceful being, to be blunt, in the middle of nowhere and a long way from anywhere else.
The owners are English, or at least one of them (Tracy) is and very pleasant and helpful they are too.The site has a small swimming pool which we tried in the late afternoon. Getting in was a bit of a shock but the pool was very clean and we felt much better after our dip. I went back later with a thermometer and found the water temperature was 24.6°C!
The air temperature this evening has now dropped to a similar temperature and we have put on fleeces! How quickly you adapt to the heat.
I confess to going online to identify this car, it's a Ford V8 F1 pickup from around 1950. Pristine examples can be over £10K. This one needs attention and sad it is not garaged.
I seem to have become one of the obscure plant identifiers on MHF so I had to work out what this was as it was right next to our pitch.
With its curious upward pointing fruit.
Its latin name is Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree and empress tree. It has a mass of blue flowers in the spring.
Tomorrow we should reach the end of this part of our trip.
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Lovely, interesting thread. And, as ever, great photos. Enjoy the next stage of your journey.We left the campsite this morning and headed for the Château de Bourg-Charente to find the home of Grand Marnier was firmly shut. This was probably for the better as otherwise we may have been tempted to buy a bottle.
So after doing a three point turn we turned around and headed off on our quest for the source of the Charente.
I've only recently worked out how to add waypoints when using Google Maps. It isn't difficult but I'd never bothered before. Today they proved useful as the next stretch of the Charente did a few turns and loops and there was no single road you could use to follow the river.
I had entered in a few waypoints on bridges across the river at a few strategic places and these managed to take us up the Charente valley and give us glimpses of the river as it slowly shrunk in size.
This is where we have stopped (under the blue blob) for tonight. You could say we are about halfway down France and still well to the west.
View attachment 807821
Zoomed in a bit.
View attachment 807817
Today's route started off the map to the left of Angoulême in the lower left corner. From there the river flows north until at Civray, which is near the top of the map just left of centre, it turns south again where we can be found under another blue blob to the right of the middle of the map. South East of us you may see two lakes. The one on the right is the Lac de Haute Charente and the source of the river is not far from there.
We've stopped tonight at Camping Laurent which is directly on the now diminished in size river.
View attachment 807820
The water looks muddy but that is probably due to the recent rain.
The site is adults only and not cheap but it is very peaceful being, to be blunt, in the middle of nowhere and a long way from anywhere else.
View attachment 807822
The site has a small swimming pool which we tried in the late afternoon. Getting in was a bit of a shock but the pool was very clean and we felt much better after our dip. I went back later with a thermometer and found the water temperature was 24.6°C!
The air temperature this evening has now dropped to a similar temperature and we have put on fleeces! How quickly you adapt to the heat.
I confess to going online to identify this car, it's a Ford V8 F1 pickup from around 1950. Pristine examples can be over £10K. This one needs attention and sad it is not garaged.
View attachment 807818
I seem to have become one of the obscure plant identifiers on MHF so I had to work out what this was as it was right next to our pitch.
View attachment 807816
With its curious upward pointing fruit.
View attachment 807819
Its latin name is Paulownia tomentosa, common names princess tree and empress tree. It has a mass of blue flowers in the spring.
Tomorrow we should reach the end of this part of our trip.
Tried a couple of fruits from the Mullbery tree in the Cathedral grounds in town last week, but they were still a bit "winky sour" !Mrs DBK was apple scrumping this afternoon.
I'll take a short cut by it tomorrow and see if I can get a pic and a pick !
They look quite like Loganberries to the uninitiated ?
Love your posts follow them all the time , first reply though as you stirred a memory of cognac twenty years ago we visited the area and toured one of the distilleries (Camus) I was driving so only had one sample Naomi on the other hand had to be helped back to the van
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DBK
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There are two sorts of mulberry, black mulberry and white mulberry. One is good for silk moths and the other isn't but both can produce similar looking fruit but only the black mulberry produces tasty fruit when ripe. The white mulberry produces fruit with much less taste.
I've eaten them in Spain and haven't been bowled over. I think they are a bit like blackberries - much better after being cooked and probably with extra sugar too.
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DBK
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A couple of days ago I said we would eat the foraged figs with a goats' cheese and Parma ham.
Tonight we did. It was a French version of Parma ham which was very good. The photo, with the grilled cheese in the middle, doesn't do the figs justice. There are a lot of them in there but they are shy and are hiding except for the one peeking out at about two o'clock on the plate.
It was very filling and we didn't touch the bread which had been cut.
Tonight we did. It was a French version of Parma ham which was very good. The photo, with the grilled cheese in the middle, doesn't do the figs justice. There are a lot of them in there but they are shy and are hiding except for the one peeking out at about two o'clock on the plate.
It was very filling and we didn't touch the bread which had been cut.
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Norfolk Nige
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We have some ripe figs in the garden and some gammon leftover in the fridge. I may do the Norfolk version for lunch tomorrow.A couple of days ago I said we would eat the foraged figs with a goats' cheese and Parma ham.
Tonight we did. It was a French version of Parma ham which was very good. The photo, with the grilled cheese in the middle, doesn't do the figs justice. There are a lot of them in there but they are shy and are hiding except for the one peeking out at about two o'clock on the plate.
It was very filling and we didn't touch the bread which had been cut.
View attachment 807935
Poms_from_Adelaide
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We have a big mulberry tree in the park near us - no idea what sort but the fruit are more like big raspberries. The park area used to be market gardens so there are a lot of fruit and nut trees still there (pears, oranges, lemons, plums, walnuts and pistachios). Have to be quick to get any of the fruit when it's ripe though as there are lots of Italians locally and they're Foragers Par Excellence (or whatever the Italian for that is!)
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On the way to the source of the Charente this morning we stopped briefly at the Lac de Lavaud which is formed by a dam across the Charente.
As in Spain earlier this year water levels were very low.
There is an aire here by the dam. And a good one too with all services and free electricity, CamperContact #3992. If I had spotted this yesterday we would have come here instead I think although we did enjoy our swim in the campsite pool.
Before we left this morning the owner explained the water level of the river by the site was much lower than it used to be. This was mainly due to a damaged weir downstream which the authorities were deliberately not repairing as they want the river to be as natural as possible. Water extraction at the reservoir can't help either and the result of these factors was they no longer had boats campers could use on the river.
A short journey on from the Lake brought us to the village of Chéronnac where we parked by the cemetery.
The name of the bar was the first clue.
And a little further on.
Looking down from this sign we could see the infant Charente.
This is called the Source Trapée and isn't as natural as it might look. I suspect originally it was a muddy spring but it has been gentrified or to use a more modern term "pimped".
The water enters from a pipe.
But this isn't the primary source of the Charente, that is about 500m away on private ground where, from what I've read, visitors are not encouraged. It's somewhere on the right of this photo under the trees in the distance. It's a muddy puddle apparently so nothing missed by not seeing it.
This is a notice board by "our" source. The first two lines explain the Charente is the fifth longest river in France after the Seine, Loire, Garonne and Rhône. We've already followed the Loire and Garonne. The Seine would be a challenge if you included the Paris stretch in a MH but the Rhône could be interesting.
A closeup of the map in the bottom corner showed the route we took to get here. From Rochefort to Chéronnac including the slightly irritating detour via Civray!
Leaving Chéronnac we drove north for about an hour to the town of L'Isle Jourdain and the CCP site here by the river Vienne.
Which is here viewed from a higher altitude.
We went for a walk this afternoon to see the huge railway viaduct here.
Another notice board explained a bit.
Some steep steps take you up to the top where there are good views. On occasions folk throw themselves off the viaduct attached to rubber bands but this has now stopped for this year. Which is fortunate I suppose as I'm not sure Charlie would have appreciated the experience as a surprise birthday present, today being his 8th birthday.
Today the river has a dam across it just below the town which explains why it looks very different to the photo above.
We still have over three weeks left of this trip so tomorrow we will continue north on our way to Normandy.
As in Spain earlier this year water levels were very low.
There is an aire here by the dam. And a good one too with all services and free electricity, CamperContact #3992. If I had spotted this yesterday we would have come here instead I think although we did enjoy our swim in the campsite pool.
Before we left this morning the owner explained the water level of the river by the site was much lower than it used to be. This was mainly due to a damaged weir downstream which the authorities were deliberately not repairing as they want the river to be as natural as possible. Water extraction at the reservoir can't help either and the result of these factors was they no longer had boats campers could use on the river.
A short journey on from the Lake brought us to the village of Chéronnac where we parked by the cemetery.
The name of the bar was the first clue.
And a little further on.
Looking down from this sign we could see the infant Charente.
This is called the Source Trapée and isn't as natural as it might look. I suspect originally it was a muddy spring but it has been gentrified or to use a more modern term "pimped".
The water enters from a pipe.
But this isn't the primary source of the Charente, that is about 500m away on private ground where, from what I've read, visitors are not encouraged. It's somewhere on the right of this photo under the trees in the distance. It's a muddy puddle apparently so nothing missed by not seeing it.
This is a notice board by "our" source. The first two lines explain the Charente is the fifth longest river in France after the Seine, Loire, Garonne and Rhône. We've already followed the Loire and Garonne. The Seine would be a challenge if you included the Paris stretch in a MH but the Rhône could be interesting.
A closeup of the map in the bottom corner showed the route we took to get here. From Rochefort to Chéronnac including the slightly irritating detour via Civray!
Leaving Chéronnac we drove north for about an hour to the town of L'Isle Jourdain and the CCP site here by the river Vienne.
Which is here viewed from a higher altitude.
We went for a walk this afternoon to see the huge railway viaduct here.
Another notice board explained a bit.
Some steep steps take you up to the top where there are good views. On occasions folk throw themselves off the viaduct attached to rubber bands but this has now stopped for this year. Which is fortunate I suppose as I'm not sure Charlie would have appreciated the experience as a surprise birthday present, today being his 8th birthday.
Today the river has a dam across it just below the town which explains why it looks very different to the photo above.
We still have over three weeks left of this trip so tomorrow we will continue north on our way to Normandy.
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MichaelT
LIFE MEMBER
We are at Azay de Riddeau and heading north for our ferry on Tuesday. La Fleche for vets Friday then Normandy.On the way to the source of the Charente this morning we stopped briefly at the Lac de Lavaud which is formed by a dam across the Charente.
As in Spain earlier this year water levels were very low.
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There is an aire here by the dam. And a good one too with all services and free electricity, CamperContact #3992. If I had spotted this yesterday we would have come here instead I think although we did enjoy our swim in the campsite pool.
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Before we left this morning the owner explained the water level of the river by the site was much lower than it used to be. This was mainly due to a damaged weir downstream which the authorities were deliberately not repairing as they want the river to be as natural as possible. Water extraction at the reservoir can't help either and the result of these factors was they no longer had boats campers could use on the river.
A short journey on from the Lake brought us to the village of Chéronnac where we parked by the cemetery.
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The name of the bar was the first clue.
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And a little further on.
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Looking down from this sign we could see the infant Charente.
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This is called the Source Trapée and isn't as natural as it might look. I suspect originally it was a muddy spring but it has been gentrified or to use a more modern term "pimped".
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The water enters from a pipe.
But this isn't the primary source of the Charente, that is about 500m away on private ground where, from what I've read, visitors are not encouraged. It's somewhere on the right of this photo under the trees in the distance. It's a muddy puddle apparently so nothing missed by not seeing it.
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This is a notice board by "our" source. The first two lines explain the Charente is the fifth longest river in France after the Seine, Loire, Garonne and Rhône. We've already followed the Loire and Garonne. The Seine would be a challenge if you included the Paris stretch in a MH but the Rhône could be interesting.
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A closeup of the map in the bottom corner showed the route we took to get here. From Rochefort to Chéronnac including the slightly irritating detour via Civray!
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Leaving Chéronnac we drove north for about an hour to the town of L'Isle Jourdain and the CCP site here by the river Vienne.
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Which is here viewed from a higher altitude.
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We went for a walk this afternoon to see the huge railway viaduct here.
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Another notice board explained a bit.
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Some steep steps take up to the top were there are good views. Today the river has a dam across it just below the town which explains why it looks very different to the photo above.
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We still have over three weeks left of this trip so tomorrow we will continue north on our way to Normandy.
Poms_from_Adelaide
Free Member
- Jan 24, 2018
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Ah Nantes - spent six weeks there at the University as part of my college course! If you happen to run across a local man called Bruno (in his late 50s now!) ask him if he remembers six giggly 18 yr old girls telling him they were sure English guys were much better kissers than the French...unless he wanted to prove us wrong! (He wasn't in his 50s then, more like 20!)
In our defense, Longmans Audiovisual French had taught us that Bruno is a dog's name, not a man's!
In our defense, Longmans Audiovisual French had taught us that Bruno is a dog's name, not a man's!
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So many decades ago and since that time Nantes is massive by comparison. My first trip to France at that time in MH we drove into the centre parked up outside the Market Hall and bought a Baguette and Pate very French l thought,how things have changed.
Shrimp
Funster
A belated Happy Birthday Charlie.
From Pippa. xx
From Pippa. xx
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
A longish drive north today has brought us to a little west of Tours to the Cher, a tributary of the Loire.
We are at the CCP aire at Villandry.
The main attraction here is the château.
The gardens, according to our Welsh neighbours on the aire, are excellent but the interior is a disappointment as it is all reproduction. At €13 a head and no discount for wrinklies we will give it a miss although entrance to the gardens only is €8.
I took Charlie for a paddle in the Cher instead.
Northwards a little tomorrow.
We are at the CCP aire at Villandry.
The main attraction here is the château.
The gardens, according to our Welsh neighbours on the aire, are excellent but the interior is a disappointment as it is all reproduction. At €13 a head and no discount for wrinklies we will give it a miss although entrance to the gardens only is €8.
I took Charlie for a paddle in the Cher instead.
Northwards a little tomorrow.
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OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
A forty five minute drive north today took us to Le Lude where we found ourselves the sole occupants of the aire here.
Zoomed in.
A short walk takes you to the bridge over the Loir.
The Loir flows into the Loire but not directly. First it flows into the Sarthe north of Angers then the Sarthe after being joined by the Mayenne runs through Angers before inexplicably changing it's name to the Maine for a short distance before joining the Loire just south of Angers. France has a lot of rivers to keep us busy for a few years.
There is a château here which will admit you on payment of money. We just rubber-necked from the road outside.
The above are shots of the side. The front you can't see as it has a solid gate and high walls.
Le Lude is a sleepy place. We walked into the centre and restaurants were mostly closed which seems odd for a Friday evening although it was only half past six. The one with a sign saying it was open was empty and the plastic table cloths were not very inviting.
Perhaps we just caught it on a quiet day.
Zoomed in.
A short walk takes you to the bridge over the Loir.
The Loir flows into the Loire but not directly. First it flows into the Sarthe north of Angers then the Sarthe after being joined by the Mayenne runs through Angers before inexplicably changing it's name to the Maine for a short distance before joining the Loire just south of Angers. France has a lot of rivers to keep us busy for a few years.
There is a château here which will admit you on payment of money. We just rubber-necked from the road outside.
The above are shots of the side. The front you can't see as it has a solid gate and high walls.
Le Lude is a sleepy place. We walked into the centre and restaurants were mostly closed which seems odd for a Friday evening although it was only half past six. The one with a sign saying it was open was empty and the plastic table cloths were not very inviting.
Perhaps we just caught it on a quiet day.
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scousebird
LIFE MEMBER
We stayed on the municipal site at Le Lude for not much more than the aire but with a lot more shade.
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
It looks a nice site, shady and grassy but this place will do for one night.
Langtoftlad
LIFE MEMBER
- Apr 12, 2011
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Cheeses ?
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
Thanks for the reminder - I'm working through the cheeses we've bought and will post an update soon.
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