Two Go For Cheese

[nicholsong]

Many thanks and yes it has gone a bit cold with some threatening dark clouds about. We are hunkered down with the heating on. I fear I may have to stop wearing shorts soon!

I suspect a lot restaurants will be closed tonight in the town. They seem to take their Monday holidays seriously here.

Radio kit has inevitably changed massively since the 60s. Mine all goes in a rucksack and you can get radios which fit in the palm of your hand. Modern radios are more like computers and are driven by software.

John

Do you think that Mon closing is traditional or is it a consequence of the French mandating a 35 hour working week?

 

[DBK]

Do you think that Mon closing is traditional or is it a consequence of the French mandating a 35 hour working week?

I'm not sure I've noticed it anywhere else except for restaurants, which are often closed on Mondays. I would guess its just something traditional here, in other places we've seen everywhere closed on Wednesdays but this isn't universal.

 

[suavecarve]

Loving this thread everyone and I’m busy noting all the places I should be visiting. We are currently in Mens in the Trieve and heading south next week. Planning to visit st croix du verdon and wondering if anyone has driven the whole route through the gorge du verdon. We are in a 6m Motorhome and have been informed it is very tight driving particularly if you meet someone coming in the opposite direction! Any one with opinions / advice would be appreciated.
Keep up the great info.

NB the route round the route des cretes.
youre fine in that motorhome. Yes it is interesting and on teh South side there is quite a nice tunnel you cant see through to the other end and it only becomes really interesting if you meet someone else as big as you.
Check the aires out and if you have France Passion then the lavender farm near to Saint Croix is in our top 5 but you will need the book. Moustiers Saint Marie is a Beaux village and well worthy of nights stop if you have time and also stopping point at Aiguines and aire at Trigance (tiny village)
On the north road going down look out for Grand canyon verdon where you can park and walk up a bit through a tunnel and if more adventurous then the styx if you can scramble down.
Have google maps open (or maps.me is slightly better as no data) for and look for belvederes and have navigator warning you that another one is round the corner. Charge camera and click away.
At times you may want to not look over the edge as it is a 3000 foot drop.
Enjoy

 

[Ingwe]

Sorry to hear of this. I hope the diesel keeps you warm enough.

 

[DBK]

Those not interested in Ham radio might be best advised to ignore this post as most of it is about amateur radio.

Mont Bessou is a 976m high peak which is a qualifying summit in the SOTA or Summits On The Air scheme. In this the idea is you take your portable radio to the summit of a hill/mountain and make contact with other radio operators. Sad I know but it beats stamp collecting for exercise.

Mont Bessou has a huge viewing platform.

In theory I probably could have operated from the platform, probably using a kite to fly the antenna (not a joke, it can be done using kites ) but I was happier near the ground in the cool temperatures and strong wind.

So I chose one of the picnic tables instead!

The radio side worked well.

There is an error in the log I uploaded which I will sort out tomorrow. TM2SOTA is shown in the wrong place. This is a special callsign being operated in France to celebrate 15 years of SOTA activations in that country. They (specifically Gérald normal callsign F6HBI) was actually in the Maritime Alps on the summit of the 2774m (9,100 feet) Mont Pierre Châtel.

Edit: He's just posted a photograph of the summit. Puts my little "bump" in perspective.

I had thought of staying overnight on the summit. There is room to park and a bit further on the "pitches" were even level.

But the temperature even in the afternoon was 8°C and a strong breeze was blowing with rain added at times for variety.

So we dropped down the mountain to the nearby town of Ussel and a pitch by the Lac de Poncy.

There's a path around the lake which we did this afternoon. A few geocaches to be found but we walked by this huge wood ants' nest at a respectful distance.

This is where we are. Clermont Ferrand in the top right.

Closer up.

A laundry day tomorrow then off further north and west.

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[Spriddler]

....In theory I probably could have operated from the platform, probably using a kite to fly the antenna (not a joke, it can be done using kites )

Around 1955 I bought a yellow box kite in an ali tube from Arthur Sallis's surplus store in Brighton. They were originally packed in RAF dinghies for ditched to aircrew to fly their aerials. I also bought the 'portable' No 38 Tx/Rx with its separate huge 90v and 6v leaky waxed cardboard zinc-carbon battery that was designed to complement it, although a hand-cranked SOS Morse transmitter was also used..
It never worked well on a decent mains power supply unit in my dry bedroom so goodness knows if they ever worked in a soggy liferaft after being dropped from 1000ft.

 

[DBK]

Around 1955 I bought a yellow box kite in an ali tube from Arthur Sallis's surplus store in Brighton. They were originally packed in RAF dinghies for ditched to aircrew to fly their aerials. I also bought the 'portable' No 38 Tx/Rx with its separate huge 90v and 6v leaky waxed cardboard zinc-carbon battery that was designed to complement it.
It never worked well on a decent mains power supply unit in my dry bedroom so goodness knows if they ever worked in a soggy liferaft after being dropped from 1000ft.

View attachment 670452

I've not tried a kite yet, mainly because I now realise you need a big one! I bought a little one but soon realised a handkerchief would have work better.

It's not simple using kites. You need to have a bleed resistor running to an earth spike to prevent a build up of static electricity. And you need the right amount of wind.

 

[Orion]

Around 1955 I bought a yellow box kite in an ali tube from Arthur Sallis's surplus store in Brighton. They were originally packed in RAF dinghies for ditched to aircrew to fly their aerials. I also bought the 'portable' No 38 Tx/Rx with its separate huge 90v and 6v leaky waxed cardboard zinc-carbon battery that was designed to complement it.
It never worked well on a decent mains power supply unit in my dry bedroom so goodness knows if they ever worked in a soggy liferaft after being dropped from 1000ft.

View attachment 670452

I also have one of those kites that my father bought from a surplus store sometime in the 1950s - it came in an aluminiumised wrapper instead of the tube. We had great fun with it as it will lift off in even the slightest of breezes, (it has different attachment points for various wind speeds and instructions printed on it), and I can remember my younger brother being towed across a field in his pushchair at a fair rate of knots when the line became entangled in the handles! Still have it hanging from the ceiling of the ‘communal’ bedroom used by the grandkids.

 

[Spriddler]

I've not tried a kite yet, mainly because I now realise you need a big one! I bought a little one but soon realised a handkerchief would have work better.

Could you fly the aerial using (a big) one of your balloons?

 

[DBK]

Could you fly the aerial using (a big) one of your balloons?

Yes, you could, but the gas costs money. Lashing a mast to a picnic table is cheaper!

But I must look at using trees. A thin cord and a weight can be thrown up very high to go over a branch which can then be used to support an antenna. It's a technique used in America a lot but not so much over here.

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[jockaneezer]

I do like a nice kite, at last count I had 15 of them, some bought and some made, like these two paper ones that now reside on my workshop ceiling.
My favourite one is a small, mylar Indian fighting kite that sometimes goes in the van with us, highly maneuverable on a single linen thread !

 

[Orion]

Yes, you could, but the gas costs money. Lashing a mast to a picnic table is cheaper!

But I must look at using trees. A thin cord and a weight can be thrown up very high to go over a branch which can then be used to support an antenna. It's a technique used in America a lot but not so much over here.

A drone? The Ukrainian market for ‘adapted’ ones aside, they are becoming more affordable all the time, plus would be very handy for photography.

 

[DBK]

A drone? The Ukrainian market for ‘adapted’ ones aside, they are becoming more affordable all the time, plus would be very handy for photography.

I like the concept of drones but having been on a site where someone was flying one overhead I'm very aware how irritating they can be. Then there are the legal issues around flying one in a foreign country. And above all I'm not sure I've got the photographic skills to use one well.

 

[L' Hobo]

I've not tried a kite yet, mainly because I now realise you need a big one! I bought a little one but soon realised a handkerchief would have work better.

It's not simple using kites. You need to have a bleed resistor running to an earth spike to prevent a build up of static electricity. And you need the right amount of wind.

Why not a Helium balloon?

 

[Spriddler]

But I must look at using trees. A thin cord and a weight can be thrown up very high to go over a branch............

I had to give that a 'Funny' as it conjured up the gymnastics of a grown-up eccentric Brit entertaining a gathering crowd.

(And an embarrassed Charlie pretending he's not with you).

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[weemalkie]

NB the route round the route des cretes.
youre fine in that motorhome. Yes it is interesting and on teh South side there is quite a nice tunnel you cant see through to the other end and it only becomes really interesting if you meet someone else as big as you.
Check the aires out and if you have France Passion then the lavender farm near to Saint Croix is in our top 5 but you will need the book. Moustiers Saint Marie is a Beaux village and well worthy of nights stop if you have time and also stopping point at Aiguines and aire at Trigance (tiny village)
On the north road going down look out for Grand canyon verdon where you can park and walk up a bit through a tunnel and if more adventurous then the styx if you can scramble down.
Have google maps open (or maps.me is slightly better as no data) for and look for belvederes and have navigator warning you that another one is round the corner. Charge camera and click away.
At times you may want to not look over the edge as it is a 3000 foot drop.
Enjoy

Brilliant. Many thanks. We will be on the south side going w -E and have pencilled in your stopping suggestions. A couple already on out list. l

 

[suavecarve]

Brilliant. Many thanks. We will be on the south side going w -E and have pencilled in your stopping suggestions. A couple already on out list. l

That way will give you some views but no where near as many as doing the Route des cretes on the other side.

If I were doing it, I would write off the whole day and travel both routes and definitely do the route des cretes which is rather rudimentarily shown below with direction of travel.

If its a nice day then you will see several classy motors up there

 

[weemalkie]

That way will give you some views but no where near as many as doing the Route des cretes on the other side.

If I were doing it, I would write off the whole day and travel both routes and definitely do the route des cretes which is rather rudimentarily shown below with direction of travel.

If its a nice day then you will see several classy motors up there

View attachment 670609

I’ll have a look at that as well. Take it the road is reasonable for 6m mhome?

 

[suavecarve]

I’ll have a look at that as well. Take it the road is reasonable for 6m mhome?

Definition of reasonable ????
You will get differing opinions, but I have seen bigger than yours go round it.

 

[DBK]

Why not a Helium balloon?

It might cost £30 to £50 for the gas and balloon and it wouldn't work if there was anything more than a gentle breeze.

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[weemalkie]

Definition of reasonable ????
You will get differing opinions, but I have seen bigger than yours go round it.

Main worry is meeting someone coming the other way. Don’t fancy reversing any distance. Maybe I’m just being a bit paranoid but I’m still new to this game.

 

[DBK]

I’ll have a look at that as well. Take it the road is reasonable for 6m mhome?

We've done it in a 6m 'van, it isn't difficult, just take it slowly on the blind bends. The photo below was taken as we approached the Gorge on the north side.

 

[DBK]

Laundry completed this morning but there was a false start. When we arrived at the Auchan supermarket both machines were just being loaded by two ladies. We didn't want to wait so I headed off to another town which would hopefully have a free machine but within seconds Mrs DBK spotted machines at the Super U next door - and they were not being used!

The advantage of machines at supermarkets is they almost always in our experience take cards. These machines were of a type we haven't used before and it was a bit of an initiative test to get them started. The ones we've used at Intermarché places allow you to choose your language. These ones had a language choice on the actual washing machine but not at the paying bit on the left.

For those new to this game Google Maps is a good tool for finding washing machines. Just type "laundry" in the search bar and it will show them on the map. But it doesn't know about all of them as we discovered today. It is always a gamble using supermarket machines as they don't have many compared to a traditional laundrette so you run the risk of finding them in use as happened today. Launderettes have more but parking a MH near one can be tricky and you may need coins.

But washed and dried we drove on to Donzenac, shown here near the bottom above Brive la Gaillarde.

Closer up. Donzenac is in the top right where all the concentric circle are. The aire is lower left.

It had rained off and on all morning but after lunch it brightened up a bit so I decided to risk walking to the town. It is possible to reach it on paths and minor roads but you will need some sort of mapping app (I use the Locus Map app) to find the route. I walked directly north from the aire on a path which went around the sports fields. Crossing the river you get onto the Rte de Rond then follow the signs up the steep Les Combes to the town. It's only about one and half kilometres but is a good work-out for the calves in the second half!

This is the first glimpse you get of the place.

There appears to be a wall below the houses but it is overgrown and hard to see.

On the way up you pass this very old barn.

I don't like to put up lots of photos without explaining each one but I am not sure what else to do with this lot so here we go! It should give a flavour of the place.

Had I gone to the Tourist Office I might have got a map showing the places of interest but I was there just after lunch and I was fairly sure it would have been closed.

This is the Chapel of White Penitents.

And the interior.

The view of the town from the aire.

Tomorrow we head due north!

 

[suavecarve]

Main worry is meeting someone coming the other way. Don’t fancy reversing any distance. Maybe I’m just being a bit paranoid but I’m still new to this game.

In order to allay concerns go on to you tube and search "route des cretes verdon" and you will find cyclists and motorcyclists posting their journeys and all things being equal you will see motorhomes on the route which are bigger than yours. You may even find it is a bus route ! and it is one way at the "interesting bit" which is why you need to go clockwise

After doing it you may (or may not) want to do more of the "balcony roads" or "dangerous roads" that are dotted around. We have done all of them in Vercors and Provence and a couple in the Pyrenees and a couple in Austria.

I post this link quite irregularly and it is a good 15 minutes wasted

 

[Orion]

Laundry completed this morning but there was a false start. When we arrived at the Auchan supermarket both machines were just being loaded by two ladies. We didn't want to wait so I headed off to another town which would hopefully have a free machine but within seconds Mrs DBK spotted machines at the Super U next door - and they were not being used!

View attachment 670849

The advantage of machines at supermarkets is they almost always in our experience take cards. These machines were of a type we haven't used before and it was a bit of an initiative test to get them started. The ones we've used at Intermarché places allow you to choose your language. These ones had a language choice on the actual washing machine but not at the paying bit on the left.

For those new to this game Google Maps is a good tool for finding washing machines. Just type "laundry" in the search bar and it will show them on the map. But it doesn't know about all of them as we discovered today. It is always a gamble using supermarket machines as they don't have many compared to a traditional laundrette so you run the risk of finding them in use as happened today. Launderettes have more but parking a MH near one can be tricky and you may need coins.

But washed and dried we drove on to Donzenac, shown here near the bottom above Brive la Gaillarde.

View attachment 670840

Closer up. Donzenac is in the top right where all the concentric circle are. The aire is lower left.

View attachment 670846

It had rained off and on all morning but after lunch it brightened up a bit so I decided to risk walking to the town. It is possible to reach it on paths and minor roads but you will need some sort of mapping app (I use the Locus Map app) to find the route. I walked directly north from the aire on a path which went around the sports fields. Crossing the river you get onto the Rte de Rond then follow the signs up the steep Les Combes to the town. It's only about one and half kilometres but is a good work-out for the calves in the second half!

This is the first glimpse you get of the place.

View attachment 670839

There appears to be a wall below the houses but it is overgrown and hard to see.

On the way up you pass this very old barn.

View attachment 670845

I don't like to put up lots of photos without explaining each one but I am not sure what else to do with this lot so here we go! It should give a flavour of the place.

View attachment 670836View attachment 670837View attachment 670838View attachment 670841View attachment 670842View attachment 670848View attachment 670850

Had I gone to the Tourist Office I might have got a map showing the places of interest but I was there just after lunch and I was fairly sure it would have been closed.

View attachment 670847

This is the Chapel of White Penitents.

View attachment 670844

And the interior.

View attachment 670843

The view of the town from the aire.

View attachment 670851

Tomorrow we head due north!

Try as I might I can’t locate the ‘Laundry’ symbol on my OS mapping for the Westcountry. Although Tarr Steps appears to offer a suitable alternative location for a spin cycle by whacking our clothes against the Neolithic clapper bridge?

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[DBK]

Try as I might I can’t locate the ‘Laundry’ symbol on my OS mapping for the Westcountry. Although Tarr Steps appears to offer a suitable alternative location for a spin cycle by whacking our clothes against the Neolithic clapper bridge?

Google Maps can help! But sadly our supermarkets don't seem to offer this service like they do in France.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Loving this thread everyone and I’m busy noting all the places I should be visiting. We are currently in Mens in the Trieve and heading south next week. Planning to visit st croix du verdon and wondering if anyone has driven the whole route through the gorge du verdon. We are in a 6m Motorhome and have been informed it is very tight driving particularly if you meet someone coming in the opposite direction! Any one with opinions / advice would be appreciated.
Keep up the great info.

There are two roads you can use, one on the north side of the gorge and one on the south. I suggest the south side on the D71 for a first trip, not least because the sun will be behind you for the best photography. If you east to west you will be on the side of the drop! There are few short tunnels but nothing to worry about.

The north side is higher and more popular which means more traffic.

We did both sides! North side has more locals and lorries, south more tourist coaches. We had to back up once for a coach coming out of a tunnel but if you can go early you are less likely to meet coaches. The drive itself no problem and lots of pulling over places for photo ops.

 

[L' Hobo]

It might cost £30 to £50 for the gas and balloon and it wouldn't work if there was anything more than a gentle breeze.

You'll have to start hanging around the National Weather Bureaux and mug one of their balloon chappies or make him an offer he cannot refuse!

 

[DBK]

You'll have to start hanging around the National Weather Bureaux and mug one of their balloon chappies or make him an offer he cannot refuse!

Hydrogen is the cheapest gas to use by a long way compared to helium but it costs about £300+ to get set up to use hydrogen which is why I haven't gone that way for my infrequent launches. Helium is just easier and cheaper for small scale stuff.

 

[DBK]

A hop of about 100km this morning brought us to just north of Limoges.

We are by a lake at the village of Cieux.

It was raining when we set off but the weather improved and we have had sun most of the day and it has turned into a pleasant evening.

We are on another CCP aire and it is a good one.

I did look for other aires and ideally free ones but nothing struck me as attractive.

A short walk down a track brings you to the lake and the first thing we noticed we several large green tents.

Carp fishing of course and being done in style. I looked the lake up and it seems to be a reasonably well known lake for carp, fish of over 15kg are caught here. It isn't cheap, a 48 hour ticket is €56 plus tax. One of the parked cars was registered in Belgium!

We walked around part of the lake, sadly the path doesn't go all the way round and the path stops abruptly with sign saying private property. But it was a pleasant wander in the sun.

There were a lot of trees with deeply scalloped leaves. I've seen these before but in the USA. It is the Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra which is native to North America but has been planted in Europe, particularly in parkland.

Shopping tomorrow then a further drive north, probably to somewhere around Poitiers.

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