Two Go to Corsica

Never realised you were crazyguyonabike .... I read all your blog posts before we did our big cycle tour ?. Great inspiration and good for planning too.
Just for clarity I'm not the actual crazy guy, he's American I think. I just used his website. :)
 
A bit of geocaching this morning and one of them was brilliantly clever. It was well hidden but eventually I found this.

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Inside were three keys each attached to a bit of string, each key having a string of different lengths.

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Mrs DBK then spotted this attached to a nearby branch.

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It was fixed to the branch and closed with a little padlock. Sadly, it was nearby but not so near any of the keys could reach it. :)

Mrs DBK came to the rescue again and suggested I look round the back of the tree - she was sensibly staying on the path while muggins traipsed around in the brambles.

And there on the opposite side of the trunk from the key press was the actual cache which was a small waterproof container hung below a plastic bird in a nest box.

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All the keys stuff was just a decoy. Very clever!

We are going to move on tomorrow and have a look at the Gorge du Verdon. :)
 
We didn't follow our old cycling route slavishly today. When my brother and I originally left Vence we took the Gorges de Loup route but today we went over the Col de Vence, an action which reminded me my brother's choice of route was better on a push bike. :) Vence is at about 300m and the Col is 963m. There are signs as you ascend showing not just the distance to the summit but also the altitude to climb. Mont Ventoux is kinder by only showing the distance. :) It would have been a painful first morning had we chosen this route!

We had lunch in 2011 at the little village of Gréolières and the restaurant hasn't suffered from our custom, it has many more tables now than I remember. But if you are not driving down memory lane use the little bypass road as the road through the centre of the village is a lot narrower than I remember it when we cycled through it. :)

But there was another reason for coming here. As we ground our way up above the village in 2011 I spotted the remains of houses. Subsequent research revealed this to be Hautes Gréolières and it still remains something of a mystery. I first read the village was abandoned due to plague but checking today suggests the last occupants left in the early 20C. What is indisputable is the village died and a new village was built about 500m further away down the hill. The old village is on the left in this picture and the new one just visible on the right.

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And here looking down on the new village, which also has a ruined castle, from the old one.

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I took a few photos but it is hard to convey the atmosphere of the place.

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The big building is a 12th century castle but there are walls here dating to the 6th century according to one account.

So I pinched a link off youtube of someone's drone flight. :)



Next on the checklist was the Gorge du Verdon. We cycled the left or southern bank in 2011 but today we took the opposite side and it does give some unique views of the Gorge.

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The bit we didn't do was the Route des Crêtes which is a 24 km circular side route giving some of the best views of the Gorge. MHs are allowed on it but traffic has to go clockwise. We didn't do it because it might have taken us two hours with stops for photos and we've seen enough wiggly roads on Corsica to keep us happy for a while. :)

We're staying tonight in Moustieres Ste Marie at Camping Manaysse, CC42290 and ACSI. I've seen the village when we stayed there on our cycling trip. Very touristy but worth visiting if only once.

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Leaving MSM this morning we travelled west crossing the Durance at Manosque by the same narrow bridge which gave us on bikes a few moments in 2011. Our criticism at the time worked as they are now building a new bridge a few metres up stream.

We shopped at the Hyper U supermarket just beyond the bridge although it took us twenty minutes to reach it as the roadworks around the new bridge have created some extensive diversions. :)

Continuing west just beyond Avignon our route took us through Valensole and then towards Manosque on the D6. On our cycling trip I remember this for the lavender and the Little Bustards. The latter we didn't see today but the lavender is still there.

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Our route took us by the Pont du Gard which I first visited in the 60s.

It's changed a bit since then.

This is the ticket hall, I don't remember this...

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The aqueduct is still there. The highest the Romans ever built apparently.

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My guidebook says an analysis of the calcium deposits in the channel the water took on its way to Nimes suggests it was in use for four or five hundred years.

We have stopped in Azès at Domain St Firmin, CC22399 and also France Passion a free aire with services at a wine producer.

In sympathy for the place we are as close to the vines as we could get.

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There is no obligation to buy wine but we did, two bottles of a gold medal winning rosé and a silver medal winning red.

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And all three bottles for €16 including the cardboard carrier. I noticed other purchasers only got a carrier bag. :)

Until I looked on Google maps I hadn't appreciated how far south we still are.

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Closer up...

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Before we leave tomorrow we will have a poke around Uzès. It has a lot of history. My plan for the next few days is to follow the river Lot from its source to where it joins the Garonne. The challenge is finding the source as unlike the Loire it isn't well advertised. :)
 
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Jim on this thread I get no photos just file names.
One of a number of problems I have since the upgrade :(
Sorry to hijack thread

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Jim on this thread I get no photos just file names.
One of a number of problems I have since the upgrade :(
Sorry to hijack thread
That's usually a sign of a slow connection. Try logging out of MHF then restarting your device then logging in again. :)
 
Uzès is an attractive place and must have quite a large ex-pat community to judge by the number of English voices were heard as we explored it this morning - and they weren't tourists. :)

This is the Tour Fénestrelle built in the 12th century. The cathedral next to it is much later, the original was destroyed in a war, rebuilt then destroyed again in another war and finally and third time lucky it was rebuilt in the 17th century and this is what stands today. Lousy picture because of the sun being in the wrong place. :)

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The usual narrow streets.

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The centre of the town has several medieval towers but they are surrounded by other buildings so hard to photograph. This was the best shot of one of them.

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The prettiest part of the town is around the Place aux Herbes where there are numerous arcades or covered areas.

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Lots of cafes, restaurants and shops including a bakers where I bought a baguette for lunch and was sorely tempted by the sticky cakes. :)

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We drove quite a way again today not stopping until late afternoon. The route took us around the northern edge of the Cévennes over rounded, forested hills but with some fields and interesting villages.

Crossing over the Col des Tribes on the D901 and just east of the little town of Le Bleymard we found what we were looking for. :)

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It isn't very big here perhaps a metre wide. This is looking downstream. :)

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This sign was the only evidence of where we were near.

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But it was too hot and too late to do anything about it. The sources (plural) are still several kilometres away from here. But at least we found the highest spot on the river navigable by MH!

I originally had the aire in Mende, where we've stayed before beside the Lot, set in the satnav but it is a busy cheek by jowl aire and the prospect of staying there tonight wasn't appealing given the heat (low thirties) so we pushed on, following the river to St Laurent d'Olt and the municipal campsite which has a MH section at a reduced rate of €8 a night. When we arrived the office was shut but a note on the door, in French of course, said the "hostesse" was away and we should leave the money in an envelope in the post box. Of course travellers of old would have carried envelopes and writing paper with them but who does now? It will have to be a poly bag but not of course one of Charlie's poo bags - this is a nice place! We've upgraded ourselves to a riverside pitch (€10.50 without electric) and enjoying the view of the Lot.

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The water is cloudy, Charlie had a swim but was a bit smelly afterwards so I gave him a bath in one of the washing up sinks. There's only us and a dog owning Dutch MH here and I cleaned up afterwards. :)

We will continue the journey down the Lot tomorrow but for the record this is where we are.

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In the grand scheme we are heading towards Bordeaux then north into Brittany.
 
We are probably about half way down the Lot now but we should reach where it flows into the Garonne tomorrow as the roads will get quicker.

When we drove the length of the Loire a couple of years ago we didn't follow the river very closely and it was more a drive up the Loire valley. This trip has been different as we have been close to the river virtually the whole way.

This is a shot from earlier today showing the typical countryside.

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The roads have been wiggly but Corsica prepared us well for them. :)

Tonight's halt is again by the river at the Camping-car Parks site at Capdenac Gare near Figeac. Nine euros a night with electricity although the latter wasn't working when we arrived. A French lady told us it was en panne but later a bloke in a van turned up and sorted it out. We are parked under trees so the solar isn't doing much.

This is the view from the aire - which is getting busy.

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We should be close to the Atlantic coast tomorrow which will be a long drive but it is forecast to be the hottest day of the week so we won't complain as the cab A/C takes the strain. :)
 
And down the Lot we continued today and some of the prettiest stretches yet. This is the Cahors wine region so there were quite a few vineyards but not the miles and miles of them you can see in other parts of France.

The houses of Calvinac perched above the river.

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Semi-troglodyte houses at Latoulzanie.

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A view of the river.

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And the impressive St Cirq Lapopie.

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Tomorrow is going to be a laundry day so we have stopped near Villeneuve sur Lot at Camping Lot et Bastide, ACSI and CC22653. We will finish the last stretch of the river on Saturday morning then head north as fast as possible in search of coolness. :)

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Not a lot has happened today, washed the windscreen, put Charlie under a tap a short while ago and first thing this morning I walked to Pujols. The weather today has been unexpected as we woke to find it almost misty and with very high humidity. It remained overcast until late afternoon when the sun shone through the haze and a blue sky returned.

Pujols is one of the French "Beaux villages" and is only a kilometre or so from the site although like many Medieval villages it is built on a hill so the single kilometre had a steep section at the end. :)

There weren't many people around as I arrived at about ten o'clock and before the coaches came. There is some sort of event being held later today as there were large tables dotted around the village.

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The well in the photo below had water in it but it was a long way down. By what perverse geology can a well be dug at the top of a hill? Not uncommon of course.

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Some of tables set out for something can be seen below.


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Only 1,140 km from here - a bit far in the time I had available. :)

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So is it a beautiful village? I'm undecided, I think it all looks grey and washed out but perhaps we have been spoiled by all the amazing things we have seen on this trip. Man-made struggles to trump Nature. :)

We head off tomorrow and should get north of La Rochelle where it will be cooler and away from this high humidity. :)
 
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Lovely photos thanks John.
I love the village photos but no people!!
Glad they have a function on it would have been great to see it busy!!

Safe travels and stay cool!
 
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Thank
Lovely photos thanks John.
I love the village photos but no people!!
Glad they have a function on it would have been great to see it busy!!

Safe travels and stay cool!
Thank you! In the third photo which shows a tower with a bell above a gate there is something odd. The top part of the tower, the bit above the bell seems to slope out - it seems wider just under the roof than it is a bit lower down. I initially thought this was due to the correction I applied to the perspective but it isn't. You can see the tower from the campsite and it really looks wider at the top - but it may just be an optical illusion. Weird. :)
 
A long drive (too long in retrospect) yesterday took us to La Faute sur Mer just north of La Rochelle. We stayed on a Camping-car Park (CCP) site which was almost full by the end of the day.

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A typical CCP place with 6A electric and good sized pitches.

Then today a more sensible run up past Nante and just into Brittany to Pénestin.

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This is another CCP aire but one with no facilities of any sort but at €6 a night reasonable value. There are probably free aires around here but this one is behind a beach and has grass to walk on. :)

The beach is below a cliff about 10m high and some folk, rather than using the path to reach the beach threw themselves off the cliff.




The breeze was coming directly off the sea, hitting the cliff and creating an updraft they could use. Charlie wasn't impressed and much preferred retrieving sticks.




Behind the coastal path I spotted this.

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It hasn't moved for a long time but there was someone moving around inside it. :)
 
We moved on up the coast today to Pont Aven near Concarneau.

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This is the town which lends its name to the unreliable ferry but as a town you can with perfect reliability find an art gallery here - there are about fifty in total. Here's just one, the main street is packed with them.

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The painter Paul Gauguin lived in Brittany between 1886 and 1894 and it was here he developed his crude but colourful style of painting. Other like-minded painters also lived here and formed the Pont Aven School.*

Gauguin painted this scene according to a sign. There were fewer houses then, the town being described as "14 mills and 15 houses".

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Some other photos from our explorations this afternoon.

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The public toilets were still in use (the little stone building on pillars) but the original "long plop" system has been replaced with conventional plumbing by the local spoil sports. :)

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We will move to Brittany's north coast tomorrow and spend some time in one spot for a change. :)

* According to my book. I know zero about art.

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Forgot to mention we woke to a warm fridge this morning. It was lit on gas but not burning at full throttle. Fortunately it is very easy to get at the back of our fridge by opening one of the rear doors. Here I found the wire going to the thermocouple was hanging loose. I bodged a repair and now it is chilling nicely. I didn't really appreciate how the gas system works on our fridge until I investigated a long standing problem a year or so ago. The flame remains lit all the time when switched to gas but the thermostat switches it between an "idling" flame and the full burn one. The latter is what does the chilling, the small flame is just to keep it alight until it is needed again. It's useful to be able to recognise these two flames as you might think all is well just because you can see it burning but if it's the small flame only it isn't going to do much.

And Charlie met a lion outside a shop and was very unsure of it. :)

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I haven't posted anything for a while because we haven't done a lot! :) From Pont Aven we drove to the north coast of Brittany to a site on the coast near Lannion. Camping NCP Port l'Epine (CC#58432) and Dutch owned and staffed is virtually next door to Camping 7 Îles where we've stayed before. The latter has better sea views, including a distant glimpse of Europe's southernmost gannet colony but a chilly north east breeze was blowing and Port l'Epine is much more sheltered.

The local village, Trélévern, is well kept and prosperous. The church had the typical Breton slender spire.

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Nearby we came across the remains of a very old cross. You can just make out the weathered figure of Jesus. I think it's just the top of the cross, the rest of it is missing.

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Yesterday we left the site and spent most of the day parked behind a nearby beach before driving into Perros Guirec to get Charlie "seen to" before we return to the UK on Monday.

This is where we went. keithchesterfield2

Cabinet Vétérinaire du Dr Gosselin - SELARL Vétérinaire du littoral
33 Boulevard Aristide Briand, 22700 Perros-Guirec, France
+33 2 96 91 07 23

Not the cheapest at €44 for worming, check etc but you can park outside and the vet speaks good English and has a good sense of humour. We've used her twice now.

From here it was a longish drive through Friday rush hour traffic to our last stop, the CCP aire at Cléder, also CC#67612. We've been here several times before as it is very handy for the ferry from Roscoff.

Today we knocked off a few more geocaches along the coastal path walking east from here.

Mrs DBK spotted this rock looks like the head of an ape. :)

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It's a weird bit of stone, heavily eroded. This is the same rock viewed from the landward side.

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Mrs DBK for scale.:)

Amazing beaches here.

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Most ban dogs in the summer but the locals seem to ignore this rule, as did Charlie, who went rock pooling. :)

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Tomorrow we will walk west along the path.
 
Probably my last post on this thread as we are now halfway between Roscoff and Plymouth where we should land about eight o'clock this evening.

Corsica was everything we'd hoped. It is an amazing place but it isn't cheap because there are virtually no aires and wild camping is frowned upon and height barriers very common on the coastal car parks.

We were there just over four weeks and this was about right, giving us time to explore most of the coast and some of the interior. We hardly touched the east coast as it is a bit flat and boring for us but has lots of beaches if beaches are your thing. :)

I've just booked for our next jaunt, leaving in the last few days of August and returning overnight on 31 October, landing in Plymouth on 1 November. Brexit may interfere with this so I might change the return date later. :)

After all the driving on this trip I'm looking at fewer miles for the next. I need to do a bit of planning first though. :)
 
Been a great thread, thanks for all the information and photos.
Give a clue where you are going next:)
 
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Roseandpeter. I must try and find your post of Sardinia on the Italy forum. We have been following John's route round Corsica, so helpful. W cross from Bonifacio to Santa Theresa on Monday afternoon 30th. September.. I am hoping to find a campsite, preferably near the port for our first night. We are staying on the ACSI site 2791 right on the beach but t will be too late for you
 
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we got the ferry from Nice to L'ille Rousse
Hi funflair - what did you think about the approach to L'Ile Rousse on the ferry? we've been told it is stunning and a must-see. Do you agree? Only if not, might be tempted to go via another port.
 
Hi funflair - what did you think about the approach to L'Ile Rousse on the ferry? we've been told it is stunning and a must-see. Do you agree? Only if not, might be tempted to go via another port.
Well it was about 30 years ago and early o'clock, as we had flown into Nice the night before and no sleep I think it passed us by, sorry.

Martin
 
Well it was about 30 years ago and early o'clock, as we had flown into Nice the night before and no sleep I think it passed us by, sorry.

Martin
c'est la vie :smiley: . Knowing our luck we would oversleep and miss it anyway lol
 

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