- Dec 19, 2020
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Last time I was in La Rochelle there was CRS guy with a most ferocious looking animal which fortunately had a muzzle on. You don't want to mess with the CRS.
Two Go To France (2022)
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I've heard of somewhere near Folkestone or Dover does it for around £99 but everywhere else it will be something like £150 give or take a bit.
It seems to be very difficult to get an EU passport in France now unless you live there but many have reported getting one from a Spanish vet at minimal cost and no problems.
- Oct 12, 2009
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I thought about those as being a way to dump glasses, but I was advised against them as they sometimes rotate in the eye and the wrong part of the lens is in the wrong place for focusing. Also since I have been wearing glasses for so long I think that to continue will seem no different.
i am pleased yours have been successful.
- Oct 12, 2009
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Tres sportif!
I like the baguette stuck in the top of the pannier - or should that be painier?
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I think it is the toric lenses for astigmatism, not the multifocal ones, that might end up in the wrong rotation
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We are on a sort of "duty" stop tonight. A glance at the map might help explain why we came to this point.
We are at Saint Palais sur Mer because this is the mouth of the River Garonne which we plan to follow from here to its source. I've no idea what to expect as this doesn't seem to be a popular tourist route, compared to the Loire or Lot. We will have to see what we find.
I expected the shore to be muddy but they have beaches!
Sadly for Charlie, dogs are banned on the beach from April to September.
Looking across the Garonne you could just make out the other side, about 5 km away. A ferry crosses from Royan a little south of here over to Verdon sur Mer on the other side.
We walked along the promonade for a short distance and this spot seemed suddenly familiar.
In June 2013 my brother and I rode the Velodyssey which is a cycle path up the west coast of France from the Spanish border at Hendaye to Roscoff. Most people seem to do it north to south but did it the other way round. After crossing on the ferry and landing in Royan we found a boulangerie and bought bread for a late breakfast.
And we ate it here! That's me on the right with a mouthful of bread and cheese.
They've tidied the place up and replaced the seats but it has to be the same spot. The next shot is almost taken from the same point but the seat has been moved further from the sea I think
Happy memories!
We are at Saint Palais sur Mer because this is the mouth of the River Garonne which we plan to follow from here to its source. I've no idea what to expect as this doesn't seem to be a popular tourist route, compared to the Loire or Lot. We will have to see what we find.
I expected the shore to be muddy but they have beaches!
Sadly for Charlie, dogs are banned on the beach from April to September.
Looking across the Garonne you could just make out the other side, about 5 km away. A ferry crosses from Royan a little south of here over to Verdon sur Mer on the other side.
We walked along the promonade for a short distance and this spot seemed suddenly familiar.
In June 2013 my brother and I rode the Velodyssey which is a cycle path up the west coast of France from the Spanish border at Hendaye to Roscoff. Most people seem to do it north to south but did it the other way round. After crossing on the ferry and landing in Royan we found a boulangerie and bought bread for a late breakfast.
And we ate it here! That's me on the right with a mouthful of bread and cheese.
They've tidied the place up and replaced the seats but it has to be the same spot. The next shot is almost taken from the same point but the seat has been moved further from the sea I think
Happy memories!
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Have stayed in the area a few times up the northern bank near Phare de la Coubre.
Not been for a few years.
Not been for a few years.
Hope Charlie enjoys his hols. The things we do for them!
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- Oct 18, 2021
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We are on a sort of "duty" stop tonight. A glance at the map might help explain why we came to this point.
View attachment 612540
We are at Saint Palais sur Mer because this is the mouth of the River Garonne which we plan to follow from here to its source. I've no idea what to expect as this doesn't seem to be a popular tourist route, compared to the Loire or Lot. We will have to see what we find.
I expected the shore to be muddy but they have beaches!
View attachment 612552
Sadly for Charlie, dogs are banned on the beach from April to September.
Looking across the Garonne you could just make out the other side, about 5 km away. A ferry crosses from Royan a little south of here over to Verdon sur Mer on the other side.
View attachment 612541
We walked along the promonade for a short distance and this spot seemed suddenly familiar.
View attachment 612539
In June 2013 my brother and I rode the Velodyssey which is a cycle path up the west coast of France from the Spanish border at Hendaye to Roscoff. Most people seem to do it north to south but did it the other way round. After crossing on the ferry and landing in Royan we found a boulangerie and bought bread for a late breakfast.
And we ate it here! That's me on the right with a mouthful of bread and cheese.
View attachment 612542
They've tidied the place up and replaced the seats but it has to be the same spot. The next shot is almost taken from the same point but the seat has been moved further from the sea I think
View attachment 612561
We used it as an excuse for two annual 4 week holidays instead of attempting it in one hit, with both starting from home and cycling along the Grand Western Canal to Tiverton Parkway and train onwards to Plymouth for the ferry.
First year was cycling from Roscoff and getting as far down as the Vendee before training it back up to Morlaix - we take our time and can spend a few days at a place if we like it.
Following year was Santander with local trains and stopovers in Bilbao and San Sebastián before hitting the trail at Hendaye. Made it as far as Nantes before again jumping on the SNCF to Morlaix. Happy days.
EDIT: Not sure how I got ‘you’ to quote part of ‘my’ post above!
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Well done for taking your time! We did the whole thing in less than 3 weeks but I don't remember any days which were difficult. Fifty miles a day will complete it in that sort of time. We were lucky with the weather and I didn't have to battle any headwinds which I have on other trips. I remember a day in Spain where we cycled into a gale for hours. Hard going!
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Sadly I sold my bike in early 2019 to a guy who was going to use it to do the Pan-Amercia route from Alaska to Argentina. Equally sadly Covid struck a few weeks later.
But it was the perfect bike to do a route like that. Frame was a Surly Ogre with a Rholhoff hub and electrics you could charge phones and GPS with. I miss it but I wasn't using it enough as I hate cycling in the UK, especially where I live because of the attitude of a very small number of motorists. If I ever get another hike it will be electric!
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Geographical correction! I said above we were at the mouth of the Garonne. We weren't as we were looking at the Gironde, which is what the Garonne and Dordogne become after they merge a little north of Bordeaux. Oops. I knew that of course, just forgot!
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We are now in the queue at Plymouth waiting to board the 2200 overnight crossing to Roscoff. Charlie is with us so that expensive AHC must have been correctly filled out!
View attachment 605082
Our first destination is the CCP site at Cléder a short distance from Roscoff where we are going to stay for a full week. This isn't our normal method of touring but we are going to take things easy with some coastal walking and no doubt some wine and shellfish. Easter of course is also a factor as we don't want to be travelling over the holiday. The weather forecast isn't too bad either, dry and light winds mostly
If things go as planned we will head slowly to Bordeaux and then follow the Garonne river to its source in the Spanish Pyrenees. Or maybe will do something else!
I've brought my radio kit and will be having a play with it from time to time.
Hope you have a nice trip. We are off for the first time in 2 yrs to Roscoff. May 13th We travel approx 30 miles east to a municipal campsite " St Efflam" right on the coast lovely campsite free heated indoor pool large enough to have a good swim, ehu ,free showers etc. Super U in Pletin les Greves with fuel and gas 2km away Lidle 1km same direction. Campsite just 100 ydrs from beach, beautiful bay, good restr' Sunday market every week, we have stayed here several times and always been very good. 15 euros per night incl ehu but that was 2yrs ago Motor home dealer and service centre on the way to Lanion enough of me ranting hope you have a trouble free tripWe are now in the queue at Plymouth waiting to board the 2200 overnight crossing to Roscoff. Charlie is with us so that expensive AHC must have been correctly filled out!
View attachment 605082
Our first destination is the CCP site at Cléder a short distance from Roscoff where we are going to stay for a full week. This isn't our normal method of touring but we are going to take things easy with some coastal walking and no doubt some wine and shellfish. Easter of course is also a factor as we don't want to be travelling over the holiday. The weather forecast isn't too bad either, dry and light winds mostly
If things go as planned we will head slowly to Bordeaux and then follow the Garonne river to its source in the Spanish Pyrenees. Or maybe will do something else!
I've brought my radio kit and will be having a play with it from time to time.
Alan
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Thanks, I don't know that site, we usually visit Camping du Port on most trips. This is on the coast North East of Lannion. Also has good restaurant and a place selling seafood (mussels etc) on the doorstep.
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A 45 minute drive today brought us to the small town of Mirambeau.
To reach here we drove past a lot of vineyards which I assumed must be part of the Bordeaux region but a check on a wine map says they were not. The Côtes de Blaye region will be the first we enter but not until we drive a little bit south of here.
We are staying at the aire here which must have been the Municipal campsite once but is now exclusively for MHs. For once it isn't run by CCP and must still belong to the town. It has big pitches and grass plus electricity included for €8 a night.
We have come here because they have one of these at the Super U opposite the entrance.
Tomorrow is Wash Day.
We went for a wander after lunch. This bamboo is incredible, it must literally be 30 feet high and shoots were coming out of the ground in front of it. It is spreading. Good luck if they try to remove it, a JCB will be needed.
But there were more attractive plants in the little park area near the aire.
I spotted these first, Pyramidal orchids.
There were a lot of them and most not yet fully open. But one orchid, and I only found a single spike of it, was almost over.
I'm 99% certain it is an Early Spider orchid and the first I've ever found. The uncertainty is the species is notorious for hybridisation so I think I can only put it down as an Early Spider type.
Looking more closely at the small area of grass I spotted other orchids, not showy these ones but still rewarding to see. They are Man orchids and there was almost a dozen spikes dotted about. Note the arms and legs, on the lower lip.
I found only one Bee orchid.
It was only just coming out and two of the pink sepals were still fused together. A gentle brush with my finger woke it up!
We may stay here tomorrow night, depending on how the laundry goes.
To reach here we drove past a lot of vineyards which I assumed must be part of the Bordeaux region but a check on a wine map says they were not. The Côtes de Blaye region will be the first we enter but not until we drive a little bit south of here.
We are staying at the aire here which must have been the Municipal campsite once but is now exclusively for MHs. For once it isn't run by CCP and must still belong to the town. It has big pitches and grass plus electricity included for €8 a night.
We have come here because they have one of these at the Super U opposite the entrance.
Tomorrow is Wash Day.
We went for a wander after lunch. This bamboo is incredible, it must literally be 30 feet high and shoots were coming out of the ground in front of it. It is spreading. Good luck if they try to remove it, a JCB will be needed.
But there were more attractive plants in the little park area near the aire.
I spotted these first, Pyramidal orchids.
There were a lot of them and most not yet fully open. But one orchid, and I only found a single spike of it, was almost over.
I'm 99% certain it is an Early Spider orchid and the first I've ever found. The uncertainty is the species is notorious for hybridisation so I think I can only put it down as an Early Spider type.
Looking more closely at the small area of grass I spotted other orchids, not showy these ones but still rewarding to see. They are Man orchids and there was almost a dozen spikes dotted about. Note the arms and legs, on the lower lip.
I found only one Bee orchid.
It was only just coming out and two of the pink sepals were still fused together. A gentle brush with my finger woke it up!
We may stay here tomorrow night, depending on how the laundry goes.
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Lovely thread. Your reports are always entertaining John & these photos of the orchids are wonderful.
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A curious day but we still had two high points:
1. Did the laundry at the Super U.
2. Finally found the mouth of the Garonne river.
I'll spare you an account of the laundry and skip straight to the Garonne, but we need to look at a map first.
We are under the blue blob in the bottom right but it's the rivers which matter. The Garonne flows north through Bordeaux and the Dordogne flows in from the right. They meet north of Bordeaux.
To reach a view of where they meet we drove to Blaye and followed a route called the Corniche de la Gironde which was an interesting drive, following the right bank of the Gironde, which is what the Dordogne and Garonne become after they merge.
The Michelin road atlas showed a view point overlooking the confluence but it is a small scale map and we weren't exactly sure where it was but we finally stumbled on it after almost giving up. This was the view.
The spit of land between the two rivers is full of oil storage tanks. In the image above the Garonne is in the distance.
Here is a satellite view. The "Panorama" you can see on a label is where the photograph was taken.
We are deep in wine country. This is a map of the Bordeaux wine regions around here. You need to be an expert with deep pockets to understand this lot.
Last night we stayed just outside the dark blue area near the top of the map. Today, we crossed into it and there were quite a few signs to remind us what we were entering. This was the Côtes de Blaye region and there were signs pointing to various château every few yards it seemed. A little later we entered the Côtes de Bourg region.
I think we have ended up in the Entre deux Mers region. Which is a wine I recall buying in a 3 litre box in a supermarket a few times - so I guess we have found our level!
A vineyard beside the Gironde.
Tomorrow we move further upstream but with a slight detour up the River Lot on the way for a quick radio activation of a SOTA summit. Tomorrow night we may stay at a prune museum.
1. Did the laundry at the Super U.
2. Finally found the mouth of the Garonne river.
I'll spare you an account of the laundry
and skip straight to the Garonne, but we need to look at a map first.We are under the blue blob in the bottom right but it's the rivers which matter. The Garonne flows north through Bordeaux and the Dordogne flows in from the right. They meet north of Bordeaux.
To reach a view of where they meet we drove to Blaye and followed a route called the Corniche de la Gironde which was an interesting drive, following the right bank of the Gironde, which is what the Dordogne and Garonne become after they merge.
The Michelin road atlas showed a view point overlooking the confluence but it is a small scale map and we weren't exactly sure where it was but we finally stumbled on it after almost giving up. This was the view.
The spit of land between the two rivers is full of oil storage tanks. In the image above the Garonne is in the distance.
Here is a satellite view. The "Panorama" you can see on a label is where the photograph was taken.
We are deep in wine country. This is a map of the Bordeaux wine regions around here. You need to be an expert with deep pockets to understand this lot.
Last night we stayed just outside the dark blue area near the top of the map. Today, we crossed into it and there were quite a few signs to remind us what we were entering. This was the Côtes de Blaye region and there were signs pointing to various château every few yards it seemed. A little later we entered the Côtes de Bourg region.
I think we have ended up in the Entre deux Mers region. Which is a wine I recall buying in a 3 litre box in a supermarket a few times - so I guess we have found our level!
A vineyard beside the Gironde.
Tomorrow we move further upstream but with a slight detour up the River Lot on the way for a quick radio activation of a SOTA summit. Tomorrow night we may stay at a prune museum.
- Dec 24, 2014
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Seems a risky location for oil storage due to soil erosion or subsidence depositing the extremely heavy tanks in the river and contaminating the riverside soil which would amuse a sommelier's palate .................
"It's giving me delightful notes of liquorice and rosemary, plus undertones of ethanol and a curious finish of essence Total Sans Plomb".
.
There are some unlikely (to me) subjects for museums.Tomorrow night we may stay at a prune museum.
This underground one at Saumur was fascinating.
The Mushroom Museum
Inside Toba de Saumur galleries grow three-quarters of the nation's production of champignons de Paris. The climatic qualities of these places, where temperature and humidity are constant throughout the year, have made these caves and grottoes the perfect place for mushrooms. I'm not lying when...
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Iceland has a penis museum.
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I expect they heat it with hot water from the geysers or there wouldn't be much worth seeing.Iceland has a penis museum.
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Today had a few "GPS Moments" by which I mean the GPS was both a help and a hindrance at times.
I wanted to include a Summits On The Air (SOTA) Hill which we would pass close by in an area where there are very few.
If you draw a line between Bordeaux and Toulouse on this map in the middle you will find a green blob sitting above a river, the River Lot in fact. This is Le Petit Peyre which I think means The Little Rock. At just 194m high it isn't the highest hill in France but it is a listed SOTA summit so that's where we headed.
From our last destination I wanted to try and follow the River Garonne and I thought I had chosen a route on the GPS which avoided the motorway. The journey started well but before I knew it we were veering towards the blue signs for the A62 Autoroute, and a Péage motorway too!
I dragged us back onto the main road but soon realised we were making very slow progress. I had posted an alert online to let people know when I would be transmitting from the hill but it was soon clear I was going to be late.
So we let the GPS (Google Maps) lead us to the Autoroute and it was a much more relaxing drive.
The hill I was aiming for was Le Petit Peyre which at just 194m isn't the highest summit in France but it was in our path as we drive south towards the Pyrenees so I couldn't resist the chance of a quick "activation" as it is called in radio circles.
Before we arrived at our first destination the GPS had another fun moment, taking us over an entertaining bridge over the Garonne. Should you come this way it is where the red marker is on the left of the map.
And it looks like this, photo stolen from Google.
You have to go through a sort of gauge to get on. The limits are 3.5t, 2.9m high and 2.3m wide. We are 3.5t, 2.7m and 2.1m so we got through!
The summit I was heading for has a road over it but a thorough investigation yesterday using Google Street View suggested there would be nowhere to park our 3.5t Murvi so instead I parked in the village of Laparade (on the right in the map above) and walked for about 20 minutes to the activation zone. If you look on Google Maps you will see the Aire de Jeux (Playground) marked and there is plenty of parking here and you could probably wild camp overnight here.
There are also good views if you make the very short walk to the village walls. The village stands above the River Lot close to where it flows into the River Garonne.
The village walls.
Laparade is a Bastide village, which are mainly found in South West France. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries they generally follow a grid pattern with a central square.
The name of the summit, Le Petit Peyre, defeated Google's translation skills, returning only "The little peyre" which I had worked out for myself. Some deeper digging suggests "Peyre" is in the language of the Languedoc, or Langue d'Oc, meaning language of the Oc region. In this language Peyre is the name Peter and of course means a rock. So the name of this summit is The Little Rock. Or so I think! French speakers may disagree.
This is where I chose to set up the radio. Beside the road and in a field not under cultivation
I had brought spare clothing but I didn't need it. With the sun shining and no wind it was hot.
The equipment used was an Icom IC-705, AH-705 tuner, SotaBeams Carbon 6 pole and Bandspringer random wire with counterpoise which I chose for the ability to change bands quickly.
We have stopped for the night beside the River Garonne opposite where the River Tarn joins it. Thunder was rumbling earlier but it seems to have moved on and missed us although a few drops of rain are now falling.
This is where we are.
And closer in.
In this photo you can see a gap in the trees in the centre of the photo. This is the River Tarn joining the Garonne. You can see it in the map above coming from the top tigh corner.
I wanted to include a Summits On The Air (SOTA) Hill which we would pass close by in an area where there are very few.
If you draw a line between Bordeaux and Toulouse on this map in the middle you will find a green blob sitting above a river, the River Lot in fact. This is Le Petit Peyre which I think means The Little Rock. At just 194m high it isn't the highest hill in France but it is a listed SOTA summit so that's where we headed.
From our last destination I wanted to try and follow the River Garonne and I thought I had chosen a route on the GPS which avoided the motorway. The journey started well but before I knew it we were veering towards the blue signs for the A62 Autoroute, and a Péage motorway too!
I dragged us back onto the main road but soon realised we were making very slow progress. I had posted an alert online to let people know when I would be transmitting from the hill but it was soon clear I was going to be late.
So we let the GPS (Google Maps) lead us to the Autoroute and it was a much more relaxing drive.
The hill I was aiming for was Le Petit Peyre which at just 194m isn't the highest summit in France but it was in our path as we drive south towards the Pyrenees so I couldn't resist the chance of a quick "activation" as it is called in radio circles.
Before we arrived at our first destination the GPS had another fun moment, taking us over an entertaining bridge over the Garonne. Should you come this way it is where the red marker is on the left of the map.
And it looks like this, photo stolen from Google.
You have to go through a sort of gauge to get on. The limits are 3.5t, 2.9m high and 2.3m wide. We are 3.5t, 2.7m and 2.1m so we got through!
The summit I was heading for has a road over it but a thorough investigation yesterday using Google Street View suggested there would be nowhere to park our 3.5t Murvi so instead I parked in the village of Laparade (on the right in the map above) and walked for about 20 minutes to the activation zone. If you look on Google Maps you will see the Aire de Jeux (Playground) marked and there is plenty of parking here and you could probably wild camp overnight here.
There are also good views if you make the very short walk to the village walls. The village stands above the River Lot close to where it flows into the River Garonne.
The village walls.
Laparade is a Bastide village, which are mainly found in South West France. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries they generally follow a grid pattern with a central square.
The name of the summit, Le Petit Peyre, defeated Google's translation skills, returning only "The little peyre" which I had worked out for myself. Some deeper digging suggests "Peyre" is in the language of the Languedoc, or Langue d'Oc, meaning language of the Oc region. In this language Peyre is the name Peter and of course means a rock. So the name of this summit is The Little Rock. Or so I think! French speakers may disagree.
This is where I chose to set up the radio. Beside the road and in a field not under cultivation
I had brought spare clothing but I didn't need it. With the sun shining and no wind it was hot.
The equipment used was an Icom IC-705, AH-705 tuner, SotaBeams Carbon 6 pole and Bandspringer random wire with counterpoise which I chose for the ability to change bands quickly.
We have stopped for the night beside the River Garonne opposite where the River Tarn joins it. Thunder was rumbling earlier but it seems to have moved on and missed us although a few drops of rain are now falling.
This is where we are.
And closer in.
In this photo you can see a gap in the trees in the centre of the photo. This is the River Tarn joining the Garonne. You can see it in the map above coming from the top tigh corner.
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Afternote: It is now raining steadily! Just given Charlie a brief last walk and my coat is dripping in the bathroom.
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We stayed at Montech last night, which is north of Toulouse.
The aire we were on was very close to where the Canal de Montech joins the Canal Latéral à la Garonne. The latter looks like this:
It forms part of the Canal des Deux Mers which joins the Atlantic at Bordeaux to the Mediterranean near Narbonne. This is a popular cycling route and we saw several bikes loaded with panniers on the tow path.
A couple of kilometres from the aire is a strange construction. The Water Slope of Montech is fairly recent, it was inaugurated in 1973 and was built as a novel alternative to a flight of locks.
This board may help explain how it works.
Two large engines push a movable dam up a 486m long slope and on the wedge of water floats the barge. At the top of the slope were lock gates which opened to allow the barge to move out into the canal.
This is looking down the slope from the top.
As you can tell by the vegetation it is no longer in use but I think it stopped working only about 20 years ago.
The two engines and a barge are now a static display.
The engines look like they have escaped from one of Tintin's adventures.
The colours are of course not original and seem to come from a closed paper mill, where the tourist office is, which produced at one time brightly coloured paper.
I made one of my "Wobblecam" videos to show a bit of the detail.
Charlie preferred chasing the ducks.
You can get lethal agae blooms at times and you have to be very careful where your dog swims but I think we are too early in the year for any yet. Charlie is still with us today so he seems to have survived, as did the ducks.
We moved again this morning, using the motorway virtually all the way. I wasn't sure what the traffic would be like on the Toulouse ring road but it was fine, with no delays.
We have stopped again on the Garonne.
The river is still quite big here.
A longish walk from the aire brings you to Rieux Volvestre, which has some interesting old buildings. The town, which you can see on the right of the map above sits almost entirely surrounded by the Arize river.
There are some smart houses here.
Others were at the "project" stage with what estate agents might describe as possessing lots of "potential".
The church here is impressive.
This bridge looks like it has been reconstructed.
The entrance to the church has curious blue mosaic added. It can't be original but I was on my own with Charlie so couldn't go inside to find out any of its history.
The octagonal tower.
In the distance in this shot you may see two pointed "chimneys". Very odd.
Covered market.
A short hop tomorrow to a campsite (by the Garonne of course ) for a couple of days then hopefully over the border into Spain to find the source of the river. My only worry is snow is forecast tonight in the bit of the Pyrenees we will enter, but I don't think it is supposed to be heavy so hopefully the roads will be open.
The aire we were on was very close to where the Canal de Montech joins the Canal Latéral à la Garonne. The latter looks like this:
It forms part of the Canal des Deux Mers which joins the Atlantic at Bordeaux to the Mediterranean near Narbonne. This is a popular cycling route and we saw several bikes loaded with panniers on the tow path.
A couple of kilometres from the aire is a strange construction. The Water Slope of Montech is fairly recent, it was inaugurated in 1973 and was built as a novel alternative to a flight of locks.
This board may help explain how it works.
Two large engines push a movable dam up a 486m long slope and on the wedge of water floats the barge. At the top of the slope were lock gates which opened to allow the barge to move out into the canal.
This is looking down the slope from the top.
As you can tell by the vegetation it is no longer in use but I think it stopped working only about 20 years ago.
The two engines and a barge are now a static display.
The engines look like they have escaped from one of Tintin's adventures.
The colours are of course not original and seem to come from a closed paper mill, where the tourist office is, which produced at one time brightly coloured paper.
I made one of my "Wobblecam" videos to show a bit of the detail.
Charlie preferred chasing the ducks.
You can get lethal agae blooms at times and you have to be very careful where your dog swims but I think we are too early in the year for any yet. Charlie is still with us today so he seems to have survived, as did the ducks.
We moved again this morning, using the motorway virtually all the way. I wasn't sure what the traffic would be like on the Toulouse ring road but it was fine, with no delays.
We have stopped again on the Garonne.
The river is still quite big here.
A longish walk from the aire brings you to Rieux Volvestre, which has some interesting old buildings. The town, which you can see on the right of the map above sits almost entirely surrounded by the Arize river.
There are some smart houses here.
Others were at the "project" stage with what estate agents might describe as possessing lots of "potential".
The church here is impressive.
This bridge looks like it has been reconstructed.
The entrance to the church has curious blue mosaic added. It can't be original but I was on my own with Charlie so couldn't go inside to find out any of its history.
The octagonal tower.
In the distance in this shot you may see two pointed "chimneys". Very odd.
Covered market.
A short hop tomorrow to a campsite (by the Garonne of course
) for a couple of days then hopefully over the border into Spain to find the source of the river. My only worry is snow is forecast tonight in the bit of the Pyrenees we will enter, but I don't think it is supposed to be heavy so hopefully the roads will be open.
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OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
From Rieux Volvestre we drove for all of twenty minutes to Camping Le Moulin at Martes Tolosane. At the previous place the Garonne was very wide because there was a hydroelectric dam further downstream but here it finally began to look like a normal river!
The stumps sticking out of the water are the remains of an old wooden bridge.
We walked into Martes Tolosane as the photographs I had seen of it were intriguing. This photo was pinched off the Internet.
It apparently had a wall or ramparts around it but virtually all traces have gone and houses have been built where they used to be.
I found it impossible to take any photographs which showed how the plan of the town looked at ground level. These are best I could manage.
The church was hemmed in by buildings so that was difficult to photograph too but this shot does show a lot of the flat tiles used in place of bricks which we have seen quite often in this part of France.
The day after we arrived I hired a bicycle from the campsite and cycled 14km to the base of Mont Saboth, which at a little over 500m high is hardly much of a mountain but it is one of the designated SOTA summits which I have bored you all to death in the past!
This was the view from the summit.
And this was the French equivalent of a Trig point I found at the top!
And this was where I set up the radio.
It was an enjoyable afternoon and I was only the second person to operate from this summit. This is where my signal reached. I am F/M0WIV/P just above the Pyrenees.
The return to the campsite by bike was much quicker than the outward journey as the first third of it was downhill all the way!
Today we completed the main aim of this trip by finding the source of the Garonne river. This is where we are now, at Camping Verneda at El Pont d'Arros, under the blue blob.
The border is very hard to see on the map but Melles at the top of the map is in France and the next place south, Canejan, is in Spain. This was the route we took but we didn't stop at the campsite and drove on east to Baquira, which you might see near the bottom of the map on the right. From here a very wriggly road goes north east. This is what the road looks like.
After all the bends the road levels off and you can park near the source.
And this is it. Impressive it isn't but the clear waters bubbling out of the spring are on their way to the Atlantic 529km downstream.
We ate lunch in the van here, we were at about 1850m and it was 9°C outside, then drove back to the campsite and a pitch beside the Garonne, or Garona as they call it in Spain.
Back into France and the start of a gentle meander home tomorrow.
The stumps sticking out of the water are the remains of an old wooden bridge.
We walked into Martes Tolosane as the photographs I had seen of it were intriguing. This photo was pinched off the Internet.
It apparently had a wall or ramparts around it but virtually all traces have gone and houses have been built where they used to be.
I found it impossible to take any photographs which showed how the plan of the town looked at ground level. These are best I could manage.
The church was hemmed in by buildings so that was difficult to photograph too but this shot does show a lot of the flat tiles used in place of bricks which we have seen quite often in this part of France.
The day after we arrived I hired a bicycle from the campsite and cycled 14km to the base of Mont Saboth, which at a little over 500m high is hardly much of a mountain but it is one of the designated SOTA summits which I have bored you all to death in the past!
This was the view from the summit.
And this was the French equivalent of a Trig point I found at the top!
And this was where I set up the radio.
It was an enjoyable afternoon and I was only the second person to operate from this summit. This is where my signal reached. I am F/M0WIV/P just above the Pyrenees.
The return to the campsite by bike was much quicker than the outward journey as the first third of it was downhill all the way!
Today we completed the main aim of this trip by finding the source of the Garonne river. This is where we are now, at Camping Verneda at El Pont d'Arros, under the blue blob.
The border is very hard to see on the map but Melles at the top of the map is in France and the next place south, Canejan, is in Spain. This was the route we took but we didn't stop at the campsite and drove on east to Baquira, which you might see near the bottom of the map on the right. From here a very wriggly road goes north east. This is what the road looks like.
After all the bends the road levels off and you can park near the source.
And this is it. Impressive it isn't but the clear waters bubbling out of the spring are on their way to the Atlantic 529km downstream.
We ate lunch in the van here, we were at about 1850m and it was 9°C outside, then drove back to the campsite and a pitch beside the Garonne, or Garona as they call it in Spain.
Back into France and the start of a gentle meander home tomorrow.
Last edited:
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
We left Camping Verneda this morning after using their showers - which were the largest I've ever come across, larger even than CMC ones. I've been in smaller kitchens!
We were soon grinding up another wriggly road, the N141, moving right to left on this map. Once over the Col du Portillon and into France the road descended even more steeply than the ascent I think. I was in second gear but needed brakes at times to stop the engine over-revving.
I had checked on the mylpg.eu site and the Intermarché in Bagnères-de-Luchon, which was on our path, had LPG (or GPL as it is known here) so this was where we headed. On arrival we played "spot the gas pump" (I'm sure we can't be only ones who do this) to discover the pump was on the wrong side for us. I briefly considered reversing in but this was a manned station with a kiosk after the pumps. I guess it would have been a first to have reversed past the kiosk but common sense won and I used the lane to the left of the pump. Fortunately, the hose reached around and after the usual nail-biting delay when nothing happens after pressing the big green button the gas started to flow. Even at almost €1 a litre it is still cheaper than I heard folk have been paying for bottled gas in the UK.
Bagnères-de-Luchon is a spa town, twinned with Harrogate of all places and there were plenty of hotels and large coaches to be seen catering for the tourists.
We did a quick shop there then we were off up another winding road and over the Col de Peyresourde, leaving behind the Haute Garonne and entering the Haute Pyrénées region.
Our destination today was the CCP aire at Loudenvielle which is beside the Lac de Génos.
In the larger picture we are now here - almost in the very centre of the Pyrenees.
Closer up.
Mrs DBK made a stormer of a lunch: mixed baby salad leaves, fried bacon, a thick balsamic dressing then on top a partially melted goat's cheese. Eaten with buttered baguette slices and washed down with a glass of cold rosé it was delicious.
After lunch we took the path which has been built around the Lac.
Some rougher and considerably steeper paths took us up to the Château et Tour de Génos as it is marked on the map. This isn't your typical château!
The view from here of the lake and surrounding mountains was worth the effort of the short climb. The aire is on the far side, about 200m from the lake.
The mountains in the distance go up to around 2,900m or 9,500ft. We are not far from Pico de Aneto which at 3,404m or a shade over 11,000ft is the highest peak in the Pyrenees. Sadly, it may not be far away but it isn't visible from here.
After today's westward shuffle we can't put off the journey back north any longer so that is the bearing the compass on the dashboard will be showing tomorrow.
Mrs DBK is on a winning cooking streak. Prawns fried in garlic and chilli flakes for dinner! Another favourite of mine. We've struggled to find fresh uncooked prawns in France. All the ones on the fish counters are pre-cooked but you can get bags of frozen uncooked prawns in the freezer sections of supermarkets. The ones tonight still have their tails on.
We were soon grinding up another wriggly road, the N141, moving right to left on this map. Once over the Col du Portillon and into France the road descended even more steeply than the ascent I think. I was in second gear but needed brakes at times to stop the engine over-revving.
I had checked on the mylpg.eu site and the Intermarché in Bagnères-de-Luchon, which was on our path, had LPG (or GPL as it is known here) so this was where we headed. On arrival we played "spot the gas pump" (I'm sure we can't be only ones who do this) to discover the pump was on the wrong side for us. I briefly considered reversing in but this was a manned station with a kiosk after the pumps. I guess it would have been a first to have reversed past the kiosk but common sense won and I used the lane to the left of the pump. Fortunately, the hose reached around and after the usual nail-biting delay when nothing happens after pressing the big green button the gas started to flow. Even at almost €1 a litre it is still cheaper than I heard folk have been paying for bottled gas in the UK.
Bagnères-de-Luchon is a spa town, twinned with Harrogate of all places and there were plenty of hotels and large coaches to be seen catering for the tourists.
We did a quick shop there then we were off up another winding road and over the Col de Peyresourde, leaving behind the Haute Garonne and entering the Haute Pyrénées region.
Our destination today was the CCP aire at Loudenvielle which is beside the Lac de Génos.
In the larger picture we are now here - almost in the very centre of the Pyrenees.
Closer up.
Mrs DBK made a stormer of a lunch: mixed baby salad leaves, fried bacon, a thick balsamic dressing then on top a partially melted goat's cheese. Eaten with buttered baguette slices and washed down with a glass of cold rosé it was delicious.
After lunch we took the path which has been built around the Lac.
Some rougher and considerably steeper paths took us up to the Château et Tour de Génos as it is marked on the map. This isn't your typical château!
The view from here of the lake and surrounding mountains was worth the effort of the short climb. The aire is on the far side, about 200m from the lake.
The mountains in the distance go up to around 2,900m or 9,500ft. We are not far from Pico de Aneto which at 3,404m or a shade over 11,000ft is the highest peak in the Pyrenees. Sadly, it may not be far away but it isn't visible from here.
After today's westward shuffle we can't put off the journey back north any longer so that is the bearing the compass on the dashboard will be showing tomorrow.
Mrs DBK is on a winning cooking streak. Prawns fried in garlic and chilli flakes for dinner! Another favourite of mine. We've struggled to find fresh uncooked prawns in France. All the ones on the fish counters are pre-cooked but you can get bags of frozen uncooked prawns in the freezer sections of supermarkets. The ones tonight still have their tails on.
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