Two Potter Around Northern France
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While at Royan you should have visited the Phare de Cordouan. Google will fill in most of the details including the 301 steps to the top 
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Thanks. An interesting and very old lighthouse. Pre-dates Smeaton's lighthouse on the Eddystone by quite a few years I think.While at Royan you should have visited the Phare de Cordouan. Google will fill in most of the details including the 301 steps to the top
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Might end up being run by Camping car parks eventually, but I hope not.Just needs to have some good weather and it will be a cracker
And the sun's shining today!
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We stayed two nights at Prahecq and on the second day had lunch at the restaurant in the town square.
We chose the set menu.
The starter was Forci Poitevin.
It might not look very appetising to some, a slice of matt green vegetables with bits in but it was extremely tasty. It was mostly chard I think with, perhaps, some spinach and bacon lardons. Very light and without the metallic taste you get with spinach alone.
The main course was Tartiflette which we first saw being cooked at the Banon cheese festival a few years ago. It's potatoes, onion, lardons again and melted cheese.
It is something which might be suitable for MH cooking, scoring an 8 out of 10 on the yummyness scale.
With wine, puds and a coffee for me just €36.
We drove north further than I would have liked after leaving Prahecq and it's excellent aire but I wanted to find somewhere with a nice beach and walking opportunities. And I knew where to go.
So we came almost to the Île de Noirmoutier and the CCP aire at La Barre du Monts.
I've been to this aire before but the first time I visited La Barre du Monts I arrived by pushbike. It was when I cycled the Velodyssy with my brother, the long-distance cycle route up the west coast of France from the Spanish border to Roscoff. We stayed overnight at the campsite next to the aire and ate in the evening at Fromentine which is an easy walk from the aire along the coastal footpath. The restaurant we ate at is still there, the Poisson Rouge and we were tempted to eat there again but didn't in the end. This was probably for the better as my brother and I had an excellent meal and it would have possibly ruined that memory if we had been served a poor meal this weekend. Sometimes revisiting places is a bad idea.
So instead we went for a circular walk from the aire today. Rain was forecast but we only had a few spots while we were out.
The coast here is typical of long stretches in this part of France, beaches backed by old sand dunes planted with pines.
The figures below are pushing nets through the water to catch shrimps I think.
These are not uncommon in France. Places to put rubbish washed up on the beach.
Tomorrow we will drive a very short distance onto the Île de Noirmoutier and an aire a bit closer to some restaurants.
We chose the set menu.
The starter was Forci Poitevin.
It might not look very appetising to some, a slice of matt green vegetables with bits in but it was extremely tasty. It was mostly chard I think with, perhaps, some spinach and bacon lardons. Very light and without the metallic taste you get with spinach alone.
The main course was Tartiflette which we first saw being cooked at the Banon cheese festival a few years ago. It's potatoes, onion, lardons again and melted cheese.
It is something which might be suitable for MH cooking, scoring an 8 out of 10 on the yummyness scale.
With wine, puds and a coffee for me just €36.
We drove north further than I would have liked after leaving Prahecq and it's excellent aire but I wanted to find somewhere with a nice beach and walking opportunities. And I knew where to go.
So we came almost to the Île de Noirmoutier and the CCP aire at La Barre du Monts.
I've been to this aire before but the first time I visited La Barre du Monts I arrived by pushbike. It was when I cycled the Velodyssy with my brother, the long-distance cycle route up the west coast of France from the Spanish border to Roscoff. We stayed overnight at the campsite next to the aire and ate in the evening at Fromentine which is an easy walk from the aire along the coastal footpath. The restaurant we ate at is still there, the Poisson Rouge and we were tempted to eat there again but didn't in the end. This was probably for the better as my brother and I had an excellent meal and it would have possibly ruined that memory if we had been served a poor meal this weekend. Sometimes revisiting places is a bad idea.
So instead we went for a circular walk from the aire today. Rain was forecast but we only had a few spots while we were out.
The coast here is typical of long stretches in this part of France, beaches backed by old sand dunes planted with pines.
The figures below are pushing nets through the water to catch shrimps I think.
These are not uncommon in France. Places to put rubbish washed up on the beach.
Tomorrow we will drive a very short distance onto the Île de Noirmoutier and an aire a bit closer to some restaurants.
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My niece's husband to be proposed to her on one of Noirmoutier's Beach's.
I visited the island a few years later but strangely enough couldn't find a plaque anywhere
I visited the island a few years later but strangely enough couldn't find a plaque anywhere
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We drove onto the Île de Noirmoutier this morning and a fifteen minute hop brought us to a well rated aire (CC1429) but it wouldn't let us in! The machine where we could buy a code to open the barrier showed only garbage on its screen. There was a number to ring but it was overcast and drizzly and we couldn't be bothered to wait for someone to turn up, so we left.
A drive of a little over half an hour brought us to the village of Sallertaine.
In close up.
The blue lines are all drains. This place is like the Somerset Levels.
We are in the Vendée region and this sort of ground or habitat is known as marais. It occurs in several place on the west coast of France. The Marais Breton is north of us and the Marais Poitevin, the second largest wetland in France is to the south.
This region should be called the Marais Champignon as we saw a lot of big mushrooms growing in the fields today. Sadly all the really big ones were the wrong side of a drain but I collected enough this afternoon for tomorrow's breakfast.
We are on another CCP aire and another good one (they aren't all) which even has a bird hide next to it.
The birds were not too exotic. Lots of moorhens, which I always prefer over the superficially similar but thuggish coot and little egrets. The latter obviously thought they were cattle egrets as there were groups standing around the cows in the field. An activity they have clearly found more profitable than standing up to their knees in water by the side of a drain.
Sallertaine is an unexpectedly attractive village. It is full of small artisan workshops and related shops. Even the hairdressers called themselves "artisans" which suggested to us they used a scythe.
The church claim to have been founded in the XI century.
The front door certainly had some age.
But like a few of these churches I also wonder how much of the earliest church still remains.
We may have found the answer here.
I suspect these low walls, made from much smaller and less finely worked stone are the remains of the first church. But good on the village for preserving them.
The stone theme continued at our next stopping point, the Jardin de Vaulieu. I found this place from the geocache app because the only cache shown in the village was of a type I haven't tried before. It was an "Earthcache" which isn't a place where you find a plastic box but an interesting geological feature.
Here the feature is a former limestone quarry, closed around 1950 and now a municipal garden.
This is no Grand Canyon and the geological stuff is understated but it is interesting.
The oddest thing about the above is that it isn't really a low cliff, it is a wall and about two or at most three foot think.
In this shot, with Charlie for scale, is another low wall. This is solid stone, it has been fashioned not constructed although there are a few blocks in it if you look closely. These might be repairs to the original solid wall.
I suspect the walls were used to divide up the quarry and were boundary lines around areas where families could extract stones.
The village is full of small houses, all well kept, which possibly belonged to the quarry workers.
All the artisan locations are marked by a bicycle.
And there are a few of them, every red blob on this map is one, but they are almost all closed at this time of year.
The machine where we could buy a code to open the barrier showed only garbage on its screen. There was a number to ring but it was overcast and drizzly and we couldn't be bothered to wait for someone to turn up, so we left.A drive of a little over half an hour brought us to the village of Sallertaine.
In close up.
The blue lines are all drains. This place is like the Somerset Levels.
We are in the Vendée region and this sort of ground or habitat is known as marais. It occurs in several place on the west coast of France. The Marais Breton is north of us and the Marais Poitevin, the second largest wetland in France is to the south.
This region should be called the Marais Champignon as we saw a lot of big mushrooms growing in the fields today. Sadly all the really big ones were the wrong side of a drain but I collected enough this afternoon for tomorrow's breakfast.
We are on another CCP aire and another good one (they aren't all) which even has a bird hide next to it.
The birds were not too exotic. Lots of moorhens, which I always prefer over the superficially similar but thuggish coot and little egrets. The latter obviously thought they were cattle egrets as there were groups standing around the cows in the field. An activity they have clearly found more profitable than standing up to their knees in water by the side of a drain.
Sallertaine is an unexpectedly attractive village. It is full of small artisan workshops and related shops. Even the hairdressers called themselves "artisans" which suggested to us they used a scythe.
The church claim to have been founded in the XI century.
The front door certainly had some age.
But like a few of these churches I also wonder how much of the earliest church still remains.
We may have found the answer here.
I suspect these low walls, made from much smaller and less finely worked stone are the remains of the first church. But good on the village for preserving them.
The stone theme continued at our next stopping point, the Jardin de Vaulieu. I found this place from the geocache app because the only cache shown in the village was of a type I haven't tried before. It was an "Earthcache" which isn't a place where you find a plastic box but an interesting geological feature.
Here the feature is a former limestone quarry, closed around 1950 and now a municipal garden.
This is no Grand Canyon and the geological stuff is understated but it is interesting.
The oddest thing about the above is that it isn't really a low cliff, it is a wall and about two or at most three foot think.
In this shot, with Charlie for scale, is another low wall. This is solid stone, it has been fashioned not constructed although there are a few blocks in it if you look closely. These might be repairs to the original solid wall.
I suspect the walls were used to divide up the quarry and were boundary lines around areas where families could extract stones.
The village is full of small houses, all well kept, which possibly belonged to the quarry workers.
All the artisan locations are marked by a bicycle.
And there are a few of them, every red blob on this map is one, but they are almost all closed at this time of year.
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- Dec 24, 2009
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Just catching up with the thread.
Double decker merry go rounds - there used to be a very old one on the quayside at St Gilles Croix de Vie - first time we saw it would have been in 1999 - always cheered Jenny up because it was just so jolly. The one in your pic looks very similar.
The place near Brantome - we were on the aire there a couple of years ago just after the resident coypu in the river bank opposite had taught her babies to swim so she used to lead them on destination swims a few times a day. They were just lovely little bundles of fluff and we'd never seen any that young before, so we walked along level with them until a French MH-er asked what we were looking at, so we explained and pointed. Ah yes said he. Rogadon (it sounded like) then rubbed his tummy and added - Excellent pate! and laughed.
Always wondered since whether he was jesting or not? Well not, apparently! Beginning of September on the Ile d'Oleron, there was a charcuterie with an 'A' board in front of it with a drawing of said animal, announcing 'Pate du Ragadin au Cognac', now we're wondering if the Cognac is absolutely necessary to render it edible - or not? LOL
St Flour - always looked intriguing when we passed it on the A75 - so we went. Very old indeed, some of it, and we happened to go on market day at whatever time of year they happen to harvest chestnuts. Did you know some are appellation controlle'd and come in the prettiest colours of shell, including a very deep maroon ?
Aire was part of a carpark at the edge of the town and a bit lonely plus under trees, so we didn't fancy staying there and didn't.
Double decker merry go rounds - there used to be a very old one on the quayside at St Gilles Croix de Vie - first time we saw it would have been in 1999 - always cheered Jenny up because it was just so jolly. The one in your pic looks very similar.
The place near Brantome - we were on the aire there a couple of years ago just after the resident coypu in the river bank opposite had taught her babies to swim so she used to lead them on destination swims a few times a day. They were just lovely little bundles of fluff and we'd never seen any that young before, so we walked along level with them until a French MH-er asked what we were looking at, so we explained and pointed. Ah yes said he. Rogadon (it sounded like) then rubbed his tummy and added - Excellent pate! and laughed.
Always wondered since whether he was jesting or not? Well not, apparently! Beginning of September on the Ile d'Oleron, there was a charcuterie with an 'A' board in front of it with a drawing of said animal, announcing 'Pate du Ragadin au Cognac', now we're wondering if the Cognac is absolutely necessary to render it edible - or not? LOL
St Flour - always looked intriguing when we passed it on the A75 - so we went. Very old indeed, some of it, and we happened to go on market day at whatever time of year they happen to harvest chestnuts. Did you know some are appellation controlle'd and come in the prettiest colours of shell, including a very deep maroon ?
Aire was part of a carpark at the edge of the town and a bit lonely plus under trees, so we didn't fancy staying there and didn't.
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The coypu is a pest in France and farmers legally shoot any that are seen on their land. They cause a lot of damage by tunnelling into the banks of reservoirs and causing them to often run dry.
Interesting ... we first saw a Copyu in Castelnaudry and a French lady joked that the Belgians ate them for dinner ...
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An old workmate of mine, when, in his twenties, booked a cruiser holiday in the Broads with a pal and their girlfriends. It was agreed that each couple could have some "private time" below decks and the other couple would stay topside, driving the boat. A few days in, my mate shouted for his pal, "Quick, come and see this !" The lad wrapped a towel around himself and shot up topside, where my pal was pointing to the river bank and asking " What's that huge rat ? " His pal took one look at it and said rather sarcastically " Coypu Interruptus ! " 
- Aug 18, 2011
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Always think Artisan equals very expensive,,??BUSBY.We drove onto the Île de Noirmoutier this morning and a fifteen minute hop brought us to a well rated aire (CC1429) but it wouldn't let us in!
A drive of a little over half an hour brought us to the village of Sallertaine.
View attachment 339137
In close up.
View attachment 339117
The blue lines are all drains. This place is like the Somerset Levels.
View attachment 339119
We are in the Vendée region and this sort of ground or habitat is known as marais. It occurs in several place on the west coast of France. The Marais Breton is north of us and the Marais Poitevin, the second largest wetland in France is to the south.
This region should be called the Marais Champignon as we saw a lot of big mushrooms growing in the fields today. Sadly all the really big ones were the wrong side of a drain but I collected enough this afternoon for tomorrow's breakfast.
We are on another CCP aire and another good one (they aren't all) which even has a bird hide next to it.
View attachment 339123
The birds were not too exotic. Lots of moorhens, which I always prefer over the superficially similar but thuggish coot and little egrets. The latter obviously thought they were cattle egrets as there were groups standing around the cows in the field. An activity they have clearly found more profitable than standing up to their knees in water by the side of a drain.
Sallertaine is an unexpectedly attractive village. It is full of small artisan workshops and related shops. Even the hairdressers called themselves "artisans" which suggested to us they used a scythe.
The church claim to have been founded in the XI century.
View attachment 339125
The front door certainly had some age.
View attachment 339126
But like a few of these churches I also wonder how much of the earliest church still remains.
We may have found the answer here.
View attachment 339127
I suspect these low walls, made from much smaller and less finely worked stone are the remains of the first church. But good on the village for preserving them.
The stone theme continued at our next stopping point, the Jardin de Vaulieu. I found this place from the geocache app because the only cache shown in the village was of a type I haven't tried before. It was an "Earthcache" which isn't a place where you find a plastic box but an interesting geological feature.
Here the feature is a former limestone quarry, closed around 1950 and now a municipal garden.
This is no Grand Canyon and the geological stuff is understated but it is interesting.
View attachment 339130
The oddest thing about the above is that it isn't really a low cliff, it is a wall and about two or at most three foot think.
In this shot, with Charlie for scale, is another low wall. This is solid stone, it has been fashioned not constructed although there are a few blocks in it if you look closely. These might be repairs to the original solid wall.
View attachment 339131
I suspect the walls were used to divide up the quarry and were boundary lines around areas where families could extract stones.
The village is full of small houses, all well kept, which possibly belonged to the quarry workers.
View attachment 339132
All the artisan locations are marked by a bicycle.
View attachment 339134
And there are a few of them, every red blob on this map is one, but they are almost all closed at this time of year.
View attachment 339135
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The French make pate out of them,,BUSBY.
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We saw quite a few road kill coypu this morning. They were all a bit flat but I guess could have been turned into coypu schnitzels.
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The mushrooms I collected on the marais were very tasty and with a much better flavour than the ones I collected a few days ago growing on sand. It shouldn't be a surprise I guess that the richer ground gives a better flavour.
Staying on the subject of food this menu includes grillé de mogettes as a starter.
It puzzled me and a nearby shop claimed they sold mogettes too, so whatever they are, I thought, they must be a local delicacy, perhaps something living in the drains of the marais?
The answer isn't so exciting. Mogettes are a white bean from South America and for some reason are eaten in this part of the Vendée. I've bought a packet of dried ones to take home as the local supermarket stocked them as well.
We drove a little further up the coast yesterday to the southern end of the Loire estuary and an aire at Préfailles.
There are no less than three CCP aires here. All are within easy walking distance of the coast.The "Les Pinettes" one is closest to the point and the fleshpots but it is surrounded by tall trees and with rain and heavy rain forecast for the night we opted for the "La Pointe" aire which has no trees to drip on us or come crashing down on top of us.
The close up map above shows a semaphore.
If I read the sign correctly it dates from 1806 and originally stood on too of a building. It has been heavily restored I think.
Near by were some sheep. Quite small sheep and they had lambs. The one on the left is feeding her lamp. The slightly larger sheep on the right with horns is responsible, he's the ram. The lambs were quite big and probably born at the end of September which seems an odd time for lambing. They may have misinterpreted the semaphore message.
A line of gun emplacements, now filled in, must date from WW2 when St Nazaire was a major port for the German navy.
The beach at Préfailles was attractive in the sunshine though sadly clouds and rain arrived later.
There are dozens of geocaches around here although our efforts scored a few too many DNFs for my liking.*
What we did find were these.
There are two toadstools they could be, one is "potentially edible" according to my book but they might well be Panther Cap which is most certainly not safe to eat. The physical difference between the two is down to whether the ring around the stem has grooves in it. If it has grooves you might be safe, if it doesn't it might kill you. I left them undisturbed.
Panther Cap has the same toxins as the red and white Magic Mushroom, Fly Agaric, but in much higher concentrations. Best avoided.
* Did Not Find.
Staying on the subject of food this menu includes grillé de mogettes as a starter.
It puzzled me and a nearby shop claimed they sold mogettes too, so whatever they are, I thought, they must be a local delicacy, perhaps something living in the drains of the marais?
The answer isn't so exciting. Mogettes are a white bean from South America and for some reason are eaten in this part of the Vendée. I've bought a packet of dried ones to take home as the local supermarket stocked them as well.
We drove a little further up the coast yesterday to the southern end of the Loire estuary and an aire at Préfailles.
There are no less than three CCP aires here. All are within easy walking distance of the coast.The "Les Pinettes" one is closest to the point and the fleshpots but it is surrounded by tall trees and with rain and heavy rain forecast for the night we opted for the "La Pointe" aire which has no trees to drip on us or come crashing down on top of us.
The close up map above shows a semaphore.
If I read the sign correctly it dates from 1806 and originally stood on too of a building. It has been heavily restored I think.
Near by were some sheep. Quite small sheep and they had lambs. The one on the left is feeding her lamp. The slightly larger sheep on the right with horns is responsible, he's the ram. The lambs were quite big and probably born at the end of September which seems an odd time for lambing. They may have misinterpreted the semaphore message.
A line of gun emplacements, now filled in, must date from WW2 when St Nazaire was a major port for the German navy.
The beach at Préfailles was attractive in the sunshine though sadly clouds and rain arrived later.
There are dozens of geocaches around here although our efforts scored a few too many DNFs for my liking.*
What we did find were these.
There are two toadstools they could be, one is "potentially edible" according to my book but they might well be Panther Cap which is most certainly not safe to eat. The physical difference between the two is down to whether the ring around the stem has grooves in it. If it has grooves you might be safe, if it doesn't it might kill you. I left them undisturbed.
Panther Cap has the same toxins as the red and white Magic Mushroom, Fly Agaric, but in much higher concentrations. Best avoided.
* Did Not Find.
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We had a laundry day yesterday using the washing machines at the Intermarché supermarket near Préfailles. It took some time, there were two washing machines and we used both of them but only one tumble dryer and it took a while to get everything dry. I would have preferred a laundrette as they are likely to have more machines but I couldn't find one locally. But the supermarket machines took contactless payment which saved going into our reserves of coins.
Washing eventually completed we drove on up the coast, crossing the impressive bridge over the Loire at St Nazaire. Just before the bridge we drove by the town of St Michel Chef Chef. With a name like that it must be famous for its restaurants but sadly the name has nothing to do with cooking. There are two competing theories about the origin of the name and both are boring. It seems the Chef bits are corruptions of other words which may refer to a point of land or be a reference to someone who lived here.
We didn't drive far but it rained continuously all the way but it briefly stopped when arrived at La Turballe at the mouth of the Loire estuary.
Close up.
This is a busy harbour with many fishing vessels as well as the usual pleasure craft.
Not all were tied up. One of these is returning and the other leaving. They are bigger vessels than the one above which was probably sheltering from the very strong wind which was blowing.
This area used to be in Brittany and there is a Breton look and feel to place.
We will move on tomorrow but not far, just 8 Km according to the satnav.
Washing eventually completed we drove on up the coast, crossing the impressive bridge over the Loire at St Nazaire. Just before the bridge we drove by the town of St Michel Chef Chef. With a name like that it must be famous for its restaurants but sadly the name has nothing to do with cooking. There are two competing theories about the origin of the name and both are boring. It seems the Chef bits are corruptions of other words which may refer to a point of land or be a reference to someone who lived here.
We didn't drive far but it rained continuously all the way but it briefly stopped when arrived at La Turballe at the mouth of the Loire estuary.
Close up.
This is a busy harbour with many fishing vessels as well as the usual pleasure craft.
Not all were tied up. One of these is returning and the other leaving. They are bigger vessels than the one above which was probably sheltering from the very strong wind which was blowing.
This area used to be in Brittany and there is a Breton look and feel to place.
We will move on tomorrow but not far, just 8 Km according to the satnav.
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You are in our area now, we have a static caravan between La Baule and St Andre des Eaux, unfortunately, or fortunately we are at our other residence in Portugal now.
Love the area, camped at Quimiac 20 years ago and have had the static for 12 now, lots of Aires in the area, most of them cost now in theory but have yet to find out where to pay on some.
We stayed on that Aire next to the camp site a couple of years ago, the Pinettes one was being converted to a CCP one at the time.
we are at our other residence in Portugal now.Love the area, camped at Quimiac 20 years ago and have had the static for 12 now, lots of Aires in the area, most of them cost now in theory but have yet to find out where to pay on some.
We stayed on that Aire next to the camp site a couple of years ago, the Pinettes one was being converted to a CCP one at the time.
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It is a nice area, not one I've really visited before. But you are wise to stay in Portugal - it's not too warm or dry here, although we did manage a walk this afternoon in sunshine but a strong wind was blowing.You are in our area now, we have a static caravan between La Baule and St Andre des Eaux, unfortunately, or fortunately
Love the area, camped at Quimiac 20 years ago and have had the static for 12 now, lots of Aires in the area, most of them cost now in theory but have yet to find out where to pay on some.
We stayed on that Aire next to the camp site a couple of years ago, the Pinettes one was being converted to a CCP one at the time.
- Dec 24, 2009
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The mogettes are not unlike the beans called 'gigantes' in Greece. We've only had them once in France (at St Hilaire de Riez) over 10 years ago served with boiled bacon - and they were so mega salty we thought they were vile. Would be interested to know if they always taste like that?
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I'll try them in something like a cassoulet, a dish we've had a couple of times on this trip. Not homemade, but out of a jar off a supermarket shelf. A cheap meal.
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The slow shuffle up the coast continues and we are spending the weekend at the aire at Mine d'Or, CC69838.
Closer up.
The long beach running north from the aire is the Plage Mine d'Or which is famed for its orange colour.
There are three distinct layers in the cliff. The bottom one is a metamorphic micaschist modified by kaolin, which I only know because of something I read! The more interesting layers are above this. The narrow dark band has cobbles in it.
The top layer in the cliff is a mixture of sand and gravel and this is where the name Mine d'Or originates. The middle layer with cobbles is only on part of the cliff, the majority of the cliff is just the top and bottom layers.
In the middle of the 19th century a man called Bonnefin was granted permission to wash this sand and gravel to extract gold. The sand and gravel was once the bed of an ancient river and gold was washed down it from long vanished mountains upstream.
Unfortunately, the amount of gold found was tiny and the mine closed at the beginning of the 20th century. "All good things end M. Bonnefin" as a French website quotes in the first French pun I've come across.
The metal theme continues with the name of the village just north of us, Pénestin which comes from Pen Sten or town of tin.
There are no less than 3 CCP aires on this peninsula and we've used the one without services before, it is just a short walk from where we are now.
And walking is what we have been doing. Yesterday we walked on the coastal path on top of the cliff to a little beyond the end of the Plage Mine d'Or then returned on the beach, as the tide was going out. The sand was firm and walking easy. On a falling tide this is safe but you could be cut off on a rising tide as the water reaches the bottom of the cliff, and you don't want to be close to the cliff - it is eroding and bits fall off it from time to time!
The next beach south is renowned for its cockles and in the afternoon at low tide I took my little hand rake and had a dibble. It didn't take long to collect enough for a meal but I now realise almost all the ones I collected were undersized. Oops! Fortunately I was able to escape the beach with my illegal haul - it would probably have resulted in a fine if I had been caught. I've seen police checking on other beaches in France.
I washed the cockles in the sea then left them for a couple of hours in a bucket of sea water. This is supposed to encourage them to spit out any sand and it must have worked as there was some fine sand in the bottom of the bucket and the cockles, when we ate them were grit free.
This is how I cooked them.
Put some oil in the bottom of a frying pan and when it is hot add the cockles and stir them.
When they are all open stir in four cloves of finely chopped garlic. After a minute add a glass of white wine.
I cooked them for about five more minutes and if you had any (we didn't) you could add chopped parsley at the end.
Then eat.
Despite their diminutive size there was a surprising amount of meat in them - and they were very tasty.
Today we turned left out of the aire and walked south on the coastal footpath. There are lots of geocaches in both directions some easier to find than others.
And we had blue sky!
Having foraged part of yesterday's supper, we had the cockles as a starter, I did a bit more foraging this afternoon. Mrs DBK had spotted two mushrooms in the field next to the aire as we returned from our walk.
I thought they were horse mushrooms at first but a closer look suggests they are the closely related macro mushroom, Agaricus urinascens. They should smell strongly of aniseed when cooking for tomorrow's breakfast. If they don't they will go in the bin. They also smell differently if you keep them for a few days. And what they smell like gives rise to the second part of their Latin name. We won't be keeping them that long.
Closer up.
The long beach running north from the aire is the Plage Mine d'Or which is famed for its orange colour.
There are three distinct layers in the cliff. The bottom one is a metamorphic micaschist modified by kaolin, which I only know because of something I read! The more interesting layers are above this. The narrow dark band has cobbles in it.
The top layer in the cliff is a mixture of sand and gravel and this is where the name Mine d'Or originates. The middle layer with cobbles is only on part of the cliff, the majority of the cliff is just the top and bottom layers.
In the middle of the 19th century a man called Bonnefin was granted permission to wash this sand and gravel to extract gold. The sand and gravel was once the bed of an ancient river and gold was washed down it from long vanished mountains upstream.
Unfortunately, the amount of gold found was tiny and the mine closed at the beginning of the 20th century. "All good things end M. Bonnefin" as a French website quotes in the first French pun I've come across.
The metal theme continues with the name of the village just north of us, Pénestin which comes from Pen Sten or town of tin.
There are no less than 3 CCP aires on this peninsula and we've used the one without services before, it is just a short walk from where we are now.
And walking is what we have been doing.
Yesterday we walked on the coastal path on top of the cliff to a little beyond the end of the Plage Mine d'Or then returned on the beach, as the tide was going out. The sand was firm and walking easy. On a falling tide this is safe but you could be cut off on a rising tide as the water reaches the bottom of the cliff, and you don't want to be close to the cliff - it is eroding and bits fall off it from time to time!The next beach south is renowned for its cockles and in the afternoon at low tide I took my little hand rake and had a dibble. It didn't take long to collect enough for a meal but I now realise almost all the ones I collected were undersized. Oops! Fortunately I was able to escape the beach with my illegal haul - it would probably have resulted in a fine if I had been caught. I've seen police checking on other beaches in France.
I washed the cockles in the sea then left them for a couple of hours in a bucket of sea water. This is supposed to encourage them to spit out any sand and it must have worked as there was some fine sand in the bottom of the bucket and the cockles, when we ate them were grit free.
This is how I cooked them.
Put some oil in the bottom of a frying pan and when it is hot add the cockles and stir them.
When they are all open stir in four cloves of finely chopped garlic. After a minute add a glass of white wine.
I cooked them for about five more minutes and if you had any (we didn't) you could add chopped parsley at the end.
Then eat.
Despite their diminutive size there was a surprising amount of meat in them - and they were very tasty.
Today we turned left out of the aire and walked south on the coastal footpath. There are lots of geocaches in both directions some easier to find than others.
And we had blue sky!
Having foraged part of yesterday's supper, we had the cockles as a starter, I did a bit more foraging this afternoon. Mrs DBK had spotted two mushrooms in the field next to the aire as we returned from our walk.
I thought they were horse mushrooms at first but a closer look suggests they are the closely related macro mushroom, Agaricus urinascens. They should smell strongly of aniseed when cooking for tomorrow's breakfast. If they don't they will go in the bin. They also smell differently if you keep them for a few days. And what they smell like gives rise to the second part of their Latin name. We won't be keeping them that long.
Last edited:
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
We have abandoned the coast for one night. I was tempted to drive the half kilometre to the CCP aire we've used before for no better reason than it is away from houses and street lights. This is because tonight is the peak of the Orionid Meteors when the Earth passes through debris left by Hailey's comet and clear skies are forecast. But instead we've come inland to an aire which should still give us a reasonable view of the sky.
We have come to one of France's "Beautiful Villages", Rochefort en Terre.
The Michelin road atlas lists at least twelve places with "Rochefort" in their name. When I came across the one near La Rochelle on a cycling tour I wondered where they kept the cheese! But the name has nothing to do with cheese (different spelling) it means "strong point" and this particular Rochefort we are near lives up to that image. It is at the top of a hill but not too much higher than the aire.
Here's a few shots of R en T.
The usual arty shops.
Plus the soap sellers and purveyors of cheap jewellery at possibly not cheap prices - we didn't go in. It must be a bit miserable for the shop owners and staff as though there were people going in and out of the few shops which were open there was little sign of anyone buying something.
But this place was fun, or would have been if it was open. A shop selling wooden toys.
The main pretty bits.
And lots of narrow streets and old doors etc. This place is very touristy but on a Monday afternoon in late October it was pleasantly almost empty.
There is a château here or to be more accurate two, a few walls of an old one and a later one, owned and still being renovated by the Commune.
The château has a small chapel at the bottom of the garden.
The interior of the roof must have been done by a boat builder.
The well was interesting. No bucket on a rope for the folk who lived here.
Note the eccentric attached to a rod going down into the well. I assume some sort of pump is at the bottom of it. Probably a lift pump or if the well is very deep a series of them. Note also the eccentric isn't connected directly to the hand wheel but is seriously geared down. Intriguing.
Not the most uplifting of statues.
Another showed a seated man with his hands tied together. Weird.
On which subject an animated bit of sculpture in front of the ruined bit of château.
We have come to one of France's "Beautiful Villages", Rochefort en Terre.
The Michelin road atlas lists at least twelve places with "Rochefort" in their name. When I came across the one near La Rochelle on a cycling tour I wondered where they kept the cheese! But the name has nothing to do with cheese (different spelling) it means "strong point" and this particular Rochefort we are near lives up to that image. It is at the top of a hill but not too much higher than the aire.
Here's a few shots of R en T.
The usual arty shops.
Plus the soap sellers and purveyors of cheap jewellery at possibly not cheap prices - we didn't go in. It must be a bit miserable for the shop owners and staff as though there were people going in and out of the few shops which were open there was little sign of anyone buying something.
But this place was fun, or would have been if it was open. A shop selling wooden toys.
The main pretty bits.
And lots of narrow streets and old doors etc. This place is very touristy but on a Monday afternoon in late October it was pleasantly almost empty.
There is a château here or to be more accurate two, a few walls of an old one and a later one, owned and still being renovated by the Commune.
The château has a small chapel at the bottom of the garden.
The interior of the roof must have been done by a boat builder.
The well was interesting. No bucket on a rope for the folk who lived here.
Note the eccentric attached to a rod going down into the well. I assume some sort of pump is at the bottom of it. Probably a lift pump or if the well is very deep a series of them. Note also the eccentric isn't connected directly to the hand wheel but is seriously geared down. Intriguing.
Not the most uplifting of statues.
Another showed a seated man with his hands tied together. Weird.
On which subject an animated bit of sculpture in front of the ruined bit of château.
Last edited:
Loving this thread, as usual.
Unfortunately, on your last post, I can only see your first, very colourful photo and the video. All the others are just listed jpegs
Unfortunately, on your last post, I can only see your first, very colourful photo and the video. All the others are just listed jpegs
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
It's showing ok for me and on Mary's tablet but I had problems getting one of the images uploaded at one point. I can only suggest rebooting and see if that makes any difference.Loving this thread, as usual.
Unfortunately, on your last post, I can only see your first, very colourful photo and the video. All the others are just listed jpegs
moulin 87
Free Member
Coypu visit our garden most nights, in mid winter they love old acorns from under the oak trees.. Occasionally perhaps once every 15 years the hunt arrives to cull them but it makes little difference.
luckily they rear their young 200 metres upstream so they are not concerned about our dog, If not they would attack it...
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Loving this thread, as usual.
Unfortunately, on your last post, I can only see your first, very colourful photo and the video. All the others are just listed jpegs
all ok on my iPad...?
It's showing ok for me and on Mary's tablet but I had problems getting one of the images uploaded at one point. I can only suggest rebooting and see if that makes any difference.
Strangely, they are all there now. Going back to look at them properly.
Thanks.
OP
OP
DBK
LIFE MEMBER
I forgot to cover the mushrooms.
All down to Mrs DBK, she spotted them in the field, I was just the agricultural labourer who harvested them.
As a reminder, them being two of these.
About 4" across and remarkably heavy. Possibly young Horse Mushrooms but more likely the closely related Macro Mushroom.
Mrs DBK chopped them up with two cloves of garlic.
Unlike my rookie error when I tried this Mrs DBK left out the garlic until the mushrooms were starting to give up water in the butter. Only then did she add the garlic to the frying pan.
Served on buttered toast.
Ideally we needed two more mushrooms but what we had was tasty and filling.
And no, I couldn't smell aniseed while they were cooking, only garlic.
And we are still in good health and I have not had to learn the French for "Yes doctor, both ends at the same time."
All down to Mrs DBK, she spotted them in the field, I was just the agricultural labourer who harvested them.
As a reminder, them being two of these.
About 4" across and remarkably heavy. Possibly young Horse Mushrooms but more likely the closely related Macro Mushroom.
Mrs DBK chopped them up with two cloves of garlic.
Unlike my rookie error when I tried this Mrs DBK left out the garlic until the mushrooms were starting to give up water in the butter. Only then did she add the garlic to the frying pan.
Served on buttered toast.
Ideally we needed two more mushrooms but what we had was tasty and filling.
And no, I couldn't smell aniseed while they were cooking, only garlic.
And we are still in good health and I have not had to learn the French for "Yes doctor, both ends at the same time."
I forgot to cover the mushrooms.
All down to Mrs DBK, she spotted them in the field, I was just the agricultural labourer who harvested them.
As a reminder, them being two of these.
View attachment 340617
About 4" across and remarkably heavy. Possibly young Horse Mushrooms but more likely the closely related Macro Mushroom.
Mrs DBK chopped them up with two cloves of garlic.
View attachment 340618
Unlike my rookie error when I tried this Mrs DBK left out the garlic until the mushrooms were starting to give up water in the butter. Only then did she add the garlic to the frying pan.
Served on buttered toast.
View attachment 340620
Ideally we needed two more mushrooms but what we had was tasty and filling.
And no, I couldn't smell aniseed while they were cooking, only garlic.
And we are still in good health and I have not had to learn the French for "Yes doctor, both ends at the same time."
Very brave eating foraged mushrooms. Something I'd love to do but ... too frit!!!
Loving this thread, as usual.
Unfortunately, on your last post, I can only see your first, very colourful photo and the video. All the others are just listed jpegs
Working ok for me ?
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