The Dordogne and Simorre

12.7

‘A bientot’ to Guy our camp Manager who helped us improve our French whilst improving his English!  We by passed Toulouse, Montauban, through small medieval hilltop villages and beautiful rolling fields of sunflowers, corn and oak lined country roads.   Through Castelnaudary to the tiny village of Durfort la Capelette where we decided to freecamp for the night in the park next to the school and opposite the Mayor’s office.  The outdoor power point next to the school came in very handy!

13.7
Up early and greeted by fields of ‘smiling sunflowers’and vineyards as we travelled the final 90kms to St. Colomb de Lauzun, about 30kms from Bergerac in the Dordogne.  We were met by our friends, Keith, Kirsten, Sandy and Edi who’ve rented a country farmhouse for the week.  Swims, catching up and a walk through the surrounding corn and sunflower fields.


14.7  Bastille Day!

We visited the small Medieval town of Eymet in the morning and headed for Bergerac in the early evening to celebrate Bastille Day!  Bergerac is the capital of the Perigord Pourpre and is one of the largest wine growing areas of the Aquitaine.  It is a beautiful town with restaurants, cafes, cobblestone
streets and a medieval river harbour.


After pasta and icecreams, we headed back down to the harbour to join the crowds waiting for the fireworks display to commence on an Island opposite.  At 10:30 the lights went out and a most spectacular and colourful  display filled the sky, choreographed to music and lasting for over an hour!  One of the best we’ve seen!


15.7
Up to the little village Boulangerie/Patisserie for ‘pain au chocolat’ and coissants for breakfast and visited the small privately owned medieval ‘Chateau de Lauzun’ also in the village.

16.7      
‘Canoe Detente’ bused us to Carsac and the Dordogne River where we paddled passed some of the most famous chateaux and pretty medieval cliff face villages that provided defensive strongholds against the English in the 13^th Century.  We spent a fun day canoeing 28kms with stops  for lunch and swims! 

It definitely got the muscles working!  We passed Chateau de Montfort, Vitrac, Cenac, La Roque Gageac, Chateau de Castelnaud, Chateau de Fayrac, Chateau de Baynac and Chateau des Milandes. 



7.7 - 21.7

After an awesome few days, we said our ‘goodbyes’ and left St Colomb-de-Lauzun making our way through Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Agen and Auch to the charming, peaceful little village of ‘Simorre’ with it’s fortified church.  It’s roughly 70k sth west of Toulouse in the Gers and our NZ friends Richard and Ingrid rotate between here and NZ every 6 months or so. 

Lots of catching up and  helping them work their way through some wonderful cheeses, wine/rose.  A true French experience!  We found a good parking place for Lefty right next to the X1Vth century church, he’ll be well looked after whilst we’re in London for the Games in a week’s time. 

Lunches at ‘Le Bourche a L’Oreille Cafe/Restaurante’ in the Square, the ‘plat du jour’, three courses with wine/coffee for 12 euros each.  Ingrid had enough of us after just one day and flew to New York on 19 July for 10 days!!!!          


We swam in the neighbours pool up the road, a beautiful home overlooking the sunflower fields.  Richard is house minding and pool cleaning!  Had a tour of the surrounding area following the route used by the recent 'Tour de France'.  Richard has been an amazing host but is secretly using us as guinea pigs for his new "French Experience"package holiday!!!  We will send an invoice!



Richard and Ingrids House

Cavaliere to Carcassonne

9.7   Cavaliere
  
Took a 3 hour walk to the top of the hill overlooking Cavaliere.  A fantastic panorama but hot work in the midday sun.
Treated ourselves to a frozen slushy drink once back to sea level.

After sunset beers and no frites as they didn’t arrive!! We were hanging out for them!

 10.7



Last day at Cavaliere so Pam went to the Monday market (Bikini no 3!) and we hit the beach for last swims.


                                    
 11.7

Off early and took our first ‘peage’ route through Toulon and Marseille (about 8 euros including the tunnels) to avoid the big cities.  We followed the Grand Rhone towards Arles and the Camargue.  After Marseille the route was quite industrialised but gave way to a beautifuly quiet road  through the wet lands, passing fields of sunflowers, marshes and rice fields.  A totally new vista which we enjoyed!  Through the Parc Naturel Regional De Carmargue with it’s small white horses and varied bird life to the seaside resort of Saintes- Maries-de la Mer. 

A Spanish like town with narrow streets and white washed buildings, it’s many restaurants offering large pans of seafood paella.  It’s here that the Gypsy festival is held every May, dancing, music in the streets, flamenco and bull fighting.  We plan to catch it next year.  A great  relaxed feel to the town and not over crowded considering the numbers.  It’s also ‘campervan heaven’ as there is an ‘Aires’ on the beach running for 3kms (9.80 Euros per night)  It was packed!

We had a swim on one of the small, rock walled, sandy beaches and then decided to continue on.  We finally stopped at Carnon Plage, a 3km surf beach with sandhills and free overnight parking the whole length.  Heaps of kite surfers here!

We parked and were immediately joined by two other French campervans who decided to stay as long as we did!


12.7

A mixed drive this morning passing long sandy beaches and heavy retail areas.  Through Frontignan, Sete, Agde, and Beziers.  Sete looked an interesting town with it’s ‘Venice’ like waterways.

Once passed Beziers we were back into the rural aspect with vineyards and sunflower fields.  A good drive to Trebes where we camped at a great Camp,  ‘La Commanderie’ (20euros) 15kms from Carcassonne.

On our bikes for a ride along the Canal du Midi to Carcassonne and it’s fairy-tale castle.
The Canal du Midi is a 240 kms man made waterway built in 1666 over a 15 year period. It runs between Toulouse and Sete and forms part of the system allowing boats uninterrupted passage between the Med and the Atlantic.


The first canal boat we passed was flying a NZ flag and a Silver Fern!  When they return home they will tell tales of two mad French cyclists waving and yelling at them “ Allez les All Blacks” and “Go Kiwis”!!!

A fantastic ride along the canal all the way to Carcassonne where we parked the bikes.  We walked through the lower town (Ville Basse) and onto ‘La Cite,’ the old walled medieval castle and  it’s inner city filled with cafes and restaurants.  They are  gearing up for Bastille Day on the 14^th for a spectacular firework display over the castle.  Had to leave before we were ready as it was getting late and we had the 15kms return leg.  Back to camp for beer and frites!!

Cote D'Azur Continued

24.06

Attempted to cycle to Cannes today, looking at the map it looked about the same distance as Nice (20k) but turned out to be further.  We cycled through Old Antibes and passed Antibes beach, Cap d’Antibes, Juan-les-Pines to Golfe-Juan.  As it was a Sunday, every man and his dog was out, there was no cycle path and the traffic was full on.  We weren’t impressed with Juan-les-Pines, it looked a bit tired and was overrun with people, however, seeing it the next day without the hoards it did have some lovely sandy beaches.

Most of the beaches in this area are private or cost a small fortune to spend the day or half day to lie on a sun chair and have an umbrella.  They are none the less fully occupied.

After reaching Golfe-Juan we decided to call it quits as it was getting late.  Had another quick look around Antibes and finally arrived back at camp in need of a beer.

Went to the camp restaurant for a beer and to watch England/Italy game.

Sad news arrived at half time with a text from Col’s brother Steve saying that Mum had passed away. 

25.06

Spent the early morning on the internet sorting out some of Mum’s affairs then decided to go to Monaco to distract ourselves. Caught the bus to Nice (1 euro each) and another to Monaco (1 euro each)  Took about 1.5 hours to get there.  We took the corniche route hugging the cliffs and passing some beautiful medieval hilltop and  terracotta roofed seaside villages.  Villefranche-sur-Mer was one we really liked reminding us of the Greek Islands.


Arriving at Monaco we did something we promised ourselves we would not do and took a 45 minute ‘Petit Train’ ride around the principality.  A good way to get around as we were leg tired from all the cycling.  Monaco is the world’s second smallest state after the Vatican.

It’s only 1k long and 900m wide and is nestled between the mountains and the sea.  Most of the land has been reclaimed and every bit is used.

We trained along the port, around the F1 track, up to Monte-Carlo and the Casino/Hotel de Paris, up to the Royal Palace (Albert was home as the flag was flying).  A good little ride with commentary (8 euros each).  We then decided to take Val and Don’s advice to take a mortgage and have a beer at the ‘Cafe de Paris’.  We watched the rich and not so famous but still rich come and go in their Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Porches and Ferrari’s.  After spending three days seeing the incredible houses, the boats, helicopters and the cars we have decided we wanna be rich!!!!!  Can someone please help!  Took the train home (3.20 euros each).  Had pizza and beers at the camp restaurant with a magnum icecream each to finish.

26.06

Arlette and Jean-Michel are guests for dinner so we walked about 3k to the hill top village of Biot where we have seen a small market.  Turns out the market was average so we purchased the essentials and returned home.

Spent the afternoon around the pool cooling off.  

When Arlette and Jean-Michel arrived we had aperitifs at the camp bar, ordered a pizza and returned to Lefty for salad, cheese, fruit and plenty of Rose from the 5 litre cask !!   Another fun night and we’ve planned to rendezvous again in September either in the mountains or in Spain.

27.06

Caught the train to Cannes this morning (3.20 euros each) and walked along the famous seaside ‘Boulevarde de la Croisette’ (no film stars in sight).  For all it’s glamour Cannes still has a pleasant, small town feel, was uncrowded and was delightful to stroll around.  Checked out the fleet of super yachts in the marina and had a swim on the public sandy beach.  Most of the beach is taken up with private areas for hotel patrons although many accept day guests for 20 euros+ a day for an umbrella and chair.  Hotel Martinez was asking 450 euros for a bed on the beach!  We took one each of course!!

Passed the ‘Palais des Festivals’ which hosts the film festival and has ‘stars’ hand prints set in the tiles along the red carpet area.  Looks a bit like a bunker!!

Climbed the hill to the old ‘Castre’ for a wonderful view of the ‘Baie de Cannes’!

Trained home and hit  the pool, man it’s hot now!

We still prefer Nice over Cannes for it’s wonderful promenade and bike path, it’s atmosphere and the quaint ‘Old Town’ but we’re prepared to live in either!!

28.06



Decided to stay another day and blob by the pool!



29.06

Ste Maxime

Up early and away for the drive along the Corniche De L’Esterel, also known as the Cote D’or a twisty coast road that winds it’s way through the Massif de L’Esteral, the rugged  mountain range from Mandelieu-La Napoule to St-Raphael.  A dramatic drive passing summer villages and rocky coves ideal for swimming.  Continued through Frejus and passed a beach called ‘Takapuna Beach’! before arriving at our camp ‘ Des Mures’ in the ‘Bay of St Tropez’, just passed Saint Maxime.  Just as we arrived there was a huge scraping sound from the rear of Lefty!!  We thought one of the bikes had fallen off but it turned out to be one of the stabilizing legs had lost it’s inner thread and had fallen off.  No drama, we had not been using it anyway!

 The camp site is huge and is spread both along the beach and across the other side of the road.  We decided to head across the road in search of shade and found a reasonable site.

With our camping card discount which ends today, we pay 16 euros per nite, tomorrow it will be 38 euros!  High season has arrived and will continue until the end of August! Our discount card will then restart.  We had a swim and prepared the bikes for the ride tomorrow along the bike path to St Tropez.

 30.06

 Lots of people leaving this morning as it’s the end of the ‘cheap season’.


 0n our bikes for the 9k ride to St Tropez, Pam celebrated her 21^st birthday here  and it doesn’t seem to have changed in the intervening years (10!)  It’s still the quaint terracotta fishing village it used to be but still has all the glitz and glamour with the stunning array of boats lined up alongside the restaurants.  Today was market day so it was very busy until 1pm when the market finished. 

We strolled the streets and climbed to the top of the 17^th century Citadelle for a fantastic panorama of St Tropez bay!   Had our lunch of a baguette and some cured ham we bought at the market and people watched for a while before continuing south along a little coast road to Les Salins which was uninspiring.  Returning the way we had come we stopped into Port Grimaud , a pretty mix of shops, restaurants, apartments and hotels build on a waterway system with little bridges connecting everything.  While attempting to enter the town Col was struck on the head by a car park barrier that he didn’t see!!  We had to sit a while and recuperate with a lovely shaved ice drink.  Back on the bikes we continued past our camp and onto Sainte Maxime for a look at the town and beach.  Arrived home after 48kms and had a well earned swim.

  1.07


 Up early and followed the D559 passed La Croix-Valmer and onto the coast road through the  beachy town of Cavalaire-sur-Mer to pretty Cavaliere with it’s golden sand beach.  We found a fantastic ‘aire’ camp opposite the beach in a carpark, 16 euros including power, water and WiFi!  Cavaliere is a very special place for us as we ‘free camped’ here in our VW Van decades ago!!!  Everything is still as we remember and it hasn’t grown much.   It didn’t take us long to find our old ‘free camping’ spot, unchanged apart from the chain stopping entry.  The pretty little ‘Camping Mimosa’, where Steve and Frankie



New Site

Old Site






(Cols brother and sister)  stayed all those years ago has turned into a large, pre framed tent village, with the remains of the original camp catering for ‘caravans and campers’. Talk about a trip down ‘memory lane’ – amazing!  We had a look at the ‘boot sale’market  below us in the car park,  explored, swam and walked the beach.

 2.7

 Up for an early swim, no public showers on the beach so we made use of a hotel’s outside shower.  Visited the market in the square, an amazing array of food and wares. Two bikini’s later we hit the beach, after sundown we  crossed the road for beers.
 
3.7 to 8.7

Nudie Beach

Saint Clair

Spent the days relaxing by the beach, swimming and reading our Kindles.
Had a day on out trusty steeds visiting La Fossette, Saint Clair, Le Lavandou and Pramousquier.  Pam also rediscovered the nudie beach as she ventured around the rocks to take pictures of Cavaliere (they will remain censored).