The Alps, Loire and Paris Post # 11

27.09

A relaxing day at camp!  27 degrees!

28.09

After ‘goodbyes’ to Hans and Hildegard we headed North via Nyons and the vineyards and  villages of Provence!!  Then another beautiful drive through the steep winding roads and the  gorge of the Baronnies Ranges following the river.  Into the ‘ Department des Hautes Alpes’ and ‘Le Tour’ territory, we can still see support messages written on the road!

Through Gap and ‘The route Napoleon’ (the N85), into alpine country and the Parc National des Ecrins - perched villages, limestone peaks and steep narrow valleys. Stunning and dramatic! Found a great spot for lunch overlooking the peaks, one still with snow!  200kms and we arrived at our chosen camp in St.
Theoffrey, 27kms from Grenoble.  Camping ‘Ser Sirant’, a great camp situated on a large lake, ‘Lac de Laffrey’ (15 euros).  Went for a walk through the village and around the lake.

29.09     

 

It’s raining today (as forecast).  We’ve found out the camp closes today, but they kindly let us stay another night!  We thought it strange everyone left this morning!!, also found out that the other camps we’d planned to stay in Annecy are closed as well!!  Oh no we’re homeless!! 

Went on a run/brisk walk in the afternoon we went exploring and discovered there is lots to see and do here.  We found beautiful ‘Lac de Petichet’ framed by peaks and plateaus with lovely beach and restaurant not far from our camp.  There are four lakes in this area all with cycling and walking tracks, in fact there are many sign posted cycling and walking routes in the forests, lakes and summits between Gap and Gronoble (The guide of the ‘Rondonnees of Les Valbonnaise, Beaumont and Matheysine mountain ranges’).  We were surprised to see just how good the cycling is on the quiet, scenic mountain roads.

30.09
 

We followed the signs to Vizille but had to back track as the route was barred to all vehicles over 2.60 metres high (Lefty is 3.2 metres).   We took the deviation following the steep gorge carved out by Le Drac river. As we were so close, we decided to tackle Alpe d’Huez (elevation 1860 metres) in the Massif des Grandes Rousses.  We followed the signs to the little village of le Bourg-D’Oisans at the bottom of the mountain. 

 

There is a campsite here.  We took the steep and winding road 14kms up to the top.  Stunning panoramas overlooking the Romanche Valley!!  Evidently there are

21 hairpin bends and an average

gradient of 8.5 per cent. Record time for Le Tour to the top is around 37 minutes.  It’s hard to imagine how 500,000 plus fans can fit on this narrow, steep road to watch the race.  We saw a few courageous souls attempting the 14kms steep climb.  Because of Le Tour, it’s easy to forget that Alpe d’Huez is first and foremost an extensive ski resort with
245kms of pistes  and lodges right

by the chair lifts.  We got to the

finish line of Le Tour and took

photos of us on the ‘winner’s podium’!!

We then made our way into the Savoy with it’s peaks, dense alpine forest, lakes and rural life towards Chambery via Grenoble with it’s mountain ‘backdrop’.  Nearly got to Chambery and our

GPS decided to take a ‘quick bypass’!! It took us on the ‘circuit de Vignobles de Savoie,’ mountain vineyards and  the road becoming narrow, winding and steep !! we ended up leaving the valley and going up a mountain!!  Into alpine country, mountain villages and pastures up to the ‘Col des Pres’ in the ‘Parc Naturel Regional du Massif des Bauges’, elevation 1142 metres and at this altitude we’ve struck rain!!  However, we got to see some beautiful Savoie panoramas and lots of biking and hiking opportunities!! 

 

Our journey continued into the ‘Haute Savoie’ via Sevrier and into Annecy and a stunning panorama of the very blue Lac d’Annecy ringed by mountains.  250kms, we headed into town to the Municipal Camp,’ Le Belevdere’, one of the few campsites open in this area at this time of the year. (20 euros until end of Sept, 18 euros from 1 Oct). 

 1.10

Took advantage of a lovely sunny
day and walked into Annecy.  We wandered around the quaint old town and along the lakefront fringed by beaches.  Besides the ‘walkers, wanderers’ and buskers, there’s lots of activity both on and off the lake including cycling, blading, rowing, pedal boats and motor boats.      

Back to camp we grabbed the bikes and cycled an awesome bike path (including a tunnel), around the lake.  56kms and we were back at camp!

 

2.10

We headed west through pastures and plateaux, out of the
mountains of the Savoie and into the farmlands of the Department Ain. This region reminds us of the English countryside!  Via Bourg-en-Bresse and through Macon on the banks of the River Soane to the village of Paray-le-Monial and

Camping ‘Le Mambre’ (16 euros).  A nice rural camp with large pitches and very quiet at this time of year.

 

3.10        

After a wander around the village
of Paray-le-Monial we continued west through farmland to Moulins then turned north through Nevers and into one of our favourite regions, the glorious Loire Valley!  This is a part of the Loire we haven’t seen before.  200kms, we headed to the village of Briare, about 90kms from Orleans, and decided to go to a camp as the first ‘Aires’ we tried was crowded and the second was empty, best to be with other vans. 


We found ‘Le Camping du Martinet’ alongside the Loire and very close to town and the Briare canal.  Lots of character in this camp, there are several gypsy families staying in their caravans with young children, dogs, cats and birds.  (17 euros).  We went for a run/brisk walk along the banks of the Loire.  Lots of cycling and walking paths here.

 

4.10

We took the bike path along the
Loire towards town, passed the
Marina Canal which has 48 moorings and is situated on the old Briare Canal (17th Century). There are campervans free camping here and fishermen trying their luck.  The bike path then lead us to an amazing piece of engineering, the Canal Bridge.  The Bridge is made of metal and was built in 1890-1894 with the help of the engineer Eiffel.  It is the longest in Europe (663 metres) and allows both barges and pleasure boats to cross the Loire River and to pass from the left minor canal to the Briare canal.  It opened in 1896.  We biked passed a houseboat entering the Bridge,
a bizarre sight - a houseboat crossing above the Loire! 

We continued along the bike path through the woods and farmlands to the village of Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire and visited it’s  feudal 12th Century Chateau.  20kms back to camp via Briare ‘centre ville’ and the canal.  

On returning Col tested his fishing rod on the banks of the Loire – good fun even in the rain! Caught 8 ‘roach-like’ fish which we had for dinner.  It’s now pouring, nice ‘n cosy in the van!  First serious rainfall we’ve seen in a month!

5.10    

Once the rain had cleared we
continued our journey North towards Paris through Montargis to Souppes-sur-Loing, about 120kms from Paris.  We decided to stay in an ‘Aires’ camp opposite the canal and were lucky to get the last parking space.  (5 euros with electricity).   Walked the bike path along the canal, amazing that even in these small villages they cater well for cyclist and walkers!

 
6.10 – 10.10     

On the road to Paris early, through the beautiful old town of Nemours on the River Loing heading towards Fontainebleu.  As we entered the Paris had some excitement when we missed our turn off and ended up in the city centre heading towards ‘La Defense’, thank goodness it was early and a Sunday!!  Got to our chosen campsite on the Seine River, ‘Camping International de Maisons-Laffitte’. (16 euros).  A fantastic base for Paris and only 20 minutes by train!! 

Spent a wonderful time in our favourite city in warm autumn sunshine, strolling the Seine, the avenues and back streets, taking in the famous landmarks, visiting the Musee d’Orsay and Musee de l’Orangerie, the entertaining buskers, coffee on the Champs Elysees and meeting up with our French friends Rene, 
 Corinne, Guillaume and Justine for dinner and a wonderful evening in funky St. Michel.  More excitement on our way home from dinner as due to line maintenance our trains were cancelled.  We discovered this after waiting for an hour and had to make our
way by bus to another station to complete our journey arriving home at 1:30am!!

 

 

 

This completes our European adventure for 2013, once again we’ve had ‘the time of our lives’ and can’t wait to do it all again next year!!        

 

         

 

 

      

 

 

  

 

    

 

          

 

 

 

 

        

 

             

 

 

 

Provence Continued Post # 10

07.09
 

‘Au revoir’ to Jean-Michel and Arlette – we’ve had an incredible time with them!

Blog writing and the pool in the afternoon.

08.09    

We set off on a four and a half hour hike to the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque situated Northwest of Gordes.  The walk took us on a narrow rocky track passed lavender fields (more spectacular when flowering) to the cliff tops of the Luberon mountain range. 

 

A dramatic panorama of the valley below and then the Abbey in it’s full glory.  We descended  to explore! This beautiful lavender framed Cistercian abbey was founded in 1148 and is still inhabited by a few monks. 

                                                          

We followed the track from the Abbey to Gordes about 2kms away.  The ‘borie style’ walls line the track.  We walked the narrow cobblestone paths on the terraces of Gordes and enjoyed the stunning view of the valley below.

 

09.09

We found a place around the pool out of the chilly wind.  Blobbing and then some chores.

10.09   

We left Gordes and travelled via

St Saturnin-les-Apt ending up on

a bumpy, narrow but very  scenic route through the mountains

(D943) to the hilltop village of Sault.  We found a Supermarket on the outskirts that didn’t open until 3pm so decided to have lunch in an ‘Aires’ and then walk into Sault.  A very pretty 14th Century village and also one of the main ascents to tackle Mount Ventoux! 
 

Lots of cyclists are here, some are

congregating at the restaurant with the great panorama across the valley with Mount Ventoux dominating in the distance.  We intended taking the Gorges de la Nesque route (D942) but ended up on a great road (D1 above the Gorges route) with more spectacular panoramas of the valley below framed by the mountain ranges.  On to the little village of Villes-sur-Auzon and our camp ‘Les Verguettes’, situated between Mont Ventoux and the Gorges de la Nesque (16 euros).  
 

A quaint camp with pool surrounded by vineyards and next to a wine degustation cave (wine tasting).  We noticed the predominantly Dutch and English number plates as we took Lefty down to our chosen pitch.  We chose a site with a great view of Mont Ventoux!   

 

11.09    

It’s  windy today (a mild Mistral), so we decided to hike into the mountains!  The hike took us on narrow rocky paths up through the predominantly oak forests (with cedar and pine) and along the Gorges de la Nesque through little villages including Methamis into the valley with it’s vineyards, olive groves, sunflowers and lavender (even more spectacular when in bloom in June/July)).  Stunning panoramas with Mont Ventoux often dominating! 

 

We sampled a few grapes along the way just as a peloton came around the corner!!  Great cycling opportunities here along the narrow quiet roads in the valley amongst the vineyards, through stony hamlets and farms.  16kms and we were back at camp.  Lapin (rabbit) for dinner.

12.09  My birthday today and what a stunning day!!

We headed off on a cycling circuit
that would take us through the foothills of Mont Ventoux!  We battled the wind as we cycled through Flasson, 10kms and hit the famous D974 ‘the route up Mont Ventoux (on the Bedoin side of the Mountain)!  We saw the sign marked ‘18kms Mont Ventoux, 12kms to Le Chalet Reynard’.  Le Chalet is a chance to re-provision and have a break, this is also where the tree cover on the Mountain stops! To hell with it, it’s my birthday, we decided to give the Mountain ascent a go!! 

 

We took a right onto the D974 and began to climb, over the hearts and flags and ‘support messages’ painted on the road aimed at the Tour de France cyclists!! Even saw one saying “Go Kiwi” which must have been for us!!  The winding road takes us under tree cover into the forest and massive pedal power is required, steep gradients on average 7 per cent, we’re climbing up and up, it’s unrelenting but a great challenge! 

We made it a third of the way up the mountain and were surprised to make it so far!  Perhaps next time, with some hill training .................. !! 

After a fast descent down the Mountain we cycled 6kms to the pretty village of Bedoin via the hamlet of Les Baux.  Bedoin is one of the three villages to tackle the ascent (also Malaucene and Sault) on Mont Ventoux, there are lots of cyclists here either excited or exhausted!

We chose a ‘Grill Restaurant’ with great ambience and enjoyed a very welcome, hearty ‘birthday lunch’ - beers, hamburger and frites ( I remembered to request the meat to be well-cooked ‘bien cuite’, no need if you prefer ‘raw red meat’ popular with the French), followed with coffees. Just what the doctored ordered!!  34 euros for two.  Onwards through the foothills and valley passed farms, vineyards and orchards, 36 kms we were back at camp!!  In the evening a ‘birthday dinner’ of ‘moules frites’ (mussels and chips, popular with the French) and a free aperitif prepared by the camp. 

A fun night and another special birthday to remember!!  
 
13.09

We took advantage of another glorious day and decided to bike the Gorges de la Nesque!!  The road starts gently upward through the forested slopes, becoming steeper, wilder and more remote as it gets closer to the summit.  The ride took us through tunnels and beneath limestone overhangs!!  We noted that one of the tunnels had a 2.6 metres height restriction, Lefty is 3.2 metres high, so we considered ourselves lucky that we inadvertently missed this road (D942 ). We cycled a continuous 20kms, 750 metres climb up to the summit for spectacular views of the Gorges with Mont Ventoux.  Thank goodness the descent was all downhill and fast!!  45kms and we were back at camp.  It  gets dark much earlier now, around 8.30pm (happened quite rapidly over the last two weeks), was 11:30 pm over summer. 
Remoska came to the fore again as we were too tired to cook!!

 14.09 

We woke early to the sound of a trumpet fanfare and announcements over loud speakers near the ‘wine degustation cave’ grounds opposite our campsite.  On closer inspection we discovered a race up Mont Ventoux was about to commence.  Groups of fit bodies and ‘state of the art’ bikes awaited the ‘start siren’.  We decided to give it a miss this morning as it was too bloody early!!

15.09

Thunder and lighting and heavy downpours today put Lefty in soggy terrain, pleased we’re not in a tent! Moved a little forward to make sure we wouldn't get stuck!

16.09

We went up the hill, through the gate at the back of the camp for a great run/walk through the vineyards, orchards and farms!  Very pretty here, laid back but very productive!  Grapes, olives, figs, apples and plums!  After seeing much of Provence we realise just how incredibly diversified it is – not only the beautiful coastal cities and beaches, gorgeous villages, lavender and superb wine but also the inland dominated by the hills and mountains, the ‘cycling paradise’ and the tiny and ancient villages linked by spectacular mountain roads!!

17.09   

We biked through the vineyards and orchards behind the camp through St Esteve to the village of Blauvac, another hilltop village and a good 10kms hill climb/leg workout to the top where we were surprised to see the location of the Municipal Camp!  A small camp perched on the side of the hill and accommodating about 12 Campers with a spectacular panorama of the valley below and the Southern side of Mont Ventoux!  Another camp to remember for next time!  Since ancient times the Southern side of Mont Ventoux has been known for it’s vineyards producing Cotes du Ventoux wine (as well as Muscat), however this is changing and the cherry orchards are now becoming more important.  We continued on down the other side of the hill and took the pretty back roads, 24kms and we were back at camp.     

18.09       

    

Got a few things sorted out today
including booking our accommodation in Singapore for the return flight!  A look around the village and a few goodies from the local grocery store.

 

19.09

We hiked 12kms with our little friend from the camp!  He’s personality plus!  His name is Dades.  The walk took us from Villes-sur-Auzon centre through the vineyards to the Ochre Canyons in the Vallat Picarel however we missed a right hand turn and ended up hiking towards the little village of St Laurent, then through more vineyards where workers were picking the  grapes and down into the forest.  

We retraced our steps and finally found our way into the Canyon, carved
by water!!  Narrow and spectacular, vertical bright red ochre cliffs on either side of us and more vegetation and colours (reds, yellows and greens) as the canyon widened.  On our way home Dades threw himself into a waterway for a drink and a cool down, it immediately restored all his energy and there was no stopping him for a quick return home!  Dades had a fantastic time, he raced around the house at the rate of knots when he saw his mum!! 
A big smile on his face!

 20.09

We’ve decided to stay longer in the Mont Ventoux foothills and continue to enjoy the sunny days and this truly beautiful region!!  We headed to the West side of Mont Ventoux stopping at a huge ‘Leclerc’ Supermarket along the way for a stock up!  Everything sold here, heaps of variety, great quality, cost effective and fresh!  We were impressed, three hours later we left and travelled the 40kms via Carpentras to Aubignan where we found a great campsite ‘Le Bregoux’ (15 euros per night, price remains the same throughout the year).  Pretty and tranquil.  Mostly Dutch, German and English campers here.  We’d shouted ourselves two enormous ‘faux filet’ steaks for dinner which we cooked them on the camp coal BBQ.  Yum!         

21.09

We’ve met two great couples, Dennis and Kath from England and Hans and Hildagard from Germany.

22.09  

We went on a stunning bike ride through the spectacular ‘Dentelles de Montmirail’ limestone pinnacles which rise to 732 metres.  This small 5,000 hectare massif is home to pines, oaks and cedars and several hilltop and hillside villages.  We cycled through pretty Beaumes-de-Venise, Lafare and ended up taking a wrong turn and found ourselves on a steep winding  upward climb, determined, we continued up to what ‘sign posts’ informed us was the route to the Col du Suzette on the Route Touristique des Cotes du Rhone! 

We finally reached the little hillside village of Suzette and subsequently, the summit of Col du Suzette (450 metres).  Magnificent panoramas of the Dentelles, Mont Ventoux, vineyards, pine forests and charming villages. 

Our downward leg took us to
Malaucene, one of the three
villages where you can start your assault on Mont Ventoux.  Lots of cyclists gathered here, some wearing some great funky gear!  We could do with new outfits!!  We had a well-earned beer, steak, frites and salad lunch (steak ‘bien cuite’), 27 euros. 

Onward through Le Barroux, the
hilltop village crowned by a 16^th Century chateau, and a view of the Comtat plains to Saint-Hippolyte-le-Graveyron so that we could bike along the Carpentras Canal. 

 

A challenging but beautiful ride, after 34kms we were back in the village of Aubignan and our camp.    

 

 

 

 

 

23.09

We enjoyed our kindles!  We sampled cheeses – goats, sheep and cow and Hans and Hildagard spoilt us with a celebratory bottle of French champagne!  A great, fun night!

24.09

Rode to Beaumes-de-Venise, locked up our bikes and began our 20kms hike through the Dentelles!  We followed the signs to ‘Col du Cobran’ uphill through vineyards tended on sloping terraced fields. 

 

 

Stunning panoramas of  the

Dentelles, vineyards, orchards and farms with Mont Ventoux peaking in the distance.

We continued over the Dentelles

to the picturesque hilltop village of Gigondas with it’s many

‘degustation caves’ (wine tasting!).  We could see that Gigondas is an affluent little village, touristy but retaining charm.  We had a picnic overlooking the village and then headed back taking a different route around the side of the valley and through the forest.  All was going well until near the end of our hike the ‘red and yellow’ guide markers suddenly disappeared and we ended up on a path leading to the remains of an old Chapel.  The path turned into a ‘goat track’ along the steep cliff face and then ran out, we ended up having to clamber over the escarpment down to ground level – didn’t think we would actually end up rock climbing!! Back to Beaumes-de-Venise and much needed cokes!!

25.09

Blog writing, catching up and enjoying the sun!

 

26.09

We took a great bike path winding through the Comtadin vineyards amongst AOC Cotes-du-Rhone vines and AOC Ventoux vineyards!  Through the little village of Vacqueyras, along part of the Carpentras Canal, Beaumes-de-Venise and back to Aubignan and our camp! 

A very picturesque 20kms circuit in the valley framed by the Dentelles.