The journey to La Rochelle
Saturday 4 July 2009
During a leisurely morning at the Gandspette campsite we got Internet access through the wi-fi facility in reception. This enabled us to update the blog and check e-mails but at a cost of 5 euros for just one hour.
Leaving the site at 12 noon we made our way south-westwards, vaguely in the direction of Rouen, avoiding toll autoroutes entirely, using mainly good D-roads and a few stretches of N-road and, from Abbeville, an excellent 35 mile toll-free section of the A28 autoroute. We left this just North of Neufchatel, heading for a France Passion place at Flamets Fretils, the Ferme-Auberge la Dranvillaise (FP2009 page 367). This has a restaurant so we had pre-booked our evening meal (by phone) and in effect pre-booked our stay there as well. Our TomTom satnav made an excellent job of today's route (with the expected exception of the local access to our destination). We had printed out toll-free routes using both the ACSI route planner and Autoroute - both made a pig's ear of the job, failing to recognise the long toll-free section of the A28. The last few miles presented more of a navigation challenge especially as the Ferme Auberge isn't really at Flamets Fretils but in the hamlet of Grattenoix 3Km further South! The best way to approach it is either from the West on the D56 or from the South (Beaussault) on the D102. But the FP book also includes a suggested route from the North, through Flamets Fretils, also on the D102 - this is the one we chose. It is quite narrow in places - perfectly fine for our 2.35m wide MH as long as you don't meet anything - we didn't! There is also generally excellent signing to the Ferme Auberge except at one critical junction! Luckily we chose the left fork there and soon (about 4.30) turned into the courtyard of a handsome farmhouse - two attempts needed with a quick uncoupling of the trailer/Smart!
Claudie Petit had left a note by the door to say she had gone for drinks with friends and would be back around 6pm, so we sat at a shaded table in the garden with a bottle of wine and bowl of olives, and read our books.
Around 5.30 a large estate car arrived with 4 visitors - a middle-aged German couple and two ladies who were their friends - one also German, the other Rwandan. We all introduced ourselves and we soon discovered them to be great card enthusiasts - they invited us to play Bridge but we declined as we're pretty hopeless! Between 6 and 6.30, Claudie arrived back with Patrick her husband; more introductions and we learned that dinner would be at 7.30.
A few points about this FP location - there is limited space (3 vans max, fortunately with our Smart and trailer we were the only MH there that night); there is morning and evening access to a loo in the house; there is rubbish disposal and fresh water.
Claudie and Patrick Petit are delightful people and they gave us the friendliest of welcomes. There were 10 of us for dinner, all eating at one long table - Claudie and Patrick, their two French friends, the 4 visitors we had met earlier and us. The 4 visitors had been here before and so they knew the Petits quite well - the three ladies seemed to be fluent in multiple languages, especially French, German and English although Italian and Spanish got a mention too. It was a riotous evening of humour and fun, fuelled by a potent mixture of personalities and alcohol! The meal itself was splendid - three generous courses including some superb beef for the main course, made even better by proper Dijon mustard. Wine and drinks were all included in equally generous quantities, starting with an interesting cider/calvados aperitif (sort of fortified cider, and delicious), then continuing with white wine with the starter, red with the main course and finishing with Patrick's own (home-brewed) special Calvados (50% abv!!!). This complete meal including all drink was surely a great bargain at 56 euros for the two of us. And enormous fun! We crept off to bed late and slept the sleep of the just (or should that be the drunk?).
Sunday 5 July 2009
We woke late after the best night's sleep for ages and with no after effects from yesterday evening. We vowed to come back to La Dranvillaise and we recommend it completely - but as Claudie stressed to us, it is wise to call and book in advance and absolutely essential in the holiday season. We said our goodbyes to the three Germans and to the Rwandan lady - she possessed an extraordinary array of talents - wit, insight, a huge sense of fun, an outgoing personality, an immense facility with languages. She left Rwanda 14 years ago.
We bid farewell to Claudie and Patrick after buying a bottle of the cider/calvados aperitif and drove out of the farm gates in one movement soon after 11am. Another cross-country route using mainly D-roads through lovely Normandy countryside and interesting places (such as Forges-les-Eaux and Lyons-la-Foret) took us across the Seine at Pont de l'Arche and then via Evreux to the tiny village of La Puisaye and to the nearby trout farm - le Moulin de Rouge (FP2009 page 159).
Set in lovely countryside by a small lake this is an idyllic location. The France Passion camping is on a mown strip along the edge of a cornfield - you are in the middle of nowhere. Yet the trout farm with a bar, fresh water, rubbish disposal and loo is just behind nearby trees and you have a glimpse of the lake through them. Although the parking is shared with visitors' cars there is a lot of room for motorhomes. On this occasion we were the only one.
We introduced ourselves at the bar by the lake, bought beers and ice creams and asked if we could buy some trout. We were given the opportunity to fish for them ourselves but persuaded a young man to do it for us! He caught us two trout of generous size and we took them back for a barbecue.
In the evening we strolled around the lake and through La Puisaye village to make a circuit back to the 'van. We fell asleep as the sun set over the cornfield.
Our first and second FP experiences could not have been more different yet both were equally good in their own ways.
Monday 6 July 2009
Just as we re-hitched the trailer and Smart and pulled off the field at about 11am another motorhome arrived. We are glad we didn't meet this on the narrow lane through La Puisaye to the wider D941, although actually the access to this FP site is really pretty good. So a second FP we can recommend without hesitation!
Routing through Senonches to the D928 at La Loupe we realised we needed diesel - the last time we filled was in Sussex! It had proved impossible to find diesel yesterday - we had forgotten that everything except eateries closes in France on Sundays, including filling stations. We had tried a couple of supermarket fuel facilities (not manned but having automatic pumps) but the pumps wouldn't accept our British credit cards. Never mind, we thought, we'll be OK on Monday. Huh! The Intermarche at Senonches had run out of Gazole; the lady recommended the Peugeot garage in the town, a nightmare to reach through narrow streets - it was shut! The fuel low light came on as we entered La Loupe. By the time we reached it (about 12.15pm) the Intermarche there had closed its fuel facility until 2.15 and the Carrefour had closed its pumps until 4pm! Long lunches indeed! Our slight sense of panic vanished as we spotted the Total station as we left La Loupe, only to return when they said that they too had run out of Gazole. "We do have the Excellium Diesel", said the lady, at 1.11 a litre (the missing Gazole would have been 1.07). This is supposedly a "greener" diesel and we were in no position to argue so we refilled with it, thinking to ourselves that it was about the same price as ordinary diesel in the UK. The next priority was finding an LPG pump (GPL in France) as all this France-Passioning had depleted our gas reserves and we were on the second of our refillable Gaslow cylinders. We had too much stuff in our fridge-freezer to risk running out of gas. Finding GPL was more of a challenge. We have been shocked by how rarely you see GPL at filling stations other than on the Autoroutes. If you avoid Autoroutes and you use LPG refilling, be warned - you may hunt far and wide to top up your gas. By the time we got to Blois, even routing out of our way to use larger roads and pass larger towns (such as Chateaudun) in the hope of spotting that elusive GPL sign, we had almost given up. We had information that the first service station on the north-eastbound A10 autoroute out of Blois towards Orleans did GPL, so we gave a metaphoric Gallic shrug and collected our peage ticket at J17 heading for J16 (10 miles) via the Blois-Menars services. Apart from the pig's ear we made of our first experience with a French LPG pump and the screw in adaptor (think of Roger disappearing in a cloud of LPG) this was ultimately successful. A young man from the "bureau" came over and did his best to help us but he had even less idea of how the thing locked into place, or indeed was released once locked. The blind led the blind, much LPG was wasted, the pump was reset so we didn't have to pay for the wasted gas (the young man seemed to think it was all his fault anyway); then at last R twigged how the handle works! We just hope all the others we now encounter are the same. We have nice full gas tanks again - 8.5 litres for just 6 euros.
Our third FP destination was the Restaurant Les Closeaux (FP2009 page 244), another one in the middle of nowhere, again beautifully situated by a tiny lake between the villages of Mosnes and Vallieres-les-Grands, just South of the River Loire which we crossed at Blois.
The approach is fine except for the last 1Km on a much narrower road; we drove right up to the property and this was a mistake as we were asked to turn around and return to a grass area between a wood and a lake. Turning required us to unhitch the trailer with the Smart still in place and was quite an exercise. 
But worth it when we realised that this was scenically the best location so far for camping, right beside the small lake and with a lovely view. As with the Moulin de Rouge at La Puisaye, we were the only motorhome visiting that evening; there is room for plenty more 'vans in the area between wood and lake. The restaurant is posh and rather formal in spite of its remote location. It isn't cheap but the food and wine were truly excellent. There were 11 other guests all of whom had come by car and some of whom were staying overnight. This experience was different again from either of the previous two FPs. The emphasis was on the formal restaurant and you were allowed to camp free-of-charge in a very pleasant lakeside spot. So yet again, a firm recommendation for France Passion at Les Closeaux.
Tuesday 7 July 2009
During a leisurely morning by the lake at Les Closeaux we re-planned the remainder of our journey to La Rochelle. We had just started to appreciate another aspect of using France Passion locations for several days - very few FPs have facilities for emptying a motorhome loo; ours was getting perilously close to full. We decided a day or two on a campsite would be in order; apart from emptying the loo, it would mean we could do a load of washing using proper facilities (washing machine, dryer) and even enjoy hot showers without the MH water tank being emptied. The prospect became more attractive the more we thought about it! Roger looked up some campsites using the excellent ACSI guide he'd installed on the laptop - we'd already decided that most of the sites in the Alan Rogers guide were mostly too expensive. Even many of the ACSI guide's sites near the Loire had eye-watering prices - typically 30-40 euros for a night - this is more than the average cost of a chambre d'hote for two people! But Camping Municipal la Gatine at Blere looked very nice, positioned on the South bank of the River Cher, with all the required facilities and with reasonable prices in the range of 12-18 euros a night, mainly depending on how they view our Smart car and trailer. The initial response on the 'phone was unpromising though - the lady appeared to suggest a maximum length for "un camping-car" of 6 metres when Roger explained that ours is 7 metres long. He didn't take no for an answer and asked if she was sure about this. The result was a conversation between the lady on the end of the 'phone and someone else unseen; this soon resulted in a decision that it was "pas de probleme". Even when R mentioned the "petite voiture Smart sur une remorque" it remained "pas de probleme". So we set out to Blere via Mosnes and Amboise, a mere 16 miles, arriving at Municipal la Gatine just before 1pm to find the barrier down and reception closed until 2pm. That ever-important lunchtime again! We parked and expected an hour's wait but after a few minutes a nice man appeared, opened the barrier, saw us onto a pleasant, shaded pitch (with Trailer/Smart still attached) and asked us to register at reception anytime after 2pm.
This site is lovely; it is easy to find, easy to access and right by the River Cher. The welcome was friendly, the facilities are spotlessly clean if a little limited in number and a bit basic. But there's really everything you need including a laundry with automatic washers and dryers. We decided to stay for two nights so we can look around the immediate area tomorrow and visit some of the spectacular Loire chateaux.
In the afternoon we took a stroll along the bank of the Cher towards Chenonceau until we encountered a group of dubious-looking travellers in tatty caravans by the riverside track. Roger had his big DSLR camera around his neck and had been taking photos by the river. It suddenly occurred to us that we not only had the camera but also our money and documents on us, and that we were actually rather exposed, there being no-one else about. At that point a van made its way down the track towards us and stopped beside us. The driver pointed at the camera, said something about "l'appareil" and (we think) suggested to Roger that if he Roger gave him (the van driver) the camera, he (the van driver) would take a picture of the two of us! Out of the kindness of his heart, of course! This got a reply of roughly the French equivalent of "no way, Jose", and the two of us beat a hasty retreat back the way we had come, abandoning our intention to walk to Chenonceau. Fortunately the van didn't follow but turned off along a side track away from the river. We are quite certain this was a naked attempt to steal our camera - it left an unpleasant taste on a sunny afternoon. We are not racist in any way but could not help observing that none of the people involved (on the bank or in the van) were of European origin.
Back at Blere we strolled round the town - it is interesting and pretty.
There is an impressive church in the middle but we have yet to find the chateau. The restaurant prices at the principal hotel - le Cheval Blanc (a nice-looking but entirely ordinary Logis de France) - shocked us. Fixed price menus were 44, 50 and 66 euros per person (no drink included in these) and the "carte" had starters from 18-22, fish dishes from 22-24, meat dishes from 24-26. cheese with salad at 3 euros (wow, a bargain!), desserts 10 euros. Made our meal last night (total 101 euros for two including aperitif drinks, one and a half bottles of wine, 4 courses plus coffee) seem pretty good value by comparison.
We "ate-in" this evening - fishy dishes followed by peaches and cream with an excellent muscadet sur lie. A productive day (loo emptied, two loads of washing through the laundry - wash and dry - and nice hot showers to round off the day), and another enjoyable day too.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
We decided to visit the Chateau de Chenonceau - very famous and only a short distance up-river on the Cher from Blere.
The visit was well worthwhile and we thought the 10 euro per head entry price reasonable value (though some would certainly consider it too expensive). The entry ticket includes the chateau interior and the very extensive (and beautiful) gardens and grounds. A small but informative guide-book is also included. Car parking is free.
It also helped that our visit was on a warm and sunny day. Visiting Chenonceau took us 4 hours and could have taken much longer had we spent the time that the interior really required. After leaving, we enjoyed a short drive past the small chateau at Montpoupon (it looked a litte gem and can be visited, but we didn't have time) and along the River Indre before returning to Blere.
We had yet another barbecue supper in the sun.
Thursday 9 July 2009
We packed up and left Camping Municipal, Blere at 11.30, having first walked round the town in a fruitless attempt to buy a "presentation" box of chocolates as a gift for our friends in La Rochelle (we have brought a bottle of malt whisky with us and wanted to supplement it with chocolates for the lady of the house). This is another thing that isn't easy to obtain in France outside major towns and cities. Chocolate is sold in bar form of course and in plain boxes of limited size. There is a shop in Blere marked "Choclatier" but it sells only patisseries!
We can strongly recommend Camping Municipal, Blere. Its great strength is its situation by the Cher but it is good in all other important respects. And good value - our 2 nights cost us just 26 euros in total - this included electric hook-up. It would make a great base for a holiday in the Loire Valley, visiting chateaux. We are very tempted to return here to do just that sometime. We think our Smart car on the trailer may have caused some consternation here - there was plenty of room for our complete outfit but we think that some of the conversation between the two ladies at Reception (in very fast French) related to whether we should be charged for an additional car. They didn't charge us for the Smart in the end - fair enough we thought as are pretty much equivalent to a largish caravan towed by a 4x4.
For our journey from Blere to the France Passion site, Le Pressoir a Cales (FP2009 page 370) at the hamlet of Les Landes, near Bouille-Loretz (South-West of Saumur) we used mainly D-roads, routing just South of Tours, past the well-known Chateau at Usse, and through Saumur. Apart from the vast, and worryingly tatty-looking nuclear power station beside the Loire just North of Chinon, this was a pretty route, following first the Indre and then the Loire rivers.
The FP is a vineyard (Anjou wines) and in spite of TomTom having recognised Les Landes as part of Bouille-Loretz, the exact place was hard to find. After two enquiries a helpful van driver who had just come from the property gave us clear directions. We parked the MH by the "Caves" - a large area with plenty of room but we were the only visitors.
The winemaker and his wife were very friendly; she speaks quite good English so we proceeded in Franglais. We arrived just after 4pm and were invited to taste the wine at 6. Agnes Arnault was a most helpful guide to the wide range of Anjou wines on offer and the different grape varieties. Most of the wines were made from a single variety, some of these being less well-known in a single-variety wine (such as Cabernet Franc) with whites dominated in the Anjou by Chenin Blanc. The whites and roses came in dry and sweet versions, the sweet white making a superb dessert wine. They were not expensive in our view - most were around 4 euros a bottle. We bought a set of 3 wines as a present for our friends in La Rochelle (saves scouring France for boxed choccies); we selected a 2007 red (Cabernet Franc) to have with our barbecue and a sweet rose for a glass or two with pudding. We will choose some wines to take with us before we leave tomorrow.
The barbecue rounded off the evening (this is becoming a habit); with the red and rose we naturally drank too much but all we had to do was stagger to our home on wheels and collapse into bed.
Friday 10 July 2009
We said our goodbyes to Thierry Arnault and bought no less than 12 bottles of wine - a mixed case of whites, reds and roses. The wine is truly excellent (among the best we've tasted from Anjou) and Thierry refused to accept any payment for the two bottles they gave us yesterday evening to drink (well, start on, at least) with our barbecue supper.
The prices are most reasonable too, especially given the quality of the wine. Agnes wasn't around this morning (she had already set out on her travels) - she and Thierry are excellent, friendly and welcoming hosts - we are very lucky so far in our choice of FP sites - this is the fourth we have used and and the fourth we can recommend - Le Pressoir a Cales, page 370 of the 2009 FP guide.
We had a quick run down to La Rochelle using fast main roads via Thouars, Parthenay and Niort. We arrived at our friends house on the outskirts of the town at about 3pm, finding them in good health and spirits. They found us some free parking near to their home - this is just until this evening when it will be moved to a relative's home on the other side of the town, to stay there until we leave La Rochelle in about a week's time. So we will cease to be "camping-caristes" for a whole week now!
We have net access from here and our next update will be just before we leave here, on either 17th or 18th July.
Cheers:
France Passion and all four of the FP locations we chose, and their friendy hosts.
The weather (almost perfect so far).
The wines of the Anjou as supplied by the Domaine de Pressoir a Cales.
The MH, Smart and trailer - tempting fate, but all have performed perfectly so far.
Boos:
The lack of LPG stations in France except on Motorways.
France closing down on Sundays (except for eating and drinking at lunchtime).
Almost everything closing every day for long lunchtimes (like 4 hours), including filling stations.
Lack of Internet cafes and wi-fi spots (we didn't try Macdonalds, however)
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