Updated 24 July 2009 at Naucelle (Aveyron)

South-Eastwards from the Charente-Maritime (La Rochelle to Naucelle)

After posting our last update from La Rochelle on Friday 17 July we enjoyed a final dinner with our friends that evening at a good restaurant called Le Belvedere just outside the town and close to the bridge to the Ile de Re. The food was excellent and the restaurant has superb views. A large terrace overlooks the sea and the bridge, and would be a wonderful place to eat in suitable conditions, but this evening there was a near-gale-force wind and everyone chose the dining-room! It was interesting to watch the traffic crossing the long and quite high bridge in the gale, including quite a few caravans and motorhomes, all proceeding very carefully and slowly. There was a magnificent sunset.

This update covers the period from Saturday 18 July to Thursday 23 July inclusive.

Saturday 18 July 2009

After the usual late start (breakfast at 10 with our friends) we got all our things ready to put back on the motorhome and drove to Francois' house in the Smart, with Bernadette in her car carrying most of our stuff - it is surprising how much we unloaded for a week in their home. We packed everything on board and set off in the Smart to the huge Carrefour where we stocked up on food for the next several days. Back to our friends' house, final goodbyes to Dirye and Sinan; then to Francois for the second and last time to extract the MH from his garden, and set up the complete outfit in the road outside, an interesting and slightly nail-biting exercise which, amazingly, caused no traffic disruption! After final goodbyes to all we set off carefully through the rather narrow streets and took the fast dual-carriageway towards Saintes. We stopped at a slightly scruffy Aire for the customary picnic lunch in the company of a dozen or so other families. At Saintes a good ring-road took us easily onto the Cognac road and once there, the campsite by the River Charente was well-signposted; it appears to be the only campsite in or near to Cognac. Camping de Cognac is a very nice site and we were give a large shaded pitch well-located for all the facilities.






After settling in we set up our gas-grill barbecue and enjoyed a supper of pork chops under a cloudy sky but on a warm evening we didn't miss the sun. We had our first early night since our arrival at La Rochelle on 10 July, 8 days ago!

Sunday 19 July 2009

We are impressed with the campsite at Cognac - the sanitary facilities are kept very clean though they are rather limited in capacity. Strangely, hot water for washing-up is available only at the small "kiosk" supposedly reserved as "sanitaires handicapes" (the "hot" washing-up water in the main block varying between cold and warm, though the showers are hot) with the inevitable result that many campers who are not "handicapes" in any way wash-up at the "kiosk"! We tried to compromise by getting a bowl of hot water there and taking it to a sink in the main block; this got us surprised looks from others! The site is not busy (about half full) with many Dutch and English probably outnumbering the French.

It rained heavily overnight (rain hammering on the roof) but we woke to sunshine again and following a leisurely breakfast set off in the Smart for Saintes. We found the Abbaye aux Dames easily and parked the Smart neatly right outside in a space too small for a "full-size" car! After a hunt for the box office (no signs at all) we bought two tickets for a recital in the Abbey at 1pm which is part of the Saintes Classical Music Festival. We listened to three Bach sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord, superbly played on genuine original instruments including a seven-string gamba which must be horrendously difficult to play and worth a fortune!




After this concert we tried to find a restaurant, any restaurant, in Saintes that would feed us at 2.15pm but to no avail as all were full through to the end of the afternoon. We remembered a small hotel-restaurant, Le Rustica, about 15Km South of Saintes, near Pons, in a tiny village called St Leger. We used to stay (and eat) at this place at least 20 years ago - we had no idea if it would still be there, and it was getting late to request lunch, but we jumped in the Smart and drove there speedily - not only is it still there but it has been improved (it used to be very basic). We asked (at 2.50pm) if we could eat and although they had officially closed the kitchens and had a large party in the middle of their lunch, they offered us a fixed menu of a seafood starter, beef main course, cheese and pudding. We ate a magnificent meal outside on their large terrace in the sun, though partly shaded by trees. The food was beautifully presented yet with generous portions, especially the steak which was enormous. A bottle of very good, and unusual, Bordeaux rose, contributed to a memorable Sunday lunch. We can recommend Le Rustica very highly - it is run by a lovely couple - so friendly and "Madame" speaks excellent English though she is delighted if you try out your French. We lingered a long time over coffee to help with the disposal of the alcohol and we were amazed at the value of this meal at 66 euros for the two of us - four courses, coffees and a bottle of good wine. St. Leger is just NW of Pons and is easily reached from the D137 between Pons and Saintes; if you are on the A10, the exit to use would be 36 (Pons).



In spite of this lunch lasting over two hours, we felt a short walk would be wise before driving back to Cognac. We strolled around the village in warm sunshine and drove back to the campsite by a scenic cross-country route crossing and re-crossing the Charente, enjoying having the Smart's roof down. We couldn't face any more food so the previously intended barbecue dinner was postponed.

Monday 20 July 2009

Today was very hot, the temperature reaching 38C by mid-afternoon. We lazed about at the campsite for most of the day, spending time at the swimming pool which was pleasantly cooling without feeling cold, and was not crowded. Mid-afternoon we decided to walk into Cognac (about 2.5Km) choosing the more shaded sides of roads and streets wherever we could. From the large central square, Place Francois I, we walked through the pedestrianised streets, pretty with flowers, until we reached the entrance to the public gardens (a small park) crowned by the very grand Hotel de Ville atop a small hill.




Behind this, in the park, preparations were being made for Cognac's annual Blues Festival starting this evening and continuing until Sunday. The programme for this looks promising and we wished we had known about it as we would have planned our timing to include at least a couple of days; but like the Saintes Classical Music Festival, these events, in spite of featuring international artists, seem to receive little publicity outside France. The Cognac Blues Festival is held every year for a week mid-to-end of July. Perhaps we'll make it in 2010. If you're one of those rare people who likes classical music AND blues, you could combine Saintes with Cognac in the same fortnight - both good events in great places!

We strolled around the many shaded paths in this park and then made for the river (the Charente), walked along the Southern bank a short way before heading up into the older part of the town past many interesting buildings including the chateau, several distilleries and some seriously old half-timbered houses (13th/14th century).





Back at Place Francois I, we had a cooling drink at one of the outdoor cafe's terraces shaded by sun umbrellas. We were now suffering from the heat and the walk back to the campsite was a trial; restorative showers were welcome.

Gaby and Bernadette (at La Rochelle) had recommended a restaurant near Cognac - the Chateau d'Yeuse at Chateaubernard - so we phoned and booked a table for 8pm. This turned out to be very grand, formal and expensive.



But the setting was magnificent, on a hill overlooking the Charente valley. Most if not all of the other diners were staying at the Chateau - this is not somewhere to stay or eat if you are budget-conscious! So we counted it as a belated celebration of our wedding anniversary (15 July). The food was excellent and the wine we chose (from the cheaper end of an enormous list) was good, but like the rest of the list, outrageously overpriced (cheapest bottle about 20 euros, most expensive 2211 euros - no kidding - average probably around 100). We decided we were paying for the setting - outside on a candlelit terrace with a grand panorama across the countryside.

R offered to drive the Smart back to the campsite so was very careful what he drank (a pineau and one glass of the wine) - M finished the rest of the wine, so we declined offers of hugely expensive Cognacs. Imagine that - visiting Cognac for two days and neither drinking nor buying any of its namesake tipple!

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Last night it was so hot that we slept with our roof fan (above the bed) blowing air onto us - even so the temperature in the MH did not fall below 25C. We breakfasted - early for us at about 9 - paid our fees for 3 nights (60 euros, 20 per night), coupled up the Smart and trailer without problems and drove away just after 11. We had booked a campsite for two nights at Collonges-la-Rouge in the Southern Limousin, a distance of about 140 miles from Cognac. Collonges is a pretty and famous medieval village built in the red sandstone found in its area - it is a well-known tourist attraction with car access banned to visitors (you must use large car parks outside the village). We know it well from several visits made in the 1980s when we stayed and ate in the local hostelry - the Relais de St.Jacques de Compostelle. We decided it would be nice to pay another visit there and have a leisurely day strolling around. The local countryside is beautiful. On the borders of the Limousin, Dordogne and Correze, Collonges is about 12 miles south-east of Brive-la-Gaillarde and isn't on a main tourist route.

Booking two campsites for the transfer between La Rochelle and the Aveyron represented a change of plan as we had originally intended to continue using France Passion locations. But a disadvantage of FP is that usually you are expected to stay just one night and move on - this is fine for overnights during a journey but not much good if you want to spend time looking round a place or area. Staying at Cognac gave us the opportunity to attend the concert at Saintes, visit another old haunt at Le Rustica, explore the town of Cognac and eat at a very grand restaurant.

We drove to Collonges via Angouleme, Perigeux and Brive using good N and D roads, avoiding autoroutes as usual except for a short non-peage section of the A20 round Brive. This route took us through the Perigord, as evidenced by the numerous "Foie Gras" notices by the roadside! We stopped for a brief picnic lunch in a lay-by just the Brive side of Perigeux - the first stoppping place for miles, though of course, after lunch and just up the road we passed a nice shaded "aire de picnique" with tables and views, as so often seems to happen! We got to Collonges about 4pm. The campsite is well-signposted just East of the village - it's the only site there. It lies in a small wooded valley on both sides of a small stream, right next to the municipal swimming pool - hugely crowded when we arrived. In contrast the campsite was only about 60% full and we were asked to walk round and pick a place before driving in. We were also asked to leave our trailer (but not the Smart) in the parking area, even though there was plenty of room for MH, trailer and Smart on many of the available pitches. All the pitches here are marked out, numbered and delineated by hedges, bushes and trees. Many are large and many are shaded. As usual, the fact that we were towing a car on a trailer got a certain look from the man at reception - not disapproving so much as "I don't see that very often" or even "I've never seen THAT before". Indeed we have seen very few motorhomes towing anything in France so far; it's definitely less common than in the UK, on our evidence to date.

We saw no British at Collonges and only a few Dutch; the vast majority of our fellow campers were French.

We found a nice, large, well-shaded pitch close to facilities and the entrance/exit. We acceded to the request to leave our trailer in "le parking", hoping it wouldn't disappear - we rely on a pathetic, badly designed hitchlock for security (this was supplied, and charged for, by Brian James Trailers, and they should be ashamed of it - anyone could neutralise it in a couple of minutes: note to BJT - nice trailer, shame about the security - you should pay more attention to this!).




By now the temperature had reached 42C and there was no relief from the blazing sun before 8pm when the sky started to cloud over. We enjoyed another barbecue (the one postponed from Cognac) and retired to bed with the inside thermometer showing 31C (it had peaked earlier at 38C) so once again the over-the-bed fan blew slightly cooler air at its maximum-force setting. The thunder and lightning started around 10 and the storm, though spectacular, was largely dry for a couple of hours. Then came the rain, hammering down and forcing us to close all our roof vents, shut off the roof fan and rely on slightly-open side windows for ventilation. The storm seemed to reduce the surrounding heat only a little - in the morning the inside temperature had fallen to 28C.

Wednesday 22 July 2009

Judging by the actual temperatures, today should have felt less hot - the violent storm overnight had reduced the day's peak from the low forties yesterday to the low thirties. Yet it felt even hotter because the humidity had risen considerably. Today was unpleasantly sticky - rather like living in a sauna. Our walk to Collonges-la-Rouges, less than a kilometre to the top of the hill and the village outskirts, was exhausting. Interestingly the route from the campsite took us past an "Aire de Service de Camping-Car" with lots of space for many units; also a loo and a service point though no electric hook-ups. This was a nice Aire with a choice of a large hardstanding area, a wooded section and a flattish grassy space. It is well-situated on the very edge of the village of Collonges. Had we known about it we might very well have tried to use it rather than the nearby campsite. We have avoided using Aires on this trip because we were advised that with our trailer and Smart, in the high season we would not be welcome, having to take up two spaces. While this would be true at many Aires with space for only a few vans, it would be unlikely to become a problem at this Aire at Collonges with so much room.

Strolling around in sunshine made hazy by high cloud, we found Collonges much more developed for tourists and more crowded than it was in the 1980s. There were many gift shops, clothes shops, food shops, craft shops and the like, and many eateries, most of them far from cheap. The place is still well worth visiting for its stunning red stone and so many towers topped by slate turrets, like a scene from a fairy tale. Although the crowds and commercialism have reduced the pleasure of a walk there, they have not removed it entirely.




We lunched simply and cheaply in a small cafe-bar style of restaurant at the bottom of the hill on which the village is built and so furthest from the visitors' car parks. It was noticeable that equivalent meals got cheaper as you walked on down the hill. Our meal at Restaurant le Tourtou was basic but just fine - and almost as good value as was commonplace in France 20 years ago. Our old haunt, the Relais de St.Jacques, is still there, still with its Michelin Guide listing, but open only for dinner and with prices likely to propel a bill for two people into 3 figures of Euros.

We summoned the energy to walk past the campsite as far as the next village of Meyssac to do some much needed food and general provisions shopping at the Super-U, staggering back laden in the sweltering late afternoon. The heat and our general exhaustion removed any appetite for more food today and we collapsed into bed as clouds gathered once again for more overnight storms; not as spectacular as last night's but prolonged with plenty of rain.

Thursday 23 July 2009

Thunder was still rumbling at 7am and it was raining steadily from a thick, grey overcast. By 9 the sun was shining again with the cloud rapidly breaking and thinning. But this time the storms had created a much more pleasant day, yesterday's clammy heat replaced by more bearable, drier warmth. We left Le Moulin de la Valane soon after 11am to continue our southerly journey, heading for the first of our pre-booked campsites near Naucelle, between Rodez and Albi in the Aveyron, a drive of just over 100 miles. Our route took us through the small and beautiful medieval village of Martel (sadly we were unable to stop with our full outfit), Figeac, where we crossed the Cele, and then across the Lot to Rodez. Most of this drive was gorgeously scenic and the weather steadily improved; although heat was building again, there was a refreshing breeze to compensate. We found Camping du Lac de Bonnefon easily; access and signposting from the N88 between Rodez and Albi is excellent. The campsite is superbly situated on a hillside above a small lake to which the site gives direct access; many campers here seem keen on fishing.

Our welcome by Thierry Moy, who runs the site with his wife Chrystelle, could not have been more friendly, welcoming and informative. Thierry speaks reasonable English and is so helpful that he naturally tries to use it, but in the end we resorted to some French when things got complicated - what to do with our trailer (leave it securely next to their house), what activities are planned during our stay (organised walks etc.); that kind of thing was helped by the usual Franglais approach! By 4pm we were installed (with MH and Smart) on a nice medium-size and flat pitch bounded by hedges and bushes and so perfectly-delineated and private.




More about this site when we have been here longer but it looks very promising as a good choice for a more extended stay in a fascinating and uncrowded part of France. As at Collonges, we seem to be the only Brits - indeed here we seem to be the only non-French! And as eveywhere, the trailed Smart seemed to arouse much interest and got us all sorts of looks, some envious, some unflattering, but mostly puzzled! The site has many fixed chalets and pre-erected tents; the area with touring pitches is quite small and dominated by tents and smaller caravans. We spotted only one other motorhome. The facilities are clean and adequate; there is a good laundry room with washing machines and driers. Wi-Fi is available in the reception area (we are told) and is free.



We did little else today - a short stroll to and alongside the lake and yet another barbecue (yet more pork chops). All around us, in almost every area of the campsite, a huge "boules" competition seemed to be in progress; we were too tired to join in (and it did seem awfully serious) but we enjoyed a bit of careful spectating and even exchanged a few words, probably giving the entirely false impression that we understood something of the game!