Saturday 28 October 2017

Our Very Own Tour de France - Day 65 - 68

 Lac de Der to Le Crotoy

Wednesday 25th October 2017

First of all We'd like to wish our son Adam 
and Granddaughter Evelyn a very happy birthday
We hope you both had a lovely day with lots of little surprises
πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‚πŸŽ‚πŸŽ‰


Today was also very special because we got our first glimpse of our 4th grandchild - even though he or she wont be born for another 4 months!

And in comparison to all of the above, our day was quite dull really - we travelled further north for a good chunk of  it in what was an uneventful journey!  We left Lac de Der with the sound of honking cranes in our ears and aimed for an Aire in the small town of Neuilly St Front which was just over 100 miles away.  However, when we got there we didn't like it much, so over a  late lunch we mulled over where we could go instead, and for inspiration we studied our trusty Aires in France book and discovered Chateau Thierry which was about 15 miles away.

The book identified a riverside parking area that would charge us 8 euros for the pleasure of being there, but it also informed us about an American WW1 monument which stands as a memorial to the American troops who fought  and died in the Aisne-Marne and Oise-Aisne offensives.  Once we'd settled in we walked up to the  memorial which stands high on a hill above the town, and although it was a bit of a muddy steep trek, and despite the fact that some aspects of  the building were covered in scaffolding, the views of the monument and the surrounding champagne vineyards made it well worth the effort.


We learnt that on the 6th June German machine guns and sharpshooters inflicted the highest number of casualties ever sustained by the US Marine Corps at that time.  Fighting continued for weeks because the German troops were well dug in, and not only did they fight  ferociously, but they also released large amounts of mustard gas.  However, in the end the American troops were victorious but only after monumental loss of life.

Champagne vines


Thursday 26th October 2017

This morning we woke to thick murk that obscured our early views from our windows, and which persisted until well after lunch time, but as today was to be another long driving day we didn't waste much time in setting off on our journey.    Our mission was to get back to France's North Coast - specifically to the town of Le Crotoy where we plan to spend the next 3 nights before a last dash to Calais for our crossing back to Blighty!

We eventually parked in a little Aire where for a small sum we have the additional comfort of electric hook up so we'll be able to enjoy the luxury of hot water and heating if we need it!
And after quite a hectic 10 weeks I think our plan will be to have a bit of R&R before we have to face more long drives in - but they will be well worth the effort because they will take us home to  spend the next month with our much missed family. 

Friday 27th and Saturday 28th October 2017

The town of Crotoy is situated in a wide tidal bay on the estuary of the river Somme and opposite Le Hourdel where we first started this tour, so when John suggested coming here I really thought we'd be stopping at the sea side!


However, when the tide goes out  it retreats so far you need a telescope to see it - a bit like Skeggy reallyπŸ˜‚. 






And this exposes a massive expanse of sand, some 14 km across and like a giant scallop shell, thus making it ideal for what used to be one of the areas main industries, and what is still a pass time for many locals - and that's cockling!

On Friday we went for quite a long walk (10 miles ish) around the bay and while we were out we saw lots of people indulging in obtaining a free tea!  Apparently, in this area millions of cockles and other molluscs live buried in the sand forming colonies in the northern part of the bay.  However, even if we got out there with the locals and gathered some I'm not sure I'd know what to do with them, or even if I'd actually fancy eating themπŸ˜• YUK!

Don't think that's quite right!
Then on Saturday we took it easy for most of the day and also took huge advantage of our sites free WIFI.  John had started looking round on YouTube for some of his childhood favourites such as Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, Super-Car, and Torchy The Battery Boy - and much to his delight full episodes of many of them were available - so you can imagine how he spent his morning! Me, well I started searching on a download site I subscribe to  (File Factory) and found 39 full episodes of Stingray so that's all on a USB stick now and stored away for a rainy day!  And I ought to tell you about John's other new pass-time - he's making quite a good hairdresser, and if I'm not careful he might start to charge soon!

In the afternoon we ventured out again in the opposite direction, and although we had a  very pleasant walk it was very windy and quite cold.   Because of this I'd thought it was a good idea to take some hot chocolate with us so we could sit on the sea front and sip it while we watched the tide race in - but there were two problems with that!  First we were too early for the tide and it was to cold to sit and wait, and secondly, when we tried to drink our hot chocolate the wind whipped up such a swirl in our cups that we ended up wearing more of it that we drank - but it was funny!

Anyway, once more that's it for now - and for this tour this is probably the penultimate episode - but we will see you again in a few days when our feet are firmly back on home soil to tell you how it ends!
πŸ˜™πŸ˜™

Part of Le Crotoy Bay on a Cold Windy Day!


Click here to see our French Camping spots

Tuesday 24 October 2017

Our Very Own Tour de France - Day 61 - 64

Lac des Settons to Lac de Der

Saturday 21st October 2017

This morning we left our muddy patch by Lac des Settons quite early and travelled a short 20 miles to the town of  Autun which lies on the southern edge of the Morvan National Park.  Our plan was to get parked up in their Aire which is right beside Plan d'Eau du Vallon (a small lake), and to go out and explore the town that basks in Romanesque buildings before the predicted rains came in the early afternoon.

An Outdoor Gym




I suggested to John we should stop and play here for a while but he wasn't interested!



First we visited the ruins of a Roman Amphitheatre which in it's time held 20,000 spectators, and even today it is still often put to good use when summer spectaculars are performed there.


Porte Saint-Andre
Then next came two of four ancient gates that were part of the fortified walls that surrounded the town - first we strolled past Porte Saint-Andre  which is to the east and was built in the 4th century, and to the north we found Porte d'Arroux which dates back to the 1st century.  And here, even though it's upper masonry looked quite precarious, the main road still passes though 2 or it's arches!

Porte d'Arroux





After that we trekked a short distance to The Temple of Janus, which at nearly 80 feet high and with crumbling facades looked as if it could be toppled by a strong wind - so we didn't stand to close!  But having said that, it looks as if it was built to last, and as it provides a home for a great number of birds it's to be hoped it doesn't!  I also found the building very atmospheric and if a ancient Roman had popped his head over the upper constellations  I wouldn't have been surprised!







And by the time all that exploring had been done the rain was starting to pitter patter - so we turned tail and nipped into McDonald's to practice our French - and of course, while we were there it would have been rude not to indulge in a little late lunch!


Sunday 22nd October 2017

Another day with not much to say!  However, we did start it in a healthy way by taking a quick  mile and a half march around Plan d'Eau du Vallon in watery sunshine - we knew that rain was probably going to stop play later in the day!  Then after that we moved a bit further north and revisited an Aire in the town of Mirebeau-sur-Beze where we'd stayed on our journey South way back in August.

And as predicted the rains came, but only intermittently, so in the afternoon, and after taking some advise from an engineer in England, John did a bit more investigating into why our boiler and heating have gone on strike when we attempt to use diesel to fuel them.

He did reappear in time for his dinner!
The engineer had advised that it's actually unlikely that it's the diesel pump that's causing the problem, and he said that if we looked at the boiler itself while it was in fail mode it would demonstrate a code in a series of long and short flashes that might shed some light as to what the problem is.  So, although John didn't manage to achieve anything else in his forage he did get the code which we will forward to the engineer tomorrow - and with a bit of luck we should then know exactly what the problem is!

Oh, and seeing as I haven't waffled on today I might tell you about the one thing I HATE about France - and it's all John's fault - and I've even tried to solve the problem by tying a big knot in it!  He loves soft smelly cheese so when we're in France a big chunk of it is usually residing in our fridge - and even though I double bag it - every time we open the fridge door the pong invades the whole atmosphere of T4rdis2!  I can't wait to get back to England so that all we have to endure is the much more wholesome whiff of Cheddar and Stilton!

Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th September 2017

On Monday the day dawned a bit dank and dreary so we didn't waste much time before we were on the road with the sat nav set for the town of Langres were we planned to do a bit of restocking of both our food cupboards and wine cellar at their Lidl - and smelly cheese was definitely NOT on my list!

Whoops
Wrong pic πŸ˜‚
Then once that mission was accomplished we set off to see the cranes at Lac de Der.  This was a place we'd visited very early in our present tour, and while we were there we got chatting to another English couple who told us that the birds are here in late October.  Therefore, it had always been in our plan to stop off and see them on our way home - and we weren't disappointed .



We didn't arrive at the Lake until about 4.30 but we knew the cranes spend the day in the nearby lagoons feeding, and then fly back over Lac de Der around dusk to rest in their night time roost which is an area by the lake that is off limits to humans.  So we timed our evening walk to coincide with their return, and although I only managed to catch a few in the pic there were many hundreds in flight in both small and large groups.

Later I read about them on the RSPB website and they describe them as huge graceful mainly grey birds with long legs, a long neck, drooping curved tail feathers and with a wing span of about 2 metres.  As well as the ones in the sky we did manage to spot some on the lake edge, but at quite some distance away so it was quite difficult to see them in any great detail, and impossible to get a clear image - so once again I had to cheat a bit and borrow a pic!

Apparently, the Crane is  is the largest wild bird in France and also the emblem of Lac de Der - and we later learnt that that between 60,000 and 140,000 of these birds stop here between mid October and mid March so our choice of a place to come and see them had obviously been a good one.

Great White Egrets 
However, our luck didn't really hold for Monday which was another grey and mizzly day.  We set off on what turned out to be an 11 mile hike, and although we saw plenty of other birds that included grey herons, great white egrets, millions of ducks and quite a few terns swooping and screaming as they went, we didn't see many more cranes other than a few in flight!  But our walk did provide lovely but misty views over the lake, and allowed us to admire the work of several local artists who presented their offerings in an outdoor gallery right on the water's edge.  And it also provided some much needed exercise, along with a damp but rewarding spot for our picnic - the birds were in an arena like setting on the lake but just below where we were sitting and their antics almost seemed as if they were performing in circus fashion just for our entertainment.

A pic of one of the Artist's impressions of Lac de Der
By the time we got home we were quite damp around the edges and also a bit weary, so when half past five came (the time of the crane's return), along with a very heavy down pour we opted to stay snug inside T4rdis2 rather than go out to do more twitching!

So once more, that's the end of this episode, so till next time - take care πŸ˜—


Click here to see our French camping spots

Friday 20 October 2017

Our Very Own Tour de France - Day 57 - 60

Vallon-Pont-d'Arc to Lac des Settons in the Morvan National Park

Happy Birthday Paul - Hope your feeling better xxx 

Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th October 2017

On Tuesday morning we left our Aire at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and proceeded westwards aiming for The Central Massive, and in particular Gorge du Tarn.   Our plan was to spend the next couple of days circumnavigating it's boundaries so that we could ensure we'd admired it from every angel - but as often happens, we didn't quite stick to that itinerary!  And why was that?  Well, our journey was to be about 125 miles - but what we hadn't considered was the roads!  As usual John had checked out our route on Google Earth, and as most of them had a white line down the middle (indicating that they were double lane) he thought we'd be OK- however, that wasn't quite the case for the middle half of our trip!

Now, I like sums 😁 and you would think that the addition of 2 lane widths of road would be plenty wide enough even for us - well, in quite a lot of places one of said widths just about equated to the girth  of a big motorbike - so for over 30 miles in the early part of our journey T4rdis2 had to straddle the white line, and as there were big gullies on either side of the road we'd have been in deep πŸ’©πŸ’©πŸ’© if anything had come the other way - luckily we only met about 7 cars and 3 of them were parked!


And then came our trip along the floor of the spectacular Tarn Gorges! For millions of years the Tarn and it's tributary the River Jonte have eaten their way down through the limestone plateau of the Cevennes, and this erosion has created a sinuous forked canyon that is 33 miles long and nearly 1,300 feet deep in places.  The UNESCO listed gorges are flanked by contorted jagged rocks that loom over the road, and for most of the way, as you would expect,  the route keeps company with the flowing water of the River Tarn.  Additionally, within the gorge there are 19 chateaux that were built between the 10th and 13 centuries, but we only managed to catch this one - Castelbouc - the ruins of which stand on a rocky peak near the beginning of the Gorge towering over a small village.



The views within the gorge were truly magnificent, but parking spaces were a bit like hens teeth, and once again, John's attention had to be fully directed at the narrow sinuous road which had lots of tight squeezes both in width and depth - low tunnels and overhanging cornices seemed to loom around many of the blind bends!







And at one of the bends in particular we very nearly came to grief!  We met another motor home coming the other way so John squeezed into the side as much as possible and then stopped.  But the other driver must have thought he had enough room to get through -  evidently not - as his back end passed ours a loud scraping noise reached our ears, - luckily for us  it was his rear near side grating  against the wall - ouch, that sounded expensive £££££!



Then all that was left for us to do was to climb out of the canyon via the very steep Col de St Rome de Dolan and head for our designated Aire in the town of La Canourge.  By the time we got there John had been driving for nearly 6 hours - mainly because our speed was very limited due to the arduousness of the roads - so as you would imagine he was well and truly ready to put his feet up.  And me, well my excuse for being tired was the fact that I'd had so much adrenaline pumping though my veins for most of the day!

Anyway, on Wednesday we were originally going  back to the Gorge to drive down the opposite side, but quite understandably, John said he'd had enough of 'tight' roads, and additionally we realised that we'd nearly ran out of LPG (gas).  Also there was a very strange dampness in the air - a phenomenon that we hadn't experienced for the last 6 weeks!  So when we considered all of the above we decided to hatch out plan B and take a short drive to the town of Marvejols to refill our tanks - however, when we got there the chaps on the left were trying to send us on a diversion - to Cockermouth in Cumbria - it was only 1475 km!  Anyway, we weren't having any of that, so once our mission was accomplished we headed on to the historic town of Mende where we planned to stop for lunch and have a wander amongst the locals who are apparently known as Mendois!  However, by then the rain was bouncing off the windscreen so plan B was shelved and C was put into action! We decided to have a little holiday and take the rest of the day off so we headed for an Aire at Lake Langogne  (which almost sounds as if it should be in Wales), and there for the small sum of 10 euros we had the luxury of electric hook up so we could warm some water for a hot shower - what luxury πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚!

Thursday 19th October 2017

This morning we woke to the gentle drumming of rain on our roof, but despite that, the autumnal picture that met our eyes when we pulled up our blinds was quite delightful!  The woodland floor was carpeted with a bright orange rug, the falling leaves were whirling around us in mini tornados and in the huge lake loomed mistily in the background!  And because it was so lovely it was quite difficult to tear ourselves away, but our time in France is running short now so our decision to continue our journey Northwards was soon made!



And really I haven't  got much else to say about today - it was just a long drive (150 miles) over the gently undulating plateau of the central massif, but this was undertaken on excellent roads so our journey only took a little over 3 hours even with stops!

As caught on the dash cam
It was much nearer than it looks on the pic!
However, along the way T4rdis2 did have a very close encounter which would have been very unpleasant indeed if contact had been made.  There we were, driving along minding our own business when all of a sudden a young sleigh puller 🦌 darted out from a deep gully and was within inches of our right front bumper - I'm not sure which of the 3 of us was more startled but luckily the little chap's cloven hooves must have had excellent brake pads because he managed to halt his progress and change direction and thus avoided certain death! If we'd hit him at 43 mph it wouldn't have been a pretty sight!

Anyway, after that it wasn't to long before we arrived at our nights free stopping place which was a small Aire in the town of Randan, and once we were settled it was debate time concerning where we should go next.  John had earmarked a couple of lake areas in the Morvan region, but because we've had our wings clipped and can't really use our e-bikes (John's is making a horrible clunking noise) we couldn't  decide if that was a good idea or not!  However after further investigation we've settled on a Reservoir near the town of Chaumard, so fingers crossed we'll find something entertaining there!


Friday 20th October 2017

As planned this morning we drove just over a hundred miles across more of the Central Massif Plateau to the Morvan National Park which is an area that includes forests, lakes and farm land.  Specifically we were aiming for an Aire at the side of the Panneciere Reservoir, but to be honest, when we arrived it was all a bit underwhelming!  The water level was quite low, the day was gloomy and the site was muddy, so without either of us saying hardly a single word, we just took one look and then John put T4rdis2 back in gear and we trundled off!  But where should we go - well we'd read about another lake with an Aire about 15 miles further on - Lake Settons -  so that was were we ended up!  And I suppose it was OK but I think the problem is we've spent so much time in so many magnificent places while we've been in France, that now, when we come to somewhere that is a bit more mundane we feel slightly disappointed😞

Anyway, we'd done enough driving for the day, and we'd I'd also got a bit of cabin fever after hardly straying from our home for the last 3 days, so it was time to make the most of it, don our walking boots and get off out in the fresh air!  We walked for about 4 miles along the forested lake side, and really it was quite pretty and mood lifting as we watched various birds which included a woodpecker flitting about!  And then once we about turned we could see T4rdis2 nestled in the distance at the lake side waiting to welcome us home, and by the time we got there the sun was peaking out and shining over the water - beautiful! 

You can just see T4rdis2 across the water
Tomorrow we'll move on again - destination yet to be decided!

To see our French camping spots click here

Monday 16 October 2017

Our Very Own Tour de France - Day 53 - 56

Pont du Gard to Vallon-Pont-d'Arc

Friday 13th and Saturday 14th October 2017

On Friday morning we left our campsite by the Pont du Gard and travelled to the to the fortified city of Avignon with a vague hope that the Motorhome Chausson dealer there might be able to replace the diesel pump for our central heating and hot water system - but once again the answer was a big fat NON!  So now I think we're pretty well resigned to managing without these luxuries (unless we have electric hook up) until we get back to England.  However, our trip wasn't completely wasted because it wasn't far off the route anyway, and while we were there we popped into Lidl to do some much needed restocking - all the 🍷🍷  had ran out!

Our detour also allowed us a glimpse of the massive ramparts that enclose the town and as we were passing by we also realised that it is from here that the famous French song that we all sang as children came from  - Sur le Pont d'Avignon!

From here we aimed T4rdis2 at our next main destination which was an Aire near  Mont Ventoux, and all we really expected to find was the massive mountain itself which we know and love from watching several years worth of The Tour de France!  But we were very wrong, the mountain is surrounded by lots of other lower but mountainous ranges, and I really don't know where to start in describing this area.  Our base was just outside the hamlet of Sault-du-Vaucluse, and on Friday afternoon we took a short walk into the town to get our bearings and to visit the Tourist Info Office which provided a plethora of  information concerning the many ways we could spend our time - but the 2 days that we planed to stay was definitely not long enough!

Besides Mount Ventoux one of this region's other main claims to fame is lavender production.  The town of Sault is said to be the birthplace of lavender, and as we walked through the streets the very strong floral aroma, and the many shops selling lavender related goods such as honey seemed to confirm this.  And another thing that we learnt about while we were there was the importance of the bike and cycle routes in the region.  At the tourist office we were given a map that identified at least 35 planned cycle routes for all abilities - and it didn't even include the trek up Ventoux - and in almost every direction you looked you could see cyclists in full regailia  Lycra who had obviously been taking advantage of them!

So now we had a bit of a dilemma - where should we go in our one full day (Saturday)!  Originally, we'd planned to tackle some of Mont Ventoux's slopes, but the summit stands at 1909 metres and 17 miles up, and in parts the gradient is 10.7% so our chances of getting very far were non-existent - it really is for elite or very strong athletes only! Additionally, we planned to drive over the summit on Sunday, so in the end we scrapped that plan and replaced it with a much more enjoyable one that allowed us to ride through Les Gorges de la Nesque - and this could have been a 40 mile circular ride but we made it a 'there and back' and reduced it to 31 instead.

At the beginning of our journey we traversed along the gently sloping roads that drop down towards the gorge and as we did so we passed by the huge lavender plantations - all bare of flowers at this time of year but they must be spectacular when in full bloom!

Sniff deep and you might be able to smell it!
Whoops!  I think this might be a stolen screen shot pic!
And then not long after that we were in the beautiful gorge itself which was quite spectacular because it looked as if God had been spray painting the hillsides with lots of fantastic Autumn colours!

You can just about see the road where it clings to the hillside
Our first coffee stop in the grandiose canyon was at the Castelleras Belvedere (a view point) which faces the Rocher du Cire (we think rock of wax)!  Here several French bikers were singing there National Anthem - maybe to hear the echo of their own voices - or maybe it was of some other significance - but either way everyone was quite amused! Also, apparently, at the bottom of the gorge in that spot there is a troglodyte chapel that dates from the twelfth century but as it's only accessible by foot, and as it was such a long way down we missed that out!

Rocher du Cire

And from there it was forwards and onwards, uphill and down-dale  and through several burrows tunnels along a narrow balcony road that allowed us to admire more of the breathtaking vistas! On the way I'd taken quite a few pics of John but when he tried to take one of me he missed on his first go!













But he got me on his second attempt πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚


Mont Ventoux - a very long way up!
In the end we agreed it had definitely been the right decision not to ride up  Mont Ventoux because it would have been well beyond our capabilities - so for today we just admired it from afar - and tomorrow we'll have the pleasure of riding up it's slopes in the comfort of T4rdis2 and be able to admire it's grandeur without trying to half kill ourselves in the process!


Sunday 15th October 2017

And what a ride it was!  We left the Aire at Sault, and almost immediately we were on the lower slopes of the great mountain - and here the landscape seemed to cloaked in a huge skirt of many colours!  In the bright sunshine the Autumnal colours shone brightly in every direction that we looked!

But as we rose up the steep incline this soon gave way to a pristine but barren white landscape that looked like something that might be found on the moon!

It's nick names include 'The Beast of Provence', 'The Giant of Provence' and
'The Bald Mountain'
Apparently, Venteux means 'windy' in French so it would seem it's very aptly named - when the Mistral is blowing wind speeds have reached as high as 200 mph and it is said that it's likely to reach 56 mph on 240 days of the year!  But we must have been quite lucky because although there was a stiff breeze it certainly didn't blow us off our lofty perch and in the lovely hot sunshine we were quite glad of it's cooling effect!

On the way up we passed by a memorial to the British cyclist Tommy Simpson who collapsed and died during his attempt to climb the mountain in the1967 Tour de France at about 2km from the top.  It would appear that the tradition of leaving a memento in his memory is still going strong!

And there were also several other memorials on the white stone slopes but there was nowhere to park so we couldn't stop and look.


However, once we reached the top we found plenty of space so we took full advantage and wandered full circle to thoroughly appreciate the 360 degree panorama - and it almost looked as if we could have stayed the night on the huge scree plateau (right below) but it was a bit early in the day to put down our ⚓! 



However, we did pause for coffee before starting our descent, and then again about half way down for lunch!  And after that we made our way towards an Aire in the town of Malaucene, but when we got there it seemed they were having a motorcycle motor-cross event so there was really no room at the Inn in their very busy 20 space motorhome parking area - and parking for vans in any other place in the town was banned!  As well as us there were also several other vans circling and vying for space and it seemed fairly unlikely that  any of us were going to get suitably parked for the night there - but we knew (and it seemed they did to) that there was another Aire about 6 miles down the road.

The full Aire at Vaison la Romaine
This resulted in John adopting a bit of a Sterling Moss attitude - we set off in a convoy of 3 big vans with us in the middle - but as we all appeared to be heading for the same place the race was on to see who could get there first to secure a spot to spend the night.  In the end we came second (the third van stopped at a roadside stall) - but it was a good job we hadn't dawdled because we just managed to nip into the last available space - it would have been a very long drive to the next Aire  if we'd been pipped to the post!


Monday 16th October 2017

This morning we left our Aire at Vaison la Romaine and set a course for yet another gorge - this time The Gorge de l'Ardeche with the particular mission of seeing The Pont d'Arc.  But to get there we had to pass through part of  the Rhone Valley where we found staggeringly massive vineyards.  At times there were vines of many varieties for as far as the eye could see - apparently the region stretches for over a 150 miles and forms a corridor between the Med and Northern Europe with the River Rhone at the base of the valley.

Chateau Suze-la-Rousse

Along our way there were also dozens of Caves  (outlets) where wine could be purchased - and we were a little tempted, but at the mo our cellars have sufficient supplies so we just motored on by! However we did smile when we passed the University of Wine in the town of Suze-la-Rousse which was founded in 1978 - it's amazing what you can get a degree in these days!




Then it didn't take us much longer before  we found ourselves entering the Gorges de l'Ardeche - a series of gorges that the River Ardeche has scoured out  over the millennia to form deep canyons in the rugged limestone.  Apparently, the whole area is riddled with caves and tunnels, many of which have huge stalagmite and stalactite formations, but to be honest, the drama of what we could see above ground was enough to satisfy us.


The gorge runs for nearly 19 miles from the lofty St Martin-d'Ardeche, and near it's end it descends down to Vallon-Pont-d'Arc where we'd found an Aire to spend the night.  However, as the day was still young our plan was to have a quick lunch and then spend the afternoon cycling back up through the gorge with lots of stops at the view point!




But that didn't quite work out!  I think I've already mentioned our resident gremlin!  Well today he hopped on the back of John's bike and played another filthy trick on us at about only 7 miles into the gorge - and just after we'd  ridden up a very steep hill!  John's bike has had a creaky crank for  a while - a fact that was recognised by the firm who sold them to us just before we set off on this tour, and one that they promised to fix when we get back.  But today the 'creak' developed into a horrible grating noise with each turn of his peddles - so be honest - it looks as if it's buggered for the time being!




However, on our short ride we did achieve our objective of seeing the Pont d'Arc which is a natural arch that is a 197 feet wide and 177 feet high!










Now, if you've been keeping up with our posts you'll know we're rather fond of Gorges, so tomorrow we're going to beam down into another one - this time The Gorge du Tarn, but to see what we get up to there you'll have to tune into our next post!
So for now it's Bye πŸ‘‹πŸ‘‹πŸ‘‹ from us πŸ˜™

Oh and PS - Just so it's not late  Happy Birthday Paul for tomorrow xxx


Click here to see our French camping spots