Bonjour - as we head into France

On Day 85 we headed into France and decided we would avoid the crowds on the southern coast and travel to Carcassonne.  We stayed at Trebes a lovely village on the banks of a river and the canal de Midi.

We cycled along the canal to Carcassonne a 9 mile ride taking in the green lush scenery and as we arrived outside the city we had our first view of the Cite - wonderful.

The  fortified old town is huge and takes your breath away in its elevated position.  The medieval Cite was bathed in a soft red glow onto the walls and turrets as we explored the narrow lanes and stopped in a café to soak up the atmosphere.

Our next stop was Entraygues sur Truyere a place we had not been back to for over 30 years!  During the journey we passed over the Millau Viaduct which straddles the Tarn and holds the world height record rising to 343m above the valley.  It is an exceptional piece of civil engineering.

Entraygues (between the waters) was founded in the 10 century at the place where the River Truyere flows into the river Lot.  Not much remains of the fortified castle only the walls stand today but the old medieval town with its narrow streets of 15^th & 17^th century timbered and corbelled houses are extremely well preserved.

The camp site we were on was overlooking the river with a great swimming pool which was surrounded by mountains, trees and different species of birds. Alan tried his hand at fishing several times and enjoyed relaxing, casting his rod and enjoying the country life.

The local wine, fruit, cheeses and fish were all delicious, the local markets  sold  a variety of produce.

On ward next to Perigueux which is a really picturistic town with ancient squares, we wandered through the town & admired the half-timbered medieval houses, legendary markets at every corner and  walked the cobbled streets.

 A grand cathedral is in the centre of the old town as we strolled through the central square locals were selling huge assortments of mushrooms some of which I had not seen before. 

Our next stop was in the Bordeaux region and we stopped off at the innumerable small towns and villages with porticoed squares and timber houses and good local wine and produce for sale.  A detour found another Challenge for Alan having to drive down a very tiny street to avoid road works we could both touch the sides of the nearby houses as Alan carefully negotiated the van!!

Day 95 we found ourselves in  Chatelaillon Plage a town in between La Rochelle & Rochefort. The area is very flat so our bikes were very useful in getting us around to the small bays, coastal towns and fishing villages. 

Au revoir (France) 

                                                                     

Travelled through Andalucía, Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia & nwards to France

Onwards from Spain to France

Travelling along Spain’s luminous eastern coast which follows the curve of the Mediterranean we found the landscape very varied at times very beautiful and intriguing.  We stayed in the desert like interior of Murcia for our stay just outside Alicante; here the beaches and villages enjoy all year round sunshine.

 We had a date to meet our granddaughter Jasmine, her Dad Ryan brought her from England, and she stayed with us for a while to soak up the sun, a good excuse for me and Alan to make sand castles and we all enjoyed cycling through the pine forests to the beach and nearby towns.  

Near the campsite we enjoyed the flamingos on the salt flats and watched as they elegantly flew from area to area mingling with other sea birds and wild life.

We were very surprised to see Alicante with its long, white sand beaches a wealthy yachting marina and lively centre with very stylish shops and elegant walkways.  

The old city walls still stand and are crowned by the imposing hilltop fortress the Carthaginian Castillo.  

We visited nearby Benidorm and enjoyed Cartagena with its maritime history and naval roots.   On day 52 we had our second day of rain but hi it was during the night and only a few drops!!!

Jaz brought a friend for Big Ted, (Tigger) they both   seemed to enjoy the company!!

I travelled back to England with Jazz and caught up with family & friends whilst in Harrogate for 4 days the house seemed huge compared with the small space of the van and outside dining area I had been used to for the past months. 

Arrived back at Alicante airport and made our way to the Costa Daurada near Tarragonaj.  From Alicante Molly (the Sat Nav) suggested that this would take 5 hrs.  in fact the data we had was wrong and Molly took us over the mountains and tried to get us to cross a river on a very small ferry. Alan had to turn the van around in a very small space which he did with on lookers amazed we were down the very narrow road in the first place. We were at Mora La Nova in the mountains not where we wanted to be at all.   The views were wonderful and the roads narrow for Alan to drive along.

We eventually found our camp site on the coast at Platja de Montroig 9 Playa Montroig Camping resort.  Here we enjoyed the beach, cycling along the Med. Splendid Romanesque churches and monasteries, stunning natural parks all within the back drop of the mountains.    The hilltop location of Tarragona was woven with streets of the old town as we climbed to the cathedral.

The modern art work we have seen on our travels has been marvellous especially the wonderful gallery in Alicante what a find.  So now onwards to France!!!