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)