French roads are interesting, there are various options to take depending on time and cost, the fastest and expensive are the autoroutes with hefty toll fees, free standard dual carriageway and a range of suburban town and village routes with an average of 30km per hour.
Our drive from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel was just over 600 miles, by autoroute it would take around 10 hours and about £90 on tolls.
Our plan was to combine all three options, we had 4 days to get to the ferry, starting on the toll road from the south we opted to go back towards the Lot and Dordogne valley areas, our one night stopover at the Haut de Pezaud vineyard near Bergerac on the way south did not seem long enough to explore the area.
During our last evening in Canet-en Rousillon we took a walk along the beach, stopping to watch the only swimmer in the sea, he was struggling a little to get out of the strong surf, causing him to stumble and retreat back into the deeper water a few times.
We stood and watched closely on the shore, like a seasoned old lifeguard I did mutter to Jo that as long as his head is above water he'll be fine!
After his 5th attempt he was in ankle deep water....
Letting him know we were standing down as safety crew, it was a surprise to hear his northern accent.
The conversation quickly went on to the campsite and exchanging notable places to visit, he wanted to chat... or maybe he was just as surprised as us, with just a handful of British people in the big campsite, we had somehow managed to bump into each other, with no one else about.
Duly we took in his recommendations and shared a few of the places we had been to that were worth a visit... and we went our separate ways.
The conversations we have had over the weeks whilst in France, and despite the odd language challenge, we have happily conversed with Belgians, French, Germans and Dutch, the camper community is really friendly and all for helping each other out. [Well maybe I would have gone in the water... but that's academic now 😇]
Next morning it was a quick pack up and manoeuvre out of the pitch, we were off ... on our way home - heading north.
Our aim was to take 4 days, the first night staying on a French Passion vineyard site near Cahors in the Lot Valley, a 3.5 hour drive via the autoroute and tolls (£40), the alternative non autoroute would have added at least an additional 2 hours to the journey time.
Over the course of our travels we had opted not to drive more than 3 - 4 hours per day, this was to make sure we arrived at a site in the daylight, and have time to explore some of the area the same day.
A refuel of diesel and a stop off at what could only be described as the poshest Greggs bakery, [named Marie Blachère - with its 690 branches in France], for the habitual baguette and a Tarte Au Pommes [Jo's personal favourite]... I had my own challenge - to try a different random treat each time we visited a bakery, for culinary academic research purposes- I needed to establish what was my favourite... the quest continues!!
A breakfast stop an hour or so later just off the main route in an aire [a service station with lots of picnic tables] a cuppa and pastry to ease us into the journey.
It was then that Jo who had been mostly driving, mentioned her lower leg was giving her some pain... it had ballooned up, skin was on fire .... a horse fly bite had turned nasty... so a quick text message to both of her sisters (who are trained nurses) came back with reassurance and "take a antihistamine"... which is lucky as Jo travels with a first aid kit that any ambulance would be proud of!
So rest up ...leg up... I was driving.....no more in charge of pointing out the places we were going through and giving out interesting facts... I had also lost control of the Spotify playlist!!
Our final destination for the day in the Lot Valley, at the French Passion site 'Clos de Pougette" a vineyard at the top of a hill giving fabulous 360 views of the vineyard and valley below.
This was a stunning location, we were met by Pierre and his son, the vineyard owners, and told we could park where we wished.
A Belgian couple in a vw camper were parked up under the big oak tree, there was more than enough space for 10 vans.... but that evening it was just us 2.
As customary, we arranged to take part in a "degustation" aka a wine tasting with Pierre, and joined by the friendly Belgian couple- the chatter was fab.. a mix of Fr-inglish... we all got by - the tasting measures rather free flowing .. 6 different wines tasted.. we all left with quite a few bottles having made some great purchases... great selling strategy by Pierre!
The views were stunning... the stillness... the peace...
The following morning we decided to continue to stay local and venture slightly further north to the Dordogne, and take in another French Passion, we would choose our overnight venue once we decided where we would end up.
Our encounter with Mr Northern Swimmer pointed us to have a look at a place called Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, and we were not disappointed, what a photogenic little village built into the cliffside, the river below.
Renowned to be one of France's most beautiful villages, with a harmonious group of beautiful stone houses with brown-tiled roofs and a fortified Gothic church standing on the edge of the high rock, this flower-filled place with narrow streets is lined with craft workshops, art galleries and cafes.
The ample camper van parking is on the cliff top looking down the valley.
After a pleasant hour or so wandering the village, exploring the shops, it was time to move on, our next destination close-by was Rocamadour, a place with a monastery also built into the cliffs along the River Dordogne.
Parking again was ample, the signage easy to follow, the french are good at accommodating camper vans in tourist places, either at no charge or just a small fee.
From the car park, you could walk down the winding steep hill to the town below, or you could opt for the funicular lift, plus another more traditional lift to take you down the remaining half to the main street below. We took both lifts... we were thinking of the time saving... we wanted to explore other places that day.
Rocamadour is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has also been a crucial pilgrimage site in the "Way of Saint James".....hence the monastery.
Rising up 120 metres, this vertiginous Citadel of Faith is best summed up by the old local saying: ‘Houses on the river, churches on the houses, rocks on the churches, castle on the rock’.
Below the monastic buildings the town boasts 4 beautiful arched stone gates on the lowest slopes, alongside beautiful gold stone houses and lauzé roofs, the main street of quirky shops and fancy restaurants is entirely car free... attracting the ambling tourist.
Our final stop along the River Dordogne was at Chateau de Beynac, next to Beynac-et-Cazenac, another pretty one street village built into the cliff... the stonework would not look out of a place in a traditional Cotswold village.
The local area is also full of walnut farms, the shops selling the orchard wares from huge bags of walnuts, oils to wooden items in every shape you may want or need.
It was getting late in the day, we had not made plans for where we would stay that evening, so out came the French Passion app, after a quick search of options a Duck & Walnut Farm was chosen nearby, off to 'Ferme de Grezelade' to our place for the night.
Our stay would be amongst the walnut trees in the orchard, the site just outside the charming village of Lanzac near Soulliac, it was also a duck farm, although it was not obvious as our nights stay was entirely duckless... not one heard or seen!
A bargain at 3 euros for the night, only payable if you wanted a shower!
Freshly showered, the following morning we were off again - we would take in some miles to get further north, it was Friday and we were booked on the ferry on Monday night... (NB all of the Passion sites we have stayed at have had showers and toilets).
Driving from Lanzac we popped into the posh Greggs again (Marie Blanchére) for more tasty treats and "une baguette" before setting off.
The plan was to drive for 3 - 4 hours, take it leisurely and then find a place to stay.
This took us to just north of Angouleme, to 'Belair' a campsite just on the edge of town, a functional overnighter on hard standing.
As it was getting towards the end of the season the site was sparsely populated, nevertheless it was a pleasant stopover as we continued to head north.
The following day after a drive of around 3 hours, it was time to seek out a final French Passion site of the trip, this was to be in the village of Sainte Marguerite de Carrouges, just north of Alencon, on a vast apple and pear cider farm.
The host, initially a rather grumpy chap, although his smile did come out after we opted to buy a few bottles of his Pear Cider after the "degustation" and a bottle of his beloved balsamic vinegar.
His cider farm was lovely, the oak barrels, apples and pear orchard, we sampled both ciders, the pear being the favoured by us both.
After being given the process of making the product, our host insisted we took a "shot" of his apple balsamic vinegar, explaining it takes 20 tonnes of apples to boil down over one month, to end up with one tonne of balsamic.
The generous vinegar measure was put in a shot glass to swig back in one - it was unexpected - not unpleasant - yet not pleasant either!
Despite the strangest shot ever and at nearly 20 euros a bottle, we were not put off and made a purchase, plus some pear cider.
It was Sunday morning and it was raining - we really were heading north, opting to get back up to the Normandy beach area for a final potter before our Monday night ferry.
Choosing the scenic route from the cider farm, we wound our way through lots of little pretty villages, keeping away from the autoroutes, one of the more prettier village was a place called Rânes, where we took time for a stop off at the local boulangerie for the regular supplies.
By mid afternoon, we had arrived at the Scottish Canadian campsite by Sword Beach for the evening, however on inspection of the facilities, they were experiencing some plumbing challenges so we decided to upsticks and head back to Flowers - the first site we had stayed at when we initially arrived, as many other campsites in northern France had now closed for the season.
Half an hour later we were back at the Flowers site at Omaha Beach, and as we had missed it on our first trip to the site we took a short walk to the Musée D-Day Omaha at Vierville-Sur-Mer.
It was an extensive private collection, by a local chap who had amassed thousands of pieces of memorabilia and turned it into a fascinating museum, telling the story of the occupation and liberation.
His collection included an "Enigma" decoding machine, which some may recognised from the Alan Turing story from the film "The Imitation Game" which thanks to AT and others, the war was reduced by at least 2 years.
Our last day in France...
Having been at the British Normandy Memorial at the end of August when the "Standing with Giants" memorial was on display, we popped back to the site now that the 6ft silhouette statues had been taken back to England.
This time the memorial seemed less emotional, the only statutes left were of the two nurses in the middle of the wild flower meadow, where just a few weeks previously 1,473 other silhouettes had once stood heads bowed.
It was time to move on and since being in the south of France I had been keen to get a set of Pétanque boules, so a detour to a huge Decathlon in Caen was made.
A great selection could be found... .. hand sizes measures, choices of weight, a purchase made... I will be searching places to play on my return.
Whilst on the south of France the sand and wind, as well as the miles travelled had taken away Tassie's smart look, so a visit to a car wash with gantry (to do the roof) was called for... there's a business opportunity to open in the UK.
Wash and polish later and looking great - we headed off to our final Normandy memorial stop of the trip - Pegasus Bridge.
Originally known as Bénouville Bridge after the local village where the bridge crossed the Caen Canal at, this museum memorial is devoted to the 6th British Airborne Division efforts on the night of 5th to 6th June 1944.
The bridge was renamed after the paratrooper emblem on the soldiers uniform of a flying horse the Pegasus.
The first airborne liberations took place here, as airmen from the glider division set foot on Norman soil, a replica glider as well as the old bridge is on display, plus a lot of other interesting artefacts, and stories of service people involved in the liberation, one of which was Lord Lovat's Piper; Bill Millin - his old bagpipes on display.
The museum is well worth a visit, if you do go, prepare to spend at least 90 minutes... there is so much fascinating history and stories to take in.
Before long it was time to head towards the ferry port at Ouistreham, just to the north of Caen town.
The ferry check-in process was quick and easy, Tassie was duly inspected by the authorities - especially the "en suite" facilities - incase of any stowaways on board.
Whilst in the queue just about to board, there seemed a lot of police sirens and cars whizzing about, a solid guess may suggest than an unlucky chancer was foiled when taking his / her chances on a free trip to the UK.
Same drill as last time... all cars on before camper vans and the like, Tassie was to get a sea view this time, as did we from our cabin from deck 9. Our parting words were... ahhh will likely need to wash her again when we get home - all that sea salt!
A quick wander around to the ship's bar, the evening's entertainment was an acoustic guitar set by a chap called Jamie, one drink later it was back to the cabin for a few hours sleep, we would be docking in Portsmouth 5 hours later.
Sounds like you have covered many of our visits to France over the years, blogged and un-blogged.lovely trip, well reported.
Great write up. I shall be making a note of some of the France Passion sites. They look great. St Cirque la Poppie was where I reversed into the post on the campsite!