France 2022 – Part 2

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• Sun 2nd Jan

  Did nothing yesterday. After a cold misty start, the sun dissipated the mist, and a fine day. Table and chairs out, and sat around.
  This morning, drove into Conques, and started off visiting the treasury, a collection of reliquaries and other religious artefacts of quite startling age, some from pre 1000 AD, most from around 1100 to 1200. I don’t particularly like that stuff, but the age and workmanship was extraordinary, and their survival astonishing. No puritans smashing things up here!

  

  

  

• Peyrusse-le-Roc

  Water has become a problem, past one site on the way here, water turned off, and no water here. Now have a flashing warning light, so must find some tomorrow. Also LPG, we already know from our West Country trip last spring that the fridge is grotesquely inefficient, and we now have heating running as well.

  This is an astonishing place, medieval again, a town on top of a deep and very steep valley, and “they” kept building huge stone structures clinging to the side of the valley.

  The castle, bit of a one up one down castle.
  

  And the way up.
  

  Now, that just has to be climbed. Doesn’t it…
  
  And the way down.

  And, at the foot of the castle, the remains of what was once a huge church.
  

  How did they do this, where did the congregation come from, where did the money come from..

  And just for good measure, a bell tower some way away.
  

  After an exhausting climb back up the hillside, a welcome sight, the arch at the entrance to the village.
  

• Mon 3rd Jan
  Drove south to Villetranche-de-Rouergue, filled up LPG, and followed a sign for a campsite – now seriously short of water. Campsite closed, but a large van, seemingly converted for living, was parked outside. Sue asked about water, and they produced a hose pipe, water! Goodness knows where it was connected, but happily filled the tank. We were invited into their vehicle, and given a cup of coffee each. Pity I don’t like coffee! It was a pity communication was difficult, they were clearly a very nice couple.
  Went to the TIC, given a map of the town, and was advised to walk round the old town and visit the cathedral, which we did. Fair play to the TIC for selling the town, but it was oversold. The cathedral, absolutely massive, started in 1220, was really really uninteresting.
  After the New Year weekend, with everything closed, we needed some supplies. Although not a public holiday in France, most shops were shut, including the organic shop we went to, but just round the corner was a Carrefour, which turned out to have a very good range of organic stuff.
  Drove on to Baraqueville, and to an Aire. Services all turned off – again. Don’t need anything, but this is difficult, especially the lack of water.
• Tue 4th Jan
  Set off to Chateau du Bosc, the former home of the Lauren family, and childhood home of Toulouse-Lautrec. Closed. Sue wasn’t sure from the website. Looked at the goodies offered by Rodez, and decided to give it a miss. Went instead to Millau. Put the TIC into the SatNav and set off. When we arrived, found that Millau can rival Zaragoza in Spain. There is not a square inch of space not taken up by parked cars. Would be impossible in a Smart Car, let alone a motor home. Headed out of town, and saw a sign for the Millau Viaduct view point, so went there. The viaduct spans a wide deep valley, designed by Sir Norman Foster (actually the guide says designed by Michel Virlogeux, drawn by Sir Norman Foster), and is the longest cable stayed bridge, and the highest, has more bird nests than any other bridge, actually I made that last bit up.
  

  We tried to find an Aire de Campingcar in Millau, but the websites for here are strangely comprehensibly full of everything you would not possibly want to know, but strangely silent on boring stuff, like where they are and if they are open. Not encountered that before, so we gave up on Millau. Found a suitable looking Aire in an area that looks miles from anywhere, in a very small place called Saint-Eulalia-de-Cernon. Looks like a real gem! The Aire is the same arrangement as the barrier incident, receipt and exit code firmly stored for use, has water, indeed all facilities, and this was a fortified town built by the Knights Templar. Hope to find out why tomorrow, although I do know The Knights Templar were religious zealots who killed people that didn’t agree with them. In the name of Love and Peace and Goodwill of course.

• Wed 5th Jan

  An unsatisfactory day. Rain last night, sunny intervals today, but a vicious cold breeze has increased throughout the day to a freezing howling gale. Temperature at midday 2 degrees, but felt much colder.
  We walked round Saint-Eulalia du Cernon. Clearly medieval buildings, military in design. Would be interesting to know more, but the whole place shut up, until April. Huh. So, decided to go a fairly short distance to La Couvertoirade, another Hospitaller walled town. Nothing available there until July, shut down again in October. This has been our previous experience of France.
  Walked round La Couvertoirade, this looked potentially more interesting than Saint-Eulalia du Cernon.

  

  

  

  

• Thu 6th Jan

  Icicles this morning, and still a biting cold wind. Left La Couvertoirade, and drove to Lodeve. Much less cold, cloudless sky, probably something to do with descending around 1000 feet very rapidly. Very unfortunate, we had no idea of the lie of the land, and we were on a motorway hurtling down through spectacular gorges, and no opportunity to get off and take “The Scenic Route”, slowly through this dramatic scenery. We have now left the Massif Central. We managed to park in Lodeve with some difficulty, it happens just yards from the TIC. Seems the main attraction is the cathedral.

  

  There were a lot of paintings in the cathedral, but too dark to see them properly. However…..

  

  The TIC recommended going to Lac du Salagou, a man made lake in an area where the rock has oxidised millennia ago, so red soil surrounded by low hills. Went for several walks, and overnighting next to the lake. Everything closed until April.

  We spent quite a while this evening looking up the many interesting places along the southern coast, and seeing which are open – it seems quite a few.

  After visiting an area of broken rock formations tomorrow, we intend driving to Montpellier, very close to the Spanish border, and working eastward along the coast.

• Lac du Salagu
  

  Had a nice sunny view of the lake, went back for the camera, unfortunately sun now behind cloud.

• Fri 7th Jan
  An agreeably gentle day. Started by going a short distance to an area described “Cirque de Moureze”, an area of dolomite rock formations.
  The going was tough and difficult…..The start of the path….
  

  The view from the highest point we reached……
  

  The last section I tackled- Sue didn’t, probably wisely.
  

  We then set off to drive to Perpignan, but stopped after a short distance at Pezenas, which Sue had read about in our, very old, guide book. Drove into a car park, but couldn’t continue as a result of some chaotic parking, so Sue was directing me backing out. A chap appeared as we were nearing the road, and asked us if we were looking for somewhere to stay, and to follow him. He had a small lorry, loaded with Christmas trees-presumably he was collecting them up, we have seen them on practically every lampost, and many other places, throughout this trip. Anyway, we followed him to a quiet cul-de-sac, where a couple of other motorhomes are parked. Very helpful, and he insisted on giving us his telephone number, to call him if we have any problems, and then drove off. We were only a short walk from the town centre, so had a pleasant walk round the centre, and then up a small hill to the “Centre Historique”. Of course, everything closed.

• Sat 8th Jan
  Today, made it to Perpignan, filled diesel (warning light was on), filled LPG (gauge showed red), and emptied the toilet cassette (warning light was on). For the latter, had to drive to a barrier controlled site (which we had been to several years ago), and troll past the barrier. It was incredibly windy. It was also windy when we were here before, even worse than today. Then set off trying to park. We had entered several possibilities from Park4Night into maps me, as they are less formal than other sites, often car parks, beaches, anywhere that doesn’t disallow motorhomes. Driving round Perpignan was incredible, cars everywhere. Drove down the Main Street, it was lunchtime so all shops were shut, and both sides of the road were chocker with cars parked end on. Where was everyone? No pedestrians, a deserted city of parked cars.
  One of the locations was a dead end road. I drove down it, past rows of parked cars, there was a car park at the end, a tight turn to get in. As I was manoeuvring, a voice kept saying “there is no space” “you’ll never get in there” “ you’re going to hit the post”.
  Drove in, and plenty of space at the back of the car park, which turned out to be free at weekends.
  Went to the Palais de Empty Rooms, AKA Palais des Rois de Majorque. After climbing through three empty rooms up the tower, there were fine views and gale force winds.
  

  

  An example of an empty room. No information about the room, very little about the Palais, and only passing reference to the history of this region.
  

  At least this room had bells. Why? Well, I suppose you’ve got to put them somewhere.
  So, we decided to go to the cathedral on the way back to our car park.
  

  A single aisle, gaudy OTT.
  Back to our car park, astonishingly absolutely full. We had already decided to spend the night there, and there was much coming and going during the evening. Now much emptier. Not at all sure what the attraction here is. It certainly isn’t restaurants. Whenever we stopped, I have looked for a restaurant, and so far a total blank. Living in hope…….

• Sun 9th Jan

  At 11.00 pm last night, I took Beckie out for a pee, and to feed her. The car park was almost full, and there was some activity of people and cars coming and going. This morning, the car park was practically empty. Where were they all going? In our wandering around town yesterday, certainly didn’t see anything that would attract so many people. Still, made it a lot easier to drive out of the car park, at one point had visions of being stuck there all day today. Glad we weren’t, decided Perpignan the city was not as nice as it’s name suggests.

  Drove a short distance to the Fortress of Salses. It was drizzling, which turned to light rain as the day progressed. Less wind however. As the wind has been so insistent, and such a feature, I looked up on the internet, and this area of France is known/notorious for its wind – it is called Tramontane. There are different winds that affect here, blowing from different directions. Goodness knows how people survive living here, just visiting is bad enough.

  Anyway, the fortress was very interesting. Construction started in 1497, and in 1503 the fortress resisted its first siege, although not yet completed. This area at the time was part of Spain, and the fort was built to control access south of the Pyrenees. It was attacked many times, and finally ended up in the hands of the French. Considering this, it seems surprisingly intact. It is an early example of a fort built to withstand artillery, a design perfected later by Henry VIII, in numerous forts, such as Deal and Woolmer.

  There was a tour round the keep (the only way to see in the keep), so we joined that, although it was in French. Glad we did, the keep was an astonishing labyrinth of rooms and corridors.

  

  

  

  

• Mon 10th Jan
  Cold and wet. Drove to Narbonne, went to the tourist office after luckily finding somewhere to park. Have sourced parking for tomorrow, when we intend to return. Meanwhile, found a MH parking Aire, as we need water, and to charge the leisure battery, which has run down as a result of not going very far. Rain now stopped, hoping for sunshine tomorrow. Narbonne looks interesting.

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