Saturday 29th June- Brantone is a lovely place.

It was grey and overcast again this morning as we left the site going South via Nontron to Brantone where we arrived around 11.30, just in time for a cup of coffee in this very nice little town which is located right next to a river. We were parked  very close to the fire station and firemen were getting their hoses out but we continued looking up river where there was a group of guys in canoes were heading down river towards the firemen who then turned on their hoses and covered the canoeists with great showers of water. The hoses were so powerful it was pushing the canoes to the side of the river, clearly this was a planned exercise but fun to watch.

We had a cup of coffee and then walked around town and noticed that there was a boat trip available later at about 2pm and so continued walking then had lunch followed by not a bad ice cream and then went back to the landing stage to find the boat trip had been moved to 4pm. Oh well better luck next time.

We drove around and visited another site that we had seen on the web and it was not bad with the exception of a group of six Brits boozing away outside their tent with the music going full blast, not sure why the neighbours did not complain as I would have.

Leaving town at about 2.30 it started to rain a little and then later quite a lot and we headed for Martheon which looked like an interesting place to visit but with the heavy rain not today. We continued along some of the smaller roads and noticed there were lots of security people standing around as their appeared to be a cycle race of some sort but we did not see any cyclists anywhere. When we got back to Montron there was a little stage set up for a presentation it appeared to be.

Once home in our van we had a nice cup of tea and as our plans for a BBQ had been thwarted by the weather once again we decided just to have the sausages and some French type baked beans and then we gave in and got some ‘frites’ from the takeaway.

We watched mission impossible tonight whilst the rain clattered down, the Irish girl serving the bar and takeaway said it would improve tomorrow but let’s see as the weather has been a complete disappointment.

Tomorrow will be an easy day getting ready for our departure on Monday morning to Larnagol in the Lot Valley.

NO PHOTOS UPLOADED THIS WEEK AS THE INTERNET CONNECTION IS VERY SLOW AN ALSO EXPENSIVE HERE. SHOULD BE BETTER NEXT WEEK WE HOPE  

Friday 28th- We should have been sitting in the sun

But unfortunately the sun did not appear apart from a few brief moments. We decided to go for a walk along the river which skirts the site, this site is actually very nice and we are enjoying our stay here that is apart from the weather.

In the afternoon and not long after we got back from our walk the sun went behind the clouds and it started to rain, light at first and then quite heavy later on but hey ho, this is caravanning.

We had purchased some lamb steaks which had been marinated and they were excellent. A little light reading tonight and ready for an early night.

Thursday 27th June- King Richard the Lion heart we are on your tail.

We left the site around 10.00 and took a very large journey largely following a tourist route of where Richard the Lion Heart had been in his past years pillaging and whatever they did in those days. En route he built several rather nice castles in some lovely locations which we stopped to photograph. Jennifer did her usual brilliant map reading job taking us to places down country lanes etc. and avoiding any large towns which there were not to many in this area. We arrived in St Yriex-la Perche where we located a large Casino store where we purchased prepared salads for lunch and then down to the nearest lake to eat it.

En route here we had passed mile after mile of forest and lakes up and down hill and so this lake and location were almost expected.

Across the lake was another Municipal site which looked quite busy by comparisons with others that we had seen and all the grass was clean and tidy and everything was well organised with a nice walled city nearby. We continued through the country every now and again stopping for a photo until we reached a lovely town called St Jean-de-Cole which was a lovely little village and one of France’s best villages. And then on back via Nontron where there was a large funeral taking place, and then we tried the so called truck route via Piegut-Pluviers ,as on the way out it looked a little bit tight to take the caravan through, should we decided to go this way to the Lot Valley. However the truck route was equally as tight and so we have pretty much decided to retrace our steps when leaving going back North about fifteen miles so that we can find a main road with plenty of space.

Wi-Fi is expensive on this site and they want about £ 0.90 per hour and you can only use the Wi-Fi at the bar or reception but outside where its often diificult with the sun. They really should do better and when I get a chance I will write and complain. We had also looked for free wifi during tre past few days but were are in the middle of nowhere is suppose and so tonight we will have to pay at the bar.

Jennifer is now reading up on Richard the Lion Heart who was, not only, listen to this, King of England, though he only spent seven months of ten years in as King of England, he was also Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony and Count of Anjou and Nantes and Lord of Brittany, so just a few titles to cover all his crusades protecting his homes in France, a bit like the Brits do today. He was also cut up when dead and his various bits and pieces sent by DHL all over France.

Tonight Jennifer is preparing Salmon pasta with leak and broccoli tonight before we are heading off to the bar for some internet work.

Wednesday 26th June- Take it easy day

The weather is still not what you would call warm yet but never mind we did a walk around the site after a late breakfast and Jennifer did all the washing in the site machines as we seemed to have almost run out of clothes whilst Noel sorted some of the caravan storage areas and found out why the water pump was a little noisy in that the connector on the outside of thevan was not fully tight and this was causing some air to enter the system causing the pump to be a little bit more noisy than usual. In the afternoon we wnt down to the local very small town called Montbron to the supermarket and were surprised to find an English section with Heinz Baked beans, Yorkshire tea etc and in the freezer sector under a large Union Jack were backs of English back bacon which wont be cheap but will be purchased anyway for later consumption.

We had purchased some large salmon steaks and also some prawns as a starter and Noel cooked the Salmon which had with salad sitting outside under the Gazebo with a glass of Borgogne white and then retired to the caravan as it was getting cool and spent the rest of the evening reading. Tomorrow is a sightseeing day.

Tuesday 25th June- Heading for the Dordogne

We left the site about 0930 with Jennifer taking the first stint with a mixture of small D roads on to eventually the N roads via Loudun of rather starnge fame, if one remembers the film ‘The Devils’ which was based on the strange goings on in the church with cardinal Richelieu, however we took the bypass and did not see any naked nuns.

Once we got close to Potiers we changed and Noel took over on the grounds of expecting heavy traffic on the periphque only to find it was pretty quiet and then and on to Angouleme but we took side roads to save time and we reached the site of ‘Camping Gorge du Chambon’ which although a Castels Chain site it has a good reputation. The roads to site for about one mile are pretty much single track so heaven help you if two caravans should meet. We parked up and walked around the site which is split in to two sections with one section have larger pitches than the other section. The smaller size pitches there seemed to be rather a lot of English cars but in the larger pitch section it was much quieter. However when walking around the site we did notice loads of motorbikes of various types and then we found what looked like a good location with its own water, electric and waste connections and was a large size but also came complete with a an outside open gazebo with large table and chairs for six, plus a refrigerator and BBQ, just the ticket we thought but of course this would be one of the more pricier pitches.

The ground sloped both ways which always makes it a challenge to park the van with the wheel look in the correct position after putting on a small ramp so that the caravan is level both ways. But anyway about one hour later we were all set up and enjoying a nice cup of tea.

We had already decided that tonight we would for convenience sake try the site restaurant and it turned out that it was BBQ night, mainly to attract the many bikers, perhaps 40 of them, but anyway it was reasonably cheap but was not particularly good but the bikers seemed to enjoy it. They seemed a starnge looking bunch really to much interbreeding between the Harleys and BMW’s I think.

So back to bed and the red wine was not the best we have had and so we both enjoyed a little wind in the night.

Monday 24th June- Time to repair the Air Con

An early start was required as the town of Cholet was about one hour away from the site and as Toyota wanted the car before 10.00 but the roads in this neck of the woods are really quiet.

We found the dealer just outside of town in the middle of a new area with McDonalds, Carrefour et al and walked ion to the service reception and before I could say a word he said Ah La Climatisation, and I said oui. So within minutes they took the car away and they suggested we wait there just in case they needed to ask me something. This is a very modern showroom with a large selection of cars and we chatted to the car salesman as we had been showing strong interest in the Toyota GT 86 sports car but as soon as he arrived I explained that we were only looking and then it became clear his English was quite good and so we chatted for a while and eventually he had to leave and do some work he said.

By 11.45 all was complete and it was the Freon gas that had run out which they refilled and with typical Toyota fashion the cleaned the inside and outside and the aircon worked a treat and was very cold.

 We then went over the the Carrefour Hypermarket and checked our emails on their free wifi service and then had a nice sandwich lunch before driving a little around Cholet which is not a very nice town. After a little light shopping we headed back to the site on the quiet country lanes and also stopped in at a Municipal Caravan site next to the river at Vihiers and it was empty but was a nice site anyway and Municipal sites have improved a lot over the years as the local towns want to attract the tourists.

Upon return to the site we paid the bill and stared packing up our bits and pieces ready for an early start tomorrow as we head South.

Sunday 23rd June High hopes

The weather was due to be much better today but we was wrong, or more likely the forecasters were. In the morning we resorted the back of the car with all the boxes and awnings etc and then set off at around 12.30 through country lanes and Villages and we stopped for a snack in Montreuil Bellay by the river and did consider walking in the town but our best instincts of possible heavy rain showers came true ten minutes later. With Jennifer driving and Noel doing his best at map reading we pretty much took the route we wanted as the plan was to go cross country to the Loire River bank between Chinon and Saumur and try to get some photos of the houses built in to the rock cliffs. Unfortunately and once a year cycle event was taking place with thousands of cyclist some dressed in period costumes caused road closures and diversions and along with the regular bursts of heavy rain we gave it up after reaching a nice village called Candes-St-Martin and there appeared to be a nice caravan site next to the river so will check it out. En route to this village by the river we had to cross a army training site of many acres and we saw old battered tanks and other vehicles with signs in French and English to stay on the main road or risk getting blown to pieces by misplaced bombs and shells and nuclear weapons, or something like that so we stayed on the straight and narrow to avoid danger.

On the return to Clere St Laone where we are staying the heavans opened yet again, not sure what is happening with the weather with floods in South West France, Lourdes is flooded and in Canada and India there is also heavy flooding, what is happening to the world?

Tonight we shall have our pork chops with veggies and then perhaps watch another film or read a book.

Tomorrow we leave a little for early for us and head for Cholet to see if we can get the aircon fixed on the car, lets hope they can do it OK.

Saturday 22nd June-Let’s take it easy

We often like to have a day out then and then another one where we don’t do too much and we had hoped for some sun but clearly nobody was listening.

We spent most of the day enjoying some reading time and whilst Noel did the pleasant things in life like empty the loo and get some water Jennifer went off for a brief walk and found a nice lake. Tonight we are having the cod we purchased from Super U in a nearby town and will be tested with some Bourgogne wine we also found to our surprise, fancy find wine in a large supermarket! Twit, anyway it was quite nice and went well with the fish. In the evening it looked like the sun may come out but no it failed to appear and so we watched a film.

Friday 21st June- Damn it the air cons not working?

We left the site a little later than planned as people keep stopping to chat and there are some problems with the weather in the South of France as apparently Narbonne area his been hit badly with roads being washed away and a number of caravan sites being closed due to very heavy rain.

We finally left around 11.30 am and trundled the 25 odd miles to Saumur where we arrived and just about everything was closed for lunch, typical French.

So we decided to do the same and found a nice little restaurant which was packed and this is always a good sign of where to eat and so we got the last table and enjoyed an excellent meal. We both had the main course salad with smoked salmon, followed by a lovely desert and coffee and then time to hit the town. After walking around for a while we cannot honestly say it’s a pretty town but we did come across a square where a group of modern artist were making a statue out of old bikes after taking them to bits and hanging the tyres and inner tubes separately which was interesting but not really attractive. We then drove along the road to Chinon and it started to warm up a bit and so I put the aircon on only nothing really happened, damn it we need this for the driver South

as sitting in the car for hours with the windows open to keep cool is very tiring and so we took a slow drive back to the Toyota dealer in Saumur who could not help us until next Tuesday afternoon at the earliest but he was able to make arrangements for us to visit another dealer first thing Monday morning in Cholet.

I forgot to mention that the drive on the North side of the Loire Valley to Chinon is actually quite boring but the drive back appeared much nicer and we should have stopped but as we were in a hurry to get to the Toyota Garage we just got there as fast as we could.

A short visit to the Super U for some food for the weekend, fish tomorrow evening and Cote de Porc for Sunday evening but we are not planning much driving over next couple of days as iof the sun should come along it would be nice to sit out and enjoy. As we arrived back on site this evening around 6.30 pm it was chucking it down but now at 7.30 we have an almost clear blue sky but quite windy, must have been the lunch.

Thursday 20th June- A small rest first before the Military

The morning was spent sorting ourselves out a little, checking on the wifi connections etc and generally having a quiet morning.

In the afternoon we took a country drive to a number of small towns and ended up in a nice looking town and when we went to the car park there was about a 100 French Military just hanging around until some more senior guys turned up and we were able to watch a full half an hour of a change of commander for this troop. I spoke to a young lady in Military uniform with a camera and it turned out she was the communications officer and she explained that every two years they change the man in charge of this troop. The guy taking over the troop looked a little on the gay side but never mind.

To keep costs down the playing of a trumpet was done using a tape recorder over the speaker system and it was quite interesting to watch. We continued our drive through country lanes and decided this area does not have the views and rolling hills and beautiful houses that you see in Normandy.

Then back to the Super U Supermarket for some bits and pieces and then home around 6pm with the good intention of having a BBQ, we had the first course of fresh prawns and then it started to rain and so inside for the steak and sausages. I must say the standard of French sausages has improved enormously since last we purchased some and there some really good ones out there.

We tested some Rose wine from the area and then some Saumur Champigny with the steak and both were rather good.

We then decided to watch a film at which point the main power went off we understand is due to a large foreign built van made by Hobby which is known to mess up the site electrics as it has done it before. It was then fixed and then went out again ten minutes after the site and family disappeared somewhere for an evening dinner whilst we had to resort to our books. Oh well that is life but the power did come back about 10.40 pm but now too late for our film. Oh well there is always tomorrow but we also plan a trip to Saumur and Chinon tomorrow, we won’t stop at the vineyards as there are far too many and p[perhaps we won’t make it home safely

Wednesday 19th June. It’s not raining at the moment.

We awoke expecting rain to greet us when we leave but no there were one or two spots but nothing much. Jennifer a few months ago had been on a caravan manoeuvring course and she was now ready to try. So a little nervously she got in the car and we took the easy way out of the site but we did have to negotiate one tight turn and then on to the road to go via the local town and then country roads for about twenty miles to Bernay where we could join the motorway South. As usual in France in the country there is very little traffic compared to the UK and so once we got on the motorway it’s a much easier drive except the rain poured down for a while and after about two and half hours we thought we would have a technical break and Jennifer was pleased to handover to me. She did brilliantly and did not make any mistakes at all and so very encouraging for sharing the driving load in future.

It was motorway pretty much for 80% of the journey skirting Le Mans where many British cars were heading for the 24 hour race this weekend, and then when on the other side of Le Mans, no Brit cars at all. Down past Anger and on to Saumer which we by-passed and eventually arrived at the site we have never visited before Camping Le Serpolin in a place called Clery Sur Laone. It is run run by a British couple who also offer caravan storage and there were about 30 vans stored there mostly for English caravan owners who did not want to trail there van back to the UK each time.

Our van on field near Saumur

The site was quite wet but they had recently installed some hard standing and we were put on this rather than drive through the muddy grass. We set up but being on the gravel surface decided not to put up the small porch awning as it can be difficult to go through the stones with pegs.

Later in the evening we met the owner Adam who had just flown back from the Uk and it turned out that he is a serving special fire arms policeman who works ten days in London out of Hendon Police station and then ten back on his 17 acre site. I presume this way he can keep his full pension which for the police at the moment is pretty much one of the best pensions schemes around.

There are only about 15 sites at this location and spread around the outside of a field and with only British on site, which is a shame as we like to mix a little, but anyway we had dinner after sitting outside enjoying a small whisky and water.

Tuesday 18th June- Wow Wee the new internet equipment has arrived just as we leave tomorrow

Well it started raining overnight and continued in to the next morning and we were so glad that we got the awning down when we did. We wanted to buy some flowers from Ingrid the site owner and also for Marie, the young girl on reception, and we decided to go to Liseaux for lunch at our normal café, check the email etc and buy some flowers.

The rain had stopped by about 1500 and so we were able to put away the final bits and pieces of caravan supporting gear, water bottles etc and then when to see Ingrid to give the flowers which she was pleased to receive and she asked back for dinner in the Chateau next time we are there.

We had just settled in for the evening and have a light snack when Gerhard arrived on his bike and invited back to his caravan for evening drinks which we accepted. It was a nice evening with Helga not speaking much English language but Gerhard was doing all the translation but the evening flew by and at 10 pm we bade our farewells and headed back for a night’s sleep.

Tomorrow we go South by about 200 miles.

Monday17th June- Oh heck its pouring with rain

It started chucking it down overnight and then in the morning we had lightning and thunder and our plans for taking down the awning looked doubtful indeed. So we decided to have a brunch of egg, bacon and sausage and tomato to get us going, really excellent start to the day.

After an on board shower and freshen up we visited the local town for some minor shopping and then returned to wait for the rain to stop, The internet came back on again for about twenty minutes and then stopped again for the rest of the day.

By 14.00 the weather was improving and so we started packing up bikes and all the other tons of stuff we seem to carry and then started on the awning at about 14.15 and it took us an hour and ten minutes to accomplish which was not bad since we have not taken this particular awning down before, but it is so much quicker than the previous caravan awning which could take well over two and a half hours to do.

We both then spent some time getting all the other things away and the car packed and with the plan that tomorrow we finish the last bits and pieces and Jennifer sorts out the cupboards before we travel on Wednesday to near Saumur in the Western Loire Valley.

In the evening it was quite warm and so we had dinner outside until we felt the odd spot of rain but it do not rain until very late on.