31 July 2014

JULY 2014

1st July 2014. The day started bright and sunny so after breakfast we set off for Sare so we could take the Rhune train to the top of the Pyrenees. 
Deceptively steep hill!!
Almost immediately we came across a short but very steep hill that none of us could climb which didn't bode well for the rest of the journey. It was a struggle to even push our bikes up and we wondered what other hills this route had in store for us. The scenery was absolutely stunning with the Pyrenees as a backdrop. Luckily, although it was hilly, it was nothing too taxing and we had a very enjoyable ride, apart from getting chased by a dog which came tearing out of a property barking like it was going to have us for dinner. That was a pretty scary moment but it turned out to be one of those dogs whose bark was worse than his bite thank god. The train station is about 3kms past Sare so we carried on until we reached a sign for the Col St Ignace.
Stunning views
It showed that it was 169 metres high and the road leading to it was 3 kms long with a gradient of 4%. At this point we realised that the train station was at the top of this road and as we looked up we could see the road snaking backwards and forwards as it climbed to the top. We actually discussed at this point whether we really wanted to ride on the train and quickly agreed that we should not back out now just because of a little hill! Peter felt it was unlikely that they would be able to ride all the way on their tandem and agreed to meet us at the top. Glynn set off with me following and Peter and Carol set off after us. I just settled into a nice low gear and pedalled steadily and it actually turned out to be really easy.
My first Col.
There wasn't any point where I felt I was struggling or needed to stop. Glynn is much faster than me on the hills and waited for me halfway up to make sure I was okay. I was absolutely delighted when I reached the peak and I stopped to take a photo of the sign showing we had reached the top of the Col. Peter and Carol did really well and only had to walk a short part of it so they arrived shortly after us. The train ride was worth every penny of the €17 it cost us each. The views as the train climbed to the peak of the Rhune were absolutely breathtaking and I would definitely recommend this trip.
At the top of the Rhune mountain
The clouds were starting to obscure some of the peaks and we could see that the weather was starting to change. We spent a very enjoyable half hour at the summit and wandered around taking photos before deciding to catch the next train down. This turned out to be a wise decision as the heavens opened half way down. Rain was falling steadily when we got off the train but it was still warm and pleasant. We took it steady going back down to Sare because of the wet roads and then headed to St Pée Sur Nivelle as there was a festival taking place.
The Rhune train
By the time we arrived the rain had stopped and we bought quiche and cake in the local boulangerie before enjoying a beer at the beer tent. We headed back to the Aire and my Garmin showed we had done 29.8 kms so I made Peter and Carol ride round the Aire a couple of times so that they could say that the first ride they'd done in over 2 years was over 30kms and included climbing a Col on a tandem!!
We met another English family at the Aire, Helen and Carl who were touring Europe for 6 months with their children. They were keen paddle boarders and when we got back from our ride they convinced me and Glynn that we should give it a go. We had mentioned that we were looking at getting an inflatable kayak and they were adamant that once we tried it we would prefer it to kayaking. Not ones to miss an opportunity we were soon down at the lake with the boards while Peter stood ready with my camera hoping to get a shot of us falling in the lake.
It's harder than it looks!!

It was hilarious trying to stand up without falling overboard but we both managed it. Glynn took to it much quicker than me and paddled away while I was still trying to get upright. It was a great laugh but I was glad to get back on dry land. I still think I will be looking to get a kayak although it was good to be able to try it and even better that that I didn't fall in!! Helen and Carl were also keen cyclists and runners and Carl came over to look at our bikes. Because there was still an overpowering smell of fabric softener coming from the garage Glynn explained what had happened and Carl laughed, commenting that he had noticed the garage smelt nice and wondered what it was. 
After dinner we cracked open the wine and popcorn and played Trivial Pursuit, us against Peter & Carol. It soon descended in to lots of laughter as Peter is incapable of behaving himself or taking anything seriously, especially after a few glasses of wine. It was a close game but we just managed to answer the final question ahead of them. It was a great way to end a lovely day.

2nd July 2014. Luckily for me Carol is a hairdresser so first thing this morning she cut my hair which was a relief as it was well overdue. After saying goodbye to Helen and Carl who were also moving on we drove to Espelette,
Pepper shop at Espellette
the home of peppers. It was a beautiful clean looking town with some very fine Basque houses. We admired the strings of dried peppers hanging outside some of the houses and on the shop displays. We then moved on to Cambo Les Bains as there was a garage there selling LPG and it was finally time to learn how to fill up with gas for the first time. After stopping for lunch and topping up the gas in both motorhomes it was time to say goodbye to Carol and Peter. They were heading back towards the coast before making their way northwards and we were heading to Carcasonne. It had been good to see them and we'd had a great laugh. Our plan was to spend the night on a France Passion site but as we approached the village of La Bastide Clairence our sat nav directed us up a single track road. Glynn wasn't happy but decided to risk it. The track started to climb very steeply and it got a bit scary. Just as we rounded a sharp bend we came face to face with a tractor and trailer. Deep joy!! We were on a very steep gradient in a front wheel drive 4.5 ton motorhome with nowhere to go. After a minute of staring at us the farmer seemed to realise we were going nowhere and managed to pull over to the side of us so we could get past. Unfortunately we had no traction and the back wheels were spinning on gravel. Luckily there wasn't a car behind us as they wouldn't have been too impressed at being pebble-dashed by us. On the second attempt Herman managed to get a grip and we breathed a sigh of relief as we managed to pull away. The track continued to climb and drop for another 2 or 3 miles although it felt like 23 miles. We were dreading meeting another vehicle as there was no room to pass. We eventually came to a junction and our sat nav said "take the next sharp left turn". Very bloody funny sat nav, he knows what size we are as we have programmed it in to him so he must have known we were too big too make the turn. Glynn looked at me and said "time for plan B" as he turned right instead and soon had us back on a main road. The trouble is we didn't have a plan B so while Glynn drove I quickly scanned our guides and decided on an Aire at St Palais. 

3rd July 2014. We waited for morning rush hour to clear before we set off from the Aire at St Palais and headed to Lourdes. As soon as we were settled on a nice little campsite within walking distance of the town centre we got our bikes out to go for a ride. The plan was to go and check out another campsite south of Lourdes which, according to my Garmin, was about 9kms away.
The river Gave de Pau

As is so often the way our short bike rides end up anything but!! There was a lot of traffic so when we spotted a cycle path we dropped down on to it. Being at the base of the Pyrenees it is quite a hilly area however the cycle paths always seem to be fairly level which was handy. A sign showed that the cycle path was leading in the direction we wanted so we stayed on it until we neared the area we were heading to. Eventually, 17kms later, we arrived at the other campsite. It was nice but not enough to warrant moving from where we were and we decided to head back for dinner. We could see storm clouds closing in so we set off but the heavens opened before we had done 5kms. We stopped to get our jackets on and then set off again. As the cycle path was empty (any sensible person was indoors) we were able to ride flat out for quite a while before our legs got tired. In spite of the rain it wasn't actually an unpleasant ride, probably because it was still warm, and we were soon back at the camp. What was supposed to be an 18km ride had become 34kms so as my Garmin was showing we had burnt off over 1200 calories it seemed only right that we redressed the calorie deficit by opening a nice bottle of wine to go with dinner. Purely in the interest of saving Glynn from buying me a new wardrobe of clothes of course!! 

5th July 2014. Yesterday was spent exploring Lourdes although to be fair it didn't take long. Undoubtedly the Basilica was stunning but the bulk of the area seemed to be filled with shop after shop of tourist tat.
The Basilica

I have never seen so much religious memorabilia and plastic containers of Lourdes water in my life. I likened it to a mini Vegas (not that I've been) with neon signs advertising hotels, restaurants, bars and shops. I hate to think what is must look like in the dark if the signs are all lit up. As you can probably guess it was not to my taste but that's not to say it isn't worth a visit. On a more serious note in excess of 70,000 disabled people travel to Lourdes every year in the hope of being cured and some spend their life savings in order to pay for the journey. 
Today we decided to explore the lovely cycle paths again and set off in the direction of the Pyrenees. The scenery was absolutely stunning and as we got closer to the mountains we could see pockets of snow on some of the higher peaks. The path seemed to cut a route through the mountains whilst remaining fairly flat and in no time at all we seemed to be in the middle with peaks all around us.
Stunning views

There is this incredible feeling of being completely encased by the Pyrenees and the air was the freshest I have ever breathed, so clean and pure. The river Gave de Pau flows close to the path and provided us with some stunning photographs. We went as far as Soulom before stopping to have our lunch. We headed back as we were keen to catch the end of the first stage of the Tour de France. Unbelievably, considering we were in France, we struggled to find a bar showing the race. We went into the the local train station bar and the old lady advised us to come back at around 4pm and she would put it on. We enjoyed an hour chilling in the sun before returning to watch the end of the race. We had cycled 51kms and my Garmin was showing I had burnt off 1900 calories so I guessed I would need more than a bottle of wine to redress the balance. Oh well it looked like I was going to have to go the whole hog and get the bucket of popcorn out too!! After dinner we sat outside and decided to have another game of Trivial Pursuit. As with previous games I filled my wheel with all the colours while Glynn still needed 3 more. I then bounced backwards and forwards across the centre square trying to land on it. Glynn finally completed his wheel and in no time at all he landed on the centre square. "What compliment was Babybird's biggest hit"? Glynn could barely contain his laughter as he said "You're gorgeous". REMIND ME NOT TO PICK THE PINK CATEGORY AGAIN !! If only I had picked blue, "which is the world's northernmost desert"? He didn't know it was the Gobi desert. While I sulked Glynn packed the game away. That means it's now 5-1 to Glynn and as he clearly couldn't wipe the grin off his face I reminded him I am beating him 6-2 at Rummikub!

8th July 2014. We have spent the last 2 nights on an Aire at Cordes Sur Ciel.
Cordes Sur Ciel perched on a hilltop
The reason for our detour to this delightful little town was because I had downloaded a free book on my Kindle app called "Tales From The Hilltop" by Tony Lewis in which he described his summer in the South of France based at Cordes where he worked for a travel company that did cycle and walking tours. He description of the town and the outlying areas left me in no doubt that it was a place I would have to visit. As we approached the town I grabbed my camera and got a photo of Cordes perched high on its hilltop. I was already excited! 
We have spent a wonderful couple of days exploring the town on foot. Mainly because I am only marginally happier at walking up 10% gradients than I am trying to cycle up them.
Cobbled streets and Gothic houses
In all seriousness I don't know what the actual gradients were but they were steep!! The fortified town was built in 1222 and is stunning, a beautiful town of narrow cobbled medieval roads and Gothic houses based high on a rocky outcrop with the most incredible views of the surrounding area. We have seen some amazing places on this trip but this town immediately jumped to the forefront. I think the biggest attraction was that the whole town was like stepping back in time.
Cordes Sur Ciel
Apart from the area around the bottom of the town where there were some bars and a mini supermarket it seemed largely untouched by time. Even the abundance of artisan shops did little to detract from the beauty of the place and in case you haven't already guessed I would definitely recommend a visit here.

10th July 2014. We stopped on France Passion sites the last 2 nights en route from Cordes to Mamazet gradually working our way towards Carcassonne for Bastille day. The first one was a vineyard so yet again we felt it was only right that we accept their kind offer to try their wines which ultimately resulted in us walking back to Herman clutching our new acquisition of a fine bottle of their red wine. We cycled in to Albi to explore the centre and luck was on our side as we got back home literally 1 minute before a huge rain cloud dumped its contents over the area. We decided to have another session of Rummikub in which I beat Glynn 3-0 so the score now stands at 9-2 to me. I am determined to do better at Trivial Pursuit though and have decided I need a female dice as I am convinced the dice we have is male and that is why I never manage to land on the centre square after getting all my triangles! 

11th July 2014. Last night we stopped on a lovely Aire right beside the Lac de Montagne at Mamazet, halfway up the Montagne Noire.
Lac de Montagne

The lake was surrounded by trees with a mountain backdrop and a small man made beach and was absolutely stunning. Unfortunately the day was slightly marred by strong winds and the weather alternated between glorious sunshine and rain making it difficult to decide what to do. We opted for a walk around the lake and spent the rest of the day relaxing and reading. We checked the weather forecast and as it seemed that the weather south of the mountains was much better we decided to get to Carcassonne a day ahead of schedule in search of the sun. We were unsure how busy the Aire at Carcassonne would get with it being a bank holiday weekend and with the huge firework extravaganza that takes place there every Bastille day.
Carcassonne
We left bright and early and were in Carcassonne by 10am. In addition to the festivities planned for Monday Carcassonne was in the middle of a festival that ran from 19th June until the 2nd August and included concerts, theatre, opera and dance. There were numerous acts both free and paid for, from local french entertainers to the likes of Elton John. Glynn would have loved to see him perform live but luckily for my budget the tickets, which ranged from €85 to €130 each were sold out. The Aire is in a fabulous location within eyesight of the medieval walled city and our decision to arrive a day early turned out to be a wise one as there was a steady stream of motorhomes arriving all day and soon the Aire was full.


The Medieval Cité
We strolled in to town after dinner to the Place Carnot, a lively square where a stage had been set up for some of the acts to perform. We sat at one of the outside bars and ordered a beer each and spent a very relaxing hour enjoying the music. This was what it was all about, a beautiful warm evening, sitting outside, drinking a beer whilst being serenaded by France's answer to Julio Inglesias! So the music wasn't entirely to our taste but you can't have everything!!

14th July 2014. The last 4 days we have spent at Carcassonne have been an absolute delight culminating in one of the most spectacular firework displays I have ever seen.

Quaint streets
We explored the Medieval Cité, cycled the Canal du Midi and watched some of the concerts that were on as part of the musical festival. The Medieval Cité was a surprise as I thought it was simply a tourist attraction of an old ruined city, not realising that the perimeter walls hid a thriving metropolis of cafés, restaurants and tourist shops full of plastic swords and all manor of Carcassonne themed memorabilia all located throughout the quaint streets full of houses that could tell a story or two!!
Canal du Midi
From the perimeter walls the unrestricted views across the town and towards the Montagne Noire were stunning. As the Aire is also the coach park we had witnessed the huge number of tourist buses that arrived throughout the day so we decided to do a visit at 8.30am so we were able to take some good photos unspoilt by thousands of tourists blocking the view.
We set off on a ride and when we discovered the cycle path along the Canal du Midi where it meandered through the centre of town we dropped down on to it and followed it as far as Trebés. We cycled past several locks and stopped to watch barges pass through them as lock gates were closed to allow for the water to adjust its depth so the barges could continue their journey.
Incredible view from the perimeter wall
There were numerous people fishing, not just men but whole families enjoying the leisurely pastime on the banks of the canal. The following morning Glynn opened the garage and turned to me with a huge grin on his face "guess who's got a puncture?" "You" I replied. "No it's you" he said, clearly delighted that it wasn't him for once and he didn't stop smiling the entire time it took him to repair it.
We had another game of Trivial Pursuit one evening and again I had filled all of my triangles when Glynn only had 3. I joked that I would still be bouncing over the centre square long after he had finished but luck was on my side for once and I soon landed on the centre square. After getting the answer wrong I thought was destined to keep passing over it again while Glynn quickly caught me up but in no time at all I was back on the centre square again. Glynn opted for green and grinned as he read the question, confident that I knew the answer "What 1980's toys metamorphosed from vehicles into robots?" "Transformers" I replied, absolutely delighted that I had finally broken the jinx of the 'male' dice! The score is now 5-2 to Glynn so I still have a way to go to catch him up.
There was a delightful French couple in the Motorhome next to us, both in their early sixties, who travel to Carcassonne for Bastille day every year. We spent a delightful few hours conversing, us in our pigeon French and she in her pigeon English while her husband continued to talk to Glynn in rapid-fire French completely oblivious that he couldn't understand a word he was saying. It was great to put into practice all the French I had been practising and even Glynn surprised himself at how much he could understand.
Special effects!
They insisted we follow them to watch the fireworks as they said they knew the best place to stand. We had witnessed thousands of vehicles pouring in to Carcassonne all day in readiness for the Bastille day celebrations and people started to line the bridges and the banks of the river, claiming their spot, from late afternoon even though the display didn't start until 10.30pm. We headed down to find our spot at 8.30pm as the french lady advised it would take a while to squeeze through the crowds. I wondered what she had planned when she advised me to just say "sorry, I don't understand" if anyone said anything.
Dousing the flames?
I had never seen so many people and it took us 45 minutes to reach the bridge. As this was the best viewing point it had filled up early. We squeezed our way through the crowds, apologising for all the toes we stepped on. When we got to the middle of the bridge the french lady indicated that this was the best place and promptly manoeuvred into a gap and sat down much to the annoyance of the people that had been there for hours. It turned out to be an excellent viewing point and once the display started everyone stood up so there was actually lots of room.
Fireworks
The display lasted for 30 minutes and it was spectacular. It appeared to tell a story of a battle, illuminating the medieval city to look like it was on fire followed by more fireworks that looked like a waterfall dousing the flames. At least that was my interpretation of it! After it was over we were caught up in the mass exodus of bodies heading to the car parks and it was a slow walk back to the Aire. It was a relief that we didn't need to drive anywhere as all the exit roads were quickly jammed with vehicles. We sat and enjoyed a nice glass of wine when we got back while we waited for the tourist buses to fill up and depart with their noisy occupants.

15th July 2014. We left Carcassonne at 7.45am to avoid rush hour and set off for the Mediterranean coast which was only an hour away. The view as we drove through Narbonne and headed down towards Narbonne Plage was incredible as we got our first view of the Mediterranean Sea.
Narbonne Plage Aire
The weather was glorious with a clear blue sky and the sea was a gorgeous shade of blue/green. There were several Aires in the area so we headed to the first one we had picked which was directly adjacent to the beach. As soon as we had levelled Herman and had breakfast we went for a quick stroll on the beach which was a beautiful wide expanse of lovely clean sand with very few people on it as it was away from the main touristy end of town. We then got the bikes out and set off to explore. It was already scorching hot but cycling created a cool breeze. There was an excellent network of cycle paths and we spent a very enjoyable morning exploring the area before heading back for lunch. We then spent an hour on the beach until the heat got the better of us and forced us in to the shade where we sat and read. With the 30kms we cycled today we have now exceeded 1000kms since we arrived in May. 

16th July 2014. Today we headed to Gruissan on the bikes as the Aire we were on limited you to 2 days at a time.
Gruissan Port
We checked out the Aire at Gruissan Plage which was full but didn't look very appealing. We then checked out the Aire at Gruissan Port which looked nice so we agreed that this is where we would head in the morning. There was a large market on and there was a great selection of really good fruit and vegetables but we were unable to carry much on the bikes so we just browsed. As with all the other markets we have seen there is always a stall with enormous paella pans selling paella and other dishes at around €10 per kilo and we decided we must try some one day.
Giant paellas
We carried on exploring and were cycling down a quiet path close to a river when something large and furry suddenly crossed in front of us followed by 2 babies. It happened so quick I didn't have time to get the camera out as I was busy doing an emergency stop to prevent crashing in to Glynn who had braked to avoid them. The mother was the size of a small dog and looked a bit like a beaver. When we returned down the path on our way back we saw the babies on the bank and I managed to get a few photos.
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
I could see the babies had tails like a rodent and a Frenchman stopped to look and told us what they were but we couldn't understand him. Anyone reading this that knows please message me and I will update the blog with what they are. 

18th July 2014. Yesterday we moved to Gruissan Port and after exploring the port area on our bikes we did some washing and spent an hour or so on the beach. It was much more crowded than the beach at Narbonne Plage but was still lovely. We noticed the whole area, both Narbonne and Gruissan, seem to have had a lot of money spent on them which was evident in the newly tarmaced pathways and clearly marked cycle paths. Everything looked very clean and new and the whole area was appealing in a touristy way. 
Gruissan Plage
We woke up this morning to strong winds and an overcast sky, not good for the sunbathers but fantastic for our sheets which had dried overnight on the rotary line. We had met a lovely couple, Deb and David, at Narbonne Plage Aire and they had now moved to Gruissan Port too. Unfortunately for them their day had not started well when they lost the use of reverse gear which is never a good thing in vehicles this big! Glynn went over to see if he could help David find out what was wrong but they were unable to fix it. We had a leaflet which had been left on our window by a mobile Motorhome service engineer so we gave it to them to see if he could help. He came out very quickly and after seeking advice from a local Fiat garage it became clear it needed to be seen by a mechanic and with his help they were booked in to the garage at Narbonne for Monday which was only 3 days away. After lunch we decided to try one of the VTT cycle routes.
Before my run-in with the sprocket!!
There were 6 routes in total ranging from very easy to very difficult and from 10.7kms to 31.5kms. We opted to start with Route 5 which was classed as difficult and 22.9kms long with a cumulative climb of 348 metres. We would save Route 6 for tomorrow! As we set off the sun came out raising the temperature by about 10 degrees making it very hot. We assumed the ride would be on cycle paths like the ones we had been using so far. Wrong!! Within 2 kms we left the path and were following a gravelly route between 2 waterways before re-joining the mainland and heading into the hilly areas that backed the coastline in this area. As we progressed so the quality of the path beneath us diminished. What followed was 2 hours of hard slog as we travelled over sand, dirt, gravel, tree roots, stones and rocks with only the occasional bit of Tarmac as we climbed and descended through stunning areas of the countryside scattered with vineyards, farms and woodland. On a particularly steep corner Glynn's wheel caught in a tree root throwing him off. As I caught him up I saw him laying on his back but he scrambled up quickly before I even had chance to think 'camera'!! I was tempted to ask him to lay back down but I already guessed what his answer would be!!
More stunning views
After dusting him off we carried on and only a short distance later it was my turn to come off. As I was climbing over some loose rocks the back wheel swung out throwing me sideways. As I put my left foot down to prevent myself falling my right ankle came down hard on a sharp point of the front sprocket. I spent a few minutes practising my newly acquired French but quickly realised I could vent my feelings much more effectively in English. It felt like I had sprained my ankle but I knew it was just the bruise from metal bashing bone and after a few minutes we set off again as my sock turned crimson from the blood running in to my shoe. Now I don't want to sound overly dramatic here, it was only a small cut but it was deep and it bled a lot so a certain amount of sympathy is warranted. It was hard going and when we got back just over 2 hours later we were exhausted but exhilarated. We agreed that we probably wouldn't tackle Route 6 tomorrow but we were really glad we had done Route 5 and it showed how much our fitness had increased as we hadn't felt any need to stop for a break. Neither of us had ever cycled that kind of terrain before and probably won't again. 

Deb and David joined us for the evening and we sat drinking wine and chatting, chuckling when Deb teased David for failing to sort any breakdown and recovery insurance before they left the UK, not quite ready yet to forgive his oversight. Luckily the Aire was big enough to manoeuvre without the need to reverse so they just needed to make it to the garage on Monday without any wrong turns or dead ends!! They gave us a lovely bottle of wine to thank us for our help and a can of Heinz baked beans. Now anyone who has tried French baked beans will understand how wonderful and welcome this gift was!! The evening flew by and before we knew it it was midnight and all the other motorhomes seemed to be in darkness.


21st July 2014. Yesterday we set off early for Le Mas D'Azil which was on the route of stage 16 of the Tour De France and the home of our next stopover.

Fields of sunflowers lining the road
The scenery was stunning as we left the Montagne D'Alaric behind and headed back towards the Pyrenees with beautiful fields full of sunflowers raising their heads towards the sun, in stark contrast to the orderly and regimental lines of the vines at the adjacent vineyards. No sooner had we arrived than the bikes were unloaded and we set off to explore the town and the Grotto. The main street was a beautiful collection of typically French houses and the road up towards the Grotto benefitted from its new layer of lovely black tarmac in preparation for the race. The road passes through the Grotto which is the only cave in Europe that can be driven through and the temperature dropped noticeably within the confines of the cave, rising again immediately as we passed through the other side.
The cave at Le Mas D'Azil

Today we set off towards Gabre and no sooner had we arrived at the lake there than the heavens opened. The ground beneath us turned to mud and we tried to shelter under a tree to ward off the worst of the rain. My ankle was still painful from its impact with the sprocket and trying to ride through the mud was too much for me so we decided to head back. The sun reappeared after lunch so we chilled out by the pool for the rest of the day.

22nd July 2014. The weather was glorious today and we set off after breakfast to choose our spot to watch the race.
Waiting for the riders to appear!

The top of the Main Street afforded a clear view to the bottom of the town so we decided to stay there. The atmosphere was incredible and we enjoyed a lovely morning exchanging comments with people of all nationalities united by our love of cycling. When the caravan of advertising vehicles passed we were inundated with the freebies that they throw at the you and then the sound of a helicopter overhead indicated that the Tour was about to arrive.
Nibali wearing le Maillot Jaune!
We were really excited to see 2 Sky riders in 3rd and 4th place in the 
lead group ahead of the Peleton. All too soon the last rider had passed and we headed back to spend a relaxing afternoon sunbathing.

24th July 2014. Yesterday we left Le Mas D'Azil and stopped to have lunch at Montpezat-de-Quercy, a lovely town with some interested half-timbered houses. We then headed to the Aire at St Cirq Lapopie which was situated next to the river Lot with its small man-made beach and opportunities for canoeing.
Climbing towards the top of St Cirq Lapopie
It was a stunning medieval village that appeared to be clinging to the side of a cliff and no sooner had we arrived than we set off on foot to explore. It was a steep but steady climb to the village and the views across the valley were breathtaking. This was one of the most remarkable places we had visited so far and I nearly flattened the camera battery in my excitement as I snapped away at the incredible buildings and stunning views across the valley. 
We awoke early today and the valley was shrouded in fog. We dressed appropriately for the cool morning and shortly before 9am we set off to explore.
Beautiful medieval street
As we cycled along a lovely quiet tarmaced path we were delighted to see 2 deer leap across the road ahead of us, too quickly for me to get a picture. We rode close to the river with a rocky overhang above us before venturing further into the countryside. The fog quickly disappeared and the temperature rose sharply.
Lovely ride along the river edge.
After an hour of exploring the local villages we headed back and the mountain road climbed to 380 metres with stunning views of the valley before we descended back down to the Aire.
It had been an incredible ride and after a leisurely lunch we set off for Rocamadour, another town that appeared to have been built in to the edge of a cliff. We enjoyed the afternoon exploring the Cité before heading to the Aire at Uzreche.

Rocamadour
25th July 2014. After a quiet night at the Aire at Uzreche we set off for Parc Verger a lovely small campsite situated at Champagnac La Rivière owned by Bob and Di who were fellow members of Motorhome Fun. We planned on spending a couple of days relaxing before we were due to meet some very dear friends from our home village that were coming over to France on holiday. 

26th July 2014. We were up early so we decided to go out and explore before it got too hot. We spent a very enjoyable morning cycling the local area which turned out to be quite hilly, a good test to our fitness.
Rocamadour set high in the cliff

We followed the cycle path to Châlus and we were lucky to see a fox leap out ahead of Glynn following the path briefly before disappearing into woodland. From Châlus we took the road to Chateau de Brie and then on to a very pretty village called Cussac.
Limousin cows
A herd of Limousin cows stared at us as we rode past so, as we were on a steep incline, I used this as an excuse to stop and take photos so I could catch my breath for a minute. Glynn was waiting at the top of the hill and when I caught him up he asked if I was okay. "Oh yes" I replied. "I just wanted to get some pictures of the cows". We then cycled to Oradour-sur-Vayers where the annual fair had been set up ready for a weekend of music and entertainment including a carnival and firework display. It was now starting to get extremely hot so we headed back to Parc Verger for an afternoon of relaxing, well deserved after a lovely 34km ride. We were invited to spend the evening with Ken & Steph, a great couple who have a static caravan at Parc Verger but also tour Spain and other areas of France in their Motorhome.
A giant 10 litre box of Merlot!!
Over wine and nibbles we were able to learn lots of useful information about France, not least the merit of the 10 litre boxes of Merlot from Intermarche for only €17!! 

28th July 2014. The last 2 days have flown by. Yesterday we received a text from our friends advising us of the address they would be staying at but sadly when we checked the map their location turned out to be almost 4 hours south of our campsite which meant it wasn't feasible to meet up with them so we would have to wait until our return to the UK before we could get together again. We were invited to brunch with a couple that were staying at Parc Verger, Penny and Dave, and then we walked to Oradour with Ken and Steph to watch the carnival.
There was a great turn out and we enjoyed a beer in the sun as we watched all the floats go by.
Asterix
We then enjoyed some cheese and wine with Penny and Dave in the evening, siting outside to enjoy the lovely warm evening. 

Today Ken and Steph took us to Brantôme, a beautiful town about an hour from Parc Verger that is known as Little Venice. What a delightful place it was and I was annoyed with myself that I had forgotten my camera but I took a couple of photos using my phone. As the weather was a bit overcast we spent the rest of the day draughting a rough route of where we planned to visit over then next couple of weeks. 

29th July 2014. We left Parc Verger, promising to return another day, and headed for Oradour Sur Glane. This is the town where 642 people were massacred on the 10th June 1944 and the remains of the original town serve as a permanent memorial to those that died. It seemed somehow appropriate that the day was overcast and dull as it didn't seem right for the sun to shine on a place of such sadness.
Oradour-Sur-Glane
It was incredibly moving exploring the town which looked almost like a film set from a WW2 movie. We then moved on to an Aire at Javerdat and as it was raining on and off Glynn suggested a game of Rummikub. He put up a valiant battle but the result was 3-0 to me making the total so far 12-2. I promised him we would play Trivial Pursuit next time!

31st July 2014. Only mad dogs and Englishmen.......Yesterday we moved on to a fabulous little Aire at Martizay which is situated right next to the river Claise. Offering free water and electricity and just a donation requested for using the Aire this seemed an ideal base for 2 or 3 days to explore the area which included the Brenne Regional Natural Park. By the time we had parked up and were ready to explore it was midday but in spite of the heat we set off. 54kms later we arrived back, hot, sweaty and knackered. I can see why the French shut down everywhere at 12.30pm and don't re-open for 2 or 3 hours!!
French countryside
We had enjoyed a great ride around the area, the highlight for me being when Glynn spotted a Sparrowhawk overhead and just as he pointed it out it dropped its catch which barely missed landing on Glynn's head as it hit the road with a loud thump beside us. In spite of some of the terrain being quite stony Glynn again managed to survive without a puncture much to his delight. It almost seemed like the arrival of the new puncture proof inner tubes had changed his luck so if he wanted to use them it was looking like he was just going to have to change them without waiting for another puncture! 
Today we decided to set off at a more sensible time and left just after 9am. We cycled 10kms to the next village to pick up a marked cycle route that would take us along many of the lakes that filled the area of the nature reserve. There were several hides along the lakes as the area was blessed with a great variety of birds as well as the European pond turtle. We didn't spot any turtles but saw a lot of different birds including a Heron sitting majestically on a dead branch.
One of the many lakes
Unfortunately the squeal of my brakes alerted him to our presence and he flew off before I had even got my camera out of the case. We saw many more sparrowhawks circling above the fields as the farmers were harvesting and there were numerous photographers taking pictures with huge lenses that made them look like papparazzi. We did a respectable 51kms and arrived back lunchtime just as the heat was getting unbearable. After lunch we decided to sit by the river to catch the breeze. There was an old French couple fishing on the opposite bank and it amused us for an hour watching their antics. The lady seemed to have no concept of keeping an eye on her float and as she gazed around looking everywhere except at the water her float was bouncing up and down as a fish was clearly taking the bait. A few minutes later she decided to lift her line to take a look and seemed surprised when a small silver fish was dangling from her hook. Once she had removed it and re-baited she did the same thing again except the next fish was lucky enough to take the bait without being hooked. The next time she lifted her line to look her bait had gone. Her husband was quite the opposite, not taking his eyes off his float but he barely gave the fish a chance to take his bait as he lifted the line out every minute to check it was still there. Bizarrely the woman then swapped her rod for a long stick with a line attached and proceeded to try and fish with it, she didn't seem to realise that she was actually very successful with her rod if only she had kept an eye on her float!!


St Cirq Lapopie
We have enjoyed a fabulous month visiting some truly stunning places and managed to cycle over 450kms bringing our total to 1,270kms so far. 
I need to say a special thank you to Ken as when we were at Parc Verger I mentioned the strange rodent we had seen and he was able to solve the mystery and advised me it was a Coypu. I looked it up on the internet and discovered they were originally introduced to France from South America in the 19th century for their fur.
St Cirq Lapopie
The article also referred to them having the appearance of a Beaver with a rat-like tail so my original thought that they resembled a Beaver was correct.

We have fallen seriously in love with France but I can't wait to visit other countries to compare. We will spend August slowly heading East with the aim of reaching Germany towards the end of the month as I am keen to visit the Black Forest. We then plan on visiting Luxembourg before slowly working our way back towards Calais ready for our return crossing at the end of September. 


Stunning cycle route at St Cirq Lapopie






The view at the top of the climb at St Cirq Lapopie


Steep climb in Rocamadour

Sunset at Parc verger

Brantôme "Little Venice"

Oradour Sur Glane

Sunflowers!

Oooh heck, how tall is Herman???

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