Monday. Nice day so I was persuaded I DID want to climb to the top of St Amand, the top of which we see above Gigondas with its telecoms mast. So we drove back up past the Yuccas above Suzette and left Berlingo in the sun at the end of the track. Then a steep scramble up a kilometer of track and we were there!
Of course, like on every hilltop in France there was already a vehicle parked. It was a beat up jeepy type thing with some baguettes in the back. No sign of occupants but we could hear them in the hut with what sounded like morse code beeps. They had to have driven up the most fearfully rutted track because there was no other way. Here is Sablet way below.
After a little sit we decided to strike out along he ridge to find a different way down. A lot of it was through a sort of maze of box bushes and then out onto open limestone paths on the northern side with Ventoux in the distance.
Looking the other way we peered down over La Verrière near Le Crestet. That's the fancy domaine with the blue tree we often walk to. It seemed like a very long detour!
There's a close up below thanks to my mega zoom!
Then we crossed paths with a French couple coming the other way and exchanged pleasanteries. They had a book of walks and showed us the round in diagram form. Afraid we let the national side down somewhat by revealing a) we carried no food or drink (we never do), b) had no book of walks but a proper IGN map c) no mobile phone with camera that we could photograph the page with! Not that we wanted to as we had a proper map, but it was offered kindly.
Anyway some three hours later we were back within sight of Berlingo, who wagged his tail in pleasure at our return. Suitably smug we went home for a cup of tea before setting out for the afternoon's excursion. This time in search of WINE. The Visan Coop had sent me a 10€ Off voucher if we spent 80€. It was used! But there were no cafés open in either Visan or Richerenches for some reason and we felt the day was somehow unfinished without a coffee stop. Nothing for it but to go to nearby Tulette and Le Comptoir de Mathilde- France's answer to Willy Wonka - and have a hot chocolate.
