PS Cahors

the old bridge.

Warming up

Today we headed south to the Gironde. Breakfast in lovely St Georges de Didonne just outside Royan.

Pretty white buildings and jolly cafés, impeccable sandy bays and thirties style beach caff. What's not to like. Our bird count coming through the marshy reserves included herons, egrets, and A Crane...wow! It cruised to a landing right in front of us.

As we were gazing at the idyllic vista we saw the Verdon ferry speeding across and got a triple whammy of it, the St Georges light and Corduan in the distance. My photo is feeble but Adrian's will be a winner. Instead here is an arty farty of just St Georges.

We kept to the estuary as far as St Fort and then dived off through the bottom of Charente Maritime 

in the direction of St Foy la Grande. And thence to rolling country beloved of expats. Confit farms to right and left. Cereal crops, vines, etc. Lunchtime saw us detour off to a hilltop village called 

Sousmensac. Sweetly pretty with a walk round its summit giving great views. There was a grotto-like lavoir edged with willow and mown grass pathway humming with butterflies and moths and laden with the scent of lime blossom.

Back on the route into Villeneuve sur Lot where we stopped for a drink and wander round. Not a bad place.

 Old squares with Roman brick buildings (the thin pamment style
bricks) and a vast church built in 1937 to replace the previous 13th century one.

Last time we were here many moons ago as we were driving through there was a definite stink of alcohol, in the car. Oh we said, there must be a distillery nearby, and thought no more of it. I should add here that there was a reason for this belief. This is prune country and they do make a mean prune liqueur. Today we found The Prune Shop with all things plummy!

To return to my tale, the whiff persisted so when we stopped an hour later for picnic lunch by the Dordogne we investigated the boot. An overfull
bidon of wine had been gently leaking during the journey and in the heat was converting the spillage to heady spirits!

We are now in Cahors.



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More lights

We started slowly down the coast. It was bright and clear and the decorated bicycles got more and more delightfully extravagent the closer we got to the start point at Mont St Michel. The focus of our drive was to visit the Cabane Vauban - a lookout hut built on the cliff overloooking the bay. One of several but this is the most accessible. It sits on the edge at the end of a path flanked by wildflower meadows. The whole coast is pretty much a conservation area managed by the Conservatoire du Littoral and the amount of bird and butterfly life is amazing.

The tide was out and the Mont St Michel sat marooned in the distance.

Then the boring bit. Down the fast roads via Rennes and Nantes to get us onto the coast above La Rochelle. We ate our snacks overlooking a muddy estuary then moved along to a more lively part where mussels are produced. Men stood in the boat scrubbing and packing and vans came and took the bags away.

Clocked in at Ibis Budget Rochefort before spending the rest of the afternoon hunting down yet more lighthouses on the banks of the Charente...

Fleeing the country

We left Bullsmead in an almost autumnal dawn mist. Very lovely. All my roses out and thrushes singing. Tossed a few handfuls of seed on the lawn as a parting gift to the birds and we were away. We got to Poole in good time and were on Barfleur with no delay. Calm sea, sunshine and a beautiful harbour.

The ferry sails right past the celebrated Sandbanks...not much privacy for one's millions.

The hours went by comfortably enough with breakfast then lunch. Not busy. But it is a sad time and we felt strange in this new limbo. A group of Spanish lorry drivers were chatting next to us, French and Dutch couples too. All part of our familiar world. But Show must go on . Lighthouses to bag! Here is the first. It was raining by the time we got here but sunshine struggled through and the light was amazing.

Farther down the coast another one. We are on the Cherbourg Peninsula, west side,  next to the Channel Isands. Jersey is amost touchable at times. It's a wonderful shoreline of dunes and sand. Produces famous carrots and leeks! It was five o'clock and the horizon looked stormy...

As you can see the Tour is coming and he whole route is festooned with decorated bikes and cut-out cyclists. We finally got to Granville, Ibis Budget around 7. Then into town for fish supper by the port. There is another lighthouse set atop the old town amid bits of The Atlantic Wall. Very dramatic but it was raining and I have no pictures! Adrian has though, so in due course check his site.

We ate in a pleasant restaurant overlooking the beached boats in the port. Tide was out! On the table next to us a couple (Dutch) we ordering one of those vast seafood platters that come in a pottery boat. Enough for a family I'd say. To be followed by lobster, which was brought to them for execution... Then they quizzed the waiter about the ingredients. They would not eat raw fish!! For Heaven's Sake they were Dutch, raw herring is the national dish. So no oysters. Theses were replaced by whelks. Consternation...were whelks cooked? They spoke no French so waitress was flummoxed and had to call for assistance. Waiter spoke good English and reassured them. Then, oh my, they asked about the lobster.... Fear not dear customer, the lobster is cooked, or rather, is cooking. His English was that good.

After the Vote

Much trepidation. We've booked to go on 28 June. Will the pound be worth anything? Looking more and more unlikely.

We're going back to Cherbourg because we enjoyed that trip and Adrian needs a couple of lighthouses. Then down to Rochefort, just because. Another favourite area with marshes and islands and pretty white buildings. Last stop before Sablet will be Cahors. Wifi permitting, I'll file regular reports.