When I feel like a good day I think of the Rhône. There’s something about walking down the pebble track stretching both ways for ever with the water and the butterflies and the birds. So calming.
And so it was. After I’d sorted out car insurance - earning a whopping £60 cashback it was 11 am. A lovely day with promise of 23 degrees. Shorts on, engine running and away. This time we parked by the river leading down to Châteauneuf at Hers, and walked south along the mighty Rhône. Bombarded by yellow and blue butterflies.
A few big barges passed us making the water lap deliciously as they went by.
Cormorants galore, a few swans and even a giant heron. But he was up and off before I could get the camera out!
It was far too nice to come home so we decided to get a drink in Codalet, a village across in Gard. We often go through it and were not sure it even had a bar but it’s pretty and worth a go. Parked in a neat square. Well kept houses, as is the norm over there. But no obvious signs of commerce. There were signs to restaurants and we came upon a clutch of them on the edge of the village. Including one that said Bar! Business men were exiting one of the others and we thought it would be too late to get anything to eat. So we went into the dark Bar. Which turned out to be a bustling restaurant with outside terrace at the rear. Food was readily available too, even at 2 pm. Civilised folk hereabouts. Two steak frites salad including wine and coffee, 26 euros.
We returned via another stretch of riverbank near Caderousse and walked up to the three bridges. And were rewarded with loads of TGVs and more butterflies, herons and egret. Perfect.
A cyclist stopped to enquire if we were local and did we know about the Train Phantôme! That’s the second time it’s happened. I was smug and told him we did! And we both then waxed lyrical about how we loved this spot so full of history, economy, infrastructure and wildlife. Nerds united.
