Rather inspiring, possibly a little sad; graffiti adorning one of the WWII coastal defences on the beach at Barbâtre.
Moulins, Malodorous Mongrels & Mission Mussel!
Saturday – We had planned to visit the town of Noirmoutier, but as I walked the dogs on the beach, there was an emergency.
A chap and his son were just launching their windsurfers. The son was a beginner, but the chap planed into the distance on his first reach! I raced back to the caravan. I had left Mark de-rigging, because no more wind was forecast. Fortunately, in my short absence, he had only taken down yesterday’s tiny sail, so I rushed straight back to the beach with my larger kit and had a cheeky, lovely hour!Continue reading “Island Life – Île de Noirmoutier”
Noirmoutier – the beach at Barbâtre. The locals are friendly – here a surfer plays with the dogs on our first evening!
In Search of The World’s Most Expensive Potato, The Longest Submersible Road in Europe & The Perfect Storm.
14th September – We wondered if we had made a mistake leaving Oléron. As we departed the Charente Maritime for the Vendée, we drove through a featureless coastal plain to Longeville, recommended to us by Friederike and Dieter.
It was always a risk; Campsite Petit Rocher advertised that it took only one dog – which seemed to be a worrying standard in this area. On our travels, most campsites have stipulated ‘maximum 2 dogs’ although we have not yet encountered a problem checking in with four. In Longeville, however, even my “ils son tres petit et tres gentile” made no difference. The 1 dog policy was politely, yet strictly enforced.
While the campsite looked pleasant, with lots of woodland and the beach nearby, it was quite commercial. “Didn’t want to stay there anyway…” – the sour grape rebuttal of the snubbed!
As always, however, it worked out better in the long run. It was early afternoon, so we decided to push on to one of our planned stops a couple of hours further up the coast. I love arriving at new places and exploring but it is a while since I have been this excited about arriving somewhere!Continue reading “Holy Fools – Île de Noirmoutier”
A golden evening on the beach. Not every day that you get a Napoleonic Sea Fort as a backdrop!
A Storm in a Teacup; The Ubiquitous Evil & The Wrong Kind of Wind!
8th September: The dogs were suddenly excited. Even we were aware of the delicious, briny smell of the sea as we crossed the bridge on to the Île d’Oléron. At 22 miles long, Île d’Oléron is France’s second largest island after Corsica. There is no toll on the bridge; Oléron is altogether more down-to-earth than its swanky neighbour, Île de Ré.
With salt-pans and mussel beds on each side of the road, we were overjoyed to see the gorgeous, big, blue expanse of the Atlantic laid out before us.
We mused that our trip is the longest period that we have been away from the ocean since we took up (‘became obsessed with’) windsurfing!!!!
The Dordogne River winds beneath the Castle at Beynac.
A Dazzling Dalliance in the Dordogne.
5th September. We seemed to be oscillating backwards and forwards through time.
From the Lozère, we went from Gallo Roman, via Celtic to Prehistoric at our destination on the River Vézère, a tributary of the Dordogne.
Summer also changed to Autumn as we drove through the Parc Naturel Regional des Causses. Deciduous trees bordered the parched, golden fields with rims of blood red foliage. Neolithic Dolmens and Menhirs abounded. It was a complete change from the dark, secret forests of conifers that we had left behind.
Summer re-joined us as we crossed into the Dordogne. Temperatures soared once again into the 30s, while lush, green forest clung to cave-ridden limestone escarpments above the river.
World Wide Walkies 