Tour de France

Oleron Island is varied and beutifull, the Atlantic side is suitable for surfing, Jean-Yves and Sarah are keen surfers and have a Character Home to let for short or long breaks. If you would like to try the Island for a holiday to contact them e-mail :- surfoleron@hotmail.com 

The eastern beaches are more sheltered, lying between the island and the mainland. Again there are miles of sand and some small bays like a tropical paradise when the weather is good.

We vowed to return to Oleron and we have done.

Sue stamped her foot when I sugested we move on, 'It is so nice here I dont want to move.'
'Look we are on a tour, I will find somewhere else for you to build sandcastles.'

18th May
We carried on South down the Dordogne estuary, the widest in Europe and home to the Maigre, a fish with a big mouth and evil teeth, the boats go out and catch them as big as a man.
Talmont was our next night stop, a 13c town (hamlet) with defensive ramparts to the estuary and fortified church. Defense against who ? The French, aparently, this area was English, Richard 1 of England I think, its all very complex.
Next day was wet in the Bordeux region, we travelled via Blaye to stay at vineyard, Chateaux Fourton la Garenne. The vines here are carrying fair size grapes and hand pinching is a continual process.

Back to see the sea, Bordeaux to Marmizan. The complete journey was undertaken after 12.30 the roads were almost empty, we needed bread, fuel and some Bordeaux wine. None too desperately but all shops were closed for the customary 3 hours for lunch. We stopped at a few to confirm but doors were locked, shutters down and deserted. Many petrol stations are 24/24 but at lunch time the pumps are card only and they do not like the British cards. When will we catch up with Europe who have pin nos. on their credit cards making the much more secure. They have been so for years, yet in Northampton, the home of the Barclaycard, we are just trialing the system with TV publicity etc as if its something revolutionary.

OK its a bit inconvenient not being able to buy bread  when you want to, but it is a better way of life, we must adjust our ways and make sure we have our shopping before the lunchtime. Lets hope the big concerns like B&Q do not introduce the Americanisation like they did in England, so destoying the way of life in France.
 

Rumor has it that French farming is small and inefficient, One should look at the Gascogne region, we drive through fields of sweet corn for miles on end. The irrigation system on wheeled gantries ¼ of a mile long.

Whilst we are rumor busting. Learn enough French to get by before you make the trip. Anyone who says there is no need, they all speak English, has only been to tourist spots in season, when the cast of actors move in. We have found only one lady with more English than I have French, mostly if you ask Englais? the answer is non. In a month we have had a conversation in English only with two Dutch couples, and a couple from Preston.

We arrive in the evening at Mimizan. We stay at a municipal site, 'vans are strictly controlled in the town. Signs read "you must stay here and pay," 5 Euro per 24 hrs free water electricity and facilities, such hardship.
I barbecued fresh sardines for dinner. The beach was up and over the sand dunes and stretches for miles, we spent a while there but no swimming as the wind off the Atlantic was cool and oil is coming ashore in blobs, notices say increased risk of skin cancer from contact.

22 May
We move on down the coast to Contis Plage. A ghost town almost, out of season, wind blown sand covers the paths which were once 10 ft wide. JCB's have been at work clearing it. Mail boxes on posts American style show above the drifts, just like a snow scene.
Again the beach is oiled, but teams of workers with tractors and scrapers and hand machines like lawnmowers are out as the tide goes down, making a good job of removal. The beach is naturist to the north. I understand the beach cleaning teams are not short of staff.
 
The wind abates and the conditiond are so different, we swim on 23 May, the sun has a real bite and the whitest bits are burned on the first real exposure so next day it is avoid the sun on the beach.

In the morning a French couple who were returning from a trip to Morroco went to the water tap with his campingcar, put his front wheels into the sand over the side of the concrete and was stuck. We all willingly piled in to push, English, Belgian, German, French but it just dug in.
After a while a council truck came on site, a wave for him to stop seemed to be ignored, he drove past, only to stop and reverse into position. He had seen the predicament from the road and only came on site to help, a rope was attached, job done, off he went. The French mans wife, actually Italian, came over as we chatted after with bowl of ice, bottles glasses. I had iced Pernot at 10.00am nice.
 
At the entrance to the site were a young couple with kids in a caravan pulled by a white van. We and everyone else suspected they were itinerants. The many French on the site were quite happy with them. On  our last night I left the solar panel bolted to the cycle rack and locked with two cable locks as used for bikes, in the morning the panel had gone and so had the itinerant family. This job took bolt cutters, part of the itinerant tool kit.

The further south you go the more touristy it gets and as in all places there are those who prey on the holidaymaker, it is now getting into season too.

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24th May
A rainy day, we are day off to Ondres via Soustons where we stop for lunch by lake, we hit the coast at Hossegor, here there are more dune backed beaches a nice harbor area and promenade. Our night halt is in Capbretton on farm, "come back for another night"  the cattle farmer said in Spanishy French.

25th May
We were now near Biarritz we both wanted to visit there so we moved on. The northern, harbour end of Biarritz is called Anglet from here runs a cycle path all the way past all the surfing beaches to the town.
 
The favorite place to park in Anglet is opposite the marked campingcar bays and water point, against the River. Here there is a nice view of the boats and the river mouth out to sea. The signage is not clear as to the correct place for campingcars at night. It seems the situation is to be made clearer for the coming season and work to install height barriers has started
.
We were joined here early on Sunday morning by a Hymer which had a for sale notice in the window. It was parked near the entrance where the work was going on. On monday morning the workers arrived with pneumatic drills, on checking they found no one alive in the Hymer and the police arrived, two, on motorbikes not much more than a moped. After a chat with the workmen they donned their helmets and moved off, stopping in ten yards to listen to their hand held radios. The leader signaled to his buddy that he will reply, having done so he gives some more gestures, OK, Ready, Off we go, they zoom off out of the site, a short blast of sirens as they pass a small car and off down the road.
A French camper watched and smiled, apparently seeing the same humor as me. A 'helpless woman or some little boys who do no harm' to be run in perhaps.
 
The Hymer has a notice attached to the screen during the day by council folk in civvies. They stayed in a civvie car till 8.30 PM to suggest the correct parking place to all new arivals, some French 'vans still negotiated the piles of spoil to park in the favorite spots.
The Hymer owner arrived that night in a car and read the notice. Clearly annoyed he spent a long time on his mobile phone gesticulating and describing his position between the correct lines in the parking bay, seemingly asserting his right to park and advertise his van for sale where ever he likes. After a walk down the harbour he repented and moved it a few spaces clear of the work area where he left it for another 24 hours. Again it seems that the citizen has the right as long as it is not specifically forbidden.    

We spent several nights at Anglet on the Quay returning there after taking the 'van to other parts for the day. Biarritz has superb town plages, shops, a casino, a bridge by Eifell crosses to a statue on a rock. Out of town beaches are grand with huge waves popular with surfers, some days there was scorching sun, others were overcast although these are warm enough for the beach. A few swims when the waves were good but not too fierce, were great fun in the breakers. There were  several heavy thunderstorms at night.

The police presence in the town is reassuring but not oppressive. A car parked on a yellow line in Biarritz for a short time, atracted a canine patrol van and several officers using hand held radios, no jobsworth tickets issued, in minutes the driver returned, the car was in a proper bay and everyone had gone.

4th June
 We took a ride down the coast to St Jean de Luz and Ciboure. South from here there is only one more port, Hendaye, before Spain. Here Hitler met Bernito Moselini at the railway station to talk of a pact.

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We developed beautiful bronze tans, the slow introduction  meant no burning or peeling. A UK couple from Devon returning from a short foray into Spain, not knowing where to stay in Biarritz, came to ask us if we knew of a place. We were reluctant to ask they say, you are too brown to be English.

The beaches are beautifully cleaned of the oil coming ashore from a wreck. Tractors comb every morning and men and women in civies walk the tide line with a stick and bag all day collecting flotsam and jetsum. Bronzed beauties swim and tan with no fear of oil on the bum. 

10th  June
Time to move on, I sugest we take a look at Hendaye and a short trip into Spain. Sue stamps her foot, she likes it here and does not want to go. Look we only have to cross the Pyrenees and I will find you some Mediteranean sand for sandcastles.

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10th June
We headed down to Hendaye, there is a nice tropical feel and Spain is just the other side of the river.

After lunch we went over the boarder into Spain customs are stopping the odd car coming out.  Driving down the Bidassoa valley to Bera Vera then through a pass back over the  Pyrenese to St Pee.
Not a long run in Spain but enough, the area is poor, grafiti strewn and confirmed what we were told about Basque Spain.

The couple from Devon that I metioned earlier had come back to France, he was a long distance lorry driver and used to travel, but he said he did not feel safe. Their passage through a village was obstructed by people who walked out in front of them and stood in the road. The experiences of other campingcaristes is so valuable. Many had said Northern Spain, Non.
An Italian who spoke good French and some English said Basque Spain is not safe. Likewise the Eastern Spanish border area near Perpignan. Here he said they breed little people to get into campingcar windows and hatch doors, bandits to rob.

Back in France there is a Basque influence still. The sign posts are obliterated by black spray paint, graffiti on buildings with X's and Z's in the words is common. On the tourist routes with view points white vertical boards have been planted at regular intervals with E T A on them. My feelings are these folk do not like other people or their own environment even. I understand they fiercely defend the mountains against development and tourism. Hmm I am a tourist.
We press on to a pig farm at Aldudes way down the Aldude valley and nearly back to the Spanish frontier. Wondering what we were going to find there. The views are wonderful we were surrounded by mountains, Ritch green, trees,. bracken and grassland. Birds of prey hover around the peaks and some colorful small species dart around near the streams.

There is a silence broken by hens, bird song and distant cowbells, in the evening the sheep come to lower pasture and the bells are louder and in greater number. The only down side is the heat, now we are in the mountains the breeze from the Atlantic has gone and it is very warm. We are very careful in the use of the insect screens on the windows but we have a visit from the mosquitos I have one Sue has half a dozen bites.

On the way into the valley we are passed by a white Citroen C15 van with only one side window a few seconds later he comes back the other way, strange. A moment later he is joining our road from a track, then there he is rattling across a field.
Yes there is more than one, they are everywhere, quickly labled the 'Basque Van', the farmers drive behind the sheep herding them from a to b and buzz around the mountains in them. In the evening three in a row came down from near the Spanish frontier.
Our night stop was near a superb modern pig unit with a co operative temperature and humidity controlled drying unit which was still under construction.
We purchased basque pig, ham, sausage and pate, after trying a sample, the flavor, superb. The ham is dark, ritch in color and so tasty. the farmer gave compaison samples. This, not from a Basque breed of pig is what you are used to. No no I said, what we are used to is slimey and more the color of that wrapping paper.

The local Basque pig, pink with black patches was nearing extinction in the late eighties, our host has been a pioneer in re introducing them. A mother was nursing nine tiny rubbery piglets near the shop where they come to be displayed to the visitors. They all live outside in strong wicker and straw teepees.

The closest town we came through had banners across the road, which read, 'people without work' there is a contrast between the people buying the produce and the villagers.

Small local Basque farmers have four cows and drive them down the road to milk. An old lady in wellingons and headscarf  waves a red flag on a stick to warn traffic. A man cythes the fields by hand to make hay, for how long can this way of life be sustained.

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11th June
The river that flows out through Biarritz at Anglet is the Nive. I have a thing about the source of rivers. The Nive bubbles out from the rocks apparently not too far from here. Engage intrepid explorer mode.

So we returned along the Aldude valley via St Etienne.

More hams, this is the old fashioned curing method, hanging under the eaves of the house. The river is running allong the valley we have just returned by.

At Espelette we joined the Nive valley along to St Jean and the narrow road to Esterencuby and finaly Bethrobie where the road runs out. Here the temperature was high so we parked in the shade of a tree to gather whatever is needed to take on a climb up the track which leads to the source.
A dozen cream cows blocked the track which was steep on one and side barbed wire on the other they are on their way down, not wanting to spook them we sat on the bank and waited for them to pass. After a few minutes baking in the sun they have not moved far, they like the grass on the bank. A young couple came up the hill, we joined ranks and squeezed by taking care not to make them jostle and push us into the barbed wire, not nice on sunburn me thinks

The climb is not too steep, after about fifteen minutes, the reward, cold, cold springs bubbling up among the rocks forming pools and cascading down the hillside, the relief was wonderful.

Our parking spot under the tree was the car park area for an hotel bar. We debated whether to ask permission to stay the night. It was only lunch time however so we had lunch and moved on.

Back to St Jean up to Chahara and the D918 to Mauleron Licerre. There are two viewpoints on the road but no parking places and no rest spots and still the boards planted along the road with E T A painted on. There are no Aires in this region with facilities for the Camping Car, no taps for the traveler to have a drink few camp sites are they trying to tell us something.

We spend the night in a parking place near the center of Mauleron with a French camping car, we would not have been there were it not for him. Evening was wearing on we had not found a night halt yet when we saw him. He seemed to turn off the road with a purpose, so we followed him, through the street and down to the Leisure Cente. The usual exchange took place 'je reste ici pour le nuit 'oui', 'c'est d'accord, secure,' 'oui'.

I sneeked the barbecue out round the back of the 'van and barbecued a whole fish in foil. A little aprehensive about barbecuing in public car park. We ate outside, behind the wall, in a garden full of roses, a young lady sang typical French songs. In the morning we looked around the town, the river runs through, deep, fast flowing and rock sided.

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12th June
We travelled through beautifull scenery to our next port of call, Arudy, via the D24 to Barcus and Oleron.
The Aire at Arudi is no more, so it was difficult to confirm the location, we asked in the town and were directed back where we came from to a rough open area near an abandoned bar and disco. There was no water here or signage.
We asked a resident, form near by, who confirmed the Aire was no more, he wanted to direct us to the next Aire depending upon our direction of travel. We asked, if we diregard the water can we stay here for the night. "NON" he replied, somehow we were not quite on the same wavelength, finally we established  the "NON" meant "No Problem" and we settled in with more mountain views, to be joined later by a French campingcar who this time asked us, is it OK.

The lack of facilities meant we must get water from Lourdes. On the D35 we saw our first snow on the  mountains  before we stopped for lunch at Lestelle. A pretty place with rapids on the river and sanctuaries alongside the road.

In Lourdes the heat was searing, the facilities are in the Leclerc Spermaket car park there was no shade, the heat hit my legs like popping them under a gril. The parts of my already brown feet not covered by my sandles were cooked three shades browner. Yesterday it poured with rain when we were in a shop, we walked out of the cool building, into a laundry world, where the rain meant nothing and the steamy heat from the path par boiled my legs. It is strange how the legs are still so sensitive to temperature and humidity, perhaps it is half a century of long trousers.

We were short changed on Lourdes water. Ah well, say no more. The bourne said 2 Euros for 100 litres, our tank holds 95 ltr it was 1/4 full when we arrived 1/2 full after adding the 2 Euros worth.
In the van in the shade that was available we measured the temperature 34 C.

Lourdes is not as bad as I expected, touristy but pretty. The center was crowded with people and silly gift shops. If Heaven is like Blackpool, then I suppose this is like Heaven. We drove through, down the main street, the tourist train shot out from a turn on the right, hooting wildly at me, I saw no give way to trains from the right sign.
We didnt want any badly painted chalk Madonnas, so we just drove through, past the grotto area with packed car parks to our destination, a honey farm at Begole among the peace and beauty of the mountains again.

 The farmer spoke no English but liked to chat, he was proud of his honey, four hundred hives, 'cases' and the comb holders, I think we call supers, are 'cards'. He agreed it was very hot but not unusual for the region, they have little rain and hailstones bigger than golf balls sometimes.
The mosquito precautions worked, but some little blighter bit me 20 times in an area the size of an egg on my stomach when I was outside at night contemplating the red wine, Oh that was sore for days.

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14th June
The honey farmer was also keen to promote his area, he recommended we visit St. Bertrand de Comminges a medieval village perched on a hilltop with access by car, and campingcar in low season. We found a litte shade under a tree for lunch in the car park at the base of the hill, before climbing the one way system in the 'van up to the parking square and a look round the ancient cobbled streets.
We then headed through St Gaudens to Serres s Arget in a valley with more perched ruins along the way, near Foix. Here after a look at the ville, very tidy as usual, we established where the Aire was, just outside the village, and settled in for the night. The surrounding area was marshland and lakes. In the evening the background noise was so loud, the frogs (amphibians), there must have been thousands, were croaking in chorus. We wondered if we would sleep with the noise, strangely they sang until precisely midnight when they switched off. The odd miscreant having a little go for a minute before there was complete silence.

Next day, Sunday morning, there was a fete for kids at the village hall which brought numerous cars. It was a nice little do with a  girl band, guitar violin drums flute, and a singer, and display of vegetable material marionettes.
We left for Foix it was still hot, very hot, we looked around the town then rested for lunch, we are now doing just as the French do, finding shade and putting our heads down around mid day. We were parked in the square, in the shade of a tree. A thermometer in town was showing 42 deg C. How do the locals survive this.
Well indoors in one of these cave dwellings just off the center ville would be fairly cool.

A cycle race was passing through the town. A young 'cadet' Maddame Gendarme was looking after a roundabout near us. I think she was a trainee her teachnique a bit floppy and puppet like. Between batches of bikes she stood in the shade and visited the fountain for a splash of the wrists. A call on her radio would warn her of another batch of cyclists and she would go back to the roundabout.
 The first police car we have seen in a town with sirens blaring and lights flashing came out from the Gendarmarie and stopped at her corner. They delivered a bottle of water and a glass to the lass, turned round and returned to the station. This is France and some things are important.

We moved on past Carcassonne a medieval walled castle type citadel that looks like a Hollywood set, why were there no gleaming brass helmets looking over the walls
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In the Plateau de Lacamp with the Montagne d Alaric to the north we reached Chateux Villemagne and a fine welcome from the proprietor. He showed us our parking spot, he found walking a little difficult due to a gammy leg 'jambon', funny I am sure we had some slices off one of those the other day at the piggery.
It was a fine spot on the edge of the vines which carry several bunches of pip size grapes on tall vines untrained or tied about 1.5m high.

We buy 3 ltr of Corbiers from the vat, 4.20 Euro dark, fruity and high in tannin after far too many samples,some quite vintage and very costly. As usual we explained we were wanting a stock for a few nights of a nice table wine, it made no difference, 'you must try this, it's vintage', we staggered out.
The Romans were in this very spot, the owner showed us some artifacts found on the site, pottery, metal objects etc.

17th June
We set off with the possibility of reaching the Mediterranian today, only to stop after 10 k to have a cool drink in the shade at Lezignan on a large square, not in the centre of town because we could not get under the low bridge. It was so hot in total shade under large plane trees that we decided to rest up and have lunch moving on again about 4.30pm.
 An old boy, the attendant at an indoor Boules pitch sat outside, as the sun moved he moved, to the a park benches following the best shade. He was joined by locals who sat and chatted for a while. What else can you do, how do they survive this heat.

Our first stop when we get going was a supermarket in Narbonne, a few spots of rain make no difference to the heat. Inside, it was huge and air conditioned, suddenly I approve of air conditioning.
Stocked up for a few days we move on to the Plage the other side of the Montagne de Clape. The Aire is next to the beach it is large, a gusty wind blows and the lightning flashes, it does not seem able to rain though, just a few spots.
Sue wanted to cool off with a dip in the Med. to be put off when we get there by a horizontal sand blasting straight onto the sea. The night was blustery but much cooler.

Next morning the baker called in his van with fresh bread at about 9.30. We swam in the sea, it was flat calm knee deep at 10 meters out and cool in patches, the breeze was stiff and kept up the sand blasting although only at low level and it was not unpleasant.
The area is all modern development in traditional style teracota and bright woodwork. I took a look at the rough guide, it says 'endless tacky development buffeted by a wind that would flay the shell off a tortoise'. If that tortoise had just come across the Pyrenees and survived being boiled in his shell he would like us welcome the breeze. It is 28C in the van in the morning 34C at night.

Next day we swam at the town beach, the wind is stronger and sand blasts the body filling the ears and nose. The local sun worshipers lay on a sunbed, the sand blast goes under them. I bet they don't mention the wind in the holiday brochurers. No photo, you would never get the sand out of the camera, it is still coming out of my ears. Luckily we are not booked for any stay at all.

We moved north. It became very hot away from the coast again. We stopped for lunch in the shade by the canal Midi.
Look, is that Rick Stein coming along on that barge.

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After lunch we moved on via Bezier, an old walled town built high on the hill which looked well worth exploring in cooler weather. We arived again at the Mediterranean, at Agde. The Cap is a modern area with dual carriage ways and roundabouts and no parking for anything higher than 2.2m. We found an on road spot to stop and take a look at the beach at least, then moved on to Marseillan Plage.
Here a 13.5km road across the etangs provides access to the same lenghth of beach with roadside parking. We swam and sat and ate until darkness fell. Camping Cars were staying for the night alongside the road. We were prepared to do the same, but a Dutchman said he thought it would be noisy and sugested some beachside car parks in the town of Sete. A large parking area contained many 'vans, we slipped in for a few days stay
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Much of Sete is modern, with inland waterways the whole area lies between the sea and the etangs (saltwater lakes).

Saturday saw us on a ride on our bicycles round the point to the harbour, then into the old town and up to the fishermans cemetery.We decided to climb the top of the hill to a viewpoint, here you get an almost 360 deg. view of sea, harbour etangs old town and new town.
A funny thing happened on the way to the cemetary. A well dressed young man aproached us and asked for 1 Euro as he had no money for food. I did not want to get involved, told him I had nothing and only spoke English, in English he asked for some of our bread, he went off happily with 100mm of one of our two baguettes we had just bought.

Once again, this car park was having hight bariers installed. No one ever complains of the presence of  camping cars, you cannot stay too long as no water is provided. I was amused to observe a French campingcariste carefully measuring a gap between two concrete posts with his trusty measuring tape. Satisfied with the measurement, he expertly slid his 'van into the scuba school carpark and filled up with water from their tap when no one was around. There are still survival skills to be learned.

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