September 2020 – Page 3 – DJmotortouring

Saint Jean Pied-de-Port (Pyreness-Atlantique), France – September 2020 (Tour 3)

Good to be back on the move again and it showed in the mileage we completed today. From Labastide-Marnac we made our way south west to Ascarat just outside of Saint Jean Pied-de-Port; a journey of some 254 miles. SJPP has long been on my wish-list of places to visit and I couldn’t wait to get into the town.

We arrived in Ascarat late afternoon and after walking the dogs, Vanya elected to stay with the dogs and chill while I immediately set off on the 30 minute walk into Saint Jean Pied-de-Port or Donibane Garazi as the Basques refer to the town. We are well into French Basque territory here.

As well as being one of “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”, SJPP is a popular waypoint for pilgrims and/or adventurers on the pilgrim trails to Santiago de Compostella and it came as no surprise to see the place so busy during the late afternoon and early evening. It is both the finishing point for Le Puy Camino (which begins in Le Puy en Velay and is sometimes known as the Via Podiensis) and the starting point for the Camino Frances (which finishes in Santiago de Compostella and is often referred to as the Camino Way). It has long been my intention to complete these two walks which together total about 1,000 miles. Maybe next year.

Evidence everywhere of the pilgrim trails. The photo above right, with the open door, is the entrance to the pilgrim office in SJPP which hands out maps, advice and “pilgrim passports” which I have been told you need should you want to stay in the refuges (albergues) along the way.

Enough about the pilgrim trails. All things being equal you will hear more about them next year.

St Jean Pied de Port is a small, walled town on the banks of the River Nive. It was founded in the 12th century after Richard the Lionheart destroyed the nearby town of Saint Jean le Vieux (1177). There is really only one street to the town, La Rue de Citadelle, and it leads from the Porte St Jacques down into the centre of the town to the Church of Notre Dame du Bout de Pont, across the bridge and then up to the Mendiguren Citadel which is now a school.

A church service was underway as I passed the Eglise Notre Dame du Bout du Pont and the singing was so good it drew me in. It is a very impressive church with an equally impressive congregation.

I listened to some of the service and then continued up the hill to the Citadelle de Mendiguren passing the Prison des Eveques (Bishop’s Prison) on the way. The museum was closed at the time but I would be returning to the town in the morning with Vanya.

The Citadelle itself is closed to the public (it is now a school) but it was enough to walk the grounds and take in the views.

We like St Jean Pied de Port so much so we spent almost two full days here and failed to take in other villages in the area that also deserve a visit (e.g. Espelette the home of red hot chillies and Sare and Ainhoa both plus beaux villages de France) but there’s always next year or the year after that. They’ve been here a long time. Vanya wants to get to the coast.

Only downside to SJPP – the awful tourist train and the number of shops selling fridge magnets – Ugh!

Labistide-Marnhac (Lot), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

I said once before (while doing my 4-5 month tour of the Balkans) that driving around in a motor-home or camper-van, call it what you will, is not so much an extended holiday (although it may appear as such) as a long series of Saturdays. The fact is certain chores need to be completed from time to time and it was this that brought us to an AirBandB in Labistide-Marnhac for two days and nights. This was that “Saturday” when we had to catch up with our chores. Vanya wanted her hair done. I needed to start catching up with my Website entries although I’m so far behind it will not happen in the one go. The Boomobile needs a bloody good clean too but that one will have to wait. It is after all a Saturday and not a work day.

The place we selected, an Equestrian Centre (the owner trains horses but, it seems, more for Eventing and in particular Dressage than racing) is very quiet and seriously remote. It took us a while to get to the place and not for the first time I had to reverse the Van out of lanes that I should not have contemplated going down in the first place.

It was clean and it comfortable and it served it’s purpose but, bloody hell, I do not want to go through another two days like it again. Nala, bless her, was suffering badly from sickness and diarrhoea. She woke me up constantly to go outside and, well, to cut a long horrible story short, I didn’t always wake up in time and nor did I bring any slippers on this tour. Add to this that while Vanya and I were cleaning up, Beanie would go walkabouts outside in the dark and… you can imagine!

That’s the place and there’s the Van in the background

Still, it is over now and we are back on the road. We had to spend our last morning cleaning up the gite and I had to substitute a door mat with one of my own from the Van (Fortunately, Lidl door mats are the same the world over!!) but like I said we are back on the road.

I love Lidl mats. What chance that the one in the Van would match the one in the gite – a miracle!

We’re on our way to Saint Jean Pied de Port.

Cahors (Occitaine), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Cahors is cracking; even on a typical French Sunday when, except for the occasional local market, just about everything shuts. Almost enfolded by a loop of the River Lot (a bit like the Isle of Dogs in London) it is a very compact town easily explored on foot. We stopped off here for a brief look and some lunch on our way to our chill out gite in Labastide-Marnhac and we saw pretty much everything within just a few hours. Having said that, the place is worth revisiting again and again.

A confession before I carry on. Vanya is correct; I do have a thing about bridges. Not all bridges but, bridges with history and/or character and you only need a glimpse of La Pont Valentre (aker Pont du Diable – see my footnote below) with its three towers to know that Cahors has an absolute cracker of a bridge…

Built during the period 1308 to 1380 and restored in the 19th century it was the first medieval fortified bridge in France and it is a great example of medieval defensive design with its crenellated parapets, battlements and pointed arches. More photos I hear you say…

I have plenty more photos of La Pont Valentre but Cahors is not just about its bridges. It is another of those lovely French towns with an old quarter of narrow cobbled streets and timber framed buildings packed with quaint bars and restaurants. Cahors old quarter is dominated by the Cathedrale St Etienne which I’m reliably informed was the first cathedral in the country to have cupolas giving it a Romanesque – Byzantine feel…

Lunch was a shared platter – easy and very tasty…

… and I cannot forget to mention Cahors wine, where the focus is on the Malbec grape (and of course I purchased a few bottles) but, the final word goes to the town’s landmark bridge…

… how the PONT DU DIABLE gained it’s name: Le Pont du Diable took more than 70 years to be built and it is said that the builder responsible for the final stages was so far behind that he did a deal with the devil so as to complete within the terms of his contract. He traded his soul in exchange for the devil’s help but then cheated the devil. He gave the devil a sieve with which to carry water for the final batch of mortar and, as the water kept draining away, the final stone was never laid. The builder thereby saved his soul because technically the bridge was never finished.

Pujols (Lot et Garonne), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Because of impending poor weather in the west (according to the met but they’ve hardly been right since we set off) we are heading back east to an AirB&B in Labastide-Marnhac for a couple of days. This will give us a chance to catch up on some chores (i.e. Vanya’s hair and my website, both of which have been neglected of late – only joking Van).

On the way to Labastide-Marnhac we decided to overnight at a small camp site within walking distance of both Pujols and Villeneuve-sur-Lot, thus giving us the opportunity to visit both places – Pujols for lunch and Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the evening.

Pujols is a small fortified town perched on a 180 metre hill overlooking the valleys of the Lot and the Mail. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in charm and it came as no surprise to learn that it is now listed amongt ‘Les plus beaux villages de France’. It is a truly charming little village with narrow flower bedecked streets all enclosed within old castle walls which provide lovely views across the surrounding countryside. I’ll let the photos do the talking:-

As for Villeneuve-sur-Lot, even allowing for the fact that it was Sunday (and Sundays are generally quiet across France), it was awful. We walked some 3 kms into the place with the dogs, hoping to find somewhere to eat. A further 2 kms walking around the place persuaded us to settle for cheese and biscuits back at the Boomobile. Awful, truly awful.

St Emilion (Gironde), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

No surprise that we should end up near Bordeaux in the small village of Saint Emilion given Vanya’s thirst for Cremant! Actually, they don’t do Cremant in St Emilion (just very good red wine) and we are here upon the recommendation of a friend.

It took little more than an hour to drive to St Emilion from Bergerac and we arrived early enough to check into a very nice campsite (Vanya’s not quite ready for wild camps yet) and do a little wine tasting at the Chateau Champion – 5 reds and 1 rose. We came away with 3 bottles of red (mine, all mine) and a case of rose (Vanya is getting too much into this wine tasting game!).

Our campsite was great. It offered all that you would expect in this part of the world, including a private swimming lake for the dogs. The restaurant was fine although, by choosing to dine outside, we found ourselves far too close to a karaoke evening for my liking. No, all in all you couldn’t knock the campsite – it even provided a frequent shuttle service into Saint Emilion.

The village itself is well preserved and beautiful. It is not very big which makes getting around it all very easy although there are a few ups and downs amongst the small winding streets and almost all of the streets are cobbled. I am advised it is the British who should be thanked for the cobbled streets. They have long liked the local wines and used to send boats laden with cobbled stones (used as ballast) and upon arrival in St Emilion the locals would substitute the stones with wine and use the cobbles to line the streets. Now you know.

There were a great many tourists about during our visit but during the summer months that is to be expected; the place is UNESCO listed and adjudged a “plus beau village de France”.

This whole area is all about wine and, unsurprisingly, the village is overflowing with wine shops and restaurants. There are a few other things to see (the church and its catacombs, the cloisters and the bell tower) and in this regard it is worth buying a ticket (2 Euros) from the local tourist office to go up the bell tower for the panoramic views. It is also worth taking time to walk the perimeter of the village for some fine views (usually of vineyards) but it is the town’s medieval limestone buildings, which seem almost honey coloured, that do the most for me and make the best photos.

You don’t need to spend long in Saint Emilion but it is good for a wander and a glass of wine and we enjoyed doing just that.

Bergerac (Dordogne), France August 2020 (Tour 3)

The drive from La Roque-Gageac to Bergerac was via a series of back roads through the gently rolling hills of the Dordogne countryside. It took us past a mix of vineyards and large fields of sunflowers and we arrived at Bergerac within 2 hours even allowing for a stop at a Leclerc supermarket for essentials – By ‘essentials’ I mean yet more Cremant for Vanya. She seems determined to try them all.

With a population of around 25,000 Bergerac is quite a large town by local standards but it is compact and easily explored on foot. The old town is delightful with its jumble of winding cobbled streets and timber framed houses some dating back to the 14th century.

My first thoughts as I entered Bergerac were not about the bridge (as Vanya would have you believe) but of Savinien “Cyrano de Bergerac” and I was keen to learn more about him. The fact is that while the town has adopted Cyrano (there are two statues here commemorating him), he grew up near Paris on an estate named after Bergerac and, so far as anyone can tell, he never visited Bergerac itself. The town adopted him in the late 19th century some time after Edmund Rostand’s play of the same name was run. Of his two statues, the one on Place Pelissiere is my favourite.

Also on and around Place Pelissiere is a huge selection of outdoor cafes and restaurants but the most significant building is the Church of St Jacques. Part of the church was built in 11th century but, after being damaged in the religious wars, it was largely rebuilt some 300 years later. I took a quick look inside but didn’t see anything of real interest. The most interesting part of the building is outside – a wooden perch high up on the steeple for the bell-ringers.

I cannot finish this short blog without writing a little about the local food and wine. We ate that evening at a small creperie in Bergerac, La Blanche Hermine, and it was the best galette ever. It was filled with ham, cheese, mushrooms and goodness knows what else and it was super. I would eat it again any day of the week. As for the wine, Bergerac is one of relatively few areas that produce similar quantities of red and white wines but my favourites from this area are the reds and I wasn’t disappointed on this occasion. I’ll certainly be taking a supply back to the UK (assuming Vanya leaves any room in the back of the Van).

The crepes were outstanding; so much so we had two each

We’ll stay here for a day or two but Vanya is already talking about a Cremant de Bordeaux. Any guesses as to where we’ll be heading next?

Vanya’s View (Part 2) Saint Aignan to St Emilion

Having been together for 33 years this month you would think there isn’t much that Dave and I don’t know about each other. Living in a camper van though has revealed that Dave has a deep, dark secret that he has been withholding from me. There have been hints over the years but it is proving impossible for him to hide it any longer – he is a pontist. I had no idea there was such a thing until in desperation I googled it. It is similar to being a train or plane spotter but in Dave’s case it is bridges. This may not sound a serious problem but there are literally thousands of rivers and accompanying bridges in France and when taken together with my morbid fear of heights… Well! Let’s just say that bridges and acrophobia are not good bedfellows. I patiently wait while he walks over the bridge, on both sides of the bridge and sometimes even under the bridge waxing lyrical about it’s attributes and taking copious photos. This is particularly galling when visiting a beautiful town like Cahors which has two road bridges and a railway bridge!

Anyway, enough about Dave’s issues for this week and back to our continuing trip around France, this time in the Dordogne area. One of the most unusual and beautiful villages we recently discovered was La Roque-Gageac where on the banks of the River there are houses built into the cliffs, a stunning bamboo garden and best of all no bridges in sight. The place was absolutely packed with tourists (obviously, we don’t count as tourists) and I would love to visit outside of the holiday season but even so it was well worth a look.

On our way to Bergerac, which was our next port of call, we completed our first 1,000 miles since leaving Brighton. Our fairly basic campsite was situated alongside the bridge into town (there’s a surprise!). We left the dogs in the van, for the first time since beginning our tour, to dine in a local creperie. The food was divine, so much so we both had a savoury and a sweet crepe for our two course meal. The old town is very pretty; full of cobbled stones and old buildings. I have fallen in love with the Dordogne area.

On the recommendation of a friend (Thanks Craig) we then headed into some serious wine country at St Emilion. The campsite was the only place around not stacked with grapevines. They are everywhere and for as far as the eye can see. It is a very well appointed site with a lovely lake which the dogs decided was their very own private swimming pool, disobeying our very strict orders to keep out. Of course, while they are normally incredibly obedient and hang on my every word, it was rather warm…

We headed to the Chateau Champion vineyard for some red wine tasting; not normally my tipple of choice (give me white any day; okay, every day) but it was palatable and I very much enjoyed the chilled Rose. Well, 80 Euros later, we may have to pump up the back tyres on the Boomobile.

The Campsite provided a free shuttle service into the village of Saint Emilion which proved to be yet another lovely cobbled stone medieval village with countless wine shops and marvellous views. I was happy to while away a couple of hours there and enjoyed lunch.

Headed west next towards Cahors as the weather was turning and in any event it is on Dave’s wish list to visit. I refer you back to my first paragraph.

La Roque-Gageac (Dordogne), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Drove from Cognac La Foret to Bergerac today and we’ll probably stay over but en route we passed through a number of very pretty and/or interesting villages including La Bugue, St Cyprien and Beyenac et Cazenac but the one that amazed us both and deserving of a special mention is La Roque-Gageac in the Dordogne department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the south west of France. Nestled in a stunning position amongst limestone cliffs on the north bank of the Dordogne it has to rank amongst France’s prettiest villages.

There’s a small troglodyte fort perched in the cliffs some 40 metres above the village (it’s an easy walk up) and while there’s not a lot left of the fort itself the views down into the small picturesque village and the panorama to the south are wonderful.

Without any doubt, the most surprising feature of the village is the Bamboo Garden created by Gerard Dorin in 1970. The cliffs protect the garden from cold winds from the north and the open view to the south ensures plenty of sunshine and the result is a thick forest of different bamboos and banana trees and I swear we also saw fig trees.

We didn’t do it but visitors are advised to take a one hour river trip down the Dordogne on a ‘gabarre’ (a flat bottomed cargo barge used in days of yore to transport goods along France’s riverways). They start from La Roque-Gageac and provide good views of numerous different attractions (including Chateau de Castelnaud, Chateau de Beynac, Chateau de Lacoste, Chateau de Marqueyssac, etc).

As mentioned earlier, the day ended in Bergerac and we’re very much looking forward to exploring the town tomorrow.

Cognac de Floret (Limousin), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Cognac de Floret is a very quiet small village (just over 1,000 people) in the Haute Vienne Department of Limousin. It comprises a post office, a small general store, a hairdressers, a boulangerie/patisserie, the inevitable pharmacy, a church, a tabac which doubles as a bar and a tractor dealership and that’s it. We came here because, after the last camp site, we wanted something quieter and Vanya found what looked like the perfect place in Camping des Alouettes.

We had a van full of wine and the camp site was no more than a 15 minute walk along an easy forest track to the village store for food. The site was clean and well tended with large secluded pitches and had all the facilities we needed; the sun was hot and we had its swimming pool to ourselves and there wasn’t a child in sight – we stayed two days and it was very nearly three.

The walk to the village through the woods gives way to a small fishing lake (free to locals) and a larger lake with a beach for swimming…

Bergerac next albeit by a slow convoluted route.