Friday 11^th June Update (probably the last entry of the holiday)

Wednesday we watched the Holland v Argentina match in the tv room at La Grande Sologne. It was a very wet night and the room was full with people stood outside in the rain hoping for a glimpse of the tv set . a set that was one of those massive things we all had about 15 years ago and which the charity shops stopped accepting about 10 years ago.  It still showed the same out of date Dutch team go down after penalties (why didn’t I just go to bed early).

It rained all night so we left the site and headed to Brou. However when we arrived at Brou the rain had stopped but it was cold and cloudy. We decided to push on and get close to the port of Le Havre. We found a lovely aire/CL site on the River Seine, it was a cherry farm where the price was 11 euros with electricity. Once we’d pitched we drove down the River and returned after completing 10 miles. This meant that on this trip we’ve now done 400 miles on our bikes.

This morning we arrived at Fe

The privately owned Camping Aire/ cherry farm overlooking the Seine

Early morning views of the River Seine

Great views overlooking the Seine.

Looking down from our pitch at Fecamp beach.

The view from our Pitch at the campsite in Fecamp

The area around Fecamp looks a bit like the Dorset area.

Beach at Fecamp

camp not far from Le Havre. We used the municipal site Reneville this cost 22:50 euros. We could have stopped over at the massive free Aire in the town which had toilets and water and drainage but we liked the quieter location of the campsite. As you can see from the photos it also has magnificent views.

So tomorrow it looks like we’ll leave the site around 12 noon, fill up with diesel (1.21e a litre at the Intermarche), buy some wine from Leclerc or Carrefour and maybe stop for dinner at another beach resort then get to the port for around 4pm in time for the 5pm sailing.

Wednesday 9^th  July Update.

Sunday we left Gavin and headed over the Pyrenees and into France.the sat nav was playing up again and acting like an Egyptian shopkeeper, “Lower, lower” I kept telling it until I bartered it down to a point where I had got it to knock 70 miles off the journey.

We found a decent enough site at a little town east of Tarbes, called Mane. When we arrived it was quite hot and we were looking forward to using the pool, unfortunately an hour or two after arriving we had a thunderstorm and it went quite cool. It rained for most of the night so the next day we set off early.  We decided not to go to a site but because of the bad weather to just stop on an Aire in a village. I found a right cracker in a town called Objat, just north of Brive. This had a toilet, shower room and 16 amps of electricity. Cost was 5 euros and you paid with credit card at the entrance. All pitches were hardstanding and overlooking a river and park. A great location and not far from a municipal swimming pool if you needed it

Tuesday we drove to a site north of Limoges on the edge of the lake at Saint Pardoux. Camping Freadour is a good site but unfortunately the weather was mixed again, one minute hot sun the next pouring rain. We decided to cycle around the lake. The cycle route signs were poor and we ended up quite a few narrow tracks. At one point it bucketed down and we had to shelter under trees for about 20 minutes. We also passed a good camping aire next to a tourist office that had toilets and looked free. Eventually we completed the 10 mile route and returned to the campsite. Later that evening we watched the amazing Brazil v Germany game.

Wednesday we travelled 128 miles up to Camping La Grande Sologne at Nouan Le Fuzelier, south of Orleans. This turned out to be a busy, overpriced site (25 euros). The weather was more rain than sun but we managed to get a swim in at the free Municipal pool next door. We also noticed a Camping Aire right outside the site, that was free and with access to toilets. Maybe next time.

We passed over the border into the French Pyrenees, this was a shot of the valley we drove down.

The excellent Aire at Objat.

The lake at St Pardoux, north of Limoges. There were lots of beaches along the shoreline. Worth stopping at but a shame about the weather.

Saturday 5^th July

Tonight will be our 3^rd night at the superb Camping Gavin. However today we decided to book the ferry from Le Havre to Portsmouth for next Saturday. It was a good price at £92 and means I don’t have to drive around Paris or the M25 around London.

Yesterday we walked into Biescas a round trip of just over an hour. It was a tidy town with lots of busy bars but few supermarkets. After our Canyon walk we’ve been trying to recover but we seem to be having to do something. I did a 20 length swim in the pool and then …once again we watched the footy and had the 3 course 15 euro meal (includes a decent bottle of wine). Today was really hot and we set off on our bikes heading nowhere in particular but still a really enjoyable ride of around 16 miles. Later we walked up the road to Gavin, again a tidy, clean and neat town. We’ve picked out some nice looking sites to stop at and look forward to stopping at a different one each day, resting and maybe cooling off in pools or lakes.

Camping Gavin, terraced pitches, nice pool and good restaurant.

The little town of Gavin. In this area there are lots of pretty villages and lots of safe cycle tracks to visit them from.

Friday 4^th July

Yesterday we left the excellent Camping Boltana and arrived at the Torla free car park around 10am ready for the 5 hour walk through the canyon. We walked around the pretty mountainside town and found a couple of small supermarkets. We then bought the 4.50 return bus tickets that would take us to the Entrance of the Ordesa National Park (cars are forbidden to use this road in the summer), We sat at the front of the bus watching it fill up with a variety of people. Most people were kitted out well but one or two got on with open toe sandals and worryingly a few people had trouble making the two steps on to the bus. There was also an Australian woman dressed in bright yellow leggings and a top, presumably hoping to be rescued. I worried as to what would happen when the bus stopped, would we all end up packed together for the 5 hour walk talking about ourselves and maybe exchanging addresses at the end…no way. Soon as the bus stopped the two Brits at the front shot into pole position and were never seen again. Presumably for the rest the descent from the bus was proving more difficult.

The first hour of the walk took us through mainly woodland, with opportunities to briefly leave the main path and use the observation platforms to view the wonderful waterfalls. Then the path opened up into meadows with the full view of the canyon clearly visible. We reached the valley ending in good time, two and a half hours and after a quick break decided to return via the more difficult and longer Faja de Pelay. This took us across the river to the other side of the valley were we had to climb the steep ascent almost to the top of the valley. Then the path levelled off until the final descent, the most difficult part where we looked directly down at the bus stop, I estimated 20 minutes for the descent…it took 75 minutes and was the most difficult part of the walk as it was mainly walking on rocks and boulders from avalanches. Eventually we made it to the bus completing the walk in exactly 6 hours.

We then drove the 15 miles to Camping Gavin, a quick shower and straight to the restaurant for a 15 euro, 3 course meal of the day (bottle of wine included in price).

Transpired

The first hour is mainly through woodland with  occasional viewings of some great waterfalls

Eventually the valley opens out.

The final section along the valley floor follows the river.

Another of the many waterfalls.

Showing all of the waterfalls may have been too much but there is no doubting their beauty.

The end of the Canyon comes into sight.

If she'd seen the huge balls hanging from the one on the left its doubtful if she'd pass it.

Looking back on the final stretch of the outward walk.

The end of the canyon walk but you can go past the waterfall, through the gap and walk to a Refuge.

Again, the end of the canyon.

The start of our ascent up from the valley floor.

This, more difficult route gives you amazing views of the canyon walls.

Competition for the Grand Canyon, USA?

There were just too many good photies to include. At this point we had a thunderstorm for about 30 minutes.

We were looking down at the car park, not realising that the descent would take 75 minutes made quite difficult over rain soaked rocks.

3^rd July

Yesterday we rode the 2 miles into Boltana, a very disappointing town. The newer section is a cluster of blocks of flats, a bit like a 70’s Olympic village. The upper older section wasn’t really worth the steep walk up to it. There were no supermarkets or shops of any significance and its only redeeming feature was the excellent tourist information office run by an extremely helpful lady. She provided me with maps and information about our next stop Torla where we hope to complete the Grand Canyon walk in the Ordesa Natural Park. She could also talk incessantly ( I wonder how she’d get on with the French Wolfman) and was quite happy to take me through the walk metre by metre until I pointed out a queue of 6 people wanting to talk to her. Another excellent 12 euro menu of the day at the site restaurant.

Camping Boltana

Pool with view, Camping Boltana.

2^nd of July.

Birthdays come and go and by the time you’re 62 they become almost meaningless…a trip to the pub, a family gathering, a fancy restaurant, a hot air balloon ride?  This one had some meaning. We left Camping Aneto but we were reluctant to leave this wonderful valley. So we turned left outside the campsite gates and drove the 6 miles to the end of the valley road. Parking in the car park we set off on a 3 hour walk towards Plan de Aiguallut in the Vale de Benasque. If I had any say in it I would call this the Valley of a thousand rockeries, for any amateur gardener would be embarrassed at his futile attempt at  a rockery when you see here how nature with its rivers, glaciers and rock landslides throws together such amazing natural landscapes.

As we returned along the valley road we spotted quite a number of Marmots scurrying up the valley sides, the camera couldn’t capture these endearing creatures but the video camera with its powerful zoom did (still photo from this to follow). Returning to the van we had lunch and drove the 59 miles to Camping Boltana, yet another great site. The journey to Boltana took us through some amazing narrow gorges and river valleys. We had a quick dip in the pool, a shower and headed to the bar for more footy. For 12 euros the menu of the day was excellent with a bottle of smooth red wine only 4 euros.

Parked in the car park ready for the walk. You can take a bus here if you want to start your walk even deeper into the valley.

View close to the start.

Occasional meadows come into view with cows grazing.

Plants and flowers make it a colourful walk.

Nature's rockeries line the walk.

Tuesday 1^st July (The old gits 62 today)

My suspicions were raised when I spotted a few ‘weekenders’ still on the site, then a kid zoomed past me on a bike, then another on a skateboard. When we later went into Benasque it transpired that it was a two day fiesta for St Marcial. I had been hoping that when they eventually ran out of Apostles they’d give Judas another chance. Celebrating a betrayer such as this might have led to a fiesta characterised by things such as mass adultery and debauchery. Who ever he is St Marcial was successful in filling up the church for the morning service, people were congregating in the square dressed in traditional dress. A band was setting up under a covered stage and a bar was also being assembled.

Benasque is an attractive town, a mixture of old and new, dominated by its ski, climbing and walking outfitters, there are also plenty of reasonably priced bars and restaurants,

After lunch we returned to the site to relax by the pool. Later in the afternoon a French guy started telling us about his walk across the Pyrenees from coast to coast. He was writing a book about his trek as he was completing it “the difficult way, the way of the wolf”. He explained that it was not the wild beast he was referring to but a wolf who is different from the rest of the pack?? He was walking/climbing 10 – 12 hours a day, his diet included a pound of chocolate and he was hoping to complete it in less than 40 days.

I guessed that he was ‘the wolf’ and to some degree he had been missing human contact as he wanted to tell us all about himself, almost arrogant. His incessant chatter and high self esteem made me feel uncomfortable and I concluded that his wolf like isolation wasn’t entirely self imposed. As we were leaving the pool he asked what had been happening in the world the last 20 days. I wanted to tell him about the Sunni uprising in Iraq, the establishment of a Caliphate and Camerons dispute with Juncker and the EU but Barbara got in before me “Suarez has gone and bitten someone again”. He obviously didn’t know who Suarez was but what an excellent piece of ‘doorstep’ communication to freeze him with.

Later that evening we cycled the two miles back into town for a meal, not once did I have to pedal on the way there but boy did I pedal back.

Benasque

Benasque folk in traditional dress.

Benasque,