2nd July – 8th July – On The Road
After a couple more days relaxing with Fred and Irene at their secluded little site at St Jory de Chalais, we decided to get a bit footloose and fancy free and we spent a few days moving from place to place and exploring this lovely countryside.
The Creuse Valley is a new discovery for us and we think it must be one of France’s best kept secrets. There are rolling hills, acres and acres of beautiful woodland and picturesque villages to match the best we have seen in the Dordogne.
So – on Monday 2nd July we wound up wild camping in Sauviat-sur-Vige – we found a simple little pull-off from a minor road with a municipal storage building at the back and woodland to one side. Bonus was it had a very posh loo available – all electronic with flashing lights and buttons which knew when were in, when we were out and when to unlock the door and flush itself. Bit too clever for it’s own good if you ask me.
Tuesday we did quite a bit of C road exploring and found a lovely quiet car park near Eymoutiers and by a beautiful lake where we spent the night. A small island in the lake was home to a colony of Coypu which kept us entertained as they swam around in small family groups, nibbled at the grasses which border the water and generally enjoyed life.
Wednesday saw more exploring, circling round and back eventually to Sourzac for another night and some more walking by the river there as we had liked it so much. All that exploring is tiring work doncha know so we then headed back for a few more days R and R with Fred and Irene.
On Sunday 8th July we headed south towards the Tarn and broke the journey for the night in Figeac – a very pretty town with some fabulous cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings – some of it almost Dickensian. A bit up and down though so our legs would have liked it better if they had ironed it before we arrived.
Monday 9th – Sunday 15th July – La Malene
I visited the Tarn Gorge a bunch of years ago with my Sister Lin and her Husband Kip and I have had fond memories of the place ever since. Sam had never been so we decided to book (and pay for!) a pitch on a campsite in the gorge right beside the river. The last part of the journey was interesting and a little testing with the descent we chose into the gorge being pretty steep and with the longest series of hairpin bends we have so far encountered (even counting Portugal). If you check out a map of France and find the D995 road which goes down into the gorge to les Vignes just south of La Malene you can see ‘em – but I’m sure there are more turns than it shows!
The gorge is as stunning as I remember and we both had an amazing week of walking, cycling, swimming and kayaking. I could wax lyrical about the cliffs, the trees, the crystal clear water, the waterfalls, the birdsong, the road which winds along the valley side and punches tunnels through the cliffs. Hopefully the photos give you a little of the flavour.
Hauterives was a highlight amongst highlights (we got a bit of wow fatigue again) and is a tuny hamlet clinging to the ‘wrong’ side of the gorge, accessed by boat and with a motorised zip wire to carry supplies to and from. We passed it by road initially, then by kayak and eventually, the day before we left, we discovered a cliff path whch followed the river and led us their for a visit. Wonderful. Wizards or Dwarves would feel right at home.
Monday 16 July – It was with a bit of a heavy heart that we bade farewell to La Malene but the road was calling so we headed West and spent the night in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, a scruffy carpark hard against the railway line but quiet enough as it’s a little out of town and the trains are few and far between. First impressions can be decieving because the road in and the area where we parked had left us a little depressed at the grubby, unloved vibes we got, but when we ventured out for a walk into the heart of the town we found a well-kept, well-used centre with some quirky winding streets and some awesome architecture.
We have been doing quite a bit more of the inward journey this time (which those of you who follow our blogs will have come across before) and we have been wrestling with some tricky issues, looking at our values and trying to figure out where to point our energies for the next phase of our lives. This has left us a bit confused, a bit tired and a bit frustrated so we have decided to head for points North and go and invade the wondeful Paul and Lara for a bit of earth therapy a bit of deep conversation and a bit of TLC (they’re good at all those things).
So – Tuesday 17th July – we took pot luck and drove to a free site by a lake which looked pretty good on the Camper Contact app we use (highly recommended). Well ….. The place is called Lac de St Pardoux and it’s fabulous. If you want a lesson in how to create just the right balance between accessibility, outdoor activities and maintaining the natural ‘feel’ of a place then look no further.
Here we have a huge beautiful lake which spreads its limbs through several interlinked valleys and which is largely surrounded by woodland, predominantly oak and pine. There are several free car parks, a bus service and an area dedicated to ‘Camping Cars’ (also free).
There is a swimming pool, childrens play areas, cycling, kayaking, lake swimming from sandy beaches, woodland walks, sailing, water skiing etc etc.
We quite liked and we will probably come back and spend a week here sometime soon.
Wednesday 18th July – we had a lazy start (we usually do) and then wended our merry way back onto the major roads and up the A28, skirting Tours and stopping briefly in Mayet where we found that, whilst there is still a service point for motorhomes, there is also a sign politely suggesting the use of a campsite rather than the carpark so we partook of light refreshments and then drove on to a lorry park at Ecommoy. All nice and quiet until an agro-convoy van arrived. “Hmmm” we thought “we wonder what this might portend”. A few minutes later a huge combine harvester arrived, towing its own cutters, limbered up, mounted the kerb of the lorry park and started harvesting the field beside it. This was also just outside our (open) windows so we trundled over to the far side of the site from whence I am now drafting this amazing tome.
Namaste
Paul and Sam x
Finding the Elephant 
Lovely to catch up with you again, looks and sounds like you are having an amazing time, x
LikeLike
Hay thre Paul n Sam , sounds like you are having the best of times and seeing hidden places in our world. I remember the first time we explored the Tarn valley so amazing and all those houses and live in caves in the face of the rock, your mention of a zipwire triggered the wonders of that trip.
Hope all goes well lotsalove Lin n Kip
LikeLike