World Wide Webbs

2025 France – Mountains and Mediaeval Towns

Prelude

Tuesday 2nd September

We packed the van and drove to Totnes, where the whole Bjerregaard family, minus Mox but plus Lydia, were milling around and happy to spend time with us. Kai brought his course work over to finish and chatted, Frida wanted some jeans taken up and we shared a crossword and Wordle.

It was a lovely chilled afternoon. We then went with Kirstien around their field before collecting our stuff and heading to Plymouth. In the Barbican we had gluten free Fish and Chips before boarding the ferry. Because of the forecast of stormy weather we sailed straight to Roscoff where we waited in the harbour until we could disembark at 5.30am.

On deck we watched Plymouth recede in the twilight before retiring to our cabin with half a bottle of red wine.

Day 1 Roscoff to Aubeterre sur Dronne

Wednesday 3rd September

We slept ok, were woken at half past five and were disembarking at half past six. It was very dark, pouring with rain with a very strong wind buffeting the van as we headed south west towards Quimper and then east past Lorient and Vannes towards Nantes.

We stopped in Bressuire and queued with teenagers for some bread (they were buying their lunch). We went to the park for lunch, where the ruins of a medieval castle, which has a modern chateau built in its ruins, were being renovated.

The surrounding parkland has been turned into an interesting community open space project. There was an area of different climbing beans being grown and we borrowed some of the pods to grow on.

There was also a wonderful vegetable and herb patch with rich and unusual varieties with labels and notices encouraging people to look and not take.

In another space there was a human sun dial laid out on stone slabs, a presentation of the principles of Leonardo de Vinci and a rose garden with over a dozen specimen roses.

We left the community area and ate our lunch in the formal gardens brimming with a mix of informal orange, red, yellow flowers.

From Bressuire we travelled south on minor roads across open countryside through Secondigny around Niort and on to Angouléme. Then south again on quiet rural roads to Aubeterre-sur-Dronne.

Here we opted to rough camp in the Aire with several other vans beside the River Dronne rather than pitch in a very dusty cramped camp site by the river.

Day 2 Aubeterre sur Dronne to Vallee d’Oussoue

Thursday 4th September

We walked into Aubeterre and explored the restored mediaeval town. Built on a horseshoe-shaped limestone cliff AUBETERRE, Alba Terra (white earth), bears witness to a rich historical past.

A stronghold of the Angoumois region, situated at the gateway to Perigord and protected by ramparts, the village was a spiritual centre until the French Revolution.

It had three convents as well as two churches: St Jacques, a marvel of Romanesque art, and the exceptional St Jean, built under the castle. It was this underground cathedral that gave the town its attraction. The town was quiet, it was only half past nine, so we had breakfast at the boulangerie before visiting the underground cathedral of St Jean.

Originally it was carved out of the limestone cliff below the medieval castle in the 12th Century. Entering it was spectacular. After passing through a stone entrance, which was a separate chapel with a crypt underneath, we entered an enormously high central chamber which had a gallery on three sides.

On the floor there was a six-metre-high reliquary, various sunken passageways and over forty tombs, in the old entrance.

Stairs led up to a gallery where you could see the tunnels that had originally linked the chapel with the castle above.

We were glad that we had made an effort to see this only having visited on a whim having read a brief google map reference.

We continued our journey south crossing the Dordogne at Ste Foy and the Garonne at Marmande. Here we filled up with petrol and picked up some lunch which we ate by the church in the village of Houeillès.

After lunch we went on small roads through Maubourguet to a wet Tarbes, Lourdes and eventually Luz-Saint-Sauveur where the cloud was down but it was dry.

We stopped and bought more provisions and had a cup of coffee before making our way up the very bumpy track to our usual spot in the Vallee d’Oussoue above Gavarnie. Getting there we realised we had scraped the cycle rack and tow bar crossing a stony ditch.

As we cooked our tea, on an open fire on a cool dry evening below a falling mist in the familiar mountains, we realised that all the travel had been worthwhile.

Day 3 Lacs du Montferrat

Friday 5th September

At half past seven we awoke to the noise of two trucks and a large lorry one with a crane which proceeded to unload four cages with building materials, three generators and a crew of workers.

As we watched the sun slowly made its way down the mountains to the van, eventually lighting up the lion-shaped rock just up the valley from us. Just then thirty-one brown cows, each with a bell, were being driven across the river next to us up onto the mountain pasture.

To cap it all, as we were having breakfast, a helicopter landed. Hardly a peaceful start to the day!

For the rest of the day, from various locations around the valley, we watched as the helicopter lifted each load and shuttled it up to the Refuge de Baysellance on Vignemale.

We got ourselves together, packed a picnic and walked up to the Lacs du Montferrat (2400m). The path was clear and although steep we managed it, if a little slowly.

The lake was as beautiful as we remembered it. Graham had a dip and vultures circled high in the sky, as we ate our lunch. A wild and beautiful place.

The descent wasn’t as easy, old knees and legs haven’t the bounce they used tohave! We made it back to the van where we lit a fire and made some tea.

Eating in the van with the heating on was a must. As the temperatures had quickly dropped, the compensation was the bright moon which dominated the sky.

 
Day 4 Penguin Pool

Saturday 6th September

No lorries this morning so we got up when the sun reached the van and were eating breakfast outside when the thirty-one brown cows came across the river to join us.

It was quite intimidating as one started nosing our breakfast. Luckily at this point the farmer arrived with his dog to send them back over the river where the dog drove them up into the mountains to graze.

We made up a picnic lunch and walked up to the barrage and then up to the Cabane de Lourdes (1947m). From here we contoured east on the GR 10 to Cabana du Sausse-dessus(1900m).

It was very hot and we ate lunch on the smooth rocks of the Penguin Pool and its marble waterfalls. Lovely for cooling off.

We read for a bit and then returned, stopping when we got to the point where we could get a phone signal. There we researched the weather, future stops and UK news!

We made our way back to the van and had a welcome beer. As we sat there, we watched the farmer with his shepherd use their dogs to round up about 300 sheep and goats from higher in the mountain.

The farmer then took fencing from his truck to erect a large pen on the other side of the river before bringing them down for the night. This was not without problems as it also entailed dissuading thirty-one cows from also going into the pen!

It was fascinating to watch and realise the skill and time needed for what was no doubt a regular operation.

We made ourselves some tea on the fire and settled down for the night to the sound of restless sheep and goats adding to the ringing bells of the cows in the mountains around us.

Day 5 Col de Bernatoire

Sunday 7th September

At around half past six the farmer and shepherd arrived and drove their truck across the river to dismantle the sheep pen.

The shepherd and his dog, drove the sheep up the valley towards the Cabane de Lourdes, the way we had walked the previous day.

High cloud meant that there was no rising sun to watch so we got up early and had breakfast.

We were washing up before the thirty-one brown cows joined us and the farmer arrived with his dogs to shoo them away, back up into the mountains again.

We were on our way up the Vallee de la Canau soon after ten o clock and, despite our reservations of ‘still being fit enough’, had reached the border and Col de Bernatoire by half past twelve.

We ate our picnic lunch on the Col, in a cool breeze in the sunshine, overlooking the lake.

After lunch made our way slowly back expecting it to rain. It didn’t, so we could take our time to enjoy the landscape.

When we got back to the van everyone who had been camping in the valley around us had gone. So we ate tea outside with no neighbours or animals, in total peace, and later did some clearing up in preparation for our departure in the morning.

Day 6 Vallee d’Oussoue to Argelès Gazost

Monday 8th September

It was misty and damp when we woke up. No lion visible, we had a quick coffee, before making a very slow descent down to Gavarnie with no further scraping of the cycle rack.

We stopped in Gèdre to drop off our recycling and went on to Luz Saint Saveur for coffee and croissants. We wandered around the busy local market and visited the fortified church in the cool showery morning before travelling on to Argelès.

We found a campsite Les Bergères just outside the town and settled on a plot with very different views from those we had had of misty mountains. A quick Aldi shop next to the site and a much-needed shower before lunch with a soft baguette, bliss!

We cycled into Argelès along the cycle path. A nice very civilised town, especially the tea and coffee which we had on a square sheltering from the rain. Here we could enjoy the chatter of others and felt re-socialised after our solitary existence in the mountains.

We returned to the van, planned and chilled before having something to eat. As we ate a storm brewed and by the time we went to bed there was thunder, lightning and rain

 
Day 7 Argelès Gazost to Estaing

Tuesday 9th September

We awoke early to damp and misty mountains around the wide plain we were staying on. We had left the site by nine and travelled through Tarbes and out across the foothills, to avoid autoroutes to Toulouse where the much-anticipated low emission zone did not materialise.

It was very windy and twisty and up and down over the ridges. The cathedral at Lombez caught our attention with its high octagonal red and white bricked tower, a former bishops palace that in 1801 had been converted to its present form.

The town was deserted but we managed to get a coffee in the bar-cum-tabac, shoe and clothes shop.

We made good progress through Toulouse to Albi, Rodez and eventually Espalion where we shopped before finally arriving at Camping La Chantelerie north of Estaing.

An old site that had been modernised tastefully with a large indoor space and flat grassy area, which were in use by pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostella route, plus spacious gravel bays for camper vans.

After tea we cycled down to the town and did a bit of exploring.

Estaing was a well restored mediaeval town with a lot of history associated with its chateau and church. We had a quick wander around looking forward to the three or four days we were going to spend here.

Day 8 Estaing, Saint Come d’Olt

Wednesday 10th September

We slept well and woke to a bright cool morning. We had ordered bread and croissants the night before and enjoyed our breakfast. Time to explore, so we walked down a lane opposite the camp site that led to Estaing.

A fascinating town with its narrow streets, church and large chateau, it was home to former French president, Valerie, Giscard d’Estaing, president from 1974 – 1981.

We visited the tourist office and found out about the cycling and walking opportunities in the area. We also found out more about the medieval festival that was to take place that coming weekend in the town.

No wonder the village and area has had lots of investment put into it. Over history the D’Estaing family were well established landowners and politicians, rulers of this part of the country.

We returned and had lunch and then, using the information we had got from the tourist office, cycled 12 miles up the valley to Saint-Come-d’Olt.

Another old medieval town rising from the River Lot with a twisted church tower and very narrow circular streets surrounding it. It is one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

The heart of the village has kept its medieval character with its three fortified entrance gateways and its alleyways.

The town, like Estaing and Espalion, is also on the Puy-de-Dome route of St James to Santiago de Compostella, but the church at Saint Come is distinguished from other towns villages because of the magnificent twisted spire.

We returned the way we had come and looked around the larger town of Espalion.

We had hoped to have a drink here but weren’t enticed by the town’s rather drab nature. Instead, we came back to Estaing and booked a restaurant by the bridge for Thursday night.

We had enjoyed cycling along dedicated cycle routes which gave us long views of the hills and chateaux of the area and an appetite for cycling further in the days to come.

Day 9 Estaing

Monday 11th September

After a wet night the day started cool and grey. We walked down into the town and bought some flan for lunch. Using the information about walks from the tourist office we followed two marked walks that promise if linked together to make an interesting circuit.

We left Estaing and contoured above the River Lot through old woodland terraces to Vinnac where there was an old house with an adjoining closed church and lovely views out across the lot valley. The buildings were old a soft honey coloured stone reminiscent of buildings in the Cotswolds in England.

From Vinnac we joined another route onto the Causse passing through enormous farmsteads and getting lovely high views, before we rejoining the D22 circular route that would take us back to the camp site. the other route.

The D22 would often be our go to route over the next few days being an important through route from Estaing westwards.

We followed the yellow signs steeply to the river where there seemed to be no continuing path so we had to retrace our steps steeply up the hill until we found another path further down the valley which we took.

Annoyingly we were in the same place again but on the right side of the river by the Mill building we had seen.

If we had waded over and climbed through a barbed wire fence, we could have saved ourselves a hot and exasperating hour!

We followed the path back towards Estaing and to the camp site having walked around 10 miles. Apart from our diversion we had enjoyed the walk and had experienced a range of woods and rough pastures that formed the Causse.

Tired, but looking forward to our evening out, we showered and cycled down to the Bistro on the Bridge. Here we had an enjoyable meal with a really nice bottle of wine before returning in the dark at around nine o’clock.

Day 10 Vallee du Lot

Friday 12th September

We were cycling today. We had planned an ambitious route that took us high into the hills above the Lot valley and north towards Entraygues-sur-Truyere. We went down through Estaing crossing over the bridge and followed the cycle route steeply up through the hills to Gonlinhac.

Our route ran parallel to the St Jacques route and we passed lots of pilgrims heading west enroute. At Goulinhac we had wide open views across the surrounding countryside. The narrow lanes we followed fell steeply down into Entraygues-sur-Truyere.

Unlike other towns in the area although it was old it was rather shabby with few people around. The St Jacques route by passed it to the south! We had lunch in a bar overlooking the river and watched a fisherman fishing from the weir and a class from the local school being shown how to fish.

Cycling the Lot downstream to Vieillevie, with its medieval chateau, was a joy. The route took us on a beautiful quiet road with lots of views of the river on one side and of a Catholic settlement at Notre Dame d’Aynes.

At Vieillevie we sat on the shady terrace of a Hotel de la Terrasse although shade was not what we were looking for on this rather cool day. We had a pot of afternoon tea and decided, because the bike batteries were quite low, to return via Entraygues-sur-Truyere on the main road to avoid the steeper hills around Conques.

The main road took us gently uphill through the gorges of the Lot valley, past a lake formed by a barrage, to Estaing, where we had a much-needed drink and some popcorn! Refreshed we returned to the van for a simple supper.

We had cycled around eighty kilometres and climbed hundreds of metres, which was a no mean feat, even on electric bikes! We charged the bikes up on the electric points in the kitchen area, it was so easy.

 
Day 11 Estaing Les Medievales

Saturday 13th September

Today was the start of a two-day medieval festival and we had been warned that the roads back through the village would be closed for two days and we were planning to leave on Sunday morning. We walked into Estaing and looked at the road closure.

The only route out we were told was back into the hills and a diversion of twenty kilometres. From what we had seen of the layout of the town we were not convinced and were sure we could find a way through its back streets on Sunday morning.

The festival was amazing stalls were set up in the straw strewn streets selling manly local crafts including steel hunting knives which were being made on an open-air forge set up in the town centre.

We had coffee with our neighbours from the campsite surrounded by young people rather self-conscious in their medieval costumes. We were impressed by how many people there were in well-made and authentic medieval costumes.

Elsewhere in the town a huge fire pit was roasting several sides of beef for the medieval banquet to be held in the evening.

As we wandered around the Medieval Festival stalls a deluge of rain thundered down upon all and shelter was sought under awnings and in doorways for ten minutes or so.

Many seemed unperturbed and carried on their business perhaps knowing that the rain would soon clear and the sun would come out. As we walked back to the camp site that turned out to be the case.

After lunch we cycled back and watched/ listened to some medieval street music with lots of pipes and drums before going to a concert in the Church by a group called Pescaluna.

Five multi-talented musicians playing numerous different pipes, organs, mandolins, drums, and other percussion instruments entertained us with some tunes that were interpreted by dance.

We really enjoyed the concert and afterwards we watched the troubadours et saltimbanques, itinerant circus performers, playing in the street with some people joining in dancing.

Although there was plenty of drinking very few people were eating from the street food stalls, perhaps waiting for the banquet and the division of the enormous joints of beef spit roasting on the street.

Having enjoyed the festival despite the rain and damp we returned to the van for a meal before we packed up for our departure in the morning

 
Day 12 Estaing to Lalinde

Sunday 14th September

We got up and had left by eight using the back streets of Estaing to avoid the barriers still up from the festival. We also managed to pick up some croissants from the boulangerie which we ate with coffee on the D22 near Villecomtal.

It was in this area on the D22 that a young red deer crossed the road in front of us and just after that a small herd of boars of varying ages scrambled out of the road and up over a field, very exciting.

The building stone used locally became a deep red colour in contrast to the greys and ochres we had seen in the area recently.

We travelled on around Figeac to Gourdon. A fascinating hilltop town with a significant history.

Here in the pouring rain we explored the old town before having coffee.

As the rain continued, we travelled towards Lalinde stopping at Les Terrasses du Ceou in the small village of Saint-Cybranet. Here we had a nice Sunday lunch.

Although Fish and Chips was indicated on the menu board it was not available so we had to make do with grilled trout and a Gourmande Salade of geziers and foie gras followed by dessert and coffee.

We then continued to Lalinde where to our dismay there was no reception open and the camp site had a barrier. Janet managed to get the code from a French couple and we settled in by the Dordogne River immediately seeing ducks, swans, big and small egrets, cormorants and pied wagtails

As soon as it stopped raining, we whizzed off on our bikes downstream along the canal to Port De Couze and back along the other side of the river to get some exercise. It was lovely having supper in the warmth by the river as the sun went down listening to the wildlife.

 
Day 13 Lalinde, Bergerac

Monday 15th September

With rain forecast, we set out cycling well equipped. First into Lalinde and then along small roads through farmland and small villages to south of Bergerac. Here we joined a new cycle path which took us on a circuitous route all the way around the suburbs, a bit of a joke really!

However, we did arrive right on the waterside in the centre of town which was impressive. We found the tourist office and got a city trail in English to follow.

The centre had lots of old well-preserved houses, the remains of flour mills powered by underground water channels, and an old abbey all well maintained and interpreted.

As it started to rain, we had a bite to eat in the old town square.

We then resumed our walking trail over the bridge to the other side of the river and then back to walk up to the main church.

This was underwhelming especially as the two famous paintings worth seeing were hidden boxed up ready to be taken somewhere.

We then cycled directly back via the river and canal where we tried to work out from various interpretation boards how they together transported goods avoiding shallows and rapids in years past.

A brief shop and back to the van where it had been very wet and we realised how lucky we had been with the weather going into Bergerac. The site was busy and we had motorhomes all around us. We managed to link up to the electric and recharge the bikes overnight.

 
Day 14 Lalinde La Bugue

Tuesday 16h September

It was misty with hazy sunshine as we picked up a baguette in Lalinde and cycled north through old woodlands to Saint Alvere where we had coffee. It was warming up so there were butterflies and flowers as well as an alive deer and then a dead one beside the road.

Feeling sustained we cycled deep into some woods and found an historic site, the Maquis de Durestal.

This was a reconstruction of a major World War Two resistance camp. Remains of buildings and other structures had been cleverly interpreted and explained simply for mainly school children.

The camp was the largest of its kind in central France on the edge of Vichy France and German controlled France. It presented the history through the story of two young men from different backgrounds and different areas of France the area who had joined the resistance to avoid being deported as a Jew or through a sense of patriotism.

As in other countries we have visited throughout Europe and further afield it made us realise how fortunate we are in the UK not to have been invaded and must make choices of who you trust and who you don’t.

We had a drink and a snack before realising that the tyre on Graham’s bike had gone flat.

We cycled towards la Bugue across rough tracks and open woodland finding enroute a tyre repair garage who willingly blew up the tyre.

With a sense of relief we made our way on to Le Bugue on the Vezere River where we ate a late lunch.

After lunch we followed the river down to its confluence with the Dordogne at Limeuil where there were people enjoying ice creams and food.

We wandered up through the pristine narrow streets well annotated with information of the history and specific architectural details of some of the buildings. At the top were the panoramic gardens which we didn’t go into.

It was an interesting place built so that the barges had somewhere to stay and recover after transporting their wares up river something we had learnt about on our ride back from Bergerac yesterday.

We were so pleased to have electric bikes as we were having to ride up and down hills all the way back. We stopped briefly at Tremolat where we bought something for tea and looked at a campsite that we had considered and were unimpressed.

We then rode up high above the river along the Cingle de Tremolat where we had excellent views of the huge meandering river, woods and hills before we joined the canal and river at Mauzac and were quickly back at the van around six o clock.

On our table by the river, we had a much-needed beer and food watching a kingfisher fly across the river and the egrets and cormorants return to their trees just as the sun set brilliantly and the bats arrived.

A lovely end to our autumn holiday.

Day 15 Lalinde to Riantec

Wednesday 17th September

The sun was dissipating the mist as we left the site at nine, feeling slightly peeved that we weren’t going to experience the good weather that was forecast. We drove on wooded windy roads through Perigueux to Angouleme then on the N10 to Ruffec.

Here we stopped in town and had the Plat de Jour in a busy cafe in the main square. We chose table in the sun which was regretted as it became very hot!

We drove on to Niort and through a busy Nantes before following the road westwards towards Lorient o Riantec.

The park4night site was not available as it was being built upon so we found another in a car park and walked out towards the sea.

Just out past the houses out towards La Petite Mer de Graves was a green area with several camper vans which looked nicer, so we drove there just as the sun was setting over the marshes.

We made ourselves a meal and settled down. It was peaceful with lots of birds, bats and stars and close to the centre of the village.

Day 16 Riantec to Veryan

Thursday 18th September

It was a grey mizzly morning as we walked out on the spit and then back before buying some croissants in the village near to some public loos and a cycle repair post.

We ate the croissants with coffee back at the van before walking out with the binoculars to the end of the spit where we watched tractors collecting oysters from the beds by the factory. A fascinating area well worth staying at again.

We left here around ten o clock and travelled to Roscoff stopping for coffee in Landivisiau at a very Totnes like cafe.

The ferry journey home was fine Graham read and Janet sat in the sun putting the finishing touches to the advent quilt. Even though we were almost last off the ferry we were home just after ten o clock.