Karen and Malc's Gap Years: Travelling en France......

Saturday 12^th May 2012:

It was a very quiet drive to Dover and a very quiet ferry trip to France – hardly anyone on board! We arrived in Calais just before 7pm and headed for an Aire next to a fishing lake about 40k away. Unfortunately they closed this off at 7pm so we had to go back about 10k to a France Passion site at a bar/restaurant in Salperwick by the canal. The restaurant was closed so we parked in their motorhome area, which turned out to be a field next to some goats and chickens on a farm which was very quiet and rural.

Sunday 13^th May 2012:

We drove 416k to Lac D’Orient near Geraudot. As it was Sunday there were no lorries on the road and the drive was very pleasant. We parked in another free Aire and thankfully, as we had arrived early afternoon; there were a couple of free spaces. It was very busy as it was such a beautiful spot AND very sunny and warm.

We spent two nights here and cycled around the lakes for 28 miles on Monday ending with lunch at a very French family restaurant – lovely.

Tuesday 15^th May 2012:

Today we drove to Arc et Senans about 230k south and stayed at another free Aire behind the town hall and next to the Royal Saltworks which has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. As it was raining when we arrived we decided to do a wine tasting (you have to!) at a local wine co-operative selling local Jura wines. They were very different to other wines in that one od the grapes (Savigny variety) tasted of hazelnuts and changed the way the wine tasted depending on the percentage mixed. We must have tasted about seven different wines and we bought a few bottles too – that was the rest of the day written off! The next day we visited the saltworks itself which was, at the time, also a village in its own right for the workers and all very beautifully restored in line with The Louis 15^th Original style.

Wednesday 16^th May 2012:

We continued South to Neydens near the border of Switzerland and stayed in a campsite for two nights so that we could visit Geneva by bus – thanks Julie and Steve for the recommendation; it was a great site. We drove through a snow storm and several ski resorts before arriving at Neydens at the foot of the mountains.

On Thursday we got the bus to Geneva and spent the day walking around the lake – it was yet another French holiday so most of the restaurants were shut and buses were running Sunday services.

Friday 18^th May 2012:

We had intended to head for Annecy but the weather was appalling and looked to be that way for a few days so we decided to head further south. After 240k we arrived at Pont Au Fosse - which is a ski resort but quite busy out of season too. We stayed at a lovely Aire in the mountains only a short walk from the village where they had a few restaurants and a great butcher’s and boulangerie. We stayed here for two nights and the cost was zero!

Sunday 20^th May 2012:

Onwards then to Castellane. It was still raining but the town was beautiful. Terracotta buildings on a hill and some were very old. We had a Swiss fondue in a restaurant that evening - we were still close enough to the mountains to be influenced by the Swiss. The town sits below a huge rock with a church on the top that we intended to walk to but the weather continued to rain and rain….so we stayed inside and carried on our journey the next day to Trigance. Trigance is only 25 kms away but sits just off the Verdun Gorge – spectacular in itself!

The route to Castellane

The church on the top of the rock with our campsite at the bottom

Monday 21^st May 2012:

Trigance was amazing. A really old town on a hill with a REAL medieval castle at the top (now a hotel) which had 360 degree views from the turrets. It was still raining though! The Aire was at the foot of the hill and cost 5 Euros but included electric hook-up!

The village was very small but on Tuesday morning we bought the best bread from a wood-fired oven bakery before moving on through the Gorge du Verdon to Moustieres-Saint-Marie.

Tuesday 22^nd May 2012:

Only a short drive through part of the gorge to Moustieres and the weather had started to improve too. Moustiere was another beautiful town with some amazing buildings.

We parked at the bottom of the hill just outside the village and spent another expensive night – 6 euros! The sun came out in the afternoon so we were able to dine outside – great Italian food!

The Gorge du Verdon

Wednesday 23^rd May 2012:

Fantastic weather at last for a scenic drive through the gorge again today. They call it the Grand Canyon - which is a bit optimistic - but it was still stunning.

Lac du St Croix

We arrived in Agay on the coast - our home for the next few days at a very nice campsite only a few feet from the beach. Agay sits in a small bay on the Med between St Tropez in the south and Cannes to the North.

From here we went to Monte Carlo on the Friday before the Grand Prix. It was a great atmosphere and really good fun. There was no Grad prix racing but there were track events in the morning and in the afternoon everyone was allowed on the track itself – something the traffic normally prevents. The train journies there and back took 2 hours and were really comical. On the way there they asked people to get off because the train was too full! However, on the way back they packed the double decker trains more than we have EVER seen them on the London underground. It was still a great day.