France 2010 - Saumur and the Loire Valley

Once we left the Troglodyte area we headed to the main town of Saumur and found the Campanile hotel we booked earlier. It was very cramped but it was the only place where the whole family could share a room. While we were resting Pug had the unenviable job of trawling the Internet for a hotel near to Calais for our last night in France. He eventually managed to find a hotel and paid by credit card. He then printed out the directions only to find that the ‘Hotel de Calais’ was not actually in Calais. It was in fact 170 miles away in Treport. O well, it makes life exciting.

France 2010 - Travelling North through France

We got up early, packed the car and cleaned the apartment.  We got approval from the manager and set off on our return journey home.  Dyl was insistent that his toe was ok and didn’t want to go to the hospital so we set off north across France.

Travelling North - Views en route

France 2010 - Last day on Il de Re

The previous night we had decided that we wouldn’t be requiring the bikes so returned them back to the shop.  Again we just hung around the local beach and apartment pool for most of the day slowly preparing for our return journey home.  We went for a stroll into La Couarde Sur Mer town centre were there was a market and a few shops.  Rhi bought a hoodie with ‘I Love Re’ on the front and I bought a few gifts for family and friends.

Il de Re - Hanging out at the local pool

France 2010 - Day at the local beach

We were all exhausted today after our mammoth bike ride yesterday so just hung around the pool for the morning then went to the local beach for the afternoon.

Il de Re - Local beach at La Couarde

Dyl's bought himself some rather flashy trainers.

Il de Re - Dyl's flashy trainers

France 2010 - Marathon Bike Ride

As Dyl’s foot seemed to be getting better by the day we decided to head off on a mammoth bike ride to the North West of the island. We packed a picnic and set off in a Westerly direction through the Forêt domaniale du Bois Henri IV. At one point we got quite lost and ended up skirting around and then through a camp site. This then brought us out onto a very main road which was a little nerve racking on the bikes but we made it eventually onto the main cycle path.

France 2010 - St. Martin

Late afternoon we headed of back to St Martin but this time with the kids.  Again we wandered around looking for a suitable restaurant to have dinner in but this time one where the kids would enjoy the food.  We eventually decided on an Italian located on the quayside but there was a long queue outside waiting for tables.  We joined the end of the queue expecting to wait quite a while but we were only stood there a couple of minutes when a waiter asked us if we would like a table that had just become available.  We said yes and sat down to eat.  There was a bit of a cool breeze blowing where we were sat and we had to hold the placemats down with various object on the table. 

While we were sat there the sun was sinking in the sky and I was getting more and more nervous not looking forward to the dark ride home again so we paid and set off as soon as possible.  We got a little lost getting out of the town but once on the main cycle path we were ok and eventually made it back to the apartment safely.

France 2010 - Le Bois Plage En Re

The following day Dyl’s foot was good enough to ride his bike so we set off back to Le Bois Plage En Re, the town where he had hurt it the day before.  When we arrived we parked up the bikes and wandered around the market. Rhi bought herself a bracelet and yet another new bag.  Well I say she bought the bracelet when in fact she went to try one on and the girl glued it together so she couldn’t get it off. This meant she had to pay for it – nice ruse.  She did like it though and probably would have bought it anyway.

L’Avant Port - St Martin - Il de Re - France

After locking our bikes at the key side we must have checked out almost every restaurant in the town of St Martin on Il de Re and eventually found this lovely little restaurant situated away from the main town overlooking the harbour.  L’Avant Port is located in a quieter location on the key side in St Martin, away from the crowds.

France 2010 - L'Avant Port

It was a beautiful evening cycling through the vineyards.  When we arrived at St Martin we locked the bikes to a railing at the side of the harbour and started to wander around looking for a restaurant which took our fancy.  We must have checked out every restaurant in the town but eventually we found a lovely little restaurant situated away from the main town overlooking the harbour but from the opposite side.

Il de Re - L'Avant Port

France 2010 - Bike crash

Once we were all fully awake and fed we thought we would ride our bikes in the other direction to the day before and head east.  It was a wonderfully hot sunny morning and this time we found ourselves riding through vineyards and orchards instead of the expanse of salt marshes.  We were doing well until Dyl decided to do a little off roading...

France 2010 - Breakfast

When we had arrived at the apartments the sleeping arrangements were decided as follows:  Myself and Pug upstairs in the mezzanine room with two single beds put together to make a double, Rhi on the settee that turned into a double bed and Dyl in the single bed under the stairs.  Unfortunately I had forgotten that I tend to be an early riser these days and therefore spent most of the morning creeping around the apartment trying not to wake the kiddies up.  So once everyone had woken up we decided let the kiddies have their way and let them sleep upstairs.  This was actually where they wanted to go in the first place.  Myself and Pug settled on the bed settee downstairs which was actually more comfortable.

As myself and Pug were awake early we set off into the town to get some provisions for our stay in Il-de-Re.  After a lovely stroll around the little the town we returned to a local market located just over the road from the apartments where we got some fresh bread and croissants.  We headed back to the apartment for a lovely breakfast.

France 2010 - Bikes and Salt

We got up early to take full advantage of the day. We had already decided that during this second week we would leave the car alone and go everywhere on bikes. (Very Centre Parcs)  We therefore walked down to the closest bike hire shop and selected a bike each.  Obviously Dyl had to chose an off road mountain bike.  Not sure why as there are no mountains and not really much off roadness around but Dyls being Dyls would prove us wrong...

France 2010 - North to Il-de-Re

We woke up early the next day, packed our suitcases into the car and waited for Madame Butterfly to come and see us off. When she did turn up to carry out her final inspection we were shocked to discover that the shower in bath was not working - we hadn't used it during our visit. It turned out to be a twisted pipe which once untangled allowed the water to flow. Madame then returned our deposit and we went outside to take the obligatory "visitors snap". If you do visit the villa take a picture and send it to me so that I can see what we looked like. All completed we jumped in the car and started the long drive to Ile De Re...

France 2010 - Last night in Rancou

For the last night we decided to stay local and visit Rancou. This is a small village that nestles at the West end on Argeles beach. We drove down and were directed to park in a field by the local Gendarmes - a bit strange but we do as we are told and headed into the village...

France 2010 - Argeles-ser-mer for a Dinghy

During our stay at villa Claire Madame Butterfly had supplied us with a number of inflatables to use in the pool.

Playing on the inflatables

These were an air bed, a dinghy and a crocodile.  Dyl had a great deal of fun jumping into the pool on to inflatables.  Only problem was Dyl does get a little over enthusiastic with his jumping and the inflatables were starting to show signs of deflation in places.  The worst of these was the dinghy.   We felt that we need to get a replacement.  We set off for Argeles-sur-mer to do some shopping...

France 2010 - An evening in Collioure

When we got back to Villa Claire, from our adventurous day down the ‘Ugly Valley’ and the aquarium, I felt quite exhausted and decided to hang out by the pool while Pug and the kids wanted more adventures, so set off to Argeles-sur-mer to investigate what that was like.

On their return we then went into Collioure for an evening stroll round the town.  It was lovely.  We had a wander around the alleyways of the town where there were lots of little shops selling all sorts of lovely things.  Rhi bought herself a bag and some bracelets.  We stopped for a lovely drink, sitting right on the beach front and watched people wandering around as they do on holiday.  A few children were still playing in the sea even though it was quite dark.   Music was being played by musicians and bands out on the street nearby.

This was what being on holiday is about to me.  From the adventures of that day, to chilling out in the evening, just lapping up the intoxicating atmosphere of Collioure on a beautiful summers evening.

France 2010 - Aquarium

After our adventure down the ugly valley we thought we had better do something a little tamer...

The dried river bed that flows out onto the beach.

So we drove back to Banyuls, parked the car in the dry river bed and went for an ice cream.  One thing I do love about France is that, like the Italians, they love ice cream.  We went in to the shop and were faced with a huge choice of flavours.  Pug had one scoop of Peach and one of Melon. Rhi had two scoops of Smartie, Dyl had which ever was the most colourful and I had a scoop of coffee and Crème Brulee.  They were gorgeous, delicious and refreshing in the heat of the midday sun.

France 2010 - The Stony Cove

Was it worth it?  Not really…

Stones were a lot larger and more uncomfortable to sit on at close range.

The beach was pebbly and there was a very strong southerly wind continually blowing which made the sea very rough and not very enticing for a swim.

The windswept Mediterranean Sea.

We didn’t stay long before making our way back to the car.

France 2010 - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

On our way back from the snorkelling yesterday we stopped to admire the view at one of the many lay-bys along the road.  We noticed that there seemed to be a road down to a small cove at the bottom and could also see one or two cars down there.  Being the very slightly adventurous types that we are, we cleverly thought that as we were the proud owners of a 4x4 vehicle that we could easily reach the cove down below.

The tiny cove seen below us from the viewing point in the lay by.

France 2010 - Alet-les-Bains, a memory made...

When we left Carcassonne in the afternoon we headed back via a scenic route explained to us by Madame Butterfly before we left our villa in the morning.  She had suggested to us that we stop off for lunch at a little village called Alet-les-Bains.

The road to Alet-les-Bains.

We found the village to the left of the main road and drove over the bridge and down a side street where we parked the car.

The bridge we crossed before parking the car for our picnic in Alet-les-Bains.

We grabbed the picnic from the boot of the car and headed across the river to a pretty picnic spot to eat...

Picnic table.

France 2010 - Carcassonne

We drove into the car park situated at the base of the citadel of Carcassonne on one of the hottest days of our holiday.  Carcassonne is a most beautiful place and once you look past all the tourist tat shops you can start to let your imagination go and drift back to its medieval past.

Carcassonne - Outside the town wall

France 2010 - Stinking Drains...

We had planned to go to Carcassone on the Wednesday but when we had arrived back from a night out in Collioure we were met with a horrendous stench coming from the drains…

To get rid of the smell we sprayed air freshener around in the bathroom, put the plugs in the plug holes, the lid down on the toilet, closed the door and went to bed.

The following morning we were told by Madam Butterfly that the pipe work to the drain was blocked in the other villa where a couple from Scotland were staying.  The couple didn’t say much but we never saw the guy without a drink in his hand.  Madam Butterfly explained that she had the plumbers coming to check things out on the Tuesday and advised us to be well clear of the villa due to the predictable stench that would occur during the work.  Therefore we decided to go on our trip to Carcassonne on the Tuesday instead.

'Labyrinth' & 'Sepulchre' by Kate Mosse

'Labyrinth' & 'Sepulchre' by Kate Mosse
I have read and loved both books and would strongly recommend them.  They inspired me to visit the region in the south of France where they are set.  Especially Carcassonne.

France 2010 - Crappy Creperie, Collioure

In the evening we went into Collioure for some food.  We eventually decided on a creperie as I fancied an ice cream and the children wanted a crepe.  The crapes were very disappointing as they we very grey looking, thick and rubbery.  Also I stupidly decided to go for the largest and most expensive ice cream on the menu.  My eyes were bigger than my belly and I soon started to feel sick and had to ask Pug to finish the ice cream for me.  Later in the evening Dylan sampled one of the many flavoured ice creams from one of the many parlours of Collioure.  His chosen flavour was ‘Blue Smurf’ or actually marzipan.

France 2010 - Snorkling Safari, Banyuls-sur-mer

After breakfast we set off westwards along the coast to investigate the nearby town of Banyuls-sur-mer and its’ Oceanic University.  There is an aquarium situated within the University and the coastline around the area is a protested marine reserve run and monitored by the university.   No boats or divers are allowed so as to preserve the underwater environment.  There is however a ‘Snorkelling Safari’ area which we wanted to investigate further...

Banyuls-sur-mer

France 2010 - Views around the villa

I thought that I would share some of the pictures of the villa. It has a small patio at the back that is perfect for haing breakfast in the mornings. The main garden faces South over looking the med. The pool is to the front left and has lots of space to lay around and sunbathe. The villa owner uses the kitchen at the far end during the day.

Inside is tastfully decorated with ample space for sitting out of the sun.

Villa Claire - Garden swing looking out over the Med

France 2010 - Villa Claire

The night was a little scary due to the fact of our remote location and the darkness outside, apart from the security light coming on all the time and the sound of the wind in the trees made for a scary night of restless sleep thinking someone was going to try and break in to the villa.

In the light of morning all our fears were dispersed as we looked out at the blues of the Mediterranean sea and sky...

Pug went out with the camera for a look around the grounds of the villa.  He came across a large blue spotted lizard which he then proceeded to spend the rest of our time at the villa hunting this creature down for the perfect photo.

Mrs Lizard

France 2010 - Ste-Enimie via A9 to Collioure

After my best nights sleep in two days (the previous being: the lumpy beds of Folkestone and the lorries of Chatillon-sur-Seine), I woke up feeling refreshed...

I open the hotel room window and look out.  Yes we were down a narrow street, but on looking upwards into the morning light the view was amazing.  We had found ourselves in a small village tucked down in the bottom of a very deep narrow gorge.

Ste-Etemie

France 2010 - St Etienne, Tour de France, Central Massif

...Had a restless sleep in Chatillon-sur-Siene due to the thundering great lorries, driving through the town centre every half hour.  Also at some point during the night, the fountain was turned off, so silence fell and made the lorry rumbling even worse.

It was still lovely to wake up and look out across the town square and see the various shops opening and people going about their morning business.  We left the hotel and bought some pastries in a lovely patisserie opposite the hotel, sat and ate them by the fountain. We then got going on our journey south...

France 2010 - Chunnel Fear, WWII, Chatillon-sur-Seine

We woke up and had a cup tea while discussing  which direction to go once we alighted from the train in Calais.  Our decision was to take the auto route down the right hand side of France as you were looking at a map.  Decision made, we then went downstairs and had a Full English. 

We then proceeded to the Chunnel terminal...

France 2010 - The Chunnel

We set off on the Wednesday straight from work.  Jumped in the car and headed off down the M4 to bonny Folkestone. We made the assumption that the Chunnel would be easy to find even though we had never been there before.

As we neared Folkestone signs began to appear for the Chunnel.  As our hotel for the night was said to be located opposite the Chunnel we thought smugly to ourselves we just need to follow these signs to the chunnel and we would see our hotel from there. What we didn't realise was the signs led directly from the motorway via a slip road, with no roundabout or alternative exit, directly to the check in booth for the train.

Grand Tour 2010 - France

This year we went on a grand tour of France.
Here is our story...