The Massif Central & The Dordogne

Week 19 – 8th to 14th October

The Massif Central

Continuing the country theme we moved into the Massif Central; this region covers a large part of the centre of France and we only touched on a small part of it and, like Provence, the scenery was spectacular. The region is full of thick forests and carved by many rivers to produce some stunning gorges.


Gorges de l’Ardeche

This is the first, and most spectacular gorge we came. It runs for 35km in the valley of the Rhone and the road follows the top of the winding gorge providing plenty of beautiful viewpoints.

At times, it is a sheer 300m-drop

Not a bad spot for a picnic

Finishing up at the Pont d’Arc; the river carved its way through the limestone to create this beautiful arch.

We had a really lovely day through the gorge and it was great because there were hardly any vehicles on the road. If anyone reads this and fancies visiting, the one thing we thought was that in high season it would be absolutely appalling and you’d be stuck in traffic and fighting to reach viewpoints!


Mont Aigoual

Driving through the valley of the Herault, the narrow, very twisty road made its way up towards the 1565m summit of the mountain. It was a lovely drive with some beautiful views; there was a fair bit of heat haze so the photos aren’t too clear, but this one should give an idea.

At the top, it’s said you can see a third of France; from the Alps to the Pyrenees – perhaps on a very clear day. All we know is that it was bloody cold and windy up there and we were quick to get back into the comfort of the Lunar!


Gorges du Tarn

In parts, this gorge was just as dramatic as the l’Ardeche, but in parts it also had a softer feel to it and we passed through some lovely little villages where the houses seemed somewhat precariously built into the rock face.

The Dordogne

We were expecting great things from the Dordogne region but, whilst we found the countryside pleasant enough, it wasn’t spectacular; nowhere near as exciting as the previous 2 regions. As a result, we ended up moving through much more quickly than we first anticipated. If you like caves this would be the place, there are loads of them!


Gouffre de Padirac

We haven’t done many classic tourist attractions and decided to stop here; a huge limestone sinkhole. You descend about 100m and then walk into the darkness of the cave; a little boat takes you part way and then you walk through the rest. It is full of massive stalactites (some almost from floor to ceiling) made by the accumulation of lime, along with underground lakes and waterfalls. It was very cool and neither of us has seen anything like it on such a large scale before.

The Dordogne Villages

The Dordogne River itself is populated with many little villages and some are very pretty with beautiful old buildings, such as Cerannac

and La Roque-Gageac, whose houses sit under the overhanging cliffs.

The view from our campsite on the Lot River. It was quite eerie actually as we were the only people on the site!

France Part 2 - Cote D´Azur & Provence

Week 18 – 1st to 7th October

As we crossed the border from Italy into France, if Andrew could have stopped I think he would have kissed the ground. Not that we did not enjoy Italy; we did very much, but we are thankful to come through the experience unscathed; that’s both the Lunar and us! The driving was challenging, nerve racking and crazy, and my hat sincerely goes off to Andrew for getting us through it safely.


Cote D’Azur

Originally we were going to head for the famous places such as Monaco and Cannes, but as we drove we decided there wouldn’t be that much to see, other than the wealthy and/or posers so we bypassed them and headed further along the coast, not far from St-Tropez, for a couple of beach days. Being out of season, both the campsite and beach were quiet so it was relaxing, with some trainee kite surfers to entertain us, oh and the naturists on the next section of beach…its great to be comfortable with ones body, but why is it always the fattest, hairiest men which feel it necessary to over-parade themselves!


Provence

Actually, we didn’t spend long on the coast and swiftly headed up into Provence. It was great to get back into the countryside and this region is just lovely; mountains, valleys, gorges and sweet little towns make for a really beautiful part of the country.


Les Gorges du Verdon

This is the largest canyon in Europe and apparently our answer to the Grand Canyon; not having being there we cant compare but it certainly provides some spectacular views and we loved it.

We approached over a vast area of military terrain; deserted heath and hills, the horizon becoming higher and higher as we approach the canyon.

The gorge itself is 21km long, carved by the River Verdon. From one particular vantage point you look straight down 250m to its base.

The entire circuit around the top of the gorge is some 130km; we didn’t drive it all but most of the road takes you right along the edge, affording some amazing views of the landscape.

Cotignac

Driving through Provence, there are many little towns/villages to stop off at and one that we particularly loved was Cotignac. The surrounding countryside is beautiful; houses tucked away in the hillside with magnificent views. The village itself has a good ‘feeling’, small and quaint but bustly enough to be interesting, with narrow streets and passageways, a couple of restaurants/cafes and an excellent patisserie!

There is also plenty of property and land for sale…we think we could build our holiday home here! The photo’s we took didn’t capture the essence of the place so we haven’t included them, will just have to wait until we have perhaps restored somewhere like this…

Avignon

We hadn’t planned on going to Avignon but it was time for the rugby world cup quarterfinals and the city was on route. We were glad that we did as it turned out as we bumped into Nick and Emily, old work colleagues of Andrews, who were at the same campsite! There was one Irish pub in town so we watched the England vs Australia game there (Nick’s an Aussie, poor thing, so we will say no more!) Later that evening we were back in the pub for France vs New Zealand; the English had returned from Marseille in high spirits and the French were on form; the end result obviously left the French jubilant and they were driving through the roads with horns honking and people cheering; sure there were some sore heads the next morning (ours included!) May be the only time we see the English and French embrace!

Avignon is a nice enough town, known mainly for being the former city of the popes; the citys most imposing monument is the Palais des Papes, built primarily as a fortress.

Liguria

Week 17 – 24th to 30th September

Leaving Tuscany we move through the Liguria region, which forms the end of our Italian tour.


Ameglia

We stop here for a couple of rest days, swimming and sunbathing. The camp is in a lovely location on a river, and backed by mountains.



So of course we make the most of the flora and fauna in a mature manner…do we buggery; we make the most of the donkey and dolphin in the kids playground! You can still see the mountains though!

Cinque Terre

A rugged, beautiful section of the coastline which is home to five remote fishing villages that are nestled into the coves and linked by a 12km coastal path, giving way to some stunning scenery. Now our walking boots have had quite a lengthy rest to be fair, and after a long stint of very fine weather, just as we start the hike it starts to rain; we were expecting it and had waterproofs so no real drama, but an hour in and it starts to hail, and this is big hail stone, not quite golf balls but not far off! Fortunately we had just reached the first village so could take some cover, truly wouldn’t have fancied been up on the cliff face through that. An hour or so later the sun was shining again, hence the change in sky you will see in the photos!

Riomaggiore, the first of the villages

The view back along the coastline (Riomaggiore being the village in the far distance, not the first one in the shot)

As the weather brightens up, the sea is a beautiful blue and looks very inviting – not that you could swim of course.

The 4th village, Varnazza.

Genoa

We don’t really have a lot to say about Genoa. It is pleasant enough to look around, which some good examples of medieval and Renaissance architecture, but for us it lacked any kind of umph.

San Remo

Almost in France now, we make a final stop in San Remo; maybe we can win a fortune in the Rivera’s most famous casino or at least join in with a little cheesy nightlife. Getting into the glamour, and ready for the Cote d’azur next, I’ve traded in Andrew and am bringing myself home a model!

Tuscany

Leaving Umbria behind we crossed to Tuscany; everyone tells us Tuscany is beautiful so we have much to look forward to.


Sienna

First stop is Sienna and we stay at a campsite that is about half an hour away on the local bus, but in a beautiful setting high up in the Tuscan countryside amongst the olive groves.



Sienna is a lovely city, centred on the large, shell shaped Piazza il Campo. To be fair the photo’s nowhere near does it justice; having seen a fair few piazza’s by now, we were very impressed when we entered this one.

The impressive Duomo and its bell tower

I just wanted to put this photo in because I keep telling Andrew he looks like Noel Gallagher with his hair brushed forward (not through choice but rather a lack of a barber recently) and those glasses on, and we think this looks like one of those media shots when the stars are trying to rush past the cameras. It doesn’t? Ah well, we can dream (not of being Noel Gallagher though!)

San Gimignano

Not to overdo it on hill top towns, we decided to visit just one in Tuscany and opted for San Gimignano. It has been recommended to us but also we had been told by some fellow travellers that it was too touristy and indeed the guidebooks advise it is perhaps the most visited small village in Italy, so it was a toss up as to how we would find it.

We loved the place and took to it immediately; it was a little touristy but it had a lovely ambience. It was a glorious day and the views from the town were just stunning.

It is a very well preserved medieval village and many frescoes adorn the buildings.

There are 2 interlinked main squares:

The less impressive but pleasant Piazza del Duomo

The very beautiful Piazza della Cisterna, which is named after the still functioning 13th century public cistern in the centre.

Florence

The campsite had an excellent location, up on a hillside overlooking the city; the skyline is very impressive.



The city is dominated by the Duomo and close up, the multi coloured cathedral is particularly stunning and quite possibly one of the best we have seen.

The River Arno runs through the city and is spanned by several bridges; one being the medieval Ponte Vecchio that is lined with shops perched over the water. (Actually, it looks much better from a distance, unless you enjoy shop after shop selling hoards of gold chains)

Passing the time - they told us it was weight watchers!

Returning home to camp, we finished with a beautiful sunset.

Florence was a lovely city that we felt would serve as a gentle introduction to Italian cities. It doesn’t have the immediate impact of other cities but is certainly a charming place to wander and admire some beautiful buildings, sculptures and piazza’s. It will hold special memories for us since we spent the anniversary of our first year together here.

Pisa

Our final destination in Tuscany, we just had to make a quick stop in Pisa and join the tourist masses in holding up the tower! This is why Andrew is chief photographer and not I…

I wont tell you how many attempts and I still couldn’t get the hands right!

Pisa is quite possibly the most touristic place I have ever visited; cant begin to tell you how many stalls were selling leaning mugs, fridge magnets, lamps etc etc, but actually, once you got past all that, the Campo dei Miracoli is quite a beautiful architectural sight, and even though you know about it, the leaning tower is highly amusing in the flesh.