Back in Blighty

As always click on the names in bold for web link . More photos on picassa. https://plus.google.com/photos/100479903138288883757/albums/5743989195007474241 and
https://plus.google.com/photos/100479903138288883757/albums/5744000773597971441

Been back for weeks now in fact and have let things slip with the blog. Two days to the great Manchester Run with Jim and Matt but more of that later. Last episode left us leaving Anduze ...

We arrived in Avignon and found the Etap, just outside the walls. We walked up through the town passed the Cathedral and the 'Palais des Papes' to the park on the 'Mont des Moulins' for an ice cream in the sun. From there down and along the river past the famous 'Pont' and into the old town where we found a very pleasant Moroccan-run pizzeria.

Back to the Etap for the night and in the morning we decided to go to Villeneuve-les-Avignon walking round Fort Saint-André and the Chartreuse monastery before heading over to the TGV station to see Jim off to Paris.

Margot and I were off to Agen next to see Chantal but, not having been able to make contact with her we decided to stop overnight at Narbonne Plage and arrive Agen in daylight. In the morning I went for a jog along the prom but it was chilly and not unlike Clacton-on-sea out of season.

Cassenueil

We got to Agen by mid afternoon and headed out to  Bon Encontre, still no contact with Chantal, no address and only a vague idea of where she lived. We headed up into the hills led only by instinct but to our amazement suddenly saw a familiar junction and turned down her lane. We stayed a couple of nights seeing her sister Bridgit and her daughter Emilie but they were a  bit pre-occupied with an imminent trip to Gaudeloupe so the next day we headed off to Villeneuve-sur-Lot with our bikes. A chemin vert took us to Casseneuil, a lovely mediaeval village further down the river Lot but also home to a prune processing factory. On our return to Villeneuve we found a prune shop and Margot filled up with prune-related gift products. Yuk.

Domme

The next day was farmer's market day in Bon Encontre which was for me an unexpected treat with interesting local produce and friendly stall-holders. After lunch we went with Chantal and Emily to find a new gaz cylinder, a feat we could not have managed on our own as our make, although made in France was nowhere to be seen.

We then had a lovely drive north through some very beautiful valleys with ancient farms and chateaux until we arrived at the Dordogne and the Camping Soleil Plage, located right by the river. The next day we got on our bikes and rode over to Domme, a hilltop fortified town. A real tourist magnet but thankfully quite quiet this time of year with great views over the Dordogne.

The next day promised cold but sunny so we decided to stay put and do the trip back to Dunkirk in one day. We rode over the hills to Sarlat la Caneda. A bit steep for Margot's taste but worth the effort as Sarlat is very picturesque, allegedly the largest collection of listed buildings in one place in Europe. We walked around the whole town just looking at the buildings and then headed back, stopping at the  chateau Montfort that spectacularly overlooked the river near the campsite.

I celebrated our return to the site by sampling the swimming pools, one heated, the other not. With the air temperature barely above freezing it was OK if you kept your head down but was pleased to leap on my bike and race to the hot showers. A nice site but I imagine full of families in the high season.

Montfort

Unfortunately it rained our last night so everything was packed away wet, to be taken out and spread in the sun every time we stopped for a break.   We stuck to the autoroutes and although a long days drive it was not too bad and we arrived in Dunkirk in time to check out the ferry terminal before going into town to find our Hotel B&B. Similar prices to an F1 or Etap but newer and very nice. With some of Jospeh Zobels bequest for Emily in the back and three bikes it was a bit tight but with careful packing we had managed to keep access to the cooker for coffee breaks, but camping was out of the question. Not camping meant, however, we had time to go to the Leclerc supermarket to fill up with local produce and cheap(er) diesel before heading for the ferry.

Being so full also meant we were unable to offer a lift to a middle-aged couple from Eastern Europe with two huge suitcases trying to get a lift onto the ferry. I didn't fancy their chances getting past the Border Agency but with a van full of French patrimonie I wasn't sure if we were going to get pulled over and forced to empty the van anyway. As it was we sailed through and headed North to get home in time to see Yes Minister at the Theatre Royal, a christmas present from Matt and Sam.

Looking forward to going back in July to help JZ move, but must take another route as Dreux by-pass is losing its charm.