Farewell Peckham

We actually did something organised yesterday! - We went with a guide from the Office de Tourism on a walk through the Luberon hills to look at the old ochre mines. Good value too! - 4 Euros each. You can go to larger mines and go inside them, but that's another attraction. This was more based on the walk than the mines.

A lovely morning out. We walked about 8k's and our guide was very knowledgable. We also got lucky - although she spoke reasonably good English, one of the French member of the group was from Brittany and was very keen to translate everything for us. Which was just as well.

Although we got the gist of most conversations, there were definately times when our lack of complete French made things a little confusing. At one stage she told the group (6 of us) about an old folklore tale of two mining groups who tunneled towards each other. When they met in the middle they were so pleased they all drunk lots of Pastis, so happy in fact, even the donkey had some. I translated this as they failed to meet in the middle because they had all drunk too much Pastis. Close, but no cigar. (Probably the truth though)

(Ochre mines)

The Ochre deposits are basically sand stone. Stone is too strong a word. You can scrape your name in the "stone" with your finger. They used to use high pressure water jets to blast it away, then let it settle in lakes and separate the ochre from the sand (sable!).

(There is no shortage of the stuff - but its so soft it'll all be flat in about 15 years they reckon)

(Especially if people like these two numpties climb all over it)

Production didn't stop that long ago. Synthetics are used for the colour these days but there is renewed interest in using the real thing. There were still plenty of signs of life not so long ago.

Ochre was everywhere. We've been warned to brush our clothes off and rinse them in cold water so that the colour does not "fix"!

The general walk was beautiful, and thankfully, shaded most of the time. Another lovely day out. We learnt more French too. I can now tell you with authority, but maybe not the spelling, that a white cherry is a "Bigaro" - a word I pointed out to our helpful translator that we'll probably never find a use for again!

We also learnt about the life cycle of Secarda insects (Segal in French). Our guide seemed obsessed by them and repeated many times throughout the walk all the details of their lives. I won't bore you, but you never know, might be useful one day.

(I'm getting somewhat obsessive about dead trees)

(pretty hey!)

(So much so I took two! :-) )

A few more days here, we think - it's lovely, then we'll head to Lake Garda or Lake Coma in Italy and camp until mid August when we are meeting Matt and Clarty D. Next planned things to do here are going to see some chap's garden model railway - should be hillarious - my idea, and K wants to arrange a day horse riding (I'll give that a miss thanks). We are also going to revisit the lovely restaurant on Villars one evening - it was that good, and excellent value (we had dinner in Apt the other night and it was beyond horriffic - all acompanied by a child that grizzled ALL evening and his mother ignored him all night)

p.s. Congrats to James Bullion and Karin - a baby boy arrived yesterday!. A Bullion Viking no less.

Well, just a miniscule update really. I've done a long post below regarding camping, but that is aimed at the general public (linked from a travel website) though you might find it interesting.

Still having a super time. It's baking hot. Piece of advice - if you buy a ragtop for touring Europe. Get one with air conditioning!. It's simply too hot midday. Our cooling system is whacko - it blows cool for about 2 seconds, then blisteringly hot. I looked under the bonnet - it draws air from above the engine - doh!

Moving on - went for a random drive around yesterday and stumbled across a tiny village called Villars. We had a super lunch in a lovely shaded restaurant. The chef came out and said hello and then went in to cook for us. It felt very personal. We were the only people there for the 1st hour. He came out and wished us Bon Appetite as we started.

We both had the Carpaccio to start (raw beef) - it was sublime! - ice cold, on a bed of salad and herbs, with parmesan shavings on top. Best Carpaccio we've ever had. I then had a perfectly cooked filet steak and K had pork in a mustard sauce. We chugged on a local bottle of rose :-) - A Villars no less!

A really fab lunch in a lovely setting.

We are off on a hike tomorrow with a guide. Lots of pictures to come.

I thought I'd pen this article for people considering camping in Europe - France particulalrly as it may provide some clues as to what to expect and how to find what you want. My family and friends might be a little bemused as for the need for this, but I've linked this post to a travel forum for others to benefit from.

This is not in any way definitive, but it should give a little preparation to those considering camping in France. I also think that pictures are invaluable - something I've struggled to find on the web so far.

Finding campsites:

Dead easy. Practically every town and village in France has campsites either right by it, or a few Kilometers away. Many have a "Municipal" campsite - these are generally cheap, but crowded, As a general rule of thumb - if there is scenery, tourist attractions, or pretty towns, there will be lots of campsites in the area.

Along the roads in and out of each town/village/area you'll see road signs with "Camping" writen on them and icons of a tent and a caravan. Frequently the sign will have the name of the site/s and their star rating. More on star ratings .....

In our experience (a mid 30's couple), unless you are travelling with kids and want lots of facilitles it is best to avoid 3 star and above sites. Don't get me wrong, we've stayed at some very nice 3 star sites in Normandy, but you'll generally find you are paying for lots of things you'll never use / need. You'll also frequently get the "Butlins" feel.

We have found , so far...

Unrated sites: Tends to be a field with electricty in limited areas, a basic shower and toilet block, and access to a freezer. Some of these sites can be fantastic. The prettiest we've stayed at was an unrated one on the Dordogne.

Camping on a farm: Not tried this yet but drove through one. Much like unrated sites. The toilets looked even more basic but this will vary wildly between sites. Some of the best views to be had for sure.

Up to 2 star: You tend to get the addition of a pool, bar / restaurant (usually with limited opening hours), much smarter shower / toilet blocks, access to a washing machine, abundant power, access to a freezer (for your blue ice blocks), "Static-home" like accomodation available, daily bread orders, well marked pitches.

3 star and above: These are run much more "professionally". Pitches are separated by neat hedges, the pool/s often have water slides etc, there is normally mini golf, activities for the kids, restaurant, bar, take away (steak frites, chicken frites etc). Everything else from the lower star sites is included.

Our conclusions are:

2 star and below: You tend to get far more "friendly" hosts. Often they live on the site in a caravan or static trailer. Prices are cheaper. The sites are usually more picturesque and you tend to find the guests are mainly mature couples or families with toddlers (no need for water slides for them yet!). Using the freezer for your ice blocks is usually around 40-50c per go. Often they'll have a "trust" system - you put your money in a bowl when you use the freezer.

Catering can be limited, but nearly all sites offter a system where you order your bread and pastries for delivery on site the next morning. The site we are currently at in Provence will take pizza orders for the whole site and ring a bell when they arrive (we don't all want to cook every night!, especially after a bottle of Rose in the sun)

Unrated: We've had a great stay on an unrated site on the Dordogne. The host was not in the slightest interested in taking deposits. He was even hard to find when it came to paying! You helped yourself to his chest freezer in his garage. There was electricity, a basic shower / toilet block, and that was it. The location was beautiful, and unusually, as you were basically in a field, you could BBQ - something that is banned pretty much everywhere unless you use their own special facilities due to the obvious fire risk.

3 star and above: On the whole - we have generally found these hateful places. They are usually plonked out of the way and are huge. Completely self sufficient and cut off from the rest of the world. These seem hugely popular with families with lots of young kids. There is plenty for them to do. Consequently there is never a quiet moment. These sites tend to get the most road signage.

Nothing is for free on these sites. On one site they refused to let us freeze our blue ice blocks, but instead, charged 1.5 Euros a time for a frozen bottle of water - which is no where near as efficient as proper ice blocks. Frequently we would be refused large plots / pitches as they were reserved for caravans and campervans, yet we'd pay the same rate as them and get put in a tiny "tent" pitch. Wi-Fi is normally several Euros per hour and only if you take your laptop near the reception/bar area.

These are efficient businesses catering for large family holidays.

A side note on the Muchelin green Camping France guide book - the vast majority of sites it lists are 3 or 4 star. If you want 2 star and less, you need to drive to your chosen area and then bumble about a bit looking out for camping signs. The best option is to go to the Office de Tourism and they'll give you a list of all local campsites.

Wi-fi - we have found this varies wildly. The French are catching on to the fact that wi-fi can be a deal breaker for a lot of travellers now. We've found several 2 star sites that offer free coverage accross all their pitches. Worth looking out for. In every instance we've been to a 3 star site advertising wi-fi - it's been chargeable, and does not cover the pitches - you have to go and sit at the bar - where they sell your beers for 3 Euros a pop. Expensive wi-fi!

Our overall experience so far is the lower the rating, the nicer time you'll have. Sites actually IN towns tend to be a expensive, crowded, and grubby.

Oh, a note on rivers - France has many! We though camping by the river would be a doddle. Not so. Practically every campsite we have looked at by the river is separated by a fence - safety for the kids one assumes. We did find one in the end - it was an unrated site.

Costs:
Unrated - we've payed 4 Euros a day, plus 2.5 Euros a day for electricity.
2 Star: figure around 15-20 Euros a day with electricity (big tent, car, two people - same cost for camper / caravan)
3 star - we've paid 32 Euros a day including power. We've seen over 42 Euros a day on the coast.

Anyhow - onto where we are at the moment. This will give you an idea of what to expect. We are at a 2 star site in Provence, in the Luberon region. About 5 mins drive from APT.

(We are the green tent on the corner) Expect tarmac on 3 star sites - and a 1000 cycling kiddies zooming past all day

(power and water - these are dotted around most of the place - you'll need a good 20m lead to cover most scenarios. Adapters are available for a few Euros if they are the caravan style sockets)

(A modest, but cooling pool, with BBQ are behind (2 Euros for coal) - Expect this to be teeming with splashing and screming kids by 11am. Oddly , today, it's empty!)

(reception - cold beer, freezer, snacks)

(These are called "Comforts" - popular with families)

(Showers, toilets, dish sinks, waching machine, hand washing sinks) - very clean, hot showers. The whole of France seems to operate on the "press for 10 seconds of water" tap system.

(Cheaper, and nicer - most sites have a more basic field - you need one heck of a lead if you want power, but for that you get beautiful views and tranquility)

If you want cold beer, rose, fresh food, and the ability to shop for a few day's meals, you NEED a portable fridge - this one is 12v so I had to get a 240-12v converter for 24 Euros. I put 2 blue ice blocks in it each lunch time. In the heat here, they are 100% nescessary for the fridge to have any hope of keeping up. I have 4 blocks, and cycle them.

(Obvious, but essential - chairs and table)

(A pitch on an "unrated" site - with power)

(The view from our tent on an "unrated" site - again with power)

(A spacious pitch on a 3 star site in St Emilion - notice the hedges separating each pitch - seems nice at 1st but feels insular)

The question of bookings comes up a lot. We've found no reason to book ahead, particularly with the lower rated sites. Conversely, in July, we've found several 3 star sites that show "Complet" on their road signs (full). The site we are now in is filling up (30th July) but there is still plenty of room to move about. We've moved our tent once to get a getter spot. The hosts often can tell you a site is full on one day, and the next there will be 3 spaces - they just don't know - people often (like us) know how long they are staying for. So if you find a site you love, but it's full, or there are no pitches with power free, ask if you can pitch up in a corner somewhere until a better spot becomes available. We did this here. and moved the next morning.

Camping kit - stuff that we have found invaluable:

12v pump for our air bed - we see people getting hernias every day pumping away on a pump that is the size of a fire extinguisher. Air beds go down slowly, no matter how well made. They need topping up every couple of days.
12v Chilled cooler box - these fellas drop the internal temperature to 15 degrees below the ambient temperature outside. Given 12 hours they will chill beers, but to work well, they need supplimenting with the blue ice block things.
Folding table - want to spend weeks sitting on the floor?
Comfortabel chairs - the canvas ones pictures are USELESS. They look great, and every petrol station in the UK sells them for a few quid. The are NOT comfortable for more than an hour. You just sink in them and they do your back in. Buy some nice "directors" chairs. We've borrowed a couple of comfy plastic chairs from our very helpful host(ess)
12v Rechargable lamp.
And a suprise entry - we bought "tent lights" - three separate LED lamps on a wire - you can turn them on and off from your bedroom, and from the living area - they make the world of difference at night time. No more fubling around with your main lamp.
Picnic blanket - not all pitches are grassy - especially in the South. Expect a fair share of baked dirt.

Further things that have randomly popped into my head...

Toilets and showers have ALL been clean and nice so far. Some a little tatty, but nothing frightening.
Camping well outside towns means no road noise and a distinct lack of "plonkers"
Expect 70% of your camping neighbours to be Dutch or German :-)

I know I've missed lots so feel free to ask any questions in the comments area of this blog.

Our last couple of days in Arles we spent sight seeing in the town itself. They have a very impressive Roman ampitheater, though there is local debate on whether it is being over-restored or not. I'm of the opinion that as long as they leave old parts as well as renewing parts, then you get the both of both worlds. You get to appreciate the achievements of the past, whilst also getting a proper feel as to how it would have looked when in use.

We thought about paying 5 Euros to look inside, but to be honest, it looked like a bunch os seats when you looked through the arches, and we decided to pay an extra 2 Euros and come back the following evening and watch a "bull race". We'd get to see the inside, and see something happening to boot!

The bull race was mildly entertaining. To be honest, the bull seemed more frightened of the numerous people chasing it around, trying to grab a "ribbon" from it's horns. There was a lot of showboating, particularly the competitors slowing down when fleeing to give the bulls a chance to get coser. All for the drama. We watched a few of these then bailed out. As suspected the interior wasn't much to talk about, but good fun to sit in a used ampitheater. Can't wait for Rome!

After Arles we craved the countryside again. We definately decided that beaches are best saved for Asia. So we headed into Provence proper, loosely planning a route accross the Southern foot of the Luberon mountains, moving accross into the Verdons region.

We had a super drive through the Luberon region and kept going into Verdons where we stopped for lunch in a tiny village square. We decided that the Luberon looked so nice and lush that actually, we should turn back and take another look! :-) So we did.

We've ended up in a lovely place near a town called Apt. A campsite that only has 24 emplacements, is as quiet as can be, and has stunning views over the mountains. We are stying here for a while.

It's so peaceful here - no screaming kids, no roads near by. All you can hear are the birds and insects. Talking about insects, they have les Aragnes here, or Les Spidres as I call them (sounds better). We found one in our tent on the 2nd day and it was like a mini tarantula, no kidding. Huge body and thick legs. I was watching some French chaps packing up yesterday and one of them let out a yelp of terror and shook his shoe upside down. A huge spider fell out and ran accross the grass. I was over 10 meters away and I could see it running in the grass..... We have since bought a special spray that is supposed to form a barrier that the little (or big) buggers won't cross. They do though, but then they die slowly. Excellent! Got through half a can in 2 days.

Everyone must think we are grande cretins. We show up, spend all day on our laptops, then empty several cans of insecticides on every inch of our "land" :-)

God it's hot! - currently sitting under a tree typing this. The only shade we have. It's nice to have tome to relax and not move. I installed Ubuntu Linux on a spare partition on my laptop yesterday. Thought I'd be all cutting edge. Looks nice, and runs well, but when you come to install software you have to spend hours "compiling your kernel" and such stuff, then when you finally get it working, you find it's text only. I'm too old for all that I've decided. Leave it to the nerds.

Other things that get done when you have time on your hands....

(A woman's work is never done)

(The result of my somewhat lacking vocab. I asked for a broom for the tent floor. I got a rake)

(K reading the Sunday Times - p.s. the Euro version only has a one page section for the "In Gear" bit - sigh)

Random things... oh yes, Kirstin ate Oysters in Arles - she's very proud! We also bought an electric fly swat - like a small tennis racket that puts 10,000 Volts through them - great fun as they crackle and pop.

Also, they have nutty snails here, millions of them, and they all like to climb things. Not sure why, as "things" include telegraph poles, which I'm pretty sure don't taste any good.

They are absolutely everywhere to be seen. Lots of lavender too. Famous for it here.. expect K&R in lavender field shots soon.....

ttfn

Carcassonne is impressive. A huge walled city. A giant castle if you like.

We had a good walk around the ramparts, the main castle inside, and the cathedral. Lots of “fact boards” to read – though I think there is not much more for us to learn about castle siege wafare!

We stayed on a campsite 10k’s outside the city – the one right by Carcassonne was expensive and only had two plots available. We asked to look at them and the girl prey much laughed and said “they might not still be available when you get back”. Sod it then, we searched further afield.

We ended up on a fairly ok-ish site and only stayed two nights. There were a gazillion kiddies, one who kicked a football in Kirtsin’s face with no apparent remorse. I’d forgotten what little shits French teenagers can be. We packed up in the morning the day after seeing the old city, in blistering heat. A mistake we’ll not make again by choice. Packing a tent and all the associated paraphernalia in scorching sunlight is a nightmare. I had to take another shower before we set off. We also managed to tear our trusty boot bag in our rush. We headed to Agde – we’d looked at the map and it seemed to be near the Rhone, and near greener areas, including Camargue – a wildlife reserve full of “Torro” – bulls, amongst other things. It was getting hotter too.

En-route we stopped for a roadside lunch at a pretty café in the middle of nowhere. Guess what I ate…. Yep! Bull! (Torro) – bloody lovely : - )

We’ve quickly realised you NEED to sop for lunch between 12pm and 2pm. It’s just too hot to drive, especially with the roof off.

When we finally got to Agde (famed for the Cap D’Agde – lots of nudist beaches) we were met with what we had been warned about – half of France on holiday. Standstill traffic, not a spot of spare parking space anywhere to bee seen.

We drove down to the “Cap” and were not impressed. Too much concrete and too many people. A bit like Brighton on a hot day, so we decided to push on elsewhere. The thing was, I had one hell of a stiff neck and we were both hot and tired, so we decided to treat ourselves… a hotel!!! : - )
We stayed in a quirky hotel in Agde main town, part of a still used church. Our terrace actually joined the church and we were overlooked by it’s main tower. You could walk over and peer down through the stained glass windows.

Kind of odd, sitting having beers on the balcony with the sound of choir singing coming from the walls beside you. Kirstin says her mum would of loved it!

The wi-fi in the hotel didn’t work, so of course I fixed it – free wi-fi :- )

After a proper nights’ sleep in a real bed, we set off for Arles – right on the river Rhone and well situated to see some Roman ruins and also Avignon. We’ve managed to bag ourselves a lovely campsite, nice and quiet and green. We’ll stay here for a few days – been here two nights already.

On the first night, rather hilariously, we joined in with an organised game of bingo! It was a great way to practice our French numbers. Kirstin was one number away from winning the grand prize – some kind of Belgian pot with lots of mugs hanging off it. We were kind of relieved we didn’t win, I mean, what on earth would we do with it?

The last two days have been windy in a BIG way. It’s sunny and very hot, don’t get me wrong, but either the “Mistral” is in a bad mood, or El Nino is off-course. So much so I have to re-peg the tent frequently and you can’t really sit outside. We are getting a little frustrated with the unpredictable weather now. We came to the South of France for sun and peace. We both miss Bordeau and the Dordogne already.

The current loose plan is to head up a little into Provence. Maybe we’ll find the sunny tranquillity we’ve been after there. Other than that, we are toying with popping into either Croatia, or maybe driving up into the Alps for some stunning scenery, or maybe Switzerland, or even Austria. Who knows. We will be in Italy in August by the 15th at the latest so we have plenty of time to mess around.