French Caravan Tour 2013

A typical long straight, traffic free 'N' road in northern France

A six week tour towing our caravan starting on Sunday 18th August and ending on Sunday 29th September ,as before .avoiding toll roads and using ACSI card or Camping Cheques where possible. ( both offer off peak site discounts)

Total Mileage **** -- (plus *** miles touring from campsites= 2077miles grand total)

This year we started by driving direct from Calais to La Source at Petit Appeville on the Alabaster Coast just south of Dieppe. Our planned route was Chartes -Chateauroux - Beaulieu sur Dordogne, Lac de Parloup - Palau del Vidre and returning on the A75 Meridienne motorway across the Milau Viaduct .This is one of our favourite routes and much of the motorway runs at an altitude in excess of 800 m (2600 ft) with 50 km in excess of 1000 m (3250 ft).

We broke with tradition this year and made e mail 'reservation' for several sites but this was not necessary as all sites had plenty of spare capacity

we changed our planned itinerary going to Soreze rather than Lac de Parloup

To see my Picasa Photo Album for some of this tour click on the direct link:-

https://plus.google.com/photos/117434740516160383548/albums/5919097818761798817

A summary chart giving details of mileages travelled and campsites follows the photographs

Please e mail your comments and suggestions about this site to :- info@jj99.co.uk

Pourville near Petit Appeville

Enjoying a 'Leffe' at overlooking the beach at Pourville

on site at Camping "La Source"

The church at Pourville flying the Canadian Flag

Chartres - Gazebo from footpath to city from the campsite

Riverside walk back to campsite from city

Chartres -the view up looking up to the cathedral from Rue de la Tannerie in the the hisoric old quarter

The site at Chateauroux is next to large park with a bathing and pleasure lake

Colourful flower beds in front of the restaurant in the park where there was dancing to live music in the afternoon

parc Daniel Bernardet 'Belle Isle' Chateauroux just a short walk from the campsite through the 'Plaine de jeux'

parc Daniel Bernardet 'Belle Isle' Chateauroux

L'église Notre-Dame, Chateauroux

Chateau Raoul, Chateauroux

L'église Notre-Dame, Chateauroux

coffee stop

Beaulieu sur Dordogne Sculpture by pond in front of the Town Hall

Beaulieu sur Dordogne

A group of Heinkel enthusiasts from the Netherlands were staying on site on a planned rally - going on daily trip to explore the area

The Heinkel Tourist is a 4 stroke scooter which was made by Heinkel Flugeugwerke from 1953 to 1965. More than 100,000 were manufactured and sold

For more details see:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_Tourist

Coffee stop on hill overlooking Caylar { Just before St Antonin Noble Val in the Gorges de l'Aveyron )

Soreze - Coat of Arms

Fontaine, place Dom Devic, Soreze

m

Rear of Town Hall overlooking the municipal gardens, Soreze

Pine wood ( in B&W )on banks of the resevoir at Saint-Ferréol

Fountain at bottom of water shute from Saint-Ferréol resevoir

Images taken at Saint-Ferréol - the source of the Canal de Midi it is very close to Soreze

The Bassin de Saint-Ferréol was created as the result of a large earth dam across the mouth of the valley of Laudot stream at St. Ferréol in the Montagne Noire

Plaque commemorating Pierre Paul Riquet who was the engineer and canal-builder responsible for the construction of the Canal de Midi

This diagram showing how the Bassin de St Ferreol is connected to the Canal du Midi was downloaded from the website:-

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canal_du_Midi_Bassin_de_St_Ferreol.JPG

Almost everything in Revelradiates from the majestic timbered 14th century medievil market hall which is surmounted by a bell tower which was once used as a watch tower. Every Saturday it hosts a market which is classified as one of the 100 most beautiful markets in France. Locals say that it is the best. Unfortunately we left Soreze on Friday.

We arrived at Palau Del Vidre mid afternoon

Picture seen on T shirt for sale in the market

depicting theTramontane (Tramuntana in Catalan)

Port Argeles

Photographic Exhibition based on Jungle life along the promenade at Argeles

One of the exhibits

reflections of Catalan Boats 1

A rare picture of us together - taken in Collioure

reflections of Catalan Boats 2

Coffee stop at Aire de Paulan

Aire de Paulan on the A75

Viaduc de Garabit is a railway arch bridge designe by Gustave Eifel spanning the River Truyère near Ruynes-en-Margeride. There is a good Aire / viewing point on the A75 - an ideal place for a short break and a cuppa

Our pitch at Camping du Mas, Issoire

Camping du Mas, Issoire

Entrance to Camping du Mas, Issoire

windows in church of St. Gildard, Nevers

Chartes Cathedral