Friday 28th May – Monday 28th June. Liz + Chris + Hugh in our Campervan Kon-tiki.
Ferry Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistraham);
Hugh flew back on 16th June from Perpignan [Flybe].
Total: 1,888 milesTotal: 1,977 miles [3,131 km].
Click on place names on the itineraray below to go direct to the pictures [these are arranged in same sequence as the itinerary]
Ouistraham, past Saumur to Airvault; to Le Bugue; past Dax to Azur; to Sauveterres de Bearn; to Lescun; past Lourdes and St Gaudens to Oust; past Quillan to Matamale; past Prades to, Argeles-Plage; Perpignan Airport; past Tuchan to Gleon; past Beziers on A9 to Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer; past Quissac to Lanuejols (Causse noir);past Meyrueis, to Causse Mejean; past St. Enemie and Chateauneud-de-Randon to Col de la Croix de Bor; past Chely-d’Apcher and Riom-es-Montagne to Trizac; past Aubusson to Boussac; past Issoudun to Belleme; to Ouistraham, Portsmouth.
Click here: for full Itinery for Camping Guide for all France pictures
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| The Kontiki Our home for 4 weeks Sunset in the Auvergne | |
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| Our home after 3 weeks TOP | |
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| Airvault Our 1st campsite TOP | |
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| Le Bugue on Dordogne Home of Max and Marguerite Avezoux | |
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| Max and Marguerite Avezoux Parents of my previous research student Alain | |
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| Azur on Lac Soustons in Les Landes | |
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| Happy campers | |
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| Lac Soustons | |
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| Our local black kite TOP | |
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| Under the walls of Sauveterre de Bearn by the Gave d'Oloron at base of Pyrenees | |
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| View of our campsite from the walls of Sauveterre. Clive once jumped off the bridge here TOP | |
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| Lescun One of our favourite sites in the Pyrenees | |
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| A local predator | |
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| Time to go TOP | |
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| Dull campsite at Oust, a stopover on the way East in foothills of Pyrenees | |
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| Our wonderful restaurant in the Hotel de la Poste in Oust [400 m from campsite] TOP | |
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| Matamale in Pyrenees One of our favourite sites | |
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Matamale |
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| Our favourite restaurant in France | |
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| Rainbow pointing the way to dinner | |
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| Rainbows are not free | |
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| Menus at La Belle Aude | |
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| The starter presented by friendly owner to very happy diners TOP | |
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| Local Black Redstart The bells of Matamale | |
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| The lake at Matamale. The campsite is in the forest on the right TOP | |
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| Le Soleil campsite at Argeles sur Mer TOP | |
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| Entrance to Le Soleil from beach | |
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| An Argeles beach flower | |
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| Where the Pyrenees meet the sea; Hugh's last beach walk TOP | |
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| Hugh deciding which plane he want to take him home from Perpignan airport | |
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| OK I'll have the usual Flybe TOP | |
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| The France-Passion site in the Corbieres | |
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| Our host, Monsieur Montagniee. I went in for a small drink with him and returned with 3 cases | |
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| Chateau Gleon | |
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| Chateau Gleon TOP | |
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| Our Camargue campsite at Le Clos du Rhone | |
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| The pool at Le clos du Rhone | |
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| The Clos du Rhone with the paddleboat the Tiki | |
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| Camargue bulls TOP | |
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| Flowers of La Camargue | |
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| The yellow-legged gull. This is the mediterranean version of our pink legged Herring gull | |
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| Black-winged stilt nesting near our campsite TOP | |
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| The Randal Bison France-Passion site on the high Causse Noir | |
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| The bison | |
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| Our campsite on Causse Noir | |
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| Our Camper is the white dot in the distance [left] | |
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| Causse Noir flowers TOP | |
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| Wild camping on Causse Mejean amongst the orchids | |
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| Dinner and dinner lady | |
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| St. Enemie on the Tarn with Causse Mejean in distance TOP | |
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| Wonderful hilltop village of Chateuneuf- de-Randon | |
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| Our wild campsite on the Col de la Croix de Bor | |
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| View from our camper on the col | |
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| Our resident Montagu's Harrier on the col | |
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| Our local Bar/Restaurant about 2km walk from col TOP | |
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| Our campsite [on right] at Trizac in the Auvergne | |
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| Some neighbours at Trizac | |
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| Our cat which aggressively adopted us TOP | |
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| The one village restaurant Siege de la Chasse | |
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| Inside the bar at lunchtime | |
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| Looking down to the river | |
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| Liz at the foot of the cross | |
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| Sunset from the camper at Trizax TOP | |
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| View from camper at Boussac | |
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View of camper from chateau TOP |
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| Our guardian goose TOP | |
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The pool at Belleme |
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| In Belleme TOP | |
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| How we were first off the ferry in Portsmouth | |
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| Saying goodbye to La Belle France | |
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