Thursday 14th June – Wednesday 18th July; Liz + Chris + Hugh in our Campervan Kon-tiki.
Ferry Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistraham). Hugh flew back on 30th June from Perpignan [Flybe].
Total: 1,899 miles; 3,056km.
Click on place names on the itinerary below to go direct to the pictures [ in same sequence as the itinerary] For Full Driving itinerary Click Here
Ouistraham, Mayenne, Bauge, Lac Rille; Langeais, Motorway past Poitiers, Limoges, Motorway past Uzerches, Tulle, Argentat; Beaulieu, Souillac, St-Cyprien, Le Bugue; Caduin, Agen, Cologne, St Cricq, Lac de Thoux; L’Isle-Jourdain; Motorway around Toulouse, Foix, Axat, Formigueres, Matamale; Mont-Louis, Prades, Thuirs, Argeles-s-Mer; St, Cyprien, past Rivesaltes, Estagel, Tuchan; Durban-Corbieres, Ripaud, Gleon; Portel-des-Corbieres, to Motorway past Narbonne, Beziers, Frontagnan, Les Tamaris;, Gigean, St-Martin-des-Londres, Ganges, Le Vigan, Le Valle de l’Arre; L’Esperou, Mont Aigoual observatory, Meyrueis, Causse mejean; Ste-Enimie, Mende, Chateuneuf-de-Randon, Col de Croix de Bor; St-Alban-sur-Limagnols, Chaude-Aigues, Pont de Lanau, La Belvedere (Neuveglise); St-Flour, Murat, Riom-es-Montagnes, Trizac; Riom-es-Montagnes, Bort-les Orgues, La Courtine, Gentioux-Pigarolles, Vauveix, Val de Vassiviere; Peyrat, Gueret, Argenton-sur-Creuse, Ciron, Port de la Brenne, Rosnay (in La /Brenne Region); Mezieres-en-Brenne, Bournan, L’lle-Bouchard, Saumur; Bauge, Sable-s-Sarthe, Evron, Carrouges, Falaise; St-Pierre-sur-Dives, Troarn, Ranville, Ouistraham, Portsmouth, Southampton.
Click here: For full Itinery For Camping Guide For all France pictures
| Lac Rille, North of Loire TOP | |
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| We are camped to the right under the trees | |
 (Medium).JPG) Drying out after our 150 litre water tank emptied into the van [due to corroded water heater] |
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| View from our camp | |
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| This real-life steam train went beside our site and around part of the lake | |
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| Cold pool, cool Liz and our kayak launch pad in background | |
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| Another happy little camper | |
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| Female Black redstart | |
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| Our friendly flycatcher with a caught fly | |
| Argentat | |
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The Dordogne, running by campsite |
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| Our Polish friends setting off down the rapids towards Beaulieu and Bergerac | |
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| Bridge over Dordogne at Argentat | |
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| Argentat house | |
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| Restaurant in town square | |
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| On the way to nearby village of Monceaux sur Dordogne | |
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| The church at Monceaux | |
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| Inside the church | |
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| To the glorious dead of Monceaux. Most villages have these memorials to huge numbers killed in wars | |
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| Friendly pigeon | |
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| Pied wagtail on the cobbles of riverside Dordogne at Argentat | |
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| Cirl bunting [rare for me] in campsite | |
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| Lac de Thoux | |
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| Campsite on the shore of the lake | |
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| Happy campers | |
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| Hugh setting our to capsize his kayak [usually impossible] | |
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| Success | |
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| Trying to get back in | |
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| Our heron | |
| Matamale | |
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| Matamale campsite | |
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| Lake Matamale with view of higher Pyrenees | |
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| On top of the dam that creates the lake; our campsite is among the trees on the right of picture | |
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| View of the village from the top of the dam | |
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| Matamale village church | |
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| Flowers; name to be provided by Liz | |
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| The ubiquitous Chaffinch | |
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| Serin TOP | |
| Argeles sur Mer | |
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Entrance to campsite from beach |
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| Beach at Argeles sur Mer looking towards Colliure and Spain | |
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| Only two swimmers in the cold Mediterranean; someone has to take the picture | |
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| Liz force feeding a grounded Magpie fledgling | |
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View from our campsite; includes two of the local Bee-eaters |
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| Sad farewell; Hugh walking the last 200m to Perpignan airport to catch Flybe to Southampton | |
| Tuchan TOP | |
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| Our campsite at Tuchan | |
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| View from campsite | |
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The campsite is among the trees. The vines are for Fitou; the well-known wine of the Corbieres hills |
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| Great place for bike rides | |
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| Chateau Queribus | |
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| Entrance into Tuchan | |
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| Chruch tower with swallow | |
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| The Mairie of Tuchan | |
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| Yet another war memorial | |
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| Wonderful Campsite restaurant where we watched the European cup final | |
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| The camp pool | |
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| The camp goat | |
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| A goatlet TOP | |
| Chateau Gleon | |
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| Chateau Gleon; a France Passion place. Inn the Corbieres. | |
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The entrance to Chateau Gleon-Montanie |
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| Monsieur Montanie helping local lost scouts. He is owner of the Chateau and makes great wine | |
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| A happy camper TOP | |
| Les Tamaris near Frontagnon TOP | |
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| Campsite at les Tamaris. This is on the beach. On the opposite side is extensive lagoon. | |
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| The lagoon looking towards the sea. | |
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| The pool at les Tamaris | |
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| 'Our' beach | |
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| Brave swimmer; I stayed on shore to keep watch for sharks | |
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| These breakwaters make it good for swimming and boating | |
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| Shelduck and family on the lagoon | |
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| Black-winged stilt; common around the lagoons | |
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| Baby Black-winged stilt TOP | |
| Le Vigan on river Arre | |
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| The border of the campsite is the river Arre. Our campsite is on the bank behind the trees | |
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| Bridge over the river Arre | |
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| The chief camper | |
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| Camp guardians TOP | |
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| The observatory at Mont Aigoul on way from Le Vigan to Causee Mejean TOP | |
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| View of distant Causee Mejean from the observatory TOP | |
| Causse Mejean | |
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| Our wild campsite abong the firs and juniper trees on the Causse Mejean | |
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| Causse and clouds | |
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| One of the many vultures awaiting our demise [Egyptian Vulture] | |
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| Typical flowers of the Causse [ ] | |
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| An orchid [ ] | |
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| Bee on flower [what more can I say] TOP | |
| Col du Croix de Bor in the Margerides | |
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| Wonderful wild campsite | |
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| View from campsite over the Margerides hills TOP | |
| La Belvedere (Neuveglise) Near Lanau TOP | |
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| View from the terrace above. TOP | |
| Trizac in the Auvergnes | |
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| Distant view of our campsite at edge of Auvergne plateau | |
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| Closer view of Our campsite at the edge of the Auvergne plateau | |
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| The Mairie at Trizac | |
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| Typical Auvergne young bulls | |
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| A wayside cross. We have no idea about this. | |
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| Campsite pied wagtail TOP | |
| Lac de Vassiviere | |
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| Our wet campsite on terrace above the lake. | |
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| The lake | |
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| The beach | |
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| Young black redstart TOP | |
| Rosnay in Brenne region | |
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| La Brenne | |
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| Rosnay | |
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| Camp from other side of lake | |
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| View from our camp | |
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Unusual neighbour |
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| Village square | |
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| A very distant Night Heron | |
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| Purple heron | |
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| Walking in the woods | |
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| More flowers | |
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| Notice in campsite encouraging us to return TOP | |
| Saumur TOP | |
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| Welcome to Saumur | |
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| Town hall | |
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| In the town | |
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| Bridge over to the island | |
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| A crane to remind us of home | |
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| Tree creeper next to the van. Usually impossible to photograph | |
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| Falaise | |
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| Campsite entrance with castle where William the Conqueror was born | |
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| Us | |
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| View from campsite | |
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| The walk up to the town | |
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| The cathedral | |
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| William our conqueror | |
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| View from our restaurant | |
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| On the short walk home | |
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| I cant hold this pose much longer TOP | |
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| Oistraham beach | |
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| Cormorants saying goodbye | |
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