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Wednesday 3rd June – Monday 6th July Liz + Chris + Hugh in our new(ish) Campervan Ferry Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistraham). Hugh flew back on 20th June from Avignon [Flybe].Total: 1,847 miles; 2,972km. This was out first France holiday in our new Swift van. Sad to say goodbye to Kontiki but the new van has 7 gears, a silent engine, superb power stearing and all its bits work ok. Only room for Hugh's kayak on roof so we took an inflatable one for me.
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| On the way |
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| Lac Rille TOP More pictures of this place in 2012 pages, 2013 pages and 2014 pages |
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| Our usual site next to the railtrack |
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| The new inflatable replacement for my real kayak; good for pottering about |
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| My favourite campers |
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| Pirf wagtail |
| La Chaise-dieu |
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| Luc-en-Diois |
| A new site for us |
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| We are in picture centre in empty site |
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| The small town 5 minutes walk from the campsite |
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| Typical house near to the campsite |
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| The town square |
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Relais de Claps restaurant. Excellent |
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| Restaurant welcome |
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| Dinner delivery. The waitress is looking alarmed; she was wonderful -i think she dropped her smile in my dinner |
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| What do you expect after all that wine? |
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| TOP |
| Larche TOP |
| One of our favourite campsites; on the road to the col de Larche into Italy |
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| View from the site |
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| The fortress looking over the valley |
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| View from the van - a bit of geology |
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| View from near the village up towards the campsite and the col |
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| Garden warbler; one of many singing continuously |
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| For Liz |
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| It is edible but I prefer them alive |
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| We don't like the name of the van but it sometimes fits |
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| Lac St. Laurent near the Verdon gorge |
| Our site under the pine trees, facing the lake |
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| The swimming pool |
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| The lake with Montpezat |
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| Montpezat |
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| The entrance to the small gorge |
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| Always beautiful clouds |
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| Disgruntled Hugh after we eventually found some ruins 20 min walk away (Liz took us 90 minutes) |
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| Close up of a close up |
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| My inflatable kayak with its deformed floor |
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| Hoopoe next to the van |
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| Pretty fly |
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| Damsel fly |
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| This is our Lifestyle |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Magpie at next above the van |
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| Incoming |
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| Lavender above the lake |
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| Avignon Campsite is Pont d'Avignon |
| View from campsite across the river |
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| The ferry from campsite to town |
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| Avignon old city |
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| In the church |
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| Worship or rest (same?) |
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| Our favourite Avignon restaurant (Italian) showing their clock obsession |
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| Val de l'Arre, Le Vigan |
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| Freshwater mermaid |
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| The old mill house by the campsite |
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| Roof mending |
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| The pool next to the van |
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| Male redstart high in the tree by the van teaching us to recognise its song |
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| Beautiful blue beetle, often in large groups looking like very special clumps of flowers |
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| Our home next door to our friends John and Myfanwy |
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| John and Myfanwy Reid. Good helpful friends from Leeds |
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| On way to Lac Naussac |
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| Wonderful driving country |
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| Lac Naussac near Langogne |
| View from our camper |
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| The lake |
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| Our neighbourly Redstart |
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| Mysterious burrowing creature identified as a water vole (Ratty in Wind in the Willows) |
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| Guarenteed mole-buster |
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| Andre Meinema and Naomi who joined us for dinner to celebrate my birthday |
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| Me with Liz and Naomi |
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| Farewell to Lac Naussac |
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| *Wild campsite at the Col de la Croix de Bor in the Margeride mountains |
| One of our favourite sites shared with a pair of Montagu's Harriers (birds not athletes) |
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| Where could be better? |
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| View from the van |
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| Looking cheerful after exhausting bike ride |
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| A local man pausing from his walk for tea with us (Une tasse de the monsieur?) |
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| Our friend 'Massif' took this photo |
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| flowers |
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| On the way through the Auvergne (Pur Mary and Puy Peyrolle) |
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| Pausing at the top after challenging drive up the cols |
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| On the way down towards Salers |
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| Lunch stop before Salers |
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| Argentat One of our favourite sites on the banks of the Dordogne, run by Roger et Gabriel |
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| Resting in the shade by the river at 38 degrees |
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| An irresistible donkey |
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| An irresistible lady |
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| The river where we sat (in chairs in the river) |
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| The beginning of the rapids and site of great kayaking expoits by Clive in previous visits |
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| A challenging stopper |
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| As seen from kayak |
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| So peaceful |
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| A distressed damsel |
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| Poinsouze |
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| View from lakeside |
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| Us |
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| The artist contemplating work (or just contemplating) |
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| Our local goat |
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| The restaurant |
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| Or friends Rob and Lisa by their giant caravan. Good new friends from Southport |
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| Their most typical expressions. The best thing about our stay |
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| Lac Varennes This is an online photo of this site, a one night stopover. OK but full of English caravans |
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| Merville Plage Our final campsite on the beach near Ouistraham. Very full. |
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| Looking East |
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| The campsite from the beach |
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| Liz and her friendly boy |
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| A smug shell collector |
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| Uncollected |
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| The collection |
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| Beach cafe about 15 minutes walk along the beach |
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| Our transport home |
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