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| Leigh on the boardwalk above the beach at Biarritz, France |
After
a couple of months driving through Spain and Portugal, we drove back into
France. Our first stop was Biarritz, an old whaling settlement just over the
Spanish border. It’s now a vibrant and beautiful seaside town.
We
managed to find a parking spot for our large motorhome, Vanni, then walked down
the hill to the main part of town.
What
a lovely, clean and sophisticated place. We saw quite a lot including the 12th
century St. Martin’s church, Empress Eugenie’s palace (now a hotel), two casinos and of course the beachfront, which consists of historic and
modern buildings sitting along the very attractive golden sand beach.
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| Leigh at Dune du Pilat, the largest sand dune in Europe |
Following
the Atlantic coast, our next stop was the
amazing Dune du Pilat which is the largest sand dune in Europe at more than 110
metres high and 3 km long. We climbed up many steep steps to get to the top.
The
view up there was spectacular; out over the Basin d’Arcachon and the
surrounding National Park.
Going
down, we slipped and slid in the sand all the way to the bottom.
Next,
we drove on to the seaside town of Arcachon for the night. Our campsite was
close to Arcachon village, so the next morning, we went there and explored.
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| Marg at the historic merry-go-round in Arcachon, France |
We
walked through two parks, then went down an elevator to get to the village
centre, where we found a beautiful merry-go-round. It bought back a few
childhood memories for us!
Arcachon is famous for its oysters, so of course, we had oysters for lunch. Later, walking back to Vanni, we noticed that the village was full of attractive 19th century grand villas. This really is a lovely seaside village.
Moving on, our original plan was to visit Bordeaux. However, the main road traffic from Arcachon to Bordeaux was horrendous, so we drove on some tiny narrow roads through some absolutely lovely little wine towns, and visited a couple of castles.
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| Castles Villandraut (top) and Roquetaillade (UNESCO) |
Our
first stop was the ruins of the medieval castle at Villandraut, built in the
14th century. Surrounded by a wide moat, you enter through some robust round turrets.
We found it quite imposing as it towers above modern houses that now surround
it.
Our
second stop was at Castle Roquetaillade, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is
essentially two castles in one. The first castle was built in the 12th century,
and its ruins are still visible.
Then
in the 14th century, another castle was built inside the old fortified wall.
Amazingly, this castle has been lived in by the same family for over 700 years.
Amazingly, this castle has been lived in by the same family for over 700 years.
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| Marg at the entry portal to Saint Macaire village |
Driving
on, we reached Saint Macaire, a beautiful medieval commune of around 2000
people. We entered through a majestic old stone portal to explore, and loved it.
A nearby tourist office offered wine tastings, and the guy
there arranged a private tasting for us at Chateau Perayne, a local vineyard. We
enjoyed 4 tastings there, then bought a few bottles of their award-winning
sauvignon blanc.
Henri,
the winemaker showed us around. He had just bought a new machine that extracts
juice from the grape and he was using it for the first time, so we watched a
pressing. It was great.
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| Château des Ducs d'Épernon in Cadillac, France |
Our
next stop was the fortified port town of Cadillac. This small commune dates
back to 1280. The ruins of Cadillac’s medieval fortifications surround the town
and within it, is the imposing 17th century Château des Ducs d'Épernon.
After
looking around Cadillac, we drove on to Saint-Émilion, one of Frances premier wine
regions.
We camped at Chateau Gerbaud amid the vines. The Chateau supplied power, water and waste water
facilities, and a peaceful green setting, for the wee sum of 8 Euros a day. Sold!
The next day we cycled, without a proper map, through vineyard after vineyard, and tiny little back roads into Saint-Émilion.
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| Saint-Émilion (UNESCO), France |
The
small and beautiful medieval village of Saint-Émilion is located in the heart
of the famous Bordeaux wine area. We had a wonderful time wandering around its
quaint narrow streets, Roman ruins and ancient churches.
This town dates back to prehistoric times. Then the
Romans came along in the 2nd century and planted the first vineyards here. In
the 8th century, a local monk named Émilion managed a few miracles,
which got him a following. After his death, his followers carried on and named
the town after him.
We
loved the town, and lunched at a nice restaurant. We also tasted a Merlot and a
Cabernet Franc, Saint-Émilion’s most famous wines.
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| Leigh in Saint-Émilion (UNESCO), France |
As
we walked around, we were amazed at the number of different wine brands, and
tasting opportunities on offer in and around this small character-filled town. We could see why
Saint-Émilion, along with surrounding villages and the vines, is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
We
met two women there, buying wine. This delightful French couple were from
the other side of Bordeaux and while not speaking each other’s language, we had a great conversation with them.
Returning
to our bikes, we found two people sitting on them. They were Americans and
quite taken with our electric bikes. We ended up having a lovely chat with them while they took photos of the bikes.
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| Our vineyard campground at Chateau Gerbaud, Saint-Émilion |
Back
at the camp, we were parked in the vineyard under oak trees and were regularly
hit by falling acorns. They were especially noisy in the middle of the night!
But staying in the vineyard was fantastic and we were treated to some
spectacular sunsets.
We
introduced ourselves to a couple of young women in their campervan parked a few
trees away. They were Annelies and Hannelore from Belgium.
It
was good to see two women driving a campervan around – very rare. That evening, we enjoyed their company over wine and nibbles.
The
next morning, we cycled to the ancient and lovely village of Castillion for a few supplies, then
back to camp to pack up.
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| Leigh at the Garonne River and Pont de Pierre, Bordeaux (UNESCO) |
After
a fabulous time in Saint-Émilion area, we drove 50 km to Bordeaux. It straddles
the Garonne River which is crossed by the historic Pont de Pierre bridge and
the modern Aquitaine Bridge.
We
found a campsite that was rather noisy and a little scruffy, but linked to the
most fantastic system of cycle tracks.
This enabled us to ride from the camp right into the centre of the city.
It took us around a lake, through the outskirts and along the Garonne River. We parked our bikes near the historic Pont de Pierre bridge and heading first to the historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This enabled us to ride from the camp right into the centre of the city.
It took us around a lake, through the outskirts and along the Garonne River. We parked our bikes near the historic Pont de Pierre bridge and heading first to the historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| Leigh at the
Porte de Cailhau gate, Bordeaux (UNESCO) |
Walking
along the riverfront for a while, we entered the old historic area through the imposing Porte
de Cailhau.
Then
we walked around the streets seeing many sights, such as the Grosse Cloche bell
tower, the Gate of Aquitane, the Cathédrale Saint-André, Pey Berland
Tower, the Basillica of Saint Michael, the Place de
la Bourse, and the Miroir d’Eau reflecting pool.
We
saw many churches and religious places, 18th to 19th century mansions, art
museums, and several squares. We especially liked the ornate Notre-Dame, and the Grand Theatre. We had such a lovely time wandering around.
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| Marg in Bordeaux (UNESCO) |
The
next day, we cycled in again and enjoyed Bordeaux’s beautiful mix of grand
buildings, churches, monuments, pedestrian walkways, narrow little streets,
shops, cafes, and of course, wines. What a fabulously vibrant city.
After
a few days it was time to move on, and we headed north again, along the Route
des Chateaux. However, we weren’t going far, and stopped in Pauillac,
about one-hour out of Bordeaux. We found a lovely little camping place right
beside the Gironde Estuary and settled in for the night.
We were now in the Médoc wine area, known for producing some famous Bordeaux wines.
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| Traditional fishing hut on the Gironde Estuary, Pauillac, France |
That
evening, we strolled down to the Gironde Estuary checking out the lovely
sunset, and we came across several traditional carrelet fishing huts. They
are little houses that stand on stilts in the Estuary, with a fishing net hanging
over the water from a pole. They looked quite delicate
in the evening light.
The next morning, we took a drive around the Pauillac area
seeing some of the famous wine châteaux along the Route des Chateaux.
We
saw the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Château Latour, Château
Gaudin, and had a short stop at the Château Laffite Rothschild.
We
also popped into the 17th century Fort Medoc, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that we’d missed on the way to Pauillac.
Back at the campsite later, we packed up and prepared to leave in the morning. We'd had a wonderful time in this area but it was time to move on. Our next stop is around 2 hours north.
Back at the campsite later, we packed up and prepared to leave in the morning. We'd had a wonderful time in this area but it was time to move on. Our next stop is around 2 hours north.
This blog describes part of our 6 month campervan trip around
western Europe, which began in Prague in April.