A sneaky one night Bimble saw me getting home from work at 5.15 and us being on the road within 30 minutes thanks to Chris getting Boris all ready for the off!

We weren’t going far. A drive through Bournemouth and down to Sandbanks saw us on the ferry to the Isle of Purbeck. We had been given permission to camp on a carpark because we were working as volunteers for the National Trust.

Now we like to be prepared, and, as our followers will know, we like to eat! Chris had booked us a table at the Pig on the Beach restaurant in Studland, so we decided to recky the carpark to check that it didn’t have a height barrier and wasn’t going to be locked. All ok so off we drove to the restaurant.

It is a wonderfully quirky place with a roaring log fire. Even on a Monday night it was pretty busy. We ate in the lovely old conservatory which is full of pots of herbs! Their 25 mile menu is excellent and very unusual.

Starters…lambs hearts with squash,   and Blue Vinney  cheese with pears and roasted beetroots.

Mains… Roast Purbeck Partridge with Plum jus, and Gurnard with Poole bay clams.

A super meal.

We drove back to our car park, where, to our horror  we discovered a gate had appeared out of nowhere and was securely padlocked. There are no campsites anywhere near and we were in the middle of nowhere! There was however an exit lane with dragons teeth to prevent entry.

All I will say is that the next 20 minutes involved creative use of rubber mats and me risking life and limb holding the teeth down while Chris edged Boris onto the mats. I felt sure I would be flattened at any minute, or that the Police would arrive!

Fortunately neither happened and we spent a lovely night, getting up before dawn in our new role as volunteers to help the National Trust with its annual dear count. We had each been assigned a sector which we surveyed with an experienced recorder. I had the dunes sector, and although we only saw 2 deer in our sector, we heard a stag calling repeatedly, reminding us that this is the height of the rutting season.

It was a real privilege to be walking in this beautiful area at dawn.

Overall 80 volunteers recorded 580 deer across the whole area. We all ended up at the Knoll Beach cafe where we were rewarded with a nice cooked breakfast on the beach. Not bad for late October!

Tuesday September 15th

A great night’s sleep but we awoke to rain! Jobs done we headed just a few miles along the road to Chateau Cantenac, a family run chateau producing a St Emilion Grand Cru. We should have booked but went on the off chance they might be able to offer us a tour. The owner came to greet us and was a truly charming lady. She would see what she could do. Suddenly, a young woman appeared with a small group. ‘Aha’ said madame, ‘this is my daughter in law and she is doing a tour in English…you may join!’

The tour was half done, but the guide said she would take us to do the first half at the end!!

It was a brilliant tour and tasting – all free of charge, and we learned a lot, so…

10 things you might like to know about St Emilion wine!

1. It is probably the oldest organised wine growing area in France, and is today still made up of many small family vineyards, all beautifully cared for and centered on small pretty chateaux.

2. It was the first to impose quality controls and labelling.

3. The vines produce their best grapes between 15 and 55 years of age!

4. After the quality of the grapes, the next most important thing is the barrel. Each barrel maker uses different forests and oak from different countries. An expert wine taster can tell you which country the oak is from, and sometimes which forest, just from tasting the wine.

5. Each barrel costs 600 euros new. They are only used for 3 or 4 years then sold to lower grade vineyards or to the whisky industry.

6. Each barrel holds 300 bottles

7. Each Barrel can absorb or ‘drink’ 10 litres in 4 years, making an empty barrel much heavier at the end of it’s life.

8. When the Barrels are made, they are  toasted on the inside! The vineyard can specify how much ‘toasting’ they want . It is during the toasting process  that flavours like tobacco or coffee are added.

8. To remove the last of the sediment, finings are used. The preferred method is egg white and until quite recently the vineyard would buy 1000 eggs, separate them by hand, whisk the whites and add 2 or 3 to each barrel. As it sank it collected the sediment. Nowadays they can just buy ready whisked pasteurised egg white!

9. To use up the yolks a local recipe of little cakes called Canelés was created. In the interests of research we sampled one. Yummy!

10. On a good bottle of wine it will say ‘Mise en bouteille au proprieté’ , meaning it is bottled at the chateau. Bottling plants are expensive and take up a lot of space, so these days a large lorry arrives, the sides fold out and there is a mini bottling plant inside. All the bottling is done in a few days, and then the truck moves on to the next vineyard.

Despite the fact it was now lunchtime, our guide insisted on giving us the full tour, even taking us into the vineyard to taste the grapes, which were surprisingly sweet. She also told us that Madame has 3 sons. Each year, the vineyard take an intern student studying for their Masters degree in Winemaking at a University in California. In 2004 a young American lady student came. The eldest son fell in love with her and they married. In 2005 a Canadian student came. The second son fell in love with her and they married! Madame contacted the university and said ” From now on, only male interns.” In 2006, a male came, but in 2007, another lady was sent… and she is now married to the 3rd son and was our guide today!

By now the rain had stopped, so we went and booked in at the Yelloh St Emilion campsite. A very well equipped site with excellent facilities including a heated pool and boating lake. Probably very busy in summer but fine now and just 16 euros on the Acsi scheme, although it closes for the winter in late September.

Then off to visit the lovely mediaeval town of St Emilion. Cobbled streets and delightful red tiled roofscapes add to it’s charm, and despite the tourists, it is enchanting to wander around. We wanted some lunch, and stumbled upon a creperie run by a couple from Brittany! We love galettes, so in we went, and had a lovely, if rather unhealthy lunch. We felt rather sacriligeous sitting in St Emilion drinking Breton cider and beer … but it was scrumptious.

.

Back to our wander. Wine boutiques are everywhere, but tourist information and the Maison du vin were very helpful.

There is so much history here. We climbed the Tour du Roy, built in the 1200’s, possibly by order of King John when the area was under British rule. The views from the top were lovely….vineyards everywhere, dotted with small chateaux in the mellow local yellow sandstone.

The 12th century church was large, but simple and charming. There were remnants of ancient wall paintings, and well preserved cloisters. This town was a centre of pilgrimage so there are also the remains of convents and monasteries from the Augustinian,  Dominican and Franciscan orders. The Ursuline convent is apparently remembered most affectionately, as they left the town a legacy. The recipe for some delicious macaroons…which of course we had to sample!

Then back to the campsite where I made use of the excellent laundry with tumble driers and got all the washing done!

A nice relaxing evening playing Ablegi and Diminishing Whist, and using the site wifi to get photos uploaded for the blog.

Bonne nuit!

Monday September 14th

A dodgy day indeed, but in the sense of dodging things! I am ashamed to say that the first thing we dodged was the fee for the aire we stayed on last night at Labenne.  It was a large area under trees and nice and quiet, but all the listed facilities were shut and locked. Apparently a man comes round between 8am and 12am to collect your 9 euros , so we missed him because we left at 7.30 to go to the bird reserve! We thought 9 euros was rather pricey compared with the many free or 3 euro ones we have used.

On to Marais d’Orx reserve. A large lake with a small road across the middle and an interesting history. It was a huge area of marshland, and centuries ago local people tried to make a living here, but were plagued by mosquitoes and disease. Napoleon III was very concerned for the welfare of his rural population, and he had dykes built, and pumps installed to drain the land, so it could be farmed. These are still there today. However the sandy soil meant that it was still a constant battle, and when, in 1984, the dykes were breached, they finally gave up. The land was abandoned for farming and gradually the space filled up as a lake. The natural vegetation returned…and so did birds! Hundreds of them using this as a stop off on their migrations north or south. The LPO, France ‘s equivalent of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), took it over and it is now protected. Their biggest spectacle is from November to March when hundreds of Crane stop here to overwinter before flying back north.

We had to dodge some violent showers

by timing our walks between the hides, but had a good walk and were rewarded with seeing an adult booted eagle training a young one to swoop and dive, as well as Spoonbill, sooty tern and one of my favourites, Snipe. There was also a hide set out on a boardwalk into the lake area which gave great views of a good variety of wading birds.

We then set off on the long and rather boring flat road North, with more rain forecast. We were heading for the Arcachon basin and another reserve we had seen advertised. Reserve Ornithologique La Teich.

It was a pretty area on the river estuary, and as we went into the reserve we noticed signs everywhere saying “Gates shut at 19.00 hours”. It was only 15.30, so no worries there.

We received a reduction on the admission charge because we are RSPB members!

Well, what a reserve it is. A brilliantly maintained, raised path winds for over 4 miles between lakes and tidal flats, and visits 20… yes 20 hides. All the hides were large with plenty of seats, and windows at different levels.

And the birds. It was without doubt the most amazing bird reserve we have ever visited anywhere. Every hide seemed to reveal a new astounding  vista. In one location over 200 curlew were roosting, another had 40 + cormorants all on posts. We saw Kingfishers, Spoonbills,  Avocets,  and every wading bird you could wish for. Not 1 or 2 but in large flocks, close to the hides, and very relaxed despite nearby gunshots and low flying aircraft.

We met a french couple who were obviously new to birding, and at each hide I pointed out one new bird and told them a bit about it. I was rather proud that my french was still up to the job, and we ended with me explaining how all the waders have different lengths and shapes of bill, so each feeds on different organisms in a slightly different layer of the mud and water so they can all feed together, which led to a discussion on biodiversity!

It was a super place. 2 heavy showers came while we were in the hides, so again we dodged the rain.

So…. guess who only just made it back to the exit by 7pm? Yes, us and a lot of other people! It was nearly a sprint! Great to see so many french people there enjoying the birds.

We were later than we had planned but decided to press on with our plan to drive round Bordeaux to an aire at Chateau Gerbaud in St Emillion, a very famous wine producing area. Guess what we will be doing tomorrow!

We drove through a torrential downpour and seemingly under the arch of a rainbow, and arrived at dusk to find a ring of campers arranged in a circle reminiscent of wagons in an old Cowboy film! They were Dutch campers, and the owners were sat in the middle of the circle having a grand singalong. We interlopers parked around the edge with the Polish, French and Slovakian campers and got on with cooking a rather late dinner. All was silent by 10pm and we slept soundly, literally surrounded by vineyards!

As we approached the Pyrénées, we drove through increasingly remote areas, with ancient towns and villages perched impossibly on crags and ridgesAmazingly the roads were still 2 lanes and with a good surface. The scenery was lovely, and we stopped at the charming town of Ainsa for supplies. Tuesday is market day, and we bought some very fresh and tasty fruit and veg, as well as local sheep’s cheese.  The supermarket had a novel way of selling wine… Waitrose, take note! Then we climbed the hill to the charming old down, which dates from the 11th century. The doorways were particularly striking as many still had an original oak arched door. At the top of the town was a wonderfully simple stone church, with a very irregularly shaped cloister to fit the available shape of the hilltop.

We then climbed the tower for panoramic views all around. We were at the level of the bells, and rather hoped they didn’t chime while we were there!

Next we drove up the  valley. It went up a gorgeous gorge(!) but eventually the road got twister and narrower so we decided to turn back. High above us was  the striking sight of Griffon vultures circling on the thermal air currents.

After a picnic in a very scenic spot, we drove on towards the Ordesa National park. En route we parked in a viewpoint and walked along the old road down towards the river. It was so peaceful, with dramatic views at every turn.

Then we drove on to Thorla and camped at Rio Ara campsite which is excellent  at just 15 euros per night. Finally we climbed up the valley to visit the old town of Thorla. Very pretty again, but with a really Alpine feel…including geraniums in window boxes and the Hotel Eidelweiss!!

Tomorrow we must start early as we are planning a walk in the National Park.

September 9th 2015

Up early….and as we are camped at 3,414 feet above sea level it is just 6 degrees here this morning. Layers will be required as it should get up to 26 degrees by the afternoon!

We head for town to catch the bus… the only way to get into the Ordesa National Park. Lots of very keen hikers all planning routes of varying length and precariousness!

Our route was to follow the river up for a few miles to see some rather dramatic waterfalls. It was a wonderful walk. We climbed up to nearly 5000 feet, but the Pyrénées make a sheer wall in places, rising to over 9000 feet around us.

We also saw a few new birds, including a really pretty, and hard to find, wallcreeper.

As a reward for the early start and our walking exertions, we had booked a table for a late lunch at El Duende in Thorla. It was recommended to us as serving excellent local cuisine.

Wow, what a meal.

Olives and local meats as nibbles

Starters -Chris had risotto with scallops and prawns  Anne had puff pastry with goats cheese, foie and mushrooms

Mains – we both had confit of duck with a cherry sauce.

Dessert- Chris – Raspberry cheesecake with homemade icecream   Anne – Nut and caramel mousse with homemade icecream.

2 glasses of wine

2 coffees

Mineral water and bread

All superb. How much? £17 per person!!! Unbelievable.

We dragged our rather full selves back to Boris and decided to drive on to the next valley,  of the River Tena, to look for birds of prey. We were rewarded with more stunning views, plus sightings of red kite and Booted Eagle.

From this point, the day took a nose dive. We decided to continue the drive east towards Pamplona. This is well off the main tourist trail. We had got some places in mind for overnight stops, but on arrival they had disappeared. One location was now under a mountain of aggregate where a new motorway is being built.  The excavations for the motorway are immense and are making a real scar across the landscape. We drove on, and as it started to get dark we were despairing of finding a place. Eventually I located a site in Lumbier, a place where we had earned a possible walk, so we headed there. There are only a few other people here but it is peaceful and we can stop for the night!

After our great night’s sleep, we started the day on the beach paddling in the Mediterranean Sea… Chris with mug of tea in hand!

Then,  we took advantage of the very posh showers, and headed on our way, south to the city of  Tarragona.

We had been told that parking with a campervan was nearly impossible in Tarragona, and so it seemed to be, but then we found the new promenade stretching nearly a mile and with free parking all along it! Perfect. A rare pic of me, on the prom in Tarragona!

Although the city has been rather spoilt by having a large commercial port, and lots of development, our reason for visiting was to see the Roman heritage there. This was an exceptionally important roman port called Tarraco, and amongst the many antiquities here, there is a really well preserved amphitheatre, right by the sea.

They are also in the process of excavating a recently discovered Chariot race course! The old town is fascinating, and that too contains vestiges of the Roman city. This wall is in a town square…

Also in the old town is the Cathedral of Aragon (yes it is the place Henry VIII’s first wife Katherine came from!) dating from the 12th century and with some beautiful Mediaeval wall paintings.

Then, back into Boris and another 80 kms south to the Ebro Delta. This is a large area of flat land built up where Spain’s longest river, the Ebro, meets the Mediterranean, and deposits silt.

The area is a nature paradise, especially for birds. The town of Ampollo is at the start of the delta, and we just happened to arrive here at 1.30 on Sunday. hmmmm…lunchtime, and I just happened to have the name of a seafood restaurant that was very reasonable but great. La Barraca. Would they have a table left?  NO! Disaster.

But they took pity on us, and said that if we didn’t mind sitting in the sun, they would get a table and chairs. We donned sunhats and sunglasses and said “yes please!”  It was right by the beach, and the food was great. We were adventurous and tried local dishes as starters. I had cuttlefish in garlic butter, and Chris had raw cod with a tomato and onion salad. Both were delicious. For the main course, we couldn’t resist the local paella!

As a celebration (I’m not sure what of!), I decided to have a Sangria. It was very reasonably priced and tasted lovely, but quite inocuous. Well, I don’t know what was in it, but I was quite giggly for a few hours…a very rare occurrence for me! Chris did stop me singing in the bird reserve!

Then we drove onto the delta. Miles and miles of flat fields with little thatched farmer’s and fisherman’s cottages dotted around. The main crop here is rice! There  are paddy fields everywhere. The rice was nearly ready for harvesting.

There were lots of tracks you could follow, and lagoons with hides, but we had hardly been driving for more than a few minutes when the birdlife erupted around us. A flock of glossy Ibis took off, there were egrets everywhere, and a Squacco Heron let us drive right up next to him!

We spent the rest of the day mooching around this beautiful place, then found a free aire on the outskirts of a village. We had settled down to eat supper as the sun was setting over the paddy fields, when Boris was surrounded by bats. At least 3 different varieties and they entertained us for nearly an hour with their aerial gymnastics. We slept brilliantly, and set off early the next morning to see the other side of the Delta.

Monday September 7th

We spent the morning driving to different lagoons and marvelling at the sheer numbers of birds here… and this is the quiet time of year. It reminded us a lot of birdwatching in the Vendee in France, or even lovely Norfolk… except it was 25 degrees C and we were wearing shorts! We also took Boris off~roading and drove along a 7km sandbar to the salt pans at the end. Highlights of the morning were flamingoes and lots of waders everywhere. After a quick lunch in the car park at Poble Nou we sadly left the Delta, and at the same time said goodbye to the Mediterranean Sea, as we started to head north for our return to England.

We decided to press on and drove about 200 kms across the plains where fruit trees = peaches, olives, nectarines, figs, greengages and almonds were growing prolifically. Then the road started to climb and we were in the hills  which are the foothills of the Pyrenees. We stopped at an aire in the lovely village of San Esteban de Litera.

It was beautifully set out, with all the amenities and a stunning view. We were right under a main migration route for birds flying from Northern Europe to Africa, and there was a steady stream of birds, mainly swallows, heading south. we wondered if any of them had come from the UK! Best of all, we sat and watched about 50 Bee eaters fly down to roost in a tree next to the aire. Another magical moment.

Friday September 4th

I woke up early and my first thought was the washing! Luckily it had remained ant free, but was not quite dry, so we decided to do all the jobs we need to do when on campsites…empty, clean and refill the loo,  empty our grey water tank; top up with fresh water and give the carpet a sweep. Then we walked down into Calella de Palafrugell and found 2 delightful coves. Nice enough to swim… anyone else would have been in like a shot, but this is Anne and Chris! We then found the coastal footpath – the Cami Ronda – and walked a few miles south,  passing really stunning rocky cliff scenery and clear blue water in sandy coves. They had even cut tunnels in the cliffs for the footpath! Continue reading “9. Costa Brava…and Birds galore!! Llafranc to Tarragona” →