WEEK FIVE

We slowed down (a little) this week as we hopped our way down the western coast of France. With no real destinations in mind, we decided to just pick a city on google maps that isn’t too far away and set off.

We left Mont Saint Michel at midday on Monday and headed towards Nantes. We found a camping spot on iOverlander in Bouin which took us down tiny dirt roads and past fields of crops before stopping on a desolate road, on a patch of dust, overlooking mud flats.

We saw a grand total of two other people after pulling up so our only company was the birds, bugs and total silence. Wouldn’t recommend or stay here again but hey, you can’t win them all.

Next destination pick was La Rochelle, and we happened to choose a campsite on a little isle off the coast (cost €16 to cross the bridge). Île de Ré was exactly what we needed and what we least expected.

We stayed at Les Varennes for 2 nights (€27 per night with full campsite facilities) and it was perfect… 300m walk from the beach through salt bush, two pools, warm weather and we were set.

We were sad to say goodbye to this unexpected slice of heaven, so made sure we stuck to the coast and hit another jackpot at Messanges. A little parking lot on the edge of a beach quite similar to home (i.e. hello waves).

Enroute to Messanges we stopped in at Bordeaux and found a super old but trendy city. Driving into the city left a lot to be desired but once in the centre, you could wind your way through the alleys with cafes and shops galore. One of our favourite things about Europe is town squares lined with cafes all gravitating towards a ridiculously old and medieval cathedral and Bordeaux did not disappoint.

The French government operates ‘Aires’ all over France in ideal locations with minimal facilities but for minimal prices. We stayed at Messages Plage (Beach) carpark for 2 nights – the first night was completely free as the offical Aires hadn’t opened yet, the second night was €10.80 as the Aires had opened and camping for free was now forbidden. Facilities provided in the Aires include toilets, WIFI, rubbish disposal and fresh water (plus dumping stations for grey water). And the local supermarket had ice CUBES which have been so hard to come by.

In addition to the Aires facilities, the beach also had a kiosk with fresh water showers and a restaurant. We could’ve spent a month here and couldn’t recommend it enough.

After stocking up on ice, we farewelled Messanges (on a gloomy day) and headed further south to the Pyrenees. From a quick google search, we chose to stay at Camping La Hounta in Sassis (€15 plus €1 per device for 24 hours of wifi) which turned out to be pretty central.

In the reception lobby we picked up a brochure that had info on a ton of different hikes but the rain persisted all afternoon so instead of walking we caught up on The Walking Dead instead (I’m sure there is a joke there somewhere).

Sunday morning came around with a light fog and sprinkle of rain but we packed up and headed to Garvarnie regardless.

The Cirque de Garvarnie is a 3-4hr hike through the village, past the river, up the mountain shadowed by pine trees, along (and sometimes under) the rocky cliff edge, under countless waterfalls plus one sketchy river crossing to reach the MOTHER of waterfalls (and cold beer).

The scenery in the Pyrenees is incredibly amazing and diverse and nothing beat the colour and clarity of the fresh mountain water. Highly recommend to anyone and wish we could have had a few more days to explore.

On our way back down the mountain, an incredibly loud hissing noise started out of nowhere and poor little Peg had her first boo boo. The valve on the back right tyre had somehow cracked and air was pissing out at an alarming rate.

Unfortunately for us, it was a Sunday and we were halfway up a mountain only accessible by tiny, winding roads. So, Jack went hillbilly and jammed a small rock and a bunch of tape into the space to stop the airflow and keep everything in place until we reached the first town we saw. What followed was a stressful drive down a mountain but for the most part, crisis adverted.

Naturally, nothing was open on a Sunday afternoon so we had to stay the night (we were planning on making the trek through to Andorra). We stayed at Camping Toy caravan park in Luz-St-Sauveur for €15 with the intention of visiting the local mechanic first thing in the morning. Given it had been a long day we treated ourselves to dinner, being two bottles of wine, chips and chocolate.

Until Week Six. Au Revoir x