3rd December
We woke up early to say goodbye to Sebastian and Liselotte before they went to school. It was a sad goodbye, especially for the kids who didn't want us to leave. Eventually we dragged ourselves away and set off towards France. I quite fancied exploring the Rhein Valley and the mountains in this area but Sebastian had told us snow was expected tomorrow, so to keep on the safe side we thought we better just start heading south. The drive wasn't particularly interesting and some diversions and avoiding the toll roads meant it felt long and tiring. The good news, however, was that the sun was shining and France is very beautiful. On the internet I had found loads of options for free camping in Aires across France. We followed the satnav to the tiny village of Nancray (east of Besancon) and were extremely happy to find a grassy car park on top of a hill, over looking rolling green hills and the sun set. We made friends with some gorgeous horses in the next field - it was really stunning. We put out our chairs (for the first time in ages) and had a beer whilst enjoying the view, wondering why we'd ever paid for a campsite! When it got dark we had some dinner in the van and I put up a few christmas decorations that we'd made in Germany. It was a very cold night and we slept in all our clothes!
Crossing The Rhein river. ^
Beautiful camping spot. ^
WEX dressed up for Christmas. ^
4th December
Woke up to an amazing sunny morning. Everything was glittering with frost and we opened up our back doors to take in the freezing fresh air. After drinking coffee in bed and de-frosting WEX we set off again. We planned to drive another 250km or so today. The drive was long but enjoyable - passing some very pretty little French villages. We also passed through a beautiful wine growing region (near Beaune) where we stopped for lunch. In the afternoon we found another free camp, by a canal, in the town of Beaulon. We weren't sure if it was an 'Aire' or a picnic spot but we are so out of season now we thought it didn't really matter. It was another beautiful sunny evening and we enjoyed a beer and went for a sunset stroll along the canal. For dinner Pete cooked a yummy stew outside on the picnic bench (can't believe we're cooking outside in December!)
Opening all the doors to the gorgeous morning view. ^
Scenic drive, lunch time, passing The Somme river. ^
Another perfect camping spot. ^
5th December
Another beautiful frosty morning. The obvious problem with these lovely cold mornings is that WEX freezes and it takes ages to heat him up and scrape the ice off. But not only does he freeze on the outside, he also freezes on the inside from all the condensation! Anyway, we set off again heading south-west, passing Clermont-Ferrand and going over a mountain about 1000 metres high. Up here we found the snow again and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the snowy mountain tops. We passed through some clouds and some very foggy areas, but in general it was yet another day of blue skies. We wound down the otherside of the mountain, coming out of the snow, and stopped in an 'Aire' in the town of Meymac. We think in season it was a proper campsite, but now there was no one there to take any money and we had a stroll around the grassy hill. Another lovely evening (for free!)
View over Clermont-Ferrand. ^
'Road' photos through the snowy mountains! ^
Coffee stop. ^
Camping. ^
6th December
We had a very early start this morning and unfortunetly the sky had clouded over. The drive wasn't so long today - only a couple of hours - and by about 11 o'clock we'd arrived at Rocamadour. We entered the town from the top of a mountain and had an early lunch over looking it. The fog added to the Rivendale/Lord of the Rings vibe of this incredible town built into the cliff face. After we'd eaten we made our way down the road and found an empty car park, next to a frozen river, looking up at Rocamadour, and stopped. As the place seemed almost deserted we thought we could get away with staying there one night. We wrapped up and headed out into the drizzle to explore the town. I have visited here as a kid with my family and normally it is a very touristy town - but as we climbed the steps up the cliff and walked down the main street we only saw two or three other people and all the shops were shut. It definitely felt like a elf village - a much nicer way to see it we think! We followed the road up to the church, where we saw a few nuns on pilgrimages here. When we arrived in the church, the organ was being played and a soprano singing along - we assume they were practicing for a christmas performance. It was lovely and we sat and listened for a while, with all the nuns. After another stroll around - it is a very small village - we went back to the van and spent the afternoon reading. For dinner we had a delicious veg curry and a glass of French red wine.
Driving through pretty villages. ^
Our scenic lunch with view of Rocamadour (we could see a bit more than in the photo!) ^
What Rocamadour looks like without mist. ^
Camping. ^
WEX. ^
Nuns on a pilgrimage. ^
Around the pretty village. ^
Posh dinner. ^
7th December
It was a foggy morning but the sun powered through and we had another sunny day - we can't believe our luck. We drove about an hour south, on small roads, towards The Lot river. We passed tiny, picturesque hamlets and then got to St Gery - where there was a camping 'Aire' - and found it was an ugly modern village. The camping spot was quite good though (there were toilets!) and was surrounded by rocky hills, which were nice. We had lunch and hung out in the sun for a while and then went out for a walk. We went down to see the river before walking to the end of town, where we found there was a very pretty old area and an old, abandoned railway line. After this we walked back into the village and found a small road going up the mountain toward a 'view point'. It was a long walk and it was really hot - like a summers day! The view from the top was amazing and we sat up there for a while, looking down onto the river. Back down at the van we played some frisbee in the setting sun. A lovely day. Before we ate dinner we decided that we didn't want to camp in St Gery. It was Saturday evening and lots of people were coming and going, so we moved along the road to the village of Vers. The 'Aire' here was meant to cost a few euros, but no one came to ask for money and the place was much prettier and more private. We another cosy night in the van.
Drive through Vers. ^
Lunch in St Gery. ^
Walking along The Lot river, around St Gery and up the hills. ^
Free camp five in Vers. ^
8th December
An uneventful drive on a foggy, grey day down to the town of Grisolles (about 30km north of Toulouse.) We have been very lucky with all our camping spots this week, but today our luck ran out. We got to a horrible car park - surprisingly with several other campers parked - which was chocka-block on Saturday afternoon. We pulled in and then decided to check for an 'Aire' in the next town - thinking nothing could be worse than this. Annoyingly the 'Aire' we got to had been over taken by unfriendly looking gypsies, so we drove back and settled in our grim car park. I cleaned out the van a bit and we spent the day reading and hanging out.
A not so nice free camp in the drizzle. ^
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