The drive up to Bonnieux was
a hot one, high 30s outside and touching 40 in the cab, so it was no surprise
that before long we had pulled over to have a languid lunch in a shady bit of
woodland – complete with nearby stream – which would have provided a great
opportunity for a cooling dip – had there been any water in it!
As we arrived at the
outskirts of Bonnieux, nestled between the Grand and the Petit Luberon like a
layered cake, we were happy to see that it would be easy for us to park up close
to the top of the village and walk into the picturesque old town, entering by
one of the mediaeval gates.
Sitting with a commanding
view over the plains that stretch out in front of the Luberon hills, we were
grateful that some of the cedar trees that formed a nearby forest (having been
imported in the Napoleonic era from north Africa) had found their way into the village
and provided some much needed shade!
As we were enjoying the
shade and views, a young guitarist started playing nearby and it was only too
easy to imagine ourselves back in the day, serenaded by our very own minstrel.
Not only is the village set on a hill, but much of the internal layout makes
good use of the slopes, and as we wandered around, it was easy to see why M.
Perdu had made reference to the ‘strong calves’ of the village girls!
The village had a number of
quirky art/artisan shops and interesting places to eat and drink, and had we
planned on staying longer, we would have been spoilt for choice. Mrs B also
picked up a leaflet for a ‘lavender festival’ in the nearby town of Apt that we
thought we might just squeeze into our route (see later entry!).
As it was, after we’d taken
a stroll around the village cemetery with its interesting mausoleums and
amazing views for the dead (as is customary), we decided to move on to the
nearby village of Lacoste, where, not only would we find a château that once
belonged to the Marquis de Sade, but according to our Campercontact app, we
night also find a place to free camp for the night…
Lacoste was a very short
drive indeed and before long we could see the château at the top of the
village.
And the app hadn’t lied,
there was indeed a place to park up for the night, in a lovely wooded car park just
down the hill from the village – perfect!
Featuring in de Sade’s novel
‘The 120 days of Sodom’ (Château de Silling) he lived there for some of the
late 1700s, with the château later vandalised and largely destroyed during the
French revolution. With restoration started in the 1950s, it’s now owned by
Pierre Cardin as his second residence, whilst he continues its restoration.
His ownership no doubt helps
the village’s current main focus, which seems to be mainly high-end artisan
shops and B&Bs. We arrived just as the shops were closing, but in time to
see one of the local hat makers using the village’s picturesque backdrop to
take a few promotional selfies!
The Château is well worth
the climb up the slippery cobbles (there is even a railing, it's that steep!)
with some interesting art installations and amazing views from the top. It’s
possible to visit the Château, but not for us unfortunately as it was locked up
– with who knows what going on inside…
And so we returned to our
woodland glade as the sun was setting, deciding as it was so quiet and peaceful
that we’d set up the chairs and table and have a relaxed dinner. And, as if to
add to the vibe, from not far away, we were serenaded by a couple of
singer/guitarists playing a selection of all our favourite US west coast tunes
from the 70s! Feeling more than a little smug that we’d nabbed this perfect
little spot for the night, we turned in and settled down to watch the stars
shining in the clear sky through the skylight and the tree canopy…
Until, pretty much bang on
midnight, the same venue that had provided our west-coast balladeers earlier,
suddenly switched gear and we were treated to three hours of a series of live
bands (of varying calibre and volume) knocking out a succession of our not-so-favourite
tunes (AC/DC’s Highway to Hell and Plastic Bertrand’s ‘Ça plane pour moi’ being
memorable examples!). So, by 0315, as the musicians got drunker and it was
clear that the party would probably continue until dawn, we decided that
everything was ‘not groovy’ as M. Bertrand had been singing, so we upped sticks
and drove off to find another venue for what was left for the night – hopefully
without disturbance!
Courtesy of Campercontact
again, we drove about half an hour in the direction we knew we would be heading
for the lavender festival, to the small hilltop village of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt,
where we had a very relaxed, and quiet, if short, rest-of-night!
We woke in the morning to
stunning views from our window, and a quick trip into the village for bread and
croissants (complete with Sunday morning queue!) quickly revealed that it would
be worth an unplanned wander around.
With the site occupied since
the times of the independent Gauls before the Roman occupation, the village now
mainly comprises a small mix of mediaeval and mainly later buildings, managing
to produce that classic Provençal charm we were beginning to love. And like
many of these small villages in the south, it had its memorial to resistance
fighters, in this case murdered by the Nazi SS in 1944 as they hunted
resistance fighters and their supporters.
Following a quick breakfast
(where we’d had to move the van to create some shade in the rising heat!) we
headed off to the town of Apt and its ‘fête de la lavande’ that Mrs B had
picked up a flyer for – and a stop over in the municipal campsite.
S&J
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