After a warm and smiley welcome from the owner of Camping du Lac, think a French and sexier version of ‘Big’ in Sex and the City, and who was very, very patient with Mr B’s faltering French, we settled down to an early lunch. During our welcome chat, Monsieur Big had kindly pointed out that we could access the riverside walk via a campsite gate, advised that the walk was ‘long’ and that the chateau was closed on Mondays. I think our trips to Foix are hexed!
However, the sun was shining and the afternoon was free, so we headed Foix-wards. The first part of the walk along the riverbank was interesting and we saw a narrow stretch of land that belonged to someone with a penchant for making art out of a variety of discarded or otherwise acquired bits of recyclables. As well as a whole field full of bits of signage and who knows what, s/he had made this little balcony overlooking the Ariège river, complete with quotes… maybe Rose is a real person who has no words for what she sees…
After this brief moment of contemplation however, the rest of the walk turned into a bit of a slog along the man road and we began to wonder whether we’d have been better off on the bus – but then we’d have missed the homage to Rose!
Eventually we reached the outskirts of Foix, with the old centre situated on a rise the other side of the river.
We’d read of Foix in some of the books we took on one of our earlier trips that featured bits of the tragic history of the Cathars in the Occitan region during the Albigensian crusades in the 1200s. Our initial view certainly leant itself to that dark period in French history.
On crossing the river into the old quarter, we were surprised to find it very quiet, run down and pretty desolate. The castle and museum were, of course, closed, but nevertheless impressive close-up. We read later that Foix had seen its heyday in the 1400s and it might be fair to say that it seemed like it was still in decline. Maybe it would have come to life on a different day of the week – we’ll no doubt pass by again and it will be interesting if we are tempted to have another go – but not on a Monday!
Arriving back at camp and more than ready for our now customary afternoon tea, Mr B tackled the first of what we hope will be a small list of running repairs on Evie. We rely on our skylight blinds to keep insects and unwelcome light at night out and, not for the first time, one of the very fiddly bits of string that makes it all work had become detached.
This was the first time we’d had to do a repair on the road though and after much head scratching, cussing and experimentation, plus the addition of a small screw to replace a bit of broken plastic, it was up and running again. We would happily buy some new skylight inners if they were available, but as with so much camping gear, you have to buy the whole thing, including the Perspex skylight – so we’ll mend and make do for now!
After a suitably dark and insect free night we woke to lowering clouds and decided to head off in the almost certain knowledge that we’d be climbing the Pyrenees in the rain – again! But, as we left the lowlands and rain behind we saw that there was blue sky waiting higher up, and, aided by some new roads since we were last here, it wasn’t too long before we were on the switchback climb up to the Col de Puymorens, the old border between France and Spain (now a bit further on at Puigcerda). At 1915m high it’s a good test of driving and engine (over)heating – something we have got used to, as Evie’s temperature gauge climbed towards the red…
It was a reminder of how we used to freak out that the needle was always creeping towards the red no mater how gently we drove, not realising until we went over the Saint Gotthard pass in Switzerland some years back (slightly higher at 2106m) and the fan actually kicked in for the first time in all the years we’d been driving Evie, that Iveco engines are just designed like that! Some sort of clutch controlled fan activation magic we were told by much amused Iveco mechanics!
Pulling over to admire the view in the parking area at the top of the pass and to have a bite to eat, our lunch prep also gave us a great illustration of atmospheric pressure this high up and it also reminded us to open the portaloo very gently…!
After lunch we headed off towards blue skies and Spain, marvelling at the epic views and reliability of better weather on the other side of the mountains – again!
Our route down out of the Pyrenees on the Spanish side is another old favourite, heading west to La Seu d’Urgell and then south west towards Lleida. This stretch runs alongside a number of very impressive stretches of the Embalse de Rialb – a very long and winding reservoir. We usually do lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ on this stretch but this year there was hardly any water to be seen at all – apparently it’s less than 25% full, meaning that fire fighting planes that take water for forest fires can’t use it – a double whammy for the region.
This leg also relies on a series of impressive small ‘tunels’ in the rock, this year blighted by roadworks, so plenty of time to admire the scenery but a more tiring drive. In the past we’d have aimed for the free Aire in the town of Ascó, just off the road and close to a nuclear power plant on the river Ebro. It might sound a bit grim but it’s been a useful stopover before, albeit a bit road noisy. However this time we felt the need of a shower and a decent night’s sleep, so we decided to ring the changes and see whether our trusty ‘Park4Night’ App had anything to offer before we reached Lleida, and sure enough, it came up with a new site just off the C-12, a fabulous road that hugs the Ebro pretty much to the delta on the coast.
Camping D’Alòs de Balaguer in the village of the same name was described as ‘isolated… unfinished… and functional’ in the general info section of the App; not exactly enticing, but the score of 4.67 out of 5 was enough for us to give it a go. As we bumped our way across the unmade road and up the other side of the very grand entrance wall, we found it apparently deserted, definitely isolated and obviously unfinished with lots of plant and building materials scattered around.
But as we drove further in and up the terraced pitches, we could see someone and a dog sat outside the reception/bar area. Expecting a Català ‘tancat’ to tell us the site was closed after a hesitant ‘Bon dià’ from Mr B, he was pleased to hear a welcoming ‘yes we are open, park where you like’ in Castillian Spanish – which is just as well as he had used up 2/3s of his Català in that brief exchange!
Alina (one of the young owners) was incredibly friendly and chatty and after the formalities of registration were over (passports still required in Spain it seems) she very kindly brought us a gift of some fresh tomatoes from her allotment garden.
It turned out that we were the only campers on the site and although they do get busy with hikers and paraglider enthusiasts, tonight we would have the place to ourselves.
After dinner outside, complete with stunning views across the valley to the Serra del Montsec and its protected nature zone, we settled down to what we fully expected to be a peaceful night, happy in the knowledge that there would be no noisy campers – or guests at the bar, as Alina’s two visitors had left by the time darkness fell.
Gazing up at the stars (unusual to be able to do this on a Spanish site as they are usually very brightly lit) we drifted off into a peaceful slumber… until, at 11pm and every quarter hour thereafter, we were reminded of our religious shortcomings as the bell from the nearby village church chimed, and chimed, all night long. Usually Mr B can block out the sound of church bells, but somehow the clear and otherwise still mountain air seemed to accentuate their intrusiveness.
Making the morning tea with bleary eyes, Mr B asked Mrs B how she had slept… ‘What bells?’ came the reply…
Fortunately, it was Mrs B’s shift to drive the next leg, and tempted as he was to have a chat with one of the village’s 131 inhabitants to enquire why 15 minute reminders of the countdown to morning Mass were necessary, he dozed away happily as Mrs B negotiated the winding road back to the C-12 and the coast at the Ebro delta, where sunshine and sea awaited!
S&J
06.10.22
Glad to read all going well , keep them coming !! Xx
ReplyDeleteSo jealous of you too. Vicariously enjoying adventure like you did ours!
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