As we descended from the
Haute-Loire and headed in a north-easterly direction towards Cuisery, we
realised that we’d be able to continue our homage to see another of M. Perdu’s
moorings by taking a ‘small detour’ when we left the town – more of which
later!
As we left the hills behind
us, and the temperatures settled back into their now normal low 30s, we
benefitted from a stretch of free autoroute (A77) that meant we arrived at
Cuisery with enough time to pitch up and then explore the town. Having both
enjoyed a wander around Hay-on-Wye and its bookshops many years ago in England,
we were aware that we’d need sufficient time to wander and do it justice…
The site was an interesting
one (another Campercontact find), sited right alongside the river Seille, with
a short run of public moorings where M. Perdu would have tied up. No sign of
any Dutch barges or Lulu lookalikes though, just a selection of leisure boats
enjoying the evening sun as we nabbed a pitch right by the tow-path.
The site, whilst small, had
a little pool to cool off in (of course we did) and a small bistro that
specialised in frogs’ legs (we didn’t!)
It also hosted a charming older Frenchman, who dropped by to offer his
compliments to Mrs B, whilst Mr B was in the van getting ready, putting a smile
on her face and a spring in her step as we headed into the village!
The town (a short walk up
the hill) turned out to be a little bit smaller than we had expected – and the
‘book town’ epithet turned out to be more of a 1990s local authority attempt at
marketing to try and keep the high street alive! Had we arrived on one of the
days that the book shops were actually open, we’d probably have enjoyed it a
bit more – but it made a pleasant enough wander as the skies filled in.
We had thought we might find
somewhere to have dinner, but along with the closed bookshops, the town had
clearly closed early to watch France play Belgium in the World Cup. So, what
better place to have dinner and listen to the excitement of France win, than
back on our pitch! Compared to other times we have been on French campsites
during a major football tournament, the evening passed relatively quietly and
before long we were tucked up, with a starry sky replacing the earlier cloud.
As we left the next morning,
we spotted an info board that explained that the campsite and moorings had
benefitted from recent updating, funded by the local authority and the EU, with
public access to the water and riverside – which explained the pool, bistro and
pretty swish ablution block!
With the temperatures set to
rise (again!) we made an early start for our ‘small detour’ to another place of
significance for M. Perdu; the little village of Apremont-sur-Allier, where
Lulu had been tied up for the night on a bend in the river.
Well, this all seemed
straightforward as followed the route on our (so far) reliable 2013 AA road
atlas of France. We were heading north past Nevers so it looked to be a short
hop across from the N7.
Except, as we got to the bit
where the road crosses the regional boundary line (purple on the map) the road
just stopped in a dead end L. Maybe a result of
some inter-regional disagreement, or just poor mapping by the AA – either way
in meant we had to back track and head north and then south to get to our
destination!
By the time we arrived, the
clouds had as well – and to add insult to injury, no vehicles were allowed into
the village unless you were a resident! So, taking advantage of the nicely
manicured grass just outside the boundary line of the village, we parked up and
had a picnic before joining the many tourists who were also here to admire the
village (more for its choclolate-box-tweeness than the antics of M. Perdu we
guessed!).
As if prompted by the
historic outdoor laundry opposite, Mr B went into cleaning mode, taking
advantage of the cloud cover to get our telescopic ladder out to get up on the
roof and clean the solar panels. He’d noticed they’d acquired a lovely brown
patina over the course of the trip, and that solar output was lower than normal
in bright sun, and sure enough, after two washes and rinses, output was back to
normal – a useful reminder of the importance of solar panel maintenance when
you need to rely on them!
The village was more
interesting for us for the location of the fictional berthing, even if
currently home to a slightly smaller boat than Lulu…
…than the assortment of
mediaeval buildings, now owned by a dwindling population of under 100. It must
be an odd place to live – beautiful homes and surroundings – but with lots of
tourists wandering around for much of the year. Still, we enjoyed it and it was
easy to see why it was one of the ‘most beautiful villages in France.’
After our less than
successful route planning to get us to the village, we were pleased that we
would benefit from rejoining the free bit of the A77 until we headed off
towards Orleans and the banks of the Loire.
We could see on the
Campercontact app that there were not only loads of campsites en-route, but
that many of them were on, or close to, the river itself. And so, with the clever
knack that Mrs B has developed of choosing the ‘right site for the night’ we
drove into the municipal camping ground of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, with a free
choice of pitch enabling us to park up along the river bank and enjoy the
evening sun that had greeted us as we started to track the Loire westwards.
The site is lovely, with
modern amenities and a very relaxed vibe and when we’re back in this area (as
we’re sure we will be) it would make a good base to explore, or just unwind for
a while. Especially as the first night has an ‘introductory’ price of jut €9
for a camper and two people!
Proximity to the river meant
we enjoyed a coolish night after we’d had dinner (and England went out of the
World Cup to Croatia without a peep from our fellow campers!) and we set to the
task of planning the final leg of this trip up to Dieppe the next day – an easy
drive with plenty of time to do the obligatory goodies-shop of food and wine.
And it even looked as if we might buck the trend of recent years and arrive into
Dieppe in sunshine!
S&J
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