As we boarded the ferry in Newhaven behind a French campervan, it felt as though we were already abroad. This service has been run, financed and staffed by the French for some years now and we remain grateful for this route’s continued existence; 201 years and counting!
The feeling-French theme continued as we settled into our customary ‘first French supper’ in the dining room of the Seven Sisters, one of the two ferries that ply this route. This evening’s feast was ‘cou d’agneau braise, avec pommes de terre à l’ail’ – complemented of course by our usual shared mini bottle of red wine. It’s always a treat on this evening sailing to have a French cooked supper.
On arrival, we were more than a little apprehensive as we disembarked in the pouring rain (pretty much the norm for us!) as this would be the first time we had experienced the new EES (entry/exit system for non-EU nationals we had been reading so much about). However, with no digital fingerprinting/photo taking place, we were through faster than normal! The only bit of the EES system that did happen, was the absence of a date stamp, so we are now wondering how anyone is going to know how long we have been in the Schengen Area. At least that’s a problem we can kick down the road for a few weeks…
Auffay, our usual first free Aire stop for this ferry sailing, delivered as always, with our favourite spot just waiting for us in the driving rain. Still, we always say how cosy it is to settle into a warm van with rain pattering on the roof, so that’s what we did! Waking up, however, was a bit of a shock, as the temperature was cold enough for us to put the gas heating on, as the rain turned into hailstones, making more than a gentle pattering sound!
The drive south on our first full day was pretty typical for us. Not really a full day, as we seem to manage to depart no earlier than around 1100 whatever the weather! Luckily the drive was a mixture of sun, rain and more hail, with the varied conditions keeping us alert and engaged.
Our post-supermarket shop lunch stop delivered on our habitual clichés of baguette, paté, cheese and remoulade – complete with a gap in the rain for a sunny view from our dining room window…
We stuck to our normal approach to an overnight stop, waiting until about 1700 to see where we were, and what was within close distance for our onward journey the next day. Which is how we ended up in Vierzon again. It’s a classic staging post in terms of the different onward routes, and for us, a first in a good few years, by veering slightly eastwards, as we had made the momentous decision (informed to a large extent by the rubbish weather) of heading to Sérignan on the Med, one of our go-to places that we haven’t been to for at least three years and usually a reliable bet for some sunshine.
As we arrived at the Aire in Vierzon, we remembered that the best spots were in the access road adjacent to the nearby river Cher and weir, providing a calming and sleep inducing background noise. Except this time, as we pulled into the access road, we could see loads of campervans spread out in a line much closer to the river than we had been able to get to last time we were here. Mr B was convinced they must be on the other side of the river, but when he jumped out to look, he could see that they had all gained access vie a narrow ramp that we had previously thought was reserved for maintenance crews (the case last time we were here). So without further ado, we nipped up the ramp and joined the international mix of French, German, Dutch, Belgian and Swiss campers – in what turned out to be a much prettier and tranquil location!
We have no idea whether this is sanctioned or not – there is no mention of it on our Park4Night App – so only a revisit will tell!
Waking after a very calm, rushing water sound-assisted good night’s sleep, we had to switch the heating on – again – a very unusual event this far into the interior! Before long though the sun had made an appearance, so we decided to explore some of Vierzon whilst we could.
It’s a fascinating place, with a classic mix of very old architecture, well maintained public spaces, impressive memorials to both World Wars, and some shabby bits around the edges. We loved it enough that next time we are here, we may stay two nights, explore properly, and have dinner in a very interesting looking restaurant a short walk from the Aire.
For now though, with the clouds gathering, it was time to hit the road. Not without refuelling first – a mere €103 at €2.17 a litre. We had seen it as low as €2.09 and as much as €1.33, so it seemed reasonable enough and not that much difference in cost to at home.
Our next leg was a route we have not taken for a good few years, so much so that some of it seemed like a completely new adventure. The weather continued to tease us, with sun interspersed with more rain and of course, hail, helping to keep those nights nice and chilly!
After a quick tactics over afternoon tea talk, we decided to head for an Aire we had first stopped at in the days that local municipalities used to send people around in the mornings with a leather satchel to collect cash! Fully expecting to find payment machines instead, we were pleasantly surprised to find it’s now completely free, and very well organised with free water, as well as grey and black waste disposal points.
Saint-Éloy-les-Mines is an old coal and silver-lead town, situated on a large lake/Plan d’Eau, which the Aire backs onto. With the sun just about poking through the clouds, we had time for a wander around some of the lake, with loads of people setting up for what looked like a night fishing event.
The Aire was wonderfully dark, and peaceful, with no lighting at all – another thing we really enjoy at some of these stopovers. And, much to Mr B’s delight, not one of our fellow campervanners left their awning light on overnight either, something that he has a real thing about, especially when it would otherwise be a perfect dark sky. Not that there was much sky visible!
We woke to a now predictably cold morning, with the heating going on yet again and rain gently falling on the skylights. We’d agreed there was no rush to get across France, but the weather wasn’t encouraging us to linger either. So with nothing more planned than picking up the free A75 at Clermont-Ferrand and heading south towards the coast, we set off.
These free motorways make a great difference to the distance we travel in a day, as although we still only drive at 55/60 mph, it’s a continuous run. Which is how we found ourselves at a very scenic service station much further south in the Cévennes mountains for our afternoon tea-time tactics talk. These rest areas are often in spectacular locations, and this was no exception, with not only the views to the mountains, but an arboretum and ‘geopark’ full of different examples of local rock types!
We concentrated, however, on finding somewhere not too far away for our overnight stop. It’s pretty unusual for us to do a fourth night in a row on an Aire, but we both fancied the idea, given how much we’d enjoyed our free stops so far, of trying another. We’d literally just passed a turn off to a free Aire, and there were a few urban ones close by in nearby towns and villages. But Mr B clearly had a mountain bee in his bonnet and kept searching. Until he presented Mrs B with an interesting question; how do you fancy one at a wolf sanctuary, where previous campers had commented on being able to hear the wolves howling at night? Never one to swerve a challenge, Mrs B agreed and before long we were off the A75 and heading into the mountains to a small village called Saint-Léger-de-Peyre, where our free stop promised amazing views – and wolves!
Within the hour we were pulling in to a small gravel Aire on the land of the wolf sanctuary, Les Loups du Gévaudan. The brainchild of a passionate naturalist, Gérard Ménatory, the reserve/park, was initially inspired by his rescuing of two Polish wolves in the 60s, leading to him eventually setting up the current semi-wild habitat in 1985.
We knew none of this at the point we pulled in however, when we were faced with a totally non wolf related problem, more a cultural/stereotyping one, as our ears were immediately assailed by some very good, but very loud techno music coming from what appeared to be a mobile épicerie, parked a little into the woods with a huge, black wolf-like dog on guard. We take some pride in thinking we are broad minded, welcoming all approaches to travelling in vans etc etc, but having recently seen the amazing film Sirāt that featured van-based ravers, we were just a little anxious that the night might be a long, and noisy one – and this van was clearly equipped with a banging sound system rather than épicerie goods!
After a quick chat we both agreed that we would take our ‘Marquis de Sade’ approach. A few years back, after visiting one of his residences and having settled into a nearby free Aire, we had been awoken by a very loud party nearby, and driven off at 3am when our tolerance levels reached critical! (In the end, we were broken by Plastic Bertrand’s ‘Ça plane pour moi’ on repeat…)
With just one other non-techno playing van parked up, we focussed on sitting it out by admiring the views and the amazing number of large raptors we could see circling overhead (which we quickly ID’d as vultures, likely from the nearby vulture sanctuary) and had a tactics talk….
When suddenly, the throaty roar of a much travelled Mercedes 608 former épicerie van prompted a sigh of relief, as the potential ravers drove off, leaving us in splendid silence, until the wolves started…
Which they didn’t! We had a very quiet night with an amazing sky, unworried about raves.... Peaceful but cold that is, as the temperatures plummeted to 2c outside, and only 9c in Evie by dawn, when Mr B made a heroic dash to put the heating on before heading back to the warmth of the duvet. A lightweight duvet with extra blankets, having decided that we would leave the UK with a 7.5 duvet on the bed, and no hot water bottles either! Doh! We hadn’t considered that it might get a bit chillier than we were already used to at 1100m in mid May! A lesson learned for next time…
Impressed at the generosity of M. Ménatory in allowing campervans to stay for free (up to 48 hours) we did the decent thing and adjusted our plans by fitting in a visit to see his wolves. From a long history of rescuing a variety of wolves from across the world, the current set up blends teaching about wolves with an opportunity to see them almost as they would live in the wild. Up to a point, we thought, as we observed the wolves rushing out of the woods to be fed food pellets as part of an organised tour… And although they are fed raw meat three times a week (a regular draw for the vultures as well apparently) it would be fair to assume that the impressive high fences, and double prison style entry/exit gates for staff are a sign of the potential danger they still present to local farmers. Suffice to say that when we did hear them howling, we were glad they were the other side of that big fence!
These photos don’t really do the setting, or the animals justice, as the cold, dull weather gave a flat light to everything. But at least this was our first day without hailstorms, and with the weather looking better in the south, we headed off towards Sérignan; long overdue a revisit!
S&J 21.05.26
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