Early spring holiday 2024, 1 March

Mas Alart, Pyrenees Catalanes.

Although we both love Carro, it was arguably a mistake going there this time; with hindsight, we should have gone to somewhere in the Camargue, like Aigues-Mortes or Le Grau du Roi (so impossible to pronounce if you have a non-rhotic accent, as I have), as we wanted to drive through the Camargue, but we needed to get here by 4:00 pm as we had booked a gastronomy tour. 

So we got up earlier than usual and were away by 09:00, even after using the services. We asked the sat-nav to take us to the Bac de Baccares, which is the big ferry across the mouth of the Rhone - sadly, we were one of the last machines on and couldn't see anything, but still a pleasant experience.

We drove up through the Camargue, and I cut off a fair chunk of motorway by telling it to go to a supermarket in St-Gillies - not that I wanted much, but we needed diesel and I decided to buy (rather nasty) pre-made sandwiches for lunch to save time.

We reached the motorway around Montpellier, and then it was rather dull from then on - we stopped briefly to eat our sandwiches - until we got to the outskirts of Perpignan, where the motorway was closed in one direction (we are not sure why, but we think road works) and caused a massive traffic jam and the usual very slow traffic and roundabout after roundabout to Mas Alart. M Belmas, the proprietor, says they are talking of building a fast road from Perpignan to the coast, which will improve matters. 

We have been here many times before, but this time we booked a "gastronomy tour", which was fabulous. M Belmas told us about his farm - 15 hectares of mostly vines, but also olives and almonds - which has been organic since 2022. He is the fifth generation to farm here, and hopes his son will eventually take over.

(sideways photo again, sorry; better ones on Facebook) 

He prunes the vines by hand, which he says gives better results, but the harvesting is done by machine. He misses the days when he employed a gang of students and casuals to harvest the grapes, but he says the machine paid for itself in two years.

He showed us round the pressing and storing rooms - only one of the very old storage tanks is still in use, and he and his son are trying to turn some of them into storage cupboards and things. We saw the filtration machine and the bottling machine, waiting to start bottling around the end of the month, and next door we saw the labelling machine, which is new. He had to buy a new one because the old one was beyond repair. It happens!

Then we went into the shop and tasted a great many of the wines - we had already tasted one rosé that he had not yet bottled (last year's, in bottles, was nicer, I thought), and had some snacks which included a tortilla (which he admitted that he had not made himself), local ham on toast, local goats' cheese toasted and drizzled with local honey (this was absolutely delicious), olives and various bits of sausage.

Also some local biscuity things that we haven't tried yet, but he gave us the leftovers of the feast to take away.

We also bought a dozen bottles of wine - three red for the Swan Whisperer, three each of two different whites for us both, and three of his latest offering, a sparkling white (which is scrummy!). I also bought a bottle of their red wine vinegar, which I love, and should probably have bought some olive oil as well, but didn't. 

Sadly, he won't be able to bottle nearly as much wine from last year's harvest as usual, as it has been so dry. They are desperate for rain - I see some is forecast for Sunday, and hope they get it. In other parts of France, as in the UK, they have had too much, but not here. 

Early spring holiday 2024, 29 February

Carro, Martigues.

Slept appallingly badly for some reason - up every hour to make myself comfortable! I normally have to do so once, or perhaps twice, but this was five or six times! Net result was that I have spent most of today feeling very "blah" and not really wanting to do anything.

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk after breakfast, but I didn't go with him, although I should quite like to have seen the Stations of the Cross at the place we were parked up, but it was all uphill and I couldn't face it.

We stopped on the outskirts of Nimes for me to shop, and then drove on. The Swan Whisperer regretted not having taken the motorway round Nimes, as it was roundabout after roundabout, all the commercial and artisan centres. I said he couldn't grumble because it had been his choice!

Anyway, the rest of the drive was very pretty until we got to the outskirts of Marseille, which is not nice! However, this aire at Carro, which we have been to several times before, is lovely, although as usual there was only one place left overlooking the sea, and that only small enough for a camper van - too small for us. But we are looking over the harbour and the lifeboat station.

I did go for a leg-stretch, but the SW has gone for a very long walk. I am hoping to get a decent night's sleep tonight, as tomorrow will be busy. I do hope the weather stays as glorious as it has been all day - bright sunshine, and warm-ish, although it is cooling down now. But it is also, alas, clouding over. 

Early spring holiday 2024, 28 February

Fontanès, Gard.

What a difference a day makes. This morning, after breakfast, we walked around La Cavalerie. I didn't take many photos, (and this one shows my extremely juvenile sense of humour, especially as there were public loos in the street)

as I did so last time we were here, which I think was a year ago. It was a very raw day, and somehow whichever way we went the wind was in our faces!

When we got back to the WoMo, the Swan Whisperer had some coffee and then walked up to a local dolmen he wanted to see. We used the services before heading off, as we will not have another chance for a couple of days now, we don't think.

Our drive was lovely, along the D999, which is such a pretty road - very hilly and hairpinny, and, if I am honest, a little frightening in places, but not unbearably so, and the views were absolutely spectacular. Plus the road ran through some wonderful little towns and villages.

One of the few signs of the farmers' protests here is that many - not all, but probably over half - the village name-boards have been turned upside-down! Not sloppily, but unscrewed and rescrewed so you would think they were meant to be like that! Wonderful. I expect in some villages the mayor has insisted they be returned to normal, and perhaps in some they haven't bothered in the first place, but an awful lot are like that. Not a thing I can really take a picture of, though, as we only really see them when driving through. If I do get a chance, I will.

We stopped once in a town called Ganges as we needed a new cube of gas, and a little further out of town in a lay-by to have lunch. Then we left the D999 to drive to this rather lovely parking-spot outside a monastery. They charge you €10 for the night, but it is very peaceful. There is a walk up to a statue of the Virgin, which the SW did, but he says it is very steep, so I don't suppose I shall go further than the Stations of the Cross tomorrow. We shall see.

It also depends on what the weather is doing - the sun came out in the late morning, and it has been really lovely ever since. This being the South of France, the ground looks very dry, even though there has probably been a great deal of rain. I hope the fine weather lasts! 

Early spring holiday 2024, 27 February

La Cavalerie, Cevennes

Well, we had no joy trying to cast to the television, so ended up watching on my tablet instead. So annoying - I think we might have been able to have done it had I been on data, but since there was, for once, a good WiFi signal, I didn't want to use it. Very frustraterating!

This morning, it was wet. Very wet. The Swan Whisperer did go for a run, but not a long one. Today's drive was down the A75, but really, not the nicest of days for it. We stopped at an Intermarché in Brassac-les-Mines where I shopped and the SW made his coffee, and then drove sadly over the first pass where there was simply nothing to see except fog! However, it did clear up a bit after that, but the A75 is a road designed for bright sunshine, which we did not have.

We stopped at the Garabit aire to look at the viaduct and were lucky enough to see a goods train going over it,

and while we were there bought huge sandwiches (Cantal and salad) and two slices of tartes aux myrtilles for lunch. With hindsight, one of each would have been enough!

We used the facilities there, but I think I am getting too old to use a Turkish-style loo when they don't provide grab handles! It wasn't quite lunchtime, so we drove on another half an hour to another aire where we stopped to eat, and the SW made himself some more coffee. I fell asleep, and was afraid I'd missed the Millau Viaduct, but no, there it was (although I fell asleep again half-way over; I didn't take any photos of it today).

Our stop for the night, La Cavalerie, is off the next exit after the viaduct, and I was still very sleepy when we got here, so dozed off. I must have needed it! I think the SW did, too - he didn't go out for a walk or anything.

Of course, after such a huge lunch we weren't hungry for supper, so just had rolls and an egg, followed by cherry yoghurt (I am really not fond of this - had one to see if I liked it, but didn't!). There is no Wi-Fi here, alas, although there should be, but at least we are on electricity and can stay warm. All the same, as I am having a tired day, I think I'll go to bed very soon and be comfortable.

I just hope the rain will be away in the morning so we can enjoy a walk round La Cavalerie, which we remember from last time is a lovely village!