Spring Holiday 2025, Monday 24 March

Niort, Deux-Sèvres, France

If there is one thing you can practically guarantee on one of our holidays is that at least once we will end up not staying where we had planned! That, of course, is the joy of the motor home - one can make plans on the fly.

This morning we went for our long-delayed walk around Cartelègue, which wasn't as interesting as it might have been. There were the usual things - primary school, library (only open 2 1/2 hours per week!), Mairie, Church {not open, although it was supposed to be}, and then, the other side, a manor house with hens, a chateau that didn't look like a chateau, and a former windmill that appears to be a private residence! Anyway, it was a pleasant walk, after which we used the services and headed on to a super U, where I did a shopping and we had lunch. In the van, not in a restaurant, although I expect there were restaurants or cafés on site, there usually are.

We agreed, when we set off, that we would park up in Niort, as there is a very nice aire where we stayed on our very first trip, nearly ten years ago now. And we decided that when we got there, we would decide whether or not to stay there - as it is a lovely city and the aire is wonderful, one of the best, we decided to stay. The Swan Whisperer went for a walk, but I was tired after this morning and decided my walk could wait until tomorrow. We aren't quite sure where we are going to spend tomorrow night, but possibly in Le Mans. We shall see. 

Spring Holiday 2025; Sunday 23 March

Cartèlegue, Aquitaine, France

I am amused, looking back over my Facebook memories for today, at how very often I have felt the need to comment on the weather, which has varied from "I wish I'd packed sandals and a sunhat" to snow falling horizontally! That's March! Today in Aquitaine, however, it has been mostly sunny with a few showers, and not as warm as it looks!

We decided that we would like to go to Church if we could find an English-speaking one that wasn't too far out of our way. Turns out that the Aquitaine Chaplaincy has several services each Sunday in various places, and the one in what turned out to be the tiny village of Monteton was not too far off our planned route. So we went.

I don't know how they decide where to hold services, but this was a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. I suppose it must depend on whether they can rent the use of a church on at least one Sunday a month, and if enough people live near enough to make it worth while. There were about 30 people there, all White, all retired (including the minister, who obviously had arthritis and found standing difficult), and two dogs! The sermon was fairly standard Evangelical stuff, how we are supposed to witness and bear fruit etc etc etc, and Communion was by intinction. I wasn't sure why, because there was perfectly someone to administer the cup, but maybe they got into the habit during the pandemic. Anyway, it was good to worship with God's people (and dogs) today.

We didn't stay long after church as they were to have their Annual Meeting, just time to have a cup of tea and chat briefly to people. We then decided to drive on non-motorway roads, stopping in a random Lidl car-park for lunch. The Swan Whisperer wanted to see the Gironde, so we drove over to a village just south of Blaye, and then drove on here to Cartelègue where we stayed two years ago but didn't look round the village because it was too cold. Far less cold this year, so we shall have an explore tomorrow. 

Spring Holiday 2025; Saturday 22 March

Layrac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

The weather did the exact opposite of yesterday - it was fine all day, and then rained this evening!

The Swan Whisperer decided we would go to Toulouse today, specifically to the Aéroscopia museum, which basically showcases Airbus' works. There is dedicated parking for motorhomes there, so after breakfast we set off. 

The museum was great value - only €12 for seniors. It was also accessible, which was lovely - they made it easy to go inside their aircraft! 

One wall of the huge hangar was dedicated to the history of aviation, from Icarus onwards, right up to the modern, more eco-friendly aircraft of today. Then there were the aircraft one could visit - I think they were all prototypes, but still. One was a Concorde, and I forget what its neighbour was - an older craft, I think. Then you went into another part of the building to visit an A320, which is absolutely enormous! As I said, it was a prototype test model, but you could see all sorts of things. I hadn't realised it had two storeys! The seats they had put in as sardine class looked about as comfortable as the "ironing-board" seats on the Thameslink - has anybody ever been on one, and are they as uncomfortable as they look?

Then followed a visit to a Concorde simulator (not working!), and a long line of exhibits showing how a flight is prepared, and the people they need to staff flights, careers in aviation, and so on. Very well worth the detour, I thought.

After a much-needed cup of tea, we set off to our overnight place near Agen; this is a dedicated free aire, neither smart nor stylish, but it will do for the night! 

Spring Holiday 2025; Friday 21 March

Limoux, Aude, France

The wind blew all night. And the fridge beeped on and off. And the wind blew. And this morning, it started to rain. And it rained, and it rained, and it rained, and it rained!

The gas ran out this morning while the Swan Whisperer was stretching his legs, but we have another cylinder as spare. We left Mas Alart about 10:30, and our first port of call was the Lidl in Cabestany, just a few humdred metres away, as we always go there! Then we headed off towards Perpignan, and called in at a couple of places to get diesel and gas - we had hoped to get them both together, but the first one didn't have the type of gas we use. However the next place, E Leclerc, I think, did have them, so all was well.

We wanted to come here via the D117 and D118, as it is a really lovely drive. And so varied - some of it is fast dual carriageway; a great deal of it is an ordinary country road meandering through pretty little villages, crossing and recrossing the rivers (mostly, I think, the Maury) and crossing and recrossing the railway line. And then some of it is through rocks, with overhangs and arches! We stopped in the village of Maury to have lunch, and then drove on via Quillan and other small towns until we got here to Limoux. It would have been such a wonderful drive had it not been pouring with rain the entire way!

But when we got here and got settled in, the clouds parted and the sun came out, so we went for a walk around the town - probably missing the best bits, but it was lovely to stretch our legs!

And, touching every sort of wood, the fridge hasn't (yet) beeped since we arrived!