.............not all those that wander are lost..............

Sunday 10 January 2010

Camargue, Carcassonne and Crisps..........


We left on Monday after digging our way out of the front door (the snowplough had come past earlier) and having our lunch (of course).

As we were so late starting we didn't have enough time to get all the way to Carcassonne before it was too late to find the campsite. So we made a detour onto the Camargue, camping with a cohort of Italian camper vans (again) on a carpark in Stes Maries de la Mer. It was a cold night, made worse by the heater not coping and the battery losing power very fast.

In the morning we made our way across the flat lands of the Camargue. We saw the white horses, black bulls and a few lonely flamingoes. I'm not sure January is the best time for this kind of sightseeing!


{Photo of cold horses}


There's something about holiday resorts when they're out of season - makes me think of how the world would look if all humans were instantly removed from the planet..................



{Photo of deserted square in Aigues Mortes}


Our campsite near Carcassonne turned out to have the dreaded 'reverse polarity' electricity! And the shower block was unheated............

Wednesday dawned frosty and beautiful so we enjoyed our visit to the medieval castle and town of Carcassonne although all the museums were shut, the video had broken down and the audio tour was unavailable (oh and there was no reduction for old people!). Never mind!





{Photos of the castle at Carcassonne}

We followed this by finding a view point to see the ruins at Lastours (sadly the visitor centre was closed for January!) which I wrote about last time.

In the evening we found a wonderful campsite, run by some ex-pats, in Alet-les-Bains. Heated toilets & showers, electricity that worked, a Casino with a special 10E menu (saved me cooking) and all right next to an amazing little medieval village. Well worth another visit.

Now the weather changed and the rain and snow we had left managed to find us - even down near the Med.
The rest of the trip was a van tour of Narbonne, Beziers and Nimes, where we found a good campsite on the outskirts (with warm showers!). We did manage a quick wander round the outside of the Arena in Nimes, along with other remarkable Roman remains, and we promised a re-visit when we had more time to give them.

The camper van performed wonderfully well in the snowy conditions, making us glad we'd forked out for the 4 x 4 version. On our cross-country drive to Narbonne we travelled through a forest of evergreen Oaks and Pine trees interspersed with Olive trees, lovely even in the snow storm. It certainly whetted my appetite for walking in the area.

I also had a chance to try out my new Neo-air mattress on the camper bed. Very impressed - can't wait to use it in the tent. There was the faint sound of a far away crisp packet being rustled every time I turned over but I can live with that.............

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Crisps, did I hear you say???

*hungry*

Great pics, and it sounds like a great trip despite the various blips. Shame about the museums in particular. I love museums.

Once again I find myself envying you your camper van...

afootinthehills said...

Lovely photos. Camper vans are wonderful. We've got winter tyres on, but no 4x4 unfortunately. Don't think it was an option at the time. Still, 4x4 or not,we'll be up in the Cairngorms asap!