Rekindling affection for France

Airvault

The Bus on site .

Having been back a week, a very busy week,have at last found time to reflect on our ten day break in France.It has been four years or more, since we holidayed exclusively in France.Lately, we have just driven through , en route elsewhere. Having studied weather forecasts for the entire country, the Deux Sevres and Dordogne looked the fairest and warmest, within a reasonable day and a half’s drive. There was the other guilty pleasure of seeing vacationers returning to work and school duties, as we sped along and dare I say it relatively child free campsites; so less danger of being mowed down by an exuberant ten year old on a bike, whilst carrying a bowl full of washing up!

France conjures up the usual cliches as figured on The Rough Guide to France, eg Rolling Vineyards * Stately Chateaux *Fine Cuisine – all of which is true. – for me there are other attractions.For example, the road system which allows you to drive anywhere either for free ,or on Toll Autoroutes. I  used to be doggedly against using Tolls, but having driven around Poitiers or Tours,circumnavigating  a dozen traffic islands,I have become more pragmatic and use both.It makes driving in the UK seem like Purgatory…or perhaps, a lottery , because you never know if the M1/M6 / M25 are going to be blocked, 50 mile an hour limited,etc.The same can be said for the Services on the motorways.The Aire at St Valery de Somme, in Picardy is the standout; always stop there as it is designed to fit ecologically into the Somme Valley Landscape. Watford Gap, it is not.

The number and good quality of campsites and Aires, is amazing; we are always discovering new places and finding ourselves saying…” This is the best site we have ever stayed on…..well this year,anyway”.Good hair drying facilities are always appreciated! As is easy access to a nearby town or village,for the daily pleasure of a coffee, buying local produce and a glass of wine. In Beynac ET Cazenac, on the Dordogne, we were lucky to have a restaurant that not only served an ice cold pichet of local white, but brewed its own beer! Both excellent, sitting under the cliffs above on a warm evening.

France is proud of its rivers and they feature heavily in both regional names and as holiday destinations. The Dordogne, where we went canoeing is a classic example.

Must mention, too, the cordiality and politeness of the people, from the local butcher to the Tourist Information.Although, beware of overstatement in local descriptions, as we found in Airvault; this is France of forty years ago,Tranquil, sleepy with one butcher and Coop – both closed because of “Fermeture Annuelle”! – and one Boulangerie, which was open, plus a couple of bars in the newer square.The town guide described Airvault’s attractions and charms, which were fair enoughly put,until I read that the town was  still “dynamic”; Airvault could be described in many ways….but dynamic it is not….thank goodness!

A great, little break typified by the factors described above and warm,sunny weather. We shall plan another trip next year, I am sure,hopefully to find ourselves in another “dynamic” destination.