The campsite we’re staying at looks out onto the Tarn river and, just a very short distance to our west, is the confluence of the Tarn and Garonne rivers. The Canal de Garonne also runs through the town. This canal, previously ‘le Canal Latéral de la Garonne, was built in the mid-19th century to bypass… Continue reading Two rivers and a canal
Moissac – first explorations
We had to say goodbye again to our lovely campsite at Anglars-Juillac and we moved on, heading an hour south to another river (or two) and another campsite at the town of Moissac in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of southern France. We are based at another municipal campsite located on a small… Continue reading Moissac – first explorations
Relaxing
It’s been quite a different pace over the last week or so, partly because of the high temperatures, but also because we’re in an area that we already know so we don’t feel the need to be out exploring every day. So instead it’s been a slower pace punctuated by water based activities, swimming, paddle-boarding,… Continue reading Relaxing
Pass sanitaire and Joe’s tales from the riverbank
Monday 9th August was the day that new requirements to show a ‘pass sanitaire’ or health pass were extended to cafés and restaurants as well as long distance train travel and some other large public places. There have been many demonstrations against this new law in the run up to its wider roll out and… Continue reading Pass sanitaire and Joe’s tales from the riverbank
Regional Specialities
We moved on from Confolens and spent a couple of days back at Ron’s house before moving down to the Lot for a return visit. The markets we’ve visited in the Haute-Vienne and Charente-Limousine have been very small so we haven’t really got a feel for any particular local specialities of this specific area. The… Continue reading Regional Specialities
Villages on the Vienne
Closer to camp we have explored along the river in both directions, on foot and on our bicycles. To the north we cycled to the village of Saint-Germain-de-Confolens which sits in a strategic location at the confluence of the Vienne and Issoire rivers. The small, one-street village is dominated by the impressive ruins of the… Continue reading Villages on the Vienne
Exploring the Charente
As usual we’ve been exploring the areas surrounding our campsite base, so we set off on the motorbike to the area west and south of Confolens. The landscape remains very similar – agricultural with small villages dotted about. We headed first for Ruffec which is a larger town on the Charente river. The centre of… Continue reading Exploring the Charente
Confolens
We’re spending about 10 days at a riverside campsite located in the town of Confolens on the River Vienne, about 25 miles from the house we were staying in. We’ve crossed the border from the Haute Vienne into the department of Charente and we’re at the point where the Charente and Limousin regions meet so… Continue reading Confolens
Passe sanitaire – new Covid regulations
Last year we couldn’t travel more than a few miles it seemed before coming across one of the ‘Plus beaux villages de France’. The Haute Vienne region boasts only one village that has obtained this accolade and it’s not very far from our base so worth a visit on a day out. Mortemart is very… Continue reading Passe sanitaire – new Covid regulations
Lakes and new toys
We really enjoyed our time at locations along various rivers last year and being able to kayak, paddle board and go on boat trips. As part of our planning for this year we looked into getting our own boats – inflatables – that we could transport in the trailer whilst in transit and in the… Continue reading Lakes and new toys