We’re in the heart of wine country here so we can’t miss the opportunity to check out some of the produce. First to the east and the Monbazillac region south of Bergerac which is famous for its sweet white wines. The village of Monbazillac and Chateau de Monbazillac were our destination for a day out… Continue reading When in Rome…
Sainte Foy la Grande
We moved on last weekend and the week seems to have flown by. We have some things planned in September and won’t be moving further south until they’re done, so we moved just a couple of hours north to Sainte Foy la Grande which is about 15 miles west of Bergerac and on the south… Continue reading Sainte Foy la Grande
Dipping into the Gers
Two articles last week in different newspapers featuring the Gers department piqued our interest -it’s a region we don’t know and haven’t visited. As it’s only a little south of Moissac we decided to head out on the motorbike and dip our toes into at least a small part of the area, looking at some… Continue reading Dipping into the Gers
Along the canal to the east and west
The canal towpath cycle routes make for comfortable cycling being shady and flat and we’ve explored along the canal in both directions from our campsite. To the east we cycled a few miles to the nearby town of Castelsarrasin and the Jacques-Yves Cousteau marina. This marina/ port, which has existed since the mid 1800s and… Continue reading Along the canal to the east and west
Moissac – further explorations
The abbey and cloisters are the highlight of Moissac but there is a lot more to see in this town. Fruit growing is the main industry in the area and we are surrounded by apple orchards, irrigated by the water from the river. Another main crop is the Chasselas de Moissac grape, a translucent golden… Continue reading Moissac – further explorations
Two rivers and a canal
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