Our first couple of days on the road were about covering some miles to get down to Spain, via Bram, so a mixture of motorways and cross country driving. This was also the first test of off-grid camping by using the various apps to find sites for the night. We had a halfway point in… Continue reading First foray into Spain
Back on the road in 2022
So after a couple of months in the UK we are back on the road again to resume our travels – with a few changes. While we were away last year we had started to think about changing our van for one that would reduce our dependence on campsites and extend our ‘camping’ season as… Continue reading Back on the road in 2022
Saying goodbye to the Aude
Well this has been the last week of this stint of our travels, before we head back to the UK for boring admin issues and important booster vaccines. Important because we’ll have to be able to show proof of those for travel, going in restaurants and public places, in France at least. On another crisp… Continue reading Saying goodbye to the Aude
Buried Treasure
We’ve had a quieter time over the last few weeks as the days draw in and the weather is more mixed. That doesn’t stop us getting out every day, either on foot, bicycle or motorised transport. We had the opportunity for a late November outing on the motorbike, taking advantage of a crisp, sunny day… Continue reading Buried Treasure
Local wines
We’re still enjoying exploring new wine and food specialities and there is plenty to discover nearby. The Aude department is in the region that was previously called Languedoc Roussillon and since 2014 has been called Occitanie. The region is a major wine producer, with well known red wines such as Corbieres, Fitou and Minervois. In… Continue reading Local wines
Scenic Walks
When we’re not travelling further afield from our base, wherever that is at the time, we tend to do walks that are more local to us. For the last couple of years we’ve used a very good app – Visorando – that gives you details of all nearby walks, graded by difficulty, length, etc. The… Continue reading Scenic Walks
Cathar Country and Castelnaudary
We were on the edge of Cathar Country when we were in the Ariège a few weeks ago but here, in the Aude, we don’t need to travel more than a few kilometres to find a town or village steeped in Cathar history. Simon de Montfort, who led the Cathar crusades and was known for… Continue reading Cathar Country and Castelnaudary
A temporary home in the Aude
After leaving the magnificent views over the Med, we headed back inland and are now safely installed in our new abode for the next 6 weeks. We’re now in the Aude region of Occitanie on the Canal du Midi between Carcassonne and Castelnaudary, just outside the village of Bram. Our base is part of what… Continue reading A temporary home in the Aude
A sea view
We booked our last campsite stay – before we move into more solid accommodation – some time ago and even then there was limited availability of dates, despite it being late in the season. We’d seen good reviews about the site from other motor-homers and, having arrived here, we can see why. The site is… Continue reading A sea view
From the mountains to the Med
For the last two weeks that we plan to spend at campsites we’ve headed down to the far south-west corner of France and the Mediterranean coast. Another complete change of scenery as we head down from the mountains to the flat coastal plain of Roussillon. Our first base in this area was just outside the… Continue reading From the mountains to the Med