A New Adventure in France

Sunday. A brocante (flea market/ boot sale) is advertised in Puy-l’Evêque a riverside town about a 12km cycle ride away so we decide to make that the focus for a visit. It’s a beautiful and renowned town that was once an important port on the river for transporting wine to Bordeaux. It’s known to us from two previous outings and holds memories of frustration. When we visited the area last October we set out from Cahors to look at a building in the town. Satnav directed us there without problem and then proceeded to take us down ever narrowing streets in the historic old town, to the point where the wing mirrors of our teeny tiny hire car were practically touching the houses on each side. We were relieved to escape without mishap. Last week on our trip out on the motorbike to more western parts, following a difference of opinion between sat nav and Claire, (Claire was in the wrong), we misguidedly ended up again going through the central part of the town – twice. There is a perfectly good bypass road so Joe was not happy to be riding down slippery cobbled streets with a pillion passenger and the trip out nearly ended before it had begun. So Joe in particular is ‘agin’ Puy-l’Évêque and we hope a visit on non-motorised transport might redeem it at last.

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It’s an enjoyable cycle ride and the brocante is well attended with a large number of stalls and with the usual tat that has to be unpacked and then packed away again by hopeful sellers. There are some interesting items but nothing enough to tempt us and no Harley Davidson spares for Joe.

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Once across the river in the heart of the town it’s a much more comfortable exploration through the narrow streets on foot. Despite it being a popular town there’s nothing open apart from a bar, (quality of ‘une pression’ duly tested), and a riverside restaurant where we enjoy a lovely lunch in the open air on the terrace. Whatever the charms of the town it has still failed to win over Joe.

Technology

We’re so dependent on power and technology these days and, for many people we guess, the thought of camping probably doesn’t go hand in hand with that. Once we’re ‘hooked up’ to the electric points on our camping pitch we also have access in the campervan to two 13amp UK sockets. So we can use a hairdryer or a small kettle (well we need a few creature comforts) and we have a 5-way USB charger to charge phones, iPads and other gizmos. Most campsites have WiFi, mainly in reception areas, but our current site has coverage at all pitches. So that Joe can keep up with Formula 1 Grand Prix coverage we also have a VPN app that gives us a UK IP address so we can TV apps, that usually don’t allow you to access them outside of the UK, and watch on an IPad.