We’ve met some OSPs this year – and a few NOTs to be fair! Of course there were the usual reprobates at Lann Hoedic near Sarzeau. Representatives of the Republic of Ireland and the Save-a-Frelon Association – the SFA – based in Hampshire and Goa.
In addition, some of the more notable people included a couple of Dutch girls at Sarzeau. Each evening they sat in front of their tent in a haze of interesting smelling smoke, quietly grinning at all and sundry. There was also a guy with a couple of dogs – but we won’t even mention him!
Normally the folk we meet come from all over the place – The Netherlands, New Zealand, the USA, Eire, Scotland, Wales and Northumberland – oh and Goa, obviously. Never have we met anyone from vaguely near us. … until this year. Then like London buses we meet loads all at once! Ken lives in Westward Ho!, Devon (originally Northumberland) (and I didn’t know that that was the only town in the UK with an exclamation mark in it’s official title. However, our wonderful passport office won’t allow residents to use it apparently!)
Then there were Les and Doreen from East Ogwell a mere 10 miles from home. They had a campervan and every night they were on a different pitch at Sarzeau – they just couldn’t make up their minds. Backwards and forwards!
Last night we made a fleeting acquaintance with a couple from Denbury near Newton Abbot. Again very close to home. Finally, there were Mike and Sandy Smith from Helson. And Mike knows Noel Stuart who we meet most years in Helston for Flora Day. It’s a small world!
At Mosnes near Chaumont sur Loire we met Alan and Chris who are cycling the length of the Loire (in stages). They’ve already done the Danube. Next up, the Nile??? They were delighted to be fed cups of tea in the morning. Our good deed of the day!
That’s quite enough people stuff – now back to Chaumont Chateau…
… and it’s beautifully colour-coordinated plantings:
… and some of the art installations in the stables …
Thousands of crystal geodes mounted on stalks – reminiscent of the poppies at The Tower of London and the Field of Light at Uluru.
And this “tapestry” is made entirely of tiny loops of recycled aluminium. I reckon it is about 25 m x 4 m – a 100 sqare metres. A quick guesstimate would suggest that a 10 cm x 10 cm patch has at least 100 pieces in a double layer. So that’s 100 x 100 x 100 elements. 1,000,000 bits individually wired to each of its neighbours. That’s a lot of sewing!
In the grounds of the chateau there were dozens of art installations. Some better than others, indeed some were amazing and many were on a grand scale:
But best of all (in our opinion) was the Valley of the Mists. Every few minutes a cloud of mist drifted down the steep-sided valley…
All in all a really good €18 worth! I’ll put up with hornets for that!
I have been to Westward Ho! I stayed in a Victorian era B & B in the process of being restored, in a tiny tower room, overlooking the sea. The wind howled all night and I remember watching the shingle (showing the name of the house & hanging from the arch above gate entrance) blowing in the wind and creaking every time it moved. I felt as though I was in the middle of a scene from a Charles Dicken’s novel.
A very lovely place , but eerie at night, especially if the wind was blowing off the sea.
Enjoying the travelogue immensely