Tapp's Travels

You will be relieved to hear that this is the last in this series.   Probably!

Our campsite at Mosnes – La Poterie – is right on the Loire.  But there are no actual views of the water from the pitches.  Daft really.  However, it’s only a two minute walk to the river bank and we managed to carry chairs, books AND a bottle of wine.

The site continues to be attacked by Les Montgolfiers on a daily basis.

The first we know is when they fire up their bonfire right overhead.  A real roaring noise followed by silence repeated several times.  I bet it’s not as peaceful on board as the tour operators make out!

When we arrived we must have scraped a tree…

Yes.  That’s mistletoe all right!  Kiwi Cathie – that’s good for sept bissous.  For those of you not in the know (and that’s more or less everyone apart from Cathie) – it’s a long story. Best left untold here!

After a seven mile cycle along the river, we went for lunch at the peculiarly named “Le Pied Dans Le Plat”.  A “restaurant troglodyte” located in one of the many caves excavated into the cliffs hereabouts.  It was “interesting” to see the 75 bolts driven into the roof (presumably to keep rocks out of the soup) and the tensioned wires along the surface of the ceiling (presumably to give the patron advance warning of a rock-fall so he can get out ahead of the rush!).  The food was good though and very reasonably priced.

Highly recommended – but take your hard hat with you.  Even if only to stop you hurting your head on the low rocky outcrops as you walk to the buffet station!  If the bolts give way the hat won’t actually help, but it may improve the subsequent insurance claim your heirs will make.

Now, before we get to Amboise a few kms downstream, here’s an experiment.  It’s a little clip kindly forwarded to me by Mad Mary.  (I’ll call her that, affectionately, to distinguish her from Contrary Mary in Silverdale!).  I’ve no idea if you will be able to access it from here.  Please let me know!

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That’s Japanese marketing for you – although you might think it a spoof.  At short notice, I haven’t been able to think of a sensible way to link it to our exploits – so I’ve just plonked it in!  Who wants sensible anyway?

OK back to the Loire.  We made a VERY brief visit to Amboise.  We saw the bridge…

… and the chateau …

We saw some odd statues of giraffes, we saw huge numbers of visitors (and this explains why the countryside is so deserted – everyone’s in town!), we found the supermarket, we re-fueled for tomorrow’s drive and we went home exhausted.  It’s hard work doing so little for so long!

We relocated northwards on Thursday to a site near Dinan.  The distance we covered was 10% further than expected.   It was VERY windy!!!  As we approached the site, Glenda was convinced we had been here before.  It transpired that we had indeed been here for two nights in 2009 – the 20 and 21 September – exactly the same dates as this visit.  Coincidence, or what?

And we’ve got HOT showers at last!

I think it should be compulsory for campsite owners/managers to take a shower in their facilities at least once a week.  They would soon get the water temperature up (even if only for the days of their showers – let’s say Tuesdays) and they would get adequate hooks on the walls in places where their clothes don’t get saturated.  And while they were at it, they would probably get the movement-sensor-controlled lights to stay on for more than 10 seconds of relative inactivity.  Furthermore, the silly press buttons which set the shower going would be adjusted so they didn’t need pressing at 5 second intervals.  I wouldn’t mind betting that the cubicles would all be magically increased in size and cats issued all round for swinging.

While on the subject of site owners, if they post signs to say “chiens sur laisse” they should ruddy well enforce the rule.  But probably best keep off the subject of dogs on campsites.  A bit political.  Like the Chequers Plan for Brexit.

Oh yes, and here I may upset some people … why do French people (it’s mainly the French) take their dogs into restaurants, feed them scraps off their plates and then be surprised that the animals won’t lie down and behave.   I say tie them all up outside – but I’m not sure what I’d do with their dogs though!  Sorry about that little rant!

On Friday we went to Dinan.  A bit of a departure from our normal town visits which normally coincide with Sundays or Mondays when all good French shopkeepers lock up their stores and go to the beach to fish for tiny shell fish or rock oysters or under-sized crabs – or indeed anything living that can be cooked and eaten!

For those of you unfamiliar with the town of Dinan, it’s an old fortified hilltop place with narrow streets, extremely limited parking and lots of American tourists (plus at least two Brits that day).

It is also situated at the only bridging point over the River Rance for miles either way (photo above taken from said bridge looking down at the Port de Dinan).  So the road which meanders through town is basically THE main road.from A to B.  A very slow and tortuous main road…

The historic centre is very historic with lots of half timbered houses and, as I mentioned, some very narrow streets…

… and (at least) two magnificent churches.  There’s the Basilique Saint-Sauveur which appears to date from the 12th century but with additions made in at least six of the following centuries:

… and the Eglise Saint-Malo:

Known to be a good example of Gothic Flamboyance in Brittany. Built in the 15th century – much later than the other place down the road.  Almost last week, even.  I’ve  put this stuff in specially for Geoff the cathedral man.  Hope he’s reading this guff!

Well that’s more or less the trip finished.  This morning we visited the town of Combourg a few miles west of our base at La Chapelle-aux-Filtzméens (where do they get these posh sounding names from? – not at all like Hull or Poole or Newquay).  The most memorable thing about the town was the un-memorable lunch – sadly our last of the trip.   Bad planning!

Another wobbly drive took us the last 120 miles to Roscoff where we joined the ferry queue 13 hours early.  We are fifth in line – so if we miss the ferry from here it will be worthy of another episode!

We hope you have enjoyed following our travels in France.  I you have, please send us a message and we’ll let you know when the next foray starts – probably in about three weeks when we set of for a tour if the UK!