{"id":6293,"date":"2025-07-07T11:58:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T11:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=6293"},"modified":"2025-12-24T21:50:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T21:50:53","slug":"7-we-have-to-leave-gondrin-soon-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=6293","title":{"rendered":"7. WE HAVE TO LEAVE GONDRIN SOON! REALLY!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I rather abruptly abandoned the story at Vallons-sur-Baise.\u00a0 Now I’ll take it up again, but at Valence-sur-Ba\u00efse – the correct spelling!\u00a0 In the valley of the Ba\u00efse, nicknamed the \u201chappy valley\u201d, the river flows a distinctly yellow colour.<\/p>\n

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The Ba\u00efse is connected to the river network of the waterways of France via the Canal des Deux Mers at the port of Buzet-sur-Ba\u00efse, some 64 km to the north (As the river flows – crows can probably do it by a shorter route!!)\u00a0 In days of old, barges transporting wines and spirits towards the port of Bordeaux would have used this waterway.\u00a0 While trying to find out why the water is this yellow colour, I came across this unattributed comment on the subject:<\/p>\n

If customary brandy is amber, the weird colour of the water of the Ba\u00efse is not a colour, it is a sensation, an emotion, a scent.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Personally, I suspect it’s more to do with the suspended clay particles.\u00a0 But weird it is – just like last year!<\/p>\n

Downstream, at Condom (where the water is still a violent, jaundiced colour) we find D’Artagnon in conflab with the Three Musketeers (as he was last year) outside the cathedral.<\/p>\n

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Maybe they were early pilgrims on the Camino Trail which passes right in front of them.<\/p>\n

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And inside the cathedral, we find the massive pillars and stonework …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

… which contrasts in magnitude when compared with a similar view inside the chapel of the hermitage, La Fontaine de Notre-Dame-de-Tonneteau, on the outskirts of Gondrin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A beautiful, peaceful space, with serene gardens and statuary.<\/p>\n

As we left the hermitage, we passed, unknowingly, one of the access point for the local “green way”, the Voie Verte de l’Armagnac.\u00a0 This follows the route of the old railway line, extending from Condom in the northeast to Lagraulet-du-Gers via Gondrin.\u00a0 A distance of about 20 kms.\u00a0 Plans are afoot to extend this to Eause further to the west.<\/p>\n

We want a shady place to walk.\u00a0 We want to try out the “Green Way”.\u00a0 We found Lagraulet on the map and saw there was a carpark with access to the path.\u00a0 Excellent!\u00a0 The first clue to what the upcoming experience would entail was the town “square” with it’s “chateau d’eau” …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Second clue was the grandiose Castel Pierre de Lagraulet.\u00a0 It looked like a hotel, set in its own grounds.\u00a0 But no reception.\u00a0 No restaurant.\u00a0 No bar, even!\u00a0 No-one around.\u00a0 Needing a gardener and possibly a handyman.\u00a0 No coffees anyway.\u00a0 (Subsequently, research has shown it to be a holiday home for rent.\u00a0 Suits a group of 18 people.\u00a0 It comes complete with a sauna.)<\/p>\n

Third clue was the single track, “I-REALLY-hope-this-is-a-one-way” sort of road.\u00a0 It wound down a steep hill out of town.\u00a0 But it was totally blocked by a white van man.\u00a0 We can wait!\u00a0 Well, really, we have to!<\/p>\n

Eventually, we reach the carpark.\u00a0 As marked on the map.\u00a0 One disabled space and just two other slots.\u00a0 Lucky for us, no one else had found the carpark!\u00a0 We headed towards Gondrin.\u00a0 Half way through we had an extended chat with Andr\u00e9, a local on his bike.\u00a0 One of those two-way communications in which neither party really knows what’s being said – for ten minutes!\u00a0 We met him again later for a catch-up as he was cycling home.\u00a0 We still didn’t know the price of biscuits – or indeed, anything we didn’t already know!<\/p>\n

One of the “exciting” discoveries on our walk was a clump of orobanche, a parasitic plant which doesn’t produce chlorophyll.\u00a0 Hence it can’t survive without nicking somebody else’s nutritional supply.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Other than that, the path was a rather uneventful experience.\u00a0 But at least we now know where the path meets Gondrin – just near the hermitage!\u00a0 We have made arrangements to meet Andr\u00e9 tomorrow while walking a different section of the path.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Walking, even on a largely shaded path, at 30 – 40 degrees isn’t much fun.\u00a0 Let’s get home for a swim!\u00a0 En route, we passed a field of corn with a runaway big-bale.\u00a0 Luckily it had run out of steam before reaching the road!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It’s time to head north, anyway.\u00a0 Nineteen days in one place is the longest we have ever stayed!\u00a0 Next stop Brant\u00f4me!\u00a0 We used to pass this pretty town when we travelled to the Dordogne with the boys nearly half a century ago!\u00a0 But I don’t think we ever really stopped for any length of time.\u00a0 There are two likely campsites, one in town, a shortish walk from the centre and a second about four km to the south.\u00a0 We elected for the latter.\u00a0 Located in a pine forest.\u00a0 Well a pine wood, anyway.\u00a0 We need shade!<\/p>\n

Well we have shade!\u00a0 But do we have level ground?\u00a0 Do we ever?\u00a0 Having chosen our pitch, we spent the next hour or two trying to work out a way to get the caravan level.\u00a0 A one directional slope is one thing, but random unlevelness in two or more directions takes some cunning to deal with.\u00a0 Plus a pile of bricks and a couple of baulks of timber.\u00a0 Even then we need a fourteen rung ladder to get in the front door!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brant\u00f4me Abbey and one of the town bridges over the River Dronne.\u00a0 We may have moved a little north, but it’s still excitingly hot.\u00a0 One of the local river monsters had hauled out of the water to catch some rays.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There is a statue of Brant\u00f4me, himself near the abbey.\u00a0 Brant\u00f4me de Bourdeilles.\u00a0 Born at Bourdeilles (obviously) in the P\u00e9rigord, Brant\u00f4me was the third son of the baron Fran\u00e7ois de Bourdeille and Anne de Vivonne.\u00a0 He was given the lay abbacy of Saint-Pierre de Brant\u00f4me.\u00a0 But he didn’t fancy a career in the church and went off to be a soldier.\u00a0 Among his more illustrious associates were Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I.\u00a0 Now he’s stuck on a fountain in full sunshine outside the Abbey.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We are in birthday territory now.\u00a0 And we need to find somewhere to celebrate my 22nd birthday.\u00a0 It’s on a Sunday this year.\u00a0 Sunday lunch at one day’s notice – could be difficult.\u00a0 The campsite had given us a list of six possibilities, with one, the Ferme Auberge, Un Gout de Nature, near Condat-sur-Trincou said to be the clear favourite.\u00a0 We stumbled on an interesting looking auberge by pure chance by following an enticing road-side sign.\u00a0 We’ve done this lots of times.\u00a0 So many, that after a few kilometres, we say “Think we are looking for a wild goose.\u00a0 If it doesn’t show in the next five minutes, we are out of here.”\u00a0 At 4 minutes and 59 seconds we found ourselves in the carpark of the auberge.\u00a0 And it turned out this was the top recommendation.\u00a0 When they aren’t serving food they sell fruit and veg.\u00a0 Well, just melons really.\u00a0 We bought a melon – seemed like a good choice!\u00a0 Then we discovered they were “complet demain”, but available tonight.\u00a0 Rats!\u00a0 We continued our searches for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

Approaching Saint-Pierre-de-C\u00f4le, we found evidence of farmers’ continued disagreement with government policies!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In town, opposite the Auberge Marmite (closed), we found a well guarded by two people dressed as dolls.\u00a0 “You’re not having any of OUR water!”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And in Saint-Jean-de-C\u00f4le we discovered the medieval village with the Chateau de la Marthonie …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

… and the snappily named \u00c9glise Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Jean-de-C\u00f4le.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But no significant,\u00a0 open restaurant.\u00a0 So we had a coffee at Chez Betty’s and a quick squint at the 12th century bridge over the R. C\u00f4le.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The conclusion is that if we want a celebratory meal in a recommended eatery, we should take up the Auberge’s kind offer of a table one day early.\u00a0 One stuttering telephone call was all it took.\u00a0 So off we went.\u00a0 Back down the C\u00f4le valley.\u00a0 An excellent birthday feast – complete with a feu d’artifice stuck in my pudding!\u00a0 It’ll be beans on toast tomorrow!<\/p>\n

Before I leave this, I came upon another new-to-me word.\u00a0 “Ellipsis”, plural “ellipses”.\u00a0 A sort of punctuation mark.\u00a0 It turns out I use them a lot.\u00a0 Five times in this episode already!\u00a0 Not necessarily correctly!\u00a0 An ellipsis consists of three dots that indicate an omission of words or a pause in thought. They are used to shorten quotes, show hesitation, or suggest an incomplete thou …<\/p>\n

Time to pause …\u00a0 Remind me to confess to a slight navigational error made as we left Brant\u00f4me!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I rather abruptly abandoned the story at Vallons-sur-Baise.\u00a0 Now I’ll take it up again, but at Valence-sur-Ba\u00efse – the correct spelling!\u00a0 In the valley of the Ba\u00efse, nicknamed the \u201chappy valley\u201d, the river flows a distinctly yellow colour. The Ba\u00efse… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spain-france"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6293"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6327,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6293\/revisions\/6327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}