1,053 miles
Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th May
Nantes & Yvrac
We were up and out from under the Dinan Aquaduct by 8am, stopping briefly for croissant and petrol on our march south. Just after lunch we drove into a fantastic vineyard called Domaine de la Chevrue, 10km outside Nantes, under the France Passion team Michel and Yannick LeBle, who had agreed to accommodate our noisy Hippo-van for 2 nights. Once settled in, Yannick took us on a tour of the mainly Muscadet vineyard, explaining the machinery and the processes involved, and finally sat us down for some serious wine-tasting. A couple of hours later, we were released from the caveau, a little tipsy, not-much wiser and ready for food! The next two days saw us taking full advantage of the 20E Pass Nantes – visiting the Cathedrale de St. Pierre et St. Paul, the Chateau de Nantes, the “Nantais venus d’ailleurs” exhibition, a chateau-riddled boat trip up the Erdre River and a fantastic tour of “Les Machines”. On Friday, Yannick insisted on a 10.30am goodbye toast, before merrily waving us and about 8 litres of wine off down the road!
1,175 miles
Friday 6th May to Monday 9th May
Domaine de la Prise
Friday evening, after a fairly mammoth drive, we arrived at Domaine de la Prise, the family home of some friends of ours close to La Rochelle. We were met by Seb and Lucy, our incredibly generous hosts, who quickly packed us off for a much-needed shower and settled us into an restaurant-calibre dinner. The tensions of a difficult journey were washed away by the stunning chateau views and copious amounts of wine. Saturday we headed into the local town for the morning market and a little ‘pression’, where we witnessed D using his new French vocabulary and even nailing the gallic shrug. The afternoon quickly rolled past and G&T in hand, we were party to a wonderful tour of the farmhouse, annexes and land in the soft light of dusk. A beautiful contrast to our 9 x 6 x 17ft home! After another excellent meal, the four of us played tisch-tennis and darts and chatted til late. Sunday passed at an equally enjoyable pace, including a dog march, a hilarious game of croquet and late barbeque lunch by the pool. By the time we left Monday morning, we were properly washed, fed and restored for the rest of the adventure and both eternally grateful to Seb and Lucy for spoiling us that whole wonderful long weekend.
Monday 9th May to Wednesday 18th May
La Palmyre, Bordeaux
Our previous long journey had been haunted by concerns about our tyres which seemed to be affecting the noise, the engine and the steering. As we left Domaine de la Prise, we were hauled back to reality fairly swiftly by a tyre blow-out, thankfully at low speed and on a straight road. Spare in place, we missioned it slowly to La Palmyre, just West of Royan, near Bordeaux. My family had camped and finally bought a house in this region for the 10 first years of my childhood, so I was returning to the scene of many crimes 20 years later. We split this week between an Aire de Service practically on the beach and a campsite further down the road. We visited our old house, the park I used to play in, various restaurants and poor D had to put up with a constant stream of, “oooo, look at this, it’s exactly the saaaaame”! Due to intermittent rain, we oscillated between the beach, tyre-hunting and general relaxation. Highlights include a 5 hour trip round the famous zoo, a trip to the Cote Sauvage, watching D walk into a shop window and welcoming Seb and Lucy over for Saturday lunch. We had arranged to head to the garage on Wednesday, so we took advantage of the enforced time and really enjoyed spending time in a truly beautiful area of France. Having lost my Nan, a La Palmyrite, recently, it was a great time to reflect and feel so very grateful for this exciting trip upon which we’ve been able to embark.
1,363 miles
