Friday 30th May 2025

Things didn't go well this morning! When I tried to connect the laptop charger to one of the habitation charging sockets I didn't notice the cap had come off the charger so I fused both the habitation charging sockets. While trying to find the fused fuse on the electro bloc I managed to shut down the whole 12v system! I eventually managed to get the 12v power back on by switching on and off the 12v switch on the control panel. Scary as hell!

Having sort of overcome this potential disaster, we visited the supermarket in Aniane and emptied our waste water and sewage at a service point in a nearby town. A little further on we stopped to take on some bargain cheap diesel - £1.26 a litre. We travelled west through the most beautiful wild country stopping briefly on this high pass.

We stopped for the day at the lovely village of Fraisse sur Agout. Here's our van parked under the trees on another really hot day.

I took a walk around the village,

I saw a couple of goats.

The village centre is very cute.

Here's the church.

There's a little shrine just next to our parking place.

We have a beautiful view of the river from where we are parked. (Sorry about the overexposure of the foreground).

We got our chairs out.

It costs 10 euros for 24 hours to stay here. That includes electricity, ( which is important to us having fused our habitation charging sockets) water and waste disposal. It is based on an honesty principle. The idea is that you put your 10 euros in an envelope with your registration number on it and post it through the letterbox of the Mairie,

We were quite interested in the idea of eating out this evening as we have not done so so far on this trip. I visited the Hotel but it was like a ghost ship, still sailing but none one there. I also visited the restaurant and had a word with Madame: "Nous sommes fermes pour le diner. Nous ne sommes ouvert que pour le dejeuner." ( We're only open at lunchtime).

It's very nice being parked under the trees on a hot day like this.

Today we travelled 60 miles ( 97 kilometres). We are at: N43.6046 E2.7964

Fraisse sur Agout   Street View - 2009

Thursday 29th May 2025

 

Today we travelled west through the City of Montpellier and on to Aniane where we parked for the day at the Aire. Many thanks to the Mayor for this beautiful shaded calm place on a very hot day.

We got our chairs out.

We are very close to town but it is so quiet here.

Here are the rules at the Aire!

I took a walk into town. Here's the cemetery.

Everywhere is closed today because it's Ascension Day. Apparently some people believe that Christ (if indeed he ever existed) having been brought back from the dead, spent 40 days with his disciples before being somehow raised up into heaven on the anniversary of today. Do people really believe this kind of nonsense?

Aniane old town is very pretty.

I wandered around the old streets.

Here's the church.

Round the back of the church.

It was a beautiful evening back at the Aire with lots of birds singing in the trees.

We really appreciate being in this lovely place. Thanks again to the Mayor.

Today we travelled 46 miles (74 Kilometres). We are at: N43.6865 E3.5822

Aniane   Street View

 

 

Wednesday 28th May 2025

When we left Bellgarde this morning the automatic barrier at the Camping Car Park Aire was permanently open. We checked out but the system seems not to have registered this so Camping Car Park still thinks that we're at the Aire! We travelled south into the Camargue. Here we are passing a salt works.

We saw lots of flamingos along the way.

We arrived at Plage de Piemanson where we had previously stayed overnight on 5th October 2015 nearly 10 years ago. That was in "The Golden Age of Campervanning" when you could stay overnight almost anywhere. Now there are signs here banning overnight stays.

This was our first sight of the Mediterranean on this trip.

Here's a link to what we posted when we were last here 10 years ago: 5.10.15

We travelled back north, then west, stopping briefly by a salt water lagoon in the heart of the Camargue wilderness. There are wild white horses roaming these parts.

We stopped for the day at a Commercial Aire at Aigues-Mortes (Dead Waters). It costs 14.33 euros to stay here for 24 hours. It was a very hot afternoon. We got our chairs out and sat in the shade of the van.

Ann went for a ride around on her scooter and took some pics of the Aire.

I couldn't resist having a go on the scooter too - such fun.

Today we travelled 92 miles (148 kilometres). We are at: N43.5616 E4.1658

Aigues-Mortes     Street View

 

Tuesday 27th May 2025

We were quite glad to leave Fontaine de Vauclause. We travelled west crossing the Rhone.

It's a very wide river here.

We stopped for the day at the Camping Car Park Aire at Bellgarde on the Rhone to Sete Canal. Here's the view from our windscreen. It costs 14.33 euros to stay here for 24 hours.

We went for a ride/walk.

There is a lull in activity at the port as it's lunchtime.

With a Commercial Aire here, as you can imagine there are a few unfriendly signs around!

We crossed over the canal.

Here's Ann on the canal bridge.

A large sign promotes the town's amenities.

There is a vineyard on the other side of the canal.

We crossed back over the bridge.

We stopped for a rest along the canal towpath.

Thee are waterlilies here.......

..... and some nice flowers.

Ann zoomed off along the towpath and out of sight!

After a while I could see her coming back. This was taken with 40x magnification.

Here's a sign showing which bird species live along the canal.

It was a very hot afternoon back in our van which I spent trying to keep cool. Ann doesn't seem bothered by a bit of heat!

Today we travelled 42 miles (68 kilometres). We are at: N43.7441 E4.5183

Bellgarde    Street View - in 2012!