2nd. Lovely day for a bike ride, so after Cassidy’s walk I set off along the coastal bike path. Past Royan beach with the Ferry and Ferris wheel in the background.
Past other lovely beaches and coves to turn round at Pontalliac where the Côte de Beauti Marathon was finishing.
A very satisfying 25klms.
5th Trip to La Rochelle airport to pick up Sally and Andrew. Lovely to see them.
6th Off to Rochefort Port this morning to greet Liberté as she arrives by road transport from St Jean de Losne.
There was a bit of damage at the prow where she was hard up against the trailer so I decided not to have here craned into the water but instead onto a tractor-trailer that could deliver her to the workshop where a quote could be obtained and the damage, which is right on the waterline, repaired. As it is four years since she was painted I also decided to get another coat of epoxy onto the hull since she is already out of the water then I wont have to take her out again for five years.
While Sally and Andy went to she the Royal Rope factory and the ship “L’Hermione” that took the French to Quebec, I got on board and started to clean up and put things back in order. Luigi, the pilot and also the guy I am renting the mooring from, had bought a man with him who he thought might be interested in buying the boat. However when he climbed on board he was too tall to be comfortable below decks. I have to say I was not too disappointed that she had not sold as I am quite looking forward to being able to use her next summer.
7th Sally and Andy cycled out to Talmond today. In the evening we did a nice walk on the beach to watch the sun go down.
8th. We did one of the cycle rides in the booklet we got from the bike shop. It was a round trip of 43k on bike paths and very quiet country roads a short distance from the Seudre river with opportunities to dip into the many little oyster fishing ports along the way and a turnaround at :La Tremblade. We started off with a walk along the Seudre at Mornac for Cassidy then parked the van in deep shade for him and set off. Our first stop was the village of Chaillevette and the adjacent port of Chartressac.
These little ports have not been prettied up the way Mornac and La Tremblade have and are very much working environments.
This weekend is what is know as the “Remontre de Seudre” which involves a big hike or bike ride along the river on the Saturday and an anything that floats down it on the Sunday. We met a marshal who said we would be welcome to join in but decided to press on to La Tremblade where we had a good lunch.
On the way back to Mornac we passed a lot of the bikers and a few kilometers further on some of the hikers, looking very hot, that is unless they were lucky enough to have hitched a ride!
43k Later and we were back in Mornac where we put the bikes back on the van, took Cassidy for a walk and stopped in the village for a rather splendid afternoon tea!
9th. Another day, another ride. This time a circular route beginning and ending in Saujon which is further inland but also on the Seudre at the point where the sea lock separates the salt water from the fresh.
Our first stop was the village of le Chay where the pretty little, rather spanish looking church, was closed.
We continued to Corme-Ecluse which was at the apex of the circuit. We were surprised not to fine a waterway of some sort as “Ecluse” is French for lock. We stopped for a coffee but the lady in the shop also had no idea how the village got this name. It did have a rather splendid fortified classic Romanesque church with the remains of medieval painting in the interior and attractively decorated capitals on the pillars.
25k later back in Saujon we took a long walk with Cassidy first along the river for lunch.
and then into the town to look at the church before heading home.
10th Sally and Andy went to the lighthouse in the Estuary and had a lovely day. In the evening we had cheese and wine on the deck.
11th I had medical stuff to attend to in the afternoon so we drove out to the Côte Sauvage where there is a big beach with WW2 German blockhouses where we are allowed to walk dogs.
and where we found a “Dog in the Hole”!
12th. Time for Sally and Andy to leave after what has been a really enjoyable visit. Cassidy is really going to miss Andy and I expect Andy will miss him too.
21st. Headed into Rochefort where the boat is ready to leave with her smart newly blacked bottom! Luigi and Florence met me there to take the boat out of the Port and moor her on the river proper ready to take her up stream with the tide tomorrow.
22nd. Luigi and Florence set off for St Savinien at 14.oohrs expecting to get there by five or later.
I went on ahead and met them at the sea lock of St Savinien. They made it by 4pm, much faster than they had expected due largely to being pushed along by the strong current.
I got onto the boat at the lock waiting pontoon and we rounded the ox-bow into town together. Past the municipal Marina and the visitors moorings to the bridge, which we cleared with only about 30cms to spare. Had the water level been any higher we wouldn’t have made it.
The current that had been Luigi’s friend on the way up made it extremely difficult to turn round in order to moor in the right direction. He finally made it and we settled down to a well deserved glass of wine in Liberté’s new home.
On Cassidy’s late evening walk the new mooring revealed additional charms with the illuminated church on the hill .
Wandering into town Les Halles and the market square and the many Art galleries and workshops with their lighted windows were an added delight.
26th. Set off towards Migennes to meet up with Helen and Steve. First night stop was in the town of Bellac. It was misleading because from the Aire, looking towards the church on the hill and the older part of town you do not get any idea of its size. The Aire was on the banks of the Vinclou, at this point a small stream, with a 13th centuary stone bridge and a lovely walk through parkland.
Once up in the town it proved much larger than I had thought with some very grand C17th buildings of an institutional nature. A visit to the Tourist Information office revealed that it has a very large hospital and residence for the elderly infirm. These are responsible for the bulk of the employment in the town. But I prefered the houses in the old town.
27th I spent tonight at Vailly-sur-Sauldre, which again had a church perched on a hill. There was a change of plan for tomorrow as Helen and Steve had decided that it was nicer in St Florentin than it would be in Migennes. Distance wise it is much of a muchness, just a slight change to the route.
28th. JJwas looking good in the Port du Plaisance at St Florentin and we had a good lunch on board.
This was another town perched on a hill! Not surprising since all three locations were on waterways which are bound to be the lowest points and were built in an era where the defense of the high ground was a distinct advantage.
In the afternoons of both days Helen and I took Cassidy and had some lovely long walks along the canal and in the town.
30th. After two wonderful and too short days it was time to take advantage of the lack of truck traffic on Sundays to head back home. I made a very good 344k and stopped again in Bellac where I sat in the gloaming on the terrace of an English run pub, sipping a glass of wine and looking again at the lovely stone bridge.
capetocarpe 