Summer 2017 Fifth Post - France

12th July 2017 - Massiac
5002 miles

Morning hike on to the rolling plateaux to the south of Blesle, mainly looking down into wooded valleys and across to lava flow capped hills. Fortunately, the lava flows are a few million years old - so no health and safety risk. Late afternoon a slow drive along narrow lanes to the small town of Massiac, stopping at a green roadside aire next to the river. Surrounded by wooded slopes and more lava capped hills. To the north chapels on the hilltops both sides of the river valley. But a sad town as most of the old village centre is deserted, everyone now wants to live in new detached bungalows on the outskirts.

Abbey Church, Blesle

Start of morning's hike over the hills

13th July 2017 - la  Chapelle Laurent
5011 miles

A few miles, mainly uphill, on to the edge of the Plateau de Ally, at around 1000m, to stop aire at the sports field at la  Chapelle Laurent.  In the afternoon walked to the local hilltop viewpoint in the adjacent village: extensive 180 degree panorama of the volcanic area of the Auvergne - from the Puy de Dome Chain, near Clermont-Ferrand, to the north, west to the more eroded Mont Dore cones and to the south the Plomb de Cantal, the weathered remnants of the originally massive Cantal volcano.

Chapelle Laurent

Volcanoes on the horizon

14th and 15th July 2017 - Ruynes-en-Margeride
5046 miles

Mornings drive to that Alllier gorge then back up on to the plateau along a fantastic road to lunch by the lake at the aire at Vedrines-St-Loup. Then on to a large motorhome parking area, pleasantly shaded by trees at the edge of the village of Ruynes-en-Margeride. Their fireworks for Bastille Day had been on the previous evening, to celebrate the 14th it was their 33rd annual book fair. Route barre - village roads shut and centre full if stalls with authors flogging new works and dealers selling thousands of second hand books. Chilled out here for a couple of days, got no further than the castle keep, which is home to an open air museum.

Book Fair to celebrate the 14tg July at Ruynes

16th July 2017 - Pierrefort
5087 miles

Still making the circuit around Clermont-Ferrand, now more or less 100km south, back into the Parc  Naturel Regional des Volcans d'Auvergne virtually at it's southernmost point. End route, stopped off at the Lac du Barrage de Grandval, which fills the bottom of the sided wooded valley of the Truyere  for about 20 kilometres and is crossed at one point by Eiffel's impressive arched Viaduc  de Garabit. Evening walk through forests at fields from Pierrefort. At one point, l could see the high peaks of the Pyrenees, to the north of Andorra, which are about 270km to the SSW. I did the maths, from 1000m elevation you can see the top of a 3000m peak at 307km distance and 2500m mountains at 290km away. The peaks in that area are between 2800 and 3000m - somit makes sense (better take my anorak off).

Lac due Barrage de Grandval

Walking round Pierrefort - Pyrenees on the horizon

17th July 2017 - Velzic
5132 miles

Aire at Velzic - Fortunately the threatening storm didn't materialize

Some terrible roads when crossing from one valley to the next that fan out radially from Puy Mary, very narrow with an incredibly steep set of close hairpins at one point - after stalling and hand break barely holding had a ghastly smell of 'burnt' clutch for miles. Eventually, ended up at a pleasant spot at Velzic.
18th July 2016 - St Martin-Valmeroux
5180 miles

St Martin Valmeroux

After yesterday's experience kept to the roads on the valley bottoms, no more short cuts! Was going to take a look at Aurillac; but the aire was right next to busy roads in the town centre and it was bloody hot. Traveled a bit further, starting the western limb if the ' Circuit de Clermont' and stopped of at an aire right outside the campsite at St Martin Valmeroux. Pleasant walk the next morning before it got too hot, then in the afternoon went looking for a thermal spring, that promised in the Tourist Information warm water. Had visions of soaking in a warm pool. Only found a miserable dribble of tepid water!

19th July 2017 - Drugeac
5186 miles

Disappearing France - Old blue and white road signs

The weather was cooler, grey and wet in the late afternoon when l parked a few miles further north at Drugeac. A damp wander round the small village encountered an old Michelin road sign. You still see them occasionally 

20th July 2017 - Champs-sur-Tarantaine
5216 miles

Former garden used as a quiet Aire

North through Bort-des-Orgues, and its pretty poor town centre aire, where l stopped in 2014, to this great parking area and thriving village a few clicks further on.

21st July 2017 - Champeix
5253 miles

Champeix - Vieux Ville

Cut the circle below Clermont and headed east, passing the pretty hideous skiing centre of Super Bess on the southern slopes of Mont Core. Stopping the night at Champeix - interesting old part of the town with church and castle.

22nd July 2017 - la  Palisse
5350 miles

Still in the Auvergne Region, decided to have a potter around the Allier Department for a few days. First stop was la Palisse with its impressive fifteenth century castle, constructed by the Marchel of France, dominating the town 

Château due Palice -dominates la  Palisse

23rd July 2017 - Creuzier-le-Vieux
5381 miles


Stopped of to take a guided tour of the castle at Billy and ended up in an aire in the pleasant middle class suburbs of the Spa town of Vichy. Which, apart from the Napoleon lll gardens along the Allier, came over as a little rundown. Mainly late nineteenth century with none of the elegance of some of the Czech Spa towns l visited last summer  Some interesting frescoes in a Priory church on the way.

Château de Billy, near Vichy

Medieval Fresco

24th July 2016 - St Pourcain-sur-Sioule
5397 miles

Cooler and grey as l carried on to a huge aire by the river at St Pourcain-sur-Sioule. Fifty plus vans parked up. Dead weird the French seem to travel main roads (two criss here) and park up near lakes, canals and rivers. Really strange church in the town, only one side aisle and an asymmetric timber roof. Classical eighteenth century facade at the west end covering a tenth century porch behind, which could have been part of the original nave. 

French municipal street plantings are so
stylish - would be trashed by yobs at home

St. Pourcain-sur-Sioule - Church, Square and Belfry

25th July 2017 - Jaligny-sur-Besbre
5414 miles

A short drive through gently rolling large fields and woodland to a quiet riverside aire on the Besbre, the same river l was parked next to in la Palisse. A longish walk in the afternoon kept me occupied. Unfortunately, the castle was not open to the pubic. Market day the next morning blocked of the entire centre of the village and one route out, typical of France.

The aire and river at Jasigny-sur-Besbre

26th July 2017 - Diou
5480 miles

Across to the north eastern area of the Allier to end up on the banks of the Loire, which forms the eastern boundary of the Department. Free parking on pleasant hedged emplacements at the edge of the campsite, with free electric hook-up. Why bother to use the campsite; although, it was only about ten euro a night!

The Marie at Diou

27th July 2017 - Paray-le-Fresil

Still in the Allier Department a few miles north to the very quiet village surrounded by woodland and numerous lakes, which all seemed to be artificial. Why? For fish? Strange instruction from the sat-nav "Get on roundabout", as l arrived there!

The Aire at Paray-le-Fresil

28th July 2017 - Lurcy-Levis
5501 miles

Great parking spot next to a large lake, quiet popular but with loads of room. Stayed a couple of nights chilling out and walking a trail or two. Very helpful TO where they kindly offered to photocopy walking routes out of a book for me.

Lurcy-Levis - Bizarre Tourist attraction called 'Street Art' 

30th July 2017 - Limoise
5510 miles

A very small village, fortified by earthworks and yet another lakeside aire to pull in for the night. More walking at this last stop in the Allier Department before moving on to the Berry Region and its relatively flat landscape of large open wheat fields on the southern edge of the Paris Basin.

Sunset at the Aire de Limoise

31st July 2017 - Ainay-le-Vieil
5553 miles

Just into Berry, through the Foret de Troncais, to Ainay-le-Vieil, which with warm yellow limestone has the appearance of a Cotswold village. Quiet parking area at the local stade. Even the smallest French village seems to have a sports ground. The disused Berry Canal, mainly a dry ditch for most of its length, was the other side of the football field.Large château in the village as well.

Ainay-le-Vieil - The Chateau

1st August 2017 - Bourges
5596 miles

North through an amazing village, Drevant, again on the Canal de Berry, which linked the Loire to the Cher and the iron works at Montluchon, to encounter the remains of a huge Roman Theatre and Temple Sanctuary site. The theatre was noted as seating eight thousand people! Also parts of a Romanesque Priory adjacent to the church. Then Bourges, capital of the royal domains at the end of the Hundred Years War with its impressive thirteenth century Gothic cathedral. Which, without a transept, has the appearance of an enormous chancellery chapel, like Kings, Cambridge or Lancing, Sussex. Nearby, the fifteenth century palatial residence of Jean Coeur, who virtually monopolized French trade and further enhanced his wealth as Master of the Mint, can only impress by it modcons - boiler room , central heating and plumbed hot water system!

Cathedral - Bourges

Roman Theatre - Drevant

2nd August 2016 - Valencay
5660 miles

North towards the Loire Valley, but still in Berry. To check out a few Renaissance Chateaux. I visited a few in 2013, time to tick of some more! The château at Valencay is built prominently on a ridge over looking a deep river valley. There is a convenient aire behind the tourist office just about a hundred metres from the entrance to the château. 

The Chateau at Valencay

3rd August 2017 - Cheverny
5709 miles

Keeping the chateaux theme for a couple of days moved closer to Blois on the Loire to take a look at the Chateau de Cheverny, one of the few that has remained in family hands since the fifteenth century. Visit was preceded by that of the Queen Mother who was here in 1963. Great aire just outside, huge flat field with plenty of room. Met up with a Welsh couple from Caerleon and ended up staying three nights.

The Chateau - Cheverny

6th August 2017 - Montresor
5748 miles

Decided to keep away from the Loire Valley, presumably very busy in August and head south towards Limoges. First stop-over being in a really attractive village called Montresor with an impressive ruined castle and a later chateau constructed within it, quite a common site in France. Spent a couple of nights and managed some interesting walks, including sight of some Roman aqueduct tunnels and a large earthwork, dubiously called 'Caesar's Camp'.

Chateau and Village - Montresor

8th August 2017 - Le Grand Pressigny
5795 miles

Across the rolling landscape of the Tournais to yet another village dominated by the remains of a medieval castle and later renaissance chateau! Here used as a museum mainly about the paleolithic. Smashing little aire, room for about five vans next to the municipal campsite, with free electric hook-up. If you stay more than one night they ask you to use the campsite, which would work out at about 9 euro! The outdoor heated swimming pool is adjacent, and has an entry charge of 2.20euro for adults and 90 cents for kids. Hell that wouldn't pay for the parking outside the nearest swimming pool to me in Edinburgh!

Chateau - Le Grand Pressigny