The Good

04
Oct
2019

Harrogate welcomes the world – UCI Cycling World Championship

Given that I had intended being away when this event came to town, and based back in Longridge, Lancashire again, I had decided not to put my brain to the task of understanding the week’s schedule and how best to navigate the major road closures, as well as where to sofa-surf or driveway camp so that I could be part of it all.

Serendipity stepped in again though to enable me nevertheless to be a very happy spectator caught up in a world sporting event taking place in my home town and particularly as where my brother, and friends the next day, chose to stand for the women’s and men’s elite events respectively, was in the vicinity of what had become a european motorhome unofficial aire.

With delight, particularly as the first day delivered bright sunshine and blue sky after 24 hours of pouring rain, driving for many of those hours from a day-old stay despite weather forecast in the Lake District to the van manufacturer to try (in vain) to get a leak which appeared for the first time in Monte2 corrected, I realised that though I was not across the channel as part of a continental motorhoming tribe, it had actually come unexpectedly to me! (A very long sentence I know!) The cycling did of course figure 🙂

  • Men’s Elite ultimately 3rd, 2nd, & winner

What a fantastic event to in the end be led by circumstances and reacting decisions, and despite the appalling rain on the Sunday, I was so glad to have been there.

Partying between laps 🙂
Posted by admin in Cities-Towns, Events, Places, The Good
29
Jun
2019

EU Citizenship Achieved

I am very proud to announce that I have now met the quintessential pre-requisite for joining my continental cousins; perhaps doesn’t satisfy the british cycling ‘cool’, but already gave up on that long ago and more recently with a pannier rack, and non-mountain bike tyres on my mountain bike:

Here it is in action; aren’t they great 🙂

For the many, many bemused non-British readers, our bikes don’t come with such a helpful thing.

Posted by Jackie Barnes in Musings, The Good
29
Jun
2019

Tyres

In my conversation with Holgier and Sabine at Amboise, they had posed the question about what happens if the van breaks down. Sure enough 2 days later, I was literally having one of my many moments of mindfulness re how well Monte2 was running, and giving the dashboard a thankful pat with verbal encouragement, when a van overtook me and indicated that something was wrong, about 30 miles from my Benodet destination. Fortunately, I was close to an exit from the dual carriageway, so was able to stop almost immediately and check to see a rear tyre extremely low on air.

Google to the rescue yet again, finding the nearest tyre place 3 kms away and for all of you who will be travelling in the vicinity of Quimperle, and needing tyre replacements/fixes, I recommend Vulco Tyres, who were so helpful, despite the heatwave and willing to diagnose the problem of a faulty valve there and then, and replace it for the sum of 21eu. I count myself very lucky, and continued with even more of a smile on my face. To top it all, given that Leclerc was on the same retail park, I decided once and for all, that if there was a long wished-for Lafuma recliner chair for sale, I would, and did, buy it. Result!

On the subject of tyres, I will also record here the very helpful teenager who appeared out of the blue, when I was trying to figure out how to use the not-working-anyway free bike air pump in Chambon-s-Lac and offered to manually pump up the bike tyres.

Never let it be said …..

Posted by Jackie Barnes in Equipment, The Good, Van
22
Jun
2019

It’s All Too Beautiful …

What did we do there – well , there’s the Ceze river at St Denis, our closest favourite place

there’s the Chassezac river and Mazet Plage

  • Looking downstream
  • …upstream
  • Just round corner from downstream
  • Dive-bombing kayakers

there’s the Cascades de Sautadet at the Roque-sur-Ceze

  • Cascades are 400m up the river to the left
  • Roque sur Ceze

and not forgetting the kayaking on the Ardeche river

  • concrete shutes for kayaks
Worth a mention, so bunged it in here – a Tropezienne; not my favourite Mille Feuilles, but a close second, and this example was delicious, if somewhat too much; still ate it in one sitting!
Posted by Jackie Barnes in France, Places, The Good
21
Jun
2019

French ‘Durrells’ house via brief stop at Montpellier

Time gallops on as I realise it’s almost a week now since I drove to Courry, a small village on the edge of the Cevennes and Ardeche areas, to spend time at my Mum’s house with 2 of my offspring, their other halves, and a couple of friends. I spent about 45 mins driving round the uni area of Montpellier en route, looking to find a parking spot, from which to do a brief cycle tour of the city centre. I was almost deciding that Montpellier would have to be left for another time, when I found one at last, and enjoyed a bit of exploration, resulting in the conclusion that this city did warrant another more relaxed visit.

The drive from Montpellier up to a ‘town called Ales’ immediately brought home to me as ever, how fortunate we are to be able to stay in such a beautiful region. Mum’s house is not the luxury south of France villa that I always expect people to be thinking; it’s very quirky, hence my comparison with the house on the TV series the Durrells, (highly recommended for the script, which for me got better series by series, the acting, the scenery); its charm has grown on me over the years, particularly when only needing to clear all the dead insects :), dust and debris from the ‘the outside-in’ rooms, and not being responsible for its general upkeep:

  • On main street thru’ village
  • Downstairs living room
  • Downstairs dining room
  • Downstairs kitchen – note all original tiled floors
  • Various bedrooms ….
  • upstairs rooms interconnecting
  • Only ‘outside space’ – 1st floor terrace overlooking street
  • Practising being a french property owner! tempting
  • Outside-In 1st floor living room – Ruin 1
  • From Ruin 2 looking into Ruin 1
  • Must be Ruin 3

Not quite sure of it’s age, but it has served many different functions in addition to housing a village family – including a boulangerie and silk farm. In the heat of Summer, it’s really cool on the ground floor.

Here’s the matching car; get good exercise – not as far as legs running along through the floor, but for the arms, manually winding down the windows, and sauna effects in the non-air-conditioned atmosphere; informed a couple of weeks later that two wasp nests had taken residence inside the door; a true Herbie and never needs filling up

These are views from a chapel 3km away at 445m altitude from which on a clear day can be seen Mont Ventoux, the mountains of the Ardeche, and the Cevennes above 1500m:

  • Courry
  • Towards Barjac
  • Into the Cevennes
  • Across to St Paul Le Jeune
Posted by Jackie Barnes in France, Places, The Good
14
Jun
2019

Stowaway Released

Whilst the ski boots and clothing did not make the final essential inventory, the body board had been biding all this time, knowing the Atlantic coasts were there, but needing the opportunity of a beachside location and the warmth of the Med to finally fulfill its destiny.

After all my practice with a selfie-stick, to enable me to record my battling with the waves, including even a video proving that the body board did catch the waves with me on it, I resorted to using the tried and tested solution of an old friend holding the camera.

If reading in conjunction with the previous post, those in the know will realise that the only friend of mine who, to my knowledge, enjoys sunbathing in the altogether is ones ex-husband, who is able to combine enjoyment of campervanning, France – at least the warm bits, and surprising the family for Father’s Day.

Posted by Jackie Barnes in France, The Good