From Reedham Ferry- TG 40540 01450
A great day's walking once clear of Lowestoft. Much variation on good paths. Archetypal English country villages, several tea shops, and a grand finale crossing on the Reedham Ferry to the pub and camp site directly on the other side. Charges a bit steep at £12. I intend to eat in the pub tonight- report to follow.
What a contrast our villages are with the French which all look like deserted film sets from years ago, and even if there is a shop or bar it is generally closed. Our villages actually have people living in them even if they are rich commuters.
This has been a good start to the walk and if it keeps up I think it will be rewarding. Of course the weather has been kind today.
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Saturday, 12 June 2010
Friday, 11 June 2010
Back in the UK
It is now 4.00 pm Friday 11th June. I left a little village in The Languedoc called Montdardier at 10.00 am on Wednesday after waiting for the epicerie to open so i could get some breakfast. It was raining.
I walked about ten miles to Vigan with occasional views of The Cevennes through cloud and rain. At Vigan the tourist office was closed until 2.0. I went for lunch then found I could get a bus to Nimes and a train from there to Lyons. It was still raining. Arrived Lyon train from airport at about 7.0 pm. Four hotels in a row were full so I took the shuttle bus to the airlport. By chance i found
a girl on the Easy Jet desk. To alter my flight for tomorrow (Thursday - 10.20 am) would cost £119, or if done on line using the airport's Internet £30. I walked off to attempt the latter - 2€ for 30 mins. It was hopeless. The computer had a French keyboard. It took me ages to find out where the proper full stop was which involved using the shift key! I then found that Easyjet needed me to log in with a password I couldn't remember and also I had changed my email address since making the original booking so I could not be recognised. It was now about 10pm. I tried the airport hotel but it was full so spent the night on an uncomfortable airport seat. At 6.0am paid Easyjet the £119 and stooged around until flight time which ended up being 40 mins late.
Got into Gatwick abot 11.0am our time. Train into London. Tube journey to Liverpool Street to get train to Lowestoft with about 4 mins to spare - at last a bit of good luck. Still raining. Arrived L about 4.30 pm. Did some shopping then 30 min bus to camp site where I had posted my maps to. I also expected to pick up my Pocket Rocket burner which I had not been able to take on the flight from Liverpool and posted home. I had asked Jill to post it to the camp site but it had not arrived. I eventually got pitched and for the first time in over 48 hours got some sleep.
This morning (Friday) the burner arrived in the post . I have been into L to shop, cash in euros and post some items home and will set off to tomorrow on my Lowestoft to St Bees Head walk.
I had omitted to bring my bus pass on this trip but the drivers on the Lowestoft buses have let me travel for free.
I will do another more subjective post shortly to give some rationale for my earlier than planned return to the UK.
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I walked about ten miles to Vigan with occasional views of The Cevennes through cloud and rain. At Vigan the tourist office was closed until 2.0. I went for lunch then found I could get a bus to Nimes and a train from there to Lyons. It was still raining. Arrived Lyon train from airport at about 7.0 pm. Four hotels in a row were full so I took the shuttle bus to the airlport. By chance i found
a girl on the Easy Jet desk. To alter my flight for tomorrow (Thursday - 10.20 am) would cost £119, or if done on line using the airport's Internet £30. I walked off to attempt the latter - 2€ for 30 mins. It was hopeless. The computer had a French keyboard. It took me ages to find out where the proper full stop was which involved using the shift key! I then found that Easyjet needed me to log in with a password I couldn't remember and also I had changed my email address since making the original booking so I could not be recognised. It was now about 10pm. I tried the airport hotel but it was full so spent the night on an uncomfortable airport seat. At 6.0am paid Easyjet the £119 and stooged around until flight time which ended up being 40 mins late.
Got into Gatwick abot 11.0am our time. Train into London. Tube journey to Liverpool Street to get train to Lowestoft with about 4 mins to spare - at last a bit of good luck. Still raining. Arrived L about 4.30 pm. Did some shopping then 30 min bus to camp site where I had posted my maps to. I also expected to pick up my Pocket Rocket burner which I had not been able to take on the flight from Liverpool and posted home. I had asked Jill to post it to the camp site but it had not arrived. I eventually got pitched and for the first time in over 48 hours got some sleep.
This morning (Friday) the burner arrived in the post . I have been into L to shop, cash in euros and post some items home and will set off to tomorrow on my Lowestoft to St Bees Head walk.
I had omitted to bring my bus pass on this trip but the drivers on the Lowestoft buses have let me travel for free.
I will do another more subjective post shortly to give some rationale for my earlier than planned return to the UK.
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Sunday, 6 June 2010
Days 11/12/13 from St Jean de Blaquiere de
The rest of day 10
The stay in the chambre d'hote at La Tour sur l'Orb was excellent. A full evening meal with pork terrine, barbecued pork chop with endives and courgets, and a Ginger and barbecued pineapple desert, all with a generous supply of good quality Languedoc rose and then red. This was all done to very high standards by these ex resteraunters The cost including an excellent breakfast was 75 euros. Can't afford to do many of these!
Day 11
La Tour sur l'Orb to Lodeve
Pleasant and varied walking. Very hot - 32 deg on descent into Lodeve. Arrived at gite d'etape. Gardien very kind plied me with chilled drinks. Excellent town centre gite purpose built. Had good meal out in the town.
Day 12 Lodeve to St Jean de Blaquiere.
This was the rendezvous with my brother Rod and family at the villa they have rented for the last three years. A long steep ascent fro m Lodeve onto the plateau, then a branch off onto the GR 653 for the 8 km to St Jean.
I arrived about 2.00. Rod and co at 4.45. Party consisted of Rod and Veronica, daughter and husband Melissa and Darren and their son Zach. Time spent in the large swimming pool very enjoyable. Very good evening meal with lots of bitings-on to start then asparagus starter, chicken and roast potatoes, beans et al. Apple cake to finish- all with lots of rose wine.
Day 13
Still at St Jean. Heavy rain and thunderstorms. Trip to supermarket and then to local winery to buy more wine. Plan to leave here tomorrow to continue on GR 7.
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The stay in the chambre d'hote at La Tour sur l'Orb was excellent. A full evening meal with pork terrine, barbecued pork chop with endives and courgets, and a Ginger and barbecued pineapple desert, all with a generous supply of good quality Languedoc rose and then red. This was all done to very high standards by these ex resteraunters The cost including an excellent breakfast was 75 euros. Can't afford to do many of these!
Day 11
La Tour sur l'Orb to Lodeve
Pleasant and varied walking. Very hot - 32 deg on descent into Lodeve. Arrived at gite d'etape. Gardien very kind plied me with chilled drinks. Excellent town centre gite purpose built. Had good meal out in the town.
Day 12 Lodeve to St Jean de Blaquiere.
This was the rendezvous with my brother Rod and family at the villa they have rented for the last three years. A long steep ascent fro m Lodeve onto the plateau, then a branch off onto the GR 653 for the 8 km to St Jean.
I arrived about 2.00. Rod and co at 4.45. Party consisted of Rod and Veronica, daughter and husband Melissa and Darren and their son Zach. Time spent in the large swimming pool very enjoyable. Very good evening meal with lots of bitings-on to start then asparagus starter, chicken and roast potatoes, beans et al. Apple cake to finish- all with lots of rose wine.
Day 13
Still at St Jean. Heavy rain and thunderstorms. Trip to supermarket and then to local winery to buy more wine. Plan to leave here tomorrow to continue on GR 7.
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Thursday, 3 June 2010
Day 9 - from Lamalou les Bains Wed 2nd June
Walked into town for 8.30. Bought croissant etc at boulangerie then went to bar to eat my purchases with cafe allonger, that is cioffee made bigger literally, instead of the
minute serving you normally get.
Next I walked three km to an Intermarche and a Brico where at last I got some gas. Then I walked the three km back. Now It was time for lunch. Moules et frites and a couple of pensions in the sun. Pleasant conversation with decent English couple, and then much more satisfying conversation in French with a mother and daughter - the mother claimed to have had some
connection with Lord Mountbatten that I could not quite understand. Now doing the siesta in the tent which very fortunately is in the shade - just luck, not my skill at pitching.
My Mili iPhone charger is charging up at the campsite office
Looking forward to eating in the town tonight although still A bit full after lunch.
------------
The moules had a predictable effect, but I recovered enough for the evening meal.
Day 10 - Lamalous les Bains to La Tour sur l'Orb.
Cloudless hot day. Enjoyable country walking on varied tracks, roads and paths. Wonderful scents of broom, herbs, honeysuckle and many others. Picking ripe cherries off the orchard trees overhanging the tracks - delicious. Who needs to carry water?
Arrived La Tour to find camp site closed. Only option was a chambre d'hote where I waited 2 hrs for the owners to return from shopping. Writing this up waiting for meal at 7.30. I think this going to be expensive but it is decent. The owners are English and ran two restaurants in London. I learnt this from a neighbour during my long wait. He gave me a chair to sit on and a bottle of chilled Evian. I also spoke to Jill on the phone and learnt of the awful shooting in Whitehaven.
For Afoot in the Hills. Yes the gps did let me down on a cloudy day in the trees with no signal when I really needed it. I have only just found out how to make it fire up at the previous location you were at instead of having to tediously scroll through your route for the last few days,
For Dorothy. Thanks for your good wishes message received before I left.
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minute serving you normally get.
Next I walked three km to an Intermarche and a Brico where at last I got some gas. Then I walked the three km back. Now It was time for lunch. Moules et frites and a couple of pensions in the sun. Pleasant conversation with decent English couple, and then much more satisfying conversation in French with a mother and daughter - the mother claimed to have had some
connection with Lord Mountbatten that I could not quite understand. Now doing the siesta in the tent which very fortunately is in the shade - just luck, not my skill at pitching.
My Mili iPhone charger is charging up at the campsite office
Looking forward to eating in the town tonight although still A bit full after lunch.
------------
The moules had a predictable effect, but I recovered enough for the evening meal.
Day 10 - Lamalous les Bains to La Tour sur l'Orb.
Cloudless hot day. Enjoyable country walking on varied tracks, roads and paths. Wonderful scents of broom, herbs, honeysuckle and many others. Picking ripe cherries off the orchard trees overhanging the tracks - delicious. Who needs to carry water?
Arrived La Tour to find camp site closed. Only option was a chambre d'hote where I waited 2 hrs for the owners to return from shopping. Writing this up waiting for meal at 7.30. I think this going to be expensive but it is decent. The owners are English and ran two restaurants in London. I learnt this from a neighbour during my long wait. He gave me a chair to sit on and a bottle of chilled Evian. I also spoke to Jill on the phone and learnt of the awful shooting in Whitehaven.
For Afoot in the Hills. Yes the gps did let me down on a cloudy day in the trees with no signal when I really needed it. I have only just found out how to make it fire up at the previous location you were at instead of having to tediously scroll through your route for the last few days,
For Dorothy. Thanks for your good wishes message received before I left.
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Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Days 6/7/8
Raining when I set off at 6.50am. Rained all day and violent wind. Mainly forest tracks. Nothing to see, nowhere to stop. Walked about 25 miles - 11 hours. Oonly took rucksack off once. Carried water for about 10km - this is not what I came for. Put up tent on side of forest track in 10 minute no rain interval. Very hard walk next day. More mountainous and a few really good views, but don't worry about chopping down trees in the amazon -they have got enough for everybody in France. Late in the day I was faced with a 450m ascent in 2km - that is half a good Munro! Loaded up with water and carried on another 4km or so. Did about 20 miles altogether. Arrived Lafarge to find gite occupied by children's group so was not allowed to stay, but they let me camp. Some of the highest winds I have ever experienced In a tent during the night but no more rain.
Pleasant walking and varied for long descent to Lamalou les Bains for 12.45. Office de T closed till two. Camp sit office
closed till four. Waited at camp site. 11.5 euros per night. Staying
two nights. Search for gas not promising - this getting critical now.
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Pleasant walking and varied for long descent to Lamalou les Bains for 12.45. Office de T closed till two. Camp sit office
closed till four. Waited at camp site. 11.5 euros per night. Staying
two nights. Search for gas not promising - this getting critical now.
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For Gayle
I have now started to think about Your wonderful faff word in terms of mini, midi, and maxi faffs
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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