Today, as we discovered, was Las Toussaints or All Saint’s Day. It is a public holiday across France. We decided to visit Beziers and the Fonsérannes Locks on the Canal du Midi.
During our travels we had been aware of many shops and florists displaying large potted chrysanthemums in their windows and on the pavements . Now we know why.
Chrysanthemums are the traditional flowers placed on the graves of loved ones, during this time of remembrance.
We had enjoyed our stay at Flower Camping La Beaume near Esparron -de-Verdon for 9 nights but it was closing for the year so we had to move on. We decided to move westward to Beziers .
Our Camping Card had been given to another camper by mistake when we were at La Neptune recently, but had now been returned. We decided to return there for one night to pick up the card before heading west towards Spain. So yesterday we made the short trip back there and set up for the night.
Today we set off around 10:30 heading westward to Beziers, staying at Camping Les Peupliers in Colombiers in the Hérault region of France.
The village is on the Canal du Midi. We chose to pay a toll and used the autoroute to travel the 200km. We were delayed for about 30 minutes due to an incident, but made the campground, fortunately, in good time. We were greeted by a very pleasant receptionist. We chose our pitch and setup with the intention of staying 4 or 5 nights. Within two hours the site was almost full with arriving motorhomes who appear to use the site as a stopover.
We intend to use this site as a base to visit Béziers, Carcassonne and Canal du Midi before moving south to find warmer weather.
The plan today was to drive along the south side of The Verdon Gorges, lunch at Castellane, and return to camp by the north side road, the D952. I had ridden these roads , and visited Castellane, on my motorcycle three times in the past and the area never fails to amaze me and I was sure Kim would be impressed. The added dimension of the autumnal colours would also add to the experience.
The Verdon Gorges
The plan was working well until we came across a ‘Route Barrée’ sign on the south side road, the D71. Big disappointment, as I think the views are better from south. The road is closed until mid December. I took this picture before retracing our steps to take the north side road.
Village View
Progress toward Castellane was slow as it seemed after every corner Kim was asking to stop for a picture opportunity. This was exactly how I felt when my son Paul & I visited on our motorcycles in 2008. I’ll try to let the pictures explain the magic.
Gorge Views
Gorge Views
Gorge Views
Verdon Gorges Autumnal Colours
Verdon Gorges Views
Verdon Gorges Rock Arch
Gorge – View Down
This is a place where the pictures often do not do the view justice.
We finally approached Castellane, with it’s landmark church, The Notre-Dame du Roc towering overhead.
Castellane
We had a rather late lunch, then wandered about the town square before seeking out the La Poste to send our cards.
Castellane Post Office & Hilltop Church
We drove back to camp along the north side road as the sun was going down.
A Diary Of Our Caravan Tour Around Europe
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