ROAD TRIP FROM MALLORCA THROUGH FRANCE - PART 2 PROVENCE - June 2023

Mount Ventoux

Nr Gorge de Verdun

Villars - The Luberon

PROVENCE

The hotel really was foul (the price was a giveaway I guess!), but I didn’t help when after concocting a magic virus remedy (suggested by Dr Katie) of turmeric, pepper, ginger, honey and lemon….I used the microwave to simmer, and it overflowed all over, out and down the front of the furniture - leaving a curry stain even after a amazingly chilled desk manager cleaned it all up.😂

Suffice to say, the remedy was predictably bollix.🤷‍♂️

Coincidentally the previous night, I went to an Indian restaurant in the centre of Avignon, which was very nice and historical….the city, not the curry shop! 

Leaving Avignon, and still on driving / photo duty only, I drove over the nearby infamous Mt Ventoux - dodging the throngs of cyclists, most partaking in some sort of event….surprisingly a fair number were walking very early on, long way to walk in bike shoes?!

Heading south east to the Luberon, I stayed one night near Apt / Gargas…..with rolling countryside, very rural with lots of Lavender fields….which became a theme across Provence. Using Komoot I plotted a 20km evening ride….but it was tougher than I expected!😅

Moving on again, I was further east than I had initially anticipated, getting very close to the Italian border….and south of the Alps! I needed to check out the Gorge du Verdun (The Grand Canyon of France)….and it was quite impressive….although a long day in the car again…😍🙄

I then made the decision to head north, affectively back towards home….but firstly into the Alps.🗻🗻

So that was almost the end of Languedoc and Provence….not overly impressed, but then again was that due to my mental state….and my virus. This was the first of my travels where I’d had some bland lethargic days….or had the novelty of travelling wore off!?

Lavender crop - Provence

Haut Provence

Top of Ventoux

                                                          The Luberon region

ROAD TRIP FROM MALLORCA THROUGH FRANCE - PART 1 LANGUEDOC - June 2023

Carcassonne

Olargues - Haut Languedoc

Gorge d'Heric

LANGUEDOC 

So, after a rather mixed return to the “Paradise Isle” of Mallorca - I decided to leave slightly prematurely. 🤷‍♂️🙄😊

An early morning (expensive - they refused to accept my Spanish residents discount 🤬) ferry, and soon I was heading north from Barcelona…and not a car jacker in sight!

Writing this now not quite sure why I decided to hurdle Spain and head straight to France (considering I want to improve my Spanish), but armed with my new shiny Lonely Planets guide to France, I headed north young man! 🇫🇷 

Took the coastal road over the Spain / France border….nice coastline, nothing spectacular, but within less than a kilometre spotted a quintessential French trait, by men only it seems thank goodness! 🤔

A bus driver just freely urinating without a care, next his bus, at the side of the road…many more examples followed, and when in Rome….”ah I need a piss, reyt, I’ll just pull over and get mi todger out….let it flow!”. 🙄😂

So started to explore the Languedoc region….which included the Tet Valley (into the French Pyrenees); checked out the Gorge de Galamus, which was pretty impressive….then found myself at Carcassonne.

I don’t get excited about urban scape generally, it has to be special….and this place was….a huge Disney like castle, with its interior loaded with nice bars, restaurants and various shops.😍

Alas it was spoilt by morning rain, on my first camp night….eventually I said au revoir to Carcassonne, and headed towards the first of the mountain ranges….the Haut Languedoc, via the Gord d’Heric, which alas, was closed! Apparently due to a rockslide, as I was admonished by an employee, whilst ignoring the signs and cycling up towards the gorge! 

I found an AirBnB in the local Orb Valley…Run by a retired Englishman, great garden and mountain backdrop…but with a bizarre interest in laser and light shows….at 10pm he asked me to watch, which was like a 70s disco! I showed a YouTube of a recent Chemical Brothers gig, with the amazing computer images….he was transfixed! 🚥

I tried an easy bike ride along a nearby disused railway track, and also a short walk….but was struggling with a virus I’d picked up 😷….did find a pop up bar / restaurant that was very nice, with a friendly waitress and an amazing playlist, from Nirvana to Motown to Madchester….I went there two nights….in Columbieres-sur-Orb.

Tbh the scenery was just Ok, high mountains but rather characterless with lots of trees / greenery covering them…with some sporadic rock outcrops, on high…this was actually repeated across the Cevennes too, further east.

Paul (my host) recommended Lac du Salagou about two hours drive further east….this was a frustrating day. My virus was really holding me back….the lake was full of cyclists and trails, but I had no enthusiasm to get on my bike….the trip was in danger! 😢

I called Katie who suggested I should act like a “normal” person and do nothing but relax for two days…then reassess…. And see if I feel any better…..But I don’t do inactivity, this was a challenge. 

I ended up doing lots of driving and sight seeing, snobbiliy deriding but forced to join the masses….stopping, photograph, next view point / point of interest on the road, photograph….move on…..this isn’t me…slowly heading east…🙄

I did tick off some worthwhile sights such as the Cirque de Navacelles (a huge deep limestone bowl); and the Pont du Gard (surviving three tier Roman bridge). I stayed in a squat of a hotel on the edge of Avignon….so now in Provence……

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Cirrus de Navacelles

Le Pujol sur Orb

Gorge de Galamus

ROAD TRIP TO MALLORCA - PART 4 - ESPANA - Monteserrat & The Ebre Delta - April 30th 2023

Monteserrat

Monteserrat

Ibis - Ebre Delta

Flamingo - Ebre Delta

MONTESERRAT

Chatting to a Spanish youth (relatively) in the restaurant in Taull the previous night, who was actually from Barcelona, he recommended Montserrat (and to come, the Ebre Delta) I’d heard of the monastery, but wasn’t aware of the mountain range and National park….a good three hour drive, but wow! well worth it….some stunning rock features, like a huge serrated saw (which is what SERRAT sort of translates to)….I got wet in the tent through the night, in pouring rain (why did I leave Taull?) - think if this is longer term, I need a replacement tent!

The next day I planned a route from the Monastery, but on arriving there, it was unbelievably rammed (Barcelona is only 45k away and it was May Day weekend)….so I wizzed back and found a spot by the Iglesias Cecilia and found a Komoot route from there, how lucky!

NOT! It took me up a gully, which became more and more difficult, with eventual Via Ferrata (iron works on the rock faces and ledges to aid climbing!)…in places I definitely crossed the scrambling line to rock climbing, and eventually came across a Frenchmen, Lauren….who was coming down?

Apparently it was impossible to reach the top, because “the chains had been taken away”….I had a one minute panic, knowing that descending is so much more difficult than climbing…take it easy and slow, I told myself….I followed Lauren….we made it, thank goodness!

I offered to buy him a beer….and he knew a bar, in the mountains after a 45 minute EASY walk! And bizarrely there was a bar, right up in the middle of these stunningly tremendous rock features. And now I was more relaxed admiring them! 

DELTA EBRE

I wanted to check out the Montserrat monastery before if left, but decided as it was May Day, it would be packed out again…so decided to head further south.

Soon I saw the Med for the first time, and before long I was at an AirBnB on the delta in the aptly named Deltebre - an urban sprawl that seemed rather less than salubrious. The apartment was fine though, although even this was a “treat” I really missed elements of camping! I did a recce on the first afto / early evening…Basically it was a mega sized Albufera, so I could’ve missed this and waited until Mallorca!

Although after a bike ride the following day, I went back to a section where there seemed more activity, and that included clocking a Wood Sandpiper and a few Squacco Herons - wowzer!

The area was quite featureless, with lots of lagoonal areas, and even paddy fields!

At least I had the comfort of watching a couple of Premiership footy matches! 

I planned to balance the flat featureless experience with a visit to the local Park Natural Del Ports - the photos on Google looked super impressive, so I planned a hike and possibly find a campsite. However, after driving an hour to get there, it became apparent that the places to see were some distance down dirt roads….for some reason too I’d lost the enthusiasm, probably because Id booked the ferry for the following day. 

So I returned away from the area and drove towards Denia….three hours! It occurred to me that I could possibly switch the ferry to the one today as I drove south, and that is what transpired….and now while I write this, I am looking at the first port of call, Ibiza! 

So that is the cessation of the outward journey, a few weeks now in Mallorca, then the return back to Blighty, but which way?

                                                                                                                    Guacco Heron

Monteserrat

Delta Ebre

Ebre Delta

River Ebre

Wood Sandpiper

Arctic Turn

Unplanned Via Ferrata - Monteserrat