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Hi all,
hope you're enjoying reading the blogs - I must say it's quite fun writing
them and picking the main bits out of what we've been doing to write about
although getting them onto the web site has been somewhat of a challenge. We are now at the point where we pull in at any place that vaguely mentions the Internet......
We are now in a really idylic spot near Bordeaux called Pyla sur Mer, we're
on the coast and next to the biggest sand dune in Europe - and trust me when
I say it is enourmous. I can't begin to describe the scale of it so I'll try
to post some pictures to show you.
We treked down here yesterday and when we arrived the campsite was already full. The weather was significantly warmer and the traffic getting from the motorway to here was terrible, we were crawling along and it was absolutely scorching. Fortunately the air con saved the day again........ When we got onto the site we checked in drove to the edge of the pitches and then were met (eventually) by a lad on a golf cart who was the "placer" - you had to park the car, get in with him while he drove randomly around the camp site
until he spotted somewhere to shoe horn you in. The site is in the trees,
they are all Scots pine so there is a high canopy, it also slopes steeply
down to the sea and they have made little terraces to pitch on, unfortunately
there are 2 or 3 tents caravans or camper vans per terrace so although the
pitches are spacious enough you are literally on top of the surrounding
campers. Of course the relaxing atmosphere of the trees and the fantastic
view of the sea and bay go a long way to cancel the feeling of being in a
cross between a festival and an open air market.
Today we had to wash, shop, clean, cook, etc so a bit like being at home
really :-) ok, nothing like being at home.........
We were just on our way back to camp to cook dinner when it started to
rain..... and rain it did - all evening. It was quite blustery as well but
then it cleared up and calmed down for an hour. If only it had stayed that
way it'd now blowing like mad, I've had to tye the tarp we have outside for
coooking under in the centre along the front edge to stop it billowing like a
spinacre and pulling the trees out that it's tethered to :-) To add to the
fun beacuse we are under pines there are big double needles falling all the
time and slapping the tent which sounds like someone chukking things at the
tent. It's noisey to say the least but at least it's made all the surrounding
campers go quiet or at least be drowned out by the wind (and the rustling or
our tarp :-) )
All the roads here have two lane cycle paths at the side of them so getting
about is really easy and you don't have to watch out for the foreign drivers
(the French and Dutch ones are ok it's the Italien, German and Spanish ones
you ahve to watch!). We are probably going to explore on the bikes a bit more tomorrow.
So this big dune thing, because it rises steeply out of the sea and you get a
constant sea breeze and obviously the land is warm this place is the European
Mecca (not a bingo hall in sight) for Parapente - or Paragliding as we more
commonly know it. There are folks running of the top of the dunes all day
long and they do tandem trips as well so if we get chance we might give that
a go as well (depending how much it is as well).
Right I'm off to lay in my sleepng bag now and listen to the wind, rustling
trees, tarps and tents flapping in the wind, oh, and PINE needles slapping
the tent! I wish they wouldn't do that........
Catch you all later.
Ian and Claire
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