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Some days seen to start badly and go downhill from there, mayby it's the 13th.
We slept OK after 1:30 but there is no peaceful lie-in as firecrackers announce fete day to everyone in a 5 mile radius.
The first problem is the reversing camera, which worked yesterday, not working today. Reverse light and sensors are OK so it's something more than a fuse.
We plan a route toward Valence, but first we have to extricate ourselves from the aire, the town is shut off and a deviation sign leads to a gravel track into a field, which doesn't seem right. But then a plume of dust signals the approach of two MoHo's coming into the aire. A temporary road way has been cut through the grass at right angles to the ploughed ridges. We buck and bounce at snails pace for about 300 yards to the road, being overtaken by 4x4s enveloping us in clouds of earth.
The roads are busy and there seems to be a high quota of weekend drivers and Belgians, who collectively seem to be the most unpredictable motorists anywhere.
We have a fuel stop and a lunch stop but the journey is unremarkable other than noting the region has a number of towns where the church spires are ornate lacy iron affairs.
After lunch we decide to change our route as another hour and a half in this heat and traffic is not what we want, and we haven't done a vineyard this trip yet.
The revised route gets us away from the busy traffic alright, and into little towns like Donzere, where we have to back out of a narrow street to let out the woman whose car is blocking the road, and Chateuanuef du Rhone where two main roads join at a tiny urban roundabout.
Finally we leave the mayhem, cross the Rhone and head into the hills of the Ardeche, via the little village of Vivier, then 4km up a single track road to the Passion Domaine Mas d'Intras. www.masdintras.fr/
The Passion parking area has 4 cars in it, but we get off the track and Ali goes to meet the Owner. He seems quite surprised that a camping car has come, despite being a Passion since 2008. While we wait in the 32C heat, he gives us pamphlets in English for us to read about his wines while he finishes with two groups of customers, then he gets the cars moved so we can park.
Now the day improves When the others go we go into the cool warehouse and into the tasting room. He is a really friendly chap, resembling a young Kenny Everett. From 25 hectares he produces around 120,000 bottlles per year, from basic 12% table wines to a 14.5% which he says is good with duck, boar and venison. Now we get the chance to ask why so many red wines are served chilled here. He says ideally they are drunk at room temperature, 18-20C, but without the deep caves and cellars of old, the ambient heat will spoil them unless kept cool and decanted to drink.
We try a few varieties of red and select some to buy. As he boxes up our bottles he says we can choose a white as a gift, and when we enquire about wifi, he gets us logged in as well.
After tasting we go for a short wander down the lane, alongside the vines which arc down the slopes. In the distance are the ghostly shadows of the Ardeche mountains, and dotting the landscape are little pink rooved dwellings. The other thing we notice is the intense smell of lavender in the air even though the fields of it between the vineyards have all had the flowers cut.
It really is a beautiful scene.
As evening falls and it starts to get dark we go inside. Wafts of lavender flood through the windows and cicadas chirp away in the heat.
We doubt anyone back in Comps is having such a peaceful evening.
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