12th April
We have decided to stay in Castellane for a second night, such is it’s attraction to us. Today, we are taking a picnic with us as we head up the steep path to the chapel on the rock above the town (Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc). This is a path not for the faint hearted, nor for those with need for mobility aids; in the UK there would probably have to be a wheelchair lift all the way up to satisfy equality laws, but none of that nonsense here. The climb is hard work with boulders much of the way providing the lift that steps would normally cater for. The views are to die for.
On the climb are the typical 12 stages of the cross that can be seen at many pilgrimage sites in Catholic countries. At the top of the rock is the small chapel, maintained by local villagers. It is open to all and is one of those small places that mean so much to the local people that you can’t help feeling a lump in the back of your throat. We very rarely give to the collection boxes at churches, but at places like this you can’t help but want to make a token of your appreciation.
Outside the chapel is a table with bench seats and it was here that we had our lunch. Lunch and a glass of wine were the perfect way to celebrate an excellent morning.
Our descent was not much quicker than the climb; partly because rocky paths are often more difficult going down than up, but also we discovered extra pathways that took us to new places to see. There is the Pentagonal Tower and another path to take you to the town ramparts. We finally returned to the motorhome shattered, but overcome by such an excellent day.
13th April,
Well, we thought we were going to Die today; not in the heart stopping mortuary type of die, Die is a village just south east of Valence. Our initial plan was to possibly stop at Sisteron, but it is market day and every space is taken. As a precaution we had identified an Aire at Die and thought that for a laugh we might stop there for the night. In the end, we came across a lovely Aire at a place called Laragne Monteglin and decide that this will do for today, especially after yet another drive through the Alpes Provencal that I have run out of superlatives to describe. Walking around we find that it is not a very exciting town, but suitable for us for one night. During the late afternoon and early evening we were treated to one of those thunderstorms that the Provence is renowned for.
14th April,
Today was going to be an easy day with a little travelling and then a peaceful day.
I should have realised that in Provence there is no such thing as a quiet drive; all roads are mountain passes that are only made more difficult by the weather conditions at the time. We were reassured that all roads from this point north were now open, in fact the only snow that we saw was in the far distance.
Almost immediately after starting our journey we were into steep inclines and hairpin bends, coupled with typical little villages. It was in one of these villages that we spied two beautiful old girls; just as we approached a hairpin bend on a particularly steep hill, there in front of us on the apex of the bend were a Model T Ford and a younger Citroen. Both were sparkling and in pristine condition. Fortunately, by now Val has learned too keep her phone on camera and standby for just such an opportunity. Then, a few minutes later, we rounded another steep bend to be confronted with a small low, narrow arch carved out of the rock.
By the time we stopped for coffee, we were open mouthed again. The scenery all around was just amazing.
On our journey today we passed through Die and Crest, both places noted for another trip. Our final stop for the day was Cornas, a small wine producing village on the outskirts of Valence.
The aire at Cornas is at the edge of the village with five marked places. By arriving early afternoon there was space for us alongside two vans that had obviously been there for some time. The village itself is small; you can walk round it in 20 minutes, and it is totally dedicated to wine. Almost every house has it’s own small vineyard and there are several viticulturalists in the village. Some of them are doing very well for themselves.
The use of motorhomes and more so aires is becoming more popular each year and this year has seen a massive increase in travel at this time. This is displayed by the aire at Cornas, which was full by 5:00 pm, yet by 7:00 pm 7 more units had arrived and had to turn away to find other places to stay. It now seems to be a rule that if you do not have a pitch by mid afternoon, then you may not get one.
15th April