Departure Campsite: Le Rossignol, Antibes, France (N 43.6063 E 7.11201)
Destination Campsite: Des Gorges du Verdon, Chasteuil/Castellane, France (N 43.82285 E 6.43107)
Distance: 58 miles/94 km (today) 1388 miles/2207 km (total)
It was very hot and sticky when we went to bed last night, but turned cold in the early hours. We woke up rather late and didn't leave the campsite until well after 11:00, driving off down the road with the tailgate open. Luckily we didn't seem to have lost anything. We decided to head North to get away from the intense heat and the mozzies and went in the direction of Gap, simply because there appeared to be a lot of campsites around there and the assumption was that there must be something good to see! Driving through the traffic in Grasse was quite bad, and we took a route through the mountains, which was quite slow going. We made it to Castellane around 14:00 and liked the look of it enough to stay a night, even though we intended to travel a lot further.
We parked in a large car park in the town to get a feel of the place and to make a little lunch. Some idiot in a chav car came screeching into the parking bay next to us (showing off to his female passenger), music blaring and parked so close it was difficult to open the van door. He came back later to find his tyres had been let down ;-)
After a quick walk around the town we headed off to find a campsite. We found a nice one with a river running through it and a swimming pool just five miles from Castellane. The receptionist took us on a golf buggy to choose our pitch. The staff at the site were very friendly, but the WiFi was pretty rubbish.
The ground was hard and dusty with little grass, but still attractive, and some shade from the trees. The toilets and showers were unisex, with a combination of holes in the floor and toilet pans. The kids had some trouble getting into the swimming pool because there always seemed to be some organized activity going on. Instead, they played in the river during the evening, which was now lower and slower flowing than it was during the day, when it was very strong. Apparently the gates upstream are opened on a Tuesday and a Friday and then closed again. Rafters take advantage of these times.
The on-site shop wasn't very well stocked, so we drove back to town and found a Casino supermarket. Castellane looked very nice and we decided to stay at least another day and visit it properly tomorrow. .
We had beef burgers for tea (James had something from the boulangerie instead). The temperature was much more comfortable than Antibes, but still pleasantly hot during the day, and cool in the evening. We put up the Easi-Canopi for the first time this holiday to provide a little more protection from the sun.
Destination Campsite: Des Gorges du Verdon, Chasteuil/Castellane, France (N 43.82285 E 6.43107)
Distance: 58 miles/94 km (today) 1388 miles/2207 km (total)
We parked in a large car park in the town to get a feel of the place and to make a little lunch. Some idiot in a chav car came screeching into the parking bay next to us (showing off to his female passenger), music blaring and parked so close it was difficult to open the van door. He came back later to find his tyres had been let down ;-)
After a quick walk around the town we headed off to find a campsite. We found a nice one with a river running through it and a swimming pool just five miles from Castellane. The receptionist took us on a golf buggy to choose our pitch. The staff at the site were very friendly, but the WiFi was pretty rubbish.
The ground was hard and dusty with little grass, but still attractive, and some shade from the trees. The toilets and showers were unisex, with a combination of holes in the floor and toilet pans. The kids had some trouble getting into the swimming pool because there always seemed to be some organized activity going on. Instead, they played in the river during the evening, which was now lower and slower flowing than it was during the day, when it was very strong. Apparently the gates upstream are opened on a Tuesday and a Friday and then closed again. Rafters take advantage of these times.
The on-site shop wasn't very well stocked, so we drove back to town and found a Casino supermarket. Castellane looked very nice and we decided to stay at least another day and visit it properly tomorrow. .
We had beef burgers for tea (James had something from the boulangerie instead). The temperature was much more comfortable than Antibes, but still pleasantly hot during the day, and cool in the evening. We put up the Easi-Canopi for the first time this holiday to provide a little more protection from the sun.
