Northern France including the British Military Cemetery at Pozières and Alsace Wine Route
Ecluse de Somont to Camping de Pavillon
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Ecluse de Somont to Camping Le Pavillon
Yet another very hot day, we Brits are not used to this heat, so we sit in the shade and plan the day… priority: to fill with water as we are now empty!
A pleasure barge comes through the canal lock, we note that this is not a manual process but a lockkeeper has to come from the local authority to operate the lock from a remote system inside the operating box (like a railway signal box). The process takes about half an hour and we guess he needs to be booked in advance.
There have been six motorhomes here overnight at the Ecluse de Somont, plus another six over the bridge parked on a wide section of verge. We watch as three on our side and five on the other side leave, reminding us that part of our holiday is about chilling out and not being in a hurry to get anywhere. We leave late morning, reminding ourselves of our own camping rules:
Always empty the toilet cassette and fill with fresh water before you leave.
If we had we may have stayed here another night. We leave Aire Écluse No.7 Surmont, turning left over the bridge towards Cléry sur Somme. Taking D938 we drive to Péronne and fill with diesel at Intermarché (another nearly empty tank). Alas the LPG is no longer supplied and there is no water tap. Taking D44/D1029 we make for Saint Quentin and Homblières where we stop for lunch in the shade next to the cemetery. After lunch and armed with 5 litre and 2 litre bottles we head for the cemetery and find the tap. As usual hidden away in a corner, just follow the path and find the drain (or green markings on the wall where the moss grows too thickly over the moist drips). We follow the pipe and see the drain, there is a good pressure and we fill our water bottles, at least we have plenty of drinking water.
On our way on D1029 again through Origny Sainte Benoite and E44 to Guise (a nice looking town). Back on D1029 to La Capelle and Hirson. From here we turn west on D31, a minor road through the village of Saint Michel with its lovely Abbaye, it would have been good to stop but we were too hot and tired! Another few kilometres through Watigny and the D5, north to La Neuville aux Joûtes and D34 to our campsite at Le Pavillon. It is mid-afternoon, very hot (well into the thirties) and after our drive through picturesque French villages on lovely rural roads it has taken three hours (only 76 miles). We are definitely ready for a stop and book onto the campsite Camping de Pavillon.
After some ‘promenading’ round the 32 pitches, we choose Pitch 24 at the far side between a tall bank of trees to the east (morning sun) and tall trees along the south border (daytime sun). The ground is a bit uneven so we faff around to find the ‘levelest’ point, finally parking the front wheels on wedges somewhere in the middle of a very large pitch with plenty of shade all around. We set up, mat, chairs and table out and explore. It is still hot, 32°C so sit in the shade and open white Chassalas from the fridge.
Chassalas is a wine we have not had before and are not overly impressed. Chassalas is mostly Chardonnay it has those similar oily characteristics and not that much character. It is good for today, cold and refreshing on a very hot day and with tuna rillette and thin slices of baguette. Later we finish the jambon ham and salad and sit late into the evening with the mosquito coils burning (although there is no evidence of the biting things we are taking no chances). Our first night at Camping de Pavillon.
Click at image to enlarge
Day 2 at Camping Le Pavillon
Another hot day so we have a lazy morning enjoying not having to do anything or be anywhere, a little thin cloud also makes it a little cooler, perhaps 24°C warming up later to 28°C when the cloud clears and leaves another blue sky day.
We gather our clothes and bedding from the laundry bag and take it to the washing machine, €5 per wash (plus detergent but we have our own). After lunch Mr C. ties the line around the perimeter of the awning and we peg out the bedding and towels, the sheets making a good sun screen under the awning. In the afternoon Mr C goes to explore the walk through the forest while Gill sits under the awning in the shade and write some journal. There seems a lot of catching up to do.
Mr C. comes back much later, hot and tired as he missed the path in the forest and picked up some bites on his legs. It begins to cloud over, the forecast is for heavy rain later so we collect the washing and fold it, remaking the bed with the clean bedding. We sit under the awning and drink a bottle of Chais du Grillon from Ventoux. another new wine of Grenache Blanc and Clairette grapes, it is very nice and pairs well with fish rillette and baguette.
The early evening slips by all too quickly, it is very quiet and relaxing here, surrounded by large trees with swallows, raptors flying very high on the thermals and complete silence. We sit until the evening darkens and cools, putting the table, chairs and mat away for the next as rain is expected. Our second night at Camping de Pavillon.
Day 3 at Camping Le Pavillon
It does rain heavily in the night as expected, pitter-pattering on the roof. It has stopped by morning and a shroud of grey mist hangs heavily around the big trees. It is a distinctly autumnal morning: a chill in the air (although only 16°C), large drops of dew cover the grass and the leaves which are yellow and falling in profusion onto the ground. In the still air of a misty morning I wander around the atmospheric grounds of the campsite.
There are four of us tourers here and about four of the statics are occupied. As the sun rises above the tall trees it begins to burn off the mist, by lunchtime it is a complete blue-sky day and a pleasant 23°C. The silence and tranquillity of this site outweighs our desire to travel on further so we book another night and spend a sunny afternoon in the peace and quiet sat under the awning, Mr C. watercolour painting and I edit the proof copy of a family history book. While we sit the leaves from the trees above fall around us like orange-brown confetti, a reminder that summer is almost at an end. Rain is due mid-afternoon, about 4.00pm the warm sunshine gives way to grey clouds which thicken and thunder begins to rumble.
We put away the table and chairs and as we wind in the awning drops of rain begin to fall. We move inside while a very noisy thunderstorm passes over the area in the next hour or two. We watch as a Dutch couple arrive with a caravan and walk around the site in the pouring rain. They finally chose the pitch next to us and we watch as they spend the next hour (in the pouring rain) setting the caravan up. Early evening the rain abates, we cook chicken with mushrooms and fresh green beans for tea supplemented with a bottle of light Pinot Noir wine. Our third night at Camping de Pavillon.