Maubourguet to Clairac

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Maubourguet to Clairac

Motorhome Journey – Maubourguet to Clairac

Another hot day dawns at Maubourguet where we are pitched on the CampingCar-Park site; we have a slow morning, breakfast and catch up on journals.

We plan our route to our next stop by the Lot River leaving Maubourguet around 11.45am. Taking D-935 to Riscle then D-25 to Nogoro, then D-931 to Manciet and Eauze in the Haut Pyrenees. The ground here is dry and scorched yellow, only maise and sunflowers seem to grow here, everything yellow. North of Eauze we turn onto D-29 pass through the Bretagne d’Armagnac area with many vines (for the Armagnac no doubt). Onto D-29 where pass more vineyards with their rows of vines already harvested. We see a sign for Villa Gallo Romaine at Sérviac, following their signs along a narrow road we find a small parking area. It is 1.30pm, the Roman Villa opens at 2.0pm so we stop here and have lunch. Having changed our original plan that was to go south in Spain and visit Roman remains it feels right to call off here in France and see what the Romans left behind.

After lunch we walk down to the ticket office as a coach arrives and about 50 older people get out!! We dilly-dally a while as they get through Reception, then go in and pay our €7 each entrance. The site has well preserved foundations of a typical Roman Villa, pillared entrance with lovely mosaic floors along the corridors arranged in a square around the quadrangle. There is a central square garden with the rooms (entertaining, dining and bedrooms) off this corridor and overlooking the garden. There are baths with hypocaust, latrines, kitchen with furnace etc. It is not as well preserved as Villa Romana La Olmeida but we spend an hour admiring the mosaics and the quality of the restoration, the roof covering only the areas with mosaics preserved here.

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Back on our way to Fources and Mezin, then D-656 to Nerac, D-930 to Feugerolles, crossing the Garonne river at Port Sainte Marie. D-813 to Aiguillon where we cross the Lot River and take D-271 to Clairac. Here we find the Aire down a steep approach road next to the River Lot. Entering through the usual green access pillar, we see that it is clearly a place used for canoeing, there is also a bar with the pitches behind this along an internal track backing onto the river. The site is cramped, while the pitches are under trees and divided by low hedges, they are smaller than we are used to. We try parking on a couple (very awkward), then one under trees which have low branches, too low to get Hymer underneath.

A very (un)helpful French neighbour comes out to tell Mr C. how to park…. hmmmm, not a good idea! We have been driving this vehicle for almost ten years, we don’t respond well to someone giving directions in broken English, apart from that, who is responsible if we follow those directions and damage our vehicle or something else? We move further up and find another pitch and park up. Both feeling very stressed we get out to explore and… is it, isn’t it? It is… mosquitoes!

We consider leaving, especially as we have only driven 50km/81ml, but it is almost 6.00pm so decide to cut our losses, close the bugscreens, sit inside with the ultra-violet bug catcher buzzing and have something to eat!  Later, with a good covering of insect repellent  we do go out but regret it as Mr C. still gets bitten, horrid big red swollen bites.

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