Our first motorhome tour of France: La Rive, Biscarosse to Le Teich, Bird reserve
Previous day :: Overview page :: Next day
Réserve Ornithologique Du Teich
Today our son and family leave La Rive heading home to Stockport, we leave La Rive and head off in our Hymer motorhome to find our what it’s really like to wander around France with no particular plans and no timetable. This must by one of the most exciting things we have done. What a pity we could not do it when we were younger, but we now have the opportunity, so we’re taking it with both hands. Whether we like it we will know later.
We wake and Gill gets up to make coffee, overcast start to the day here at La Rive, Biscarosse, I had forgotten completely about the EU referendum, Gill pulled up the news on her phone. There is not much that surprises me these days, but the result of the EU referendum came as a total shock. I did not believe that the British people had it in them to turn out and vote, words fail me and that’s unusual. However, that’s democracy in action and I will. be delighted to see the back of Cameron, one of the worst PMs that we have ever had.
Went and helped the family packing up, cleaning the barbecue and sorting out children. I was amazed to find how well a baby wipe cleans the muck off the barbecue. We saw the family off on their way then recovered our key deposit and got on our way our of La Rive, servicing the Hymer as we passed the grey water disposal point.
Called at interMarché to top up our wine and food supplies, another €34 worth, filled up with diesel and headed for the bird reserve at Le Teich, about 40 minutes drive away. We were surprised to find a special parking area reserved for motorhomes, camping cars, not that the French respect signs if it does not suit them, so there were cars in the untaken spaces. A kindly camping car owner said we could park in front of her while we waited for the cars to go which they eventually did and we quickly moved into the vacant space. Not a moment too soon as another motorhome came into the aire and would have got that space.
After lunch we gathered our bird watching equipment and went into Le Teich bird reserve, 120 hectares of marsh and hides close to the coast and river. 20 hides to visit, the birds are on old salt pans so they cannot see you, which is great. At Le Teich bird reserve you have to follow the ‘approved route’ visiting each hide in turn, there is no other path. From the bird watching point of view it was excellent, black kites, booted eagle feeding on its kill, lots of waders and small birds. We spent 3.5 hours and had to dash to be back at the exit before closing time at 7 pm.
Back in the Hymer we had a delicious stir-fry meal and felt that we had passed a really good day. Tomorrow we’ll go back to Le Teich bird reserve and do it all again, that’s how good it was — maybe we are mad!
Our motorhome tour around France : La Rive, Biscarosse to Le Teich bird reserve, Réserve Ornithologique Du Teich
Click any image to enlarge
