Sunday 8 September 2024
Nido's parked up a free aire on the outskirts of the village of Matour. There's no fixed pitches - just go where you like on the grass; we have hedges on three sides, which gives a little privacy and also is less stressful for the dog.
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| We moved later to a more secluded spot |
We arrived here yesterday after a very peaceful night's sleep at the vineyard. This village was only thirty minutes' drive away so it was an easy transfer, stopping off for the obligatory baguette. I've noticed that many of the villages have lost their boulangerie, but now quite a few new modern ones have popped up just out of town, usually with a couple of other shops by a roundabout. I suspect the same people are running these boulangeries, but now in purpose-built premises with a modern kitchen and bakery and spacious shop fronts with coolers for the patisserie. They're just as delicious; the baguette here was only €1 and very tasty.
On reaching Matour we parked up then went for a walk. Right next to the aire are two MBX tracks, a large fishing lake, children's play area, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool, plus lots of marked walks for people of all abilities. As we walked up the hill from the lake we noticed there'd been lots of tree planting. A quick Google search showed the village is part of Natura 2000, a network of nature protection areas in the EU. It's made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the EU Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive - how refreshingly grown up and mature...if only the UK could be part of such an organisation! I also found out that Matour has a scheme to help young people and families to build their own homes and share labour and resources. Plus they're building assisted living homes for those with some physical and mental disabilities to allow them to live independently - this is grown up government at its best!
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| Our son would have LOVED this! |
We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling, reading and snoozing in the shade; it was sunny and back up to 28'C, with the occasional clouds and a decent breeze. However, a huge thunderstorm with heavy rain swept in during the evening and carried on until midnight, but we woke to blue skies.
This morning I took myself off for a bike ride. I usually like to start off with a gentle pedal to warm up but today it was straight into a three mile pedal uphill before it flattened off a little. But the sun was shining, it was warm and there was only a gentle breeze. Reaching the village of Dompierre-les-Ormes, I finally found a café that was open! So I sat there for half an hour over a couple of coffees, soaking up the atmosphere. From there it was pretty much all downhill and I enjoyed the car free roads as I descended, slowing down at the hairpins and avoiding the gravel in the middle of the road. After lunch we took Salty for a walk along some lanes and through the village. He'd already had a good walk, taking a dip in the adjacent lake; apparently he also took fright when a frog jumped in front of him, leapt back and promptly fell in the lake!
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| Uphill....keep going! |
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| Lots of this in France - farmers' protests |
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| Finally a coffee stop - ignore my big ears in the shadow! |
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| The vital post-cycle ride recovery phase! |
Dinner was eaten outside and we've spent the evening watching a few of the YouTube vanlifers we follow. It's been a peaceful and relaxing couple of days here. But time to move on...