Autumn in the Lakes

We spend a delightful weekend with Hilton and Anne in the Lake District and saw the area at its Autumn best

A lovely walk around Buttermere was cold and at times wet  but in between the showers we were treated to some stunning views

 While Anne headed off to play the organ at church Hilt decided to test our climbing mettle with a gentle stroll up Little Mell Fell. Fabulous views all around with the fells topped with snow

Later we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around Brotherswater

Wednesday 18th. Lovely villages around Bayeux and ferry back from Ouistreham

Poor weather as we left Cancale but as we came close to Bayeux it improved and we left the Route Nationale, put down the roof and enjoyed a leisurely drive through some lovely villages around Bayeux including Cerisy la Foret and Le Molay Littry.

We had stayed at the Hotel Du Commerce in the latter village many years ago with Hilda, Sadie and Elsie whilst visiting Bayeux and the Tapestry. The LLW never ceases to remind me that on one occasion I was determined to eat out (I'm not normally a fan of eating in hotels) only to be persuaded otherwise and we had the best Cote de Boeuf ever - well what do I know!

Bayeux was out lunchtime stop and we enjoyed  a wander around the town which is as lovely as ever

We still had plenty of time before our ferry so meandered through the countryside and stopped at a lovely village called Creully which had a beautifully restored castle.

Tuesday 17th Cancale

Whilst we very much enjoyed our visit to the Ile de Re, the weather could have been better and as we set out to drive north to Cancale there was little sign of improvement. Again top up on the car we made use of the almost traffic free and expensive autoroutes arriving in Cancale at lunchtime. It was raining oysters! Nothing to do but find a pleasant creperie where we could shelter from the rain.

We settled into our very nice B&B Le Chatellier,  where we had stayed once before and the LLW had remembered that an excellent restaurant at the Manoir des Douets Fleuris was attached (or to be more accurate just down the field) and we had booked this for our evening meal. Ray's starter was an assiette de fruit de mer which was more like a plateau and included half a crab. This small apertiser was followed by an excellent cassoulet de rognons de veau and all was well with the world.

Definitely the best meal of our holiday.

Monday 16th

It started out bright and sunny but after a coffee and a stroll around La Flotte the clouds were gathering and we decided to drive around parts of the island that we had not seen before.

In particular we enjoyed our visit to the ruined Cistercian Abbey of Les Chateliers

Sunday 15th - the sun comes out

Sunday was bright and sunny so it was clearly the day for cycling and these are now available for hire at Les Gollandiers so off we set to the north of the Island.

It was a brilliant day and we cycled for hours stopping at Ars for a lunch by the beach and then returning via St Martin. Ray had decided to annoy the locals by wearing his Vini D'Italia t-shirt.

Overall we cycled some 40Km but since it is very flat this didn't seem that hard and we had a great day.

Saturday 14th Ile de Re in the rain!

Saturday morning dawned wet and grey but undeterred we headed off to La Flotte and the excellent market which was as usual very busy and full of excellent produce.

After braving the elements for some time we decided that there was nothing for it but to have a long lunch! So off we went to Ars en Re where there is a very nice restaurant which was called Bistrot de Bernard but is now known as Bistrot Bene.

The lunch was excellent and served by a very friendly older gentleman who was absolutely charming.. After lunch we dodged the showers during a walk around Ars but it was clear that the weather was not about to improve so we headed back to out hotel to relax and read.

Friday 13th Off to the Ile de Re

We set off bright and early for the longest drive of the holiday from Mauroux to le Bois Plage on the Ile de Re. Initially the roads were very busy and the weather was mixed so we decided to put the roof up and get onto the autoroute toute suite! 

As many of you will know we have been to the Ile de Re several times and we love it! There is something about the wild sandy, dune encircled, beaches on the western side and the sheltered harbours surrounded by restaurants on the eastern side which has lasting appeal. 

Thursday 12th Le Gindreau and the Lot Valley

As planned on the Thursday morning we visited the vineyards of Chateau Latuc and enjoyed a very warm welcome. Unfortunately we had to limit ourselves to 3 bottles of wine since the Mazda, great car that it is, does not have a commodious boot!

After the vineyard we headed off for lunch at Le Gindreau, a Michelin starred restaurant in St Medard a Catus which we had first visited in 1977 shortly after it had opened. When it first opened it was good but very "paysanne"; since winning a Michelin star probably about 20 years ago now it has been very plush and on the number of occassions we have visited it has been very good. However, the original owner and chef has now retired and I'm afraid the food is not what is was; too fussy and too many contracting flavours. We had a good meal but both felt that it had gone downhill significantly.

After a good walk around the village we returned to Mauroux for a quiet late afternoon and evening. As we both said we could return to the Lot valley many times; its lovely.

Wednesday 11th Along the Lot valley to Mauroux

The next morning we headed into the centre again searching for the market, but it was nowhere to be found -at least initially.   We had not had breakfast at the hotel and stopped at a cafe near the Pont Valentre for a coffee and bread and some delicious jams (fraise and fig)    We asked our waiter about the market and indeed it was on and we had simply missed it because it was not where we expected to find it.   Having checked with the blackberry and complete with the assurance of our waiter  that it was only 10 minutes walk, we headed off and found it in the cathedral square.  In France as all lovers of the country will know the market is the place to buy food and it is easy to be tempted. Amazing to find a Poissonnerie as good as this so far from the sea.

After visiting the market the sun had come out and we were treated to wonderful views of the Pont Valentre before heading off west along the Lot valley.

The views along the valley were wonderful overlooking numerous meanders of the river and acres of vineyards on the other side.

We then headed north to the hamlet of Lherm where out much missed friend Cecil lived for a while in the mid 1970s. Rosemary and I have great memories of visiting Lherm when it really was a tumble down but oh so atmospheric french country hamlet. When we visited again some 5 years ago we found the place to be full of Polish registration cars and it was clear that most of the properties had been bought by Brits, Germans, Dutch and/or Scandinavians. They have moved in the Polish builders to renovate everything. It is now immaculate and the buildings have been beautifully renovated. However, it's almost too pristine and has lost some of the rural charm. This is a little odd because much of the Lot valley (unlike the Dordogne) has changed very little in 30+ years.

We were staying for rue second and third nights in the Lot at a place in the countryside about 40 minutes from Cahors.  It was a charming Logis, Hostellerie Le Vert just outside Mauroux.  It the garden there must have been about 10 fig trees al laden with fruit, several so full and ripe that the ground underneath was full of squashed fruit.   The weather was sunny that afternoon and we took a dip in the pool before dinner which was a very pleasant 3 course meal of terrine of foie gras/lobster ravioli, veal and a chocolate desert for Le Monsieur and a crumble of greengages for the LLW.

We also had a delicious bottle of wine from Chateau Latuc  a vineyard about a kilometre away and determined to look them up e next day.

Tuesday 10th. Back in Cahors and the Lot Valley

The journey to Cahors is not a long one but we still set off fairly early and spent our time on small roads among the vineyards.

We decided to make the detour up to the village of Tournons d'en Agenais.  Td'A is a lovely bastide village with fabulous views over the surrounding countryside.  It is part of the pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostella according to the large church.  The small square is charming and full of pots of flowers.  We stopped for a coffee (along with some other Brits) .   I have a feeling it is one of the villages in our books on the prettying villages in France and I can imagine it deserves that accolade.

We arrived in the Lot valley at Puy l'Eveque and we have definitely stopped here before but felt it was worth another stop,   However, along with Condom it seemed to have suffered slightly from the recession in France as many of the shops were closed down.  However, it was nice to wander round and we had some good views of the Lot below.  We headed out for our lunch just across the bridge to a cafe on one of the banks of the Lot.  We both opted for a salad de Quercy which inevitably comprises pâté de fore, walnuts and smoked duck breast and very good it was too.

We finally reached Cahors and found our hotel with the help of the trusty Satnav.  We were staying in a Kyriad just outside the town.  This is a new hotel chain to us but is perfectly serviceable although lacking in character, but just the thing for a last minute stop where the only purpose of the room is to sleep in it.

After checking in we headed into the town for a wander around and to find a suitable spot for dinner. The first port of call was the famous Pont Valentre which is a lovely fortified bridge across the Lot and is just as beautiful as when we first saw it some 40 years ago.

We then went back to the central square and settled down to a typically meal of the Quercy variety, the LLW's Mer et terre plate comprising the inevitable pate de foie and smoked salmon whilst I had Ris and Rognons de Veau - all delicious for a routine centre of the square restaurant. 

Monday 9th inland to Condom en Armagnac

The morning was sunny and we were treated to some wonderful views of the northern Spain coastline from our balcony before we started our journey inland to Armagnac.

After and hour or so on the motorway we took the D roads from Mont de Marsan (no mont and not very memorable) through the lovely Armagnac countryside to Condom. It really was a lovely drive with beautiful rolling countryside and virtually no traffic on the roads.

Montreal was a lovely village not far from Condom and we made a brief stop there to wander around the medieval centre.

We had stopped briefly in Condom many years ago and had good memories of the town. In common with so many towns in this parts of France it has been renovated and the building expensively restored. Those of you who visited France 40 or so years ago will remember the charming but rather tumble down villages and towns. They are still charming but are very much pristine these days. Sadly Condom has clearly suffered during the recession and lots of shops and restaurants had closed.

Our hotel Les Trois Lys could not have been more different to the one in Biarritz which was large and modern. The Trois Lys was an elegant small mansion in the centre of Condom; lovely but quite eccentric in a typical small town France style.

Just outside the cathedral was a rather strange sculpture of the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan by the Russian sculptor Zourab Tsereteli who is famous (infamous!) for his "unloved large sculptures".

 In spite of the many closed restaurants we found a very nice bistro with outside seating close to the cathedral. It did appear to be the only show in town on a Monday!

Sunday 8th over the border to Biarritz

We awoke to a dull morning with some rain around as we started the short journey to Biarritz. A short stop was planned in Hondarribia but clearly there was an important Basque festival under way and absolutely nowhere to park! Hondarribia will have a wait a little longer before receiving an official visit from the LLW!

Once again we had used booking.com to find a hotel which this time had the very romantic name Le Grand Large. However, it was good and in an excellent position overlooking the Boulevard du Prince de Galles and the main surfing beach. Having checked in and parked the Mazda we set off to explore Biarritz.

From time to time the sun came out and we enjoyed a long walk along the Grand Plage - not quite swimming weather but very enjoyable.

There was a festival of dance in Biarritz and open air performances outside the Casino were attracting reasonable numbers of  interested onlookers.

Later in the afternoon we decided to drive the short distance to Bayonne and managed to find ourselves in the very narrow streets of the old town around the cathedral which provided some great views but did require careful navigation from the LLW. Back to Biarritz along the coastal route where we passed several vast sandy beaches. 

Saturday 7th More time in San Sebastian

Wet again this morning but still warm and  we had decided to explore all of the city on foot and after the long walk down to the old town stopped for a coffee to watch the world go by.

As we sat watching the world go by there was a street demonstration by a fairly large group of people carrying placards saying no to 150% IBI. This was also written in the sand in several places and we gather it is a protest about the government imposing a property tax of 150% on holiday homes.

Along the square was a small but very colourful market and as usual, sur le continent, the produce looked terrific. Sadly we cannot say the same about the new Kursaal across the river just in front of the Playa de Gros. The beach itself is beautiful and clearly a haven for surfers of which there seemed to be hundreds. However the building did not deserve a photo but does deserve to adopt the name of the beach.

 Clearly it's cider time at present and the festival the main square was already in full swing and nobody seemed concerned about drinking cider and consuming vast baggette type rolls relatively early in the day.

We were even treated to a very large cider barrel being brought into the square by two Oxen|

There were also a group of three men in  only their underpants (with Bilbao emblazoned on the back) running through the square, but sadly we had no time to get a photo.    

The lovely lady wife had said at this point that she was feeling a little under the weather and we decided it was time for lunch.   We selected a restaurant, again recommended in our guide book, and although it was now 1.00 there were only 2 other people in the restaurant when we arrived, although the Pinchos part downstairs was very busy.  It is clear that mealtimes are different in Spain as by the time we left, it was very full.   I had roasted vegetables with veal sweetbreads and the lovely lady wife had a piece of block de foie mi-cuit with toasts and a peach puree.   We then both skipped a main course and had a pudding.  I had the local speciality which resembled bread and butter pudding and the LLW had a strawberry dessert.  She declared herself completely recovered after that.      

We then headed back for a rest and in the evening made the 2,2 mile trip again to the old town where we walked around the port and mixed with the locals.     We were sitting having a salad near one of the churches and were treated to a procession (no cows this time) comprising men in beefeaters style hats, a band and lots of others, some dressed up.  We were unable to make our waiter understand our questions so we still have no idea what it was about, but it appeared as if the whole of San Sebastian took part in it at some point.   It is worth remembering that on the continent most people live in fairly small flats and hence will seek to perambulate outside at every opportunity (that is probably almost every evening) .   We then headed back to our hotel by taxi for our final night in SS. 

Friday 6th on to San Sebastian

Rather wet as we set off for San Sebastian so sadly the roof needed to be closed on the Mazda. Initially we took the motorway before heading off through Gernika (the Guernica of civil war and Picasso fame) and on to the very windy road along the coast.   One of the interesting things about these trips is that it does make you look up things which you may have known long ago but are now lost in the mists of time.   Our guide book has a passage on the horrific straffing of over a thousand locals at a market in Guernica and a quick review of Wikipedia reminds us that Franco ruled over Spain for some 30 years until 1975.   How things have changed in a relatively short time.  

We had booked in to a hotel on Mount Igueldo which is on the western side of the city of Donastia San Sebastian so after checking in we left the car in the hotel car park and walked down the hill and along the very long promenade.  We had chosen the hotel because it was slightly outside the main area and had easy parking, something which is always a concern with the Mazda.  In any event driving in the narrow streets of Spanish cities is very difficult from experience, even with a Satnav.   Our hotel is in fact a 2.2 mile walk from the old town so our walking shoes came out and we had a fair amount of exercise during our stay.

 Apparently San Sebastian is often call the Rio de Janeiro of Europe and we can see why  The huge sweep of the Playa de La Concha and the islands are absolutely spectacular complete with a statue of Christ at the top of Mount Urgull.

We did of course swim in the bay and it was wonderful with crystal clear water and fabulous views all around the bay.

The buildings on the front of the town are a real mixture and generally it would not be right to call them faded elegance.  They are probably a bit faded but many are a bit ordinary and a real hotchpotch of styles.  Some could certainly do with a coat of paint.  However, it is a busy city with lots of people, young, in between and old walking along the path around the bay and great fun;  plenty with dogs, including some of the joggers.  It has the feel of a city which suits those who live there but is a great place for a long weekend for those who do not.  

In the evening we headed for the old town to experience the justly famous Pinchos bars and there was no shortage of choice.    They were heaving with people.     The Pinchos come in all shapes and sizes but almost all seem to have a thick slice of bread underneath.     This can be a little too much, but we had to try.  After that, we had supper at a restaurant which featured in our guide book (and the guidebook used by many other tourists we think) and then headed back by taxi to our hotel, tired and replete, but having thoroughly enjoyed the day.   

Thursday 5th September Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar is a beautiful medieval village which is quite busy during the day and quietens down in the evenings. We stayed in a really good hotel called  Casa del Marques which was right in the centre of the village and we needed special permission to drive through the historical centre to our private parking area behind the hotel.

We had arrived the previous evening and had time for a quick walk and then a plate of very good local ham, and mixed pinchos (tapas) and local wine.   After a good night's sleep, we wandered around the village in the morning before many tourists arrived; it is really delightful and reminded us in many ways of San Gimignano in Tuscany.

After seeing the sights of Santillana we drove down to the coast at Comillas another famous village but this time definitely by the sea! After an orange juice at a local bar the clouds began to lift, the sun came out and we enjoyed a lovely walk along the beautiful sandy beach where the water was incredibly clear. 

Next we decided to experience some of the mountainous areas south of Comillas and Santillana and we drove over a fairly tortuous pass in the FFFFF to the town of Reinosa and then back via a different route. All very spectacular and wild but sadly the visibility was not that great so the photos do not do it justice.

In the evening we indulged in some local cider (quite strong) and Pinchos in the Playa Major which was very lively until the heavens opened with a lengthy thunderstorm and everyone, including us, retreated indoors.

Wednesday 4th September The Bay of Biscay

We woke up bright and early once again to brilliant sunshine and not a cloud to be seen. Looking out of our cabin window it was difficult to believe that this was the Bay of Biscay. Certainly it was just about the calmest sea I have ever seen and I doubt it is like this very often.

We were lucky to see a pod of Dolphins approaching from the starboard side and later a whale was spotted by many enthusiasts off the port side and I just about saw it surface and given a slightly better sighting I would have been able to inform you whether it was a Minke or Blue whale!

Food was good on the ferry and we found that the small self service restaurant at the bow of the ship was fine for breakfast and lunch with plenty of seating and no queues .

Now only about two hours to Santander and once on terra firma we drive the short distance to Santillana del Mar where we are staying for two nights.

Tuesday 3rd August Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander

We left Skinners Cottage in very good time with the Mazda packed to the gunnels for our trip to Northern Spain and back via the western part of France. Sadly, once again, no room left for the curlers or the ball gowns!

Beautiful weather as we drove to Portsmouth and very hot as we waited in the queque to board the Brittany Ferries vessel, Pont Aven. Definitely lots of signs of the silver dollar as numerous other people, who were obviously much older than us, had the same idea and I lost count of the open top sports cars and vintage cars that boarded.

We had great views of Portsmouth dockyard as we left at about 18:00 and HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the new Mary Rose museum were prominent.

Very busy on board but once we had sailed for a short while the crowds dispersed somewhat and there were plenty of places to sit relatively quietly.

What was quite extraordinary was that after only a few minutes of leaving Portsmouth we left the brilliant sunshine and entered a very dense fog bank that lasted well into the channel. Fog horns blasted away but no sign of other vessels or indeed on the Isle of Wight so we retreated inside for dinner and an early night.

Skiing again in Saalbach-Hinterglem

Having been away for so long in the southern hemisphere in December and January we are having our skiing holiday in March this year. We usually prefer going earlier in January or February since the colder weather then normally results in better snow conditions. In March it feels very warm with the result that the snow gets very soft and heavy after lunchtime.

We flew from Gatwick on Friday 8th at 09:50 on a very good BA flight to Salzburg and picked up our Avis hire car at the airport - a very quirky Citroen Picasso. A very easy 80Km drive south to Viehhofen stopping off at our favourite Spar supermarket in Saalfelden to stock up for the week. We arrived in Viehhofen in very good time where we are again staying at the HPB properties. I think this is our fifth time in Viehhofen, once in the summer and four times skiing. It really is an excellent location being only 3 miles from Saalbach and about 6 miles from Zell am See where the frozen lake is beautiful in winter.

I thought this was to be a defining skiing holiday as  a result of deteriorating knees. Last year I hired a Ski MoJo, a device which is claimed to reduce strain on the knees by up to 30%. It seemed to work well but unfortunately one of the fastenings broke loose on the 3rd day so I was not able to use it all week. The Ski MoJo has become very popular and hiring is now not so easy in the high season so I took the plunge and bought one. It certainly works and once you get over the palaver of putting it on, there is definitely a reduction in pressure on the knees.

The weather was not great for the first two days (Saturday and Sunday) with low cloud and even some rain. Apparently the week or so before we arrived had been very sunny and warm which meant that a lot of snow had melted. However, there had clearly been very significant snow falls earlier in the season and the "base" of snow is still considerable - a few bare patches at the bottom of the slopes but overall till very good snow conditions. Those skiers amongst you will know that on cloudy days, whilst you can see miles across the valley, it is sometime difficult to see the detail of the snowy piste in front of you.

On Monday the weather improved with a fair amount of sunshine and wonderful views all around. It is still warm and with temperatures around 7/8C the snow is getting soft quite quickly. Combined with tired limbs this means that we have not skied a great deal in the afternoon.

Having spent the first three days skiing around Saalbach, on the fourth day we headed for Hinterglemm and were rewarded with some great skiing and superb views. We both agree that Saalbach-Hinterglemm is an excellent ski area with very friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere. Skiing is never going to be an inexpensive holiday but Saalbach is very good value without sacrificing the quality and the extent of the skiing. One thing of note this year is that of ski fashion and it would appear that the era of grunge has gone! All of the youngsters are now in brightly coloured skiwear and Rosemary and I feel as if we are back in fashion!