Date: Saturday 8th July 2017 Weather: Grey rain in am. Sunny pm. Mile: 66
Early start as both the Isle de Olorone and the Isle de Rae are very popular destinations and very busy at weekends. It has been suggested that we get over the bridge before 1000hrs as any later might result in tail backs and queues.
The latter early hours of this
morning saw a thunder and lightning storm, the like of which I have not
experienced in many a long year. The thunderclaps literally shook the van. The
rain was torrential. Our destination today was Isle de Oleron, various
spellings it seems. Jackie had plotted the route last night. We decided to go
with our French neighbour’s suggestion of Huttes on the NW tip of the island of
Oleron. Angie had suggested somewhere near the lighthouse at Chassiron, on the
most Northerly point. Things started to go slightly adrift with the seafront
route we had decided upon was flooded to a depth of 33cm. As we arrived the old
bill was just setting up road blocks and the pompieres had arrived with hoses
etc. A quick detour, suggested by my trusty navigator and we were soon back on
course.
It was a Saturday, it was
still raining and the skies were threatening still with ever darker grey
clouds. To top it all we were now at the causeway bridge onto the island and
traffic was slowing.
Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring, it was caused by damn tourists
slowing to snap photos of the wide expanse of water over which we were passing.
The queues would come later! The fuel was down to quarter tank and I thought it
best refuel fairly soon. Goodness knows what this island has in store! With
that a LeClerck fuel station was spotted. E1-12 a litre for gasoile. We filled
her up with E70. It had now stopped raining and the sun was out. Starting to
warm things up. There is only one main road, the D734. That is after you leave
the D26. In the five weeks we have currently been in France we have never seen
so much traffic it was pouring off the island. Well at least it was headed
South, down this, the only road. It ran for miles. Mike was starting to get a
little concerned. We had not signed up for crowds!
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Fort Louvois in the Gironde. 17 Century. |
The sign for Les Huttes came
up, we turned and started looking for the campsite. Nothing. We found the one
advertised in our www.CamperContact.com site. Boasting 120 emplacements. It
looked like a gypsie encampment. We both said we would not park there. We were
nowhere near a beach or seemingly much else of interest. We drove up and down through
two or three little hamlets, passing the plod in his Gendarmerie car on each of
three occasions. He’s bound to pull us in a mo I thought.
We pulled into one camp site
alongside the dunes, it didn’t look to tidy and she wanted E29 per night for
us. We reversed out pretty quick. The next camp site looked even worse. The
main sign stated camping cars but there was nothing mentioned on the tariff
board. It too looked seedy. We reversed out of that one as well. We decided to
kick this North part of the island into touch and headed for Le Chateau. On the
SE side. This was a second choice of our neighbour’s.
Passing a LeClerk superstore
we pulled in. We needed salad, milk, panache and gin. The place was heaving and
I mean rammed. Barely any spaces in the huge carpark. Against my better
judgement we collected a trolley and joined the ‘shepple’.
Twice I suggested to Jackie we
abandon the trolley and walk out but this was ignored. We, she, Jackie, was
desperate for Gin. They had Tanqueray Export for E16-32 (£11) At least we will
be able to taste the gin tonight. We had, in desperation, bought some Super U
gin but you needed to put so much into a glass to taste it. Why bother buying
‘cheap’?
If one is drinking gin it must
be a quality product, with ice and a slice. Either lemon, lime or the newest
way to drink it is with cucumber, especially the more artisan gins. Oh, and a
good quality tonic. Fevertree Mediterranean flavour for preference by the
Stopportons or good old-fashioned Schweppes. Full fat!
With hardly anything in the
world’s largest shopping trolley we headed for the checkouts. I noticed whilst
waiting, why do I always pick the shortest queue but with the most problems
requiring a supervisor to intervene? I notice that virtually all the staff on
the tills are young early, late teens and female. Most of them pretty as well.
Not an old growler to be seen or an old fart, retired and back on the payroll
looking for beer money with a permanent scowl and zero interest in my jokes. All
these seemed to be smiling as well. Of course, it might just have been me they
were smiling at I suppose!
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Glamping is available at Le Chateau aire and campsite. |
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The Ice Cream Lorry parked under the trees. |
Returning to the car park
outside the reception barrier, there were now ten or more campers waiting to
pay and enter. We joined the queue. Every person that booked in was given a map
of the site then Le Guardien would explain where the WCs, showers, pedestrian
gates, play area, beach etc etc was on the map. It was taking ages. Gradually I
drew closer to the desk. The guy in front of me paid and moved off. It was my
turn. I launched into my spiel for booking in and requirements. He produced ‘la
carte’ and started to explain…. I placed my hand on his arm and said “Monsieur,
Je ecouter votre dit au prealable avec monsieur”. His face lit up in a huge
smile followed by “Merci beaucoup, monsieur”. I think he was as relieved not to
have to repeat himself yet again as I was to not here it.
As we finished setting up another English registered wagon parked opposite. We gave them some time to settle in and went over for a chat. They also had a dog in tow. She was keen to natter on but he was very quiet and withdrawn.
The rest of the day we spent lazing under the shade of the tree. What had been very cold and stormy to start with was now a gorgeous afternoon and evening.
