From the high Pyrenean mountains to the flat Atlantic coast.

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Left the lovely mountains behind today on a clear sunny, if a little chilly, almost autumnal, morning. The drive was nothing like as exciting as the ones of recent days as we took the easiest route with no dramatic mountain passes to cross. Down the river gorge to Argeles-Gazost and then to Lourdes. All along the river valley we could see the evidence of the June flooding and all that the river had uprooted in its path. At Lourdes we left the last of the lovely mountain backdrop behind us having managed to bypass the centre. We’ve visited before, well worth one visit but there is no need to visit again.



We didn’t find anywhere of particular interest to visit en route and didn’t have time to go out of our way. The drive was through some busy industrial towns but mostly through agricultural areas, fields of maize which eventually, as we got nearer to Bordeaux, changed to vineyards.

As we got nearer to the coast we cut across country and the road was really rather boring. Must have been as I kept waking from a snooze. The rain which was forecast appeared for a while which made it even harder for me to keep my eyes open. Bob says he thinks he dropped off a couple of times as well so fortunate Tandy stayed awake !

The last 40 miles were a drag. Only way to describe it. I had selected the road which hugged the coast round the Arcachon bay. I thought it was a coastal route. It wasn’t. It was a road which went along behind the coast through a 100% holiday resort sprawl complete with roundabouts every 100 metres.



Quite relieved when we finally got round the bay and headed north to Lacanau and then down to our campsite by the sea at Lacanau-Ocean.

Campsite Village les Grands Pins is 5* and excellent. By the time we reached the campsite the rain had stopped, the sky cleared and we had blue sky and some sun again. I sampled the superb pool. Indoor/outdoor and heated. Then we walked to the beach. Directly accessible from the campsite, over the sand-dunes – 350 metres according to the campsite map. Lovely beach, enormous stretch of soft sand as far as the eye could see. Being the Atlantic coast it is windy and there were several people flying kites and a few windsurfers.

So another excellent choice of campsite, thanks Bob. Hopefully we will have some sun again tomorrow and the rain which started just after dinner will have vanished when we wake.

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