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Published: October 5th 2015
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After our night on the ranch we picked up our morning supply of croissants and baguettes before hitting the road for Saint Satur a tiny sleepy village sandwiched between the Loire and a canal. On our way we passed the test track for Michelin Tyres at Clermont Ferrand. Over the hedge we could see a ribbon of tarmac covered with water and a van tearing round at breakneck speed. Now that looked like fun. I think Suzy would have enjoyed that careering round a speed track.
We arrived at our campspot a Flower camp in the tiny sleepy Loire town of Saint Satur. It was sleepy o'clock time and the camp staff were just shutting the doors of reception. Park up anywhere and come back at 3pm to pay. They let us in and we drove round the one way system eyeing up a pitch overlooking the tranquil looking river. Having parked up we noticed over the head a white van, a caravan and a lady cooking what smelled like bacon and eggs. They looked like the local travellers. We left Suzy and went walkabouts to see if we could find a better pitch. We found two plots both grass
and both with views of the river. There were a few small boats on the water and a gondola type one right in the middle. Parked up we set off for a walk. Saint Satur is situated between the Loire and a canal. Originally there must have been a route through a lock from the canal above to the river below but it looked as if it had not been used for some years. The route had become silted .
Along the river we saw a few walkers but the place felt sleepy. The canal was just as sleepy with a few barges tied to the towpath. The only other people we saw were a couple of walkers with their dog. A quick Bonjoir but it was pretty clear that when they shouted "Come" to the dog that they too were English. Further along we saw washing on a line, a couple of caravans, a fire burning and a young lad sitting whittling. It all looked odd.
Our plan was to find a cafe for a drink but clearly Saint Satur was not just nodding off for the afternoon but was fast asleep . Nothing was open. We
found a nice restaurant with a good selection of food but sadly it was only open at Le Weekend. The second had another excellent choice but was fermee until the Le Weekend again. The only place we found open was The Ship. They offered their speciality of Fish n Ships which made us smile.
We gave up on food out and decided to eat in. The receptionists turned up at 3. We paid our fee for the night camping and left the camp again to walk in the opposite direction. There was a small cafe but little else . This was fast asleep France.
The showers left a lot to be desired and we gave up trying to have a shower in freezing cold water. Sometimes you have to give up and think the next place will be open and better. The night was quiet and cold. The morning broke with a pretty heavy mist over the Loire. It was very pretty on the river as we watched a small boat floating in the mist. It was one of those scenes that almost could be an Impressionist painting.
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