Near the Camargue

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Monday 7th August Carcassonne to Nr Istres
Had intended stopping in Arles, but looked too busy and everyday looking on a brief view so we stopped only to top up with provisions at the hypermarket and then sped on. Found a remote Dutch run site in a pretty location by a huge lake. The Dutch woman running the site was very friendly gave us a free coffee whilst filling in the paperwork. The site was so busy that she could offer us only two nights. The campsite is 95% Dutch occupied and very laid back. The wind (presumably the Mistral ?) was blowing incredibly strongly and incessantly without a single cloud in the sky. The camp is isolated with no shops nearby. It is surrounded by open maquis which was incredibly dry.

Tuesday 8th Nr Istres
Explored a footpath along the edge of the lake and up onto a hill overlooking both the lake and the Med in the distance. Could see several large ships at anchor. After the walk I left Jen at the campsite and cycled into the nearby town of Istres (uphill most of the way). The old town has pleasant narrow streets but the new bit is undistinguished (although I did see it during the dead period at lunchtime so the judgement might be a bit unfair).

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