We have recently returned from a 3 night stay at a campsite, a sort of 'honeymoon'! We chose a spot a little south of here;
Chatillon en Diois. Given that we only had 3 nights we chose to travel light so left without the tent, stove, table, chairs and all the other bits of kit we normally take camping and 'cheated' by staying in a little mobile home on the site. We were about the only people there as it was so early in their season, the weather however was as you would expect later in the summer, around 25'C + each day.
Guy rode some g
reat mountain bike trails and I explored on the road bike. The area is a lot more arid than our little part of the Alps; lots of vineyards, pine trees, basking lizards and dry river beds. I was surprised then to find myself in an incredibly lush, green valley, a dead end road signposted for '
Cirque d'Archiane'. I was curious to see what the '
cirque' was all about - a circus? a circle of rocks like Stonehenge?
The road was only 5km long and after 3km it soon became apparent that the '
cirque' was on a bigger scale than I had imagined. It referred to the surrounding mountains that formed a giant amphitheatre, horseshoe around the valley road. It was incredible, q
uite dwarfing and made it hard to not veer off the tarmac for looking up at the towering rock formations (the photos do not convey the true scale or beauty). The culmination of the road was a tiny hamlet with lots of perfect picnic spots, waterfalls and walking trails, a place to return without the bike one day.
Back to the house now and the terrace/decking project which is nearly finished. Guy is out there as I type with a kindly neighbour who has come to lend a hand. Guy enjoyed the fruits of his labour yesterday when he downed tools and enjoyed his lunch in the sun!
