Tour de France - Part Five towards the Cathars

Albi

We hope you've enjoyed reading the previous four posts about our 54 day trip around France in our little VW Campervan known as Elsie. After last weeks week long stay at the chateaux Elsie was certainly chopping at the bit to get back on the road and also to get away from the wasps who had driven us around the bend as they made themselves at home at the swimming pool which had almost become out of bounds for us.

Wall paintings in the cathedral 

The next stage of the journey was going to take us slightly further south east towards the Languedoc and the castles and medieval towns of the Cathars, this was perhaps our most favourite week and not just because Tim was going to be celebrating his 53rd birthday!

Imposing hey!

We were keen to visit the city of Albi so headed west through beautiful Montauban, where we had watched the end of a stage of the Tour De France a few years before with our son Josh, Tim's sister and our brother-in-law and our friends who were staying at the chateaux and on to Albi which sits on the river Tarn with its fourth century cathedral made out of brick dominating the city with the old town set out around it. 

We we fascinated by the painted walls which were so intricately detailed and provided an alternative to the other cathedrals that we had visited which used the traditional stained glass option to depict scenes from the bible.

A night under the cedars

After a few hours in Albi we headed south towards Castres but before getting there we stopped at our France Passion site for the night. We arrived down a steep dirt track to a farm set in the bowl surrounded by low hills and after making contact with our host, Serge, and making our acquaintance with his friendly Austrian sheepdog we were shown to our parking space under a couple of large cedar trees which provided some welcome shade throughout the afternoon and into the evening. 

Pink garlic anyone?

Serge grows garlic in the fields that surround the farmhouse but not just any old garlic, Serge grows Pink Garlic of which the region is famed and which are able to be kept for longer than the standard white version, which he informed us were inferior in that ability and flavour. We didn't question his knowledge and before we left bought a bunch to bring back home. 

Our friendly sheep dog kept us company all evening and as I (Tim) had strained my back the day before, not quite sure how that happened but it could have been bought on by the slightly softer bed that we had been sleeping on in the chateaux. So we decided to sleep in the rear awning on the floor, which was quite comfortable and a little less hot than sleeping inside of Elsie and the dog was there to guard us as he hadn't left our side since we'd arrived some hours before.

Castres by the river!

The next morning we drove to and through Castres, another delightful town sitting on the river, this time the Agout, with its tiny streets and homes jutting out above the river it seemed like a very pleasant place to live. 

Castres

However we were keen to get to our next stop so made our way through Mazamet and up through the winding roads into the Black Mountains and towards the place we had planned to stay the night. When we got to the venue all was shut up, it was before 2pm so everyone was taking their standard two hour lunch break, however after sharing our picnic, spelt  pique-nique in French, overlooking a lively river which was cascading through the gorge below us we decided to follow the signs to a suspension bridge that we had passed under on the winding roads earlier.

The view to the suspension bridge

We left Elsie to chillout and followed a path which ran just above the river, turning steeply to the left through some woods we wondered where on earth we were going. Up and up we climbed passing a few people coming down the other way when suddenly we arrived at a hill top town called Hautpoul which was abuzz with tourists who it would seem had also made their way up the same path, we weren't so sure but couldn't find any other way of accessing this tiny medieval village.

Maz made it across!

What everyone had come to experience wasn't just the tempting ice creams or stunning views but the Himalayan style footbridge which sits just below the town. Opened in 2018 this 140 metre long and 70 meter high bridge was certainly worth the visit and even though both myself and Maz felt a little dizzy when crossing the first time the views across the mountains to the plains below were stunning. Once across you could either walk back down towards Mazamet or return the same way, this time we didn't hold hands as we found that our synchronized steps made the bridge swing from side to side quite violently so we decided to follow each other back across very slowly!

We arrived back to Elsie who was again eager to move on, she agreed with us that the parking spot on the gravel car park wasn't what we were looking for so we continued our journey up and up the twisting roads (The D111 if you'd like to have a look on a map) and then down, down, down towards Laure Minevios and our new stop over at our new France Passion site a vineyard called Domaine Fontanille Haut which was a delight. Our hosts, an older husband and wife and their son, who runs the vineyard and also mountain bike trails around the farm, made us feel super welcome and the pitch under the trees was once again a welcome bonus, as was the shower and toilet!

Wine tasting with new friends

Later that evening we joined the family and some local visitors for a wine tasting in their newly built tasting room. We were impressed by the wines, more red dominant but also their Pineux style aperitif which we bought and have enjoyed with our son and daughter-in-law since we have returned home.

We were up early and due to my bad back neither of us were running so we made a swift getaway as we wanted to visit the almost Disney like fortified city of Carcassonne. This hilltop city can be seen from miles away which made our interest grow all the more the nearer we got and after parking in the newer lower town we made our way up the cobbled streets and through one of the gates in the fortified walls. 

Disney castle or Caracasone

At first it wasn't the impressive medieval buildings or the narrow streets that struck us but the huge numbers of people which together with the large police presence and the fact that everyone was wearing masks as a protection against Covid-19 it was all a bit too much to take in.

Yes the city was stunning, who can't fail to be impressed by something so old with all its history held within the streets and if only the buildings could talk, but there was a nagging feeling that all this was little more than a show, the fact that there were 'novelty' houses, a ghost house and a knight in shining armor house, this felt even more like Disney on the inside than it had when viewed from the outside. So after a brief visit we left for the more tranquil waters of the river Tarn and the Canal di Midi which ran alongside....now that's better!

Canal di Midi

We had planned to spend a night near to Carcassonne and then move on to a town near to the canal with the thoughts of celebrating Tim's birthday at one of the restaurants located along the canal side, however upon arriving at our next planned stop we weren't to enamored so decided to celebrate a day early so made our way to that canal side town, Trebes, where we did enjoy an afternoon reading by the canal and then walking along the towpath for a few miles before spending a late afternoon and early evening enjoying some tapas and pizza (when in France and all that!) whilst watching the holiday makers moor up for the night on their hired boaty accommodation, perfect.

After a good nights sleep in a strange stop over, a secured car park of a shop that sold olives and other local produce and which we shared with around six other vans and some donkeys, I know who let them in! we made our way further south up over some twisty mountain passes which again reminded us of those we had driven during our years in South Africa. 

Birthday eve dinner
Yup plant based pizza

On the way down one of the passes we happened to spot a sign to a monastery so decided to see what all the fuss was about. Through the valley we drove and came upon a delightful little town called Lagrasse, where we walked over the river on some stepping stones towards the imposing monastery, which you had to pay for to go in so we didn't and didn't but we did enjoy a birthday coffee at a tiny cafe overlooking the river with swifts, or swallows, or both, and kingfishers skimming over the gently flowing river and then found our way to our next stop.

The monastery

This was to be one of the best stops of our whole trip and really typified the essence of the France Passion movement. Located at a small vineyard which sat on the side of a hill overlooking a small town we had a perfect view from Elsie and although the land was stony which meant that we couldn't set up the pull out sunshade. 

However we spoke with our hosts, a lady in her sixties and her son, who we found out had studied in the United States and New Zealand for his viticulture degree and who therefore spoke very good English, and they agreed to allow us to relax in their sunken garden which was surrounded by old trees which provided the perfect place to hang a couple of hammocks or two. We duly took them up on their offer and spent another afternoon chilling in the shade whilst gently being swung from side to side in the gentle breeze, who could ask for more and what a way to end a birthday.

Birthday wine tasting,
it would be rude not to!

The evening before we had had a tasting of their delightful wines, probably the best we'd had so far and mainly made using the Grenache grape, each of the wines were named after the symbols found in the Germanic alphabet of the Runes, all quite intriguing.

The owner had also recommended a walk through the vineyards to a signed track so just before bed we ventured out for a walk amongst the pines and vines which made a very pleasant end to the day.

We awoke to another stunning day and seeing as though we were a day ahead of our very loose schedule we couldn't bear to leave, so after speaking to our host, who agreed to let us stay an extra night, or even longer should we wish, we made the decision to go and find the circular route we'd started to follow the night before and venture out on a longish walk. This walk ended up in an epic adventure, everything started perfectly, we walked down through the vines and found the path, this time turning towards the village some four kilometers away, picked up some bread and fruit and headed out into the hills.

The walk was going well, the scenery was superb and the path we were following was called 'The Postman's Path' and was the old path of, yes you've guessed it, the postman in years gone by. We climbed up hills with awe inspiring views, through the pine woods and vineyards dotted around in tiny patches of land on soils that looked volcanic and hardly fit for anything to grow. 

Vines thrive on tough arid soils

The path split, we were following the yellow route which then split into a mountain bike track and took us towards the river, very dry, and a huge pool cut into the stone where the waters must rush down into during the wetter months. 

Without going into too much detail this was already going to be a 17 kilometer walk, a tough ask in the heat of the day, but after passing the pool, which we were reliably told we could have swam in once we made it back, the path seemed to peter out and we spent a few hours wandering and wondering where we should be going. The paths were wide and we didn't feel at risk of getting too lost but we did end up going one way, retracing our steps only to make our minds up that we were going the right way in the first place, only to realise later that we weren't.....anyways it was a beautiful walk which should have taken around four hours and ended up more like six. 

Chillaxing in our hammocks

Eventually we ended up in the village, not the plan, but found the bar and had a swift beer then made the now long four kilometer climb back up to Elsie who had been watching our escapades all day long, she must have been laughing to herself as she had a birds eye view and saw most of our faltering steps.

The day ended with us sleeping in the hammocks and then wearily climbing into Elsie for our second night at this beautiful place. Up in our the pop up roof beds we both slept with the canvas sides open and drifted off to sleep whilst watching the night sky open up before our sleepy eyes. 

We didn't want to leave this beautiful place but the coast was calling us, as were the mighty Pyrenees mountains which were becoming more pronounced along the horizon. 

Impressive clay barrels 

After a lazy start we said our sad goodbyes and made our way up and over the Corbières Massif, the road once again winding its merry way through the wonderful countryside. 

Our next stop was to be at yet another vineyard, this time owned and run by a young lady, assisted by her husband, in the town of Caudies-de-Fenouilledes which sat at the bottom of a delightful ravine called Gorges de St Jaume which we were to explore the next morning. 

Braai time

Her setup was totally different to anything we had ever seen before, and that includes a lot of vineyards in now both France and South Africa! For the first time we were shown her cave/cellar full not of oak barrels but those of ancient times made out of clay, these she said allowed the wines to show their true character rather than being dominated by the heavy oak flavours which red wines especially are known for. 

These clay vats weren't small either and standing next to them they were at least five feet tall and perhaps four feet in diameter. The wines she produced were so different in both appearance and taste with more subtle tones of which she was rightly proud.

Once again we were made to feel very welcome and after they had cooked their own food on the BBQ, using old vines as fuel for the fire, they offered it to us so we cooked up some aubergine steaks and sweetcorn fritters which went down well with a glass or two of her beautifully crafted wine. 

A walk up the gorge

Before we went to bed she asked us how long we were thinking of staying, and seeing as though it was the weekend and we weren't in any rush we opted to stay another night which once again gave us time to explore the surrounding area.

Our week ended with a walk up into the gorge with its rushing river cutting its way over cascading waterfalls with a tiny path cut into the rocks upon which we climbed and climbed to a small village which was dominated by the ruins of castle of the Cathars. 

The views from the top were incredible and we were so glad we had the opportunity to stay another night and as we drifted slowly off to sleep we could almost feel the Mediterranean calling us, but that story and that of the continued road trip into the Pyrenees will have to wait till next time!