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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2942 |
31st March 2012 Hiking - Walking: Lac de Serre-Poncon Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny and warm Max Speed: Distance Covered: Friday 30th Mar.2012 – Travelling with a little walking and relaxing – sunny and warm Relaxing lay in at our last day in La Joue then up to the Tourist Office for free Wi-Fi :) Sorted latest pics, facebook and emails and then headed to Gap in search of an inverter. Found a large E. Lclerc and went into the electrical department and I even asked the man if they had one!!! They had and at 39 Euro’s it was half the price of the one’s that keep breaking and it fits into the cup holder – top piece of kit, let’s hope it lasts??? Then bought some supplies – two boxes of reduced cakes and loads of own brand cheapies :) On the road again but only make it as far as Chorges before seeing a sign to the Lac and windsurfing centre so turn off to investigate and are greeted with the very blue Lac de Serre-Poncon at Chantelloube and it’s huge but again the water is very low and we stop at the Port and park under the pines for late lunch and it looks like something from a Greek Island – shimmering azure water with sailing boats moored in the bay:) We then go for a walk across a large bridge miles above the water which says no diving but then see another sign warning water skiers that this bridge can be under water – hard to believe on this viewing!!! But we later read the notice of the sailing school and it’s only open from 15th June to 15th Sept. That gives it a few weeks to fill up! We see Black Kites, Buzzards and Crag Martins flying close to the bridge:) we continue just around the corner and stop on a ruined bridge but it’s too warm for walking so return to the van and check out the viewing point just up the road. This a top spot with magnificent views all around the Lac and loads of picnic tables in the pines, we have coffee and cake and top up the tan for an hour or so :) It was then back to our parking spot at the port ignoring the no campervans sign and park up for the night – fingers crossed we don’t get into trouble!!! So a top day and we have travelled 43 miles!!! Saturday 31st Mar.2012 – Walking, relaxing and a little travelling ***** A bit warmer night, got up earlier this morning as we not sure if we were allowed to park here and we didn’t want to get into trouble from a load of fishermen as it is the weekend, in the end nobody came to use the port at Chantelloube. So at just gone nine we set off to cross the bridge to the other side of Lac de Serre-Poncon but half way across we were treated to a pair of buzzards talking to each other and collecting twigs for a nest :) We then found a footpath up into the woods and wanted to get a closer look at the buzzards so headed up through the pines and larches and in the end were gone nearly three hours, getting a bit lost at one point but we did manage to get back!!! We scared several animals in the woods and were not sure what they were – deer, badgers or boars – in the end we spotted one it was a deer, we also saw our first red squirrel and some long tailed tits although birds were not that plentiful :( When we got back to the bridge Mag went back to the van and I walked around the steeply shelving Lac bank to get a closer look at the buzzard nest but I spooked them and they disappeared :( Time for a cuppa and to check the map – we sat in a peddalo high and dry about 30 feet above the water and watched some squabbling goldfinches. We headed toward Embrun but spotted a small chapel on what would be an island if the Lac was full. We stopped for lunch with views down the length of the same Lac. Then we made up a flask and took our cakes and walked out to the chapel called St.Michel and sat behind a wall to get out of the strong wind that picks up every afternoon, we saw four French youngster taking uni-cycles from the back of their car and head off down the Lac side tracks to the water’s edge to do extreme uni-cycling – that’s a new sport to me!!! We spoke to nice French family out by the chapel who said the Lac was made to control the local rivers from flooding as people were killed by floods many years ago. They also said It is better in the summer when the Lac is full! Then three seaplanes flew really low over us the Frenchman said there was a forest fire up the valley and that they were collecting water to try the douse it!!! So as we had our coffee and cake and read our e-readers as the seaplanes did 20 round trips, swooping down low to get the water and then flying low over our heads and up the valley – a top afternoons entertained and it was soooooooooooo hot too and another day with not a cloud in the sky – surely it can’t last much longer??? The French know how to enjoy themselves as during the day we saw fishermen, stand up paddle boarders, jet-skies, canoes, walkers, kitesurfers, trials bikes and uni-cyclers all having fun:) At about five we left the island and headed around the corner of the Lac to watch the planes collect the water and what a sight that was, coming in low along the valley, turning by the large road bridge as if coming into land and then skimming low across the surface of the water to fill up their tanks under the watchful eye of an inflatable fireboat complete with blue flashing light like something out of lego world!!! This was used to make sure the area was free of all other craft. Time was getting on now so we set off in search of an overnight spot, stopping at a supermarket just outside Embrun and then driving up to the ski resort of Les Orres another awful place with really bad high rise buildings – the French have had no idea how to design a resort in the 70/80’s things have improved a bit in recent times!!! Also there was not much snow about and several were turning up to start a week’s skiing:( rather them than me but at least they have halved the lift passes to 15 Euro’s a day:) We didn’t fancy staying in the campervan park at the resort so headed a little way down and found a small lay by and were treated to the best sunset of our time in France while having our pork and salad:) http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.3129837677540.2137243.101266056 2&type=1 |
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