Summer is my favourite season; I love watching the sunrise with coffee and the sunset with a beer. During this time, our skin is healthy and tanned, and the seas and rivers are warm. We enjoy cold drinks, loud music, and nights that seem to last forever. Since Jamie and I are now semi-retired, we’ve debated whether to holiday during peak summer. It’s more expensive and busier, but the weather tends to be more predictable. I particularly enjoy the clear blue, cloudless skies, warm evenings, hot daytime temperatures, the rosy glow of the rising sun in the morning, and the vivid red and orange hues at sunset.
This year, we drove to France. I love France and enjoy the journey, especially being able to take whatever we want rather than the restricted luggage allowance you pay a fortune for on EasyJet. This year, besides my shoes, we took pillows, a few pans, my favourite spices, and much more. The reason for these additional items will become clear later.
Driving in France offers a much better experience than in the UK. While I admit you must pay tolls on major roads, you reach your destination quicker than spending endless hours stuck on the UK motorway network. I should mention that France has about two and a half times more space to build its infrastructure. There’s also no litter; either the French don’t throw litter out of their cars like many Brits, or they have a better system for clearing it from the roadside, but, nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise. On the downside, you might encounter a few riots instead.
Our first stop was the Dordogne region, where we wanted to enjoy the magnificent walking before heading south to relax on a beach and put on about half a stone. This superb area is full of medieval villages, castles, impressive churches, stunning landscapes, and more caves than you’d ever want to visit. Jamie likes caves, so we visited a self-guided one, which I must admit was very enjoyable. The tourist brochures suggest that the best way to admire the Dordogne’s beauty is by hot air balloon, but, surprisingly, this didn’t appeal to me, so we had pre-planned some reasonably long walks to keep our feet on the ground.
We’d researched and booked our accommodation before we left, and it isn’t easy to describe the beauty that met us on our arrival. The village was called Loubressac, and as we approached this quiet, remote hamlet on a hill, we were greeted by the sight of lovely stone houses with small, flowery gardens, brown terracotta roofs, and painted shutters – mostly in shades of burgundy – which were truly delightful. The houses are built in a lovely pale gold, almost white stone. Dinner was served on the terrace of our hotel, looking out over the surrounding countryside and the Dordogne River meandering below.
II won’t go into detail about the walks themselves; suffice to say, they guided us through some of the most idyllic places we’ve ever visited. Autoire, a member of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’, boasts a majestic landscape set against dramatic cliffs. The main square, where we sat to enjoy coffee, is magnificent, with a lovely fountain beautifully decorated with flowers. Around the edges of the square, the stone houses are charming. One house had the sound of cello music drifting into the peaceful street from its open windows. Nature makes us smile, and in addition to spotting a huge snake, we saw rare butterflies, stunning waterfalls, and colourful fields while listening to constant birdsong and noisy crickets.
The drive to the South-West coast was from Toulouse to avoid the carnage of the riots. The beaches of the Languedoc-Roussillon region are some of France’s best and border the Mediterranean Sea. For me, the lazy days reading on the beach, accompanied by dinner in one of the many restaurants and the lively bars with superb French DJs belting out Europop, are heaven. Ah, but why the pans, you ask? We rent an apartment because it’s cheaper than hotels and gives us more flexibility with our own space. Eating in for two or three nights during our stay is also a bonus, as I love shopping for local foods and practising our French culinary skills.
On our way home, we travel along the motorways with a single overnight stay at a travel hotel roughly halfway. The quickest route goes through Paris, which we’re used to, but alternative routes around it are available if preferred. The two-day drive is straightforward but exhausting. When you get back to the UK and discover the M26 westbound closed with a 17-mile diversion, you can only smile. After all, what’s a few extra minutes when the M25 still awaits?😊
Until next time xxxx
Living-your-best-life 