two hundred and seventy five roundabouts

SORRY READER, there are not even crumbs this time. Or are there?  This brief account of the thirty-third return (from Sablet that is) is simply my cleaned up daily notes – or if you want to dress it up – my log. As one's brain continues to turn to mush I find it a help to note the salient points as we proceed you see . . . aide memoire sort of thing. So I don't have to go cap-in-hand for intelligence on these matters quite so much……

Adam travelled back with us again after his brief visit to Sabbers – we had plentiful humour on the road, and only a minimum of cursing and swearing (not from him, you understand – he is an angel [yeah, right] and ne'er a sneer emanates from the offside rear [get-out!] wherein he elects to ensconce himself). This time, the s&h decided to count the roundabouts we traversed between 1rueFB and the ferry. He does stuff like that, and fends off the scorn these initiatives he takes with ease. 

I thank Adam here and now for confirming the conviction I already entertained that the Fr are addicted to roundabouts – and will put one in almost anywhere when no one is looking. If you are of the same opinion, you'd better read on. I suggested to the offspring that next time he might consider counting the speed bumps we have to negotiate (another Fr obsession). He is thinking about it. 

room for some rouge?

30 april (wednesday): Sablet to Sète Before we left 1rueFB at 0750 our neighbour across the road [a charming chap called Hilarion] presented us with a case of his own Gigondas rouge production. I found room for it. We did not take the A9 autoroute but went via Rochefort-du-Gard (visited on other occasions in the past) where we had a fair breakfast. Then we gained the A9 and left it at junction 33 for Sète. Hopelessly busy: I made two attempts to get into the area Mary and Adam wanted to visit. Impossible, gave it up, and saw not one feasible parking place anywhere centrally. Last resortish, we trekked up to the viewpoint, thick with tourists but at last slid into a parking plot. Came down again to the Cap Lazeret, snapped up a vacating parking space, and reported to the hotel at 1130! Put our stuff in our room – it was ready. 

Lunch taken on the sea’s edge (a bistro) then a walk (limp) right up to the citadel (Adam went on alone to the St Louis lighthouse). It was very warm indeed, I reckon just under 30°, quite cloudless. Staggered back and had breaks(rests) en route in two bars. Room cool, a bit tight, but friendly hotel. Ate at a close by bistro in the evening (Bouzigues oysters for me). Curtain fell down in hotel and double bed rather small. Adam was well accommodated I think. Efficient motorised blind though. A bit noisy and not very much to my taste. The surrounding area very much holiday apartment block land, somewhat compromising the sea access… should have used the number six bus into Séte: instead we walked both there and back…… to my cost. 

During this first day of travel Adam recorded 36 roundabouts within the mileage covered of only 109 miles (please note that any roundabout we may have negotiated twice or more through some failure on the part of the navigation team does not get counted again).

breakfast stop at Marseillan 

1 may (thursday): Sète to Condom    Left at 0750 (a small market being set up in front of the hotel). Cool very bright day, warming up to similar heights as yesterday. Breakfast in an almost deserted Marseillan, beautiful, got baguettes too. Lovely journey, negotiated Béziers easily. 

Ate our sandwich lunch in Puydaniel churchyard where it greyed over [three or maybe even four kestrels giving an excellent flying display while a nightingale and warblers various sang]. Thereafter encountered a few drops of rain before that intense warm sunshine returned. So we took time out to visit Auch cathedral, (been before, it all came back to me) before motoring on and  turning up at our hotel in Condom around 1730. Blackbirds singing loudly. 

This hotel features a swimming pool but retains blankets on beds – I ask you, air con not working, shower screen on loan elsewhere. Hmm. We feared sustenance might be an issue that evening as it was one of the numerous Fr. May bank holidays. Mme Melling easily found a pizzeria on line. Didn’t take to it very well myself, disappointing in fact. Checked out the cathedral afterwards. Tower back into scaffolding and bubblewrap. 

Then I had to limp back to digs…Adam and M went to eyeball the river (not sure why) and then the local war memorial. I hardly made it back to base. 

I illustrate herewith Puydaniel church our sandwich interlude, and Auch cathedral, in the sun. 

During this second day of travel we encountered 79 roundabouts within the mileage covered of 222 miles. 

Don't I know it…

2 may (friday):  Condom to Rochefort     Left hotel 0740 in a cool sunny morning. Visited (again, apparently we've been before, back in the mists) the fortified mill and race at Barbaste and it looked very good indeed in the early morning light. Breakfast at Casteljaloux, very good, on a big café terrace, then a good ride on quiet roads until Langon where it was suddenly nose to tail. We got clear of that eventually and lunched (baguettes) at very quiet Port Maubert (Gironde Estuary, low tide) after passing round 'the snail' once again (plus drinks, plus ice-creams) then back on the route through to Rochefort Ibis, arriving at 1625. The sky greyed over but hot (26°). The blackbird incumbent gave forth. Our room overlooked the petit parking quad… but this time we street parked! 

Good day’s travel - almost hit by a car swerving to evade gendarme's stop (who then gave chase to the miscreant). That was in the Sauternes area. A crèperie just up from Ibis gave us a very good supper in Rochefort, best this return trip, charming couple in stylish interior, but had to wait until eight to get a table. I simply could not trail down to the corderie royale in the meantime. Bad leg pain the issue. Ibis hotel up to scratch… a good day. Despite heavy traffic spot around Langon. 

During this third day of travel we encountered 76 roundabouts within the mileage covered of 201 miles. Oh my Lord.

3 may (saturday):   Rochefort to Roscoff

 A comfortable night (blackbird singing loudly) leaving at 0740. Cloudless to start with. Maximum temp today 25°+ but only touching 16° in Roscoff. Sainte Hermine (the place where the Clémenceau memorial is situated) for excellent p’tit déj and top flight baguettes which we ate by the seaside at Les Rosaires west of St Brieuc. Oh dear, 

that's La Manche, that is.

Lovely beach edge spot for sinking sandwiches! We arrived in the usual holiday-busy (sunny for a change, if nippy) Roscoff at 1600. After reporting for duty at the Ibis we found a distant car park for the motor and M was able to bring the car closer in after the town quietened down. Total miles in France stands at 855. Room 331 as last time in the Ibis. Surcouf for supper, very nice and a treat from Mme Melling as she clocked a PB win this month! Even chillier as the sun set, and as I report above, Mary moved the car closer to the hotel… Hotel up to scratch as usual but still deficient shower-wise: can't avoid sending water across the floor on account of inadequate screening. You'd have thought they'd have sorted that out given the Roscoff Ibis is a tad more expensive than the other overnights we made this time. Lots of hot water though!

During this final full day of travel in France we encountered 82 roundabouts within the mileage covered of 322 miles. And that's with much of the distance covered on roundabout free dual carriageway N-roads FGS! On the sunday spin down to the ship we encountered two more of them . . . modest jobs, but fulfilling the s&h's exacting criteria of what a roundabout actually is.

4 may (sunday):   Roscoff to Cheldon Up early (sunny cold morning) and into Ty Pierre (the café with the sea chart ceilings) for superb croissants [5] and 4 bumper coffees [€16]. Pont Aven came steaming in a bit late, and left about 15 minutes late on account of a technical. A brilliant crossing, quarter full boat at most, quite rough (dramatic water swooping about in the pool: I recorded it for posterity): only Adam used our gratis cabin. Time slipped easily by (self listening to music) etc. Boat only 15 minutes late into Plymouth (more lost time was anticipated but captain powered on) and we were off and away in fifteen minutes. Not raining! S’mkt stop at Tavistock.

 

Sting in the tail? Diversion at Winkleigh and tyre deflation warning before that (false). And back at Bullsmead Towers, the inside fridge/freezer contents lost owing to accidental switch off at consumer unit upon March departure. Mea culpa most probably, when switching down the deep bore water pump. 

A very satisfactory return trip though. Enjoyed by us all, most of the time. Pity about the freezer and then post-travel humungous colds for self and Mme Melling in quick succession. As for your author's bloody back issue: don't even ask…… 

 I noticed you haven't  >sniff<  

The roundabout count, set against our overall mileage, indicates a density of one traffic circle every 3.11 miles. As few as that. One of them, the 'snail roundabout' we pass round frequently: it is near St. Fort on the Gironde estuary. We are fond of it.They farm escargots nearby so it is topical. Many examples of thematic traffic circles can be found in Fr. some better than others… I'd be surprised if there wasn't the basis for a PhD in it for someone, already…

Indebted to Mme Melling who took this picture of the snail roundabout some time back.