Post It from Camping le Terrier, Lescar (Pau), Aquitaine, France. Wednesday 21st October, 2015.

We had once travelled right through the centre of Pau when I missed the turning for the ring road when heading north and it looked such a fascinating city with lots of history that we said we should really stop and visit it one day. Well this was to be the occasion but due to circumstances that could not be foreseen it was not to be.

We had asked our fluent French speaking neighbours from Navajas to telephone Camping Le Terrier, which I had found in the Caravan Club touring books, to make sure it was open and that there was easy access to Pau by bus from the site. I had read this in a Trip Advisor review but was unable to access any web site for this camping site and they had not replied to my email from a week earlier. The person who answered the telephone confirmed both to be correct so we made the decision to stop here for two nights.

The departure from Zaragoza was a very windy one and the first 20 or so miles were difficult with strong cross winds over the vast expanse of open plains. As we neared the Pyrenees we saw a really unusual cloud formation with the mountains standing high above them whilst a long ribbon of dense cloud lay across the valley below. We ended up driving through these clouds which amounted to slight fog at ground level.

After stopping for lunch once more just south of the Somport Tunnel in the warmth and sun we passed through it into a very dense cloudy France before arriving at our campsite by mid-afternoon. The campsite first impressions were basic and residential but once we settled it seemed fine if in need of a little renovation. The facilities were clean and the water was hot so that was the main things sorted and we paid for the additional 10 amps of electricity as it was going to be cold compared to what we had been used to. Smokee needed his warmth even if Sharon didn’t! The toilet facilities had been described as heated in the touring book but I could find no evidence of that being the case so the early morning shower was a bit nippy once out of the very hot water. There was no Wi-Fi either, which had also been shown in the guide.

Despite being led to believe the bus to Pau was easily accessible it was not. Yes it was only a 1000m walk to the main road into Pau from Lescar but it was along a busy road with no footpaths. Thankfully when we set off the morning rush of traffic had eased and we used the narrow side area of the road which I think was the area for cyclists. The raised infrequent central reservation areas were a bit daunting as it meant any passing traffic had to come even closer to us. We managed it though without problem to only miss the half hourly bus by one minute!

Having checked the bus timetable at the stop we decided to walk a little further towards Pau and noticed how busy the traffic was in that direction to only find when we got to the next stop by the commercial centre that the road was blocked by a contingent of gypsies with their caravans. The Police were also present in large numbers but there was no attempt to remove the road blockage and clear the carriageway. I asked one officer about the bus situation and she said they would not be running due to the protest because they could not get through.

We later learned the gypsies had gone to a nearby place set up generations ago by Church Bishops for people in need to provide shelter and food. They said they had been refused a place to stay and so were now blocking the carriageway because there was nowhere for them to go. The informant added that these places, which are all over France, also expect their guests to work whilst there in repayment for their charity but that the gypsies perhaps did not want to work. Who knows but it meant we could not get the five miles into Pau so it very much spoiled it for us.

Instead we walked back and then up into the Medieval City of Lescar, a very small place in reality but once the capitol of Bearn in Gallo-roman times. There are famous Roman mosaics in the museum from the IV^th C, which was closed, a Cathedral started in the year 1120 and ramparts, some dating back to the IV^th C. The views from the south facing ramparts over the Pyrenees would have been stunning had it been a clearer day.

We found the tourist information office by the Cathedral just in time before it closed for lunch. The lady spoke excellent English and gave us a guide book to the area in English which showed us what we were really missing in Pau, such a disappointment. I did manage to get access to the free Wi-Fi however with the password she gave me to check my emails and check the weather forecasts.

We continued our day without much luck though. We went for lunch first to a restaurant which we were told produced local fayre to find it was closed. The only other restaurant was a gourmet restaurant but at 65€ for a lunch menu we gave it a miss. We had to settle for a baguette at the only bar but there was no chicken available at all, then the ham for our second choice was also not available and neither were there any eggs for the salad. We settled for tuna without all the salad trimmings. The bread was very good and crusty but I later saw a very small live maggot on my knee and just hope it had not come out of my sandwich, time will tell if I am poorly but I did think at the time that they eat such things on those bush tucker programmes so I should be fine.

Then we set off to walk the ramparts, as indicated on a very small map, and noticed the white and red symbols on the lampposts. We got about a third of the way along the journey to find the symbols had disappeared and the route was not evident. Where we thought it would go, having looked at the thumbnail map, we found the symbol signs crossed out showing that was not the way. In the end we just walked the streets back to the 14^th C Bishops Palace that was destroyed in the French Revolution.

Here there was an information plaque showing the Arles Way, part of the Camino de Santiago, and the southernmost route through France taking the pilgrims from Italy across the Col du Somport and on to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. We have walked many times on different parts of the Camino, and camped alongside it, throughout France, Spain and Portugal during our travels these past 2½ years.

The good thing was the weather stayed dry for us and at least we enjoyed the walking, despite Sharon’s leg beginning to give her some pain for the first time this holiday. We shall have to see what happens when we stop to visit the next places on our way to Calais.

Next is Bordeaux where we expect to stop for 2 nights and get the bus into the city, the last time we were there it was on the 1^st May and a public holiday and all the busses were not running so we never made it. Fingers crossed we make it this time and I may get internet connection to post this story.

Regards, Roy

PS 23rd October, 2015 .

Sorry for the delay in posting but the ‘Club Together’ section of the web site has been down. We made it into Bordeaux and the sun even came out. What a lovely city and well worth the visit. Easy access from Camping du Lac, where we have stayed before, by bus from the gate then a tram into the centre. A 40 minute journey in total at a very modest cost of 1½€ each way! Eat your heart our Britain, unless you happen to have a free bus pass! Off to Tours in the morning for one night then hopefully we will find the campsite at Chartres open this time so we can vist the Cathedral.