Home again. July 2025, part 3
Hello from the sunny south of France. This video is the final leg of my journey from uh England back to my home in South France. It isn’t a one day trip because I stopped off to see some friends and then stopped off to see my friend Steve who’s just moved in his village of Tufi which is in the tanigaron and then from there to here. So, the whole journey, that stage probably took almost a week. Uh, but I’d obviously just filmed the traveling bits. So, I hope you like it. Just leaving Sham now. That was a lovely couple of days. I had a walk yesterday, 12 km, I think, because I’d forgotten my shoes for my bike, so I couldn’t cycle. So, I went for a walk. And I have to say, away from the river, south anyway, it’s very boring. On the north side of the river, there’s vineyards, at least in this section, and on the south, it wasn’t. On the plus side, I did see a deer. And then a little while later, a large stag, but that was in the woods. I couldn’t take a photo. I saw a fox hunting. I suppose it was hunting. Uh, but it was pretty dull other than that. Just walking across wheat fields and past sunflower. A sunflower field. A field of sunflowers. But that will teach me to double check I have everything. Next time I’ll use my bike, which I’ve now appeared to have carried with me all the way to France and I’ll carry all the way back again. Not being able to use it, which is a bit of a pain. Just before I camped day four yesterday, the ad blue light came on. So I’ve just uh managed to find a supermarket that’s open. Although it’s Sunday, it’s the day before Bastile Day, but I did find somewhere open. This is BL. And now I’ve got 5 hours to go before I stop for this evening. Don’t think I’ve ever been through here. Seen it on signpost, but it’s uh not somewhere I’ve ever stopped. It’s on the banks of the share. concept. There are quite a few windmills in France, but they’ve often, pardon me, they’re often very different to the ones in England. That one actually looks like it might even been a based on an old semaphore. It’s like a fortified basement. Anyway, here we are then. South of the Lir, south of the Share. And as I say, 5 hours to go. Fields of sunflowers on the left. Haven’t yet woken up. They’re all still droopy. Almost 10:00. Come on, sunflowers time. You were up and staring at the sun. That’s more like it, isn’t it? All the sunflowers on the right. Just a sea of yellow under a cloudless blue sky. Haven’t seen many of those on this particular trip. Is that the first or second? Not many. Anyway, there’s a big ruined castle here. Somewhere on the right. I saw it. I thought this looked a pretty place. It’s midday. It’s 27°. I suppose I’ll start looking for somewhere to stop having my lunch. I’ve got 2 and 1 half hours to go. Not sure it’s as pretty as I thought it was going to be, but everywhere looks not bad at all when it’s this sunny, doesn’t it? Well, that was a rather nice lunch stop. You hardly ever find them when you need them. But you can see it in the shade. I’ll reverse in the shade with a picnic bench just beside the road. Easy turn off. I don’t think a single car went past while I was having lunch. Lovely. Just another couple of hours to go now. in Kac cognac region now past a couple of distilleries you know in cognac pino where the road is bordered on either side by vineyards here very well tendered very neat and tidy I think this is the shadow of San Marshall I’ve just seen a a time and we’re in Janak. Can’t really see the shadow. It was quite impressive on the way back and there are apparently road works in here that says road closed. So I don’t know where or how to get round it. Or maybe it won’t be closed as it’s Sunday and tomorrow’s a bank holiday Monday. You never know. I don’t know. Is this going to be closed? There’s a big crane right in the middle of the road. It keeps saying road closed. Road closed each time you drive past it. And then says it’s closed again. Maybe it’s not. I might got away with it. Maybe it was that Hopefully it was that. It must have been It must There’s another river just coming up. Looks like quite a big one. I don’t know what it is. I crossed the Sharent River a while ago and it was a quite small river then. It is the Chiron and it’s a lot bigger now than it was when I crossed it. It’s very pretty. Very pretty. A nice manoir there dead ahead. I suppose this area was rich on cognac. Just passed an old stone sign to say we’ve changed departments, but I can’t see the wrong one anywhere. This might be Sha Maritim having left Sha Sher Maritim that was in the way. And here I am. I’ll let myself in. And there’s Iggy the dog. Well, I’ve had uh three nights here, I think, and now it’s time for the next stage of my trip. Been quite cool actually. It’s It’s warming up now, but it was it was fresh and there was a bit of rain and clouds, but now hopefully it’s going to be sunny for the next week or two. crossing another river. Uh oh, I don’t know what the river is. I mean, it could be the door. I’m not sure. Doesn’t say anywhere, does it? I’m fairly familiar with this route. Don’t remember all of it, but I remember a lot of the junctions. I know there’s traffic lights. Yep, there we go. I just stopped for lunch beside the door, but I couldn’t really see it. And now I’m crossing the door. Here it is. Can’t see it at all from this bridge either. And it’s a modern bridge. But I’m crossing the doorway going around Berserk uh to the south past the airport and then I suppose more south. I think that means there’s only one department to go before tonight’s stop because it’s in the Tarnon, which I think pretty certain is next to the Lon. Oh, can you see the sunflowers? That’s lovely. Although some of them have already started to uh fade, get dry. I don’t know what the word ripen, I suppose. And then they uh just droop their heads. They don’t live from when the sun comes up. And there’s I’ve seen a couple of fields like that already. Well, I was slightly wrong because I’m meeting Steve somewhere close to his house, but in a different department. I’m in my home region anyway, Oxitani. And uh another 15 minutes to go and then uh stop before I have a long and then in the later on we’ll carry on to five. Well, that sign said Tarnigaron, but you couldn’t read it in the bushes as it is. Steve was spending the afternoon by a lake I presume with some friends. Uh but €7 to park. I’m not paying €7 to sit by a small lake for a couple of hours. So I will uh carry on my journey and park the sleeves for the night. There’s a lovely field of sunflowers. There’s quite a few map around here among the vines and I don’t know what the other crops are. I know there’s fields of asparagus. But sunflowers are lovely. Lift your spirit. Well, I had a nice couple of days with Steve Hill and now it’s the last stage. It’s another 4 and 1 half hours before I get home and then I can unpack and pack again. Ready for the 2CV World Meeting in Slovenia. An old 2CV there on the left. Really don’t see many driving around. Early 60s. Lovely. I haven’t seen many on this journey. I think I’ve seen none until the day I was more day two days ago when I was driving last section and I saw a Mahari an Ammy and a 2C I think it wasn’t that impressive tree. Have no idea what it is. Whether it’s natural or trained like that, but it’s an impressive one. I appreciate the departments like to have their own logos, but in the olden days, I can’t back to those. if they all were the same. So, you can see them when they were coming up and then you knew you were in a new department. But now, because a lot of them are different, I don’t know how many I miss. Anyway, we’re in Garon, I don’t think I’m in this department for long before I leave it and then come back into it. I can’t remember. But this is uh well, I’ve got three and a half hours to go, so I’ve been going an hour. Last one because I’ve got two hours to go, but I won’t be leaving this department. I’m back at home. I have uh mostly unpacked and got the house ready. I’m only going to be in there for a few days, but I’m going to enjoy this this sound while I’m here. I absolutely love it. It was 32° when I arrived. I think it’s a bit cooler now, but I filled up the car with fuel. Started. Okay, I’ll put the solar panels up and uh it’s half past 5, so I think I’m going to have an ice cool beer. Or maybe two, or maybe even three.
The final episode in my trip back home in the south of France. This stage took several days, as I stayed with friends on the way.