Day 27 Avignon to Aigues Mortes

Thursday July 6th

I set off at 7.30 intending to buy apple juice at the camp shop and breakfast on the way. 3.20 euros for  a litre of apple juice offended my Scottish outlook but needs must. I fill my water bottles with 1/3 apple juice and use the rest instead of  milk for my porridge.

The Via Rhona at this point is just a concept. It mostly doesn't exist except on paper. So I set off on the D3 alongside the Rhone. It would have been fine but for the constant "whoosh" of heavy lorries passing too close. It was a pleasant surprise when I found a brand new section of the Via opened only a few weeks ago. However my joy was short lived because it had way too much gravel on top which made it treacherous.

After the new section gave out after a few kms I stopped to have breakfast by the side of the road. What a tramp! Sitting on a step with my porridge and apple juice and yoghurt laid out around me.

iconic white horses of the Camargue

Rhone to Sete canal

I stuck to the D roads and by 13.00 I had covered about 65 kms to St Gilles despite an unplanned tour of Beacaire which looked worthy of a more extensive visit.  I enjoyed a very good entree + plat du jour and unexpected desert  for the princely sum of 12 euros. I took the opportunity to get yet another litre of water into me.

Alongside  me were  Swiss grandparents treating their grandchildren  to lunch. I was struck by how well behaved the children were - polite and seen but not heard. Ruby. Attention!

L:a Tour Carbonniere

The day  was warm and it was difficult to drink enough to replace the lost fluids.

After lunch it  SHOULD have been a leisurely 25 kms to Aigues Mortes. But the seemingly straightfoward sections  never seem to work out. Suffice to say at 16.00 I passed a sign Aigues Mortes 22 kms. I finally got here just before 19.00. A mixture of Via Rhona circles and my woeful navigation was responsible.

I was lucky because I went into a tourist information about 10kms short of Aigues Mortes to ask about camping.The lady was very helpful. She didn't exactly laugh but she told me that NONE of the sites in Aigues Mortes accept tents. Well there was one - Camping a la ferme - Mas de Plaisance in the middle of nowhere. "Would you like me to phone for you to see if there is a space?" she asked. Fortunately there was - (in fact the place was almost empty.. The instructions for getting there ran to double figures. I remembered the first three or four.

Aigues Mortes

After 2km I came to a Camping and Caravan Club site and decided to test her theory about no tents. I gave it my best charm offensive and included tales of light headedness and fatigue but I was not putting my tent up there! However the receptionist gave me a map with Camping a la Ferme Mas de Plaisance clearly marked. I followed the map and  found it easily and it is only 3 kms away from Aigues Mortes by way of a quiet farm road. Maybe I should try following the map more often!

I did wonder what kind of farm it is. No sign of animals.

Now that night is falling I am starting to think it is an insect farm. I am being bombarded by all manner of insect life and I have taken to my tent before dark for the first time.

Canal at Aigues M<ortes

A quick visit to Aigues Mortes tomorrow morning then on to Sete tomorrow evening and "home" on Saturday is the current plan.

But things are starting to fail.

I had repaired one of my tent poles two or three days ago but last night it gave way and broke. I have made another running repair bracing the break with a tent peg (all I could find)

It seems to be holding but I am not sure it would survive another big storm.

I  had been hearing a noise from a spoke for a day or two but couldn't identify where it was coming from.

Tonight I can see that I have two broken spokes on the back wheel.

Will I get there?

On vira.

06/07/17 Thursday       Camping a la Ferme         Aigues Mortes                   €11                      3

3 kms from AM spacious pitches good toilets very buggy