Château Marquis de Vauban, Blaye

However tired you are, one thing is guaranteed during the summer months, and that is you will wake up early, and if you're lucky, some mornings you'll get to witness an absolutely stunning sunrise of vibrant orange, as we did this morning. 

With no need to rush, we are driving less, stopping at familiar places.

By lunchtime we were back at Chateau Marquis de Vauban at Blaye.

Ten pounds a night which includes a free bottle of the estate wine. What's not to like?  And as a bonus some new sculptures have appeared since our last visit.

We are now in Bordeaux country. The countryside green with grapevines as far as the eye can see.

 Arriving at the chateau early we were able to bag a great spot in the shade. We've booked for one night, but already think we'll probably stay another, especially as the temperature tomorrow will be 40c. We also think Marge deserves a rest. The last time we spent two days anywhere was at the end of our visit to Morocco. We've been driving everyday, sometimes for many hours in uncomfortable heat. Time to slow down we think!

Château Marquis de Vauban, Blaye

This morning, time to bid farewell to our neighbours. Even the Frenchman to our right, all belly and Bonnie Tyler, along with other rock ballads he listened to, spoke for the first time. Angela had been awake since five-thirty, just as the sun rose. There's something about the dawn of a new day. Conscious of the bank holiday weekend looming, and knowing we must stop at Aldi to do a shop, we set off just after nine. Angela decided to change our choice of overnight stop so we would be a little nearer to Bordeaux. We'd hoped to do a one night stopover at Bordeaux, but not on a bank holiday. It would be busy and noisy, and the campsite was ten euros a night more expensive than normal. So she decided we'd drive to Blaye, and stay at Chateau du Vauban, where we've stayed twice before. The day hot. Very hot. Marge wasn't phased at all. Did dnt get hot under the collar, just bowled along happily. Some sad, but expected news came through from home as we are lunch at a picnic area. John's auntie Ivy passed away this morning. A sad day. She'll be remembered for living life to the full, always smiling, and her wicked sense of humour.

Arriving at the chateau, despite the site being busy, John bagged Marge a spot under the trees right in front of the chateau. The temperature 94f. Angela waited a while for a drop in temperature before taking a short walk out to the nearby citadel. It was now 91f.

Marge isn't suffering the heat, but we certainly are. Going to strip ourselves and our bedding back to the bare minimum tonight. Goodness knows how hot Spain will be. But we have a lot of water on board just to be sure we stay hydrated. And talking of hydration. The chateau now presents you with a free bottle of very nice wine when you book in. What's not to like, except the Frenchman behind us who loves the sound of his own very loud voice.

Blaye, France

We now have twelve days to reach Cherbourg which is around seven hundred miles away. So from now on we will probably only drive short distances each day, and probably stay more than one day at some of our chosen overnight destinations. 

After a total of fifteen nights, (not consecutive), at the Bordeaux campsite, our extended city break was over. Unless of course Marge dictated otherwise. Nice and steady today Marge, we're only travelling an hour down the road.

Next stop Blaye right on the Gironde estuary. The town is familiar to us, and our overnight stop was somewhere we've stayed before and always wanted to return to.

The Chateau de Marquis de Vauban, where two years ago it was free to stay, and the electrical hook up was also free. And if you wished you could purchase wine produced from vines on the estate from the onsite shop. Now there is a charge of ten euros per night. Which is fine by us. The Aire de camping car opposite is just over ten euros and you get to park close to another van right by the noisy sports centre. What we can't understand is why so many people choose the Aire rather than the chateau right opposite, where you can park under the redwood trees or amongst the vines. Blaye is a UNESCO world heritage sight.

The medieval citadel which sits above a town that has seen better days, is interesting, and the views from the top across the estuary beautiful. We love this area, and that's great because we certainly seemed to have spent quite a lot of time milling about here recently. Haven't we Marge?