Elven - 8/9 September 2018

8 & 9 September

Really surprised - could vaguely hear the trains, but not the level crossing, even though we weren’t that far away - strange! Peaceful night listening to the water mill when I couldn’t sleep...

Won’t be writing everyday if we haven’t got much to say!

Yesterday we packed up and I drove to here:

Elven - N47°44.308’ W002°34.843’ - free

Only about 15 minutes drive away from St Nolff. Another pleasant surprise! It’s an Aire in a pleasant wooded area with free Aire Naturelle - which basically means all the perks of a campsite, like chairs and table out with awning too, washing if you want - and free!

Bikes out and rode to get a baguette and tart for lunch, about 800m away.

Lazy day, did some washing and used our white knight spin drier which is excellent - not sure it’s good for the fibres in the clothes though as it spins at 2,800 rpm!

Read our books and relaxed in the sunshine.

9 September - Started off with yoga. Lovely facing the early sun, but then had to clean off and dry the mats from the heavy dew! Tintin went to get lunch, which we made into big baguettes and rode off to Largoët Fortress. We arrived just after 12 when it was due to close for lunch (only in France!), but the nice young lady was ok with us going in. Was €11 for both of us, not sure it was worth it!  It was a fortified castle at the time of the Dukes of Brittany. Not sure the photos do it justice, can’t really see the scale.  We were able to climb to the fourth floor of the keep, nothing was left in the middle where the floors would have been.  The guards lived on ground level, then the lady, then the lord, chapel on 3rd floor, children on 4th, then parapet walking on 5th and the attic on 6th floor.  Most of it is from the 15th century. There is still a big moat around it, no water now, but water on one side. Apparently Henry Tudor was locked up there during his exile in Brittany before becoming the king of England in 1485.  The latrines were placed at the end of elbow shaped corridors to avoid the spread of unpleasant smells!

During the 15th century when Brittany was still independent from France, Largoët experienced its most prestigious times, it was sold in a state of neglect and ruin in 1656 and is still in the same family more than three centuries later.

We were the only ones there at one point, the young lady said they get about 60 people per day during the summer, about 40 per day now, but only about 20 per day at weekends.  Definitely doesn’t pay for any upkeep!

Returned here, more washing of white clothing, cups of tea/coffee - sitting out in the warmth and reading - tough life!

You may wonder why you see us wearing the same clothes - at home I tend to wash everything in sight whether dirty or not!  Here it makes you think more, as it’s more hassle to wash, and we haven’t tried a laundromat yet!

Last night we even managed to watch some of Strictly Come Dancing. Not really sure how, as didn’t think iPlayer worked in France!

Will be a late tea - frozen chicken in our very cold fridge doesn’t defrost very quickly!

Good that we can both be content by not doing a lot!

The campsite is full, but we have lots of space! pays to get to places just at the right time! However, we haven’t really worked out when that is! We think most people have fairly relaxed mornings, and don’t get going till mid-morning - but if we arrive at a new destination too early, then maybe people won’t have moved on. What a dilemma!