At dawn, Dave got up to take some photographs of the fantastic sunrise over the vines.
We headed away from the wine region, zigzagging past fields of vines, farm machinery, teams of people pruning and a huge tonnellerie (barrel making factory). There were piles and piles of wooden slats waiting to be moulded into barrels.
Waze sent us down some very tiny roads. It seemed to be trying to cut off the corner on the route, but ended up sending us on a more difficult route as a result. Eventually we got back on track and stopped for an early lunch in Brantôme.
It was a gorgeous place with a beautiful Benedictine Abbey on the river’s edge, an old stone bridge, weir and pretty mill now turned into a hotel. We were a bit early for lunch but managed to find somewhere that started serving at 12, so opted for that. It hit the spot! I had a tough but tasty steak and Dave had confit de canard which was fab.
We then ventured on towards Manzac Ferme, aiming for a 2pm arrival. Most of you know that our friends Dave and Fran from Southampton moved over here in late 2020 to take over this campsite:
“We are a very small well established site catering for caravans, motor homes and campers. The site offers the peace and quiet of a grown-ups only environment and is open from May to September. We are nestled in the beautiful unspoilt Dordogne countryside and situated in the Parc Naturel Perigord-Limousin, some 7 kilometres from the town of Nontron.”
You can visit their website here
We had hoped to visit last year but Covid restrictions put paid to that, so the ferry booking was rescheduled! It was very easy to find as it was clearly indicated on Google maps and it was very exciting to see them and the place for real after seeing all the lovely photos online.
We’d managed to fit in our visit just before their season starts on May 20th, so it was great to indulge in the beautiful, peaceful surroundings without any other guests here! Not only that, but we had a gorgeous room in the house (with a bath!!) which was a welcome upgrade from the van!!
We knew it was going to be beautiful but it surpassed our expectations. The grounds are extensive, the feeling of the place very tranquil and they’d paid every attention to detail in the presentation of the campsite. They have six camper van and five camping pitches, the latter of which are closer to the river and some have hammocks in high season. They also have a rowing boat and paddle board available.
In the afternoon a delivery van arrived with a pile of gravel for the driveway. The driver managed to manoeuvre very skilfully into pitch one, avoiding overhanging branches to deposit his load.
We had a tour of the grounds and got our bearings, had a good catch-up
Fran cooked us a very delicious lasagne for dinner and we toasted the (now not quite so new!) venture! Luckily, they’d managed to arrange some excellent weather! 🤣 We ate outside and then when the sun disappeared, we moved to a camper van pitch on the other side of the house, which was the late evening sun-trap. We then sat and watched the sun set over the river for a while longer before going to sleep in our luxury quarters!
So evocative of rural France! Too many great experiences one after another.
I know! and only 8 more days to go….. but then we get the next adventure
The scenery immediately tells you it is France.
However will you chose what will go in the Christmas calendar Dave.!!
Your main photo is just beautiful.
Sunshine and happy times.🌻