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| Owner:
squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2897 |
16th September 2014 Hiking - Walking: Les Crets des Pilats Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny Max Speed: Distance Covered: Tuesday 16th September – walk ***** Les Crets des Pilats. Mag’s 54th Birthday Woke to a beautiful blue sky morning and were able to do our exercises and have breakfast outside:) The cow bells were ringing, the stream trickling and birds, including buzzards and peregrines flying around. We decided not to travel today as we have done several days and it is Mag’s birthday! She opened her cards after breakfast. We were planning a short walk up to the Table of Orientation at the top of the Cret de Pilat, the highest point in Les Crets des Pilats. However, we decided to carry on to see more and did a circuit passing the Chalet Bourguisan, Col and Cret de l’Etacon, Col and Cret du Rachat and the Col and Cret de Bote where we saw a paraglider flying and two hang gliders talking about it and measuring the wind strength. The Cret de Bote had some kind of military installation which we could see from our starting point at the table of orientation so we felt we had achieved our goal and headed back to the van at La Jassarie along a lovely wooded path. Wish we had taken the gps as it turned into quite a hike, about 5 miles(?) and nearly 3 hours. Had a late lunch sitting on our chairs outside and then read and dozed until it was time for coffee and birthday cake:) More reading followed by 2 sets of 3 games of Lost Cities, we won one each so game on! A tin of chilli and left over bread made it an easy tea:) Great day. Wednesday 17th September - travelling Didn’t sleep too well as it was really windy, howling and shrieking round the van and the bike cover was flapping too:( Got up early at 7 and decided as it wasn’t nice enough to lie in and read or do our exercises we would make an early start. We left our lovely spot at La Jassorie at about 8.30 and headed down through lovely forest (saw a deer) towards Anonay which was a built up pain in the bum! We tried to park at a Super U supermarket but it was impossible and then when we found Lidl the parking there wasn’t much better:( Still we got our shopping and then called in at a sports shop on the outskirts and visited the McDonalds for wifi. Had a cuppa and Mag thanked all her birthday well wishers with a couple of photos of us eating cake! We set off along the fairly big road which runs alongside the river Rhone. A Roman ruin was marked on our map so we spent a while looking for that, it turned out to be right at the side of the road between us and the railway line so no opportunity to visit it and it wasn’t very exciting anyway. Carried on along the river and crossed over on one of the bridges to pass through Tain l’hermitage which although built up had a really nice waterfront with a castle, old buildings and a river cruise boat moored up in the river. The passengers were going on and off the boat with their passes round their necks. We nearly got stuck because of a very low bridge but managed to turn round and head back across the river to have our lunch on the barrage at Tournan Sur Rhone. There were herons, cormorants and egrets in the river below the barrage. Back in the van and on to a place called Cruas which has a medieval cite on the hill and a good parking place at the port on the river bank. We stopped here for a cuppa and more cake!! Must stop that! It had started to rain so we just went for a short ride up to the medieval cite to have a look then parked under some trees near the port. We sat and watched at least 4 red squirrels running themselves ragged collecting and hiding walnuts. There were also 5 magpies having a right scrap! And Mag saw a treecreeper too:) When there was a break in the rain and after a doze and a read we went for a walk along the nature walk and to the table of orientation which looks down the river. There were several barges and river cruise boats over the course of the evening. Just got back to the van and the rain set in together with a thunder and lightning storm which was right overhead. This continued for most of the evening. We had salmon parcels, potatoes and veg for tea:) |
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