Day Five

France: Tarn Valley to L'argentierre

Wednesday 9th July

The day started early as I awoke in the middle of the night, a great opportunity for star gazing with no light pollution in the valley and a clear night, the stars and galaxies where looking spectacular. An opportunity for some reading and planning for the next part of the journey in the early hours before the need for sleep got the better of me.

We awoke and packed up Priscilla heading out on a scenic route deeper into the Gorges du Tarn, following a route up to the river Tarns source in the high Massive Central. A clear day without a cloud in the sky we sauntered through the valley stopping when ever we could to gaze at the views, click photos and marvel at the beauty of it all. We climbed higher and higher up the mountains, the ride height in Priscilla being a real bonus for sight seeing as we drove.

We reached the top of the Massive Central and stopped in a pine forest for lunch before we routed back down through the “donkey tracks” into the Ardeche river valley, our next destination. The last part of the descent was a little hairy, low on diesel and the warning light on, I took the last 30 KM of the steep descent, without pressing the gas pedal, using low gearings to conserve fuel, we made it to the first available diesel stop on thin air and a huge sigh of relief.

As we headed to our end destination we stopped at the Intermarche en route, stocking up again on provisions before reaching, Domaine Les Ranchisses, on the edge of the medieval village of Largentiere. It was a great feeling as we pulled into the driveway of this site, almost as if we had arrived home. It’s a place we’ve been to twice before and have many happy memories. New for 2008 was a wellness centre complete with gym, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and outdoor pool with aqua massage loungers and waterfalls which we were looking forward to testing out.

We had soon set up home and were swimming in the main pool to cool off from the heat of the day. The whole site is set in a dramatic location with wooded rolling hills, a trickling river running down the side and a small lake, bar and delightful Auberge. It has a real feeling of tranquillity, being at one with nature.

Johnathon was particularly looking forward to eating in the Auberge and we were not disappointed. A superb 4 course meal for 21 euros each (bargain!) rounded off a fantastic day.