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Cognac Chateau 2015
Summary
Cognac Diary
Sunday
With a slight rain delay, we headed north to cycle the lanes around Pons. All around were sunflower and maize fields as we headed through Avy and onto Perignac. One year on and the teens were getting quicker, so sprinting ahead to get a photo was impossible as all they did was chase me down. We lunched by the church at Berneuil, before heading to Pons and its impressive Donjon and equally impressive ice creams at the cafe. Back at the chateau, the pool filled with children whilst the adults got ready for dinner. Peter the Danish chef cooked a French meal in a chateau which housed German officers during WW2. Salad, followed by steak and potatoes was topped off by a creamy dessert, all very delicious
Monday
We headed for Cognac , somewhere that Lester wryly observed was a destination we had tried to get to in the past but failed. More sunflower fields and I'm sure the teenagers were even faster, but years of training had taught them to wait at junctions, allowing us to stay together. Cognac was accessed via a quiet route from the west and having off roaded along the river we split for a few hours to explore the town. The thing is with France though is that most days seem like holidays, so it was a very fortunate cafe owner who saw cyclists converge from all directions to meet again. Back through Ars with its Roman church and inevitable photo opportunity for Facebook and everyone headed back at heir own pace back to the chateau for a BBQ and a bit more snooker
Tuesday
Loading the bikes onto cars meant that if we started at Epargnes, we could get to the beach, so at 1015 we descended towards the Gironde and the coast. Talmont was a great ice cream stop. Much like Castle Coombe in Wiltshire, it was a village by the coast where tourists mingled with the restaurants and tourist shops. However the church by the headland with it's graves appearing out of the dirt was a memorable sight. France is developing a West Coast cycleway and we picked this up heading northwest as it followed the coast along a dedicated hard packed cycleway. Sheds of stilts with fishing nets littered the coast and it was a shame that the route ytook us back inland at Meschers. We were heading for Royan, but after 4 miles it became apparant that there was just too much traffic, so we dived left and down to Suzac Plage where we spent 2 hours enjoying the sea. Cutting through the woods and a sandy track we headed back to Epargnes passing fields of sunflowers with expansive views. Back at the chateau we had a communal buffet, munching through rillette, salad and smked salmon, washed down with cheeses and more tarte au citron.
Thursday
Jarnac lies to the east of Cognac and through it flows the Charente River, and it was to this that we headed with bikes strapped to the cars. From the brightly coloured Mairie we headed east along the northern bank, passing through many more small settlements than we had in the past 3 days. Chateauneuf arrived and we dived into its cafes, sending the teenagers out in search of a boulangerie. Coffee and patisseries consumed, Steve pointed out the ideal group shot opportunity, so we lined the steps, waved and camera clicked to record another year passed. Chateauneuf was a river crossing, so it was close to the southerly bank that we now went, turning north and westwards again at the next river crossing. Arriving at the riverbank a jetty presented the perfect picnic spot, so as folk munched a variety of baguette filling, a number of us tested the water, along with the eels and small fish munching bits of bread. We continued along the riverbank, with it's white hard surface it was glorious and ending with a push through a field seemed a fitting end with gags about the Rough Stuff Fellowship ringing in my ears. Back at Chateauneuf we headed west climbing out of town before a lovely descent back to the valley floor. A final piece of riverbank and we got back to Jarnac, just as the rain started. Washed and scrubbed up, our evening led us to Pons for a meal at the Cafe du Donjon where a long table groaned under duck salad, salmon or beef, finished with a choice ot tarte.
Friday
Drat, this far south and Western Europe in August is a damp place. No chance of a cycle ride, though 7 hardy parents braved the horizontal rain and did the route to the coast. The children figuring that the pool was dryer than outside splashed about with the inflatables whilst 11 of us played Perudo in Les Etables. After lunch I accompanied Robin and Karen via the myriad of back lanes to Pons where we quaffed coffee, eclairs and Cognac under the shaddow of the Donjon. Back at the chateau, it was left overs night, so all of us met for the last time in the chateaus dining room where we ate through salads, crostini and the star of the show, Penny's Eton mess with locally sourced meringue. The snooker tournament neared the end and the semi finals were tense as Robin and Hiliary along with Nigel and Katherine booked themselves into the final where the former won a tin of local biscuits for the journey home.
So another holiday over.
Pictures - Select either ALL for everything, or select a day. Then click on the picture and scroll on through using the arrow
All
Chateau Clerbise and Snooker
Thursday - Jarnac
Tuesday - To the Beach
Monday - Cognac
Sunday - Pons
Jo and Simon through Bassac
Sarah with Croissants
Start at Epargnes
Gordon and Johnie through Bassac
Linda and Emma waiting to leave at Chateau Clerbise
Jonathan and Penny
Freya leaves chateau
Abbie waiting to leave
Jonathan and Heather Smith
Jonathan Allen
Kate and Karen
Sarah and Karen descend to coast
Avy
Jo and Kathryn leaves Bassac
Jonathan and Freya leaves Bassac
Robin descends from Avy
Boat ceramic tile at S Saurin
Les Etables pool
Erica and Louise descends from Avy
James eclairs at Chateauneuf
Will and Hiliary near Fleac
Heather and Jonathan at Chateauneuf
Karens garlic at Chateauneuf
James near Fleac
Gordon and Zoe descends from Avy
Nigel and Sunflowers
Group picture at Chateauneuf
Talmont gargoyles
Passing Sunflowers
North from Jarnac
Carrie towards Gimeaux
Chateau de Clerbise
Liam on coast cycleway
South of Cognac
Into Cognac
Oliver on coast cycleway
Max exits Meussac
Ben on River rail in Cognac. This route avoided a lot of the traffic and ran into the centre
Lester on River trail in Cognac
A lizard makes an appearance in Cognac
Lester on coast cycleway
Garden statue in Cognac
Fishing huts on coast cycleway
Johny descends from Meussac
Perignac Church
Jo, Pauline, Kate and Sarah on coast cycleway
Nigel checks the local news
Cafe stop in Cognac
Sarah at Perignac
Jo and Laurinda at Perignac
Johnie and Jonathan on coast cycleway
Les Etables
Heading east
River Bridge in Cognac
Max near Merpins
The Allen family
Liam, Gary, Carrie and Freya on coast cycleway
Simon Elliott
Ruby near Merpins
James at Chateauneuf
Penny and Carrie
Heather and Lester
Abbie on coast cycleway
Penny heads to Mosnac
Karen Davies near Merpins
Lester heads to Mosnac
Kevin and Nigel
Sunflowers. Steve and Emma
Kathryn and sunflowers
Kevin and Robin on coast cycleway
We always have some kind of competition, presenting Hiliary and Robin, the snooker winners
Steve and Emma heads to Mosnac
Jo Evans near Merpins
Louise's bike at Berneuil
Ruby, Kate, Freya and Erica at Berneuil
Robert Elliott near Mosnac
Liam Allen near Merpins
Plage de Suzac signpost
Harrison near Mosnac
Erica and Louise at lunch
Sarah et al at Plage de Suzac
James at Berneuil
Neil and Robin swimming
Gordon Elliott near Merpins
Kathryn Allen and Nigel near Merpins
Max jumps in river
Sarah at Plage de Suzac
Jonathan and Nigel strumming away
Carrie Hill near Merpins
Hiliary Dickson near Merpins
Ben jumps in river
Ruby, Freya et al at Pons
Children and Fountains at Pons
Lester taking Ars picture to add to his collection od interesting signs around the world
Ars church
Will and Hiliary Dickson on Plage de Suzac
Inside Ars Church
Hill family near Ars
Boys in river
Children and Fountains at Pons
Louise and Kate Fountains at Pons
Jo Evans on Plage de Suzac
Kathryn Allen on river path
Kevin Merrison on river path
Liam Allen on river path
Vineyards and a tower
Kate, Jo and Robin
Pauline Lawrie on river path
Ruby Evans on river path
Jonathan Smith on Plage de Suzac
Sarah on Plage de Suzac
Thankyou hamper unwrapped, really appreciated
Jonathan Smith on river path
Oliver Peters on river path
Heather Smith on river path
Kate Evans on river path
Robert, Gordon, Milo, Ben on river path
Louise, Erica and Freya on Plage de Suzac
James and Pons Donjon
Steve, Linda and Emma
Towards Echebrune
Harrison Hill
Smith family and Louise at Pons
Nigel and Penny on riverbank
Abbie Merison descending
Garry rounds bend at Pons
Chefs meal at Clerbise
Karen and Robin on riverbank
Pauline and Abbie reflected on riverbank
Through sunflower fields
Gordon and Zoe return from Pons
Laurinda returns from Pons
Karen on sandy track
Erica return from Pons
Kevin and Sarah on track
Towards Pons
Group heading east
Harrison and Grain Tower
Robin snookering at Chateau Clerbise
Simon and Laurinda Elliott on track
Drinks at the grain tower
Ben at the meal at Chateau Clerbise
Towards Chateauneuf
Jo playing snooker
Karen snookers at Chateau Clerbise
Baguette Tour de France
Erica and Louise enter Chateauneuf
Sarah playing snooker
The Buffet
Countryside round Angeac
Children a buffet
Adults at buffet
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