11th September.

After a restful night at Laval, we were off to Camping Lac de Maine in Angers. By now I was really enjoying driving in France and feeling very confident. For parts of our journey the road ran alongside the river. With the sun sparkling on the water it was magical and I had to almost pinch myself to believe that we were really there in France.

A clip on the wing mirror of a big van with our wing mirror brought me back to reality. Fortunately, no damage was done and we continued to Angers to find the campsite. My French was put to the test again and we booked in for 2 nights. I was able to ask about the bus service into the centre and was assured that buses were every 20 minutes. After getting parked up and having lunch, we hiked off to the bus stop in the rain to find that actually, the buses were one an hour and we’d just missed one! Feeling a bit deflated, we returned to the van for a soothing cuppa and last piece of the cake I’d made to bring with us. (Date and Walnut loaf – it keeps very well.)

The rain stopped in the late afternoon and so went for a walk round the lake which was very nice. If we’d had bikes, we could have cycled into the centre, but alas we didn’t. It was a good chance to do some washing back at the site and got a couple of loads washed and dried. The facilities of the site were good, the swimming pool was still open but the bar/restaurant was closed and it all looked a bit tired. Staff were very nice and helpful.

Next morning we got up bright and early and armed with the bus timetable we took a ride into Angers. We got off the bus by the L’office de Tourisme. In hindsight, we’d have been better to go to the terminus a short distance away. It would have saved us trekking round the terminus later to find our bus stop to return to the site!

Fun again, asking for a map of the town centre in French. A lovely girl on reception listened and then asked in faultless English if we’d find it easier to talk in English. At least we tried! the highlight of visiting Angers is the castle. It’s difficult to get your head around the fact that it was first built 1000 years ago and has survived an ammunition storage dump explosion in the war and a fire in 2009. Thankfully, the tapestry was not damaged in the fire.

The Apocalypse Tapestry was commissioned by Louis 1 in 1373. It’s now the oldest and largest surviving medieval tapestry in the world. It tells the story of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the fight between good and evil. At 140 metres long and 6 metres high it’s incredible that so much has survived intact. Apparently there was a time when it was looted and used for horse blankets, rugs and blankets and it wasn’t until 1848 that the surviving fragments were re-united and returned to the cathedral. It’s now displayed in a purpose built room and is truly awe inspiring.

We took the time to watch a video in the gift shop before we viewed the tapestry, it was very informative and really brought to life the story that’s depicted in each scene of the tapestry. By the time we’d explored the rest of the castle we were ready for lunch and were directed to a restaurant close by. I loved the pizza menu based on the names of British pop groups but settled for one of their sharing dishes.

We wandered round the centre for a while, mainly in search of an ice cream, before we found the bus stop and went back to the campsite. A dip in the pool was very welcome before dinner and a good night’s sleep before heading off to Saumur the next day.

A relatively short drive saw us arriving at Flower Camping in Saumur late morning. The sign on the door “Complet” suggested that they wouldn’t have a space for us, but in my best French I again secured a place for 2 nights. The best thing about this site is the swimming pool and the view across the river to the castle. The bar was open in the evening and served food. However, the campsite was cramped and we had a small pitch (when we eventually found it). We were near to the shower/toilet block but one visit to the toilet convinced me to use the van at all times. It was grubby and looked like it needed a thorough clean.

We found our way to the bridge and wandered into town where we visited the Office de Tourisme. We were able to buy tickets to see the chateau at a reduced fee and kept them to use the next day. Saumur is a pleasant old town and we enjoyed wandering round some of the walking trails before deciding to head back for a dip in the pool and dinner.

Next day found us climbing up to the castle where we had a guide who gave us the history of the castle over the course of half an hour, mainly spent standing in the courtyard. The castle had a chequered history being a royal residence, army barracks and state prison under Napoleon Bonaparte. Apparently, it took 2 years to convert to a prison which then closed within about 3 months. (Sound a bit like HS2 anyone??)

The town of Saumur bought the castle in 1906 and did restoration work. It’s now mainly used as a museum. After our visit we wandered a little more round the streets of the older part of town and found the Combier distillery. They do guided tours, but they were fully booked. However, a delightful lady spent a long time with us telling us about the history of the distillery and giving us samples to try. After purchasing a bottle of the original liqueur we staggered back to the campsite for a restorative swim and dinner. I’d offer you some to try, but we drank it all while we were away. Only regret was not buying 2 of the larger size bottles!