Fire!

During the late summer of 2010 our need to stock up on Red wine, and to once again sample the moules and oysters of the Mediterranean coast became overpowering. So in mid August we found ourselves in familiar mode catching the afternoon ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. We arrived on time at about 9.30pm local, and immediately made our way to our regular first night stop at Les Haute Coutures in Ouistreham.

Earlier that year I had been persuaded to do away with my allegedly gas guzzling 4X4 and had changed it for a Mercedes E class Estate 2.2 CDI.  The new tow car was certainly more economical than my earlier 4 X 4s and was returning in the mid 40's solo, however it clearly struggled a bit with my heavy Coachman 520/4 and fuel consumption fell dramatically to about 22 mpg whilst towing.

The target for this trip had been agreed as Meze not far from Sete, on the Mediterranean Coast of France, an area rightly famous for its moules and oyster beds.  The route we would take was away from the increasingly expensive toll motorways, through the centre of France to Chauvigny (about 240 miles). Then down to Issoire (190 miles), and then finally via the A75 across theMillau Bridge (The first time for me) to Meze (another 190 miles). We were in company with my sister & her husband with their VW Passat and Bailey Pageant outfit. They had travelled this route before and knew of some excellent municipal camp sites en route.

The first day was clearly going to be a long hard slog down to Chauvigny so we left Ouistraham at about 9am heading down the A88 and A28 to Alencon and then on to Le Mans. The D910  took us toPoitiersand then following the D951 to Chauvigny.

Arriving in Chauvigny at about 4.00pm we were immediately struck by the beautiful mediaeval atmosphere of the town. That feeling was heightened by the fact that our intended municipal camp site

"Camp Municipal de la Fontaine" was very close to the centre of the town with clear views of the castle and well maintained grounds etc.  We stayed two nights in Chauvigny, allowing us to recover from the long slog fromCaenbut also to explore the castle and other features of this lovely and typically French town. 

The centre is well stocked with restaurants and small bars many of which provide great views from the elevated castle surrounds.

Suitably rested we set off down the N147 toLimogesand then via the N941 toClermont-Ferrand.  The approaches to Clermont-Ferrand, and on to Issoire, through the "Vulcania" region are quite spectacular, and I was finding the journey interesting to say the least.  The E class estate was proving to be a very stable and safe towing vehicle, but I was getting the impression that she was finding the going quite hard. The main indicator of that, was that as the temperatures got higher the further South we went, the gearbox occasionally had to be reminded by manual intervention, to change up as a slope slackened off. But it never got to be of real concern. By way of comparison, my brother in law in his Passat had no such problems! Distance travelled from Chauvigny to Issoire was 191 miles.

At Issoire we again made use of the excellent Municipal camp site facilities, at Camping Du Mas. The modern and open facilities were well maintained, and the site had the added advantage of having a large Supermarket nearby with cheap Diesel!

The following day we set off on the final leg of our trip down to Meze, once again a distance of 191 miles. We were using the spectacular A75 - E11 motorway.  I have to say that in over 30 years of caravanning, that route is one of the most spectacular that I have ever driven.  The views start almost immediately on leaving Issoire and continue almost unabated until the Med comes into view as one approaches Meze. I guess the highlight for me had to be the British Designed Millau bridge with its picnic areas and visitor centre. But nothing could outdo the sheer spectacular views along the whole of that route.

We arrived at our destination the camp siteKawanVillage, Beau Rivage, just outside Meze at about 3.30pm on the Sunday immediately preceding what would be August Bank Holiday inEngland. It wasn't until I emerged from the air conditioned cabin of my car that I realised just how hot it had got. It was now well in excess of 30 degrees.

We were lucky and arrived just after some earlier visitors had left, and we were able to site both Caravans on the front row of the site overlooking the Bassin de Thau and looking straight across to Sete, a marvellous view, especially at night when the lights are on. The Bassin de Thau is home to the extensive Oyster farms and mussel beds which make the area famous.

It remained blisteringly hot all that evening, and putting up the full awning was quite a feat.  In the end we left out all of the vertical panels so the awning became more of a sun canopy for our entire 12 night stay. At first we wondered how easily we would sleep that first night, but the long journey over the past few days quickly took care of that, and the night actually seemed very short!

After a leisurely breakfast and a bit of a wander about the site we decided late in the morning to drive to a nearby Supermarket. I had heard the sound of emergency two tone horns on a number of occasions that morning, but they were distant and I didn't give them much thought.  But as I drove out of the site I noticed I thick column of dark gray smoke heading skywards about a mile away and I wondered what the problem was.

We spent about an hour in the huge supermarket and I was a bit concerned to note when we came out, that the column of smoke was now much denser, and was very broad at its base, the fire was clearly extending over a very large area. But more importantly it seemed closer!

On arriving back at the camp site there was obvious concern but no one appeared to be leaving or even starting to pack things away etc. We went back to the caravan and Paula (The Domestic Chief of Staff) prepared a light snack.

By 3.00pm the sound of two tone horns was constant and clearly much closer, so I decided to walk up to the camp entrance on the main road to see what was happening, and perhaps even to make the decision to leave.

I saw immediately that that was no longer a viable option! The main road as far as I could see was blocked with cars, lorries and literally hundreds of small fire engines, all with their two tones going even though they were stationary.

I walked back to the caravans to pass on the disturbing news but refused to worry that much.  Yes we were clearly cut off by a forest fire, and yes it did seem to be coming our way. But we were parked right beside a huge lake. If the worst did come to the worst we always had the option of walking out into the lake.

Then I heard the sound of aero engines and looked up to see three red and yellow sea planes flying low over us, out to sea. One after another they banked around now pointing straight towards us but descending onto the water about ¾ of a mile away.  I recognised them as French "Securite Civile" water bombers and they were obviously intending to fight our fires!

They just skimmed the surface of the huge lake, obviously picking up tons of water and just as I started to fear that they were going to crash into us, lifted off a few hundred yards away, and flew very low directly over us. Water still dripping from their intake scoops landed on us.

As they disappeared behind us obviously intending to drop their load on the fire, another three planes arrived carrying out the same task, then another three. By now there were nine Canadair water bombers circling us picking up water from in front of us and dropping it behind. This circus continued none stop for over four hours and only finished just before dusk. For those interested in Aviation matters I noted that seven of the nine aircraft were French registered turbine engined machines, and the remaining two although similarly painted, were Italian registered and were fitted with radial piston engines.

By the time darkness fell at about 10.00pm it was clear that the emergency services now had the upper hand and we could safely go to bed.

The following morning we took a drive around the area and were surprised at the extent of the devastation. The fire had almost reached the outskirts of Meze and as we drove further out we saw several burnt out houses and farms.  The surprising thing was that no-one actually seemed to be very phased by this and were almost reacting as if it were an everyday occurrence.

The speed of the spread of the fire fascinated me. It had spread so quickly, and yet there were not that many trees about so how did it spread?. 

I determined to have a closer look. The cause soon became clear!   The region is fairly agricultural, and comprises of a large number of quite small fields or pastures. These had obviously been harvested recently so the centres of each field were clear. But each field was surrounded by drainage ditches, and these ditches no longer contained water but large amounts of dead or very dry vegetation.  It was along those ditches that the fire had raced.  From above it must have looked like a series of interlocked fiery squares.

The excitement soon abated and we explored the littlePortofMeze. A beautiful unspoilt little town with the inevitable market, a number of great restaurants specialising in fish and marine menus, but also offering much for those not so keen on fish.

A few miles away is the much larger regional centre of Sete. A large port, very sophisticated shopping and fantastic views from its elevated fort area.

We had almost a fortnight at Meze, and enjoyed fantastic weather throughout. There is much to see and enjoy in the region and I would heartily recommend it as worthy of a visit.

On the Sunday before we departed we watched the sport of "Water Jousting".  Certainly not for the faint hearted it comprises of two large rowing boats being rowed towards each other by about eight very strong oarsmen.  Extended from the back of each boat is a raised platform on which stands the Jouster.  He is carrying a very long pointed pole or spear and a shield.  The idea being to use your spear to impact with your opponents shield and force him off the platform into the water.  It was very physical and several received some injuries although not serious.

All too soon it was time to start the long trek home. Once again that route on the A75 is breathtaking at times, but did prove quite a slog for my E220 CDI.  The car is potentially a fantastic tow car, but it needs one of the larger engine options if it is to be considered as a serious long distance towing vehicle. It never faltered, never got too hot, but the gearbox again frequently needed manual assistance to change gear on the long climbs. It was fine on the flat!

I chose a different route back from Issoire, taking in Chenonceaux nrTours.  The châteaux there is nothing short of spectacular!   We often use the Camping le Moulin Fort site at Chenonceaux as we did this time. British owned and managed, it permits an easy wind down after a long journey. It also has the advantage that the port of Caenis an easy tow from there. 

On reaching Caen(Ouistraham) again we made use of Les Hautes Coutures to relax and enjoy a good overnight stay before the early ferry to England. Don't forget to take a walk along the River Orne, and remember if you can the sacrifices made by our troops in the very opening stages of D day the 6^th June 1944.

Here's to the next time! Brittanyfor a change. But back to a 4x4!