We left our wind blown but dramatic spot by the Plage d’Esperance, near Fouras, around 09.30 on Thursday, September 11, to make our way to the Bordeaux area. However, we first stopped off at another Plus Beau Village, Brouage. It used to be a port that was fortified by Cardinal Richelieu in response to the Protestant stronghold of La Rochelle. The port silted up as the sea receded. The old citadel’s arsenal used to make the cannons for the rest of France. It was, in fact, quite a pretty town with easy parking under the same ramparts that a young Louis XIV would pine for his sweetheart, Marie Mancini, after being persuaded to marry the Infanta of Spain. The other claim to fame of the town was that it was the birthplace of Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec in 1608. Quite a history for such a sleepy town!

We awoke amongst the vines on Friday morning after a very peaceful night’s sleep. We had arranged to have a wine tasting after breakfast so we duly took on our task. We ended up buying three bottles of their Crèmant de Loire before spending the day exploring the area.

First stop was the fascinating troglodyte village of Rochemenier. Having quarried the sandstone, the villagers then dug out whole communities to live in. The village museum showed two ‘farms’ complete with stables, bakery, village hall and houses. Apparently, people lived and worked there from the 1300s until the 1960s.

We started our French trip from Portsmouth on the 15.00 ferry to Caen. We left home around 10.00 so that it would be a stress free journey. As it happened, it was a good run down and we were at the terminal by 12.30 and on board by 14.30. We were very happy not to be pulled over by Maritime Security so our check-in was quick and efficient. The ferry was a relative new ship, Guillaume de Normandie, so despite the rough seas and strong winds, it was a relatively good crossing with just a couple of hours of strong motion – evidenced by the heaving in the women’s toilets!