A DIFFERENT LOCK-DOWN

 Parking under trees in autumn has consequences, the randomly patterned fallen leaves on the skylights look like William Morris wallpaper. 

There is light rain as we leave Gencay heading north towards Poitiers then as we sway right and  left at a roundabout the oil light comes on for a few seconds, obviously needing a top up.  With no oil in the locker we  have to divert into Leclerc in Poitiers to get some.  By the time we have parked and shopped and topped up the oil and threaded back to the main road over an hour has been lost.

It’s now the familiar journey up the motorway past Briessure and Parthenay where the dual carriageway ends.  A fierce crosswind and convoys of trucks throw Mary*Lou around badly.  We won’t be alone, there is a surprisingly high number of motorhomes on the road as there was yesterday. 

We stop near Chiche for lunch as the rain clears, and soon after restarting our journey we enter the Muscadet wine region.  The vineyards are looking lovely, the autumn golds and reds of the leaves almost translucent, glowing in the weak sun.  Miles pass uneventfully until we exit at Vallet, three miles from our intended stop, but roadworks and a distracting comment from Ali has Nick taking the wrong exit on a roundabout and heading straight back to the motorway.  Snoopy recalculates a 12 mile round trip so we pull into a layby and look for other stops - no point going backwards.

Twenty miles on, requiring nearly 15 on the peripherique sud Nantes we leave the motorway and follow narrow leafy lanes to the canalside at le Pellerin, by the lock at la La Martiniere.

The canal was built in 1892, 15km in length but now used for ‘hydraulic regulation’.  Around the basin are autumnal trees and a large grassy park.  Old buoys and mooring gear line the wharves, now closed off with narrow road bridges.  The other side of the park the Loire estuary sees barges and small ships rumbling between Nantes and the sea.  

A tractor chugs by in front of the van with a small pony trotting behind, a slack rope between them.

By evening there are 8-10 motorhomes scattered around the various parking areas.

A lovely little spot only a short  way out of the bustle of Nantes and one we’ll likely visit again with more time to explore.