Day 10

9 October 2022

Another clear sunny day ahead, with a top of 26 degrees predicted. We have little in the way on summer clothes, having expected a cool French autumn, so it is a struggle.

Today we are off in the car to explore Blays and Bourg, both towns on the banks of La Gironde. They are on the right bank, whereas the Medoc is on the left. No wineries today as it is Sunday, and everything is closed.

Blays has a fort that was built during the reign of Louis XIV, and what a fort it is. The intention was to stop attackers from using the Gironde to invade. The fort, plus fortifications on an island and on the the Medoc side ensured that no one could get down the river.

The fort is extensive and well preserved. It is freely open to the public and when were there a fun run was being conducted through the grounds. We did go into the museum there, and again had notes in English whilst the French only tour progressed, but we got the gist of it.

Blays itself was shut down. Only one café doing any trade. It was a ghost town. Luckily, we had prepared a picnic in advance, but we did need some wine (of course). A nearby Chateau was open, but as we arrived so did about 30 other people who were there for a lunch. I think you could call it a “Tourist Trap”. We said we just want to buy some wine, not taste, so that was agreed. A rose style bottle (merlot) and some water were purchased and we were under way.

Having no idea where we were going we headed north as it looked like the road went towards the water. We picked a single lane road at random and turned left. This ended in a small bridge with posts 2.3 metres apart and a load bearing warning……we inched our way over, another left and the road ended at the river. We had stumbled upon fisherman’s huts, perched high above the river on stilts and used at high tide. We now know these are called Carrelets.

We reckoned that from the time when we were there the tide must come back in by about 4 metres given the high tide mark on the huts. We presumed they were catching prawns and small fish, but given the colour of the river, I wouldn’t fancy either prawns or fish from the Gironde (and you thought the Yarra was bad !!).

There was a clear area and a fixed table and seats, with a BBQ type arrangement. No doubt this was used by the fisherman to “check” their catch and have a few beers. So, we settled in for a fantastic picnic in a unique spot.

With the tide still running out the mud banks were all exposed. I threw a rock into the mud, and with noticeable sucking sound it disappeared. Scary stuff if you happened to slip in. We gave the banks a wide berth.

After lunch we headed south, back through Blays and towards Bourg. There is a riverside road which we found, and it has some amazing Chateaus overlooking the river. Bourg is a much more happening town than Blays, with a good number of cafes open and some life going on. We walked the old walls and down to the harbour. A very pretty place.

In heading home, we wanted a more scenic route than when we came. On the way to Blays the GPS took the fastest route which had us on freeways and major roads most of the time. Boring. So we set off across country with a vague idea of where we wanted to head. There were only a couple of missed turnings and reversals, so not too bad.

Back in Saint-Emilion, it was time for an ice cream and a small amount of shopping. Now back in our room for a relax before heading out to dinner. Tonight we are going to a place where our hostess Estelle’s son works. I have already spied that they do duck burgers, so can’t wait.