Mortagne-s-Gironde, France. 2014 🇫🇷 – Michael and Pam's Travels

Travelled : 48 miles to Mortagne-s-Gironde in the Aquiaine Region

Visited : Mortagne-s-Gironde

Stayed : Mortagne-s-Gironde, aire at the port, all services + electricity and wifi €7.50, N45.28.550, W00.47.681

We depart Rochefort after the usual housekeeper issues are dealt with. Our English neighbours several days ago recommended a small village on the Gironde and provided the GPS co-ordinates.

France

As usual the GPS tells us it will take an hour, but as usual it takes 90 minutes. Anyway as we head south we are surprised by the lack of traffic and suddenly we see why, we are on a toll road. Another €5.80 lesson in making sure the GPS ‘Avoid Tollways’ button is checked. Back on the D roads the farmland is changing again. We pass kilometres of vineyards only broken by acres of sunflowers now and again. Cognac seems to be the local product as we note several cellar stops on the roadside.

We pass through several villages that appear completely deserted but it’s just the long French lunchtime and everyone is at home watching the soapies. Soon enough we drive in Mortagne-s-Gironde, it’s seem to be a reasonable large village spread out along the road. Old stone buildings, more traditionally French than we have seen further up the coast. The GPS sends us on down the headland to the port.

France

It’s as pretty as it gets. The small port is protected by a lock from the tidal extremes of the Gironde (6 metres). It’s about 500 down the channel to the Gironde. The Gironde is the water formed by the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers just north of the city of Bordeaux, it is almost 10 kilometres wide here at Mortagne. The aire runs along the quay side and backs onto farm land. The other side of quay has some little restaurants and bars. The sun is shining we find a spot next to another English couple and settle in.

In the evening we stroll the super yachts, I daydream of owning one and Pam daydreams of being able to stand under a hot shower for 10 minutes and wash her hair. We have some steak from the market at I’le de Re, so out comes the webber and a couple of beers. We may be here a couple of days.

Michael and Pam