Le Poët-Laval, France 🇫🇷 2023

Date: 29-30th July 2023

Travelled: 70 kms from Vogüé to Le Poët-Laval 

Visited: Le Poët-Laval and Dieulefit

Stayed: Camping Lorette, €20, N44.52880, E05.02230  

Budget: 68 days @ €84 per day

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We escape Vogüé with the GPS set for a Carrefour supermarket in Montélimar. It’s a pleasant 30 kms drive till we need to pass through Montélimar itself which was a bit of a nightmare but we find the supermarket get some essentials and fill with diesel.

The number one essential is a bag of ice or glaçon everyday, keeps the beer and wine ice cold in the esky. Saves the fridge being opened and closed, hence the fridge works much better. 2kg bag of glaçon is generally €2. The big French supermarkets are as good as any at home, often better. The Lidl (German) is definitely cheaper but there’s less variety. Supermarket fuel is always 5-10 p cheaper than the Total or Elan servos.

Crossing the Rhone, we continue on another 30 kms or so to Le Poët-Laval. We are now in Provence.

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Le Poët-Laval, Nyons, Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Metropolitan France, 26160, France

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The municipal campsite is less than 2 kms from the medieval village of Poët-Laval. The place is seemingly full but we find a reasonable spot with shade in a corner, more by good luck than anything else. Obviously it’s a popular place with the Dutch more than half the vehicles here have NL plates.

Once we’ve settled and the scooter is off the Hymer, we decide to veg around the pool for the rest of the day.

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Next morning after another 6 km forced march, this time along the Le Jabron a river that winds it way through the valley, we get the Kisbee started and head off to explore Le Poët Laval.

From our guide book the Most Beautiful Villages of France you’ll find Le Poët Laval on page 124. Standing on a low hill Poët Laval looked over the road to Jerusalem, travelled by the crusaders for hundreds of years. These days an artists colony with wonderful views of lavender fields and the hills of Provence.

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As we make our way up the hill, we find the Chapelle Saint-Jean des Commandeurs. Whilst the Chapel dates to the 13th century, it’s had a hard life. It eventually collapsed in 1930 and remains unrestored.

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The higher we get the more wonderous the views. Provence, the vineyards, the lavender fields and the olive groves the mountains of the Rhone Alps in the background. Not sure if it gets any better.

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Eventually at the top of the village we find the Castle. Built by the Knights Hospitallier of Order of Saint John in the early 13th century to protect the road to Jerusalem and obviously to collect a bounty from travellers.

We pay our €4 pp entry and go exploring. The castle has been beautifully renovated in the 2000’s. It looks a little austere from first glance but we found the art exhibition absolutely captivating.

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We’ve done Poët Laval as best we can on a hot afternoon. We ride the scooter back to the campsite and spend some time swimming and generally not achieving anything.

Following another forced march along the Jabron we decide to give the Kisbee its head and tour some of the local villages. Our luck holds out and we stubble upon the Lavender Festival in full swing at Dieulifit just 6 kms up the road.

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We are back at the campsite for a late lunch, a swim and some relaxing. The restless Michael gives the Hymer a wash in the late afternoon with our French and Dutch neighbours all giving me the ‘you shouldn’t be washing your motorhome here look’ but I pretend I’m French and just give an arrogant look back. It’s something I’m not generally good at, but I’m working on it.

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Michael + Pam