Chateau de Poinsouze

Saturday:
An early departure, car packed we were ready to go ahead of schedule, maybe not having the daughter in tow this year means timelines will run smoothly! We picked up the ‘van and headed for our usual 3 stops on the way to the tunnel. The thirds stop however, namely Birchanger Grange have blocked the usual access road to the caravan bays, so we were unable to stop. Passing by the bays on the way to the exit, we saw that the bays were full of cars, so it would have been a no-go to start with. We’ve now ruled out Birchanger, we will find another stop close by to use as our third stop, too many times the place has been full with no bays to park in. So with a longer last leg than usual we soldiered on to the tunnel where we stopped and had a coffee. We selected an earlier train than planned and boarded accordingly. A quick bite to eat and we were soon in France again. We headed down towards Reims to find our stop-over for the night. The Aire was nice and quiet and we found our spot and dropped the legs. It did get busier as the night progressed however and not before long, truck generators and cars coming and going, people talking soon filled the night air. We managed a little sleep and headed off first thing Sunday morning.

Sunday:
We made good progress towards Limousin, no problems, roads very good as usual and we managed to get parked at all the Aires’s we stopped at, which makes a change! Going around Moulins proved the only challenge, as the sat nav had us placed in a field as we were directed onto roads unknown due to the ongoing road developments there, but we stayed on course with no wrong turns. We soon found our way into Boussac and from there found our site. We were warmly greeted at reception and shown to our pitch. The pitch was in a lovely position with a view onto the lake. We pitched facing the lake allowing the awning on one side and shade under the trees for the car on the other. The pitch is on quite a slope, so the awning was a little lopsided! We got everything sorted and then set about making something to eat. Hot food after two days of tramping it with sandwiches makes a welcome change! We then slept well that night!

Monday:
Blue skies, what a view to wake up to! Following breakfast we made our way to the nearest large supermarket, this was a Super U, located a little way away in the town of La Chatre. Here we stocked up on essentials and then returned back to base. We tripped the 10A supply so had to get reception to come and reset it, as the trip switch is locked behind a panel on the bollard. We relaxed for the rest of the day as we settled into ‘holiday mode’. The satellite made an appearance, first time for a long time. With the aid of the apps on the phone, we soon found the Astra birds and were watching ‘Come Dine with Me’!

Tuesday:
A little cloudier this morning but still very warm. We tripped the supply again making breakfast, so looks like the fridge and kettle can’t play ball at the same time! We didn’t venture very far today, had a little walk around the site although we didn’t cover everywhere, that we would leave to another day.

Wednesday:
Stayed on site today, weather good – so relaxed and enjoyed!

Thursday:
A walk into the local village of Boussac was the order of the day today! We were given a map by reception which we duly began to follow. Although I made a couple of mistakes and we ended up nearly doubling the trek before we reached the village center! We relaxed with a drink when we got there and then had to wait until ‘France’ re-opened at 2.30pm following ‘siesta’, where we duly purchased some stamps for some birthday cards. Our return journey was a lot quicker as we simply followed the main D917 road back to the site, rather than the back roads.

Friday:
We took a trip to the Village Martyr ‘Oradour-sur-Glane’ today near Limousin. It’s a fair drive from the campsite but worth it. We arrived and parked up and duly headed to the ‘entre’ building. Inside there are options to explore the history with exhibitions and videos. Access to the village itself is free and we headed there after a brief look around. The village is an unimaginable reflection upon history and the suffering which the village endured in June of 1944. Old cars are left scattered around, tram lines remain, the cemetery plays hosts to an alarming amount of family graves, most of which of whom suffered at this infamous ill-fated time. After covering the site, we headed back to base, via a detour – namely the supermarket! We returned to the Super U and re-stocked and then headed back to the campsite. Weather has been good all day, although upon return to base, the weather was looking a little bleaker. We settled in for the night consuming some tea and a film to round off the night!

Saturday:
Following all of the walking in the last two days, we decided to stay on-site today and simply relax. Weather is not very good, with a very wet last night. It’s starting to clear up well though, but mostly indoors today! Found the nearest CDP which is right next to our pitch actually, hidden within a square of hedge. This one is a lot nearer than the first one I’d used, which was next to reception, that’s a fair walk with a cassette full! This nearer one however was blighted with wasps, plenty of them buzzing around in the hedges. It felt more like a game of ‘I’m a Celeb’ – I completed the challenge though and earned a meal back at the caravan!

Sunday:
Glorious weather to awaken to. Quite a lot of pitches had vacated this weekend naturally. We still had neighbours in a campervan however, British – as were most of the pitches around us.

Monday:
We called into Boussac this morning, this time in the car! Got a thimble and a few things from the local supermarket there. Returned to the site where we stayed for the rest of the day.

Tuesday:
The amazing weather continues, lovely blue skies and plenty of heat. Glad we brought the fan!

Wednesday:
Chilled on-site all day. Another BBQ tea, very nice.

Thursday:
Final day is here once again. A relaxed day with glorious weather still. Time to pack up later on in preparation for leaving tomorrow. The site is very well maintained, toilet block is always spotless. Water pressure very good everywhere. Most pitches are fully serviced with water and drainage. Pitch size is superb, couldn’t really find any small plots at all. The pool and restaurant look inviting, although not at all busy whilst we were there. In fact the whole site seemed very quiet for this time of year. It is a very relaxing site with the amenities being located away from the pitches. Only the toilet block and reception are on the site, pool, bar, restaurant, play park are all located away from the pitches up by the Chateau. Boussac is located in very much rural France, you have a bit of travelling to do to find anything. This is right up our street so is ideal for us, maybe not so for families or those looking for more adventure! The site is used frequently for short stays by units progressing there way from North to South and vice versa. Again another very pleasant holiday, well it is another Castel site after all!

Friday:
The trip back North begins, all without problems! The Aire for sleeping at was fairly quiet, so we had a good nights sleep!

Saturday:
And further North, this time in England. We made it back without any incidents, smooth as they say. Roll on next year!