As the summer returned to a period of overwhelming heat we made various decisions when our fried brains could focus. First, in priority, if not order of application, was to research air conditioning systems. This was our first August in the Dordogne, having spent last August in Dorset stripping out our house there ready for sale, and we were unprepared for the impact of the heat and higher humidity without the respite of some truly cool air. And as for sleeping, well….
Second, following on from our recent decision that our Saab was no longer economically repairable (though still in very good condition – how sad/wasteful is that) we thought we might take a look at a possible replacement for sale somewhere near Biarritz.
Third, we figured a second short summer break with Horatio might calm my frenzied, frazzled brain cells and remove at least all the administrative stress of my work and our relocation here, if not the heat. So we went south – totally counter to our fourth decision which was to escape north when the heat becomes too much here!
Suffice it to say we never did see the car as the seller on Leboncoin stopped communicating with us and on our return he had removed the advert. A “sorry” would have been nice but there you go. However, we discovered another lovely region – Béarn, just to the north of the Pyrenees and about an hour to the west of Biarritz. Our first stop was in Salies-de-Béarn – a town located on a water source with a difference – its salty!
It was a very short visit as we were looking for a campsite and the weather was, well, stiflingly hot, but we had a couple of hours to fill over lunchtime and found a nice big shady car park so it was time to explore.
According to Wikipedia the town was named after its naturally occurring saline water and was on the border between occupied and free France during WWII. There is a salt museum within one of the old houses in the town centre, but being lunchtime, it was, naturally, closed. However, it is a very pretty and well kept town and we wandered around the centre and also went down to part of the river running through it where it was contained in a concrete channel with a flood area to each side and so walkable.
Unlike so many of the smaller towns we see in France this had an air of prosperity about it. We found the almost hidden Napoleonic style house which was owned by generations of doctors, one of them doctor to Napoleon III and a pioneer of the thermal salt baths which I expect are the source of well-being for visitors and so also the town.
From there we headed a few miles south to Sauveterre-de-Béarn, a smaller, hilltop town with remains of its old fortifications and a commanding view towards the Pyrenees. It was much quieter than its neighbour and nestled between it and the river below we found a small campsite – perfect!
We stayed here for 3 nights and spent most of the daytime either on the banks of, or in, the River Gave. It was too hot to do anything else, and given the views from the spot we found, well, why not?!
The bridge you can see on the left, now bricked up, used to have a wooden drawbridge to cross the river. We watched some teenagers jump from the bricked up arch – it was a 30ft drop with only 6ft of water beneath – the immortality of youth!
The bridge is called the Pont de la Légende, referring to the legend of Queen Sancie of Béarn who was accused of killing her newborn son. Her brother, the King of Navarre Sanche, decided she should be tried by ordeal as only God could judge her. She was thrown off the bridge with her wrists and ankles tied – and survived as the river transported her gently to its banks nearby! She was declared innocent by the crowd, and, to thank the Virgin Mother to whom she had prayed she created a rich embroidery which she sent to the church Notre Dame at Rocamadour. Surprising to find a medieval legend with a happy ending!
I leave you with the view from the hilltop……
