Time to move on, happy as we were at Aubignan. By the time we were up for breakfast, the sun was already hot, and the mistral was blowing again. This both helped and hindered decamping - things blow away, but it's easier to get the tent laid out on the ground with a bit of breeze to inflate it.
We were packed, ready, on the road by 11, and headed to the autoroute, then north to Orange to take the A9 "Langedocienne". At Orange we had a bit of a palaver, as it seems we should have neaked through the cones to go the other way - as it was we went out through the toll booths (40 cents) and round several roundabouts before we went back through the tolls to get on going the other way - all because we ignored Deirdre saying "turn left NOW"
Anyway, we were on the road, traffic heavy, stationary at times especially near Montpellier...
but we eventually reached Perpignan, then headed west up the Tet valley, and up to the campsite Le Canigou at Espira-de-Conflent, whee we were due to meet Mary and Mark (still a couple of hours away, on their night-and-day epic journey). We were shown our pitch, an odd shaped and not very large wedge on a ledge above the main camping. Couldn't work out how we'd get all the tents in and the cars had to be parked elsewhere. So we pitched the tent vaguely...
and went food shopping. We returned and started preparing food...
waiting for M&M to arrive before pitching properly. It was all rather noisy, especilly on our ledge wheere the noise from the whole campsite seemed to carry.
Anyway, Mary phoned - I thought to say "put the kettle on" - but in fact to say "where are you?". It transpire that we'd gone to the campsite that we discussed a week ago but Mark had booked us into a different one! So we packed everything into the car once more (including all the shopping, so it was a squeeze!) and headed up the Tet valley beyond Villefranchee-de-Conflent and south to Sahorre.
The campsite gardienne was expecting us, and we were soon reunited with M&M (and Joe & Katherine). Mark had a general plan, and we all set to pitching tents except Meld who prepared supper.
As the light fell in our sheltered valley we settled down for a much-needed supper, reflections on "le grand coq-up", and a little wine for medicinal purposes.
And so to bed.
Here are a couple of early morning shots of the camping.
Down the valley - quite a view to wake up to.
Our "emplacement" - tents on 3 sides around the central gazebo.
The view up the valley
