Chateauneuf du Pape to Avignon

Wednesday April 29th

• starting miles           50627
• temperature              16
• weather                     warm, wind has dropped
• time                           11.15

The weather is much better so we are in no hurry to leave. Hermione is fed and watered as are her occupants when we set off the 2km to Chateauneuf du Pape. We had a recommendation from the camp site owner to visit Domaine Durieu. 

 Unfortunately Chateauneuf du Pape was built for horses and carts not camping cars. We parked well outside the village and cycled back to the Domaine Durieu for a degustation which inevitably led to purchasing. Should we risk trying to take the wine to the van or the van to the wine? In the end we chose the latter and we were able to park in the centre of town all day for €2.

Chateauneuf du Pape is a very attractive village but very touristy . Every other outlet offers degustation and sales of Chateauneuf du Pape from veilles vines at exhorbitant prices. However we did not come to Chateauneuf du Pape to go home with 6 bottles of Cotes du Rhone so we dully purchased 3 bottles of a 2011 medal winning Chateauneuf du Pape.

 At the top of the hill in Chateauneuf du Papes is indeed a ruined chateau  to which we felt obliged to climb. On the way we passed a restaurant Le Vergers de Pape perched on the top of the hill with panoramic views over the Rhone and the surrounding countryside.

 It seemed a little pricey but the location and the view. 

It was an excellent lunch which in the end was good value for money. The wine on the other hand.......  a 100ml glass for €5! 

After a further stroll around town we meandered our way further south to Avignon where we found a fantastic site right by the Pont d'Avignon of the famous song. 

The four star Pont d'Avignon site is on an island in the middle of the Rhone. It is a huge site with a swimming pool, restaurant and supermarket on site. Only a part of it was open at the moment but it is the busiest site so far.

We had a fabulous view across the Rhone to the Palais des Papes. There was a free navette (a boat across the river) which ran every 15minutes. You could take bikes on board.

So once we were settled in (5 minutes now that we are becoming experienced) we took the navette across to the other side and climbed several flights of stairs to the fabulous gardens of the Pope's Palace. 

The area around the Palace is pedestrianized and very attractive as is the Pont d'Avignon. However over the years it has lost many of its arches and now has only four of its original 22 arches. "on y danse toute en ronde" so as to not fall into the Rhone.

The Conservatoire du danse is in Avignon. We arrived on Dance Day where street performances of all kinds of dance were being given. 

We stood mesmerised by the quality of the spectacle and the incongruity of the fairground sounds which were emanating from the merry-go-round which was next door.

We had to hurry to catch the last boat across the Rhone at 6.22 and resolved to return in the morning for more exploring.












Site cost :                              €16

Miles travelled:                        53