Our third campsite this trip and another short stop on our way south. Generally speaking 2 nights makes for a good break, while 3 nights is probably the best for a good look around, a bike ride or walk.
This was a short stop as we wanted to check it out from earlier in the year. As it was August we rang to check for spaces and booked two nights. As it turned out the site was "complet" so just as well we had booked! We ended up with almost the same pitch we had last time.
A nice hedge enclosed pitch with the river behind us. The site was much as we remembered it from our earlier stop. A few more people on site and the cabins and tents all had customers, though the site did not feel crowded. Slightly more people using the facilities however and the showers were only just warm. The small on- site shop sold a few bits and bobs but the village was just a short walk away.
The village of Fresnay Sur Sarthe is quite an interesting place to wander about. There is the medieval heart of the town with the old castle at it's heart. We missed the Sunday market but the town was still busy with tourists. We stopped at the main bar for a bit of liquid refreshment.
The castle is built on the cliff side overlooking the town with very pretty gardens. The old town still shows it's medieval roots with very narrow streets and timbered buildings. The views of the river are stunning. There is an electric boat that travels up and down the waterways. Looked pretty busy and fun.
Lots of cafes and restaurants, we had a very nice pizza for dinner.
Two days sped by rapidly but we were ready to move on to our next stop. Back to another old haunt Coulon and Camping Venise Verte.
Last year we stayed at Venise Verte for the first time and it was very busy. We managed to book 2 nights online with thoughts of using our brand new paddleboard.
An uneventful 3 hour drive and we had arrived at Venise Verte near Niort. A good stop if you are travelling south or north!!
The campsite was busy but not full. There were a few huge campers on site we were pleased it wasn't us. The first pitch offered was very tight so we moved to one with more space in a better spot. It was actually a nice spot with plenty of shade, if slightly a tight fit in and out.
We took the bikes into the village of Coulon and walked along the canal. Pretty full with tourists, maybe not quite as busy as last year.
The weather was warm but not as sunny as last year, so fewer people on the water. We noticed that prices in the restaurants by the canal were much more expensive. We found a small restaurant further into the village and had a pleasant lunch with wine.
A wander around the pretty little church finished the afternoon off.
All in all a happy little interlude before moving on. Not sure if we would go back to the site when its so busy. Sadly we did not get to use the paddleboard here, the river was slightly mirky and we felt not the best place to start.
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