Thursday, 18 October 2012

Friday 12th October 2012 - Lumbres


We are never quite convinced by Michelin's 'picturesque routes' as shown on their small scale (1:1,000,000) map of France – some are fantastic and some don't seem to justify the classification. We came across both types on today's journey. The route through Evreux and on over the river Seine to Les Andelys was generally pleasant but the 'picturesque' parts were not prettier than the other and actually included a highly industrialised area. However, much later, the D316 (not the D49) from Aumale down to the A28 near Blangy-sur-Brestle was lovely. This is the valley of the river Brestle and the road, running above the river, gave lovely views of the surrounding hills and down into the many lakes in the valley.
Having missed out on a restaurant meal last night, we decided to try to find one of the many restaurants that offer midday special menus. We were approaching Formerie at the right time for lunch and headed for the town centre, parking in the main square. On the way in we noticed an hotel and restaurant that appeared to be quite popular. Walking back to it we found that the Hotel Saint Pierre was offering a €12 (£9.60), 3-course menu and the restaurant looked busy. The food was excellent and there was plenty of it – two choices for both the starter and main course and four choices for desert with the option of cheese instead. Excellent food, good portions and excellent value for money – we have noted it as a stopping point for future trips.
The morning journey was in bright sunshine but heavy showers interrupted the sunshine in the afternoon. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and we were rewarded by a succession of rainbows that painted our journey.
Arriving at the Leclerc in Lumbres we parked up in our usual position with the view over the countryside and set off to buy all of the goodies to take back to England.
Photos: The Hotel Saint Pierre in Formerie – highly recommended for its lunch menu.

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