Friday 9th October 2009 – Chorges, France

A rather anxious day waiting for news of the repair to Henrietta – would they finish it today and how much was it going to cost? The AA had been excellent up to now but were a little disappointing today. Despite a call to them at 11:00 explaining that we would have to book out of the hotel by 12:00 and asking them to phone us back with an update, they didn't do so. We asked the hotel to phone the garage and they were told that they hoped that the repair would be finished late afternoon. So we checked out of the hotel and headed off to explore Gap again.
If we had known that we had the whole day, we would have gone on a long walk but as it was, we felt that we had to be able to get to the garage as soon as the call came. We did however manage to do a one of the shorter walks from the pack of 10 - an hour starting from the centre and taking us in the same direction as that on Tuesday but shorter and lower. Much of the walk was through woodland with good views over Gap and the mountains.
About half past four we finally got the news from the AA that the van was ready. They organised a taxi for us and we were soon at the garage. Fortunately, the balanced flywheel did not have to be replaced but replacing the clutch and hydraulic cylinder left us with a bill of €1,050. I can't blame Ford for the problem as I believe it stems back to an incident in Portugal in January 2008 when I nearly burnt the clutch out getting up a steep hill with no more than two inches clearance on either side of the van. I didn't scrape the bodywork but certainly damage the clutch.
Still, we had Henrietta back and we could continue the Sojourn. By the time that we had paid the bill, been told that the Ford clutch was too small for a 3.5t van, been told that Sicily wasn't good (it's Italian) and Corsica was fantastic (it's French!) but they don't like motohomes (motorhomers don't spend any money), bid farewell to the very friendly owner, time was getting on! In our new Italian aires book (Guida Camper – Aree di Sosta, published by Belletti, purchased from Vicarious Books http://www.vicariousbooks.co.uk/) we found an aire an Barcelonnette but on the route that the sat nav decided to take us Jane spotted another aire listed at Chorges just a few miles outside Gap. This was good news as it would have been dark by the time that we arrived at Barcelonnette and the journey was probably going to take us into the mountains. The journey to Chorges is very pretty, part of the same route (in reverse) that we took from Briancon to Gap in the breakdown truck.
The aire at Chorges was being renovated but there were six vans already there and more arrived after us. It looked as though they intended to asphalt the parking area but it is currently only an aggregate surface. There are some clean public toilets next to the aire but no motorhome service point (waste water disposal and fresh water tap) – they may well put these in as part of the renovation.
I had been very concerned about Jane as on Tuesday she had finished the only book that she had taken to the hotel. This is a disaster as far as Jane is concerned – no reading material – and she eventually resorted to buying a Sudoku at the local hypermarket! Back now with her supply, she was soon cuddling up with a new book.
Photos: View over Gap from the walk; A friendly goat that we met on the walk.

Thursday 8th October 2009 – Gap, France

Today dawned rather overcast although still reasonably warm. Our hotel booking finished today so we had to phone the AA to establish whether we needed to stay another night. They established that, all being well, Henrietta would be ready for us tomorrow morning so they booked us another night in the hotel.
The morning was spent catching up on emails and the blog but we took a picnic to the park. Unfortunately at that moment it decided to start raining – only gently but enough to get us damp. After investigating a couple of local shops (including a 'Decathlon' – nice looking waterproof walking boots for less than £15!) we returned to the hotel to catch up on the blog and watch snooker on Eurosport – decadent I know but we won't get any more television after this.
Photos: A dark quilted sky over the mountains; The weather improved late in the afternoon – here is a view of a mountain from the hotel bedroom window.

Wednesday 7th October 2009 – Gap, France

We enjoyed the walk so much yesterday that we decided to do another one today. Walk 2 'Le circuit de Charance' is shown as 2½ to 3 hours, 8km with 330m of climb. We decided to cut down on some of the climb and the urban walking by catching a bus part of the way. We had to try out these free buses after all and very good it was. A steep climb took us to a park centred on two lakes connected by a small stream. This was very popular with women and children, joggers and dog walkers. The area was very pretty and there were lots of benches and picnic tables. By the second lake is an 18th century chateau and a terraced garden added in the last few years. The views from the chateau terrace were lovely but the garden didn't open until 14:00 so we couldn't access it.
The descent from the 'Domaine de Charance' started on a road that was only open for traffic from Monday to Friday – on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays it was reserved for hunting! The path wound its way down through a wood following the course of a pretty stream. Here we heard woodpeckers, caught glimpses of unidentified birds of prey and watched a red squirrel. Still following the stream, we walked down the 'Chemin de Moulins' but there were no mills in sight.
We arrived back in the town and this time picked up two panninis and took them to the bouledrome. There wasn't a match on this time but a few people were playing and it provided excellent entertainment.
Photos: A view of the Alps in the Ecrin National Park fom close to the Chateau de Charance; The Chateau de Charance and its terraced garden.

Tuesday 6th October 2009 – Gap, France

A call from the AA confirmed that the clutch would have to be replaced. The parts may take up to 48 hours to obtain and therefore the work would probably not be completed until Friday. Fortunately the Saga European Assistance cover not only the breakdown truck costs but also up to 5 nights half-board in the hotel. However, it does not cover the cost of repair and that is going to be very high – more than I have ever paid for a vehicle repair and then very weak pound doesn't help. Still, c'est la vie and we will enjoy Gap whilst we are here.
We received that news whilst we were walking in the countryside around the town. Gap Tourist Information Office were extremely helpful and the pack of 10 local walks was particularly good. We chose walk 10 'Le circuit de Lareton' listed as 2 hours and 6.4km in length. Leaving from the centre of the town we were soon climbing the 'Colline de Saint-Mens', a small hill just to the south. Being about 200m higher than the town, it provided views over the town to the mountains of the Ecrins National Park in one direction and over field to other mountains in the opposite direction. A true panorama indeed but unfortunately it had clouded over on our way up, robbing the view of much of its glory. Needless to say, just a few minutes after starting our descent, the sun came out. The walk was a very pleasant mixture of woodland, farmland and small villages and took us back into the centre of Gap. Picking up two large slices of tart we walked back to the park close to the hotel to find somewhere to eat them. We were in luck. Gap has a large 'bouledrome' and there was a big boules match in progress. We spent a couple of hours watching the boules, comparing it to English bowls and trying to understand the finer points of the rules.
We were impressed by the three-course evening meal yesterday but today it was even better. The first course of quiche and salad was followed by 'biche'. The dictionary translated this as 'doe', which suggested that it was venison but we didn't believe that it would be given that is was a cheap menu. It was indeed venison, it was very good and it was followed by some very tasty profiteroles with chocolate sauce.
Photos: View south-east from the Colline de Saint-Mens; Player throw the boule to dislodge the one closest to the the jack ('cochonet' – little pig, in French) – this is a very common tactic in boules and they are surprising accurate with their throws.

Monday 5th October 2009 – Gap, France

Much to our surprise, the AA told us that they had identified a garage in Gap about 90km (55 miles) away. The garage owner explained that he would load us onto the breakdown truck at 11:30 and then have his one and a half hour lunch break before driving us to Gap at 13:30.
Loading the van on the back of the truck was a technical affair. The large towbar attachment on Henrietta fouled the ground and the van had to be raised by the judicious use of wooden blocks. It only just fitted on the back and looked rather precarious although well tied on. The hydraulics of the truck struggled with Henrietta's weight and the man checked with us that it really was only 3.5t (yes it is and not fully loaded!). I suspect that when he recovers 3.5t commercial vans, they are never fully loaded.
The journey from Briancon to Gap was spectacular. The whole trip is down a steep valley with the Alps on both sides and covers the length of the Ecrins National Park. I had the luxury of being able to gawp at the views without the need to concentrate on driving and Jane was also able to enjoy them rather than checking on my driving! The journey was enjoyably slow with our driver having to select low gears for the many steep declines. On the rare inclines we crawled along in first gear and were glad that we were going from Briancon to Gap rather than the other way around – that would have taken many hours!
We arrived at the garage and were told that they would start looking at it in the morning. The AA translation was very useful again and they also found us a hotel with half-board in the centre of Gap. They also organised a taxi to collect us and, picking up our small overnight bag, we set off for Gap.
Gap is not in our French guide book and we know nothing about it except that it is not the home of the Gap fashion chain and it has free buses (we were told this by the garage owner via the AA and by the taxi driver). We wandered into the centre, which is pleasant enough and there is a large park on the short walk from the hotel to the centre.
The 'Gapotel' is a fairly standard business hotel and rather boring because of that but it is quite comfortable and the staff are very pleasant.
Photos: Loading Henrietta; Henrietta precariously perched.

Sunday 4th October 2009 – Briancon, France

This is one of the best aires that we have stayed at! A lovely peaceful night and dawn showed beautiful blue skies.
We hoped to investigate Briancon today but the buses don't run on Sundays (!) and it is too far to walk. Still we expect to be taken to a garage in Briancon tomorrow so we should be able to explore the town then. Instead, we walked in the area, watching paragliders descending from a nearby mountain and drinking in those wonderful mountain views. Sitting outside in the afternoon it became too hot in the sun and we had to retreat inside – wonderful weather for October, long may it continue!
Photos: View over Chantemerle showing the ski lifts and piste; Please excuse my obsession with wood-fired ovens – this is a 'Four Communal' (Communal Oven) in a small village above Chantemerle; It appears that it is still in use and the blackboard in the background shows the cooking time – 07:10 to 07:40.

Saturday 3rd October 2009 – Briancon, France

A very cold night with the thermometer showing 0.4°C at 08:00 but sunny with clear blue skies. On the steep mountain roads yesterday I had a few occasions when the clutch slipped and there were some concerning noises when we pulled off. We descended to the outskirts of Briancon and then took the road up to the Col de Montgenevre, the pass into Italy. As soon as we started climbing it was obvious that the clutch was not what it should be and it was soon slipping considerably. We weren't going to make it up the mountain and we were rapidly approaching a section of hairpin bends, so I pulled off into a lay-by with the intention of turning around and heading back into Briancon to find a garage. It was then that the clutch failed completely and I couldn't engage any gear. Fortunately, we have Saga European Assistance and a call to them was transferred to the AA European desk. We were very impressed when the breakdown truck appeared within about 20 minutes. The mechanic quickly established that there was nothing that he could do by the roadside and we agreed with him that it was the 'embrayage' (clutch). With a tow rope he pulled us to the other side of the road before changing over to a tow bar. It was a very strange feeling steering just a couple of metres behind the truck with the engine running but without using the breaks.
It turned out the the garage was at Chantemerle in the Serre Chevalier just a couple of miles from last night's aire. Here the owner rang the AA and passed over to the multi-lingual operator. She explained that French garages don't work at all at weekends so nothing could be done until Monday morning. The garage owner pushed Henrietta back into a small patch of gravel on the side of the road opposite the garage and made sure that we were comfortable. The AA operator had explained that we could stay there all weekend and that it was a very secure position given that it backed on to a police compound!
We were on a quiet side road in a deep valley with beautiful mountains on three sides and a view across fields to Briancon in front of us. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and we sat outside the van and read books. We would have paid good money for such a pitch on a campsite!
We wandered around the area and down into the centre of Chantemerle but found that it was very quiet. It obviously hums in the Winter season with three ski lifts and lots of restaurants but at this time of the year we only saw two open restaurants and a handful of people. Still, we did establish where we could buy bread in the morning.
Photos: The incident – quite a spectacular position to break down!; Being towed down to Chantemerle; The view over Briancon from our pitch – most, if not all, of Briancon's five forts that defended the pass to Italy are visible from here.