9/12      traveller issue 4
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We can pretty much come and go as we like and, as we are frequent travellers to France, we joined Brittany Ferries 'Club Voyage France' many years ago which gives us 30% discount on their crossings and a free breakfast to boot. Living in North Devon so our crossing of choice is to take the overnight Brittany Ferry from Plymouth which lands in Roscoff at 8.00 in the morning.
    Roscoff with its beautiful, solid Bretagne architecture is a welcoming sight and a great destination in itself but for us it's but a stepping-stone. Our destination was Biarritz, 540 miles away in the South West of France, with a couple of stops en route to break up the long journey.
    France – it has that certain je ne sais quoi that can draw you back time and time again. A country so diverse, so large, that you need never travel the same road twice, with a strangely enticing, unique aroma of gallois and sewers mixed with the tantalising smell of pine forests and freshly baked baguettes, stirred with that all too essential ingredient – sunshine!
    An overnight stop at a delightful campsite, La Pindiere, in Heric, which is open all year. It's extremely handy being just 181 miles from Roscoff and 3 miles off the N137 north of Nantes. This site has large, flat pitches and a delightful swimming pool, very welcoming on a hot afternoon.

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River Charente in Saintes

Saintes is situated on the banks of the gently flowing River Charente and is a delightful city rich with roman architecture, including an amphitheatre. The Campsite in Saintes is easy to find and well sign-posted when exiting the A10 at Junction 35. Simply follow the signs, initially to 'Saintes-Centre Ville' and then Camping Au Fil de l'Eau nestles by the side the Charente and has large generous pitches laid out underneath a canopy of tall, ancient oak trees which provide pleasant shade in the hot sunshine. This site has very good amenities, including a bar and restaurant with an excellent menu if you don't feel like cooking. It also has a small swimming pool in which to dunk yourself at the end of a long hot day.
    A pleasant walk along the riverside will take you into the centre of this beautiful Romanesque city which welcomes you with its enticing bars and restaurants. The Roman amphitheatre is also an easy walk away. It's one of the oldest and largest in existence in France, dating back to 40AD and well worth the modest entry fee. During its heyday it held 12-18,000 people who came to watch the glory – or should that be gory? – of Rome. Stand in the middle and gaze around at the worn terraced stone seating and it's not hard to imagine Roman Legions acting out their battles and gladiators fighting with wild animals and slaves. With our brief sojourn over we hopped back onto the A10 heading for Biarritz.

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Saintes, Roman Ampitheatre