28th to 30th Oct 2025
Montech, Perigueux and Niort, France
Reluctantly we left sunny Spain and Roses behind, starting our return journey towards Roscoff.
We’ve settled for long drives on the motorways where possible to cut down the time.
Late on Tuesday we stopped in another Camping Car Park Aire just outside a village called Montech, right next door to a Municipal campsite that we discovered was still open – closing on 31st Oct. Too late to change our minds as we had settled in the Aire by then.
The Aire is opposite a canal with a nice walking/cycling path that wasn’t too busy, so we were able to let Meg off for a good run.
She was very interested in the bank, but not interested enough to put herself into the water 
, thank goodness!
There is also a nice park and lake a few minutes walk from the Aire which would have been great for us if we had stayed longer. It was already getting dark when we arrived – the evenings arrive so early now 
, so we just hunkered down and let Parker have a rest for a bit.
Wednesday morning saw us back on the motorway. We were back in wine country passing vineyard after vineyard and then lots of apple trees. We had moments of rain but nothing torrential as we made our way to Perigueux. Another of Gareth’s “pins on the map”.
This time we arrived in time for a late afternoon walk around the town. Its the centre of the Perigord region, now part of the Dordogne, famous for truffles and foie gras. Once again, a river, the L’Isle, runs through it.
Unusually, we did find some bars open and stopped for a drink by the market halls, which themselves were sadly closed now for the day.
Perigueux is an unexpected delight, bigger than we expected and with some ancient properties still in use today. The Cathedral is huge, has undergone a multitude of restorations and enhancements and is now a world heritage site and part of the Route of St James to Compostela.
There are street signs that lead you around the towns old walls or, like us, you can just wander aimlessly. We weren’t disappointed.
Another plus for the Perigueux stop was the location of a Vet, just 3 minutes walk from the Camping Car Park Aire. I had emailed for an appointment to get the necessary worming tablet for Meg and came up trumps, Thursday morning at 10.45. Brilliant.
Thursday morning, Vet visit complete and Meg’s passport all up to date we headed off, saying a fond farewell to Perigueux.
On our way out of the town we passed the ancient Roman walls. This is definitely a great choice for a stop if you ever get down this way, there’s enough to see for 2 days just wandering around. A gorgeous little square at almost every turn with tables and chairs. We think this place must be buzzing in the summer.
Today’s journey was part motorway and then country roads, passing a lot of agricultural land and livestock, not so much vineyards.
Our stop today is in Niort. There’s a great little council run Aire, inside a car park but tucked away, separated by high walls so you feel quite secure.
Its also right next to a park and a river, with paths leading you across the bridge and into the old town.
Well, Niort is another lovely town. It has an abundance of churches, a castle – half of which was under cover while they carry out restorations – and a huge market hall. The roads and paths, like Perigueux are cobbled and lined by lots of independent traders.
We sat amongst many locals enjoying the late afternoon sun, opposite the Halles (market halls), just people-watching and enjoyed a well earned glass of vin rouge.
A fresh baguette and croissants were purchased from the boulangerie before we headed back to the van. What a lovely place to stumble upon.
This morning I made sure to be up before 8.30am, so that I could pay the local Gendarmerie who call to collect the tariff, it’s all above board, they even carry a card machine . And very pleasant they were too.
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