C7CAT

St Etienne-de-Vicq, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France - June 2023

We had a week's holiday with our friends Tim & Laura in La Grange de Verseilles, a gite forming part of the 15th century Chateau de Verseilles, at St Etienne-de-Vicq near Vichy in France. We stayed at their house in Joue-du-Bois, Normandy on the way down to shorten the journey and then we all travelled down together. We again stopped with them on the way back, before completing our journey to Dieppe for the ferry back to Newhaven.

Our gite We had a lovely garden to eat our meals in and relax The gite was surrounded by wisteria and climbing roses

Our MX5 Our gite can be seen on the left of the photo, next to the owner's beautiful chateau Tim & Laura's Caterham 7

The approach road to the chateau and gite The chateau reflected in the pool Local Charolais cattle grazing in the field next door

The view from the garden MX5 in front of the Chateau's old bakery at dusk Beautiful sunset from the garden

Tim & Margaret playing volleyball and Laura relaxing by the pool Chris making a fuss of Elise, the owner's dog A lizard basking in the sun in the garden

Bateau Ville de Digoin on which we had a 3 hour lunch cruise along the Canal Lateral a la Loire The cruise boat headed off over the Pont Acqueduc in Digoin The Pont Acqueduc

Approaching the lock gate... ...and out the other side La Fontaine in Creuzier-le-Vieux where we had dinner one evening

Puy-de-Dome

Le Puy-de-Dome, an extinct volcano (in the middle of the photo on the horizon) The volcano stands 1,465m high and was created by an eruption 10,700 years ago A train takes you to near the top of the volcano in 15 minutes

The Puy-de-Dome hosts the Tour de France in 2023 for the first time in 35 years, with advertising on the train and in the station The train climbs up the side of the volcano via a cogwheel meshing with the rack rail An aerial view of the summit showing the railway line winding round the side of the volcano

An 89 metre high television relay antenna has marked the summit of the volcano since 1957 View of Clermont Ferrand from the summit On 7th March 1911, Eugene Renaux flew from Paris to the summit of the Puy-de-Dome in less than 6 hours, winning a Michelin Prize of 100,000 Francs

We had dinner at Auberge du Pont in Billy one evening, which has a Michelin Bib Gourmand (just below a Michelin Star) Some of the zebra crossings near schools have child models like this at the roadside Roundabouts in France often have pieces of art depicting local history

A selection of Renaults from the 1910s-1920s Austin Healey 3000 - 1960 Citroen 2CV UMPA - 1960

New-Map Solyto 28 - 1969 Triumph Herald 'Britt' - 1970 Renault 8 Gordini- 1970

Mini Comtesse - 1976 Renault 11 TL/GTL - 1983 Prototype 'MJC' Michel Jean Claude - 1984-2003

Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0 - 1987 Austin Morris Mini 1000 - 1988 'Bougies' - French spark plugs

On the way home to the UK we stopped off at Gien for lunch A typical French road bordered by trees A sign for Chris


Our gite	We had a lovely garden to eat our meals in and relax	The gite was surrounded by wisteria and climbing roses

Our MX5	Our gite can be seen on the left of the photo, next to the owner's beautiful chateau	Tim & Laura's Caterham 7

The approach road to the chateau and gite	The chateau reflected in the pool	Local Charolais cattle grazing in the field next door

The view from the garden	MX5 in front of the Chateau's old bakery at dusk	Beautiful sunset from the garden

Tim & Margaret playing volleyball and Laura relaxing by the pool	Chris making a fuss of Elise, the owner's dog	A lizard basking in the sun in the garden

Bateau Ville de Digoin on which we had a 3 hour lunch cruise along the Canal Lateral a la Loire	The cruise boat headed off over the Pont Acqueduc in Digoin	The Pont Acqueduc

Approaching the lock gate...	...and out the other side	La Fontaine in Creuzier-le-Vieux where we had dinner one evening


Le Puy-de-Dome, an extinct volcano (in the middle of the photo on the horizon)	The volcano stands 1,465m high and was created by an eruption 10,700 years ago	A train takes you to near the top of the volcano in 15 minutes

The Puy-de-Dome hosts the Tour de France in 2023 for the first time in 35 years, with advertising on the train and in the station	The train climbs up the side of the volcano via a cogwheel meshing with the rack rail	An aerial view of the summit showing the railway line winding round the side of the volcano

An 89 metre high television relay antenna has marked the summit of the volcano since 1957	View of Clermont Ferrand from the summit	On 7th March 1911, Eugene Renaux flew from Paris to the summit of the Puy-de-Dome in less than 6 hours, winning a Michelin Prize of 100,000 Francs

We had dinner at Auberge du Pont in Billy one evening, which has a Michelin Bib Gourmand (just below a Michelin Star)	Some of the zebra crossings near schools have child models like this at the roadside	Roundabouts in France often have pieces of art depicting local history


A selection of Renaults from the 1910s-1920s	Austin Healey 3000 - 1960	Citroen 2CV UMPA - 1960

New-Map Solyto 28 - 1969	Triumph Herald 'Britt' - 1970	Renault 8 Gordini- 1970

Mini Comtesse - 1976	Renault 11 TL/GTL - 1983	Prototype 'MJC' Michel Jean Claude - 1984-2003

Alfa Romeo Spider 2.0 - 1987	Austin Morris Mini 1000 - 1988	'Bougies' - French spark plugs

On the way home to the UK we stopped off at Gien for lunch	A typical French road bordered by trees	A sign for Chris