9th September 2022

Today we took Morrison on an outing into the Verdon Gorge. First, we visited Rougon, a small village on top of a cliff overlooking Verdon Gorge. Here we ate lunch at Crêperie Le Mur d’Abeilles. We had visited the same Crêperie three years before on the geology trip. We initially sat outside, but a few droplets from the sky saw us scurrying inside. This was soon over, and we went back outside before our crêpes arrived. The vegetarian aubergine and tomato crepe was so delicious. We caught glimpses of vultures in the distance, spotting a maximum of six at a time. Too far off to photograph.

We went back down the hill turning on to the D952, heading back in the direction of Moustiers, and at the Auberge des Crêtes we turned up on the D23 to where we could get a good view of the Vultures. When we had passed this junction on the way to Rougon, the road had been closed. It was now open in the afternoon. No idea why it had been closed.

This road is a fabulous road to drive on, with switchbacks, tight corners, precipitous edges and tunnels. In one section it is one way, and so should be driven only from east to west. We stopped at the second pull-off on the route, which is Belvedere de Trescaïre haut. This stop is only a mile along the road, and parking for several cars, and precipitous cliffs. You are safe with the sturdy fencing.

We stopped here for several hours and waited for the vultures. There were not many around at first, but they came eventually. (French lunch?) There were several other photographers with large lenses, a Nikon, Sony, and my Canon, and then another Canon materialised. One motorcyclist who did not have a camera said he came every couple of weeks to photograph the vultures. He usefully pointed out new vultures while you were concentrating on a receding bird.

One thousand pictures later, we left and continued the trip around the D23. Coaches do the same trip, not sure I would like to drive around some of the hairpins and narrow tunnels in a coach. The drivers though were arrogant, one forcing a car at Belvedere de Trescaïre Haut to leave by reversing up to them and forcing the occupants to make a strategic departure. I think I would have stuck to my guns and not moved on.

On the route we stopped off at several viewing spots to snap a few pictures. It was interesting to see the valley from different perspectives.

We arrived back at the campsite for a well-earned beer and then supper, but first we reattached the awning to the Morrison.