We drove north-west past Bordeaux, travelling through noble wine estates with names that conjured the epitome of the French wine industry.
We reached the Atlantic coast and spent a couple of days in the town of Montalivet-Les-Bains, a low key holiday area dominated by a huge beach edged with sand dunes and pine forests behind. The high street and surrounding areas featured single storey buildings, giving the place a pleasant low key feel. We were not sure whether the lack of people was due to being out of season or the effects of Covid. The weather was warm and sunny but, as was common in France, all the local camp sites were closed for the winter. The beaches were populated with walkers and a few youngsters wind-surfing. We stayed in one of two large aires, one in the pine forest and the other by the beach in the sand dunes. There must have been twenty or so vans visiting – with available space for more than 100.
