Randonneur Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Just had a week tootling around Costa Brava and South of France and decided to have a look at the famous Millau Viaduct. In the Aires de Campings book is an Aire in Millau, but it appears to be closed as they are in the process of building a new one which holds at the moment 18 motorhomes and will in fact double in size when finished. There are no facilities at the moment only a very decrepit toilet attached to another building at the side which was locked in the evening. The facilities have been upgraded at the old site by a "bourne" which charges 5 Euros. You can drive-thru the facility but its a tight squeeze. Needless to say we will not be going back into Millau, it was a bit of a let down. The Viaduct is a magnificent achievement and well worth driving over. It is on the A75 motorway and the cost was 8.10euros. On the northern side they have built a very large Aire de parking and viewing platform. There were a couple of other motorhomes there and there are no signs to say that you cannot stay overnight. The way the Toll fees are set up there is no time limit for going on and coming off, so I see no problem in staying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Thanks very much for the information. We are proposing to cross the bridge this summer. It is on our agenda. Empress :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Sylvia & martin, how far are you from Orrador ?. Is it near you I know you are near my friends and we have aweek off respite we were thinking of going to see Orador and just meander around that area . If not Brittany as friends might be back in England as jenny's nephew is staying with them and he goes to a posh boarding school and comes home in the half term. Hope you enjoyed yourselfs had a good time and all is well. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted March 3, 2007 Author Share Posted March 3, 2007 Hi Michele, We are about an hour and a half from Oradour, its North of Angouleme, we have yet to visit there. If you decide to come just give us a ring. That Viaduct is something else but the town of Millau is not very nice. We went to Empuriabrava near Roses now that is what I call superb. Could have stayed there but he dragged me away. I started looking at For Sale signs on houses next to the beach!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Sylvia , Thank you I believe that I owe you some flowers anyway... Would you believe that I have just typed and lost the lot OH WELL. Just saying that he said would you like to go to Orrador. We buy 10 crossings a year with the tunnel at £ 39 not bad anyway 2 are about to run out if we dont take them so we have been promised respite 3rd April so it's booked might do Orrador makes me laugh everynight I used to curse having to watch WW2 but after suffering I slowly decided if you can beat him join him now I love it and it's him that moans for me to turn it off. I would like to go and see it there was a little about it on sky the other night . Not sure if we will make it that far though as it makes for a hard weeks driving rather than relaxing and also not sure if Jenny and steve will be at home or back in England but you never know might see us soon ................PS And thank you again...you both take care now. PPS just spoke to steve now you have got me the correct Number they will be home in England soon as they are back will phone, this time bringing the car back ..So no more airport runs te he....... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Good morning Michele, We went to visit Oradour about five years ago now. It was a most moving experience. Very poignant almost unbearably so. My friend, a keen photographer, felt unable to use her camera. It was a gloriously sunny day which made it hard to believe such terrible things happened there. We stayed at Availles-Limouzine, if this is any help. The site is on the river - lovely misty shots for Angela to photograph the next morning! We were there late summer, lots of wasps. Empress (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi Empress, How are you all ?. Wouldn't mind it if you could tell me more about your site please Can you stay for more than a day how much what facitilities & so on would be grateful . Perhaps we could find it in our lacs & rivers book.? As for orador I suppose it would be very sad and makes us all rememer and to never forget what it is that they done for us. So much is owing by so many to so few. Empress also if you wouldn't mind what is around the area anything to see relax & enjoy ?. might see your answer later duty calls at hospital. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi Michele, As I said it was a few years ago when we stayed there so am not up to date with prices. But I don't think it was very expensive. There was a children's play area etc. at the entrance and river swiming too. The little town was just a short walk over the river bridge. If you have a Michelin Site book it is in that - which says there are about 120 pitches also a motorhome "borne". We only stayed the two nights so I can't tell you what there is to do, I'm afraid. One advantage it is easy to find from Poitiers, take the D741 south then left onto D34 before Confolens. One very important thing to mention it doesn't open until May. Perhaps this will be too late for you. All the best, Empress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empress Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Silly me, Michele. Have just noticed you say you are going to France in April so this was a pointless exercise. May be some other trip! Empress :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Empress, Thankyou for looking anyway and nice to know . What we will have to do if we do end up there is try the Aires I,m sure we won't find a lack of them or somehwre for the night . That's the nice thing about having the generator we never have to worry . Thanks for looking anyway and your help as you see we wont be taking the children its time for us. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Hi Michelle there is a new aire in the new village of Oradour, haven`t tried it yet as last year got side tracked on way home from spain and had to give it a miss, so trying again this sept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Apparently looking on the internet it has 18 places ? up by the sports stadium looks like only a small town . I seem to have taken over Sylivia & Martins thread sorry . The bridge we have been over 2005 lovely my only saving grace is that my daughter told me to take my pills before Ha Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Michelle - we visited Oradour a couple of years ago 'in transit', and put the motorhome for the day on the Aire...very cloose to the main 'site' and well signposted. Seemd quite busy with overnighters, but we were there quite early and found plenty of space. Oradour is, as someone else said above, a very moving experinece, and very odd, in a way.....I also felt able to take only a very few photos. What was really odd was the fact that it was a bit like a museum, just left as it was 50 years or more ago. We walked through teh graveyard, and 'felt' there was a lot of anger still there. Woirth a visit though, just to remind us what happened all those years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Randonneur - 2007-03-03 2:47 PM Needless to say we will not be going back into Millau, it was a bit of a let down. Randonneur we've been through, and stayed at Millau a couple of times - now some years ago, but felt that, apart from the then levels of traffic, it was quite a nice little place, and had some excellent restaurants. We'd certainly go back, and if suitable for our route, stay there overnight on one of the sites down by the river. I guess it's another of those things where some like it, some don't, and often depends how we feels in ourselves when arriving at a particular place, or what reception we get, or even what the weather's like!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randonneur Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 Keith, Maybe it was because it was end Feb/beg March but we walked around the main areas of the town and found it very grimey. We also walked through the alleyways where, I presume, all the little shops are open in summer, but they were all empty when we were there. The only shops opens where those around the market hall. The weather, by the way, was lovely. I don't know whether I was expecting too much of Millau after listening to other people extolling its virtues and expecting it to be very quaint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Randonneur - 2007-03-10 3:55 PM Keith, Maybe it was because it was end Feb/beg March I suspect you hit it in one.....there are very few places in France which I guess would appeal to me at that time of year....so can understand your imrpessions. In the summer, which is when we have vsiited, it stuck us as quite an attractive little town - apart from as then the continuous traffic. We often find fidderent impressions of the same otwn orm area according to the weather and time of year, even the UK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Nearly going will be off soon can't wait Milau here we come . :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Michele We visited Oradour in June, found it very moving, the thing that upset me most was the child's pushchair in the Church. I wish I knew how to post photos as I took lots. Re Millau, we weren't impressed by the town, but there are two viewing areas for the bridge, one north and one south. Don't bother with the south area, it's not so good (we came upon it first as we'd been to see the Roquefort caves- they were good). You can access the aire from the main road. If I remember rightly, it's another exit from the roundabout where the peage is, and it's a bit longer walk as you can't access the motorway aire. When we were there, there were field full of poppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 On our way 'soouth' in May we stopped overnight at Millau at one of the campings by the river......and then had a short walk to the town, finding far more than we had done on previous stops. Indeed although evening, we liked what we saw,and intend to arrive earlier in the day and explore further. We did find the sites along the river vary considerably, and though we stopped as previously at the first one over the river bridge on the left, found this year it was very scruffy and dirty, and the next couple along the same bit of road seem far better for very little difference in cost. On the wya back this month, we came across the brdige and stopped at the viewing Aire on the north end of the structure, This provided some great views, although we felt the best aspect of the structure itself were from the southern approach driving across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 This is my first attempt at downloading a photo, fingers crossed!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 another attempt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 server error this time, am I getting close I ask myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geof Angi Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Great piece of engineering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 We stayed on the Aire at Millau this October, it takes about 50 vans and is free to stay on, each pitch is marked out with wooden sections so you have a good space,the service point is about 500 yards away in a large car park,.We think Millau is a lovely town and enjoy wandering around there. 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 We stayed on the Aire at Millau this October, it takes about 50 vans and is free to stay on, each pitch is marked out with wooden sections so you have a good space,the service point is about 500 yards away in a large car park,.We think Millau is a lovely town and enjoy wandering around there. 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.