A trip to Lac de Vassiviere .

On Saturday May 22nd a group of 16 people gathered in Cozes for the first motorbike rally in 2010 . The weather was gorgeous. We all met at Graziella and Phil's shop ( the upholsterer's) in Cozes. At about 9 O'clock we set off for Jonzac, Chevanceaux, Marton, Chalais, Aubeterre, Riberac. We stopped at Riberac for a coffee. Then we left Riberac and took the direction of Brantome. Bantome is a lovely town on the river Dronne. Lots of tourists were just strolling when we drove past the magnificent old buildings. Then on the road again! Thiviers, St Yrieux la Perche, Coussac Bonneval, Meuzac, St Germain les Belles, Linards, Chateauneuf la For�t, Eymoutiers and Beaumont du Lac We had our picnic in front of a pond and enjoyed relaxing in the field . The scenery was impressive and peaceful. Some cows were grazing a few meters away while we were having our picnic. We tried to sit down on the grass where there was no cow pat! Next we set off for the Lac de vassiviere and rode along long and winding roads in the small mountains which reminded me of les Vosges in the East part of France. We enjoyed breathing the different smells from the sap of fur trees and pine trees in the forests. We arrived at our hotel around 5 pm . The hotel was located in a exceptional spot , just a few meters fom the Lake. We decided to walk along the lake . The Lake of Vassiviere is one of the largest artificial lakes in France. It is a reservoir of 10 kilometres square situated on the Plateau des Millevaches. It provides water supplies, hydroelectricity and leisure facilities. The lake nestles in a haven of green countryside near the village of Beaumont -du-lac. This lake benefits from an unspoilt natural environment. The lake also offers a varied range of water activities, from sailing to canoing through fishing, bathing, pedal-boating and water-skiing. For keen fishermen we were told that the main fish in the lake was the pike.

There is an island in the centre of the lake dominated by a chateau. The island is connected to the shore by a causeway. The lake was constructed after World War II and opened at Christmas 1950. It is the product of two barrages in the valley of the Maulde River, an important tributary of the Vienne River.

We enjoyed our walk along the lake surrounded by a wonderful wooded setting.

Then in late afternoon we decided to have an "ap�ritif" on the terrasse in front of the hotel. The evening went smoothly . We had a nice dinner

( salade limousine, cuisse de canard confite and dessert.)

We went to bed around 10.30pm to recover from our long ride and be ready at 8 am for breakfast. So after breakfast we set off for a ride around the lake and stopped to look at the barrage. Dominique, one of the motorbike riders has got a house in the area so he was our guide until we reached his house which has belonged to his family for 4 generations We had a lovely picnic composed of

traditional food - pat� en croute, cheese and gateau aux noisettes ( nut cake)

The nut cake was out of this world!

Then after a deserved rest enjoying the quietness of the little hamlet we took the direction of Angoul�me. We rode on the main roads to get back to Cozes at about 6 pm. One young couple had booked a "Talasso" in Royan and they were supposed to check in late afternoon. We rode through Confolens, Angoul�me, Cognac, Pons and Cozes. We stopped just after Confolens to stretch our legs because after riding 120kms we were all exhausted and our muscles were stiff!

We reached Cozes around 6 and kissed goodbye.

Our trip to Lac de Vassiviere was a great experience.