A walk around the lake

St Frambault

We've been in France now for about six weeks or so and we haven't taken any time to just sit and let the world go by in time-honoured tradition - sitting outside with a beer, wine or even coffee as everything moves around you.

Oh sure, we've spent a little time sitting outside in our garden on one of those rare occasions this year where we've actually had hot, sunny weather. However, that's not the same as actually being out.

So imagine my surprise this morning when Penny suggested we go to St Frambault and have a wander round the lake. Usually, there's something that needs doing to the house and let's be honest, there's no shortage of that, but with the promise of a tennis final to watch this afternoon, a walk around the lake in the sunshine sounded brilliant.

There are quite a few things to do in St Frambault including pedalos, crazy golf, camping, picnicking, as well as restaurants and bars, but all we wanted to do on this occasion, was just take a quiet wander on a Sunday morning and I must say, we weren't disappointed.

To begin with, we were able to park for free - unlike most attractions in England - and taking a random path from the car, we began walking down the hill and on this occasion, was towards the lake.

There were few people - just a runner and one or two others, which meant that everything was quiet. The only sounds we could hear was the rustling of the trees in a wonderfully gentle breeze, the wildlife and the sound of the water as it ran over and round the little rocky weirs that appeared at various places along the way.

The little ducks were probably disappointed as they were clearly used to being fed by the tourists and not only got nothing from us, but were also being expected to pose for me with my camera. As you can see (right) this little fellow was having none of that.

We finished off embarrassingly devoid of battery power, which is why I can provide no further pictures of the lake, the pedalos or the fine surroundings where we stopped for a cold 1664 while the sun shone.

In short, this has marked our first visit to St Frambault, but it won't be our last. We fully intend to explore further and when family and friends come to see us, providing the weather's fine, it will make an excellent place to visit.

Hopefully next time we visit, the weather will be equally good and my camera batteries won't give up long before we've got to the end of our walk, or I will have more to replace them.