HAVING A jolie lime

Heading south to the glorious French Atlantic beaches? On your way, the alluring towns of Niort and Saintes are well worth making a detour to explore, says Peter Baber

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There are many reasons why exploring a large European country such as France is better done with a caravan, rather than any other mode of transport. My own top reason is probably the ease with which you can simply stop off and pitch up near towns that are worth a detour on your way to your holiday destination.

On my journey to the French Atlantic beaches last summer, I paused at two such towns – both of which I had visited before, and been so impressed by, I was determined to come back to them.

Niort, the first of these places, is twinned with Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire. But it should come as no surprise that there is such a strong historic connection with England.

Niort and its castle

Just a short way off the autoroute on the way to the Ile de Ré, Niort is dominated by its castle, the Donjon, which was built by Henry II (the one whose knights murdered Thomas à Becket) and then substantially expanded by his son, Richard the Lionheart.

I do wonder if the latter, in his short reign, actually spent any significant amount of time in the country he was supposed to be ruling. No wonder the Sheriff of Nottingham thought he could do what he liked with Robin Hood while the king was away!

The Donjon stands on a prime position overlooking the Sèvre river. Then, it would have proved useful in guarding the substantial Plantagenet territories to the south. Nowadays, it looks out on a lovely riverside garden and a car park, where I parked up after pitching the caravan at a site just outside town (see panel, p41).

I arrived so early that the Donjon was not yet open – it opens from 10am to 6pm most days in the summer, with, naturellement, an hour closed for lunch at 1pm.