Yesterday morning we took the boys for a final walk around the winding lanes of the village. This included a stop for ice-cream, naturally. It was also a last chance to view the village from the opposite side of the gorge and enjoy the beauty of the stone towers and houses of Gordes hanging on to the side of the hill.
After an afternoon by the pool and watching butterflies the day ended with a magnificent meal on the patio in the company of family and friends.
Today we walked with one of the boys along an old track that led north out of the village of Gordes to the Abbey of Senanque 2.3 k away. Notre-Dame de Senanque was founded in 1148 by Cistercian monks who originally came from Mazan Abbey in the Ardeche.
Today many people visit the abbey not least to see the lavender fields surrounding the abbey buildings. We caught a faint hint of purple as the field nearest the front of the abbey came into view. Much of the communities income comes from growing lavender and selling the honey from their bees.
The church is simple in design with modernist windows set in a warm, light coloured stone. The day was busy with visitors but for a short while I had the church to myself. It’s open spaciousness made we want to dance.
Wended my way through the village of Gordes enjoying the stonework, doors and windows. My eye was caught by what must have once been a Christian shrine to Mary or a local saint. Now in the space where a statue once sat a more modern pillar of decreasing sized stones is found. It reminded me of a beach on the Isle of St.Agnes in the Scillies where many folk had developed the modern custom of building such a stone pillar.
I am not certain what these pillars hold for those who build them. Maybe it is different for each person who builds one. It would not surprise me if many held something of the spirituality of each person’s journey.
We travelled through the villages of the Luberon yesterday, a beautiful area, with vast plains of grape vines, the remains of the lavender harvest, fruit trees and cereals.
We saw the church tower of Bonnieux well before we arrived at this delightful village. From the terrace above the church you could see the hill villages of Gordes and Rousillion across the wide valley below.
After a delicious lunch at the L’Heure Bleue we wandered back through an area of the village with huge monochrome pictures on the walls of several houses and shops. My guess is they had been part of an art project denoting something of the history of each building. Fascinant!
The one bus to Gordes was full this morning. We waited over an hour for a taxi but the wait was worth it. The short trip up the mountain offered a wonderful first sight of the village across the valley.
We shared a sandwich for lunch to leave room for lavender ice cream and then wandered the village streets looking for simple, local food to take back for the family who are arriving later.
We scanned the valley floor from the village wall but fear we have missed the lavender fields again. Too early in March when we drove through Provence and too late now we have returned!
We flew out from Edinburgh to Marseilles this morning refreshed by a couple of days hospitality from a Scottish friend. The temperature on arrival was exactly twice that of Edinburgh but nicely tempered by a lively breeze off the Mediterranean Sea.
We took a train north to Cavaillon, a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. The town is famous for growing melons – the heavier the melon, the sweeter and juicier it is.
We will search out melon for dinner!
At 11.41 today, the 1st of August, the Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity was read out to mark 1,141 years since the Yorkshire Ridings and the city of York were first recognised in 875 in Viking times. The Declaration asserts the inviolability of its ancient boundaries. (Interesting that the Yorkshire Dales boundaries changed today!)
It ends with the cry “Yorkshire forever, God save the Queen!” Happy Yorkshire day!
We are back in Marske-by-the-Sea after a stunning drive up Wharfedale and over into Wensleydale and then eastwards to the coast.
It was great to take a pre dinner stroll along the beach from Marske to Saltburn and back. The air was warm and salty and the light constantly changing on Huntcliff. We picked up our pace as we made the journey back under darkening clouds.
Pizza, salad and a beer were hugely welcome followed by an early night and a long, long sleep.
Yesterday, after a month of volunteering, we left Scargill House, a conference, holiday and retreat centre in the Yorkshire Dales run by an intentional community.
Being at Scargill has afforded us space to reflect on our experience of the past year of travel, on where we find ourselves at this point in our lives, and on what might be the path we take in the weeks and months ahead.
We have been touched by the welcome we received from the community and warmed by the openness and kindness of those we have got to know a little.
I’m not so sure we will miss the bed making, table laying, laundering or cleaning but we will miss the community…and we will miss the beauty of Wharfedale.
We took two walks this week which have afforded excellent views of a couple of fascinating rock formations in this part of Upper Wharfedale.
The huge overhanging cliff of Kilnsey Crag towers 170 feet above the village of Kilnsey. It is a challenge for the many climbers who travel from far and wide to test out their skills and courage on its dominating rock face.
Coniston Pie is a rocky knoll on the opposite side of the river to Kilnsey Crag. It is a grand viewing stop on the five mile walk from Scargill to Grassington offering long distance views down Wharfedale and Littondale.
There is not much that can better the sight and sound of a curlew circling the sky above its grassy top.
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