La Charite-Cosne-Cours-Sur Loire-France-9-6-14

We are beginning to see the Loire Valley and its more interesting towns. La Charite, like so many French Medieval towns, has a particular charm. The buildings speak of endurance, age, grandeur. They are not elegant in the same way as the Chateaus of the Loire Valley; they are poorly maintained, yet each is a treasure of historical interest.

We meandered through a nature park to the town of Sancerre, a hilltop fortification well worth a visit if you have the time and energy. It is a 5 kilometer climb to the town; a gain of about 300 feet. We had hoped there would be some kind of bus service, but none to be found.

A planned lunch in the town of Sancerre at the bottom of the hill was thwarted by the outrageous prices…ranging from a Plat du Jour at 15 Euros, to a restaurant meal of 40 Euros! We still have not eaten a French meal in a French restaurant!

Not willing to climb the steep hill, we continued on to Cosne-Cours-Sur-Loire where we knew of a campground. It was a big enough town to have a market; indeed a big market, and McDonalds, should we need sudden sustenance!

La Charite-Cosne-Cours-Sur Loire-France-Cosne campground

The campground seemed deserted at this time of year. It is very large and spacious with room to spare. But, the rest room facilities have NO power plugs. They offer Wi-Fi at the reception office which is a plus. But if you need power for your electronics, there is only one plug in the office!

There are two restaurants across from the campground, but again we declined as the prices started at 22 Euro for a meal!