From Lac d’Aiguebelette it was a very scenic drive on quiet D roads to Matafelon, not a toll road in sight. We went through dense forests and some dramatic gorges before the landscape opened back up to rolling hills.
Most of the lakes in the region were formed by dammed rivers, which are rich in fauna and flora, very different to the sandy bottomed natural lakes. There was no beach at the lake as it was grass all the way into it so this meant that you could access it anywhere which was great for the dogs, no restrictions at all, and for launching the kayak.
On our second day we had another outing of the outdoor shower. Finn rolled in something in the reed beds that smelt like it had been dead a while. I am guessing probably a dead bird as he had an oily residue all over him. The smell was revolting. The first shampoo and shower barely touched the surface of the smell so a second more vigorous two-man job was required. I wouldn’t say he was smelling of roses even then but at least you didn’t heave when he came near you. We avoided that area of the lake for the rest of our stay as we didn’t want a repeat incident.
The campsite is all terraced pitches in the typical French style with hedges between them. The layout does mean that you get a great view of the lake pretty much from every pitch, unless you are in a small tent and have a high top campervan on the pitch in front of you! In actual fact they were one pitch along so did still have a view.
Weather – very hot and sunny again!
Miles Driven – 63
Miles Walked – 5
Overnight – Les Gorges de l’oignin campsite for 2 nights. €27.50 a night. 46.254439 5.557262
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