Considering there were perhaps 70 vans spread across it could not have been quieter. The parking inspector does his rounds, personally escorting those with overrun stays to the ticket machine.
We set off for Biscarrosse, passing through Parentis-en-Bourn where there is a busy market in progress. The previous times we’ve driven through this area we have thought how flat and featureless it was, but off the main highways there is a lot more to see, especially the prettiness of the towns, the lakes and woods.
At Biscarrosse we find the Musee de l’hydraviation [seaplane museum]. Outside the entrance the centrepiece is a recently restored Grumman Albatross that was rescued from Cuneo in 2014. 33 trainees carried out he restoration, earning their qualifications on completion. Inside the museum small galleries and corridors lead visitors through the history of hydro-aviation. We are lent an English guidebook to compliment the displays. Mostly accurate scale models of significant aeroplanes, there are also paintings, photos, small parts of aircraft [sometimes wreckage] and engines. Polished hardwood models are identified as authentic wind-tunnel test pieces and there are artefacts like uniforms, navigational instruments and weapons aiming sights. The days of passenger flights are remembered with a cabin mock-up using original leather armchairs and wood panelling. There is a small copper apparatus which was a desalination plant, making fresh water from the sea. The last part deals with today’s use of seaplanes, mainly firefighting and coastguard duties.
The demise of seaplanes was largely due to the jet engine, less suitable for waterborne take-offs but able to provide the range for long-haul flying instead of ‘hopping’ from lake to lake through Africa to Australia and the like. And helicopters proved more flexible for the seaplane’s other role of search and rescue. How far could these machines have been developed? Maybe that question will never be answered, but the museum gives a fascinating insight to an important period of aviation and engineering.
At the museum we meet Andrew, a long time Facebook contact, who is camping nearby. After the visit we sit in the van with coffee chatting for nearly two hours.
Time to find our night stop; we select a Passion 12 miles away, but when we arrive the entry is fenced off with three angry dogs there to make visitors unwelcome. The other side of the village of Ste Eulalie en Born is an aire next to a campsite and we park under trees beside the marina, get our €7.50 ticket from the campsite office and relax for the night.