Refreshed…

… is how I feel after my little blogging break!!  We’ve been having some great summer weather – hot days and long hours of sunshine, and it’s been important to keep cool.  The old stone-built houses in the village, with their thick walls and traditional shutters, are easy to keep at a comfortable temperature, and the rivers in the area provide plenty of opportunities for a splash or a swim!  The river Orb in Roquebrun and Cessenon has great river beaches, and they are only 20 and 10 minutes away respectively, but there are some wonderful river pools right here in Saint-Chinian, if you don’t want to get in the car.

Walk to the end of Rue de la Digue, and keep to the right where the road forks – you soon get to the ford, where the road crosses the river.  Here you get your first glimpse of Les Platanettes, where we are heading today.

Walk on a little and we arrive at Les Platanettes, a wonderful public space right by the river.  The municipal workers have been hard at work earlier in the year to give Les Platanettes a face lift.  Picnic tables and rubbish bins were installed, and the soil was filled in where it had been washed away over the years.

In the 1970s, Les Platanettes looked like this:

This was before Saint-Chinian had a swimming pool, when everyone went swimming here. It was also before environmentalists decreed that rivers had to stay “natural” and untouched.

In the intervening years, the vegetation has grown and the pools are beautifully shaded by mature trees.

The water still splashes endlessly over the waterfalls, and the sound creates a very restful noise, especially when there’s a bird singing along to it! Note: e-mail subscribers, please go to the website to view the following video.

The waterfalls are great for sitting under if you want a back massage!

Fancy a dip?  Just come along, I’m sure you’ll feel just as refreshed as I do! 🙂