Out and about in Melle

#HTRJack Eglise de St Pierre, Melle

My bloggy friend Jennie from A Lady in France (also the title of her great memoir) has had a brilliant idea to motivate herself and her readers to get out and about in their local area. Her Hit The Road Jack #HTRJack blog link up is a weekly link to share photos you have taken when out and about. Yesterday evening, despite a morning bike ride of 36km for Ade and I, and an afternoon walk for Mini with Ed, we decided the 30 minutes while Ed was at his guitar lesson would be perfect for a quick dog walk in Melle, a petite cité de caractère about twenty kilometres from home. 

Fontaine de Villiers, Melle

The road from the car park took us past the church of St Pierre, one of the three very impressive Romanesque churches found in Melle, before heading down a small lane towards the Fontaine de Villiers, an old lavoir or wash house.

Fontaine de Villiers, Melle

The land sloped away on the left to the river and we looked through gates at one neatly kept potager after another, where the mixed greens of the rows of beans, potatoes, onions and salads were glowing in the evening sun.

The potagers, vegetable gardens

At the river, our pathway become part of the Chemin de la Découverte, a 6km circuit of Melle that takes you through the arboretum, past two lavoirs, the leper pool, the old silver mines, the Romanesque church of St Hilaire and onto the old railway line. Over the years we have explored most of it, but not all in one go, unlike the family who run one of our favourite local restaurants, Auberge du Cheval Blanc in Brioux-sur-Boutonne, who we met looking hot, but happy, having just finished running the circuit. Chapeau! 26 degrees is a warm evening for running, in my opinion.

Chemin de la découverte, Melle

I hope this has inspired you to get out and about and if you have a blog or an Instagram account why not join in and share your pictures. You don’t have to have loads of free time, go too far from home or live somewhere exotic, just open your door, take your camera and Hit The Road Jack. You can read more posts by clicking here. #HTRJack