Tepid Explorers

2015-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Tepid Explorer blog.

After living here in France for some time now, a bunch of us have actually decided to go out and explore the area around where we live. You know what it's like, you spend all your time working on the house and never get to go out and explore. It's far to easy to say "I'll just finish off this or that job...". Then you have visitors and they want to know the hidden treasures.

The Entre Deux Mers has a wonderful coloured history not to mention the gastronomy and wine. Living in paradise makes it easy to take some things for granted. So we've made a positive resolution to experience and enjoy.

Click on the links at the left to see photos of our 'grand day out'!

With Rucks at St Emilion

2008-07-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

St Emilion and a must see for anyone who loves wine.

Click on the slideshow to go to the album where you can see it but bigger.

The River Dropt

2008-04-30T09:41:00.001-07:00

The Dropt springs up at the bottom of a 239 metres high hill, in the massif situated between the great valleys of the Lot and of the Dordogne. It flows from east to west from Capdrot (the head of the Drot : “lou cap del Drot” in langue d’oc or “caput Drotii” in Latin) to Caudrot (the tail of the Drot : “la couau del Drot” in langue d’oc or “cauda Drotii” in Latin).

To its natural Caudrot mouth, two Dropt – Garonne links are added : the Escourret branch of Gironde-sur-Dropt (open in 1768 by a sudden rising of the Dropt) and the Casseuil canal with a lock-gate, open during the XIXth century for the navigation needs of the Dropt, up-stream of the last dam before the Garonne.

The very slight slope between its spring and its mouth (150 metres difference in level for 125 km) makes the Dropt a peaceful, winding, open-country river, entirely bordered with trees. From the spring to the junction with the Garonne is a series of dams with their ancient mills, including smaller mills along the affluents.

For agricultural needs (irrigation), reservoir lakes – the Brayssou lake (60ha) at Parranquet, the Ganne Lake (40ha) at Tourliac, the Nette lake (27 ha covered, 1 200 000 m3) at Cavarc, the Graoussettes lake (36 ha) along the Dourdenne at Saint-Colomb-de-Lauzun, the Escourroux lake (112 ha) near Eymet – sustain the water level (much diminished by the harnessing of the Brame spring, near Monpazier, used for water conveyance) and reduce rises in water levels.

In the XIXth century, the Dropt made a navigable waterway down-stream from Eymet, used for transporting goods. At the time when the great evolution of transport means occurred, the Dropt carried ships from Eymet to its mouth. This activity has completely disappeared. The Eymet “harbour” is well preserved, “Quai de la navigation”.

Moulin de Cocussotte

2008-04-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Moulin de Cocussotte

The Moulin de Cocussotte is a beautiful watermill along the river Dropt and we were welcomed today by the owner M Jacques Constatin.

Click on the picture for a larger version.