motorway aires: 15

motorway aires[1]
the autoroute of two seas - the A62

featuring Mas d'Agenais,
Buzet-sur-Baïse, Moirax, Dunes,
aire de Garonne

interactive map: hover with your mouse,
clickable areas in pink change to a hand icon

• l’autoroute des deux mers (motorway of the two seas)
• mas d’agenais
• buzet-sur-baïse
• moirax
• dunes
• aire de garonne
• pruneaux d’agen
• end notes

Motorway aires are designed to provide a suitable environment for relaxing, refreshing and recovering during the long, hard journeys. As well as facilities of often dubious nature, picnic tables and seats, a telephone kiosk, there are often optional extras such as a play area or a display related to some local interest or event.

l’autoroute des deux mers
(motorway of the two seas)

The two seas are, of course, the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediteranean Sea to the south and east. The A62, with a little help from the A61 beyond Toulouse, is the ideal and convenient method to travel between the ‘two seas’ by motor vehicle.

Away from the major commercial and industrial cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse, the motorway is quiet and at times empty, a pleasant drive through typical French agricultural landscapes. For part of its route, close to Agen, the motorway runs almost parallel to the Canal Lateral, which is part of the Canal du Midi that makes an aquatic connection between the Atlantic with the Mediterranean.

mas d’agenais

Mas d’Agenais aire is a huge aire providing welcome space, dappled shade and picknicking areas amongst a forest of mature trees.

In the cool shade at Mas d'Agenais aire

Click on the yellow link above to see the full page for the Mas d’Agenais aire.

buzet-sur-baïse

pigeonnier at Buzet-sur-Baise aire, with the chateau beyond

Going south, shortly after the Aigullon sortie [sortie 6] is a small but grand aire, Buzet-sur-Baïse. The aire is overlooked by the picturesque, privately-owned chateau, whose twin towers were added in the 15th century; while the aire itself features a half-timbered pigeon house [pigeonnier]. The aire also has a small children’s play area.

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moirax

view from the top of the hill at Moirax aire,
looking way down towards the motorway and the town of Agen

For children of all ages, this aire is a great adventure park, with shrubs and copse-covered rises climbing up the almost terraced hillside, ready for extended games of cowboys and Indians or other tracking and hide-and-search games. For the more grown-up, there are walks to the top, either straight up the grassy terraces, or more sedately by following the road.

This internal road zigzags up the hill, where at the top, there is a wide, panoramic view of the valley shared by the river Garonne and the Canal Lateral, with views of Agen and its suburbs beyond. Also here is the children’s play area - tidy, fenced for security, with an unusual climbing frame.

above: play area at the Aire de Moirax, looking down on the aire and the panoramic view
below: the Moirax aire climbing frame

dunes

A verdant, forgotten aire that is a true escape from the gunmetal tarmac and grey safety barriers of the neighbouring autoroute. A place in which to “Tread softly...”

'Downs' and woods at Dunes aire, A62

Click on the yellow link above to see the full page for the Dunes aire.

aire de garonne

.

The Aire de Garonne is franchised to the LeClerc supermarket chain. Probably as a result, the aire, its facilities - shops, cafés and so on, are immaculately clean. The prices are a little below those to be found at other aires with shopping and fuel.

Click on the yellow link above to see the full page for the Aire de Garonne.

pruneaux d’agen

Agen is the capital for the principal French region for growing Agen plums, which are mainly dried and turned in to prunes [les pruneaux d’Agen]. There are huge orchards of plums either side of the A62 Autoroute. Supermarkets sell bagged-up prunes and, when the new season’s dried crop is available, they often feature these large, plump, sweet and flavoured semi-dried fruit. [The French prefer their pruneaux to be mi-cuit - semi-dried, they are more moist and easier to eat that way.]

end notes

1. aire: in this context, an area —
   aire de loisirs: recreation area;
   aire de pique-nique: picnic area;
   aire de repos: rest area;
   aire de services: services , motorway (GB) or freeway (US) service station.
   
   
2. This region is noted for its architectural pigeon houses, often built so the house is raised off the ground, away from foxes, polecats and pine martens. Newsagents and gift shops often sell postcards showing a selection of local pigeonniers, or even illustrated books (usually in French). At this link are a series of seven pages showing pigeonniers in the department of Lot and Garonne (click on arrow to the right to move to the next page of photos).

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v1.0

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