There was a medieval fete being held at Chateaunuef-du-Pape this weekend, so off we went. It was hot, no surprise, and the place was packed, so finding a carpark was not easy. in the wnd we parked on the footpath, like everyone seems to do here. A walk up the hill and then we were in a sea of tents, people in costume, sounds of early music (lots of drumming, no synths!) and food and drink for sale.

Chateaunuef-de-Pape is an interesting place and I would like to see it without the fete, but we managed to find some quieter spots and with fewer people. At the top of the main hill are the remains of a big chateau, a ‘stabilised ruin’, and a lots of tents with folk in older style dress, the set piece for the afternoon was the Crusades, and Saladin and local chieftains were part of the mix.

I was impressed by the lady with two swords who fought valiantly but was cut down, after killing another woman who challenged her. There was a big fight, but I think everyone ended up on the same side, (except the two dead folk). There was clearly more to the story than that, but it was entertaining anyway!