We travelled into the Medoc area to visit some of the vineyards, north-west from Bordeaux. The Girounde Estuary cuts like a gash south-east from the coast and is very wide. In order to get across to the other side, we either had to detour south one and a half hours to the nearest bridge, or there is a ferry between Blaye to Lamarque. In theory saves time if you get to the crossing point just in time, but unfortunately, the frequency is very poor and the time to cross is not exactly quick. So, it is questionable if there is much time saving depending on the time of day. 

We crossed at Lamarque by the ferry to Blaye, which is a town on the east bank of the estuary. Blaye is dominated by a medieval citadel, Rudel Castle, on a hill overlooking the estuary, which was a third of a three part defence system with a another fort on an island in the middle of the estuary, called Fort Paté, and another on the west bank, Fort Medoc. Avoiding Fort Paté and the sand banks that surround it is the reason that ferry cannot take a direct bead between Lamarque and Blaye.

Fort Blaye was first built in the twelth and thirteenth centuries. During the following centuries it was rebuilt and remodelled several times. It is well preserved with many of the original buildings still in place. With its many younger, but still historical buildings, the citadel has a busy and lived in feeling.