Monday April 6th 2009

Baie de Somme and Mery-sur-Cher

We arrive to a foggy Calais at about 1-00am. There are the usual groups of asylum seekers hanging about, waiting to try and hide themselves on a UK bound HGV, but no problem to us. 

We feel awake enough to decide to head a little way south, so we join the free motorway from Calais which runs along the coast past the infamous Sangatte. We head for a motorway aire at Baie de Somme. 

We have been there before and know it is a well lit area with toilet and eating facilities and usually at least half a dozen or so campervans and caravans overnighting there. Sure enough we find a few German, French, and Dutch campervans there when we arrive, plus a GB caravan outfit, so we settle down for what is left of the night and have a sleep. We wake to find the fog has lifted, but it is damp and overcast. 

After breakfast and the usual morning ablutions off we go, south as we will be doing for quite a while to come, now heading for an aire at Mery-sur-Cher, near Veirzon. Again a stop over we have used before, it will take about ten vans, and has Electric hook up, water and a toilet, all for 2Euro per night. 

We are in no rush, so we leave the motorway before the toll starts and travel via the “N” and “D” roads, this saves us fuel as well as tolls, since if we keep the speed down to 60mph maximum we can achieve 30mpg or better, plus the scenery is more interesting as you wend your way through rural France. We arrive in full sunshine, there are three or four vans already in residence, a couple of French, a German and another GB who we find as we chat to them over the inevitable glass or two of red in the evening sunshine are on their way home after being in Spain since January.

Next morning we wake to rain, knew we should not have sent that gloating text message to Joan and Brian!. Off we go heading for Vichy and hopefully better weather.