Showing posts with label Canterbury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canterbury. Show all posts

Tuesday 6 September 2016

To Le Cateau-en-Cambresis

Tuesday, 6th September 2016.

Canterbury Park and Ride, New Dover Road.

The Canterbury Aire was remarkably quiet overnight, so, an excellent nights sleep.

We are out of bed, not too early, breakfasted and ready to go by 8:00.

It is surprisingly warm, but, cloudy.

I walk across to the "office" building, where the payment machine is located, pay my £4, and the machine verifies the ticket, too allow us to exit the barrier, or, so I think.

There are two exit barriers, side by side, as we arrive, another Campervan is at one barrier, with the occupant feeding their ticket into the slot marked "tickets". We pull up at the second barrier. It is clear, "campervan 1" has a problem, the barrier will not open. We try, no joy, the machine keeps displaying the message "ticket entered wrong way up". Despite trying all four variations of "right way up", no barriers open.

In the few minutes this little pantomime has been in progress, two more vans have arrived to exit the barrier. There is a "help" button, this summons a "voice" which tells us resubmit the ticket in various orientations (all of which we have already tried).

By now, we have a positive gaggle of excited OAP's, all anxious to be on their way. One lady suggests our chances are not good, since the "help" button is probably connecting us to a call centre in India.

Eventually, a pleasant chap arrives, he clearly had a very quick flight, or, he was not, in fact, in India.

He examines our tickets, and has no explanation, other than, "they have changed the system recently", moral of the story, "if it ain't broken, do not fix it".

The pleasant chap summons the control room, and, barriers are raised manually, to let us out.

An easy drive to Dover, and, we are on the ferry at 10:00.

But, dissatisfaction is in the air, normally, when loading, we are directed up a ramp and, onto the ship.


Today, along with dozens of other Campervans and Caravans, we are directed down a ramp and into the bowels of the ship.

Worse is to come, we are not even in one of the middle rows, which will get off first, but, we get the worst of the worst, ie, last in the row, on the far right.

Kathleen is displeased.

Otherwise, the crossing is totally smooth and uneventful.




















We dock on time at 12:30, UK time, 13:30 French time. But, since we are, almost, last off the ship, there are several hundred vehicles making their way to the A25, and, they are all in front of us!

True, we are arriving Dunkirk, not Calais, but, contrary to media reports, there are no hold ups, and not an immigrant to be seen.


We stop off for lunch and then  drive to one our regular stop overs, LeCateau-en-Cambresis (N 50.10206,  E 3.55513) .

It is sunny and a quite sultry 25C.

Another culinary masterpiece is produced by Kathleen (and Patak's), in double quick time.


The journey, Canterbury to Le Cateau-en-Cambresis





The journey, as it unfolds.



To Canterbury

Monday, 5th September, 2016


Excellent journey, traffic moving all of the way, amazingly, no road works, and, weather warm and sunny.

We have been told about Canterbury, New Dover Road, Park and Ride. Amazingly for the UK, they have created a Motorhome Aire, where you can stop off, before/after taking the Ferry (or Tunnel, although it is some distance from the Tunnel).

It is certainly proving popular, when we arrive, the designated area is full, and an "overflow" area is in operation (with spaces available).

For once, Google let us down, the Postcode given did not take us to the correct place, Co-ordinates are N51 15'46" : E1 5' 57".

It is simple to operate, on arrival, take a ticket, at the barrier. Shortly before you leave, pay using your ticket, at the pay machine. Machines take cash only (including Notes) and give change if necessary. This is not the end of the story, but, we do not know it yet, see tomorrows entry!

This is I suspect the longest drive of our trip, at approximately 350 miles, with a brief stop for lunch, we arrive at about 17:00.

Kathleen quickly dons her Masterchef outfit, and, with a combination of her culinary skills, and the advent of home freezer technology, has a Lamb Dinner, on the table by 18:00, as she never tires of telling me, she is a marvel.

The Journey, as it unfolds.

The Journey, this portion: