Neufchatel en Bray to Maisons Lafitte, Paris

Friday 4th September 2015

Before leaving Camping St Claire, we have a busy morning:

Me: Empty waste water, service toilet, half fill fresh water tank, 

Kathleen: do her hair

I decide, in a moment of madness to set both satnavs for our destination. So, I have three women telling me what to do at every junction, roundabout and motorway exit, ie two satnavs plus Kathleen.

Actually, they turn out to be in remarkable harmony.


.

For almost the whole journey, the road is good and the traffic is light to almost none existent.








At one of the sets of traffic lights we spot this litter lout, see the fag packet being thrown out of the left hand side window.

I suppose it goes to show anti-social, thoughtless people are everywhere you go.



We are a little anxious about about driving so close into Central Paris, in the campervan, but, it turns out the approach to Maisons Lafitte is not difficult at all, apart from the last half mile or so, which is through narrow streets, lined with parked cars. 

It is well signposted, until, we are confronted with a diversion, where some workmen are busy cutting a tree down, so, we must wend our way through a few even narrower streets, to enter Maisons Laffite International.

Maisons Lafitte is quite a large campsite, on an island in the river Seine. 

As "city" campsites go, in our experience, it is remarkably well kept.

It is relatively quiet at this time f year, which is how we like it.

Reception staff are helpful and friendly, Kathleen emerges not only with details of nearest church and mass times, details of how to get to the nearest RER station, but, also significant details of the receptionists private life and her ambitions to become as school teacher. All of that information was gathered without infringing the Human Rights Act or the Geneva Convention.


The helpful receptionist, allocates us a spot near Brian and Linda's prebooked pitch, although they have not yet arrived.

We have a river view from the van, with barges and pleasure craft sailing past at regular intervals.

Brian and Linda are delayed, they are approaching from the South (Dijon) and have got themselves onto a stretch of toll motorway, with height barriers on the exits.

Eventually they escape the motorway and arrive via Versailles.

Brian provides the wine, Kathleen, rustles up food for all, and, an evening of eating and drinking follows.


     

To Neufchatel-en-Bray

Amusing little scene this morning as we sat eating our breakfast at about 8:30.

A "council" pickup truck arrived, towing an industrial shredder.

Three workmen emerged.

First, they asked the lone German lady campervaner to move her van, they clearly planned to trim the trees behind her van.

I expected this to be the end of peace and quiet, chain saws, hedge trimmers, not to mention the shredder.

I need not have worried.

German lady moved, Workman 1, lit up a cigarette, sat on the towbar of the shredder and smoked. Workman 2, got his sandwiches out and proceeded to munch away. Workman 3, the driver, disappeared in the pickup and, returned, about 15 minutes later with coffees and more food.

About two hours later, just before we left, work commenced.

Council workers in France are clearly just like their British counterparts.




We had no EHU last night at Montreuil-sur-Mer, that means, no hair dryer or hair straighteners (not for me silly).

It is necessary, therefore,  to have a night at a campsite so Kathleen's withdrawal symptoms can be brought under control.

It is decided that, old faithful Camping Ste Claire at Neufchatel-en-Bray will do very nicely.

We arrive to find it pristine as usual.

 

We arrive at lunch time, the site looks almost empty, but, such is it's popularity, by 16:30, it is looking decidely full! 20:30 and, they are still arriving!

Sadly, the weather is not kind, it pours with rain until about 16:00, but Kathleen has no difficulty filling her time, planning a route to Maison Lafitte, after she has put the French National Grid to good use.

Yesterday, whilst still in England, I visited an M&S Simply Food, to buy a Pizza for tea. I noticed they also had Chocolate Teacakes (not Tunnocks, but, M&S own brand). Kathleen is very partial to Tunnocks chocolate teacakes, so, I bought a pack of 16 of the M&S version.

Unknown to me, Kathleen stored them in the fridge, to prevent the chocolate from melting.

Today, we had one with our coffee, it was decidedly not upto Tunnock standard.

Kathleen decided, that I could eat the remaining 14 (not all at once), since she did not like them. 

Just in the interests of using them up, I ate a second one. Well, we post war babies remember rationing, we don't like to waste things.

I suggested that, perhaps, storing them in the fridge was the problem, so, they were put in the "food" cupboard.

Later, in the evening, I had another, it was much better. Kathleen tried one, yes, much better.

I am now banned from eating any more.  

To Dover, then to Montreuil-sur-Mer

Wednesday 3rd September 2015


We have plenty of time, so, a leisurely drive to Dover.

It is motorway almost all the way, M11, M25, M2.












To M11, and away we go:


Very soon after leaving Barton, the traffic slows to a crawl, the opposite carriageway is totally empty of traffic, looks like an accident ahead on the north-bound carriageway.




Sure enough, we soon come upon the scene, a small campervan on it's side, with other motorists trying to get the doors open, there are no emergency services on the scene yet.

Despite the new "no stopping" toll system at the Dartford Crossing, there is still a one mile tail back of slow moving traffic.

The most exciting thing to happen is at the services on the M2. While sitting having our lunch, we watch a large articulated wagon, attempting to park.

I don't feel inclined to comment on the driver's skill level, since I cannot reverse the campervan, with motorcycle trailer attached, but, he was making heavy weather of it. Eventually, he collided with a very smart Marley wagon and trailer outfit, he was trying to park alongside. It is quite a hit, we can see the trailer move with the impact from 200 metres away!

When the driver of the Marley wagon returns to his wagon, we decide to play the "goodie" and tell him.


On to Dover, despite dawdling, we arrive too early for out 17:30 ferry and are given the option of taking the 16:45 at same price, or, 16:00 for £20 extra, we opt to pay the £20.










By now, it is raining heavily, with accompanying thunder and lightening.



During the crossing, Kathleen decides to re-organise our journey, it is decided my selection of Baie de Somme aire is too far south, so, another Aire is selected, at Montreuil-sur-Mer.

Montreuil turns out to be a very pleasant French town, but, quite why it has the tag "sur-mer", literally, "on sea", is a mystery to us, since it is at least five miles as the crow flies from the coast.

The aire is full, given our late evening arrival, that is not really a surprise, but, there is a bus parking area adjacent, which several campervans have "overflowed" into, so, we join them.

I can recommend this aire, pleasant town, five minutes walk away, with shops, bars, banks etc. Clean "automatic" public toilets. Free, with services for 2Euro. 

Plus, it is not isolated and appears to be well used, so, no fears on the security side.

Tuesday 1st September 2015, to Barton, near Cambridge

 

A very leisurely departure, at 09:45, as planned. 

So far, we do not appear to have forgotten anything, or, if we have, we have not realised it yet!

Straight to ASDA, fill with deisel, followed by an uneventful 220 miles to Barton, near Cambridge.








Our stop-over is a Caravan Club, Certified Location (CL), called Birds Farm (12 Haslingfield Road, Barton, Cambridge, CB23 7AG). £10 a night, with EHU and toilets, it is just a short distance off the A14.

Of course, proximity to the A14 has a downside, you can hear the traffic noise from the site. I don't expect that to keep me awake, I am a sound sleeper, clear conscience!

The final few miles:-

Pre-amble

I do not not enjoy the planning and preparation stage, fortunately, despite regular complaints, Kathleen is in her element organising and issuing orders.



During a lull in the proceedings, I did my usual, pre departure, inspection of the garden, I am not an enthusiastic gardener. My enthusiasm and interest are limited to sitting in the sun, glass of wine to hand, and looking at the garden.


True to form, the most impressive flowers this year, the sunflowers, are there by pure chance. I feed the birds with sunflower seeds, the birds, having appalling table manners, drop some, and, we get sunflowers scattered at random about the garden.

During our trips away, the garden has been left to fend for itself. Of late, daughter Claire has donned her gardening gloves and cut the grass etc, and, our neighbour, Steve, is kind enough to run the lawnmower over the grass between Claire's visits. 

This has made my task, of restoring order on our return, much easier.

So, with garden tidy, campervan packed, bicycles loaded (no trailer and scooter this trip), we are ready to go.

We have our usual sketchy plan:

• a leisurely drive to Cambridge, on Tuesday
• stop off at a Caravan Club CL on Tuesday evening
• drive the remaining distance to Dover on Wednesday
• catch our pre-booked Dover -> Calais ferry
• drive to Baie de Somme to sleep, Wednesday evening
• Thursday, find somewhere to stay en-route to Paris
• Friday, meet up with brother Brian and his wife, Linda at Maison Lafitte, near Paris, where we have a pre-booked site

For us, this is actually very organised, in fact, I think it is the most organised we have ever been, usually, we have no more than our channel crossing booked.

Finally, I have been experimenting with a new format of blog (copied from a Caravanning friend, thank you Doug). I plan to update both versions of the blog on this trip, time permitting.

The new style blog can be found at www.tinyurl.com/KenAndKathleen

I will be interested to hear your opinion, as to which format you prefer, if you care to comment.

Neufchatel-En-Bray, Camping St Claire, Welwyn Garden City, Commons Wood, and Finally, Home (April 17th - April 21st)

Friday, 17th April 2015

A leisurely start, to let the early morning traffic clear, all of those people going to some place called "work", I don't know what they see in it myself.

An easy 139 miles, negotiating Rouen like we have done it before (which of course we have), to our old regular, Camping St Claire, Neufchatel-en-Bray.

I know, I always sing the praises of this place, but, it really has a lot going for it.

The owner and his wife, keep the place pristine, it is only 14Euro (£10.50) a night, plus, it is an easy two hour drive from here to Calais.

Finally, if all that is not enough, for the dog owners, there is, I am told, a convenient vet in the town, who will do the necessary for travelling dogs, cheaper than the Vets in Calais.

First task is to book ourselves a ferry, for our return trip. Many people we have met on our travels swear by the Caravan Club. If my experience is anything to go by, I cannot endorse that. I first check on old favourite ferrysavers, and find a price of £69, Dunkirk->Dover, for van and trailer. Caravan Club come up with a price of £109! When I point out, I can get a better price myself, they come up with £63 for the same crossing I found on Ferrysavers. So, I have "saved" £6, but, I had to do all of the work, plus, I had to do the transaction via telephone, because their website cannot deal with booking for Campervans with Trailers. The last I find amazing, what is a car and caravan, except a car with a big trailer?

Moan over, time for a glass of Red!

For a blow by blow account, until the Camera runs out of memory:

Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 1 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 2 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 3 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 4 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 5 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 6 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 7 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 8 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 9 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 10 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 11 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 12 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 13 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 14 of 15
Marboue to Neufchatel-en-Bray, Part 15 of 15

Saturday 18th April 2015

A sunny day, but, cool compared to what we have been used to at about 16C, the penalty of being so far north I suppose.

Once breakfast is over, and the debris from last nights pizzas and wine drinking is cleared away, I get the folding bicycles out, and we go cycling along the "Voie Vert", for a very pleasant 15 miles.

The cycle track here was always very good, but, it has been even further improved.

There is a better tarmac surface, a couple of new cafes (in restored trackside buildings from the railway days), and a new picnic area with toilets, picnic tables. There is even an undercover picnic table, in case it rains!.

These are all new additions, since our last visit here, approximately one year ago.

We cycle in the direction of "Forges des Eaux", which about 18 kilometres (11 miles)away, although, we don't actually go all of the way there ( we have done in the past, when the legs were younger).

One of the couples who are our neighbours, head off in the opposite direction, toward Dieppe, which is about 34 kilometers (20 miles) away. I have frequently tried to talk Kathleen into attempting this, but, without success.

Our neighbours, on their return, report that the cycle track does not actually go all of the way to Dieppe, the last few miles being on the road, so, perhaps it is not such a good idea after all.

I think, however, I will still keep working at getting Kathleen to cycle to the end of the cycle track!










 Sunday, 19th April 2015

Bright and sunny, but, with a brisk wind from the north, not very warm, only 16C.

Kathleen is off to church.

After three months of heavy relaxation, we decide to spend the day, taking it easy!

Monday, 20th April 2015

A leisurely drive to Dunkirk with a little last minute, wine shopping.

Kathleen cannot resist a final few bottles of her favourite Rose wine, but, the bottle are loose with no boxes.

Kathleen's solution, is to put them in the bed, to stop them rolling around and rattling.

At the ferry port, unusually, in our experience, they actually check the van for "stowaways". This involves a Security man searching the van, quite what he thinks of a British Pensioner who takes her wine to bed with her, he does not say.

Back in the UK, the M25 is actually moving, even the Dartford Crossing has only slow moving queues, thanks, presumably to the new toll system.

Once we are sure we can make it that far, Kathleen rings the Caravan Club Site, Commons Wood, at Welwyn Garden City. They are, as always, extremely helpful, and arrange to be available to check us in at our estimated arrival time of 08:00pm.

Tuesday, 21st April 2015

Except for a puncture, in one of the trailer tyres, an uneventful journey home. Fortunately, we carry a spare wheel for the trailer, so, other than the half hour delay, to change the wheel, no problem.

A very pleasant surprise on our return, daughter Claire has cut the lawns regularly, in our absence, so, we are not faced with the usual major grass cutting job!

For those who cannot resist, the journey from Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, then, Dover to Welwyn Garden City.

Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 1 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 2 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 3 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 4 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 5 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 6 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 7 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 8 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 9 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 10 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 11 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 12 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 13 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 14 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 15 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 16 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk Part 17 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 18 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 19 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 20 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 21 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 22 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 23 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 24 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 25 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 26 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 27 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 28 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 29 of 30
Neufchatel-en-Bray to Dunkirk, Part 30 of 30, boarding the ferry

Then Dover to Welwyn Garden City, or, until the memory runs out!

Dover towards Welwyn Garden City, Part 1 of 5
Dover towards Welwyn Garden City, Part 2 of 5
Dover towards Welwyn Garden City, Part 3 of 5
Dover towards Welwyn Garden City, Part 4 of 5
Dover towards Welwyn Garden City, Part 5 of 5



Pujols, Camping Lot and Bastides, Eguzon-Chantome, Camping La Garenne, Marboue (April 10th - April 16th 2015 )

 Friday, 10th April 2015

It is "out of season" here, and, during our time here so far, there have been few people here, but, this morning, even some of them leave, and we are down to three vans!.

The weather forecast suggests today is going to be "changeable", so, we decide to visit St Liverade-sur-Lot, an eight mile ride along the back roads, on the scooter.

We discover, Friday is market day.

It is rather an amazing market, in terms of size, it seems to take up the whole town, we even have difficulty finding somewhere to park the scooter.

The market (other than it's size) turns out to be rather disappointing to Kathleen, most of the clothes on sale appear to be of the type favoured by muslim women!

The town too, is a disappointment, mostly in a run-down state, and, despite it's name, we do not find the River Lot!

All is not lost, we return to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and Kathleen is able to do a "recce" of the available churches, so, this weekends church going is organised.

Saturday, 11th April 2015

The perils of cycling, my bicycle has a puncture.

I take the scooter and ride along the road to the Auchan supermarket along the road, where I am able to buy a replacement inner-tube.

The original punctured inner-tube is repaired and kept as a spare.

I do not know why I am rushing to do this, since, Kathleen has spent all morning "doing her hair", so, there is no way either a cycling helmet, or a motorcycle helmet is going on THAT head, today.

Sunday, 12th April 2015

Sunday, church day for Kathleen, whilst I have a wander around town and choose somewhere for Sunday Lunch.

It is not a difficult task to choose somewhere for lunch, there appears to be only two restaurants open on Sundays!

Fortunately, given the 50/50 choice, my choice turns out to be very good.

Cocktails, Lunch, Bottle of wine, then we wobble back to the campsite on our bicycles.

Monday, 13th April 2015

Another beautiful day, it seems a shame to leave!

The sun shines for the whole journey,  including our picnic lunch, in a very civilised aire on the A20.

We are heading 240 miles north, N21 and A20 to Eguzon-Chantome, Camping La Garenne, an ACSI site, owned and run by a Dutch young couple.

As you would expect, everything works!

The journey, if you really want to see it!

Pujols to Eguzon-Chantome Part 1 of 28

Part 2 of 28

Part 3 of 28

Part 4 of 28

Part 5 of 28, Part 6 of 28, Part 7 of 28, Part 8 of 28, Part 9 of 28, Part 10 of 28, Part 11 of 28, Part 12 of 28, Part 13 of 28, Part 14 of 28, Part 15 of 28, Part 16 of 28, Part 17 of 28, Part 18 of 28, Part 19 of 28, Part 20 of 28, Part 21 of 28, Part 22 of 28, Part 23 of 28, Part 24 of 28, Part 25 of 28, Part 26 of 28, Part 27 of 28, Part 28 of 28



It is incomplete, because the SD Card became full!

The owner is really on the ball, when he sees we are towing a scooter on a trailer, he immediately offers us a map of interesting places to visit, on the scooter.

We arrive to a sweltering 24C, so not much to do until later in the afternoon, and then a stroll into the village, which appears to have quite a few restaurants, bars and, even a hotel.

In true French style however, it being Monday, only one bar was open, plus the Super-U supermarket!

The village of Eguzon-Chantome is not very big, just a few hundred houses, one supermarket, a church and a few shops.

Personally, I am not too keen on dwelling on the War (either WW1 or WW2), except to say, we do not want to see a repeat performance.

I certainly do not appreciate the sort of
"Biggles" jokes and anti German sentiment, which seem to be essential to many Brits.

But, I cannot help but notice the way in which the French honour their war dead, and the way we Brits do.

As I say, this is a tiny place, but, bang in the middle of the village, just outside the church, there is an immaculately kept war memorial. This is not unique, you will see similar in small towns and villages throughout France.

Tuesday, 14th April 2015

Straight after breakfast, I take a trip to the supermarket, on the scooter, much to my surprise, on my return, Kathleen is all kitted up, ready to go on the scooter, exploring the area.

So, using the map given to us by the campsite owner, we head off for Argenton-sur-Creuse.

This turns out to be a very pretty and incredibly lively small French town.

Kathleen then treats me to lunch, at one of

the cafes in the main square.

Sadly, because we are on the scooter, I cannot make full use of the drinks.

I am not sure what is going on, enthusiasm for riding on the scooter, buying my lunch, is there something I should know?

After lunch, we take the road to Gargilesse-Dampierre, which, we have been told, holds the accolade of being one of the (many) prettiest villages in France.

This turns into a real adventure.

After a few miles, we find the road to Gargilesse-Dampierre is closed for repairs.

In true French fashion, there is a large sign saying "Route Barre, Suivre Deviation", but, of course, no signs to indicate the Diversion!

We follow a likely looking road, which appears to be heading in the right general direction, but, after a few more miles, the tarmac runs out at the entrance to a farm.

We retrace our route, and start again, eventually,  following roller coaster of a road, with numerous twists and turns, success, we find Gargilesse-Dampierre.

Kathleen actually says she has enjoyed the ride on the scooter!

While strolling around the village, and having refreshments, we meet, two Dutch ladies, taking refreshment in a café.

Being a gentleman, I will not say elderly, but, I doubt they will see 60 again, who are walking the Pilgrim Route, from Holland to St Jacques Compestelle.

Now, we have driven to St Jacques Compestelle, it is a long way! We wish them "good luck" on their journey.

We are now on the "other side" of the river from the campsite, so, we head back to Eguzon, via the Barrage and Lac Eguzon.

Wednesday, 15th April 2015.

Wednesday, is Market day in Eguzon, so, off we go after breakfast.

It is a fairly tame affair, only six or seven stalls. Of these only one is selling clothes, and, they are all "granny" clothes. Now, Kathleen is a Grandmother, but, as she often says, "I don't want to look like a Granny".

 After lunch, I am amazed to find, Kathleen is all fired up to go out exploring, on the scooter, maybe, we are into reliving the 60's?

It is another scorching day, but, cool enough as we breeze along the country lanes.

I think the road repair gangs of France must have conspired to have a laugh at our expense, we encounter yet another "Route Barre, Suivre Deviation"!

This time, there are at least a few signs to give a clue which way to go.

At least we get to go the scenic route along the back roads, to Lac Eguzon.

Thursday, 16th April 2015

Just under 90 miles, and we arrive at an Aire, Marboue,  (N48 6.744' E1 19.722), a pleasant spot, about 25 miles south of Chartres. It has the usual Service point items, plus a well maintained toilet.

It is literally just off the N10, but, given how close it is to a major road, road noise is not a problem.

The whole journey, if you want to see some or all of it:

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 1 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 2 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 3 of 28
Eguzon to Marboue, Part 4 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 5 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 6 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 7 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 8 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 9 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 10 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 11 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 12 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 13 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 14 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 15 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 16 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 17 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 18 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 19 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 20 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 21 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 22 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 23 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 24 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 25 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 26 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 27 of 28

Eguzon to Marboue, Part 28 of 28