A light hearted and (I hope) amusing record of some of our Campervan Trips.
It is mainly intended to inform friends and family where we are, plus, to keep our children updated on what is happening to their inheritance.
I do try to include details of Camp Sites and Aires, we visit. Checkout the "labels" listed in the right margin,
Please comment if you feel inclined, at least then I know I am not talking to myself (again).
Saturday, 11th February 2017 We exchanged our "Tesco Vouchers" for a Tunnel voucher, some weeks ago, ready to book a crossing. Then, the dreaded "medication review" for Kathleen threw a spanner in the works. Changes of medication, blood pressure monitoring, blood samples combine to mean, no booking can be made. But, today, we bite the bullet and book, given the minimum 14 day notice period, we are on for 25th February 2017, Spain, and sunshine (we hope), here we come. Previously, we have always been light on planning, ie, we did not really do any, but, this trip, with only one driver, I feel a bit more "pressured" and therefore inclined to have at least a vague plan. First, a four day stop-over to see grandchildren Gabriel and Salma, and their parents (Gary and Susana) of course. We cannot get into our "usual" stop over (Queens Acre, Oakley Green, Windsor), so, we will be staying at Chertsey Camping and Caravan Club site.
We are booked on the tunnel, 12:30am Saturday, ie, just after midnight, so the plan is, after exiting tunnel, drive to Baie-de-Somme Aire on the A16, about 60 miles, then sleep. So, if all goes as planned, the map on the right is the first leg of our journey, with a stop-over to visit Gary and Susana and do some grandchildren bonding of course. Next, head for the Somport Tunnel (weather permitting), hopefully two overnight stops should do it, before the tunnel. Somport Tunnel Route, perhaps, I will not show this to Kathleen in advance?
We have the obligatory "Garden Photograph" to give Claire something to aspire to in her "looking after the garden" role, during our absence. Tuesday, 21st February 2017.
We get away pretty much on time, ie 9:40, so far, nothing of significance appears to have been left behind. So far the only thing we are aware of leaving behind is a loaf of bread, it's absence was discovered at our lunch stop. For once, an easy drive south to Chertsey, not one traffic hold up, well, not until we reach the M3 junction on the M25, so, 290 easy miles, to arrive at Chertsey, Camping and Caravan Club Site at approximately 17:00.
Monday 10th October 2016 After yesterday's rain, we have a bright and sunny day. We are close enough to Gary & Susana's house to cycle there, but, in the interests of saving time, we unload the scooter from trailer, and use that to ride to Wyatt Road. A very pleasant morning spent with Susana and Salma, followed by retail therapy for Kathleen, while Salma attends a hospital appointment. We have the very pleasant task of collecting Gabriel from school, after his football club. The whole point of stopping off at Windsor, was to see the family, Gary, Susana, Gabriel and Salma, but, as so often happens with jobs such as Gary's, things do not go according to plan, and, it looks as if we will not see him, but, then, late in the afternoon, a nice surprise, Gary arrives home, so, we get to spend the evening with all of the "Windsor Reays". By the time we leave, to return to the Van, it is a cold and dark ride back. We have the correct protective clothing with us however, and Kathleen earns another "stripe" on her "bike-chick" credentials!. Tuesday 11th October 2016 Brr.... a really cold and frosty start, to the day, but, bright and sunny as the morning progresses. An hour or so, with Gary all to myself, whilst we return his hire car, followed by very pleasant walk and lunch at Virginia Water, with the ladies (Kathleen, Susana and Salma) joining us. Looking after Gabriel and Salma, whilst Gary and Susana go to Gabriel's School, to hear his teacher praise him (what else!). A family meal, in the evening, to round off the day. A little excitement as we get a taxi back to the Van. I ask to be taken to "Queens Acre" (the name of the Campsite), only to be taken to a rather smart housing development. Be warned, there are two places called "Queens Acre", in Windsor. No problem, the driver acknowledges the mistake, and we arrive eventually, at the correct place. Actually, I am rather flattered that the Taxi Driver thought we looked affluent enough to live at the Queens Acre housing development, but, then again, perhaps, he thought we were "staff"?
Wednesday 12th October 2016
It would appear, the bright sunny weather has come to an end, cloudy with showers this morning. Gary drives along to bid us farewell and safe journey. We arrive home late afternoon, after an uneventful journey. The garden is pleasantly tidy, thanks to Phillippa and Claire's efforts, it is so nice, NOT, to return to an out of control garden! The journey, overall.
Our Ferry is 6:00am, with check-in 5:00am, and about 20 minutes drive to the Port, from the
Gravelines Aire, so, needless to say, it is dark and cold, given the time of morning, to make matters more unpleasant, it is raining, not continually, but, a series of heavy showers. Amazingly, at such an early hour, the ferry is very crowded, lots of buses, each of course with 50-60 passengers.
A wet arrival in Dover, at 7:15 UK time. Reasonably light traffic, but,pouring rain, most of the way to Rainham in Kent.
But, the sun shines, as we arrive at Chez Brian and Linda, for breakfast.
Gravelines to Rainham, in video. After breakfast, a catch up chat, and a brief tour of Brian's new toy (Smart Car to tow behind campervan), we travel around the M25 to Queens Acre, Windsor, for a nice welcome from Celeste, the owner. Once settled in, we cycle the 1.5 miles to Gary and Susana's for our Gabriel and Salma fix.
Rather dull, 8C as we leave Chateau-Thierry. It does improve as the day progresses, but, just a little sunshine, and 15C. First stop, Lidl, so Kathleen can add to her wine and Gin collection. It turns out to be Market Day in Chateau-Thierry, what a shame, we missed it. Then a pleasant 45 miles or so along quiet roads, to Coucy Le Chateau. It is a pleasant small village, no problems as a stop over, but, I am pleased I did not choose as the stop-over for the day of my birthday, the only "commerces" are a Pharmacy and a Boulangerie! That is first impressions, but, there is a "haut ville", with a ruined 13th century castle, and, I suspect, one or more bars / cafes / hotels, but, I cannot coax Kathleen into climbing the steep hill to get there. The Aire at Coucy Le Chateau (N49 31.199 E3 18.805), appears well organised, no entry barrier, but, a similar machine to Chateau-Thierry, to pay for
Electricity, etc, and, dispense a code to give access to water, toilet and electricity. The charge is 5Euro / 24 hours, Parking, Water, Toilet and 16amp EHU, everything clean and tidy. There are marked out spaces for six vans, when we arrived, just before lunch time, only one van here (British), then a further three Brits turned up, by 15:00, it was full plus an extra two vans squeezed in (French and Belgian). This portion of the trip, in video.
Saturday, 8th October 2016 Misty and murky start to the day, but, not cold. By lunchtime, a hint of blue sky.
The final leg, to our usual last stop, Gravelines, which is really like saying Dunkirk, since, Gravelines is a rest stop, if it is a Saturday (which it is), Kathleen goes to church. A traffic free drive, except around Lille, and a leisurely lunch stop, to make a pleasant last day in France. Once we arrive, and get "set up" we have a meal, Kathleen does church, then, a little drink, and an early night, because, tomorrow is a 4:30am start. This portion of the trip, in video.
Wednesday, 5th October 2016 Another bright, dry, cool morning. Even as we head north, it stays sunny and by mid afternoon, it is 15C.
We say our fond farewell's to Deryk and Lesley, and Lesley treats us to a hilarious review of her English pronunciation of her French vocabulary, just to prove, she does not speak French. Droite (right) is a particular favourite of Kathleen's. Still chuckling, head off for Chateau Thierry. A pleasant drive of about 140 miles. Kathleen's alarm level increasing steadily as we approached nearer and nearer to Paris, but, after Fontainbleu, the sat-nav took us "cross country", totally avoiding the dreaded Paris Ring Road. Our stopping place at Chateau Thierry is an Aire, N49 2.195' E3 22.966'. Incredibly well organised.
Spacious, marked out bays, with more of less level hard surface, and a small grass area. Spaces for about a dozen vans. We arrived about 1:00pm, there were about six vans here, by 4:30pm, it was full. Supermarkets and Town Centre, within easy walking (or cycling) distance, ie one mile to Town Centre. You must pay, by debit/credit card, on entry. The machine gives instructions in English if required, you choose how long you want to stay (24 or 48 hours), how many people and if you want EHU. On the above date, the tariff was Euro9.90 per day, two people with services including EHU.
You get a receipt containing a code to open the barrier, and a separate code for the toilets / showers. There are the usual services, ie waste water emptying point, chemical toilet emptying point, plus, washing up sinks. The Aire is located behind a McDonalds (no usable wifi signal on Aire), and alongside the River Marne. The journey, so far.
This portion of the trip, in video:
Thursday, 6th October 2016 Blue sky, sunshine, but, we are in Northern France, and, it is October, so, a cool 8C in the morning, rising to a pleasant 16C by lunchtime. Today, is my birthday, the last year of my 60s, so, I have to make the most of it,
We take a leisurely stroll into town, along the River Marne. In the Town Centre, the travelling Fair and Circus, which was there yesterday, is gone, no sign that it was ever here. We stroll around the town, in the autumn sunshine. I have already selected where I want to eat (L'Adress Rive Droite), but, Kathleen, being a woman, always like to check, just in case she has missed something.
As is the French way, suddenly, the place becomes quiet, displays of goods are taken in, shops close their doors, it is Lunch Time! So, we make our way to L'Adress Rive Droite, the place is buzzing, but, we are given a very pleasant window table. We are treated to first class attention, once they establish we are English, which does not take long, given our very limited French!, a waitress appears and explains the "Menu du Jour", in English. We have the full works, Aperitifs, three courses, wine, coffee and "digestifs". We practice our appalling French on the staff, which they accept in good humour, and, they lapse into English, when all else fails! Wine is chosen from a position of almost total ignorance, but is excellent. An excellent Port as an aperitif, for me, and Kir Blanc for Kathleen. Kathleen is amazingly adventurous, and even eats some salad with dressing on it, whilst for my starter, I have what I assume was eel (the waitress knew only, in English, that it was locally caught fish). If it was eel, it is the first time I have eaten it, palatable, but, perhaps, I will pass, or try snake next time! A thoroughly enjoyable experience, which I enjoyed treating myself to.
A really cool start to the day, at 2C, but, it soon warms up, and we enjoy 19C by mid-morning. The place is jam-packed. I unload the bicycles and off we cycle, initially, along the Canal Briare, but, the cycle track is not smooth enough for Kathleen's taste, so, we back track and follow the Canal Lateral de Loire, to Chatillon-sur-Loire. The area is criss-crossed by water ways, at least two canals which are in current use,
plus an obsolete version of the Canal Lateral, and of course, the River Loire, it is very confusing, plus of course, if you end up on the "wrong side" of a water-way, they only option is to peddle to the next bridge to cross. We do just over 15 miles. This time, I do get a beer, on Kathleen, By chance, we meet our English neighbours, Deryk and Lesley, near Chatillon-sur-Loire, as they sit eating their picnic lunch, prior to continuing their hunt for hidden "geo-caches".
The weather forecast says, rain, this evening, but, as I lie in bed at 7:00am, I can hear rain pattering on the roof, this is not good. Surprisingly, after the poor start, there is no more rain, although, it stays cloudy all day, temperatures are still reasonable however at 18C. We set off on the scooter to find the Le Clerc, Hypermarket, to do the obligatory shopping for Wine, etc. We do not find the Le Clerc, but, we do find a Carrefour, and do some serious (ie lots of) wine buying, to fill up the available carrying space on the scooter. After lunch, another attempt to find Le Clerc, success, more wine is acquired. You may gather from this, signposting and advertising of Supermarkets is not a French strong point, you would be right! Eventually, 19:00, the rain comes. Saturday, 1st October 2016 Torrential rain, all night, not that it bothers me, I am a sound sleeper! Rain slowly clears, by 10:30, we are able to walk to the market, without being soaked. Typical market, we actually buy something (universal plug, for the sink, ours appears to have been lost, by someone, who uses it when washing their hair, no names, no packdrill), a whole 1Euro, spent, on a pack containing four universal sink plugs. In the evening, with black clouds threatening another downpour, which, fortunately, did not materialise, we take a three mile scooter ride to Saint-Martin-sur-Ocre, so Kathleen can go to Church. Sunday, 2nd October 2016 Brilliant sunshine and a clear blue sky this morning, but, it is a very autumnal 9C, warming to 17C by mid afternoon. Sunday morning, for Kathleen, is taken up with major hair-care operations. In addition, we wash everything which can be washed and charge everything which can be charged, fill up with water etc, because we expect to spend a few nights "roughing it" on Aires, as we make our way north to Dunkirk.
Scooter loaded onto trailer, along with bicycles. All packed and ready to go, by 17:00. The site had been almost empty, but, around lunch time, we get new neighbours, a very elderly French couple, with what appears to be enough equipment for a months stay, and, it all appears to be brand new. Late in the afternoon, there is an influx of campervans and caravans, mostly Dutch (no surprise there) and, it would appear travelling in groups of two or three.
Monday, 3rd October 2016
Autumn is here today, only 1C, and fog on the river. But, the sun clears away the fog, for a very pleasant sunny day, with a balmy 20C by mid afternoon. I cannot resist an attempt at some "arty" shots of the fog, on the RIver Loire. Plenty of time, because today, we plan to travel only about nine miles, along the Loire, to Briare. Briare, is the meeting point of two canals, and, there is an impressive acquaduct
carrying the Canal over the River Loire. We cycled there a few days ago, and, there is an Aire, where we plan to stay for a couple of days, and cycle along the Briare Canal. We call at Le Clerc, to fill up with diesel and do some food shopping, then, final alcohol shopping, at the Lidl, just outside of Briare. There is at actually at least two Aires, possibly three. We choose the most scenic one, along side the canal. No Services, but a pleasant view. N47 38'3" E2 44'25". It is just across the road from the "official" Aire.
It is such a short distance, it is hardly worth the effort of giving a map, but, for completeness, here it is. The short journey, in video.
We arrive, just after 12:00 lunch time, and get one of the last two spaces, so, clearly a popular spot, the moral of the story is, be early! We are parked next to another English couple, Deryk and Lesley, from Hampshire, although, Deryk is really a Sunderland lad, his parents emigrated to the Hayes in the 1930's! A delightful couple, who are indulging their love of "geo-caching".
Once settled, and a quick lunch, Kathleen suggests she will treat me to a glass of Rose, in one of the village cafe/bars. All very fine, we select a bar, Kathleen orders to very nice, but, rather expensive (12Euro) glasses (yes, that is 6Euro per glass, not per bottle!) of Rose, and, we are given "free" local spicy sausage, in a small bowl. Fortunately, Kathleen does not like the sausage, so, I get to eat it all. Now for the finale, Kathleen has forgotten her purse!, so, I get to pay for my own "treat". While sitting in the sun, watching the boats go by, an elderly chap, riding on a mobility scooter, towing a cycle trailer, with a collie dog riding in it. Stops, and chats to us. If his tale is even half true, he has had a remarkable life. Joined the Sutherland Highlanders as a boy soldier, became an explosives expert and rose to the rank of Warrant Officer. After retirement from the Army, he sailed the canals of France, for several years, in his canal boat. At some point, at Briare, he was initially "delayed" by a defect on the Pont Canal. When that was repaired, and as he prepared to leave, he suffered a heart attack, and was further delayed. He subsequently had heart surgery and a tumour removed from his lung, courtesy of the French Health Service. Now, aged 82, he is still here, living on a house boat, attended by a daily carer, and a series of nurses, all provided by the French Healthcare System. He also "works" as nightwatchman in the Marina, exchange for a free berth and services. As I say, hardly a "standard" life story.
