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| Paul and his new Bandana |
30th June 2009
We got the bus into Oxford and did some shopping, bought some bandanas because we thought they looked cool, a dressing gown for me and jeans for us both. After wandering around Oxford for some time we got the bus back to the campsite and sat outside, relaxing in the sun.
29th June 2009
We arrived at the Caravan & Camping Club site on Abingdon Road, Oxford, which is well situated for Oxford town, only a mile away. There is also a Park & Ride next to the campsite so I think we’ll stay here for a few days. The site itself is not bad and the showers are quite clean and functional. We don't think their sites are as good as Caravan Club sites though.
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| Caravan & Camping Club site Oxford |
28th June 2009
Sandy came and picked us up about 11:00 and we went back to theirs for lunch. Sandy and I went off to Tesco and bought some food things, I got some Slimfast as I want to lose some weight, yes, yet another diet. We also got the ingredients to make Paul his favourite dessert, waffles and toffee bananas. No, he's not on another diet obviously.
We had a lovely roast lunch followed by a stodgy pudding, Sandy always lays on a fantastic meal- I then got my Tarot cards down from their loft and then Sandy and I played Jacks. She took us back to the campsite about 17:30. We watched TV and went to bed. Tomorrow we’re heading for Oxford.
We had a lovely roast lunch followed by a stodgy pudding, Sandy always lays on a fantastic meal- I then got my Tarot cards down from their loft and then Sandy and I played Jacks. She took us back to the campsite about 17:30. We watched TV and went to bed. Tomorrow we’re heading for Oxford.
27th June 2009
Tina: Sandy drove us all to Port Solent and we had lunch in Weatherspoons on the marina there. My tummy is a mess after the curry last night, must get back to healthy eating again. We walked around the shops and noticed that Fenwick's the furniture store has closed down due to the recession, and we walked around the marina and admired the boats. Sandy then took us back to the campsite as they were going out to a War of The Worlds concert in the evening. We watched TV and I played AC and then went to bed.
26th June 2009
We left Normanhurst and drove up to Bognor Regis. On the way we stopped at a Caravan Sales site near Washington on the A24 as we had toyed with the idea of swapping the van for a caravan and thought we would see what they would cost and how much we would get for our motor home. The sales guy had a good look at the van and we saw a couple of caravans that would have been suitable. He said he would call us with a figure. Tina and I talked and decided that as we’d spent so much personalising the van, we probably didn't want to swap it, which was just as well as the salesman never bothered to phone us back. We won't go there again!
We arrived at the Bognor site and Tony came to collect us. We got back to their house and sat in the garden chatting until Sandy got in from work. We decided to order an Indian takeaway as we hadn't had anything like that since we were in Portugal. We gave them their presents, which they loved.
We arrived at the Bognor site and Tony came to collect us. We got back to their house and sat in the garden chatting until Sandy got in from work. We decided to order an Indian takeaway as we hadn't had anything like that since we were in Portugal. We gave them their presents, which they loved.
25th June 2009
We got to Johns Cross about 09:30 and after going through the details of what needed doing, they got someone to drop us into Battle which is the nearest town. I saw a hairdresser and went in to see if they had time to do my roots and surprisingly they had someone available right away. So Paul went off to have a cooked breakfast. My hair cost £40 which was slightly better than the £120 that Sarah Alexander in Reigate were going to charge me. I was going to ask Sandy to help me put on a box colour, but now it's all done.
We stopped at M & S at Hedge End yesterday on the way down and I got something for Sandy's birthday. One of the things was priced at £12 but when I got to the till they said it was £15! After some discussion they let me have it for £12. We then went to Sainsbury's next door and bought some food. I then decided I would like one of the jewellery things I'd bought for Sandy but when we went back in to M & S they had marked them all up at £15 so I didn't bother.
After having my hair done I bought a sandwich as I was hungry and Paul had already eaten, and we phoned Johns Cross and asked someone to come and pick us up, they told us to call them when we’d had enough of shopping.
Paul: One of the things we’d asked Swift to do was to replace our SatNav as it didn't have the maps of Spain and Portugal and some other countries were also missing. One of the Johns Cross mechanics tried to load down a disc with the additional maps on but it failed and deleted all the maps we already had oops! The mechanic was a young lad and he was really embarrassed so he went and got another complete SatNav unit from a new van and swapped it over. It was an upgraded version so we were more than happy. I now had the whole of Western Europe on one device. I slipped the lad a fiver and he was chuffed.
We stopped at M & S at Hedge End yesterday on the way down and I got something for Sandy's birthday. One of the things was priced at £12 but when I got to the till they said it was £15! After some discussion they let me have it for £12. We then went to Sainsbury's next door and bought some food. I then decided I would like one of the jewellery things I'd bought for Sandy but when we went back in to M & S they had marked them all up at £15 so I didn't bother.
After having my hair done I bought a sandwich as I was hungry and Paul had already eaten, and we phoned Johns Cross and asked someone to come and pick us up, they told us to call them when we’d had enough of shopping.
Paul: One of the things we’d asked Swift to do was to replace our SatNav as it didn't have the maps of Spain and Portugal and some other countries were also missing. One of the Johns Cross mechanics tried to load down a disc with the additional maps on but it failed and deleted all the maps we already had oops! The mechanic was a young lad and he was really embarrassed so he went and got another complete SatNav unit from a new van and swapped it over. It was an upgraded version so we were more than happy. I now had the whole of Western Europe on one device. I slipped the lad a fiver and he was chuffed.
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| Fixing the SatNav at Johns Cross |
Johns Cross fixed all the outstanding problems, the main one being the rear mudguard, so we were very happy with the way they sorted things out for us and we were back to a pristine van again.
We then drove to a Homebase as Tina wanted a lay on type sun lounger but they didn't have any, why does nobody seem to stock sun loungers? We returned to the campsite and spent some time putting things away and tidying the van and then spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sun. We'll have dinner in a bit and watch TV, bed early and then up tomorrow to go to Sandy & Tony's in Littlehampton. We've booked the Bognor Campsite again.
24th June 2009
We left Charmouth and had a long drive up to East Sussex to Normanhurst Court, a Caravan Club site on what was originally the formal gardens of a stately house. We’re going to stay here as it's the closest site to Johns Cross, the Swift dealer who’ve agreed to fix the things that need doing on the van. They did say we could stay in their yard, but we prefer to stay on a campsite nearby. We dropped in to their workshop before going to the campsite, they had a quick look at the problems and told us to arrive tomorrow morning about 09:30 and they’d try and get all the work done in one day.
We then drove on to the campsite. It must have been beautiful in May as there are loads of Rhododendrons everywhere and also loads of rabbits. The pitches are really big, but the showers aren't as good as some club sites. We didn't arrive until 17:30 and had to choose our pitch before 18:00 because all vehicles have to stop moving on the site then. As it's such a big site, and the road is a one way system, we had to walk around and find a suitable pitch. Paul likes to find a spot away from the trees so we can get a TV or satellite signal for the TV.
We found our pitch and set up, had dinner and watched TV. I had played AC this morning so no need to tonight and we turned in early. My shoulder and arm are really hurting today and it's made me grumpy. I've taken pain killers but they just don't seem to do anything. I must go and see a doctor or go to the hospital or something as this is driving me mad.
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| Normanhurst Court Campsite Kent |
We found our pitch and set up, had dinner and watched TV. I had played AC this morning so no need to tonight and we turned in early. My shoulder and arm are really hurting today and it's made me grumpy. I've taken pain killers but they just don't seem to do anything. I must go and see a doctor or go to the hospital or something as this is driving me mad.
23rd June 2009
Tina: Didn't do much today, I made cards and Paul sat in the sun. We both feel a bit ill because we've eaten a lot of rubbish over the last few days, pasties, pork pies, bread, cakes, all carbohydrates- and it's made me have hot flushes again and given me indigestion.
22nd June 2009
Paul: Left Plymouth today and headed up to Taunton. I wanted to go back to Vanbitz as we had a problem with the loop cable on the alarm system, it kept going off on its own. Arrived mid morning and Eddie got someone to have a look and they decided to supply a new cable. Hopefully this will fix the problem. Then after a quick lunch we headed over to Charmouth in Dorset as we were working our way back towards Kent. We found a great campsite called Wood Farm. It is spread over the side of the rolling Dorset hills and we pitched up right at the top of the site and had a beautiful view over the hills.
It took a long time to get here, the bloody satnav took us through tiny little country lanes barely big enough for the van. It was a bit hairy at times.
It wasn't quite warm enough to sit outside so we read, and Tina played AC and I went on the computer.
We couldn't get a dongle signal so we paid for the campsite WiFi which we hate doing. It was £6 for four hours. I do hate these companies who install it for the campsites and tell them how wonderful it will be for their customers and how much money they will make from it. In fact customers just feel they are being ripped off and we didn't find anybody who ever paid to use it. They would rather go without. I think it’s done by the same companies who sell it and install it into hotels, but the business community is prepared to pay the exorbitant prices they charge.
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| Wood Farm Charmouth Dorset |
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| Wonderful Rolling Dorset hills |
It wasn't quite warm enough to sit outside so we read, and Tina played AC and I went on the computer.
We couldn't get a dongle signal so we paid for the campsite WiFi which we hate doing. It was £6 for four hours. I do hate these companies who install it for the campsites and tell them how wonderful it will be for their customers and how much money they will make from it. In fact customers just feel they are being ripped off and we didn't find anybody who ever paid to use it. They would rather go without. I think it’s done by the same companies who sell it and install it into hotels, but the business community is prepared to pay the exorbitant prices they charge.
21st June 2009
Dad came and collected us in his car and took us to their house. Linda and Bill were there too and we had a nice time chatting and catching up, probably the most I've ever talked to Linda, and I've taken her email address too. I said I’d send her some of my short stories and some books she might like. I had a look at Mum & Dad's new bathroom. At the moment it's rather a mess, but it's going to look good with a big shower cubicle, a vast improvement on what they had before.
Dad took us back to Riverside about 12 noon & I did some washing and hung it up to dry. I sat outside making cards for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we went and had the special roast dinner that the campsite laid on for Sundays. We'd been looking forward to our first roast dinner for months, and although it was edible, it wasn't as nice as the one we had there previously.
The campsite is okay, it's very convenient for us to go to Plymouth and to visit everyone, but the showers are rubbish, they're the push button ones and literally last about six seconds so you have to wedge your back against the button and hold it in so you can shower properly. I played AC and we watched the final episode of the series Supernatural. Linda likes this series too so I sent her the web link to their site and also emailed her the other stuff I'd promised her.
Dad took us back to Riverside about 12 noon & I did some washing and hung it up to dry. I sat outside making cards for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we went and had the special roast dinner that the campsite laid on for Sundays. We'd been looking forward to our first roast dinner for months, and although it was edible, it wasn't as nice as the one we had there previously.
The campsite is okay, it's very convenient for us to go to Plymouth and to visit everyone, but the showers are rubbish, they're the push button ones and literally last about six seconds so you have to wedge your back against the button and hold it in so you can shower properly. I played AC and we watched the final episode of the series Supernatural. Linda likes this series too so I sent her the web link to their site and also emailed her the other stuff I'd promised her.
20th June 2009
Got up and showered then got the Park & Ride from Coypool to Plymouth Town Centre. I wanted to see if I could get my hair done at Debenhams. They were able to fit me in but the woman stylist was useless and my hair was a real mess. Paul came back from shopping and had bought a black leather waistcoat from Dingles after we spent ages walking round the whole of town looking for one and then noticed my face and asked what was wrong? I complained to the manager, a young girl and she took over and re-did my hair without charging me. I only intended to have it trimmed but the stupid woman had taken about two inches off all over and then the new girl had to cut a bit more to tidy it up again.
Got the bus back to Riverside and Maria came to visit again and also Wayne, Kirsty and Abby. We sat around and chatted for the rest of the afternoon, had dinner, watched Casualty and played AC.
Got the bus back to Riverside and Maria came to visit again and also Wayne, Kirsty and Abby. We sat around and chatted for the rest of the afternoon, had dinner, watched Casualty and played AC.
19th June 2009
Tina: Mum and Dad came over about 11:30am It was lovely to see them again. We'd bought a couple of cheap foldaway camping chairs from Tesco so that we could seat more than two people. Mum gave me some Avon skin cream which apparently does a great job as an insect repellent. We probably won't go to the West of Scotland now as we've heard there are lots of midges, and with my luck I'll probably end up in hospital with blood poisoning.
I gave them the Normandy biscuits we’d bought and the spoon rest, which they liked. Paul did a barbecue and we had a lovely time chatting to them about our travels. They are having the bathroom done at home so they can't shower at the moment. I said they could use the showers at the campsite but they didn't want to.
When they'd gone, Maria and the kids arrived and it was nice to see them too. Emmanuel was better behaved, well he wasn't as noisy as usual but poor Maria can't have a second to herself. A soon as she puts him down he runs off somewhere and she has to go chasing after him, God he's a handful, it made me tired just watching them! They all liked their pressies too, I'm glad I bought them something, it's nice giving presents. When they'd gone we had dinner and watched TV for a while and I played AC.
I gave them the Normandy biscuits we’d bought and the spoon rest, which they liked. Paul did a barbecue and we had a lovely time chatting to them about our travels. They are having the bathroom done at home so they can't shower at the moment. I said they could use the showers at the campsite but they didn't want to.
When they'd gone, Maria and the kids arrived and it was nice to see them too. Emmanuel was better behaved, well he wasn't as noisy as usual but poor Maria can't have a second to herself. A soon as she puts him down he runs off somewhere and she has to go chasing after him, God he's a handful, it made me tired just watching them! They all liked their pressies too, I'm glad I bought them something, it's nice giving presents. When they'd gone we had dinner and watched TV for a while and I played AC.
18th June 2009
We left the campsite and drove to our old Tesco when we lived in Reigate. It was really comforting to shop in a supermarket we were familiar with. Tina thought it was wonderful to be able to buy proper food again ha ha!
We then set off for Plymouth, and arrived about 6pm We’d texted Tina's mum and sister to let them know when we’d arrive and invited her mum and dad to a BBQ, so we stopped at Sainsbury to get some salad and burgers before going to the site. Riverside Campsite, as the name suggests, is alongside the river Plym, and although it’s tucked behind the industrial area, you wouldn't know it as it’s quiet and green with lots of trees. Our pitch was around the back of the site, and unlike the last time we stayed, had large chunks of rock around the pitch which isn't nice on the feet, and you can't put a groundsheet down. We had dinner, proper food yippee, and retired to bed.
We then set off for Plymouth, and arrived about 6pm We’d texted Tina's mum and sister to let them know when we’d arrive and invited her mum and dad to a BBQ, so we stopped at Sainsbury to get some salad and burgers before going to the site. Riverside Campsite, as the name suggests, is alongside the river Plym, and although it’s tucked behind the industrial area, you wouldn't know it as it’s quiet and green with lots of trees. Our pitch was around the back of the site, and unlike the last time we stayed, had large chunks of rock around the pitch which isn't nice on the feet, and you can't put a groundsheet down. We had dinner, proper food yippee, and retired to bed.
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| Riverside Camping Plymouth |
17th June 2009
Paul: Got up at a reasonable time, 9 ish I think and decided we'd go to Canterbury. We'd heard that there was a good park and ride place and we could leave the van there and go shopping. When we arrived we were surprised to find proper bays for Motorhomes, with fresh water and a waste disposal right by the bus station and all for £2.50 including the bus ride. You can actually stay overnight for that, and apparently people who are catching early boats or trains for France often do.
We caught a bus into Canterbury and bought lots of bits that we wanted. Tina bought two pairs of shorts and some tops, we got some books and we sorted out a Pay as You Go dongle with the local 3 shop. All we had to do was buy a SIM card and then some £10 vouchers, which we could load on as we required. I also topped up my phone, so we got quite a few things done in readiness for our UK tour.
We caught the bus back to the parking site, and then drove on to our next campsite, which was at Alderstead Heath near Redhill in Surrey. The idea was that we’d stay there for about five days until it was time to take the van to Johns Cross, the nearest Swift dealer in Kent. We could also get a bus to Reigate to Tina's hairdresser and she could get her hair done. Well it turned out that the campsite was miles from Redhill and Reigate. It would have cost about £15 for a taxi, and the hairdressers was expensive too so we decided to just stay one night and in the morning head down to Plymouth for the weekend. We did the usual, ate dinner, watched TV and Tina played AC.
We caught a bus into Canterbury and bought lots of bits that we wanted. Tina bought two pairs of shorts and some tops, we got some books and we sorted out a Pay as You Go dongle with the local 3 shop. All we had to do was buy a SIM card and then some £10 vouchers, which we could load on as we required. I also topped up my phone, so we got quite a few things done in readiness for our UK tour.
We caught the bus back to the parking site, and then drove on to our next campsite, which was at Alderstead Heath near Redhill in Surrey. The idea was that we’d stay there for about five days until it was time to take the van to Johns Cross, the nearest Swift dealer in Kent. We could also get a bus to Reigate to Tina's hairdresser and she could get her hair done. Well it turned out that the campsite was miles from Redhill and Reigate. It would have cost about £15 for a taxi, and the hairdressers was expensive too so we decided to just stay one night and in the morning head down to Plymouth for the weekend. We did the usual, ate dinner, watched TV and Tina played AC.
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| Alderstead Heath Campsite |
16th June 2009
We got up and had a quick breakfast. Today we're going to see if we can get back to England, hurrah! We said goodbye to Vivienne and Woody and the bikers on the next pitch, and set off, aiming for Calais. We stopped for fuel, then stopped for quick lunch on a picnic area and went on our way again. As we were making good time, we decided to head straight to England, hoping we’d get a Euro train at a reasonable time. We arrived at about 16:40 but had to wait until 18:20 for a train or pay another €88. So we walked round the shops at the Eurotunnel Terminal for a bit, came back to the van and treated ourselves to a Magnum choc-ice each. We then heard the call for loading our train. It seemed like they were never going to actually call us to drive down to the loading ramps, all the cars in the other queues were moving, but not us and I started to panic as I thought they'd forgotten us.
They finally let us on at about 18:15, pushing it a bit if you ask me. We then had a row once we’d parked. Because I was worried about the fridge/freezer defrosting, I switched it to gas and thought that would be okay, but Paul shouted ‘turn it off.’ I wanted to leave it on and we argued about it until Paul scared me by saying that it could blow up if the gas leaked. So I got up and turned the fridge off. Paul then shouted, ‘what the hell are you doing?’ and I said ‘turning the fridge off like you said.’ ‘I meant turn it off gas only you tosser, not switch it off completely, it will switch to the batteries whilst we are on the train provided you just leave it on auto.’ Talk about you can't win can you!
We gain an hour once we're back in England so will be there about 18:00 and we'll go straight to the Black Horse Farm campsite and hope they have a pitch available for us. When we arrived, the sign outside said ‘Full’ but I went in and asked and they said they had one for us.
Once we’d pitched up we went and got some fish & chips from the shop up the road, sat and ate them in the van and watched TV. Yay, back in England where I can understand everything and we can go to Tesco's tomorrow and get some English shopping, hooray!
They finally let us on at about 18:15, pushing it a bit if you ask me. We then had a row once we’d parked. Because I was worried about the fridge/freezer defrosting, I switched it to gas and thought that would be okay, but Paul shouted ‘turn it off.’ I wanted to leave it on and we argued about it until Paul scared me by saying that it could blow up if the gas leaked. So I got up and turned the fridge off. Paul then shouted, ‘what the hell are you doing?’ and I said ‘turning the fridge off like you said.’ ‘I meant turn it off gas only you tosser, not switch it off completely, it will switch to the batteries whilst we are on the train provided you just leave it on auto.’ Talk about you can't win can you!
We gain an hour once we're back in England so will be there about 18:00 and we'll go straight to the Black Horse Farm campsite and hope they have a pitch available for us. When we arrived, the sign outside said ‘Full’ but I went in and asked and they said they had one for us.
Once we’d pitched up we went and got some fish & chips from the shop up the road, sat and ate them in the van and watched TV. Yay, back in England where I can understand everything and we can go to Tesco's tomorrow and get some English shopping, hooray!
Some notes on Western France and Brittany
We’d driven another 1,030 miles maintaining our diesel and oil consumption and with no further mishaps with the van.
Apart from the awful woman at the first campsite and the disaster with the Ferry to Royan, we had taken this part of the journey in our stride. I was on more familiar ground with the language and generally the campsites were not too bad. Obviously we were getting used to this lifestyle.
The weather had been a bit disappointing and was one of the reasons why we decided to head back to England. We certainly didn't want to be in France during the height of the holiday season when it would get much hotter and the prices of the campsites would revert to summer rates which would more than double.
15th June 2009
We got up quite late as I was playing AC after watching Supernatural on TV. I had a shower but the water was freezing cold so I don't think I'll bother tomorrow. We had breakfast and then set off to drive to Caen as we wanted to visit the D-Day museum.
On the way we stopped at a local Leclerc and then a Carrefour supermarket because I wanted to get some more presents for people back in England. Neither had anything so we drove into Bayeux and found some tins of biscuits in a Leclerc to replace the ones we’d opened ourselves. Then off to the D-Day museum at Bayeux and across the road to the cemetery where all the British soldiers are buried.
It’s really sad to see all these young men, some only 17 years old, who are now lying there. There was a coach load of British school children in the cemetery and as Paul was looking at the wreaths, which had obviously been left there on the 6th June to commemorate the anniversary of the landings, one of the children grabbed a photo of a soldier that had been placed against one of the wreaths, and started to dance around with it in his hands. This upset Paul. He told him off and said ‘show some respect’ you're in a cemetery. He also had a word with one of the teachers who was standing nearby.
On the way we stopped at a local Leclerc and then a Carrefour supermarket because I wanted to get some more presents for people back in England. Neither had anything so we drove into Bayeux and found some tins of biscuits in a Leclerc to replace the ones we’d opened ourselves. Then off to the D-Day museum at Bayeux and across the road to the cemetery where all the British soldiers are buried.
It’s really sad to see all these young men, some only 17 years old, who are now lying there. There was a coach load of British school children in the cemetery and as Paul was looking at the wreaths, which had obviously been left there on the 6th June to commemorate the anniversary of the landings, one of the children grabbed a photo of a soldier that had been placed against one of the wreaths, and started to dance around with it in his hands. This upset Paul. He told him off and said ‘show some respect’ you're in a cemetery. He also had a word with one of the teachers who was standing nearby.
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| D-Day museum Bayeux |
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| Bayeux British Cemetery |
We got back to the campsite quite late. We were going to have a quiche for dinner but as it was so late we decided to go to the campsite restaurant and asked the young Dutch couple (Vivienne and Dennis although his nickname was "Woody") if they wanted to join us. We had a pleasant meal and chatted to them over dinner and then they came back to our van afterwards for coffee. Vivienne gave us a big bag of sweets and we swapped email addresses. I played AC and then we went to bed.
14th June 2009
I realised we needed to go food shopping and it was Sunday so we got up about eight, didn't bother with showers and left to find the supermarket. We found loads but they were all closed. We knew some opened until 12 noon but we didn't find any. We stopped at a Carrefour that had people around but they were just in the entrance mall bit as there was only a bread stall, a tabac and a café open. We got some bread, a baton- and then we realised we didn't have any butter!
We stopped at a MacDonald's for lunch and to use their WiFi and collect emails. Paul had loads and I only had a few junk mails, then we drove to the next campsite. We drove through Bayeux, Arromanches and other towns, which are all on the Normandy Landing Beaches, and we stopped in a campsite at St Aubin, which was where the Canadians landed on D-Day. There is a cemetery at Bayeux which has lots of young British soldiers buried in it and a museum that I wanted to go and visit, but I decided I’d be too upset, so we just drove past. The graves are all well looked after with their white crosses, and each one has a vase of flowers on. So at least they are being cared for in death, bless them all.
This campsite is part of the French chain Yelloh. Their campsites are very ‘holiday camp’ orientated but certainly okay out of season. The pitches are a decent size but the loos are more typically French and not very clean. We decided to go for a walk into the town if I could walk that far as I'm still having problems with the insect bites on my ankle, but I managed it okay. The beach had really soft sand so we took our shoes off and walked along it, the first time we've done that since we left home! We stayed on the beach to the War Memorials for the Canadians who lost their lives in the D-Day landings. We walked back through the town and stopped at the ‘8 au Huit’ shop and bought some bits and pieces. We needed a carrier bag and the shop charged us €0.15 for it!
We got back to the van and spent some time talking to a young Dutch couple on the pitch opposite, who are really nice. She’s reading a Rosamund Pilcher book so I recommended Erica James' ‘Precious Time’ and ‘The Holiday’ to her and also ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’. We think she'll like those. They didn't know that MacDonald's did free WiFi, so they've gone to look for one. They're into ‘World of Warcraft’ like Davina used to be. A new couple have arrived beside us on a Pan European motorbike so we spent some time talking to them about bikes, and now Paul is cooking our dinner, sausages and eggs mmm! I've said he should write in here too so we get his perspective on things as well as mine.
Oh! I almost forgot, on the way here we got caught up in a huge bike rally with thousands of French bikers. We found out it was a charity ride for some heart foundation, so in France bikers do a lot of things for charity too.
We stopped at a MacDonald's for lunch and to use their WiFi and collect emails. Paul had loads and I only had a few junk mails, then we drove to the next campsite. We drove through Bayeux, Arromanches and other towns, which are all on the Normandy Landing Beaches, and we stopped in a campsite at St Aubin, which was where the Canadians landed on D-Day. There is a cemetery at Bayeux which has lots of young British soldiers buried in it and a museum that I wanted to go and visit, but I decided I’d be too upset, so we just drove past. The graves are all well looked after with their white crosses, and each one has a vase of flowers on. So at least they are being cared for in death, bless them all.
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| Yelloh Cote De Nacre Campsite |
We got back to the van and spent some time talking to a young Dutch couple on the pitch opposite, who are really nice. She’s reading a Rosamund Pilcher book so I recommended Erica James' ‘Precious Time’ and ‘The Holiday’ to her and also ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’. We think she'll like those. They didn't know that MacDonald's did free WiFi, so they've gone to look for one. They're into ‘World of Warcraft’ like Davina used to be. A new couple have arrived beside us on a Pan European motorbike so we spent some time talking to them about bikes, and now Paul is cooking our dinner, sausages and eggs mmm! I've said he should write in here too so we get his perspective on things as well as mine.
Oh! I almost forgot, on the way here we got caught up in a huge bike rally with thousands of French bikers. We found out it was a charity ride for some heart foundation, so in France bikers do a lot of things for charity too.
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| Bikers Charity Ride-out |
13th June 2009
Bloody hell! I was bitten to pieces last night on both feet and my left elbow, and like last time it's all swollen! Feckin’ mosquitoes. We got up, got ready and caught the bus to Mont Saint Michel. We arrived about 10:15am and at first it wasn't too crowded but that didn't last long. About an hour later it filled with people, was quite hot and too crowded. I walked up lots of steps to the entrance to the Abbey as I wanted to go to the top, Paul waited at the bottom at first, but I did manage to persuade him to come up to the middle level. They were charging €8 each to go higher so I didn't bother. We came down and walked round the shops and bought a pottery spoon rest and some Betty Boop cards for Davina. We had thought of having lunch but everything was so expensive, and we’d already overspent on lunch yesterday so we ended up walking back to the site as the bus wouldn't be due for another two hours. Ha ha I don't think Paul has walked so much for years!
I had a lie down when we got back cos my feet and elbow were swollen and painful. Later I got up and made a curry for dinner which was pretty rubbish, a French Knorr jar of sauce and it had no flavour or spices in it at all. We did the washing earlier and we picked it in even though it wasn't totally dry. I didn't sit outside all evening as I was worried I'd get bitten again, it's always in the evening as dusk falls that the mosquitoes come and eat you. I'll have to wait for these bites to go down before I risk any more, then I'll just smother myself in anti-insect stuff before sitting out.
I had a lie down when we got back cos my feet and elbow were swollen and painful. Later I got up and made a curry for dinner which was pretty rubbish, a French Knorr jar of sauce and it had no flavour or spices in it at all. We did the washing earlier and we picked it in even though it wasn't totally dry. I didn't sit outside all evening as I was worried I'd get bitten again, it's always in the evening as dusk falls that the mosquitoes come and eat you. I'll have to wait for these bites to go down before I risk any more, then I'll just smother myself in anti-insect stuff before sitting out.
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| Looking down on Paul on the lower level |
12th June 2009
Ha! Did I say the sun was back? Well it was very short lived as it started raining early this morning, so we got up, Paul had a shower, I didn't bother, and we left the site. Shame really, we were hoping to stay if the weather remained good but no point if it's raining as there's nothing to do and the shops are too far away, so we drove on to St Michaels mount or rather Mont Saint Michel. We stopped on the way at a Super-U so I could use the toilet again and Paul dropped our waste water as they had an Aire de Borne or Service Point, for camping cars, at the supermarket. We carried on and arrived at Mont Saint Michel about lunch time and drove down the causeway so we could take some photos.
Paul: You could park up in the large car park for the day if you wanted, but the charge is €8 and no hook-up or water. We went back into the little village at the end of the causeway and looked for a more suitable campsite. There are two that we saw, one is in the ACSI guide and the other isn't. We looked at both and the non ACSI one was a lot better and at only €17 per night not a lot more than the other one so as it had a restaurant too, we decided to stay there. We had lunch in the restaurant, which was really expensive at €51 and the food wasn’t even very good. But I suppose for where it is, that was to be expected. After, we walked around the little village area where there was a small supermarket and some souvenir shops. The supermarket had the same biscuits we had bought at Leclerc but the price was €6.90 whereas we had paid €3.90. What a rip-off, tourist prices!
Tina: Apparently Mont Saint Michel is all lit up at night so we may walk down the road tonight and have a look. I think sometimes you have to do certain things, be a bit crazy, like when I set the alarm for 3.00am back in Reigate and Paul and I got up to see the meteor showers, or when I climbed the sand dune at Pyla Sur Mer even though I'm terrified of heights- so tonight we'll walk to see Mont Saint Michel in the dark. Ha ha I'm mad!
Back to the van and I played AC whilst Paul washed the van. We've discovered some scratches down the sides caused by brushing hedges and twigs along some of the narrow roads; some along the side windows and more up high on the paintwork. Hopefully when we get back to the UK we can get the deeper ones polished out, in the meantime Paul got out some T-Cut and managed to remove most of them.
We are sitting outside at the moment although it's not particularly hot, just warm enough to sit out and there's an old Frenchman and his wife on the pitch opposite and he is opening some fresh oysters. Paul's already been over and spoken to him so he called me over to see them, yuck they look like giant bogies. I don't think I'd try one but you never know I might be tempted. I suppose you can always spit it out again. Problem is you can't just buy one, you have to buy a dozen, so maybe not. We'll go in and watch TV later and go to bed. I'm hoping we can get the bus down to Mont Saint Michel tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that actually.
We waited until dark and then we walked along the road to the causeway. Once outside the town, there were no street lights and it was pitch black and we couldn't even see the pathway. We took some photos, which didn't come out very well, and walked back to the van. Well, at least we’ve seen Mont Saint Michel lit up in the dark.
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| Mont Saint Michel |
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| Wild Camping at Mont Saint Michel €8 per night |
Back to the van and I played AC whilst Paul washed the van. We've discovered some scratches down the sides caused by brushing hedges and twigs along some of the narrow roads; some along the side windows and more up high on the paintwork. Hopefully when we get back to the UK we can get the deeper ones polished out, in the meantime Paul got out some T-Cut and managed to remove most of them.
We are sitting outside at the moment although it's not particularly hot, just warm enough to sit out and there's an old Frenchman and his wife on the pitch opposite and he is opening some fresh oysters. Paul's already been over and spoken to him so he called me over to see them, yuck they look like giant bogies. I don't think I'd try one but you never know I might be tempted. I suppose you can always spit it out again. Problem is you can't just buy one, you have to buy a dozen, so maybe not. We'll go in and watch TV later and go to bed. I'm hoping we can get the bus down to Mont Saint Michel tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that actually.
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| Opposite the caravan with the oysters |
11th June 2009
I had another really bad night with my shoulder, the worst yet. It didn't matter how I lay, even swapping sides with Paul. I took some strong pain killers in the end but they don't do a lot. Paul was awake most of the night too with an itching groin- what a pair we are!
I got up and had a shower and the weather was a bit drier at least, then after breakfast we paid and set off again. We stopped at a Leclerc for lunch and bought some tins of local biscuits as presents, then we drove to our next campsite near St Malo. It's a nice site, well looked after with big pitches. We had a bit of hassle, the pitches are all ‘booked’ apparently and none of those we were offered were suitable, all in amongst the trees so no sun and no TV signal. Paul went back to reception and told them that we couldn't find a suitable pitch and he was told he could try some others. Luckily we found one that was fine and Paul set up the van. I feel bad as I can't do a lot with my shoulder being the way it is, I can feel it just writing this, but Paul seems to manage okay.
I got up and had a shower and the weather was a bit drier at least, then after breakfast we paid and set off again. We stopped at a Leclerc for lunch and bought some tins of local biscuits as presents, then we drove to our next campsite near St Malo. It's a nice site, well looked after with big pitches. We had a bit of hassle, the pitches are all ‘booked’ apparently and none of those we were offered were suitable, all in amongst the trees so no sun and no TV signal. Paul went back to reception and told them that we couldn't find a suitable pitch and he was told he could try some others. Luckily we found one that was fine and Paul set up the van. I feel bad as I can't do a lot with my shoulder being the way it is, I can feel it just writing this, but Paul seems to manage okay.
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| Le P'tit Bois near St Malo |
I sat out in the sun with him for a bit, but had to go and have a lie down for a while to try and catch up on my missed sleep. Yes! We finally had a bit of sun.
We were hoping to catch a bus into St Malo tomorrow, but the bus stop is about 2 kilometres away and we don't want to walk that far. Besides, after our disaster in Lisbon, we don't know where the bus will drop us. It might not be anywhere near the shops and things. I'll just do some washing instead and get that dried while we can. I'll have to use the camp machine as I can't do it by hand at the moment, it hurts too much. Hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow, we think we've had enough rain to last us the rest of the trip actually. We have a largish bucket now so I can leave the washing soaking in that overnight and Paul can wring it out tomorrow. The sun has gone again, 6.40pm so I'm going in to cook some dinner, Tortilla I think.
10th June 2009
Well, it rained all night long so Paul got up this morning and went and collected the bread we’d ordered from the camp shop the night before, and paid for our one night stay. We had a quick breakfast of yoghurt and a cuppa, then left for the next destination. It pissed with rain all morning and is still raining as I write this at 4.30pm!
We stopped at a Leclerc on the way so I could use their loos, I have an upset tummy, probably from that cottage pie last night, and it was next to a MacDonald's too which meant we could get free WiFi. Paul collected our e-mails, nothing urgent or interesting- and after another loo stop we arrived at our next campsite, Le Panoramic. It's a nice clean site with good sized pitches.
We stopped at a Leclerc on the way so I could use their loos, I have an upset tummy, probably from that cottage pie last night, and it was next to a MacDonald's too which meant we could get free WiFi. Paul collected our e-mails, nothing urgent or interesting- and after another loo stop we arrived at our next campsite, Le Panoramic. It's a nice clean site with good sized pitches.
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| Camping Panoramic at Binic near St Brieuc |
Pity it's still raining and everything is waterlogged as it would probably be a really nice place in the sun. We get three hours free WiFi too which is good, as most of France is so expensive for WiFi. The loos and showers are really nice here, such a difference to the initial few sites we stopped on when we first started out. They were all horrible, cobwebs and spiders in the showers, no shelf to hang your clothes or a place to put your towels, a push button that you had to continually hold in to get any water, they really do differ from site to site and it’s nice to find a good one for a change.
We've checked emails and I posted some photos on Ours2. I put some wildlife ones on, the little frog, moorhen chick, butterflies and beetles. The rain has stopped for a moment, so hopefully it will brighten up now. Funny, we moan when it's too hot, and moan when it's raining. I'll water my flowers on AC later and we'll watch some TV then go to bed.
9th June 2009
God it rained all night, torrential- the noise on the van roof kept waking us up. It was also very windy. Paul was worried because we left our new draining cloth outside and he was worried about the table and chairs getting blown away and setting off the alarm (we have a wire link, which is part of the alarm system, that we can put round anything we leave outside, and if someone tries to move or steal something, the alarm will go off.) so he had to get up and check it and he brought the cloth inside.
So we left Nauzan Plage this morning and headed further north. The site is lovely good pitches and all the wild life, but we've been here for four nights now and it's time to move on. We made good time, so we passed on two sites that we’d earmarked as possible for tonight, and ended up a bit further north at Pornic near the mouth of the Loire River.
The site is called Le Pattiseau and although it's not as nice as the last one, the showers, dishwashing area and loo's are really good,unusual for a French site. It also advertises that it has free WiFi and as we haven't checked our emails for five days we'll have to ask about that. In the last site, you had to pay for the WiFi and we couldn't get a signal in the van anyway so we didn't bother. Off to check out the WiFi now. I didn't play AC last night so I guess my flowers will all be dead.
Just been to check the WiFi and it looks like we need to already have an Orange France account to be able to log in to their network as it keeps asking for a user name and password. The girl on reception said we should use our existing credentials but we don't have an account. They seem to be very backward about Internet access in France compared with what we get. It's also more expensive than in the UK. Paul has to go back at 5.00 pm when someone who knows about it will be there.
So we left Nauzan Plage this morning and headed further north. The site is lovely good pitches and all the wild life, but we've been here for four nights now and it's time to move on. We made good time, so we passed on two sites that we’d earmarked as possible for tonight, and ended up a bit further north at Pornic near the mouth of the Loire River.
The site is called Le Pattiseau and although it's not as nice as the last one, the showers, dishwashing area and loo's are really good,unusual for a French site. It also advertises that it has free WiFi and as we haven't checked our emails for five days we'll have to ask about that. In the last site, you had to pay for the WiFi and we couldn't get a signal in the van anyway so we didn't bother. Off to check out the WiFi now. I didn't play AC last night so I guess my flowers will all be dead.
Just been to check the WiFi and it looks like we need to already have an Orange France account to be able to log in to their network as it keeps asking for a user name and password. The girl on reception said we should use our existing credentials but we don't have an account. They seem to be very backward about Internet access in France compared with what we get. It's also more expensive than in the UK. Paul has to go back at 5.00 pm when someone who knows about it will be there.
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| Camping Le Pattisseau Reception |
My shoulder and arm have been really bad recently, I can hardly move it now and the pain is awful at times, even when I'm asleep it wakes me up. I don't know what to do about it though as I can't see a doctor whilst we are travelling. A lady we met gave us some pain killers but they made me feel weird. We decided we’re going to leave tomorrow because there are dogs wandering about without leads and people keep cutting across our pitch to get to the toilet block, so bloody rude!
We watched TV after playing AC and had cottage pie for dinner made with French minced beef. Not as nice as English ones though. I had loads of wilted flowers on AC and it took me ages to water them all.
8th June 2009
We were going to get a bus into Royan this morning, but it's been raining on and off so instead we packed up the van and drove off to find a Leclerc supermarket. The girl on reception suggested one but we couldn't park there. There were height barriers everywhere and Paul didn't want to park in the street as it didn't feel safe. This is the first time we've come across these restrictions. I don't understand why they do it, it means we can't shop, and they lose money.
We drove on past another couple of smaller places and then found another bigger Leclerc which also had a restaurant so we shared one of their great pizzas for lunch followed by chocolate cake with crème Anglais, delicious. Paul has loaded all the French supermarkets, campsites and other places of interest onto our navigation and map programme on the laptop, Autoroute 2007 I think it's called, and it means that we can generally find a supermarket to do our shopping without too much difficulty. Once we have the address we can then put it into our SatNav and viola! However, it doesn't tell us if they're stupid enough to put height barriers up!
We did the food shopping and I also managed to find a few little gifts to take back to England with us. There was a perfume shop and I was going to get something for Davina but at €87 for a bottle of Angel, it's too expensive. I'll have to look for something else for her. We are trying to keep to a budget of £1,500 per month including food, fuel and living expenses. So far we're doing okay but we have to be careful not to be too extravagant. We constantly remind ourselves that we're not on holiday, this is how we live. So, if it sounds as though were not doing very much sometimes, I guess it's because we wouldn't be doing things every day if we were at home either. We’ll have been travelling for two months come tomorrow, so we've actually done a lot of things, seen some wonderful places and scenery and met some really nice people. All in all I think I like this lifestyle more than I expected to, despite occasional downs.
We got back to the site and the sun finally appeared so we sat outside and I made a card for my dad for Father's Day and Paul read. We watched TV later and had sandwiches for dinner.
We drove on past another couple of smaller places and then found another bigger Leclerc which also had a restaurant so we shared one of their great pizzas for lunch followed by chocolate cake with crème Anglais, delicious. Paul has loaded all the French supermarkets, campsites and other places of interest onto our navigation and map programme on the laptop, Autoroute 2007 I think it's called, and it means that we can generally find a supermarket to do our shopping without too much difficulty. Once we have the address we can then put it into our SatNav and viola! However, it doesn't tell us if they're stupid enough to put height barriers up!
We did the food shopping and I also managed to find a few little gifts to take back to England with us. There was a perfume shop and I was going to get something for Davina but at €87 for a bottle of Angel, it's too expensive. I'll have to look for something else for her. We are trying to keep to a budget of £1,500 per month including food, fuel and living expenses. So far we're doing okay but we have to be careful not to be too extravagant. We constantly remind ourselves that we're not on holiday, this is how we live. So, if it sounds as though were not doing very much sometimes, I guess it's because we wouldn't be doing things every day if we were at home either. We’ll have been travelling for two months come tomorrow, so we've actually done a lot of things, seen some wonderful places and scenery and met some really nice people. All in all I think I like this lifestyle more than I expected to, despite occasional downs.
We got back to the site and the sun finally appeared so we sat outside and I made a card for my dad for Father's Day and Paul read. We watched TV later and had sandwiches for dinner.
7th June 2009
Tina: We didn't do much today, the weather still isn’t very good. I played AC most of the day and Paul read. We were going to go for a walk to the nearby beach this afternoon but it started raining again so we didn't bother. We had a lovely chilli last night, I didn't have any red kidney beans so I used some French version of baked beans instead. They were horrible on their own but in the chilli they were okay. We watched TV and went to bed.
6th June 2009
Paul: We are on a really pleasant campsite called Camping Le Nauzan Plage. It rained very heavily in the night and looks like it may continue today as well. However, it's a pretty site with loads of butterflies flitting around the bushes at each side of our pitch.
We are at the side of a little river and there are tiny baby frogs in the grass everywhere, hundreds of them. I expect we ran over a few last night as we parked, shame. Tina couldn't resist picking them up and stroking them! There are also some baby ducks and some really ugly moorhen chicks, which Tina thinks are really cute, yuck! It's a real wildlife haven.
Some ducklings were cheeping for their mother when a bloody dog came and chased them up and down the river. Dog owners should be shot. Why do they think it's okay for their dogs to run free everywhere, Tina is terrified of them and they terrorise the wildlife Grrr!
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| Camping Le Nauzan Plage near Royan |
Some ducklings were cheeping for their mother when a bloody dog came and chased them up and down the river. Dog owners should be shot. Why do they think it's okay for their dogs to run free everywhere, Tina is terrified of them and they terrorise the wildlife Grrr!
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| Typical pitch at Nauzan Plage |
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| Hundreds of baby Frogs |
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| Ugly little Moorhen |
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| Butterflies everywhere |
I don't know what we'll do today because of the weather; we may get a bus and go into Royan. Just now Tina told me she’d seen a big fish in the river come up after the little ducklings. We thought it may be a pike or something. If it was, they won't last long in this river. A man who had been taking photos of the butterflies in the hedges also came over and agreed that the ducklings will get eaten. Poor Tina she wanted us to help them, but that's nature I'm afraid.
We went for a walk, through a large park just next to the site and ended up in the little village of Nauzan. We hoped to find somewhere to eat but there was one restaurant and the only things they had were either Moules or Viande Rouge. Neither sounded or looked particularly appetising so we gave that a miss. Tina thought the red meat was probably horse and it might be, but more likely it was a steak. We walked back to the campsite and noticed a tiny kiosk at the entrance that was selling cooked food. We ordered a burger and chips. Tina noticed that on the menu board it said "Steak au Cheval" so she had to ask if our burger was beef or cheval which made the guy really laugh. We took the burger back to the van and shared it; there was also a ton of chips. One of the moorhens was wandering around on our grass pitch so Tina went out and took some photos. Boy are they ugly little things! Tonight we're having a chilli for dinner.
5th June 2009
We decided to leave today, it isn't near anything we can visit, there's workman driving dumper trucks around and making lots of noise so we're going to another site further up the west coast towards Brittany, near Royan. We wanted to avoid going through Bordeaux and any Autoroutes where there would be tolls to pay, so Paul set the SatNav to avoid all toll roads. We found ourselves travelling through the famous Bordeaux wine regions, seeing the famous chateaux of Medoc, Pauillac, St Estephe and many others. We were so tempted to stop but even buying these wines direct from the vineyard is still more than we can afford!
We finally arrived at Le Verdon, where according to the map, there should be a ferry or a bridge across the peninsula to Royan. Yep, there was a ferry, a bloody big one seeing as we're only crossing the Gironde estuary. Anyway, Paul thought it would probably cost about €10 but then we arrived at the ferry terminal entrance and saw the prices of the crossing, €45! Christ, it's nearly as much as crossing the Channel. Maybe we were at the wrong boat or something. We explained to the guy at the toll booth that we only wanted to go to Royan, yes he said, that's the only place the boat goes to and it’s €45 one way.
We finally arrived at Le Verdon, where according to the map, there should be a ferry or a bridge across the peninsula to Royan. Yep, there was a ferry, a bloody big one seeing as we're only crossing the Gironde estuary. Anyway, Paul thought it would probably cost about €10 but then we arrived at the ferry terminal entrance and saw the prices of the crossing, €45! Christ, it's nearly as much as crossing the Channel. Maybe we were at the wrong boat or something. We explained to the guy at the toll booth that we only wanted to go to Royan, yes he said, that's the only place the boat goes to and it’s €45 one way.
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| Ferry at Royan |
We were absolutely stunned and said we didn't want to go across and could he please let us turn around. After a lot of huffing and puffing, the man at the booth raised the barrier, and let us turn the van round so we could go back the way we came. What a waste of bloody time that was! So off we went all the way back round the outskirts of Bordeaux and back up the D137. We probably used about €30 of fuel and it took four hours. Lesson learned. If you say to the SatNav ‘no tolls’, also say ‘no ferries’ or have a good look at the map first. Oops!
We arrived at the new campsite about 7.00 pm. It's a pleasant site just on the outskirts of Royan. We had a bit of trouble finding it as it wasn't signposted very well, but tired and a bit grumpy; we found a suitable pitch and set the van up. Paul went off to a wine tasting which up near the camp reception whilst I did the dishes at the camp washroom. We had tortilla for dinner, watched TV (at last a decent signal), played AC and went to bed early-ish.
4th June 2009
We got up, didn't bother with showers, packed up the van and left to try to find the campsite near Biscarrosse in the Les Landes that we found on the way down, but had been closed because of the storms. The people had been really nice to us so we hoped we could go back. We did find it, Le Grand Pins, but not all the pitches were open and those that were, were quite small and had no shade so we carried on, to find something else.
We found a Campeole site but it was closed for lunch so we sat outside and had a sandwich, we’d stopped and bought fresh bread earlier mmmm! We drove to another site that had WiFi, but it was in the bar area so you had to buy a drink if you wanted to use the WiFi, and even then you were limited to one hour only. We found another private site that was not in the ACSI scheme but it was really expensive at €28. Paul managed to talk them down to €20. The receptionist took us to look round the site in a golf cart but the pitches were really small and the site was no better really than other ACSI sites. We said thank you and pressed on. We went back to the Campeole site that had been closed for lunch. It’s okay and not very busy, but there are workman here and diggers driving up and down. None of the pitches are shaded either. We should have stayed at Le Grand Pins after all ha ha! Still there’s free WiFi although it’s very slow. As I write this up, Paul is outside trying to get a satellite signal. I expect we will have dinner out here in the sun later and then I'll play AC and go to bed. We might move again tomorrow. I know it seems as if we are always on the move, but it's a nice pace of life. If we don't like the feel of a place, we move on. We drive for a while, look at the scenery and sites, do some shopping and then check into a campsite. It's no hardship most of the time, it takes no time to set up the van, or to pack up and get going again.
Aww, I went into AC tonight and there was a message from my friend Lisa in America saying ‘are you online?’ I said ‘yes, go to messenger and we can chat.’ We spent about half an hour talking to each other on MSN, which was lovely as we haven't spoken for ages. We watched some TV tonight Yay! We got a decent signal finally so I watched East Enders and Holby. I'm a happy bunny again now. Played AC and went to bed.
We found a Campeole site but it was closed for lunch so we sat outside and had a sandwich, we’d stopped and bought fresh bread earlier mmmm! We drove to another site that had WiFi, but it was in the bar area so you had to buy a drink if you wanted to use the WiFi, and even then you were limited to one hour only. We found another private site that was not in the ACSI scheme but it was really expensive at €28. Paul managed to talk them down to €20. The receptionist took us to look round the site in a golf cart but the pitches were really small and the site was no better really than other ACSI sites. We said thank you and pressed on. We went back to the Campeole site that had been closed for lunch. It’s okay and not very busy, but there are workman here and diggers driving up and down. None of the pitches are shaded either. We should have stayed at Le Grand Pins after all ha ha! Still there’s free WiFi although it’s very slow. As I write this up, Paul is outside trying to get a satellite signal. I expect we will have dinner out here in the sun later and then I'll play AC and go to bed. We might move again tomorrow. I know it seems as if we are always on the move, but it's a nice pace of life. If we don't like the feel of a place, we move on. We drive for a while, look at the scenery and sites, do some shopping and then check into a campsite. It's no hardship most of the time, it takes no time to set up the van, or to pack up and get going again.
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| Campeole Plage Yelloh Site |
3rd June 2009
We packed up ready to leave the site. Vince and Sandra were leaving too. It was a nice campsite, not a lot to do, but okay for a few quiet days relaxing in the sun. I was a bit naughty as we lost the plug for our kitchen sink so I nicked two from the campsite washroom. They fitted perfectly tut tut!
We stopped at a Leclerc supermarket for some shopping, we decided not to stay in Spain any longer but to head on back into France- and I got a pair of shorts and enough food to last us a few days, then we found a campsite to stay at just across the border from Hendaye. It was quite late when we arrived as we’d spent a long time shopping. This was Camping Du Lac at Ondres. We saw that it was completely empty, no caravans or motorhomes, nothing. We asked the lady owner if she was open and she said yes. We asked about staying, what was the price and things. She then proceeded to tell us that as we were over 3.5 tonnes we had to pay the highest price. We said it doesn't say that in our guide and she insisted that it did. Paul went and got our guide from the van and we asked her to point out where it said this. She pointed to the Key letter "T" and said, "There it is." When we looked the letter "T" indicates that the pitches are suitable for vehicles of more than 7.5 metre length and over 4 tonnes, no mention of increased prices. I said that she was trying to rip us off and she went on about motorhomes take up more room and use more of the facilities and more electricity so she wants to charge more. Paul said "but you only provide 10 amps, how can we use more?" She also said we have to pay a tourist tax in addition. All this is contrary to her agreement with ACSI so we told her we will be reporting her to the ACSI Company and asking them to remove her from the guide. She was just a horrible money grabbing cow, so Paul said, "We're leaving." and off we went.
We found another site not too far away, Camping Sylvamar and this was quite nice, big pitches, lots of shade and as it's a Yelloh holiday site (French chain of holiday parks), lots to do on site. These sites are nice but the extras are really expensive like WiFi at €13 per day which we didn't buy, and a restaurant with wine at €7.50 a glass so we didn't eat there, just had our quiche sitting outside the van. Paul had to ask the people on the next pitch to lend us a bottle opener as ours had broken inside a bottle, breaking the neck and he couldn't get the cork out. With the man's help Paul finally got the cork out and we had to decant the wine into our water jug. I played AC and Paul read, then we went to bed.
We stopped at a Leclerc supermarket for some shopping, we decided not to stay in Spain any longer but to head on back into France- and I got a pair of shorts and enough food to last us a few days, then we found a campsite to stay at just across the border from Hendaye. It was quite late when we arrived as we’d spent a long time shopping. This was Camping Du Lac at Ondres. We saw that it was completely empty, no caravans or motorhomes, nothing. We asked the lady owner if she was open and she said yes. We asked about staying, what was the price and things. She then proceeded to tell us that as we were over 3.5 tonnes we had to pay the highest price. We said it doesn't say that in our guide and she insisted that it did. Paul went and got our guide from the van and we asked her to point out where it said this. She pointed to the Key letter "T" and said, "There it is." When we looked the letter "T" indicates that the pitches are suitable for vehicles of more than 7.5 metre length and over 4 tonnes, no mention of increased prices. I said that she was trying to rip us off and she went on about motorhomes take up more room and use more of the facilities and more electricity so she wants to charge more. Paul said "but you only provide 10 amps, how can we use more?" She also said we have to pay a tourist tax in addition. All this is contrary to her agreement with ACSI so we told her we will be reporting her to the ACSI Company and asking them to remove her from the guide. She was just a horrible money grabbing cow, so Paul said, "We're leaving." and off we went.
We found another site not too far away, Camping Sylvamar and this was quite nice, big pitches, lots of shade and as it's a Yelloh holiday site (French chain of holiday parks), lots to do on site. These sites are nice but the extras are really expensive like WiFi at €13 per day which we didn't buy, and a restaurant with wine at €7.50 a glass so we didn't eat there, just had our quiche sitting outside the van. Paul had to ask the people on the next pitch to lend us a bottle opener as ours had broken inside a bottle, breaking the neck and he couldn't get the cork out. With the man's help Paul finally got the cork out and we had to decant the wine into our water jug. I played AC and Paul read, then we went to bed.
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| Northern Green Spain |
2nd June 2009
We showered after breakfast and went up to the camp reception area where they have free WiFi so that we could get our emails and stuff. It was up a huge hill with steps, phew, not fun when it's hot. The rest of the afternoon we just sat in the sun. I laid on a blanket and beach towel and made a card for Sandra as it was her birthday. We sat talking to her and Vince until early evening and I gave them our email address and the link to Writewords as Vince has ideas about writing a book. I expect we might keep in touch with them, they were a nice couple.
We had Pizza for dinner and played MK and AC and then went to bed.
Some notes about the journey through Spain and Portugal
We’d travelled another 2,900 miles, were still averaging about 25 mpg and still hadn't used any oil really. So, for the van everything was fine apart from the damaged rear mudguard which had held together well.
As for us, we’d learned that the standard of campsites in the ACSI guide vary tremendously, and you can only really tell what they are like by visiting them. Don't be afraid to say no and move on to the next one. Depending on what part of the season it is, there is nearly always another site within reach. Have a good look at the pitches, the facilities and especially the showers!
Portugal is a lot nicer than we thought it would be. In the main, it's very clean and looks more prosperous than it actually is. The people are friendly too. There's not the same selection of supermarkets, the only chain we found was Continentale. Food is a similar price to France and Spain.
In Spain we found many of the larger French supermarket chains and of course the proverbial MacDonald's.
We had Pizza for dinner and played MK and AC and then went to bed.
Some notes about the journey through Spain and Portugal
We’d travelled another 2,900 miles, were still averaging about 25 mpg and still hadn't used any oil really. So, for the van everything was fine apart from the damaged rear mudguard which had held together well.
As for us, we’d learned that the standard of campsites in the ACSI guide vary tremendously, and you can only really tell what they are like by visiting them. Don't be afraid to say no and move on to the next one. Depending on what part of the season it is, there is nearly always another site within reach. Have a good look at the pitches, the facilities and especially the showers!
Portugal is a lot nicer than we thought it would be. In the main, it's very clean and looks more prosperous than it actually is. The people are friendly too. There's not the same selection of supermarkets, the only chain we found was Continentale. Food is a similar price to France and Spain.
In Spain we found many of the larger French supermarket chains and of course the proverbial MacDonald's.
1st June 2009
Got up early-ish, 08:15 even though we'd had a late boozy night. I did some washing whilst Paul played around with the satellite dish. We did manage to get a signal last night but no BBC channels and I wanted to watch Ashes to Ashes. Well if we can't, at least we have some channels to watch.
We then walked into the town of Ribadesella which was about two kilometres away, not a half kilometre like the ACSI guide says! We thought we might have some lunch but there weren’t many restaurants open, and those that were, were expensive and specialised in fish, yuck. So we got some shopping in a supermarket and took a taxi back to the campsite. We had bread, cheese and tomatoes for lunch. We didn't do much in the evening, it got cold, so we went inside, played MK and went to bed early.
We then walked into the town of Ribadesella which was about two kilometres away, not a half kilometre like the ACSI guide says! We thought we might have some lunch but there weren’t many restaurants open, and those that were, were expensive and specialised in fish, yuck. So we got some shopping in a supermarket and took a taxi back to the campsite. We had bread, cheese and tomatoes for lunch. We didn't do much in the evening, it got cold, so we went inside, played MK and went to bed early.
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