The fine print & looking forward to the next adventure

In this, the last posting of France 2013, l have decided to briefly summarize the boring bits which when taken in consideration are important'ish.   

France 2013 Route

Being base in the the north east & only 30 minutes from the port, we find it more convenient to use the P & O Ferries from Hull to either Zeebrugge or Rotterdam.  The price is on a par to that of Portsmouth to St Malo whilst the crossing time from 6pm through to 8pm works really well for us.

We tend not to plan our route, this is not just because we book the crossing about 24 hours before hand, but as we tend to be weather led.  So where it's dry & sunny, then that's where we head towards.  The same goes for pre-booking overnight stops - we don't, we have a rough idea of where we are heading to then look for somewhere either aires, camping site of France Passion that is convenient to us & just turn up.  To help save some money we join the ASCI scheme which provides pan-european campsites which offer a discount on production of the membership / discount card.  We also subscribe to  France Passion system.  For all other sites we use the Caravan Club european sites book which is pretty good with excellent directions with GPS settings as is the French Aires published by Vicarious Books, unlike the France Passion handbook which requires a bit of keen map reading & interpretation.

For navigation, we use the European Tom Tom sat-nav backed up with the current Michelin map book to prevent us from driving along unsuitable roads, tracks & paths!

To get from A to B we do use the motorway system, using  a VISA credit card for tolls, all you do is place your card in the slot, the barrier opens & you collect your card & receipt.  For normal purchases, entry fees, site fees, most garages & cash withdrawals we have multi-currency cards which we preload before leaving home & can top up whilst away via the internet, unfortunately we have found that motorway toll booths don't accept non-French debit cards as does the occasional garage so we use a credit card for which we incur a £3.00 charge for the privilege. 

To keep in touch with the world we travel with an ipad, most sites have a chargeable wifi service which may cover the whole site or only available in the reception area, l have used the 3G on kindle for internet access though this is pretty slow compared to a laptop or ipad.  Wifi charges vary from a couple of euros for 24 hours to whopping 8 euros for an hour.

Our motorhome has space & shelving for books, it could be a drinks cabinet, but guidebooks are invaluable, we tend to veer towards the Rough Guides for the nitty gritty of where to eat / visit etc whilst the Dorling Kindersley are a useful pictorial guide for a quick overview.

So there we have it, a quick note of things that might help you on your travels, as to ours, over the winter months l be blogging of our Road Trip to New Zealand 2013, & today's last picture is a taster of what is to come. Kia Ora!

Homeward Bound

Day 12 Saturday 5th October 2013 

Wow, what a change in the weather.  The rain had stopped during the night although the sky wasn't exactly blue we did have the views across the vineyards below.  The vans bringing the grape pickers had moved in at day break & were hard at work as we left the campsite to return to the motorway on our journey home. This area of France, with the rolling vine clad hills & pretty stone villages will be one that we'll be returning to for further exploration.

The day passed pretty well, the motorhome's 2.8TDI engine eating up the miles.  This part of the autoroute system is pretty quiet & in some places deserted.  As today was the 'head north day', we remained on route stopping overnight at the Municipal Camping at Chalons en Champagne, a site that we have visited before as it's a useful distance from the ferry port at Zeebrugge.

So parked up on hard standing, careful to avoid the trees which  interfere with the Sat TV, we once again stocked up with local honey from the 'honey-man' as he buzzed from van to van offering his wares,  500 ml pots at 4.5 euros. 

today's mileage = 191 miles

Day 13 Sunday 6th October 2013

Lovely sunny day, bright blue skies greeted us as we prepared to move off.  The site was not particularly busy, mainly people en-route to somewhere else.  Also this was one of the more expensive overnight stops at 23 euros.

Once back on the motorway with the GPS set for the P & O ferry terminal at Zeebrugge we enjoyed a pretty enjoyable drive north.  

A lunch stop just south of Lille followed by a straightforward drive through Lille itself which, on a sunday, was pretty much like any major city, not exactly busy!  Normally we would bypass Lille by turning right towards Tourai, but being a sunday we thought 'what the heck'!

It is noticeable that once on the Belgian road system the road condition become somewhat bumpy, however the fine weather seemed to bring everyone out.   We always enjoy looking at the local agriculture as we travel, here in Belgium we are amazed at the amount of muscle on their beef cattle, we were not disappointed on our drive to the port to see the pretty small fields by our standards, housing herds of Belgian Blue cattle or growing maize for animal feed.

As we headed towards the port, the long sandy beaches to the south were busy, kite surfing, sand yachts, everyone out and about enjoying the fine weather.  The P & O ferry port sat waiting for us as we drove in, we weren't the first to enter of the last, though there were a good number of motorhomes & caravans waiting to embark.  The afternoon's entertainment being the inspection by customs of all vehicles for illegals; everywhere being checked - the shower, the wardrobe, the drop down bed, the lockers ............. 

So with no stowaways found, everyone was on board by 5.30pm.  As the ship set sail. we sat eating our evening meal in the Bistro watching the shore line disappear, had a near miss with a zig zagging container vessel [even the crew looked twice] & then followed the slowly setting sun westward across the North Sea homeward bound.

Total mileage = 211 miles

Wet & soggy in Bourgogne

Day 11  Friday 4th October 2013

Amazingly it is still dry.  We had been expecting rain & so far only a brief shower during last night.  The overnight stop, Le Pinede en Provence, was the busiest site to date, but also one of the cheapest.  The clientele seemed to ranged from those who were using the campsite as a base to tour the area, others as an overnighter between either heading south or returning north.  

The pitches were located under the shade of tall pines with hard standing & electrics.  The site also had a small restaurant [closed], swimming pool, bar with wifi [2 euros for 24hrs], & shop with on-site bakery with bread  & croissant available to order.  There was a good selection of nationalities here, though mainly Dutch & German & everyone was all very friendly bar the campervan, complete with kayaks & trailer, parked next to us.  The couple, sorry can't remember which country they came from never spoke once, either to us or to each other, the nearest to the sound of speech came when the chap brought out his battered guitar & began singing. They did leave pretty early on the friday morning. 

As to us, with the weather looking ok for the time being, we made our departure, filling up with diesel before rejoining the autoroute northwards.  Today's travelling was going to be autoroute, straight up the A7, passing Lyon & continuing to Beaune where we would  leave the motorway & head to Meursault & an overnight stop.

The scenery up through France was dramatic especially the mountains to the east of us as we left Provence. Unfortunately, once past Chalon sur Saone, the countryside disappeared beneath low cloud as the rain kicked in.

It was still raining as we turned off the autoroute.  The first thing to note is that this is a serious, grown up wine region. Wineries, grapes, caves in profusion, the Bourgogne wine region & harvest in full swing despite the awful weather.  The vineyards all had large numbers of workers picking the grapes by hand, no signs of any grape harvesting machinery & interestingly, all the fields were surrounded by stone walls with large  wine chateaux in profusion. 

It was decidedly damp as we drove into the camping site, which was boozily called, La Grappe d'Or, a very picturesque site, built on terraces with views across the busy vineyard towards the pretty village of Meursault, well, it would be once the rain stopped.  The reception was closed at this time so we went & parked on a vacant hard standing pitch which would, we hope when the visibility improved, provide us with that view, the vineyard, village & church.

We were eventually found by Madame who relieved us of 16 euros in cash, as the site didn't accept card payments for under 40 euros.   l looked, but didn't buy the wine on offer here.  Most sites offer local wine of some description for not more than 5 or 6 euros, here the wines on offer were in excess of 20 euros.

Today's mileage = 223 miles

veni, vidi, vici & the wine was good too!

Day 10  Thursday 3rd October 2013

We were off & away in fairly good time, wanting to be ahead of any rain that was creeping across the country towards us.   Today's route was to take us up the A9, past Nimes & exciting at junction 23 for Pont du Gard.

The Motorway itself was fairly busy as we passed Montpellier & on as far as Nimes, so it was nice to leave the autoroute for the drive on near straight roads that headed towards ancient roman aqueduct.    The road took us through the crumbley old town of Remoulins, past the cafes where the locals were sat sipping coffees & watching the world or in our case, the traffic pass by.  

We took the road signposted Uzes, passing vineyards & fields of maize, turning off after about 2 or 3 kilometres, following directional signs to the world heritage site & car park.  The car parks were somewhat large, flanked by the creative landscaping of dry stone walls, lavender & olive trees.  

Parking up the motorhome beneath the shade of a tall cypress tree, we headed across the car park towards the entrance, which at this point resembled a cross between the Yorkshire Sculpture Park & the Eden Project.  Walking through the concourse the immediate thought was, wow high tech yet again.   There was no official entrance where entry fees are paid, you were just in.

Leaving the entrance area of virtual museums, cafes & shops, we followed the path & joined the throng of tourists from all over the world.  There were a variety of walks, some took you up through the scrub to a high vantage point, others took you past carefully cultivated mediterranean plantings.  We went for the main route, straight for the bridge & there it was as we rounded a corner, just past several ancient olive trees clinging to the rock pavement.

It was certaining a wow moment. A vast piece of engineering straddling the Gardon River, the shear size distracting from the guided tours & the hot & out-of-breath cycling for softies holidaymakers pushing their bikes.  Amazing to read the graffiti carved into the stonework,  fabulous views down onto the river below, watching a couple of large black dogs enjoying a cooling swim.  Perhaps the best views came from the north side of the bridge.  Here you could observe the aqueduct in all its glory with not a human to be seen, or very few at any rate.   So how much did it cost all this pristine roman history? Well, 18 euros per vehicle for an all day visit.  You paid on leaving the complex at a ticket machine in the concourse; these were not well signposted at all & l wondered how many people missed them altogether & suffered the embarrassment of being stuck at the exit barrier?

After spending lunch on an aires beside the river at Remoulins, we headed north along the D6068 which runs parallel to the autoroute.  The road, busy in places, took us through part of the cotes du Rhone region & it was interesting to see how many northern european motorhome owners were enjoying the liquid refreshments at the various roadside caves!  Stocking up for winter perhaps?  

Our overnight stop for this evening took us across the Rhone at Pont Saint Esprit, to the Arthurian sounding medieval town of Mondragon & the campsite, Camping le Pinede en Provence, set amongst pine trees just above the town.

Miles driven today  = 84.2 miles

In which we reach the Mediterranean!

Day 9 Wednesday 2nd October 2013

According to Tuesday night's weather update on the BBC internet service,a large low pressure was somewhere fairly close, unfortunately my wifi time had run out so we knew no more this morning.  The plan had been to head down to Perpignan & then across to Collioure on the coast & spend a few days there before heading northwards. 

Fortunately, we had arranged to meet up again with my friend for a morning coffee, so out comes the  classic mountain bikes so as we can risk life & limb by cycling the wrong way up one way streets.  Oh & before l climbed on board l did get husband to check my handlebars as l really was not up to another wobble & crash ride!  Well, so glad that l did as, guess what, the flippin' basket had not been put on correctly so there's no wonder l was having problems steering, nothing to do with the bottle of wine! Vindicated.

I had heard all about the renovations & improvements to No 11 & it was great to see this ancient, as in Renaissance, apartment up & running as a successful B & B.  I remember when she moved in, the apartment was an epitome of chic living 1970s style that had remained untouched for, well, years.  Mind you there was just so much potential there, wonderful skylights, huge fireplaces, ancient tiled floors & a close proximity to all the sights & sounds of  this historic town.  Anyway, over coffee all 3 of us checked the weather.  Not good.  Heavy rain speeding across the south west heading for the Mediterranean in the next 48 hours followed by what looked like the onset of Autumnal weather patterns.  What was needed was a change of plan,  Husband had read about the Pont du Gard & wanted to see this before the rain hit, so after saying our goodbyes & altering course we set off aiming to do an overnight stop on a coastal aire du camping car near  Sete, 

The drive took us via the autoroute towards Montpellier, the closer we got to the sea, the busier the roads became.  Eventually we turned off the A9 & headed towards Adge & then along the narrow piece of road, La Corniche separating the sea from salt flats & lagoons.  The landscape was not exactly inspiring though the sight of flocks of pink flamingos was rather exciting.

The planned overnight stop turned into a bit of no go.  For those not in the know, aires are overnight camping places designed for motorhomes, they may have electric, they usually have water & emptying points, they could be free or you could pay for which services you choose to use.  Now, these areas, often car parks, are available for usually no more than 48 hours, you may not put out your awning or take out your picnic tables & chairs.  Get the picture?  The whole area along the Corniche had been redeveloped, new car parks, straight cycle tracks, new motorhome stop.  We pulled into the aires de camping cars, then pulled out. The book said there were parking places for 30 vans.  OK, the French were parked up for eternity, spread out enjoying the beach & sunshine, no room for a one night visitor.  Nothing like obeying the rules!

So we drove on, all car parks came complete with height restriction bars.  Eventually we stopped further along the coast at Frontignan, pulling up on a lay by opposite the sand dunes & beach.  It was great to have reached the Mediterranean at last!  As to overnight stop, with there being no Free parking, we ended up amongst the pine trees on the Camping Le Parc near Lattes which had the added bonus of 24 hour wifi for 2 euros!

Total mileage = 108 miles

To Friends, Bikes & Minervois

Day 9  Tuesday 1st October 2013

Waking up in Albi after a surprisingly undisturbed night considering that we we were in a city, the day dawned with a red glow to the sky, weather on the change autumn was not far away.  Anyway, it was warm & with the GPS set to Carcassonne we set off on our way.

Once again we avoided the autoroutes, heading instead due south towards the Pyrenees.  The route through the Tarn  was fairly quiet with very little traffic being encountered, passing through the rolling countryside of woodland, sunflowers & maize. However, after driving through the slightly narrow streets of the picturesque town of Mazamet, the gateway to the Montagne Noir, we encountered a slight problem in the form of a Diversion.  Our route should have taken us through the town centre & out onto the D118, but, as in all good traveller's tales, the road was closed, ferme.  Great. After a highly complicated reversal move, which incidentally was then copied by several other motorhomes who had come to a grinding halt at the barrier, we retraced our tracks turning a very sharp right onto the D54 which had  a 3500kg weight limit.  

So, there we were, on a fairly narrow road, the only open route south.   The diversion route was, well interesting.   The road started fairly well, running alongside a fast flowing river in a narrow gorge that must once have housed tanneries & mills, the buildings were still there in fact, though not in the best of repair it must be said.   By now there were 3 other motorhomes behind us, then the signs & sat nav directed us right across a bridge & on up through the forests.  Ok it was very twisty, it did become narrow & it reminded us of the narrow lanes around Leaholm & Egton on the North Yorks Moor.  Eventually we returned onto the D118 & thankful that we had not met any vehicles coming the opposite way.  The scenery was amazing, all lush green forests & the smell of mint was almost overpowering when we stopped for lunch in a tree-shaded picnic area.

The sun climbed higher & the temperatures rose.  Once back on the road the route took us to the summit, then as we began to drive down towards civilisation the countryside changed.  In the distance the Pyrenees dominated the horizon, whilst the landscape became that of the Mediterranean, hot & dry.

The GPS took us over the Canal du Midi past a busy lock with pleasure craft waiting to pass through, then on around the outskirts of the city, causing husband to 'oh' & 'argh'  at the first sight of La Cite.  Camp for the night was to be at the Camping La Cite, only a few hundred metres from the ancient walled town.  The site itself was not busy but with the weather being very hot, around the 30C mark so we were told later, we rolled out the awning & sat in the shade until the temperature dropped.

The site was within walking distance of both the town & La Cite, so, late afternoon we walked along the banks of the Aude, past families feeding the ducks & up to the main entrance of the medieval city.  This was husband's first visit.  I have been a few times now, several times with my parents then again several years ago when l came over to help a friend to move house.  Although it was now October, the place was still full to bursting point with visitors from all over the world, with the tourist shops all hoping to part them from their cash to buy a souvenir sword, a Cathar relic or some interesting items of tat.

As we moved on through the narrow alleyways, the squares & lanes became less busy so by the time we left by the Porte l'Aude we were the only people there.

By early evening it was still pretty warm as we set off on our bikes, along the canal bank, crossing the Pont Vieux & heading off to the Place Carnot to meet up with one of my friends, who just so happens to be the proprietor of a rather bijou B & B,  No 11 Carcassonne.

So there we all sat, supping ice cold beer, catching up on all the hot gossip whilst watching the world go by. Bliss.  As the sun sank behind the buildings, & fortified by the thought of food, we all sped off like demented grannies on bikes down the Routes Barbes then across the Square Gambetta whose plane trees were alive to the sound of thousands of roosting birds.

The end destination was the Restaurant Le Passage, just across the Vieux Bridge, thankfully it was open so there we all sat, giggling & drinking Minervois, tucking into a selection of mouth watering tapas that included a most fabulous dish of moules, yummy.

As we took our goodbyes & then discovered that our bikes didn't have lights we headed off along the well lit canal path back to our motorhome without too much of a hiccup, though l must confess l do seem to be having a problem with the bicycle basket that is attached to the handlebars, l seem to be, at times, a little out of control.

Today's mileage = 75 miles

vendange & stepping stones

 Day 8 - Monday 30th September 2013

After the exciting weather patterns of the last few days, Monday morning got cracking with a bright start, ideal for today's drive through the Dordogne & the Lot to this evening's planned stop near Albi.

Taking the back roads once again, we re-crossed the river Dordogne to pass through, or should l say under, the perilously perched  La Roque Gageac.  The drive through the village was hampered somewhat by traffic lights thanks to work being undertaken to reinforcement the road & river bank due to what looked like undermining by the strong river currents.  

The route to Albi meandered onward through picture perfect villages of mellow stone, deserted roads & broad leaved woodland.  As we left the Dordogne for The Lot , the properties & villages became   noticeably less pristine despite having similar countryside to that of its neighbour.  The thought was that there was less wealth here & fewer Holiday homes?

After a quick re-stock at Cahors, notably a few bottles of one of my favourite French wines, we continued on our way,  Interesting, the roads around Cahors seemed to be popular with motorhomers, mainly Dutch & German; it did cross my mind that they were avoiding the motorway tolls.  The nearest we got to an actual autoroute was driving under the  A20 at Caussade.  From here the road was near deserted, the only traffic being agricultural involved in the automated vendange which was now in full swing.  No romantic hand picking of the grape harvest here thank you very much!  

The planned overnight stop was to be at the Domaine Vayssette, a member of the France Passion scheme  . We turned off the D564 & drove down the sweeping drive, bordered by vineyards just dripping with grapes. On ringing the bell, Madame nipped out & directed us to the motorhome parking area, a car park with a seriously fantastic view, a real wow factor with the the most amazing views across the countryside but, despite the welcome, we decided not to stop as they were so very busy, l know what it's like during harvest here, but would love to return at a quieter time of year. 

A quick rehash to plan B.  The GPS set to Albi & the camping site Albirondack Park.  The site was fairly easy to find thanks to the sat-nav.  In France we use the GPS settings as opposed to postcode, so as long as we remember to listen to The Voice at junctions it's hard to get lost, well that's the theory any way.  The Voice guided us through road works to a residential area, 'simples'.  We duly arrived at the barrier.  It looked rather smart.  It was as though a little bit of America had dropped off into French Suburbia all Yellowstone Park.  

Now, normally when you arrive everything is, well, pretty laid back really but here er, not so.  After waiting for signs of life in a large reception area & restaurant resplendent with resident moose head & totem poles,  I was whisked off in golf buggy, to be shown a pitch which was available for one night & another that was free for two nights.  Eventually l was deposited back at reception & able to return to husband who was looking a little peeved at being locked outside for what must have been almost half an hour.  

The site itself has been massively re-furbished, as in  all very new & money no object.  The campsite was set amongst mature fir trees & mainly packed with log cabins, a few airstreams for rental then probably about 10 motorhome pitches.  The staff were very helpful & it was rather funny watching them whizzing around in their buggies taking new arrivals to see the available pitches.  Extra facilities included in the pitch fee included a heated outdoor pool & spa facilities, which l did try out later that evening.   

Later that evening, we perambulated along the Echappee Vert  down to the old town via the 2km trail that ran through managed woodland doted with various bits of imposing sculpture.  Unfortunately however, we didn't quite get there due to falling light & my habit of wearing flip flops or 'jandals' making the crossing of the Caussels stream by stepping stones a bit of a non-starter.  

Today's mileage = 111miles