Bubbly, Vimy and Blighty!

We are back in the UK – a day earlier than planned, but the weather had turned consistently nasty in northern France, and we saw no point in hanging around the final camp longer than absolutely necessary. There was room on the ferry this morning, so for a small fee we changed our ticket, to be welcomed back into England by strong winds and driving rain!
But we have the story to complete since the last blog and there are tales worth telling.

We drove away from La Gagere campsite on Thursday 26th August, after a lovely week only marred by two or three days of inclement weather. We returned to St Leger as agreed, to collect our 2009 wine, only bottled by Jean-Yves Renaud two days earlier. It was a wonderful reunion, with this lovely couple so pleased to be able to share their wine with the “camping caristes”. We left much heavier than we had arrived!

Onward towards Champagne country and the delightful trio of hamlets that come together as Les Riceys. Just south of Troyes, at the very southern end of the Champagne region, Les Riceys boasts a number of excellent champagne vineyards, as well as being famous for producing a delicious Pinot Noir rosé wine called Rosé-des-Riceys, a particular favourite of Louis XIV apparently, who was introduced to it by the workmen from Riceys when they were employed to build the Palais de Versailles. We arrived a little late to taste the wines, as everyone was closing up, and many of the wine makers were actually away on their own holidays! As was our absent host at our France Passion that evening, but he had given us permission to park in his walled car park opposite his home. As this was in between two champagne producers we felt very much at home! And this was why the following morning at precisely 9.30, I found myself tasting both Brut Champagne and Rosé–des-Ricey in a very stylish tasting room at the vineyard of the Marquis de Pomereuil. The lady receptionist could not believe we wanted to drink wine at that hour! Victor had to pretty much take my word for it as he was driving, but he had no need to fear – the rosé was pure nectar! More bottles into the ever bulging van!

A couple of hours up the road and you reach Epernay, the second capital of the Champagne region, just behind Reims. Epernay boasts a long street called Avenue de Champagne, where all the major champagne houses own large beautiful buildings. We picked on the House of Mercier to visit, mainly because our guide book told us that the company has an enormous barrel in their large reception hall with an incredible history, and we were keen to see it for ourselves (see photo). We were not disappointed. This very barrel, which has a capacity of 215,000 bottles of the bubbly stuff, was taken to the World Exhibition of 1889 in Paris, aboard a cart drawn by 24 oxen and 18 horses. It took twenty days to travel there from Epernay, with bridges being reinforced and walls demolished along the way. The carving on the tun was most impressive. We enjoyed a free tasting of champagne at the Tourist Information Office (they are all at it!), and also got caught in a cloudburst!

That evening we had failed to book a night stop, and what with holidays and loads of other motor homes around the city, it took four phone calls to find a space. A little disconcerting as the weather was once again turning stormy. We found ourselves in a tiny village called Festigny, just west of Epernay at the home of the champagne maker, Guy Fournier. Where most people have gardening equipment and maybe a washing machine in their garage, this man had vats of champagne and hundreds of bottles! We had a usual tasting (as it happens the final one of the holiday), took one bottle back to the van to drink with our salad (!), and the following morning drove away with twelve more bottles!

Onto the final stretch and quite by fate, we had one more highlight to come. As we were driving along the motorway towards St Omer for our final two evenings in France, Victor and I were discussing the war graves in the area and how I had never been to Vimy and the Canadian War Memorial. I checked the map and Vimy Ridge was coming up just off the A26, in about twenty minutes time. We decided to visit. And how glad we were – in bright sunshine we drove through what appeared to be an undulating parkland which we later realised was an area of shell holes and unexploded mines! This beautiful tree-lined avenue led to a gleaming white monument stretching upwards to the sky (see photo). This was the very space where the Canadian troops had eventually beaten the German army for a tiny plot of land, and in the process lost around 11,000 men. Carved around the base of the monument are the names of those young soldiers whose bodies were never found. The artistry and emotion in the statues is indescribable. The cemetery with the rows and rows of white crosses, many simply stating, ‘Unknown Soldier’; and the recreated trenches, were humbling and thought-provoking. We finished the visit by learning more about how the monument has recently been renovated from a fascinating short film shown in the Information Centre.

By now we were later than we’d hoped to arrive in St Omer, but it had been worth it for the detour. Having shopped in the amazing hypermarket for last minute bits, we eventually found our campsite for the night. More rain, cold wind and mud made us reconsider two further nights, and the following morning packed up and headed for Calais. It was a bumpy crossing but we are now nearly home. Three nights of visiting friends and family in the south and we will head back to Norwich on Wednesday. This is our final blog for our French Adventure. It has been an incredible three months providing us with so many memories and lasting images of a fascinating and beautiful country. We have enjoyed sharing it with you and hope you found it entertaining. Thanks for being a ‘follower’.

Revisiting Old Haunts

This past week has been all about the view, the sunsets and the mixed weather at our final naturist camp, near Autun in the east of France. Victor and I stayed at this very campsite some four summers ago, but at that time we rented one of the posh chalets on the hill, so this was to be quite different. We arrived during the afternoon last Wednesday in the pouring rain and a heavy heart – as you can imagine, naturist camps are all about worshipping the sun and when there isn’t any, they can be particularly miserable places! We were offered the remaining one of only four pitches reserved for motor homes (on hard standing), and we were uncertain immediately about its suitability for an eight night stay. It was the furthest from the edge of the hillside with the amazing view we remembered so well, but worse than that, there was very limited flat land around the van to set up our awning and flooring. The young lady who was showing us around the camp (Dutch, what else?), assured us that the huge A Class motor home currently perched on the edge with the amazing view and loads of flat grass, was due to leave on Friday morning, and if we wanted she could reserve that space for us for Friday onwards. As they say, we tore her arm off! It is generally accepted that this pitch has the best view on the campsite (see photo).

We lived for two nights on the less than perfect space, without our flooring and having to set our table up on the grassy slope behind the van so as to catch some of the view. The weather did improve on day two and it was that evening when we experienced our first, and in retrospect, probably best sunset. The valley view is directly west so the setting sun is right in front of us (see photo). Everyone on camp gets their camera out at around 8.30 pm when the sky turns pink before our eyes, and the sun becomes a huge glowing ball. It really was a spectacle, and we looked forward to moving our van on the Friday morning. This was duly achieved with a deal of organisation and forward planning much to the amusement of our Dutch neighbours! That evening we invited three of the few other British visitors (the rest made up of Dutch and a few French), to a British sunset party outside our van, overlooking the valley. They accepted! A lovely couple from Carlisle, and a single man, who had been travelling around Europe since April, turned up with bottles of wine and their lounger chairs at around 8.00 and we waited for the sun to do its stuff. We were not disappointed and more fabulous photos were taken! We enjoyed their company (and a bottle of wine or four), for two or three hours more, before we realised that everyone else had gone to bed and we should break it up!

Saturday was fabulous (despite the hangovers). We took full advantage of our pole position, eating outside, sunbathing, playing table tennis (badly), swimming and generally loving it! Thank goodness we did, for Sunday turned out to be gloomy and windy. It was now that we discovered the downside to changing our position, as the strong westerly blows hard up the valley, directly into the side of our van, threatening to demolish the awning, and at one point actually bending one of the poles we use to hold the curtains on the awning. It took two strong men and me to hold it down while Victor wound it up. That evening we shared wine and nibbles outside the caravan of our new friends, but as we did so we heard the ominous rumbles of thunder in the distance, and sure enough, it chucked it down all night! Heavy rain is extremely noisy on this roof and we did not sleep at all well that night.

Sunday and Monday proved cool and cloudy with intermittent showers, with Sunday night bringing on another storm (and another restless night). There is little to do but sit around in the van during these bad spells, reading, listening to the odd CD, watching a DVD, writing postcards, playing with the computer. At least these spells of bad weather have been infrequent over the past three months, and here we can always gaze out of the window, never failing to be uplifted by the spectacular view of rolling hills, cow pastures, tiny traffic silently driving to and fro on the distant road, thick mysterious fir forests and swirling white clouds in an ever changing sky.

One highlight was yesterday’s lunch when we invited our neighbour to share an amazing Boeuf Bourguignon, inspired by a book we bought in Cluny called simply ‘Recipes from Burgundy’. We bought the beef at the Autun market and the wine was en vrac Bourgogne rouge, and frankly, it was delicious! Cooked up on one electric ring in a motor caravan! Wait until I try it at home....

This morning, we escaped with a welcome lift into Autun for some shopping and a coffee. As I write this it is mid-afternoon, and the sun is desperately trying to break through the cloud base, but the cold wind is putting paid to much naturism! The camp is very quiet; it is definitely end of season stuff, with many families leaving last weekend to return to work or school. The forecast is better for tomorrow, our last full day, so hopefully we will catch some rays. We plan to leave here on Thursday morning, collect our 2009 wine from St Leger, and work our way north through Champagne to the coast, for Monday’s ferry to Dover. It may be that we shall complete this blog from home next week with the final chapter of French Adventure 2010. Fingers crossed for a gentle crossing (and a bit of sun)!

Famous names and fascinating characters

As reported, we left the Macon Laize campsite on the morning of Sunday 15th August and over the next three days visited some of the most famous places in the Burgundy region of France, including Cluny, Volnay, Beaune and Nuits-St-Georges, driving through some of the best-known wine villages on the “Route des Grandes Crus”. The weather has been mixed, with some very heavy rain at times, but mainly dull and cloudy. As such we were pleased that we were not getting bored with the lack of sun at a campsite, instead were tasting wine after wine!

Cluny (see photo) is an historical treasure trove, important within the Christian religion, where once stood the largest abbey in Europe. The abbey was destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries and we visited the only remaining sections from the thirteenth century, the visit enhanced by the use of state of the art technology called ‘augmented reality’, where by moving the screens dotted around the ruins, the pictures revealed how sections of the building would have looked when it was built. The little town itself was delightful and actually open on a Sunday which is unusual, with beautiful traditional shop fronts and cobbled streets. We bought the usual souvenirs – guide book, fridge magnet and printed pencil, special because this year Cluny is celebrating the 1100 anniversary of the first Abbey.

Our night stop was in a small town called Nolay, which meant driving north for about an hour through some villages growing famous wines including Buxy, Givry, Mercurey and Rully. Victor got very excited and was looking forward to tasting Monsieur’s wines at our night stop, Domaine Nicolas. As I have explained before, we choose these places simply from a directory which does not include photographs, and once again, Victor did us proud as once we had driven up the steep hill out of Nolay centre ville, we realised that our parking spot had yet another view to die for, right across the town and the vines beyond. That evening we had booked to eat dinner at a small hotel in Nolay, which meant a half hour walk downhill, but we were inspired by the generous wine tastings of their Aligote 2009, a Saint-Romaine, and a red Santenay. The credit card was flexed once again! The meal that evening was truly memorable, especially as we met a charming Englishman who was travelling alone, and who was a regular at the hotel over many summers, and coincidentally, had bought wine from Domaine Nicolas on a number of occasions and could commend it. John recommended the traditional Bourgogne starter of Eggs en meurette, and despite the eleven euros price tag I could not refuse, and boy, was it worth it! Three eggs poached in a sauce made from the dregs of red wine from the bottom of barrels, mixed with diced bacon and mushrooms. Victor had twelve snails in garlic butter – almost as impressive but not quite! While we were eating and enjoying John’s company, it started to rain heavily. We did not have our macs, but the chef himself (and owner of the family hotel) offered us a lift up the hill in his car so all was well!
The following day was dull and damp, and after a coffee stop at the hotel again (it wasn’t strictly open but Patrice took pity on us and helped us out for a second time!), we set off to rediscover Beaune, a city we have visited four years ago when we had a practice run holiday in France (although we did not know it at the time!). On the way we were forced to call in at another Wine Cave, a large off-licence really, but one selling the wine en vrac, straight from enormous barrels into whatever container you turn up with, and so much cheaper per litre than in the bottles.

Then on up the wine route again, with Victor keen to call into the village of Volnay, whose vines produce a classic red wine we have traditionally enjoyed with our Christmas goose! We randomly picked one of the many vineyards to taste the wine, and it was just an incredible hour or so. The young winemaker, Francois Buffet, showed us down into a typical dark musty cellar where the shelves were crammed with bottles of wine, available to taste and buy. (See photo) But even more fascinating, deep in the recesses were ancient glass bottles, all stuck together with dust, labelled with their bottling dates. We saw bottles from 1915, 1929 and 1947, all good vintage years. Monsieur Buffet explained that the bottles still contain wine, but they cannot be moved as the corks would disintegrate. Instead occasionally wealthy patrons will invite friends or clients to a dinner party in the cellar, where the bottles are opened where they sit and the wine decanted. At several thousand pounds a bottle, we did not make a reservation! We bought some Volnay though! Looks like it’s goose again for Christmas this year!

We eventually made it into the city of Beaune and after going round the one way system two or three times, we found the Motor home car park. It was well into the afternoon by now, and looking around it was clear that other motor home owners were preparing to spend the night right there. As we did not have a night stop booked we decided to join them so that we could spend more time enjoying the city. And so we did, even finding a silent movie festival taking place in one of their lovely old buildings, with a live pianist accompanying the films. After a picnic dinner in our van (Beaune restaurants are very overpriced), we walked back into the centre and had a lot of fun laughing at Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and a French star we did not know, Max Linder. The night was actually incredible quiet, and to be honest I had one of the best night’s sleep of the holiday – who would have believed it! The following morning we walked the fifteen minutes back in for some shopping and a coffee, with the weather brightening.

We left Beaune on the north road, heading once more on the Route des Grands Crus and finding more famous wine villages in the area known as Cotes de Nuit, the most northern area of Bourgogne wine region. The major village is Nuit-St-George and this was our lunch time treat, as I’d missed out on dinner in Beaune. Nuit is a pretty little place with an imaginative use of water features in the central restaurant area and a number of very classy expensive wine shops. This time we resisted! Over lunch we debated which France Passion night stop to call for that evening and considered a number. Deciding to get ourselves closer to Autun, our destination the following day, we chose a little wine grower in a town called St Leger, which sits on the picturesque Dheune Canal. They were happy to accommodate us, and at about six o’clock we arrived at the little farm and were greeted by a short gentleman in overalls and a flat cap – Jean-Yves Renaud is a medal winning wine grower and could not have been more different than the young man in Volnay. He showed us into his equally dark damp cellar, just next to the barn where he keeps his tractor, and immediately began to pour large glasses of his best wines, plus a sample of his own ‘hooch’ which he admitted was 25% proof and kept just for the motor home visitors! (See photo) It was hilarious and when Madam turned up with a plate cheeses, we knew we had struck gold. Monsieur revealed that he was about to start bottling his 2009 stock next week. Now as we loved his wines, and 2009 is meant to be one of the great years, we are destined to return to his place next Thursday to pick up a few more boxes of the new stuff. Where on earth are we going to put it in the already overloaded van? We returned to the van for supper feeling very tipsy indeed!

So on Wednesday we drove to Autun, did some food shopping and subsequently arrived in pouring rain at our next campsite, La Gagere, a site we visited four years ago and enjoyed immensely. I will save the details of this place for the next blog, but I will say that we are probably finishing the campsites with the best view from the van yet. Photo next time! Take care. Oh, and the rain cleared and we have now had two glorious hot days. Long may it continue!

Tasting the Wine

We had a smooth, if long and tedious, journey from the Creuse region to the Macon area last Monday, taking in a memorable picnic lunch just above Montluçon with a view of the city to die for! We had two nights of France Passion night stops to look forward to, both in vineyards (where else would you stay when in Macon and Bourgogne?). We thought we’d lost the first place in Sologny, just off the main road, but then on completing yet another twisty steep turn, we spotted a beautiful pink chateau on the hill and I mused that this might be it! We were directed up to the house, but then instead of through the iron gates, we drove into the ancient farmyard behind it. The vigneron only ran the vineyards on behalf of the Chateau owner, and did not actually live there. A disappointment, but made up for by the fascinating cellar she led us to in order to taste three of her wines. This led to a sale, of course, and Victor started to fill up the van with bottles of Macon Village Blanc 2005 and a ‘bag in box’ of the red Passetoutgrains 2008. As Madam put it, a most ‘bizarre’ name for a wine! We strolled up to the vines above the farm, and took in the spectacular view across the valley, including the main N79 Viaduct, an incredible piece of engineering that takes both road traffic and trains (TGV), many of them heading for Paris. A lovely herd of white Charollais cows wandered across the nearby fields in the setting evening sun, completing the picture.

The following morning we set out on our task to discover the best wines of Macon, starting in the picturesque village of Prissé, where we found the Groupement de producteurs de Prissé-Sologny-Verzé, the local association of wine growers. The very smart showroom was a joy and Victor enjoyed himself choosing a wine to buy (see photo). It was lunchtime by now, and I was keen to find a scenic spot for our picnic. We decided to investigate a near-by limestone escarpment, valued by the area as a prehistoric wonder called Roche de Solutré. The drive up was a little hairy, but we made it to the panorama area, and sure enough we were directly beneath the gigantic rock, faced with another view across the valley, vineyards and villages. The sun was warm and the mackerel salad was delicious. Ironically as we were driving all day, we drank soft drinks despite being surrounded by hectares and hectares of grapes!

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving through the tiny hillside villages, getting into one or two tight spots (have you ever tried reversing a 3.5 ton motor home at a dead end on a one in three incline? Victor has!) We enjoyed tasting the Pouilly-Fuissé 2007 white wine in a fascinating little wine store in Fuissé (see photo) and bought another six bottles to bring home. We completed the day by taking a peek at the town of Beaujeu, the capital of the Beaujolais area, and Villié-Morgon. Everywhere we drove the views were astounding.

Our night stop was meant to be a particular vineyard in the tiny wine town of Fleurie, but despite ringing the bell at the forbidding chateau, there appeared to be no-one around. There was another France Passion place on the ‘view’ side of the road, so we went there instead, even though we had not reserved a place. There was no problem as no other motor home was expected, and a young girl of about twelve - Steph, told us to park up against the hedge leading to her father’s vines. This gave us an incredible view across another valley of vineyards and villages to the mountainous horizon beyond, which turned out to be the Alps. It was only a couple of hours drive to Geneva from this part of France, and apparently on a clear day they can see Mont Blanc! The girl’s parents did not seem to be home, but she offered to give us a ‘degustation’ of their wines and duly showed us into their showroom and poured us the, by now familiar, glasses (see photo). Imagine the authorities allowing that in England! We bought a ‘bag in box’ of her rosé, and walked into the village for a meal at a restaurant in the square by the church. On the way we checked out the big co-operative wine showroom, had a “quick” taster before they closed and promised to return in the morning to buy some of their Fleurie vintages.

The meal was very French with Victor having a charollais steak – I was a little disturbed by that after seeing the beautiful herd of them the night before – and I stuck my neck out and had fried grenouilles or frogs legs to most of us! Frankly, although the flavour was very good, there were so many tiny, tiny bones so it made the meal quite a marathon! Back to chez Steph, to sip a liqueur sitting outside, gazing at the twinkly lights below that led to Switzerland!

And so to Wednesday when we went back to our restaurant for a coffee, and bought some meats and other groceries before driving on to the city of Macon for lunch. We did not know the city, so parked at the station and walked in. We had a good lunch in a leafy square and were impressed by the Cathedral and the Mairie (City Hall). It was not until we bought some postcards that we realised the River Sôane runs through it. Having asked directions, we turned two corners, and there it was, a most beautiful wide impressive river with a medieval arched stone bridge crossing to the far side. It had swans and boats and bridges and flower borders along its banks and was a photographers dream! There were some stone armchairs dotted about strategically which were amusing and practical. Norwich Council take note! Our next campsite, a small club site, was only thirty minutes out of town and around 5pm we rolled up to be greeted by one of the members and shown to a pretty pitch in the middle of their very own arboretum – the area is full of different trees and there is a clear warm covered pool that we are taking advantage of every evening.

Tomorrow we leave here for three nights in the beautiful Beaune area. More wine tasting, more shopping, three more France Passion night stops. Stay tuned for a report from our next campsite, following our arrival there next Wednesday. Cheers!

Family Fun in the Sun!

It is our final evening at Creuse Nature. As reported in our last blog eight days ago, we arrived in threatening weather and it continued changeable. However, when it was good, it was very, very good, and our excellent pitch, giving us a direct view of a beautiful little fishing lake, has been a constant source of joy. The whole of our stay here has been set against the delightful background of Dutch families enjoying their summer holidays with their children of all ages. As a child and as a parent, I never embraced the camping style of holiday, and now, watching how much fun they are all having together, I feel a certain regret. There are continual activities laid on and the children have a freedom that I suspect is denied them at home. It has been a pleasure to spend time with them.

Day One: We arrive at 2pm tired and anxious to set up before the rain sets in. Reception is closed until three. Luckily they offer us a free welcome drink in the bar. When we do finally drive onto the assigned pitch, we are suddenly surrounded by four or five Dutch campers, all anxious to give advice (conflicting of course!) and help with the electric cable, the stabiliser chocks etc! We keep our cool (well, I did!) as best we can. That evening we join the communal Mexican buffet meal on the pool terrace and once again find ourselves the only Brits in the Zeiderzee!

Day Two: Heavy rain overnight. Cool damp morning. I join some Dutch teenage girls in a water aerobics class in the small indoor pool, run by a French lady. Really enjoy it, but then discover she is leaving camp that day to go home. That had been the final class of the summer! Gutted! Met a lone Aussie travelling around Europe in his camper. Shared a beer. Sun came out. Relaxed by lake. Discovered campsite shop in a garage by the owner’s house and bought some lovely locally made blueberry jam.

Day Three: Another wet morning. Spent much time cleaning out inside of van. Always chores to do! Weather improved. Went for walk and watched the Boules tournament. Then quite by chance we came across a real gem – a mid 1960s Camion Citroennette – one of the early motorhomes – in mint condition. We spoke with the elderly owners who said they have had the van since new and still drive it from Holland to France each summer. Had our first splash in the pool. Black pudding and patés for dinner. Watched ‘District Nine’ on the DVD. Amazing and most disturbing movie. I recommend it!

Day Four: More rain in the morning. Idly checking the internet (free wi-fi into the van at this place – what a joy!), I found that the Open University site had published the results of this year’s Creative Writing Course. My final exam piece, a thirty minute play, was given 76%. I was so pleased as I knew I needed 70% at least to finish with a Grade 2 pass (equivalent of a 2:1) and this had been my goal. We opened a bottle of champagne later – doesn’t everyone have champagne stowed away in their camper? Two friends from England arrived to enjoy some time with us. Disappointingly the weather did not improve but we drank the wine and talked, and talked, and talked.

Day Five: Friends drove us in their hire car to the local town of Boussac, where it was market day. It was a ‘getting better’ type of day and the market was excellent. We enjoyed a coffee while we watched the little town go by and came back with loads of goodies! Afternoon warm and dry so we took advantage of the sun and read our books. Another communal meal tonight – Indonesian style and we found two more Brits who had just arrived to share the evening with.

Day Six: Lovely hot day, and we did very little apart from setting up two tables right by the lake for an extended shared coffee break/lunch/afternoon tea session with the new Brits – two retired academics who live in Stratford Upon Avon and who had been touring France since May. Tonight was terrific as the campsite organised a karaoke evening. After a few drinks we went over to the bar to join in and ended up having such fun. All the songs were British and American classic hits from Jailhouse Rock to ‘Everybody Cries’. My ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ Diana Ross impression, will be remembered for some time, and Victor’s ‘Great Balls of Fire’ met with great acclaim, or certainly created a lasting impression!

Day Seven: Another day devoted to sun, food and drink. Enough said! The evening finds the families gather at the lakeside for a campfire, so our evening entertainment is the sound of folksongs and Dutch versions of standards such as ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain’ and ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’!

Day Eight: Friends go home early in the morning. Another packing up day as we leave tomorrow. Packing up day is always very sad. We now plan two days in the Macon Valley (about four hours away), tasting the wines (again!) and then have four nights in another campsite before more exploring. I am unsure when we will have wi-fi but will be back in touch as soon as possible. Happy August!

Mixing with the locals in beautiful Dordogne

Eight days since our last blog, so apologies to our regular followers, but the last campsite did not have access to the internet, “no wee-fee”, as they put it! It is a relief to discover that our latest place – Creuse Nature, has free wee-fee which is accessible at the van! Again, we have so much to report. We were not too sorry to leave Les Grandes Chenes on 26th July. The weather had not been good and the bugs from the forest were biting big time. Over the following forty-eight hours we had two amazing night stops, and discovered some of the most beautiful little towns that the Dordogne has to offer. All this and Victor made friends with a Harris hawk....

Monday 26th July found us having an unexpectedly superb lunch in a little town called Gourdon, followed by a drive around the spectacular scenery of the Dordogne, taking in the hillside bastide town of Domme, with its distant views over the Dordogne river; and discovering the stunning beauty of La Roque-Gageac, a small town literally cut from the rock at the edge of the river. The tourist boats looked great fun, but we had an appointment with a farmer’s market that evening at our France Passion nightstop, so we had to be content with just taking photos.

The little farm was at Veyrines de Domme, where every Monday evening they host a party. Local producers of l’escargot, beef, duck, wine and pastries all gather to sell their wares to the visitors, who sit at the long trestle tables under the shade of a vine, enjoying the food and the ambience as the sun goes down. And how! We watched amused, as the French families enjoyed their evening out in the countryside with the children behaving like kids do the world over, squabbling and fighting, laughing and chasing, with the girls organising a game similar to our “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?”. The sunset was quite stunning with the clouds melting into candy-floss above us.

The following day we left the van parked at the farm, and walked for twenty minutes, down an idyllic country lane, through apple orchards with chickens pecking the ground beneath the trees, to reach Chateau Milandes, once owned by the famous singer and entertainer, Josephine Baker, who once described it as her ‘Sleeping-Beauty Castle’. Here we marvelled at a Birds of Prey display, where Victor, always the first to pick up the gauntlet, was actually given one and a Harris Hawk landed on his arm. The group of birds included a beautiful Snowy Owl, an enormous American Fish Eagle and a delicately featured falcon. The Chateau itself dated from the 1400s, and had clearly been renovated many times, but it was full of charm with the rooms still as Josephine Baker had designed them, including a 1950s bathroom with a ceiling painted in gold leaf, and a suite that reminded me of my grandmother’s house when I was a little girl. We had a lovely hot sunny visit to the Chateau and probably spent far too much in the well-stocked gift shop!

We picked up the van from the farm after treating ourselves to lunch at the Chateau cafe, and drove on towards the town of Souillac, again on the Dordogne, for a refill of wine en vrac (5 litre plastic containers filled up at the wine Caves). At £.100 a litre, this is clearly a much more economical way of buying wine, especially considering the quantities we are getting through! We were also both badly in need of haircuts, so after a couple of rejections, we found a fascinating little salon called “Harmonie Coiffure”, run by a husband and wife team, who not only had an appointment free at 5pm, but also sold jewellery and little bags. Victor bought me a glitzy silver evening bag thing which was an unexpected bonus. It is always nerve-wracking having your hair cut by a new stylist, especially in a foreign country when neither of you can speak the other’s language, but it was absolutely fine, and we were very happy with the results. My head, especially, felt much cooler after my chop!

Our night stop was to be another farm, this time with dairy cows. When we choose these places to stay it is simply because of their entry in the France Passion Directory. It does not tell you much, just the address, the number of pitches, whether they are a farm, a vineyard, an Auberge or whatever. They do not give you an idea of the setting or the people running it. Once again we had struck gold with Ferme de Cantegrel in the farming hamlet of Archignac. The farm was right on top of a hill and we set up our evening picnic table overlooking a breathtaking rural view, with the dairy herd grazing contentedly directly opposite, following their afternoon milking. There were four other motor homes there at night, not surprising when we discovered how very accommodating this particular farmer is with his facilities and goodies for sale in his farm shop.

It was time for a three night stay at another campsite and this one took us further into France, near the ancient city of Uzerche. Again, it was Dutch run and called Le Moulin de Gany, after the windmill that once stood on the site near the tiny hamlet of Gany. It was a challenge getting the van into the very hillside camp, but we had a good convenient pitch and enjoyed some relaxing sun, and a most enjoyable communal meal with forty Dutch people. Once again we were the only non-Dutch on the whole site which made us something of celebrities. We probably needed more than three days to fully appreciate the excellent facilities they offered, but time was pressing and on Saturday morning, 31st July, we set off once again in search of adventure.

First stop was Uzerche. We knew nothing about the town, but it turned out to be a fascinating place with the old town perched high above two Roman viaducts with a lovely meandering Vézère river surrounding the town. We trekked up the hill and through the ancient stone gate up to the church and the view of the city below, before enjoying a quick coffee. We were going to drive on, but the Yogi Bear tables by the river looked so welcoming in the sun that we drove down to the parking place for campers, and ate some pate, tomatoes and cucumber salad on the riverbank, while gazing up at the variety of buildings on the other side.

We set off again towards our next France Passion night stop, only one night this time before our next campsite. On the way I fancied the look of Mount Gargan, an apparent beauty spot en route, with the sign on the map indicating good views. This would have been great, but for the fact that the acute left turn to get onto the road leading up the mountain, meant the van’s tow bar (which we never use) had a fight with the tarmac, and for one moment we could not move forwards, and we could not move backwards! As you might imagine, my head began to go into panic mode, but Victor, as ever, kept his cool, changed the angle of the wheel and reversed out of danger. The road came off worse, but we abandoned that plan, turned back and carried on to Saint Bonnet Briance, a tiny spot, not at all far from Lous Suais, the earlier campsite on the lake.

Here was yet another farm, this one ‘with rooms’, and a large patio table set for twelve outside in the evening sun. There were two more couples staying the night, both with young boys. We had booked for an evening meal but did not realise we would be eating ‘en famille’. Although a little daunting at first, as none of them could, or wanted to, speak any English, Victor warmed to his task and engaged them in conversation. His French is coming on famously! Even I joined in a little after a couple of glasses of wine, and it was a lovely simple French meal in a very pretty setting. They had a lovely shaggy dog too who took rather a liking to Victor!

And so finally to Sunday, when we drove to our new campsite of Creuse Nature, near Montluçon in the Creuse area of Limousin. All the way, it could not have been more different than the previous day’s sunny bright drive through idyllic hamlets. This time was busy dual carriageways through blackening skies, increasing winds and the sound of thunder in the south. We were heading for another campsite, in less than perfect conditions, and this time for eight nights. What would this one hold in store?

Surrounded by History

Last Tuesday we left the beautiful lake-side campsite of Lous Suais, and headed back through the porcelain city of Limoges. If you take the D941 and head north-west you will come across one of the best kept secrets from WWII, the decimated town of Oradour-sur-Glane. Over 600 men, women and children were shot or burnt to death by SS troops in a reprisal attack on 10th June 1944, and the remains of the town have been preserved exactly as it was found, and maintained as a national monument to the memory of the dead. Thousands of visitors every year come to pay their respects and learn more about how and why this beautiful French town was singled out for such an atrocity. We began by visiting the exhibition which maps out the events of the war, particularly in relation to the part France played, and then you are guided through a tunnel into the town itself. It was a remarkable and sobering experience to wander through the streets, quietly and respectfully along with other tourists, going inside the church where over 400 women and children were burned as the SS soldiers locked them in and threw hand grenades into the chancel in an abortive attempt to bring down the roof. The various shops and houses are marked with exactly what they used to be; the dentist, the patisserie, the garage, the hotel, the girl’s school etc. Burnt out remains of cars, sewing machines, cash registers, bread ovens, all remain as they were when the outside world discovered the scene days after the attack. Our visit was a very special moment in our journey.

From there we drove on to find our France Passion night stop at Ferme Auberge de Bellevue in the tiny and exquisite village of Chateau de Lastours, just south of Limoges. As we drove up the narrow steep lane to this goose farm with restaurant, we could see across the valley into the village and were amazed to see a ruined castle next to a wooden church with a tall bent steeple! On exploring on foot we found that the village is on the “Route Richard Coeur de Lion”, and that the King stayed at this castle when travelling from England to the Holy Land. As Victor was reading ‘Millennium’ by Tom Holland, an incredible book detailing the events of the first 1000 years since Christ, culminating with the Crusades, this seemed highly appropriate. Imagine our delight to discover an advert telling us that there was to be a show at the castle that very night starting at 10pm, which would give the history of the castle and an insight into the life of a soldier at the time of Richard.

Before that we enjoyed a most spectacular meal at the Auberge, on Madame’s terrace, overlooking the village and the castle (see photo). As it was a goose farm, they specialise in patés and fois gras. Fois gras, in case you have not come across it, and with apologies to vegetarians, is the paté made from goose liver, after the goose has been force fed with maize to engorge his liver and make it particularly tender and tasty. And it does! It was! I can honestly say that the hot starter of goose liver was one of the most delicious plates of food I have ever had! All helped along with local red wine of course. Madame offered us a lift into the village to attend the light show at the castle, and although it was all in French and we understood very little, it was very entertaining and extremely atmospheric, as a group of actors dressed as Knights with lit torches, gave a presentation about the castle, including singing traditional French songs, mock fighting with replica weapons, and an initiation ceremony of a new member of their order. It was nearly one o’clock when we got back to the van that night.

Wednesday was the city of Perigeux and a nightstop at another goose and pig farm, and on Thursday we enjoyed a drive down the length of the Vérzère Valley from Montignac, where they were holding a local festival and the main street was festooned with paper flowers, to Les Eyzies, a little town literally carved out of the rock. The route is the centre of the prehistoric troglodyte area where people over centuries have made their homes in the massive rock formations over the river. We were now in the Dordogne, one of the more wealthy areas of France, full of traditional yellow-stone villages and chateaux. This area is favoured by the British and thousands have sold up and moved out here.

After three days of exploration we were ready to find out next campsite, a small site in the forest just south-east of Sarlat, the capital of the Dordogne. We took a couple of hours to discover Sarlat on our way down and we found a bustling medieval town, with many shops and restaurants, with the accent heavily on tourism. We loved it! So, since Thursday evening we have been at this site, Le Grandes Chenes (the large oaks), a French run family site boasting ‘designer buildings’, reminding us of the sets in The Flintstones, with bulbous cement walls and porthole windows! Sadly, the weather has not been good since last Wednesday morning, and the sun is still struggling to shine. We move on tomorrow morning and the plan is to explore more of the Dordogne for a couple of days before the next campsite. We really do need sunshine by next Wednesday!

Tranquility Base and more Dutch!

As mentioned in the last blog, we have found the most beautiful lake just to the east of Limoges, right in the middle of France, where there is a fabulous, small but perfectly formed, naturist resort built in terraces on a steep wooded hillside leading down to the water’s edge. Lous Suais is Dutch run (again!) and has been going for 23 years under the same Dutch ownership. It is truly a wonderful dot on the globe and we feel privileged to have enjoyed the benefits for nearly eight days.

We are the only people here who are NOT Dutch (apart from one Flemish family and they speak a form of Dutch anyway!), so sometimes we have felt a little isolated as we listen to incomprehensible conversations, and try to decipher the notices which are written in Dutch and French, but NOT English! But all this does not matter a jot when you consider that as I write this, with the laptop perched on my knee, following a delicious BBQ dinner of lamb steaks and Mediterranean vegetables, in the dying light of the evening sun, I can gaze down the hillside to a peaceful, still lake, flanked by pine trees. The downside to this camp is the enormous flight of stone and wood steps which challenge us every time we want to get down to the cafe/bar and the tiny beach by the side of the water. As our motor home is too big to drive down the hillside, we have been assigned a spot on the top level, which means a 10 minute hike down to the centre of the action. Not that there is much action, and that is how we prefer it now that we are becoming totally chilled!

The terrain here is very hilly, so the bikes are not much use to us. We did walk to a nearby village the other day, and the countryside is stunning, but it was over an hour each way, and the final incline homeward was a killer! We have taken a “pied a l’eau”, (Pedalo to us Brits) out twice, swum in the lake, played boules and had a welcome lift to a farmer’s market/picnic at the aforementioned village. It was joyful just to be out in the real world for a short while! The problem we are finding is that once we have parked the van on our pitch at a camp, wound out the awning, set up the kitchen table with BBQ, put out the lounger chairs, and let down the feet under the van to steady it; we really do not want to move it again until we go. This can be frustrating when there are so many beautiful little French towns and villages to discover.

So, Victor has come up with a plan (again) and once we leave here on Tuesday morning, after a wonderful relaxing week, we will start to explore much more of the real France, particularly the wine areas. We plan to achieve this by taking two nights at a time parking at vineyards and farms, under the French Passion system, when we will not put out the awning etc, and use the daytime to poddle around taking in the sights. Then we will have four or five nights at a campsite to recharge our batteries and service the van, before repeating the pattern. As long as we are clear when we exit the van, which are ‘textile days’ and which are ‘naturist days’, then everything should be fine!

Le Mans Mayhem and Magic

So much has happened since Le Colombier and our last blog I hardly know where to begin! On our journey between the campsite and Le Mans, we parked overnight in the middle of a huge field of vines and experienced possibly the most amazing electrical storm I have ever seen. It is very humbling in a tiny tin box, all alone in the middle of France, gazing in wonder at the forked and sheet lightning dancing across a huge black sky like a procession of comets flashing horizontally, following deafening claps of thunder. Happily, the following morning the sun shone and some hours later we entered the famous Circuit des 24 Heures de Le Mans.

So much confusion, so many organisational cock-ups, so many people, so many beautiful classic cars, so much sun! Inflated prices, beautiful people, enthusiasts and anoraks, noise and more noise, speed and excitement. The overheard technical conversations were fascinating – what on earth is a manifold anyway? The place was incredible, and a difficult culture shock for two intrepid travellers now used to the calm and tranquillity of the French countryside. It was a home from home with thousands of Brits, all camping in enormous fields, showing off their precious classic vehicles, with far too few basic facilities for the numbers who gather at this Mecca every two years. We were assigned to a grassy plot right on the final bend before the last straight to the finish line – from Saturday at 4pm until Sunday at 4pm there was continual racing with the associated noise and lights. We had brilliant tickets for the grandstand right on the start and finish line and enjoyed the unique spectacle of the Le Mans start when the drivers line up opposite their cars and run across the track.

After an initial adjustment period we were swept along with the tradition and adrenaline. We met some lovely French people at the French Mercedes Club site where we were treated to free food and drink, took a trip around the track on one of the vintage buses, spoke at length in the Pits with one of the proud volunteers supporting a lovely 1965 red MGB, a past Le Mans winner, drank champagne at £10 a slurp and sat up until gone midnight watching the night races with the headlamps visible from nearly a mile away.

Unfortunately, the walk from our pitch to The Village, the centre of the action, was nearly an hour so with that and the continual noise, we were totally exhausted by the Monday morning when we drove south. Some days later we are now settling into our new campsite, Lous Suais, just east of Limoges. More of this beautiful peaceful place in the next blog. The lake is quite spectacular!

Little Holland and Very Friendly Sheep!

We were sorry to drive away from Chateau Guiton last Saturday morning, but new pastures beckoned, quite literally as it happens! The Sat Nav took us up to the west coast via La Rochelle, and we arrived here at Le Colombier, some sixty miles inland. We were not disappointed. This Dutch-run camp is one of the best known on the naturist circuit, and was built some 18 years ago from a derelict farm complex. It consists of a bar and restaurant complex built in an old barn (see photo), a really lovely large pool, and fields and fields for tents, caravans and campers, plus the usual static chalets.

It is still early in the season so it is relatively quiet, but we are surrounded by a good number of Dutch couples and families which made last night’s semi-final against Uruguay a very noisy and happy affair! We will have had five nights here when we leave tomorrow morning, and it has been a most relaxing stay in lovely sunshine. We picked a pitch overlooking a large pasture which is home to six white sheep. It is their ‘good morning baaas’ that welcome us, as the most greedy sheep calls out for the remains of the previous days French stick. We were delighted to find that she will eat from our hands (again, see photo), which makes a change from feeding swans! We have also been swimming and walking in the woodland surrounding the camp, and keeping the bar profits up!

Naturist camps are extremely peaceful places, particularly before the schools break up. Although there are usually facilities laid on, most people simply want to soak up the sun outside their own caravans, walk their dogs or float idly in the pool. Everyone is very friendly, but also very respectful of everyone’s desire for privacy and quiet. Unlike a hotel holiday there are always chores to do, but by mid-morning when everything in and around the van are shipshape, then we can read, plan future weeks, or check out the internet (if we can find a signal). Tomorrow it will all change. We are planning one day and night exploring the Loire Valley wine region, including towns such as Saumur and Chinon. Then on Friday morning it’s off to Le Mans to join the queue into the race track. Our next report will probably be early next week (wi-fi allowing) when we will attempt to describe the madness!

Medieval City and Paradise found!

July already – we can hardly believe it! We left the hedonist extremes of Cap d’Agde last Saturday. There is no doubt that the resort offers fun and distraction but you would never see such ‘carryings on’ on Brighton naturist beach, that’s for sure! It had been an experience, but we now yearned for the peaceful relaxation we had promised ourselves. On our way west we called in at Carcassone, the beautiful walled citadel of the Knights Templar, dating back to the 11th century. It looks exactly like a Disney film set, but is genuine, and they just manage to avoid spoiling the magic. High on a hill, overlooking glorious countryside, the city gives a glimpse of times past, while offering the facilities expected by the modern tourist. We enjoyed a typical French lunch, walked around the walls, took the obligatory photos and wished we had had the forethought to buy tickets for the Bob Dylan concert, due to be held high on the ramparts the following evening! What a venue! We drove on in glorious sunshine towards our next destination, and called in at one of those enormous French supermarkets which sells just about everything, to stock up on essentials of life – meat, veg and, especially for Victor, wine! We then looked for Chateau Guiton, our next naturist camp, nestling in the hills just east of Bordeaux, right in the middle of the Entre des Mers wine region. I have never seen so many vines – every square inch is packed with them and everyone has a go at making their own special recipe. Every shop seems to sell wine, be it a baker, butcher or general store. After going round in circles for a while and arguing again with the Sat Nav, we came across the gate at the end of a track. This place is amazing! Very simple, very beautiful, very relaxed. A young French couple have bought up an old crumbling Chateau and created a naturist environment in the wooded grounds. Each pitch is delineated with shrubs, hedging or vines and the space is very generous. It is refreshingly small, with relatively few visitors at present, and you are woken by birdsong and the sound of Madam’s car horn as she arrives with fresh bread from her boulangerie in Frontenac, a local village. We are lulled to sleep by the chirruping of crickets. Multi-coloured butterflies jockey for position in the long grass and the area is a positive arboretum. The buildings are original and fascinating with little cut-out windows in the stone walls. The couple are clearly artistic as we have found statues, paintings and hanging tapestries dotted around. Despite its apparent simplistic approach, the wi-fi is free within a few meters of the office which makes the blog a lot easier. The pool is the first we have found which is not cold, is in a fabulous setting right outside the Chateau, and we have had it all to ourselves on several occasions. Yesterday we made a bit of a blunder and took our second major bike ride to the next relatively large town of Sauveterre. As usual we left too late – what did Noel Coward say about ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’? We ended up cycling a total of nearly four hours there and back, in the heat of the day. Crazy or what? Lovely town, nice lunch but we were totally shattered last evening. Today we plan to do very little! We leave here on Saturday morning and plan to take in St Emilion, before heading for our next campsite, the last one before Le Mans Classic 24 hour race. Victor cannot wait!

Cap d'Agde and the largest naturist village in Europe

We arrived here last Saturday via Sete, a port on the south coast famous for the seafood, and enjoyed a wonderful plate of oysters and langoustines while watching the ferries come and go. We turned up in Cap d’Agde at teatime, not a good time to arrive, with every other holidaymaker trying to book into the village at the same time in pouring rain and a howling gale. Apparently the wind is the infamous French Mistral which blows down from the mountains. It had been alright in Sete, but suddenly the weather turned. Couple that with typical French inefficiency at the reception area and you can imagine how depressing it became! The Naturist Village here is the largest in Europe and is infamous for attracting, shall we say, the more exotic and maybe bizarre side of naturism. The village certainly caters for everyone, with a mix of apartments, chalets and pitches for tourers next to the amazing beach. The village is enormous with plenty to entertain including boutiques, supermarkets, restaurants of all types, oyster bars (some with pools and all showing the football), hairdressers, nightclubs and the odd ‘specialist’ club just in case you are into that sort of thing! Some of the people here delight in dressing to shock and we have certainly seen a few sights! But in the main it is a holiday resort offering the best beaches on the Mediterranean, within 30 minutes walk of the Marina town of Cap d’Agde. We have spent a lot of time relaxing around our van, setting up the awning, taking it down again when the wind got up, and then putting it up again two nights ago when the weather finally settled down into the consistent hot sunny days we have been waiting for. On Tuesday we walked into the town and had a lovely time exploring the local farmer’s market, eating a panache of sea snails for lunch (honestly, they were delicious!), and admiring the many yachts and cruisers in the bay, some clearly owned by millionaire types! Mind you, Roma, our boat we sold to finance this trip, would not have looked out of place there. We have been on the beach although I am not too keen on sand in the towels, and watched a number of World Cup matches with a carafe of rose amongst a mixture of nationalities. And we are through – unlike the French – we were so relieved. More of the same until Sunday morning, when we will shut up shop here and head for a visit to the walled city of Carcassone before moving west to our next campsite of choice, Chateau Giton which is south-east of Bordeaux. We are still finding it quite difficult to get on line, and we do not know what facilities the next site will have, so bear with us and we will be back in touch as soon as possible. We will keep the flag flying for the boys!

No floods for us, just floods of French tears!

We believe some of our friends and family have been concerned by press reports at home of the terrible flooding in parts of southern France earlier this week. Although we did experience mixed weather, including black skies, heavy rain and even some cloudbursts, we are far to the west of where the real problems were, and we have no intention of travelling that far east. So, all is well and we are approaching the end of our week at the first resort, Serignan Plage. There may be some readers who are not aware that we will be visiting Naturist resorts in the main, a lifestyle we adopted some four years ago when we first visited France in the summer. I do not intend publishing any naturism photos which will be a great relief to most, but I cannot help but refer to it, so if this is a problem, switch off now! No, seriously, this is very common on the continent with particularly the French, Germans and Dutch being very keen on this very relaxing and simple approach to holidays! There are naturist sites of all types all over France and we will experience sites of all types and sizes during our time here. So far this week, despite mixed weather, we have been in the spa pool area twice, loving the bubbly spa bath and massage walk (!), taken our new windbreak down to the beach and paddled in the Med, watched some football, including France losing – that should put the dampers on the mood round here – and had a lovely third wedding anniversary meal in the campsite restaurant. Yesterday (Thursday) we took our new bikes out for their first big trip – a two hour round trip into the nearby town of Serignan. The little town was delightful with a very typical French central square covered in restaurant tables and chairs. We picked up some delicious local vegetables and fruit on our ride back. It is 35 years since either of us rode a bike for any distance - we limped back exhausted with our knees shouting in complaint! We still managed to prepare a superb BBQ dinner before watching the France vs Mexico match on our TV in the van. Thank goodness we did not join the droves of French in the cafe TV room as originally intended – it would have been most depressing! On Saturday we move on to Cap d’Agde just up the coast to a much bigger more commercial site. Should be interesting!

Saturday and it must be Serignan

Big drive today in better weather although we did have some rain. This final stretch took us through the Massife Centrale, the huge mountain range through the middle of France. Up hill and down dale – really scary at times, exhilarating at others. The highlight was crossing the new bridge over the Millau Gorge. It has seven towers and Victor dubbed it ‘The Seven Pillars of Millau’. We stopped there for a bite of lunch and to take photos along with all the other tourists! Onward for another couple of hours until we could tell we were approaching the coast. With the help of our lady Sat Nav we found our first resort – Serignan Plage – just down from Beziers – where we will spend seven nights on our pitch along with French, Dutch and Germans. We dipped our toes in the Mediterranean and watched the first England match on a huge screen in the bar – what was that about! Oh, and the sun is coming out!

L'escargot as far as the eye can see!

Friday brought more driving south. I don’t what I like least – the rattling as a huge lorry passes us, the runaway train syndrome as we rush down steep hills and up the other side, or me sitting on the wrong side of the van as Victor overtakes the mad Frenchmen! But I am getting more used to it, and am loving the picnic lunches at the lovely Aires on the motorway. Late afternoon and we reached Massiac, south of Clermont Ferrand. This stopover was at a Snail Farm which was perched on the top of a hill overlooking the little town in the Valley below. The owners were charming and the son described to us how they breed thousands of snails in their fields, all trapped in by small electric fences – although we did see some escapees! As he did not speak alot of English, it was quite complex trying to get a grasp of the details he was giving us! That evening their chef in their tiny restaurant cooked snails for us in about six different ways – all equally delicious. The family had a big Labrador so Victor was happy! We ate and drank well that night.

Travelling south adventures

Canoes are Us!
Our night stop on Wednesday was a mystery tour into a small town en route, down a rough track, almost to the river’s edge where there is a Canoe Centre for youngsters to go to learn to canoe over a weekend or during the summer. This was the first of a number of sites offered by an organisation called French Passion, where farmers, vineyard owners and the like, offer a free night stop specific ally for motorhomes. The huge rundown field was full of equipment and BBQs and the toilet was an environmentally friendly bucket with a lid! We used our own facilities. When we arrived we found another British van with a couple who turned out to have many bottles of wine and many stories to tell. Once we were joined by another van with a Scottish couple, the party really started! The other delight of the evening was visit by a very young French black kitten who was most playful, but who also wanted to snuggle on my knee! I wanted to take him home but Victor would not let me!

Moving South and more rain!
So far the weather had been disappointing to be honest with heavy showers and black skies inbetween sunny spells. Our third day of driving was no different, but our French Passion stopover that evening made up for it. We settled down at the back of a small Vineyard in the middle of nowhere, having tasted their delicious wines, bought some bottles, and toured the cellars. The views were beautiful fields and woods beyond and so peaceful. We watched a DVD that evening on our own telly. Very cosy!

In the Brush strokes of Monet!

Wednesday 9th June was our second day in France and we began by driving an hour to Giverny to visit Monet’s home and garden – particularly the water garden. It did not disappoint and by the signage on the way it was like visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace or maybe Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage. As it was an overcast day and early in the season it was not overcrowded and we were very impressed with the roses, the mixed borders and, of course, the waterlillies. His house was an unexpected delight, very French rustic but with a huge collection of Japanese prints. We bought the obligatory fridge magnet in the very overpriced gift shop and got back on the road.

And finally, La Belle France

We left the Kent campsite early this morning, and caught the earlier Ferry. P&O have really upped their game since I last crossed the Channel and the ship was very smart. We stopped for lunch at City Europe Shopping Mall and enjoyed Mussels in White wine - a great start to the holiday. The 3 hour drive to our nightstop near Rouen was dogged with heavy showers and dark skies but the van performed well and despite the Sat Nav losing us a bit at the end, we got here and it is very pretty with plenty of trees and birdsong. Tomorrow is Monet's Garden before we continue our journey south. Bon Nuit everyone.
Phyllida and Victor

We can almost smell the sea!

Here we are at the Black Horse Caravan Park about thirty minutes out of Dover. The van made it down without incident from Norwich to Surrey on Saturday after a busy morning packing her up. She is pretty full! That night we stayed with Victor’s daughter and family in a real house (!) On Sunday our good friends Sandie and Richard hosted a Bon Voyage BBQ in their beautiful garden with some of our dearest friends. We could feel ourselves winding down and getting into holiday mood. Today I drove the final leg towards Dover and here we are in light rain, enjoying a stir fry on our last evening in Blighty before crossing La Manche tomorrow lunchtime. There seem to be loads of motor homes and caravans here, all with the same idea in mind!
Have tried to upload a photo but tonight in the campsite the signal is poor and it will not upload! Apologies. Will try again in a few days when we can get access. Take care everyone.
Phyllida and Victor

She's back in good shape!

We went over to Yarmouth yesterday and collected our baby from the workshop. She has been patched up quite well for now, and today we will fill her up with all our goodies! I was very nervous all Tuesday when she was down for all her repairs, feeling as if a close friend was having open heart surgery!! Victor drove her back and I followed in the car watching her every shake and wobble! All was well and we are so thrilled to be back on schedule.
We have learnt that it is not so easy to get hold of dongles in France, and that they are very expensive to use, so future postings to this blog will be dependant on us finding internet cafes or places with wi fi!!! Bear with us!
Enjoy the sun.
Phyllida and Victor

Back on track

Today, after three days of biting our nails down to the quick, we learnt that the garage are confident they can patch her up to make her roadworthy by next Thursday. That gives us one day to load her up and then hopefully we are back on schedule!
Fingers crossed!

Best Laid Plans.....

Saturday arrived with hot sunshine - perfect weather for a practice stay in an Orchard campsite near Duxford. We spent two days loading up the van, not least with BBQ meats and bottles of rose wine. 45 minutes out of Norwich, not even as far as Thetford, on a straight stretch of A11dual carriageway and out of nowhere, BANG, we had a blowout on the rear nearside wheel. Victor was marvellous and coolly slowed her down for what seemed like forever az the van swerved around before it settled down and came to a halt on the grassy verge. We were still alive! We informed the police and they sent out a couple of cars to block off the nearside carriageway. We were there for three hours before the van was evtually winched up onto a low loader and the driver took us to Simpsons in Yarmouth where the body shop will look at her tomorrow. Sadly the explosion in the tyre damaged some of the interior. So we will find out tomorrow whether they can repair her in time for our scheduled departure in less than two weeks time! Keep your fingers crossed for us, because if they cannot, then we will have to revise the itinerary.
Take care
Phyllida and Victor

Two weeks to go

Only two weeks to go before we drive our motorhome south and then cross the Channel for a full three months of adventure deep in la Belle France. We will keep you updated with comment and photos as the weeks pass. Another practice weekend in a campsite near Duxford coming up - can't wait!
Phyllida and Victor