We're not going anywhere today, just following the plan heretofore mentioned. After breakfast we took the van round to the other aire to empty the waste tanks and top up the water, then to Auchan to refuel. As always we also called in to make last minute purchases i.e. wine and beer!
Then back to the Marina to relax for the rest of the day, ready for the long slog back home tomorrow.
Friday 30 May 2014
Thursday 29 May 2014
Our intention was to make a bid for the Channel coast so an early start was made - again no services but we'll sort that out later. We were now travelling on better main roads, indeed at times on motorways but, whilst we normally avoid them, we took advantage this time to save time. We still drove for 4 hours non-stop, except to buy a baguette, but then we needed to find some fuel so a lunch stop was incorporated.
We had noted how unusually quiet it was everywhere, even for France. But then a check of the calendar showed it was Ascension Day, a public holiday in France and thus a bit of luck for us because it meant the traffic was much lighter than it would normally have been.
Having decided we were going to make it to the coast, we found a service point to empty the waste tanks and top up the water. Autoroute had picked out a fast run using non-toll motorways so we took advantage, skirting Lille and heading for Dunkerque. Our target was the aire at Gravelines but, probably due to the lateness of the day, it was full to overflowing. And so was Port St. Phillipe next door. More by luck than judgement, we found the brand new aire at Marck but couldn't work it out so cur our losses and headed for Calais Port. Which was full. Fortunately the Marina aire, being just a huge car-park, had plenty of room although there were many motorhomes already parked up.
At 7.00p.m. this was probably the latest we have ever left it, but our plan to shorten yesterdays run and do a long one today worked out. With just a little shopping and refuel to do tomorrow we can relax ready for the long slog home tomorrow.
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| Villeneuve au Chemin |
We had noted how unusually quiet it was everywhere, even for France. But then a check of the calendar showed it was Ascension Day, a public holiday in France and thus a bit of luck for us because it meant the traffic was much lighter than it would normally have been.
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| Chalons en Champagne |
Having decided we were going to make it to the coast, we found a service point to empty the waste tanks and top up the water. Autoroute had picked out a fast run using non-toll motorways so we took advantage, skirting Lille and heading for Dunkerque. Our target was the aire at Gravelines but, probably due to the lateness of the day, it was full to overflowing. And so was Port St. Phillipe next door. More by luck than judgement, we found the brand new aire at Marck but couldn't work it out so cur our losses and headed for Calais Port. Which was full. Fortunately the Marina aire, being just a huge car-park, had plenty of room although there were many motorhomes already parked up.
At 7.00p.m. this was probably the latest we have ever left it, but our plan to shorten yesterdays run and do a long one today worked out. With just a little shopping and refuel to do tomorrow we can relax ready for the long slog home tomorrow.
Wednesday 28 May 2014
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| Moulin de Mige |
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| Chateau at Montrond |
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| Picture caught our eye |
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| Motorway Art. Looks 3D but was actually a flat panel |
But of course we had not taken into account that after Nevers, where we stopped for lunch, we were going “cross-country” and progress, especially getting caught behind big lorries, was much slower so by the time we reached, and battled through, Auxerre it was well into late afternoon. Back to Plan A and an aire we had originally planned at Gurgy, on the Yonne river, was quickly reprogrammed into the satnav.
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| Auxerre Cathedral |
Tuesday 27 May 2014
From Montbrison, which was basically our last night in Provence as such, we now needed to get some miles under the wheels – France is quite a big country and you don’t realise just how far south you are until you come to plan the trip home.
So our route took us onto some of the faster roads now and the N7 is a good choice for progress without using the toll roads, although it does still go through towns and villages. Usually though there is a by-pass for the larger towns, such as Valance where we doubled back part way into town to do some shopping, get fuel and break for lunch.
Our plan took us through Roanne on the Loire where there is an aire right on the river, overlooking the marina and the town across the river. We got the last but one space (later learning that it had only just been vacated) and got the kettle on to enjoy once again late afternoon sunshine.
So our route took us onto some of the faster roads now and the N7 is a good choice for progress without using the toll roads, although it does still go through towns and villages. Usually though there is a by-pass for the larger towns, such as Valance where we doubled back part way into town to do some shopping, get fuel and break for lunch.
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| Sure we've seen that before somewhere! |
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| More roundabout art - Valance |
Our plan took us through Roanne on the Loire where there is an aire right on the river, overlooking the marina and the town across the river. We got the last but one space (later learning that it had only just been vacated) and got the kettle on to enjoy once again late afternoon sunshine.
Thursday 29 May 2014
Monday 26 May 2014
Although it rained into the night, we awoke to a dry light overcast that shortly turned back to broken clouds and sunshine, just right for our planned trip up Mont Ventoux. We couldn't get the service point to work so resolved to look out for another later and re-joined the Route Napoleon.
Veering off, we started climbing before spotting a service point in the lovely little village of Banon, which wasn't in the book so after making use of the facilities we made a note of all the details to submit later. The road up Mont Ventoux is a stage of the Tour de France cycle race and was being well used by cyclists, as well as a number of motor-cyclists, so we were constantly on the lookout on this winding but well-surfaced road. A bit narrow but perfectly adequate for us.
We took a break halfway up for lunch then continued to the top, down to 2nd and 3rd gear for much of the time. Peaking out at around 6000ft, we paused to take in the stunning all round view and try a couple of photos.
Coming down the other side was a slow affair, having to keep in a low gear to prevent running away. We paused halfway down to let the brakes cool off!
Then continuing north and west, we picked out a couple of aires then chose Montbrison, a small village in wine/olive oil country with a dedicated parking spot on the edge of the village. Joining a couple of other vans already in place, we again settled down for a quiet evening.
And it started to rain!
Veering off, we started climbing before spotting a service point in the lovely little village of Banon, which wasn't in the book so after making use of the facilities we made a note of all the details to submit later. The road up Mont Ventoux is a stage of the Tour de France cycle race and was being well used by cyclists, as well as a number of motor-cyclists, so we were constantly on the lookout on this winding but well-surfaced road. A bit narrow but perfectly adequate for us.
We took a break halfway up for lunch then continued to the top, down to 2nd and 3rd gear for much of the time. Peaking out at around 6000ft, we paused to take in the stunning all round view and try a couple of photos.
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| Nearing the top |
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| Not snow, just colour of rocks |
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| Views from the top |
Coming down the other side was a slow affair, having to keep in a low gear to prevent running away. We paused halfway down to let the brakes cool off!
Then continuing north and west, we picked out a couple of aires then chose Montbrison, a small village in wine/olive oil country with a dedicated parking spot on the edge of the village. Joining a couple of other vans already in place, we again settled down for a quiet evening.
And it started to rain!
Sunday 25 May 2014
We are definitely moving on today so after a reasonable start and a bit of shopping in the site supermarket we headed east along the coast and then onto a back road in the direction of Cannes. Despite this being the last day of the Film Festival we thought we’d have a look-see but eventually we were diverted away, but not after photographing millions of pounds worth of yachts!
So we headed north and picked up the Route Napoleon, more or less the route Bonaparte took from his last exile back to Paris (and his eventual defeat by Wellington at Waterloo). Then the sun broke through the light overcast. On the way we got sort of lost in the myriad of steep back streets of Grasse, the perfume manufacturing centre of France apparently, but eventually relocated the right road and continued once again on a marked scenic route. We can recommend the Route Napoleon.
After lunch overlooking Grasse and the Cote D’Azur, we picked out a pleasant looking aire at Castellane but as we approached the town we were brought to a stop – it was their Fete day and the centre was temporarily blocked off for part of the celebrations. We could also see that the aire was completely full, so while we waited we researched a couple more up in the mountains. After about half an hour we were allowed to pick our way through the town and made our way past a man-made lake that was only half full, but nevertheless quite photogenic, and into St Andre-les-Alpes where there was a nice quiet aire.
Settled down and were subsequently joined by several more vans before it started to rain. Ah well!
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| 5-masted cruise ship! |
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| Cannes Seafront |
So we headed north and picked up the Route Napoleon, more or less the route Bonaparte took from his last exile back to Paris (and his eventual defeat by Wellington at Waterloo). Then the sun broke through the light overcast. On the way we got sort of lost in the myriad of steep back streets of Grasse, the perfume manufacturing centre of France apparently, but eventually relocated the right road and continued once again on a marked scenic route. We can recommend the Route Napoleon.
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| Route Napoleon |
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| Perfume distillery |
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| Grasse centre |
After lunch overlooking Grasse and the Cote D’Azur, we picked out a pleasant looking aire at Castellane but as we approached the town we were brought to a stop – it was their Fete day and the centre was temporarily blocked off for part of the celebrations. We could also see that the aire was completely full, so while we waited we researched a couple more up in the mountains. After about half an hour we were allowed to pick our way through the town and made our way past a man-made lake that was only half full, but nevertheless quite photogenic, and into St Andre-les-Alpes where there was a nice quiet aire.
Settled down and were subsequently joined by several more vans before it started to rain. Ah well!
Saturday 24 May 2014
Saturday 24 May 2014
It ain't 'arf 'ot Mum!
Already 25 deg when we got up, got up to nearly 30 this afternoon - that's in the shade! So stayed under the awning before eventually getting the air-con going to cool down a bit.
Too hot to go out in the sun.
Already 25 deg when we got up, got up to nearly 30 this afternoon - that's in the shade! So stayed under the awning before eventually getting the air-con going to cool down a bit.
Too hot to go out in the sun.
Friday 23 May 2014
It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do! Awoke to a bright and already warm day, set to move on but a quick check of the forecast said that this was here to stay for a couple of days, so we reviewed our plans.
And decided to book in for a couple more nights. In the end this was decided because our plans included Cannes, where the Film Festival is running and Monaco, where the GP is on this weekend! So instead we did a little shopping in the on-site supermarket then caught the bus to St Tropez.
We don't know what we were expecting but it wasn't quite what we found. The guidebooks would have you believe that it is full of the "beautiful people" shopping for expensive trinkets and their expensive yachts filled the harbour. Well the latter was almost right, there was some beautiful machinery tied up there. But the rest?
What we actually found was a charming old port village around an old harbour, that went slowly back up the hill towards the Citadel, constructed centuries ago as part of the coastal defences against the Spanish. Yes, there were a lot of people around but we didn't have to go far to lose them.
We wandered round for a couple of hours, fortified by ice-creams - at €5 each! - and delicious bagettes. Entrance to the Citadel was by payment but didn't contain anything we particularly wanted to see so we took our piccies then wandered back down to the town.
We found a couple of back streets, lined with small retailers - we can only guess if these were the "expensive shops", there were no prices.......
Eventually we found our way back to the bus station with the next one waiting so boarded for the half-hour trip back. St Tropez is obviously much larger than what we had seen and our guide book suggested that there were more associated village suburbs further out along the peninsular, but it was far too warm to venture there without transport. We were well satisfied with what we had discovered.
Our campsite bordered the village of Port Grimaud so we left the bus there to have a look-see. It appears to be a fairly recently created walled community with apartments and some shops around a marina. Being quite late on, we just stopped for ice-creams - not quite so dear this time - before finding our way back to Bertie along the beach.
After a refreshing drink, Terry decided it was time to cool off in the Med - lovely! - before showers and a nice relaxing evening again. We were pleased we had decided to stay.
And decided to book in for a couple more nights. In the end this was decided because our plans included Cannes, where the Film Festival is running and Monaco, where the GP is on this weekend! So instead we did a little shopping in the on-site supermarket then caught the bus to St Tropez.
We don't know what we were expecting but it wasn't quite what we found. The guidebooks would have you believe that it is full of the "beautiful people" shopping for expensive trinkets and their expensive yachts filled the harbour. Well the latter was almost right, there was some beautiful machinery tied up there. But the rest?
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| Water-skiing anyone? |
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| Want, want, want, want....Bet he can get BBC1 |
What we actually found was a charming old port village around an old harbour, that went slowly back up the hill towards the Citadel, constructed centuries ago as part of the coastal defences against the Spanish. Yes, there were a lot of people around but we didn't have to go far to lose them.
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| Restaurants surrounding the harbour |
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| The original "port" |
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| Hotel de Ville |
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| One of the pretty narrow back streets |
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| Peaceful squares behind the facade |
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| The Old Port from the Citadel |
We wandered round for a couple of hours, fortified by ice-creams - at €5 each! - and delicious bagettes. Entrance to the Citadel was by payment but didn't contain anything we particularly wanted to see so we took our piccies then wandered back down to the town.
 |
| A street of "expensive shops" |
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| Says it all |
Eventually we found our way back to the bus station with the next one waiting so boarded for the half-hour trip back. St Tropez is obviously much larger than what we had seen and our guide book suggested that there were more associated village suburbs further out along the peninsular, but it was far too warm to venture there without transport. We were well satisfied with what we had discovered.
Our campsite bordered the village of Port Grimaud so we left the bus there to have a look-see. It appears to be a fairly recently created walled community with apartments and some shops around a marina. Being quite late on, we just stopped for ice-creams - not quite so dear this time - before finding our way back to Bertie along the beach.
After a refreshing drink, Terry decided it was time to cool off in the Med - lovely! - before showers and a nice relaxing evening again. We were pleased we had decided to stay.
Thursday 22 May 2014
Thursday 22 May 2014
It's RAINING. Started with a thunderstorm this morning but showers for the rest of the day.
Didn't like it here anyway...
But at least all the Germans left.
Didn't like it here anyway...
But at least all the Germans left.
Wednesday 21 May 2014
Wednesday 21 May 2014
We had thought about getting the bus into St Tropez but it sort of didn't work out and we didn't move far from the van all day.....
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| Beach at Port Grimaud |
Tuesday 20 May 2014
One bit of advice we didn't take too much notice of was, keep your fuel tank full. We'd seen plenty of service stations around so thought nothing of it...........
And wasted an hour trying to get topped up. We had to backtrack a little but the first one we couldn't get into. The seconds pump was out or order so we backtracked to Riez, about 15km to find yet another one closed! Fortunately our map suggested another to the north of the town and we were relieved to find an Intermarche.
So being quite a way off our planned route, we decided to drive round the lake which turned out to be very pleasant with the aqua-blue waters showing up particularly well in the sunshine - but for some reason not in the photos. And found a service station 50 yards up the road from the campsite we had just left...........grrrrrr!
Never mind, it was a pleasant detour before joining the Route Sublime, a road specially built along the southern rim of the Gorge to show off it's spectacular scenery. Not busy, which is why we had planned this trip for today, we were surprised to meet a couple of full-size tour coaches coming the other way - it was a bit tight in places for us, heaven knows how they got through!
As always, lots of photos taken which, as always, don't do it any justice whatsoever. Let's just say you have to go see it for yourselves.
Mission accomplished, it was time to plan our next move. With the weather set fair for a few days we decided to drop down to the coast, the Cote D'Azure, and rub shoulders with some money. We picked out an ACSI site right on the beach at Port Grimaud which had been recommended in a magazine, so leaving the mountains we enjoyed a fast run through beautiful countryside and charming towns and villages before joining the traffic chaos on the coast road.
Fortunately it was only a short distance and we checked in at Prairies de la Mer, a huge 4-star holiday site that is now mainly holiday bungalows but still has a large touring area with either shaded or sunny pitches. We booked in for 3 nights but haven't made any definite plans for now.
And wasted an hour trying to get topped up. We had to backtrack a little but the first one we couldn't get into. The seconds pump was out or order so we backtracked to Riez, about 15km to find yet another one closed! Fortunately our map suggested another to the north of the town and we were relieved to find an Intermarche.
So being quite a way off our planned route, we decided to drive round the lake which turned out to be very pleasant with the aqua-blue waters showing up particularly well in the sunshine - but for some reason not in the photos. And found a service station 50 yards up the road from the campsite we had just left...........grrrrrr!
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| Lavender fields - not yet in bloom |
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| Lac de Sainte Croix |
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| Overlooking village of St Croix |
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| Private chateau at Aiguines |
As always, lots of photos taken which, as always, don't do it any justice whatsoever. Let's just say you have to go see it for yourselves.
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| A bunjee-jumping site, they'd just finished! |
Mission accomplished, it was time to plan our next move. With the weather set fair for a few days we decided to drop down to the coast, the Cote D'Azure, and rub shoulders with some money. We picked out an ACSI site right on the beach at Port Grimaud which had been recommended in a magazine, so leaving the mountains we enjoyed a fast run through beautiful countryside and charming towns and villages before joining the traffic chaos on the coast road.
Fortunately it was only a short distance and we checked in at Prairies de la Mer, a huge 4-star holiday site that is now mainly holiday bungalows but still has a large touring area with either shaded or sunny pitches. We booked in for 3 nights but haven't made any definite plans for now.
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