France.May & June 2015

Well we left home on the Saturday night heading for Poole. We had to make several diversions round Bath and Blanford due to road closures, so the journey took longer than usual! We dropped the legs on the caravan and had supper along with a few glasses of wine and turned in.

At 6.00am we were woken up by the Brittany ferry men and directed to be in Lane 11 in half an hour. So quick mug of tea, legs up and we moved forward to the ticket office.  Tickets stamped and we were quickly through to passport control and security. For the first time ever we were not checked at the security barrier, just waved straight through.  At 07.30 we were on to the ferry, so it was up onto deck for a good breakfast.  We enjoyed a very smooth crossing of the Oggin and arrived in France at 13.45 French time. Straight out on to the French roads and down to Villeieu-Les-Poeles.  This is a site we often use as our first and last stop in France, as it is about 90 miles south of Cherbourg. It is also in the centre of Town so it is good for shopping.
We arrived, put our sun awning up and enjoyed our first drink in France.


By 10.00 the following morning we were on our way south, heading for a site at Angers. We had a really pleasant run across the wonderful French countryside. French roads really are a joy to drive as they are so empty. The site we had selected from the ACSI guide was Du Lac de Maine. We arrived on site at about 2.30 and within 15 minutes were set up in the glorious sunshine. The site was large and very spacious. It is on the banks of the River Loire, and would make a good base for more than one night if you wanted to tour the area. However as we were heading for real sun and heat it was only a one night stop.

We left at 10.00am the following morning and headed down through Poitiers and Limoges aiming for Camping De Montreal at St Germain Les Belles.  This really is the king of sites. It has individual pitches set on the edge of a lake. We always phone ahead to make sure Hans keeps us a lake side pitch. Hans, the owner is Dutch, but like so many continentals is fluent in many languages. We had dinner in the restaurant, and it was excellent. The following day was a non driving one so we sat in the sun and I cycled round the lake.

Early morning over the Lake at Capmping De montreal

Looking across the lake to the campsite. Camping de Montreal

Again we were on the road at 10.00am on Thursday morning, having a straight run down A20 towards Toulouse and camping Le Rope.  As we went down the A20 it became a Peage (Toll  Road). We had invested in a Tag, that would bill my bank account automatically!  As we nervously  approached the Toll gate we wondered if it would work!  All of a sudden there was a ping from the tag, lights turned green and the barrier rose!  Success!

We found the site, which was behind huge gates, more reminiscent of a prison entrance!  Our pitch was a bit scruffy.  However the toilet block we superb!  We purchased a cooked chicken from the cafe for dinner. The site was very noisy as it was close to the peage and the railway! At 04.00am the site got very noisy as people started getting up and leaving for work. We certainly will not be using this site again!

We left at 10.00am and headed south to our final destination, Camping Floride at Le Barcares. We arrived there at 2.30, and spent time setting up as we were going to be here for over 4 weeks.  Our pitch has its own toilet and shower block. It is 100yards from the beach. Around us were many Dutch people that we have met in previous years, who welcomed us back.  When you are on a site like this where many people stay for weeks at a time you soon get to know people.

We soon fell into a routine of lazy days sat in the sun, enjoying good food and wine!


However things were soon to be disturbed!

After three days or so on camp we needed to go shopping to purchase food and wine. Set off towards the supermarket and the Freelander2 does not feel right. As we go down the dual carriageway, we start to loose power and the engine management light comes on!  Time for a U turn, and we limp back to the caravan!  Large glass of wine and I ring Red Pennant, the Caravan Club break down service!  I explain the problem and say that it needs to go to Land Rover Perpignan!  They say they will get it arranged, and in an hour or so I am called back to say that a big breakdown truck will be with me in the morning to take the Freelander away. Land Rover Perpignan did not want me to attempt to drive it as I could make things worse. The next day at the appointed time the breakdown truck appears and the Freelander, which now also has a flat battery is winched on to the truck and taken away!  Red Pennant say that it is going to be a few days before it is fixed so they have arranged a hire car for me. I duly get a taxi and set off to get my hire car.  A few days later I get a call to say that the Freelander is fixed, it was a split turbo hose, and  I duly set off to return the hire car, get a taxi to Land Rover Perpignan and collect the Freelander.  I pay the bill and return to the caravan and all seems well!

Our first hire car

We decide after a couple of days to go for a  run down the coast towards the Spanish border.  Off we go, stopping for morning coffee at St Cyprien.  We then continue our meanderings and all of a sudden the Freelander stops again!   After a bit of nursing, and some most un Paul like language we reach a small village and call Red Pennant.  Getting to be on first name terms with the brilliant staff there now!  Explain the situation, and they agree to find a Tow truck to take us to Land Rover Perpignan. Alas it is lunch time, and in France that means everything is shut for two hours!  Eventually a tow truck turns up and  the Freelander is loaded. Unfortunately there is only room for one in the lorry so Lizzie opts to travel in the Freelander on the tow truck. We get to Land Rover where the Freelander is unloaded and we get a Jaguar taxi back to the caravan.  As it is now the weekend again we are told that we will here nothing until the Monday. Red Pennant sort me out another hire car and we carry on enjoying the sun and 40 degrees of heat!

 Monday comes and Red Pennant ring to say it is a broken fuel pipe and there is not one in France!  Red Pennant keep badgering Land Rover to get it sorted. They also ring me daily with the latest news! Over a week later Red Pennant decide that if it is not fixed by the Tuesday, a 4X4 will be shipped out to us, and ours taken back to the UK on a truck. Miraculously the pipe arrives and we get the Freelander back!
The moral of this tale is make sure you have Red Pennant looking after you!

Morning Coffee stop!

Meanwhile our life at Le Barcares has continued, with trips to local markets and pretty villages, as well as time sat on the beaches, just enjoying the relaxed lifestyle with plenty of good food and wine.

My sea food dinner

Our Chicken man at the Market.
Freshly cooked chickens for 7 Euros.

Just oneof the market stalls.
The local market is held every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday!

Our beach! plenty of room for all

We decided that before we began our journey home we would undertake a long trip that we had promised ourselves to Andorra. We set off and a couple of hours later after climbing some amazing passes, that made Lizzie quite nervous as the drop at the edge of the road was often over several thousand feet, we reached Andorra.

Andorra

This is a shopping mecca as everything is so cheap. We spent several hours there just wandering and shopping before wending our way home from the mountainous country.

The route back down

  We did fill up with Diesel before we left as it was 1 euro a litre, about 71p.

Finally our time at Le Barcares was coming to an end. Many of our Dutch neighbours were also leaving as the prices for the pitches were about to double!

We cleared up and left to begin our nervous run home, was the Freelander going to behave. We set off up the Peage, which was very windy towards Narbonne, and then turned inland towards Toulouse.We had decide to stay  overnight at a site on the river at Moissac, a site we have been to before, called de l'ile du Bidounet.  It is an OK site with a very narrow entrance through an arched bridge.  The pitches are quite small and are laid out in a strange way.

Camp site Entrance

The Lake at Moissac

We left there at 10.00 the following morning and headed up the motorway back to Camping de Montreal, where we stayed for a couple of days, before moving north to Camping les Noblis, at Montreuil-Bellay. This was a lovely site with and excellent Bar and wifi.  It really would make a good touring base!

We left there and headed Villerieu-les-Poeles, where we were going to spend a couple of days doing shopping and enjoying our last proper French meal! The weather had changed and instead of burning heat we had a bit of rain.

Our last night in France

Our last proper French meal!

On the Friday we had a leisurely clear up and the headed for Cherbourg for our 18.30 ferry back to England. We landed at 22.00 and arrived home at midnight.

In all we covered 2002 miles! We had an absolutely fabulous time, with fantastic food and weather.
So good in fact that we have booked our pitch in Barcares for most of May and June next year!

As for the Freelander, well she has made her last foreign trip with us as she will be replaced shortly.  Our nerves cannot face another trip abroad in her!

Start Bay, Salcombe. 22nd April to 4th May.

Set off from home and went out on the Wells, Glastonbury, Street route to the M5 and then on down to Devon. Onto the Devon Express way, coming off on the Buckfastleigh turning. Access to the site was really easy as the roads were very quiet.
Arrived at the site and discovered that it had been remodelled with lots of hard standings. We were however able to pitch up on no 9, which is a grass pitch still, although it has moved closer to the ablutions block and levelled up.  There is also a new car park, next to the pitch.
We soon put up the new awning, and set up as we will be when, if all is well we go to France next month. This meant that apart from the usual table,chairs and cupboard we had our expedition fridge (cools to 28 below ambient temperature) and our travelling washing machine.

Early morning over Start Bay viewed from our pitch!

On Thursday the weather was very good, so we went down to Start Bay, ordered the papers and enjoyed Coffee at the Start Bay Inn. Spent the afternoon sat out in the sun.

Tor Cross Beach

Beesands was our venue for morning coffeea on Friday, and also where we bought our fish for Friday dinner. Fresh Plaice straight off the boat.

Eels hanging to dry in the sun outside Britannia Fish Sales

We drove along the coast to Blackpool Sands, but unfortunately the cafe was shut, so we came back to Slapton village where we found an excellent little pub. The Tower Inn at Slapton Village. Lots of photographs on the walls of Slapton during the occupation by the American forces during the 2nd WW.


Good menu as well so we will return at some point.
We drove past the C&CC site at Slapton Ley.  Big sign up saying only 8 caravans allowed,but we counted over 20, so some rule bending going on there!

Salcombe for morning Coffee on Sunday. Good sunny weather but a trifle cold if you were out of the sun. the estuary was quite busy. we popped to North Sands on the way back!  Tide was in so it all looked good..

Salcombe harbour looking good!

In the afternoon we went down to Torcross to the 'Operation Tiger memorial service. This is held by the Sherman Tank that was dragged from the sea some 20 years ago.
Operation Tiger was a practice by the American troops for their landing on the Normandy beaches. Unfortunately they were surprised by some German E boats that sunk many of the landing craft, causing some 800 fatalities.
At the memorial service there were Americans who served in the operation, as well as many ex-service men and civilians.

The Operation Tiger Rembrance Service

Roast chicken for dinner and the gas ran out. Fortunately we had a spare!

On Monday morning we had an early start and headed for the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh. The train was running late, but the station staff kept us all well informed.  We left half an hour late for the picturesque ride down the Dart valley to Totnes. The  Railway is very well run with lots of staff. It is also very tidy, other heritage lines please take note!
The carriages that we were travelling in were 1940's GWR stock and were quite comfortable. We were hauled by an ex London Transport tank engine. Excellent day out.

South Devon Railway

We spent some time on Tuesday fishing from the beach at Slapton, but the fish were not biting!

We started Wednesday with a proper breakfast. It was a bit wet first thing but soon turned into a super day. We set off for Totnes, where we caught the train to Exeter. We wanted to do this so that we could travel along the rail line that runs on the sea wall at Dawlish.  The train was very crowded, but we still had reasonable views, apparently the train had fewer coaches than normal!  It was going from Penzance to Manchester Piccadilly, so I imagine that it would get even busier!

As we waited for the train back, it was announced that there was no disabled room in standard class!  Hasty conversation with the platform staff and we were put into First Class!  Leather seats, and a carriage to ourselves.  Superb views over the sea wall and surrounding country side!

The view as we travelled along the Sea wall at Dawlish

Then the Guard appeared!  He had not been told that we were on the train.  Apparently the first class carriage that we were in stopped beyond the platform end at Totnes.  So a quick phone call to rearrange the stopping point for the train, so we were able to disembark safely!
Absolutely brilliant service from First Great Western.
Just as we were leaving the station it was announced that the round Britain Rail tour, headed up by Britannia was coming through, so we delayed our departure to watch it!  Unfortunately it was headed up by a diesel, but still went through the station at high speed!

Thursday was a good sunny day so we sat outside before going to the Tradesman's Arms in Stokenham for lunch. Excellent.

Lunch in the Sun outside The Tradesman's

We set off for Beesands on Friday  to purchase our fish for dinner, then on to Hope Cove to visit the totally revamped Hope and Anchor pub.  It really is huge now, and very well done, although they have done away with the huge inglenook fire place which is a shame.  We do wonder where everybody who visits will park though!

We drove to Kingsweir on Saturday to visit Margaret in her apartment that over looks the Dart Estuary and Dartmouth. We had a really excellent time there, enjoying a light lunch. The views were something really special.

The view from Margaret's appartment

Sunday was a very windy day so we just popped over to Salcombe for the morning.

 I popped to Beesands on Monday morning to pick up fish to take home. We then cleared up and got home in 3 hours 45 minutes as the traffic was very light.

We look forward to our return trip in the summer, when hopefully the weather will be even better!

Northam Farm Brean. 24th to 31st March 2015

Well Lizzie has had her operation for replacement right wrist.   She is still very, very sore, but wanted to get Away in the caravan again.  Lizzie was given the task of finding a site that was close enough for us to get to the doctors or the hospital should we need it.  Northam Farm, which is on the Brean Coast road was selected. We drove down on Wednesday, taking the route straight through Bristol and down the A38.
We soon found the site and selected ourselves a decent pitch against the hedge on the no dogs field..This really is a huge site with many fields full of caravans.  Many are tourers that live on site all year.

Soon had the caravan set up and dinner on!

On the first morning I went down to the shop for the morning papers at 08.00, and no Daily Telegraph's!  I asked why and was told there was no call for them! Plenty of copies of the Star, the Sun and the Mirror though! I thought that shows the kind people on site here!
We soon fell into a routine of  out in the morning for coffee in a place where we could see the sea, and then back in the afternoon for Lizzie to rest her poorly wrist!

Brean beach looking South.

Brean Beach looking North

On the Friday we went to the Brean Inn to meet Donna and Pete for lunch! I have to say it was very good.  Several hours of catching up went on as we have not seen Donna and Pete for some time!

We got back to site and it had certainly filled up with weekend visitors!  Tractors were also running round the site bringing caravans from storage for weekend visitors!  Interestingly none of the pitches are numbered, so people must just arrive and be told that your caravan is in that field, so go find it

Over the weekend it started to get very windy, and several awnings collapsed!

On the Monday we went in to Weston Super Mare for coffee and met Zoe and Emily!  Zoe had done her first long drive in her car where she used motorways!  With Emily acting as her Sat-Nav they got down to Weston in just over the hour.  We had lunch together and the they followed us back to Brean as they wanted to go to the funfair.

On the Tuesday,the wind started to get bad again, with the site staff actually chaining some caravans down.  It got so bad that I took the awning down!

We cleared up and drove home on the Wednesday, the break having given Lizzie a good rest to aid her recuperation!

Burrs Country Park CC Site, 9th to 13th April

We have been looking for a new awning, and one came up on the Discovery 3 forum!  What on earth has that to do with a trip to Bury you may well ask!
Well the awning was in Glasgow,and having been purchased for half price, the question of delivery arose! As luck would have it Neil, who we bought the Awning from travels to Manchester almost weekly, and his depot was close to another friend, Jeff's,  workplace so the awing was dropped off there!  Then Jeff took the awning to a Landrover club meeting where he handed it to Robert!
Well we had a trip planned to visit Robert and Cathy in Bury!

So having had the caravan serviced, and had the news it was damp we zoomed up the M5 and M6, where when we got to Burrs country park CC Roert Cathy and Dennis were there to meet us!   Dennis is a 15 week old Bernese Mountain Dog.
We were soon set up, with Robert helping me put up the new awning which is a Kampa 260 Rally. Well I must say that the awning is a real improvement on our ultra cheap ones that we have had before!

On the Friday we all went to the great British food festival at Stonyhurst College, which I have to say was very good,with plenty of samples available!  We came home with a bag of Salamia, olives and various pies!  Everywhere we went people wanted to stroke Dennis as he is just one big ball of fluff at the moment, and is adored by everybody.

On Saturday we went into Bury, armed with our shopping list, and came away with all sorts of bits and pieces. That evening we went to the Church Inn,which was just outside Bury, and had an amazing dinner! A starter of Hash brown, Black pudding and a poached egg was real Master chef stuff.

On Sunday Robert and I went to a camping Mega store,where we looked rather than bought! We then went up to Roberts for an excellent Sunday lunch.

We cleared up and left on the Monday morning, having a very slow run home caused by major road works on the M6.
Another excellent few days with Robert and Cathy!

Swiss Farm Campsite, Henley on Thames. 5th to 9th of March 2015

Well the caravan was in storage, so we loaded up the Freelander, collected the caravan and were soon on our way up the M4.  We came off the M4 at Swindon and headed across country to Henley on Thames.

As we crossed the Chiltern Hills, we became very aware of large numbers of  Red Kites flying overhead.

We soon found the site, and our pitch!   The site was very busy with a mixture of Motor homes, touring caravans and seasonal pitches.  On the site were an amazing number of American RV's and 5th wheelers

We were soon set up on our pitch which had electric, water and waste connections.  These super pitches certainly spoil us! The weather was really lovely, obviously spring is coming. One advantage of this site is that it is only a short walk into town, so I was able to wander up each morning to collect the morning papers.

On Friday we had coffee at the campsite cafe, and then drove into Henley where we enjoyed a couple of hours just wandering amongst the shops. 

Henley Market Square

The Gold Post Box, that celebrates all of rowing Olympians

We then set off to find Tescos, our plan being to surprise James as he was running the Butchery and Fish counters. He was really surprised to see us, as he thought that we were coming up on the Saturday!

Early on Saturday morning I walked up to Henley to get croissants and the papers. I took the opportunity of walking along the river and was able to take these photographs.

Old Man Thames early in the morning!

On the Saturday we drove down to Reading where we met up with Kim and Graham for morning coffee. We then drove up to see Jade and Jack where they live with James's parents in Early, a suburb of Reading. Jack was also very surprised to see Anni, which is what he calls Lizzie. He was having great fun playing in the garden with sand and water.

We then set off back to the campsite, a journey that due to traffic took over an hour.

When we got back we put some bacon scraps and some bread out on the grass in front of the caravan.  Very quickly the birds spotted it, and we soon enjoyed the spectacle of Red Kites diving down for the bacon scraps.

Red Kites!

On Sunday morning we went out for morning coffee at a local garden centre, then drove to a local pub for Sunday lunch with Jade, James, Jack and Andy (James's Dad).  I have to say the food was excellent but the service was somewhat lacking.  To cap it all when we went to pay the bill, we were told it had already been paid!  That took a bit of sorting out.

We then all went back to the caravan and enjoyed tea and coffee in the site cafe.

In the morning we cleared up and had a leisurely drive home cross country  through Cirencester.  It took us no longer to take that route rather than using the motorway.

Total nights for 2015    24

Greenacres CL, Bibury. 12th to 20th February

Well  Lizzie had been proper poorly with a chest infection, and needed even more TLC than usual.  So I loaded the caravan, which was still on the drive following our previous trip, and we set off for Greenacres.

Greenacres Farm.  The block to the left has a holiday flat above the garages.

The entrance to the CL

 An hour later we were there and we had the site to ourselves.
We chose pitch 6, and now we have a motor mover decided to go in nose first, as that way we would have a good view over the fields.

Our Sheep!

Soon we were set up and the heating was on!  This is another site where there is water on each pitch, so I was able to connect our newly purchased Aqua Roll filler upper. Waste water was run into the base of the hedge, so it was only the toilet that needed emptying daily!

This is how close the sheep got!  The blue pipe is our water connection, and the yellow is our electric supply!

We soon settled into a comfortable routine of daily papers,collected daily at 8.30 from the Trout farm just down the road, followed by a trip to Cirencester for coffee at Costa Coffee, where we also got an excellent internet connection. Then back to the caravan for a leisurely afternoon.

Lizzie's chest infection, cleared up rapidly, thanks to anti-biotics and steroids!

Two more caravans arrived on the Friday.  By Sunday the site was full, and strangely they were all caravans, not a motor home in sight!

More of our sheep!

On the Friday we had a message from Southmead to say that her Pre-op had been rearranged for the following Wednesday. This was good news as we had expected it could be delayed for some time,putting her forthcoming wrist replacement at risk.

Checking the Freelander2 over on Sunday, I discovered a great nail had pierced the front off-side tyre.  So on the Monday morning I rang Cirencester Tyre company to arrange for 2 new tyres.  This was not as much of a hardship as you may think, as I was going to put new tyres on the following week anyway!  Took the Freelander2 down to the tyre company!  What a professional set up!  No power tools used here, just old fashioned tyre spiders for removing the wheels! Then the wheel rims were buffed up on the inside.  The mechanic explained that they did this as it prevented the alloy wheels slowly deflating,as any corrosion that prevented a proper air seal was removed. I was soon on my way, and well pleased with the service!

Just before I left to get my tyres three caravans turned up to replace the ones that had left earlier in the day!  I could not believe it when they drove onto the grass instead of sticking to the service road!  Made a real mess of the grass!

On the Tuesday,which was a bright sunny day we took a drive round some of the picturesque Cotswold villages!  Everywher we went there were plenty of Japanese tourists!

Bibury Trout Fishery.  

The river through Bibury

The quaint cottages in Bibury. Notice the yellow car that recently featured in the national press for spoiling the view!

Wednesday necessitated a drive to Southmead, and miraculously we parked by the main entrance!  We were  soon seen, and then drove back to Bibury, collecting fish and chips from Cirencester on the way.

Thursday was the only really wet day of the week, and it was very wet.

We cleared up on the Friday morning, as did three of the other caravans, and drove home after an excellent week.

We will probably not return to Greenacres until the end of the year as we are setting our sight on new pastures!

That brings this years total nights to 20!

Sandy Balls Holiday Village. 25th January - 1st February 2015

Well this was something very different for us as we had booked into a holiday complex,with chalets, static caravans and tourers. There is also two bars and restaurants, swimming pool and a Nisa supermarket.

We had a pleasant run down through Bath, despite the traffic congestion, before heading towards Warminster and on to Salisbury, thence on to Fordingbridge and Sandy Balls! We pulled into reception, and were handed our welcome pack including a map of where to find our pitch, no 47.
We found the pitch easily. It was spacious with a concrete pad for the caravan, with a gravel base for the awning.
We set up the caravan and awning. Whilst we were doing this we discovered that there was a drain underneath the caravan for the waste water!  Fortunately we carry plenty of waste pipe so we were soon plumbed into that.  The water tap was also directly behind the caravan, so not far to carry the water.

Our pitch!

Then it was time to go and investigate the site, so a short walk revealed the village square, which was surrounded by the two restaurants and bars, the swimming pool, activity shops, and the supermarket plus activity rooms for the children. Daily papers were ordered from the supermarket. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised at the supermarket prices, as they we extremely reasonable.

Whilst browsing in the Hub, an activity gear shop, I discovered that we could hire an Aqua Roll mains adaptor for £5.00, so one was hired as it meant we would not have to fill the Aqua Rolls daily.  It proved so useful that we have now purchased one, so that next time we have an adjacent tap we can use it to keep the Aqua Roll topped up!

The Village square!  This was taken at 8.00am which explains why it was so quiet!

Over the next few days we just enjoyed time around the site. The weather although cold was fine. Each day we went up to the restaurant for morning coffee and some afternoons we went to the bar for a few drinks.  The restaurant and the bar were also the only places that we could get Internet access.
On the Wednesday it was our wedding anniversary, so we went up to the restaurant for dinner which was surprisingly good and not too expensive.

Unfortunately on the Wednesday afternoon it got extremely windy, and one of our awning poles broke.  I used Lizzie's broom handle to effect a temporary repair, but that soon buckled again,  so we had to take the awning down.  Moral of this is do not mix aluminium and steel poles!

On the Thursday we made our only trip out from the site heading for an awning dealers where we hoped to get a replacement pole.  Fortunately they found us one, for the very reasonable cost of £2.00!
Next to the awning dealers was Lidl, with a Sainsburys across the road so shopping was soon completed..

Once back on site the awning was soon erected again

The site was very busy for the time of year with caravans and motor homes departing all the time.  Not surprised it was so busy as the nightly fee was only £10.00 per night.  On the Friday it really filled up with very few empty spaces on the field we were on. Two families turned up in a motor home and a caravan and soon recognised us, as they were families that I used to teach.

This shows just how busy it was in January!

We cleared up and left on the Sunday after an extremely restful and pleasant week.  As luck was have it, the two families from Chipping Sodbury followed us out of site and we had a small convoy much of the way home,until they headed in the Westbury direction, and we went down through Bath.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week, and will probably stay there again, although it will be out of season. We imagine that it could be a very busy and noisy site during school holidays and at weekends and the warmer months!  It also costs an eye watering £45.00 a night in the warmer months.