Where Next?

Back to Spain.

Go to  terryandbren4@blogspot.co.uk

Since our last post we've had a couple of weeks touring the UK South Coast including 5 nights on the Isle of Wight, and a few days in Scotland after going to the Edinburgh Tattoo. A few problems with internet access that have now been resolved (bought a new MiFi device) meant blogging was a bit of a pain. We might get round to posting it sometime.

In Conclusion

We achieved what we set out to do, that is visit the Dordogne area and travel from the source to the sea, a trip that was inspired by an article in one of the magazines. It surely is a beautiful area of France but in retrospect late July was probably not the best time as, apart from the French holidays, it was really too warm. From 11.00 am it was generally too hot to walk around until early evening and so we spent more time on the road than we would have ideally preferred. However we did enjoy it sufficiently to resolve to come back, probably at a later time of year.

Friday 2 August 2013

Last day, today we go home. We managed our, not too early start, dispensing with servicing the van, and made our way to the Channel Tunnel, just 15 mins away. Check-in put us on our booked train but after a very thorough Immigration check, we were waved straight through and got on an earlier crossing.

35 mins and we arrived at Folkestone, straight into a thunderstorm, yet it had been beautiful in Calais with not a cloud in sight! Ah well, we're back in the UK. We won't bore you with the tedious journey home, the weather gradually improving as we stopped for lunch at a Little Chef. Arrived home 5.00 pm after having done more miles in one day than we had for the past week!

Thursday 1 August 2013

We don't have very far to go today so our delayed start due to a group of Belgians messing around on the service point was no problem. Hot and sunny again so our plan is to take an easy run up to Auchan in Calais to refuel and some last minute shopping (i.e. beer!) then claim a spot on the Plage aire.

Noticing that the marina aire still hosted the funfair that was arriving as we left nearly three weeks ago, we were not surprised to find the Plage aire very busy. However, probably due to the afore-mentioned closure, they had opened up the front car-park to motor-homes so we parked up there.

People came and went all afternoon but a couple from Barnoldswick parked next to us and it wasn't long before we were chatting. A pleasant afternoon turned into a lovely evening and it was with some surprise we noticed it was 11.45pm! And we were supposed to be getting up early in the morning! Never mind, it was a nice end to the holiday.

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Fecamp appears to be a nice town, probably worthy of a longer stop. It's also very popular, but the fact it is free might help! But we need to carry on north so with a nice route planned into the netbook we rejoined our old friend the D940.

We have travelled this road before a couple of times so this time we avoided some of the coastal villages. A bit of provisioning and lunch in Carrefour car-park at St Valerie-sur-Somme, we got to thinking about our night stop. Having noticed very many motor-homes on the road, we realised that aires were going to be busy so it would probably be better to stop earlier than usual and a quick calculation showed Le Touquet would be just about right, especially as there are two, one of which is quite big.

And it looked as if we were correct in our assumptions because, although the larger "airport" aire appeared to have some space, the more popular "marina" site was just about full at 3.45pm, with one space left which we snaffled! It's location meant we had a nice grassy area alongside so chairs out again for some more sun - though initially the day was cloudy the forecast good weather had finally overtaken us.

This is our last touring night, tomorrow we intend to be in Calais, so when the flying bugs started to get a bit too much we packed everything away ready for the journey home.

Tuesday 30 July 2013

Now that's more like our holiday weather. It's raining!

A dull, grey morning with frequent rain showers, though still quite warm. There's not a lot to keep us here so plotted in a route to take us north again but going a slightly different way than we've done in the past.

Roundabout Art - Pont D'Eveque

So avoiding the autoroute we crossed Pegasus Bridge then through the delightful town of Pont L'Eveque, studiously not noticing the weight limit signs - hmm a bit tight here......... Nowhere to park unfortunately, besides which it was pouring down again so we continued and crossed the Seine at Pont de Tancarville, which neither of us have seen before. Impressive enough but still no match for Pont de Normandie (but it's cheaper!)

Pont de Tancarville

Aiming to stay on reasonable roads our next aiming point was the coastal town of Fecamp and as it was lunchtime, the rain was showing signs of abating and there was a space, we parked at the marina-side aire along with the rest of the French motor-homing community.

And that's where we stayed. The weather looks like it's drying up, it looks to be a pleasant spot so we may go and explore later. Good WiFi connection here so got the opportunity to bore our many (well one or two) blog-watchers again.

Monday 29 July 2013

Moving on time again as we continue the slow trek home – boo hoo!

The weather is now significantly cooler then we experienced last week but still with lots of sunshine and very pleasant though rain showers, generally in the afternoon.

Cathedral at Flers

Nothing really interesting to report on today, just more of the long straight roads for which France is well known. Stop-offs for provisions and lunch before making away into Normandie and the area around Caen. Couldn't really make our minds up whether to stay around here for a couple of days or carry on up to the Opal Coast, that is within closer reach of Calais. We finally headed for Ouistreham, where the Portsmouth ferry comes in and which in itself is a nice holiday area.

There is a reasonably sized aire close to the ferry port, although it is a bit like a car park but with bigger bays. It was reasonably full but we thought it would be ok for one night, the only problem was the pay machine would not accept any of our cards and told us to pay at the municipal campsite which is miles away. To hell with that, there are plenty of other aires along this bit of coast.

So we moved on to the next village of Hermanville-sur-Mer where there is a small 6-place aire behind La Poste and we joined a couple of other vans at this very quiet peaceful spot, right in the centre of the village.

Sunday 28 July 2013

Sat quietly and did nothing after a VERY late start. A short rain shower interrupted a nice afternoon.

We've decided to start the run home and will head for Normandy tomorrow, perhaps Caen.

Saturday 27 July 2013

We had thought of staying a couple of days longer but our experience of the night decided us to push on and get clear of the coast. Not that we thought it might happen again….

So let’s get some miles under the wheels. The Loire river looked to be within an easy days driving, so taking to the D roads we headed north again through numerous towns and villages. A stop off at an Aldi for supplies and lunch then continue to Nantes. Passed through a heavy rain shower then we were held up on the ring road due to an accident – not serious but the traffic has been quite heavy so it didn't take much to clog it up. We turned east along the Loire towards Angers, pausing to refuel at a LeClerc (they appear to be the cheapest fuel anywhere, usually by 8 cents a litre) and again to consult the maps for a stop. A likely looking aire near Angers appealed to us so we set the satnav, wondering if our later than usual stop was going to be a problem.

But we needn't have worried; there were a number of places still available although finding one near to an electricity bollard was a bit of a challenge. The long lead came in useful again. All the pitches faced onto the Loire and we agreed with the books’ recommendation. A few Brits were established here, almost the first we have seen this trip, so a brief chat before settling in. We've paid for 2 nights here as we’re both very tired and could do with a quiet day.

Friday 26 July et seq – The Storm

As it got dark we watched a thunderstorm over the sea, noticing in particular pink lightning. Just in case we brought everything in and of course retracted the awning and sat dish.

Then just as we were going to bed, so the storm came ashore. At first we noticed increased thunder and lightning but then the wind got up – and up and up, joined by torrential rain which battered the van about so badly that we thought we were in real danger of being overturned. The thunder and lightning was continuous and we can safely say that neither of us had ever experienced anything like it before – and never want to again.

After around an hour things calmed down, the rain stopped and we went to bed – but neither of us slept well. In the morning, apart from one chap wandering round with awning parts in his hand (we’d noticed something going on outside at the height of the storm but of course were not going to venture out!), there appeared to be nothing amiss – though there was a chain saw going somewhere.

This experience confirmed our decision to move on, but on leaving the site we noticed many trees had lost branches and rubbish was strewn everywhere. A line of marquees that had been set up for a festival next week had been completely shredded and a road had been closed – blocked? On leaving the village we saw a chimney knocked through a house roof and for several miles crops of sunflowers and corn had been flattened and fields of vines were in a sorry looking state.

This holiday will always be remembered for “The Storm”!

Friday 26 July 2013

As we went to bed last night a thunderstorm developed – nothing to concern us, a bit of rain but we’d brought everything in so no problems.

Today is a stay put and chill-out day – up reasonably early to pay the fees - man came round 9.30 so that’s ok. It’s warm and dry so a few domestics (i.e. washing) before relaxation. In the evening took a stroll along the marina past all the vans and there’s only one Brit apart from us out of around 40.

We've noticed very few Brits, either on sites or the road and wonder if they keep clear during the French holidays, or is it just too warm?

Thursday 25 July 2013

Although we could probably have enjoyed a few more days at Hourtin, it was still really too hot for us so we continued northwards. Our route took us back to Bordeaux, stopping off at a large LeClerc (hypermarket) to top up the supplies and having lunch.

Getting slightly lost trying to find the rocade (ring road) we eventually got on to the A20 and across the Garonne on Le Pont D'Aquitaine and then finally across the Dordogne just where they meet to form the Gironde. We had successfully followed the river from source to sea!

With no real objective in mind we set our wheels north-westward towards Royan along the coast with our usual plan of stop when we feel like it. Spotted a likely looking aire in the book at Mortagne-sur-Gironde, though it warned it was popular and advised arriving early. Nevertheless when we arrived at this little port village there was still plenty of space so we pitched up and settled in yet again.

Hot sun still out of a clear blue sky but a stronger breeze made it so much more bearable. We might pause here for a couple of days.

Sorry, not many photies taken as there hasn't been anything particularly special to see. We've passed acres of sunflowers, vast areas of vineyards and lots of delightful little villages - but we think you should come out here and see it for yourselves!

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Despite it being quite full, the site is nice and quiet. As we were not going anywhere today we took it easy because although it was overcast to begin with, it is still very warm.

After lunch we took a walk down to the "port". This is actually a huge freshwater lake, Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land. The area around Hourtin-Port has been developed as a resort with a supervised sandy beach and all the usual trappings of a small seaside town. As it is holiday time in France, the beach was crowded so we wandered back to Bertie and enjoyed the by now full sunshine which, thankfully, was tempered by a light breeze.

Later Terry decided that a dip in the lake was in order so whilst Bren stayed in the shade, a short walk, find a spot to leave a towel and plunge in. Only problem was the lake was very shallow and you have to walk out 200 yards to get it deep enough to swim. And it was 27 deg, but at least cooler than the air.

As the sun went down, we decided a meal out would be a nice change so having spotted a nice restaurant earlier  we repaired there and enjoyed a typical French meal - moules and frites and salmon salad. And of course half a bottle of a nice local rose to wash it down.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

So we've decided to move to the coast to try and find somewhere a little cooler. We stuck to our original route however and firstly had a look at Bergerac and its municipal site on the riverside. We didn't go in but it looked very nice so we’ll keep it in mind for a return trip.

Our next decision, of course, was which coast. Heading west we must eventually encounter Bordeaux and the Gironde, but do we go west or north? Taking a chance on it being quieter we went west onto the peninsular and after doing some research into possible places to stay, decided on Hourtin-Port, a waterside aire that seemed to offer what we were looking for.

Stopped for lunch at Branne, at a small riverside aire which would have been OK for an en-route stop but was not what we wanted.

Then the netbook gave up the ghost (too hot we think) and, horror of horrors, we had to use a map! We still had the Garmin satnav so programmed that to take us round Bordeaux, then up to Hourtin, carefully avoiding the weight-limited areas of which there were a few (we’re over 3.5 tonne). Using that and the “Aires” book we easily found the site, as had most of the population of France, Belgium, Germany and Holland it seemed! Fortunately it had been extended since it was last reported on and there were still some places left, though all the shady ones had been snaffled. Nevertheless we chose a nice spot with a bit of room to get the awning out and settled in.

Though the temperature was similar, there was a gentle sea breeze which made it much more pleasant, so we paid for 2 nights. We’ll investigate the area tomorrow.

As a footnote, we managed to get a TV satellite signal for the first time in ages and were delighted to witness, as it connected, William and Kate leaving hospital with their new baby.

Monday 22 July 2013

This is a lovely part of France but the heat, which we've been told is “exceptionnale”, is starting to get to us. It’s fine while we’re travelling, thanks to the air-con, but as soon as we stop it’s like a hot blanket smothering us. Nevertheless we’ll persist for the moment but plans are being re-thought. Yep, looks like we've got the weather wrong yet again.

Not far away is the Citadel town of Rocomadour, a town built into the side of a gorge and a place of pilgrimage with seven churches. Being one of the top tourist attractions in France we could not pass it by without a look – Terry was here some years ago with a coachload of kids. It caters well for tourism with plenty of suitable parking, gift shops, restaurants etc. so a walk round was in order. We stopped at L’Hospitalet which overlooks Rocomadour itself and is a decent walk, and climb, away. You will not be surprised to learn that we gave it up before we started, it’s again nearly 40 in the shade so a little shopping then lunch at the van.

Rocomadour

And here we made our decision that this was not enjoyable so we will continue to the coast, albeit still following the Dordogne, but only making an overnight stop. We’ll come back at a cooler time of year.

It's that river again

So continuing along the river, by around 4.30 we’d had enough and espied a campsite (and there are plenty to choose from) by the side of the river at Buisson de Cadouin. A place was found for us and we pitched up and melted yet again. However the temptation was too much and Terry headed for the river for a nice half-hour cool off. Bren of course doesn't swim but we were on a shady pitch so she stayed put.

and again

Sunday 21 July 2013

On Friday night we stayed on a site with perhaps a dozen others on it - noisy. Last night there are more than 100 times that many - silence!

Today has been very hot - our thermometer in the shade this afternoon just touched 40 deg and when we put it in the sun it fried and broke! But before that we went out for a walk in this very nice town. We'll let some piccies tell the story.

Site entrance with low bridge!

The Church

A quiet back street

19th C Maison de la Renaissance

Now which river was that?

The Abbey

We returned to the van and parked ourselves in the shade.

And melted!

We're moving on tomorrow so you might not hear from us again for a day or two.

Saturday 20 July 2013

The Frenchman did eventually shut up and we passed a peaceful, if warm, night. Tried for an earlier start as it ought to be cooler and were partially successful. However this camp-site is not very good when it comes to servicing facilities and the young girl who was the “guardienne” was useless. No water and no waste disposal? Not good mademoiselle.

Looking down the Gorge

Never mind. There are plenty of others so off again to follow the river. Initially we used the back roads which were deserted even though marked on the map as of special interest. More up/down/round and round made us think of the French Alpes last year. On the way we passed through tiny villages and also several “barrages” where EDF had installed hydro-electricity plants.

Above the dam

Hydro-electricity generator

Then onto the attractive town of Argental, again on the Dordogne, where a lunch stop was in order. We had thought to have a stroll around the town but on stepping out of the van……

Browsing through old saved articles from the magazines, the town of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne featured a couple of times, together with its campsite situated on an island in the river. Although not very far, we thought we might have a look and found an attractive, if busy, place with pool, bar, shady and full facilities. This’ll do us for a couple of days!

The temperature touched 37 deg in the shade of the awning and trees during the afternoon so not much done. We sort of promised ourselves a walk into the town when it got cooler but I’m sitting here at 8.00pm with the van air-con going and that looks like a no-no for today.

Friday 19 July 2013

Warm and sunny start, only delayed by another motor-homer pratting about at the service point! Amateurs!

Today our plan is to commence following the route of the Dordogne. Obviously we won’t be able to stay with it all the way but the idea is to keep to it wherever it is reasonably possible, trying to stick to reasonable roads. But first to provision up at the nearest Aldi. Right, that’s done.

Our map showed roads of special tourist interest so we followed one which had us winding around and up and down through beautiful forested hills, trying to follow the course of the river. At this point it is small, really just an overgrown stream, however at various places dams have been built to generate hydro-electricity, resulting in large lakes. This is at Bort les Orgues.

Barrage at Bort les Orgues

Sticking with a main road for a while, we then turned off at Mauriac on narrow winding roads towards the Barrage de L’Aigle, another small hydroelectric scheme but this time in quite a narrow valley. Just below the dam we crossed the Dordogne at a lovely spot.

The river widens 

As it was starting to get late, we decided to stop at the municipal campsite at Spontour sur Dordogne which, you might guess, was right alongside the river. Cuppa and bit of relax time then as it cooled, “tea on the patio”.

It’s now 10.00pm and we’re sitting outside the van enjoying the cooling evening (and listening to a quite voluble Frenchman! Hope he shuts up soon).

We've finally found some WiFi! 

So apologies for all of you who have wondered where we are!

Thursday 18 July 2013

A late start to a bright but cloudy day. After "brunch" we took a stroll into town, crossing the Dordogne in its very infant form on the way.

The Dordogne

It's hidden in there somewhere!

Mont-Dore, originally known as Les Bains de Mont-Dore, is a spa town that originated with the discovery of eight  volcanically heated springs by the Romans. As was the fashion in the mid-nineteenth century, the town developed into a popular resort with thermal baths, hotels, a casino  and all else that goes with it. It is now also a winter skiing resort.

"Les Bains Thermes"

Some fine architecture features.

The Grand Hotel

As well as some that is not. We thought the Casino looked very out of place and character.

The Casino - an eyesore!

A stroll round this small town centre revealed myriad cafes and bars, a hand-made lace shop where several purchases were made and the usual purveyors of local produce. No food shops open so tomorrow we'll have to go looking to top up the supplies.

Back at the van, chairs were again deployed but the sky was becoming increasingly threatening and thunder was rumbling from up the valley. The wind freshened and became rather cool with a definite feel of rain but in the end nothing came of it and as I write at 9.30pm the sky is clear. Ironic really as we hear on the radio (satellite works fine here) the UK is suffering from heatwave warnings!

Tomorrow we will start heading downriver. Our newly bought map indicates that due to the terrain this won't be too easy but also shows several "scenic" routes. We shall see.

Wednesday 17 July 2013

We’re now quite close to our target, the source of the Dordogne, so after our usual start we continued to Clermont-Ferrand, taking a brief stop to fill up with cheap diesel at a hypermarket. 

Chateau de Rocher - no choccies here though

Then we started a long climb into the mountains and took a lunch break at Le Parc des Volcans D’Auvergne, situated at around 4000ft, so the temperature was a little more comfortable.

Le Parc des Volcans

From here we headed for Le Mont-Dore. Just beyond the town, at Puy de Sancy, a summer walking and winter skiing area has evolved and it is here also that the source of the Dordogne is to be found. It is the “confluence” of two small mountain streams that appear from the rock above, the Dore and the Dogne. That this gives the river its name is actually a myth, the word Dordogne being from the 9^th century Dordonia, itself evolving from the ancient word Duranius, meaning torrent.

The source of the Dordogne

So back down into the town of Le Mont-Dore with a plan to find somewhere to stop for a couple of days to chill out. Camping Municipal des Crouzets is situated close to, though not in view of, the river and only around 400m from the town centre. There is an Aire de Camping Cars co-located but we would rather have full facilities for more than an overnight stop. Set up, awning and chairs out then relax with a cuppa in the cooling mountain breeze.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

 There are only a handful of units on the site so it was a quiet night. We did note however that the facilities would be stretched if it was busy, there only being two loos for each. Nevertheless we would recommend and visit it again. We also discovered it would have been far easier to find if we had approached from the village of Morancez, rather than follow the satnav!

Re-planned the route today to head for Clermont-Ferrand via Orleans and Montlucon, staying off, though generally following the line of, the motorways. A little bit of cross-country to start took us through several tiny villages, only getting off-route once when we missed a very small turning, before joining good open D-roads. Of course this meant passing through the towns and villages, including the centre of Orleans, but we enjoy seeing “proper” France.

The good weather has brought on the crops and the farmers were busy, cutting wheat and barley and watering the corn, sometimes not very accurately - quick shut the window! Further south we came across fields of sunflowers coming into bloom.

Once again it was very warm and the air-con was in use  – then we discovered that the van has a little locker in the dash that is refrigerated when the air-con is in use! Bottles of water found new stowage. We've had Bertie over 4 years and are still finding things.

Towards the end of the afternoon it was clear that Clermont-Ferrand was a bit too far so started looking for a night-stop. The netbook is programmed with aires and a variety of campsites which was complimented by regular road signs for camping etc. Deciding Montlucon was far enough we espied a municipal in the village of Neris les Bains. Well signposted from the town centre, we discovered it also incorporated an Aire de Camping Cars and had a few pitches left. Only needing an overnight stop, this was plenty good enough for us so we pitched up, paying our dues at the campsite reception. By 6.30pm it was full and turning folk away, so the lesson is don’t leave it too late.

Aire at Neris les Bains

Monday 15 July 2013

The Marina is not the quietest of places and Monday morning saw the arrival of a number of fairground trucks so we were up and about somewhat earlier than our norm. The sun was hot but, tempered with a cooling light breeze off the sea, it was very pleasant. Round to the Plage Aire to do a quick service and also pay our dues – the parking attendant had left a ticket on the windscreen but it was expected and we don’t begrudge E7.00. (For information the parking office is at the old municipal campsite reception, although that site is now closed and about to undergo redevelopment).

We had spent the last week or so debating whether to go either to the Dordogne, or alternatively to Switzerland, basically reviewing the weather forecasts because our record for weather is, to say the least, questionable. However last night we decided to go with our first choice so Terry spent an hour or so planning a different route, and then throwing it away because there would be no aires or campsites around at the time we expected to stop!

So Abbeville on the D-roads and then Rouen, using the autoroute as we've been this way before (and it’s non-peage!). We don’t rush, however, just keep to truck speeds which keeps the fuel consumption under control – and cruise control comes in handy too. After our experiences with Rouen earlier this year, we thought we’d got the closure of the Pont de Mathilde sorted, and so we had except we took a wrong turn just after and ended up on a roundabout tour to get back on track. Never mind, we’re in no rush (but we’ll avoid Rouen in future).

Plodding through the countryside and various towns and villages in the hot sunshine our target for tonight was Chartres where we had spotted a couple of municipal campsites, there being few aires hereabouts. Being a bit later than we expected meant we were caught up in the early evening rush hour traffic which was a pain, but the air-con kept us cool.

Camping Municipal Morancez would not be an easy place to find without satnav, situated as it is outside the Chartres ring road and through several small villages – an RV size vehicle would find it tight although once arrived there is plenty of room. Situated in parkland and adjacent (but not accessible) to a lake it is a very pleasant, spacious site with full, if perhaps not copious, facilities. The friendly guardian quickly booked us in and showed us to a roomy shaded (drat, forgot to think about the satellite TV) pitch where we quickly got organised and settled down to a pleasant relaxing evening.

Sunday 14 July 2013

We have found that the best way of dealing with the Channel crossing is to do it later in the day then stop on the French side so with a 1650 train booked, it was an easy start and a steady run to Folkestone, stopping for lunch at a very hot Thurrock.

We prefer the Channel Tunnel for a number of reasons; it is quicker than the ferry, Bren doesn't like boats and most importantly it doesn't cost us anything. OK, we have to spend to get the Tesco vouchers but we do anyway so as far as we are concerned it’s free.

Although they were quite busy, we were checked onto the train before our booking and the 35min crossing seemed to pass in no time. However the time difference meant arrival was after six p.m. so rather than push on we decided to overnight at the Calais Plage Aire, refuelling at Auchan on the way.

July 14 is, of course, Bastille Day, a fact which we had overlooked and the Plage Aire was closed, as we were later to learn, for the celebrations. Nevertheless we were directed to the Marina just around the corner where we joined some 100 other vans of all nations and settled down for the evening. Later, as it got dark and cooled off, we noticed crowds of people apparently heading for the beach-side. Then just around 11.00 p.m. we were treated to a superb firework display, right in front of us, that went on for a good half hour. What a nice welcome to France! (Sorry, the cameras couldn't manage so no photies.)

Once finished it very quickly quietened down and we retired to a peaceful night.

Welcome to the next episode of

Terry and Bren go Walkabout!

This time we fancy the area of France known as The Dordogne

Planned departure is Saturday 13th July, stopping off at Doncaster for a Craft Fair then staying with Mum at Navenby overnight before catching the Chunnel Sunday afternoon.

WATCH THIS SPACE!