Holiday in France 2011

Well we finally made  it, holiday 2011. The tour to Royan … or wherever we turn up.

Saturday 6th August

Left home at 09:00 for a Eurotunnel train timed for 14:40. We had allowed  for a 3 hour journey with the knowledge that the M25 was closed in the Surrey section. This wouldn’t normally affect us, but that could put more traffic on our section; and anyway,  if we were earlier at the Tunnel terminal we could get an earlier train. And so it was, moved forward an hour to the 13:42 train. At Coquelles it was a trip to Cite Europe for supplies and on our way. The plan was for a quick run down to the aire at Saint Valery sur Somme, but Saturday afternoon traffic brought the first change of plan for the Holiday.  In heavy rain and traffic, we were in a queue at Etaples and changed the destination to the aire at Le Touquet. There was a bad sign as we approached; there was a race meeting and a Gymnastics championship  event. Sure enough the aire was heaving, no room at the inn. Then, a surprisiing act of kindness; a French Camping Cariste gestured that he was leaving and that if we turned round at the bottom we could have his space. Job done, grabbed his space, and then he handed us a ticket valid until Sunday morning. So a place for the night, and free. That’s our kind of price.

Sunday 7th August

A reasonably early start for a Sunday, ready to go at 09:00. Well, we were, but the motorhome had different views. It started ok, but would not pull. We jerked away from our parking place, and quickly reversed into it again. After about 10 minutes we tried again and this time the van responded correctly and did so for the rest of the day’s journey. We set out for La Fleche as I had decided to cut out a day’s travelling by not heading for La Mailleraye. This was a big mistake, I was tired and really did not need a 250 mile journey. We stopped for coffee and at that time jointly decided that La Mailleraye was a good idea. This is a lovely aire on the banks of the Seine where you can watch the ships go by. We had a nice relaxing afternoon in pleasant sunshine occasionally broken by clouds. Until…  had dinner and washed up and there were a few spots of rain… Then at about quarter to eight, the heavens opened. Lightning, thunder and torrential rain. At the same time the wind came up and we were bounced around, but hey we are used to better than that.

Monday 8th August

After twelve hours or more of torrential rain, the first question is; can we get the van backwards up the incline onto the road. Wet grass is not the best medium for traction. Anyway, that worked ok and we were soon off. Today’s destination was La Fleche, south of Le Mans and well on the way towards Royan. Well the journey was a mixture of rain, sun, more torrential rain and even brighter sun. We broke the journey at Alencon to stock up with supplies. There was a Flunch as well, a good excuse for lunch and free WiFi. Now here is a lesson learned; tablet computers are great, but they are useless at transferring a previously created text file to a WordPress web site. Will take the laptop next time. Anyway, I caught up with some emails and checked the facebook page.

We finally arived at La Fleche at about 16:00, having found every farm tractor and wide load that was on the French roads. What a dive the aire at La Fleche was, first sight was the local branch of alcoholics anonymous before anyone told them that the object was to stop. We decided not to stop  and searched for an alternative; which we found at Durtal, about 8 miles west. This is a very typical medieval town with the Chateau in the town centre. Well worth adding to anyone’s itinerary.

Tuesday 9th August

The original plan was to head for a site at Chalandray near Poitiers, but looking at the map we decided that we would take the more direct route to Royan. The distance worked ut to about 160 miles. The main roads were excellent and it was a joy to drive to Royan. Most large towns are now by-passed and the smaller towns are navigable abeit some require extra care. We arrived at Medis, a small town just north of Royan at about 3:00pm and found the site that had been recommended, Camping Grand Pre at Plousseau. Unfortunately the site was full, so we headed back to a site that we had passed on the way into town. This was quite a dingy site and there was only one space, under the trees with no sun at all and no grass, just bare soil due to the lack of light. We made our excuses and left. It was obvious that there was no room left at sites so close to the sea so we decided to head inland. Where did we head for? Our old favourite Pons. Pons is a lovely old town with a medieval dungeon and town hall. The town has become more convenient as there is now a small hypermarket within walking distance of the municipal site, and the site has free WiFi; although the WiFi is as shaky as most campsites.

Using the WiFi we found out about the riots in the UK. The stories were quite horrifying and there seemed to be no reason for the violence. We have to hope that it will settle as quickly as it started.

Wednesday 10th August

Happy birthday Kimberley!!!

As forecast it is Wednesday and the sun is shining brightly. Clear blue skies all round and the temperature is rising.

Got to 28C today, ideal for walking and discovering more about this town. Typical of French medieval towns, Pons is built on top of a rocky escarpment, this provides the first line of defences and an excellent foundation upon which to build the town wall. Since we were last here there has been some considerable restoration work in the main square outside the Donjon and Hotel de Ville. This is now a wide open area with new fountains and is kept immaculately clean. With the exceptionally clean air around here, the buildings have a sharpness that you cannot see in a large city.

This evening, the site has filled more than we have ever seen before and there are only two or three pitches left. Surprisingly, there are several Irish travelling families that have arrived today. They have many children who will bring their own volume to a normally quiet site, but I am sure we can live with that. At least if they get out of hand, we will have a ready source of meat for the barbeque.

Thursday 10^th August

A lazy day, shopping in the morning; bought myself some shorts. Lunch and then a wander down to L’Hopitalier de Pelirins (the hostel for pilgrims). The hostel was built in the X11th century as a resting place for the pilgrims on their way to Santiago De Compostella. Following that a walk into the main square for a Liptons Iced Tea. It is possible that there is a concert in the main square tonight so we will investigate. Have to move on tomorrow, but not sure where.

Friday 12 th August

Well, tomorrow arrived and still with no concrete plan. The weather forecast said that if we head west for the coast then there was rain forecast. We had tentative indication of a place at Royan, but had not received an email confirmation. We could also phone the municipal site at La Rochelle, but this was a major bank holiday weekend. Eventually the decision was to head inland for the forecast sun. First choice was an aire at St Yrieix-La-Perche, so off we set. Started the engine to leave and had a repitition of the problem that occurred at Le Touquet. I really felt sorry for the couple next to us as they were just sitting out for breakfast when we belched white smoke over them. We got off site as soon as posssible to avoid any further embarrassmment (pity the Diddycoys didn’t do the same the day before)

At the time of a very late coffee break due to the lack of lay-bys we eventually stopped at about 12:10pm. We then decided that we should head north in the hopes of catching a beach side site on Monday afternoon following the bank holiday. A quick look at the aires showed a new aire at Lodigny, so we headed there. Just outside the Eglise du St Hillaire is the Aire. A level place with sycamore trees and a couple of pic-nic tables. There was water and waste facilities and the access to mains electric. This is one of those idyllic spots that you do not really want to pass to anyone else, but without recommendations it will fail.

A super quiet afternoon and evening and ann excellent meal.

Nocturnal goings on and Les Cloches

One of the joys of being deep into the countryside is the appreciation that it is owned and ruled by it’s wildlife. This fact is very true here. You also start to realise just how much of that wildlife is nocturnal and as such knows no fear of property owned by humans. Therefore in the middle of the night you are often woken by animals  of all sorts and sizes coming down from the trees onto your roof. When your roof is a stressed sheet of aluminium, these nightly trips  can be very noisy; and so it was last night. According to CampingCar-Infos, the church bells (Les Cloches) ring at 08:00 every morning. Let me tell you now that the bells do  ring and their  timing is very accurate.

Saturday 13th August

Well, we are at the half way point and still going well. The Motorhome is performing great once it gets past it’s hissy fit every morning. We set out for Saumur, but once again the aire is unidentifiable and the borne is closed. The city is heaving with the festivities of Assumption and the associated weekend. Had lunch and then set off for a choice of aires along the Loire. Settled on a superb aire at Cunault. It is alongside the old bed of the Loire and is a large site with grass and enough space to spread out and light the barbie. There is a market tomorrow in the square so guess where we are headed.

Following the market, we need to head north. We have taken a decision to head for the Normandy coast for the last few days of the holiday and this will take two day’s travelling. Tomorrow we head north of Le Mans and on Monday we aim for Houlgate.

Sunday 14th August, finished with a bang!!!

Don’t you hate it when the weather forecast is accurate; especially when the forecast is for rain. Well last night it certainly did rain and was still doing so when we got up. The posters show that there is a Farmer’s market in the village this morning and we were going to take a walk up to have a look. The walk was cancelled due to poor weather, so we headed out of the village. The plan was to head North through Le Mans and aim for an aire just South West of Alencon. First job was to find a supermarket as the food stocks were running low. This is Sunday, but I was convinced that I had seen signs that supermarkets were open. You can be so wrong when you are desparate, and we were now getting desperate. Every supermarket was closed. We drove into La Fleche and were relieved to find that Carrefour Market opposite the quay was open. Time for coffee and off again. We headed for Le Mans and then North towards Alencon. Stopped for lunch in a Picnic area  just North of Le Mans and then set the sat-nav for an aire.

The aire that we chose is located in a village called Saint Leonard des Bois. This village is the main visitor centre for the Alpes Mancelles, probably the nearest thing to a mountain in this part of the world. This is actually a rocky gorge cut out by natural rock faults and a fast running stream. There are plenty of outdoor pursuits including canoeing and rock climbing. As we have got closer to the evening, so the masses have turned up. There is a fun-fair in the village and it seems that the restaurants are especially popular. Fortunately we are away from the main village so would expect a peaceful night.

10:30pm and the peace was well and truly shattered. There was obviously a firework display planned. Unfortunately we were getting ready for bed. Had we known about it we would have gone to view. In the end, we missed the light spectacle of the fireworks, but the sound was wonderful, all of the loudest bangs repounded and echoed around the various rock faces. The effect was truly awe inspiring.

Monday 15th August

Well following the fireworks, it was a quiet night, after the local moped gang had gone through several times. We have booked a couple of nights at the Municipal site at Houlgate. Getting there was interesting; we have two sat-nav devices mounted in the motorhome and both were showing different routes. One thing that they both agreed upon was that we should use a new Peage motorway from Alencon. This was an interesting development as they were both set to avoid tolls. Needless to say, we ignored the advice of the devices and took our own route. As we approached Houlgate it became obvious that most of the roads into the town were closed, not certain why, but signs at every turn that said Route Barree were a clue. Eventually we were able to get into Houlgate by heading for Deauville and taking the road into the northern end of the town. The municipal site is typical of many at peak season, crowded and overstretched, but clean and quite welcoming. There is a separate area for Camping Cars and the ground is reasonably level. There is WiFi, but for some strange reason, only the phone will connect. So I am not sure when this will be uploaded.

We are parked next to another British couple from Nottingham/Mansfield. Unfortunately we did not have time to get to know them better as they appeared to have our sense of humour.

Tuesday 16^th August

Rain last night, fortunately after we had gone to bed, and stopped by the time we got up this morning. This will be a lazyish day with a wander to get bread and cakes this morning and the possibility of Crazy Golf this afternoon. Houlgate is blessed with one of the best crazy golf courses that we have seen. It is very well kept and very difficult. Should keep us occupied for a couple of hours.

I let Val win, it’s safer that way.

Wednesday 17^th August

Well, up early for the next stage of our trip. Early in this case meant 9:00, but, hey we are on our hollywollyways. Got packed up and said goodbye to our new found companions Geraldine and …wish I had asked him his name, but he didn’t ask me my name either. Must be a man thing. Warned them of the exhaust thing and; behold it did it’s party trick. The target today is Etretat and the municipal site if we can get on, you cannot book in advance. On the way we need to stop for supplies and try to find an internet connection. The sat-nav shows that there is a Flunch at Le Havre, so that is our premier destination. Found Flunch at Grand Havre, a massive retail park North East of Le Havre. Did the shopping and then lunch at Flunch for the Internet. Brought the blog up to date and then headed for Etretat.

We were surprised to find that there were vacancies at the Municipal site, but not for long. As usual the site was full by 16:00. Couple of walks into the town and beach, dinner and batten down the hatches as the wind came up during the late evening.

Thursday 18^th August

We love this town so no surprises when we got up and set forward into town to the Boulangerie. The Pain and Croissants are excellent, so it was a Croissant aux amandes for me and a croissant aux abricocs for Val. Thursday is market day and the spread of fresh vegetables and produce is as good as you will find anywhere. Peaches and Nectarines bigger than Navel Oranges. Spent lots of time wandering and then back for coffee. Time to build up an appetite for lunch so we decided to walk back into town and up the 364 steps to the church on the cliff top. As we arrived at the promenade there was a bunch of young kiddies with teachers being led for what appeared to be their first introduction to the sea. The beach at Etretat is very steep and pebbly so it could not have been easy for these kids; but having seen the teacher in her skimpy white bikini, I have to say I would have followed her anywhere.

Back for lunch and then a return to the town and a climb of the cliffs at the southern end of the beach. A super Cappucino on the way back and retired completely knackered. The evening started to cool down and looked like rain so dinner was inside for once. After dinner the sky cleared so one last walk into town. The sunset on the bay was particularly spectacular.

Friday 19^th August

Just two more full days of the holiday and two more stages on our journey. Today is the usual trip to the aire at Saint Valery sur Somme. This has to be our favourite aire and one of our favourite towns. As we approached the town we started to wonder if there would be any space as there were Camping Cars everywhere. A quick stop for supplies and we were ready to face the truth. When we arrived at the aire, it was almost empty and our favourite spot was clear. We were soon sited, but disappointed to find that there had been some prolonged heavy rain and the ground was very wet. This is the place for exercise, fresh seafood, and wonderful patisserie. You just have to…

There used to be a coffee bar near the tourist office with free WiFi, but that has closed. Will just have to wait until we get to Flunch at Cite Europe.

Yet another sepctacular sunset.

Saturday 20^th August

Last full day, so one more wander down the hill into Saint Valery and then back for coffee and on the road to Coquelles. The traffic is extremely heavy on the route to Le Touguet so we take the Peage from Berke to Coquelles. This is only the second toll of the holiday, cost 6Euros. Total tolls paid including the Pont de Tancarville is 9Euros. First stop is Auchan for some wine and Diesel. Price of diesel today is 1.27 Euros, cheaper than at Saint Valery sur Somme.

We are now at Cite Europe finishing the shopping then a night here waiting for the Eurotunnel tomorrow morning.

Sunday 21st August

Bugger, we are back at home. Work tomorrow!!!

Lessons learned:

This is likely to be our last French holiday for some while. The reasons are:

• France is now a very expensive country for a holiday. As an example, beer is now cheaper in the UK for the same brand.
• The August season has reached saturation point, especially around the main tourist places. Any future trip in August would require a car to enable the use of sites further out and then travel to the locations.
• Food again is now more expensive than in the UK.

Photos from our holiday are here