Monday 30th July

We have now been home  while since returning from France but have managed to fit in a short trip West Devon, staying at a campsite just West of Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor.

Although there is road noise from the nearby A30 we like this site as it gives easy access (via a gate in the fence) onto The Granite Way a cycle path running along the edge of the moor. One way takes you via the Meldon Viaduct that used to carry railway trains to Okehampton while the opposite direction takes you towards Tavistock but much of this is on roads.

Sometimes the loveliest places are on your doorstep, Meldon Reservoir in the sun.

Looking the opposite way from the dam with Meldon Viaduct in the distance

We made the most of the excellent weather and got on our bikes each day to explore the area and even getting to the Meldon Reservoir to look at a wild camping possibility.

On leaving rtghe site finally we headed to Plymouth to visit out grand daughter then headed to Wembury just east of the city for a night at a lovely quiet site before visiting the National Trust property at Saltram House before heading home to do some serious garden tidying up and hard landscaping in preparation for hopefully renting our house for the winter. We also needed to be home for a check up for me at the hospital which was today and all was looking OK.

July 18th update

Our time at Dinan passed all too quickly. We walked into town along the towpath and explored on one day then spent another cycling around the area, both along the R. Rance and on cycle tracks away from it. All surrounded by lovely countryside and old traditional buildings.

On the cycle path alongside the R. Rance

Thursday 5th July

Stopped on a municipal site just north of Meyenne. A basic site but located at the side of a park with eated swimming pool (free access for campers) a boules pitch and crazy golf etc. Although only basic facilities we were only stopping one night so this wasn't a problem.

Friday 6th July

We headed off to Orleans where I had identified an Aire on the banks of the R Loire. When we arrived access was via a barrier that needed 5 euros paying to operate it. We thought, OK €5 won't break the bank for a nights stop so imagine our surprise when we discovered that it included electric hookup as well. Nicely landscaped and maintained it was an example that some campsites could look at and benefit from.

Saturday 7th July

One of a few 'black Saturdays' on French roads when half the country goes on holiday. Fortunately it all seemed to going in the opposite direction to us and we had an uneventful journey until our speedometer stopped working about half way to our destination near Romilly sur Seine. We arrived at the campsite then after booking in and finding a pitch (not easy) I phoned our breakdown cover which is part of our motorhome insurance. When they returned my call (much cheaper on a mobile) , although they could not get a breakdown van out as the MH was still driveable they contacted a garage not far away who said they could take a look at it on Monday for us. A full address was texted to me and a call back to check I had received it OK. Our site was OK but nothing special and if we had not have had sunshine I think we might have been disappointed as it was the most expensive site to date at €23.50 but it was handy.

Sunday 8th July

We woke to grey skies and light drizzle so decided that we would look for a different site in the area. My Autoroute program showed me a municipal site about the same distance beyond where the garage was so we upped sticks and moved on, what a contrast. A lovely little village (Mery sur Seine) on the banks of the R Seine and a very welcoming lady in reception. For €9.70 we got exactly the same as we had had on the previous site but much nicer surroundings. If any parts we may need for the MH repair take time to be delivered we would be quite content to remain here for a while I think.

Mery sur Seine just by the campsite

After finding the garage (they had moved 3km) it turned out to be a Renault agency who could not help with a problem on a Fiat chassis based motorhome. As we were already on the road we continued on to Epernay where we were heading to next anyway. On the way there Sues arm and ankles began really swelling up from insect bites  so on arrival we stopped at a pharmacy to see what could ease it. She came out with a carrier bag of goodies that although extreme seemed to work after a day or two. Because of this we did not stay more than one night there as it was not comfortable for Sue to walk at that stage. We could have stayed until Sue felt better but the site was quite noisy so we did not linger.

Tuesday 10th July

We drove on to Pierrefonds which is the setting of the castle used to film BBC TVs Merlin series. We hoped that it as spectacular as the TV series suggested it was........we were not disappointed. As we drove along the road to Pierrefonds we came over the brow of a hill about two miles out and there was the castle infront of us - spectacular. We found the site in town easily and after setting up the MH we walked into the village to explore. As we walked towards the castle we got glimpses of it between buildings then in the main square we saw it in all it's glory. We walked on and went round the castle which was really quite interesting and very different to a normal grand house or castle as there was virtually no furniture at all in it. It was very impressive though all the same.

Pierrefonds chateau

Wednesday saw light rain when we woke so we decided to head on to our next planned destination at Peronne in the Somme valley. Out campsite there was right on the edge of the Canal de la Somme which carries a very large number (or so it seems ) of large commercial barges, probably 200ft long and some pushing another of the same size. Manouvering those must be rather interesting. Peronne itself is quite a pleasant town despite being 90% destroyed in WW1. Wherever you look anywhere in this area there are memorials or cemeteries to do with this period of history. We had two nights here and could have stayed longer but the weather had turned by now to rain, rain and more rain so we moved on, this time to Ypres in Belgium.

Don't fancy manoeuvring one of these - barges at Peronne on the Canal de la Somme

Friday 13th July

Travelling on this day was not as relaxing as it had been up to then as we were coming up to a French Bank Holiday weekend (Bastille Day) so the roads were rather busy, especially around Lille that we had to navigate around. We managed though and drove in to Ypres and found our campsite. Once access was gained to it (it had an automatic barrier that would only operate once you had the card issued when you complete the automatic checkin, all very high tech but it worked. We set up the van, had a coffee then went exploring. About a ten minute walk found us in the centre of Ypres in the main square, very picturesque with building very much Dutch in style rather than the French style we had been used to. Sue found a chocolate shop (we were in Belgium after all) but resisted all temptations to buy and left empty handed. With the Menin Gate * at the end of the road we realised how compact the centre of this town was. We walked back to the van for dinner before coming back to the gate for the 20.00 Last Post Ceremony. This is carried out every night of the year at 20.00 in memory of those who lost their lives in the fighting of the Ypres Salient in the First World War. On the Friday night with several hundred other people watching besides us, as well as the four buglers sounding the last post  there was in attendance the Reading Bach Choir who sang three items, culminating in the British National Anthem. I don't mind admitting that my eyes were moist at the end of the ceremony, very, very moving.

Menin Gate at Ypres, very moving

* The Menin Gate is a War Memorial, constructed after the First World War in memory of approximately 75000 personnel who had died in the hostilities for whom there were no identifiable remains to be buried. Their names appear on plaques on virtually every surface of the gate which got its name from the fact that it bridges the Menin Road out of the town.

Saturday was a lazy day and we did a bit of shopping (yes the chocolates won) and a bit more exploring. We returned again to the Menin Gate for the evening ceremony surprised to see even more people than the previous evening, but then it was Saturday night.

Sunday 15th July

As the weather had turned wet and the forecast for the next week was awful we had decided to change our ferry booking and head home earlier. We drove to Dunkerque and boarded the 12.00 ferry to Dover. On arrival in Dover after a flat calm crossing again we headed to Eastbourne for a night at my mothers before heading on home arriving mid afternoon.

Leaving Dunkerque - the blue skies did not last

Wednesday 18th July

We have now been home a couple of nights and are already thinking about where we can go next........time will tell !

July 2nd - In Dinan

July 2nd - Dinan

We have been away now for just over a fortnight and in that time have not had internet access often and when we have it has been poor connections so I am writing an update to bring the blog up to date.

We left home on Sunday 17th June with a view to touring Belgium and Holland. Our first night was spent at a small campsite on the edge of Chichester harbour. A footpath led from the site to the edge of the water and we had a lovely walk along the sea wall for a few miles in sunshine but a cool breeze. From this site we headed to Dover from where we were due to depart to France in a couple of days. In the meantime we toured Kent by bus visiting Canterbury (very disappointing) then Dover. At Dover we visited Dover Castle overlooking the town and were fascinated by the varying history contained within its boundary walls from a Roman faro (lighthouse) to secret 2nd World War tunnels running for four miles under the castle. We spent the afternoon going from one exhibition area to another enjoying every minute. We then caught a bus to Folkestone then another to get back to the site. We were so glad that the driver of our first bus suggested a Family Explorer ticket which saved us a fortune that day.

Thursday 21st saw us boarding our ferry to take us to Dunkerque. This took us towards Belgium with the additional benefit of being one of the cheapest cross channel routes. Whilst on the ferry we decided that in view of the appalling weather forecast we had seen we would not go to Belgium and Holland as planned because they would probably get the same weather as the UK. Instead we would turn right and head towards Brittany and see what the weather brought. So off the ferry, turn right and head towards Rouen we did. We stopped at a site at Neutchatel-en-Bray about 15 miles short of Rouen and just off our route. Two nights here were lovely and with a cycle route passing right by the entrance on an old railway line we took advantage of it and cycled along the a village a few miles along the route. We covered seven miles that day and Sue was quite pleased with herself as it was the furthest she had cycled up to then. It was also a thoroughly enjoyable route. Before we left the next day we bought some of the local cheese and a bottle of Pommeau which is a blend of apple juice and Calvados, very tasty too. Our site here was lovely and I am sure we will revisit at some time in the future.

Chateau at Mesnieres en Bray on our cycle ride

Saturday 23 rd saw us arriving at Merville Franceville Plage to the East of Caen. From its description the site sounded superb being only yards from a white sand beach. In reality it was sited as described but overcrowded, very tightly packed and noisy. We explored the area a bit but were not sorry to leave after our second night there.

Monday 25th saw us on our way again, this time to Bayeux to view the world famous tapestry. Although this is really a work of embroidery  it was a really impressive piece and made in England but for the Bishop of Bayeux it was used to tell the story of King Harold and Williams invasion of England to a population that were fairly illiterate. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. We continued on our way to a site not far from Mont St Michel. It was situated out in the country in grounds behind a Restaurant (La Couesnon) and we enjoyed a couple of days here exploring the area by foot and by bike. Although we had intended to visit Mont St Michel by bike from the site I had tried the route on my bike the day we arrived and at nearly 14 miles there and back we judged it as too far for Sue to cycle comfortably and did not want to discourage her at this stage. We had bought a new bike for her the day before leaving the UK and she is still getting used to it.

Bayeux cathedral

Wednesday 27th June Travelled from La Couesnon site to St Cast de Guildo just East of St Malo. We had visited here a couple of times by boat and like the area very much so stayed at a campsite on the outskirts of the town overlooking a bay nearby with extensive mussel beds. Coastal paths led from the site into town and we were just minutes from our pitch to a sandy cove that overlooked  Fort La Latte.  We thoroughhly enjoyed our time there, especially the ice creams in the town centre - delicious.

Enjoying the site and sunshine at St Cast

Friday 29th  Travelled from St Cast de Guildo to Binic where we stayed at La Panoramic site, five minutes walk from the sea front. For the princely sum of 12 euros (£10 approx) we had a site with free wifi and a heated indoor pool, each pitch separated by hedging and even 2 boules pitches. Not bad value and we could have stayed longer but we were meeting friends.

Sunday 1st July. We had arranged to meet our friends in Paimpol mid afternoon but from a text had discovered that they had stayed overnight at Lezardriuex not far away so we drove there to meet them for coffee. What they hadn't told us  though was that they were secured to a pontoon in the centre of the river with no access for us to get to them. After a short phone call we drove to Paimpol where we knew there was an aire that we could stay at. If you don't know what an aire is it is an area provided by the town council usually, specifically for motorhomes to park and stay the night. Some have services that are coin operated while others have none. Paimpols is about two minutes walk from the harbour and easily accessed. When we arrived there was plenty of room so we parked up and had lunch, awaiting our friends on their boats who were due to arrive at about 15.15. We met them as they headed up the narrow channel for the lock to the marina and after they had gone through the lock we assisted them in securing in the marina. Plenty to catch up with we helped them empty their beer store while chatting then left to get changed to go out for a meal. They came to More Time on the way to the restaurant as several had not seen the motorhome yet, I think they were impressed. Our restaurant selected by someone who had been there before was unfortunately closed so we took pot luck at the Restaurant du Port and had an excellent meal there before retiring to one of the boats for a nightcap. Sue and I were the ones with the slightly longer walk back to our motorhome but we'd had a lovely evening.

Monday 2nd Travelled to Taden to a campsite close to the River Rance where we had visited in Half Time a couple of times. This is probably our favourite place in France and only a short distance into the medieval town of Dinan. After having lunch when we arrived we had a walk alongside the river to Dinan and explored a little before heading back to the site and typing this update.   Looking forward to the next few days here................

Dinan port