Granada and back with broken fridge door (1 Viewer)

Feb 24, 2013
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Departure day -1

Given up on mending fridge door, will be careful about locking it, considerate about overloading the door and blame Bev should it still come off in transit

We are off on Tuesday morning, chunnel booked for 18:00, weather forecast looks like it will be an interesting drive down, at least wind behind though (y)

Have made first route decision to go south on M25 to avoid possible bridge closure and toll as well, small bonus

Checked gas today to be sure on best quantities, we depend on Calor, so running out not ideal, looks like I left heating on gas after Pauls meet, just as well I checked, one empty cylinder already, only changed it at meet! still best that we know and it has now been replaced, so we will set of with 19kg of Calor, planning on 50/50 sites / aires so will monitor carefully without being overly careful

Route is generally straight down France to Biarritz, route not fixed aires not chosen, will probably overnight in Bayonne on a site we have used before to top up before the Spanish bit, only got three weeks, so one week to get there one week there with a very good recently widowed friend, one week to get back

Updates to follow, hopefully daily, depending of success of mifi and wifi boosters purchased at Lincoln from motorhome wifi :D
 
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funflair

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Hi David

Can't comment on the Fridge door, but if you are going down the low toll route via Rouen Chartres and Chateaudun on the N10 there is a nice aire at Marboue just before Chateaudun right on the side of the N10. Further down just past Angouleme there is one at Nersac with free electric so that would save some gas.

Enjoy

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Have a safe journey/holiday, hopefully you will enjoy the freedom France's aires offer.
 
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old-mo

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If your worried about the door flying open and doing any damage..

Gaffa Tape it while in transit... (y)
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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If your worried about the door flying open and doing any damage..

Gaffa Tape it while in transit... (y)

Just got to make sure Bev remembers to lock it :D

Terry is fixing when we get back, don't want too many glue marks to remove (y)

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Hi David

Can't comment on the Fridge door, but if you are going down the low toll route via Rouen Chartres and Chateaudun on the N10 there is a nice aire at Marboue just before Chateaudun right on the side of the N10. Further down just past Angouleme there is one at Nersac with free electric so that would save some gas.

Enjoy


Thanks Martin

We have usually ended up at Orleans, looking at staying more west this time, will be right in that area (y)
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Things seem nicely relaxed here, managed to convince Bev we really do not need to haul the Kampa awning all the way round with us (y)

my biggest decision to make is shall I bother having MH cleaned before we set off into the wet weather forecasted for tomorrow

best news of the day, went to where we keep our euros, found 1000 more than I thought we had got, typical though bought in 2012 @ 1.04 / £

back to packing
 

Terry

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ENJOY (y) and have a good safe uneventful trip :D
terry

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magicsurfbus

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We returned a week ago from virtually the same 3 week trip and with a dicky fridge. You may have already seen my info thread about the aires/sites we used but just in case, it's here: http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/spain-trip-info-autumn-2014.94516/

The aires at La Barre and Anglet (Biarritz area) are both open until 1 November - Anglet backs onto the beach.

Bon Voyage.
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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We returned a week ago from virtually the same 3 week trip and with a dicky fridge. You may have already seen my info thread about the aires/sites we used but just in case, it's here: http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/spain-trip-info-autumn-2014.94516/

The aires at La Barre and Anglet (Biarritz area) are both open until 1 November - Anglet backs onto the beach.

Bon Voyage.


Thanks for the link to your travel log, I am constantly being told by Bev I spend far too long on here, but then constantly find I have totally missed posts that I would have thought I would have been looking for

We have been struggling for a Madrid campsite, Aranjuez has now been mentioned by a few, so that looks like another decision made (y)
 

movan

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Have wonderful time you two..... bet I know a little one you will miss though... :)

Don't forget the pictures ..look forward to seeing you both again soon. xx

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Departure day, at last (y)

Hardly ideal weather for the drive the Folkstone, but lets hope things are calmer over the channel

Next update from France tomorrow, it will include (hopefully) confirmation of surviving a gas attack / burglary as we are overnighting on the motorway service area Bai de Somme just north of Abbeville

Arrive France after dark around 20:00 tonight, decided it was not really worth driving round hunting out an aire or site in the dark, we know where the motorway is, then about 40 mile drive to easy parking overnight, free parking, with free wifi, will be testing out our wifi booster, we have stayed here virtually every time we go to France mainly due to arrival timing

And a couple of croque monsieurs for breakfast while we look at how for far we are going on Wednesday :)
 

magicsurfbus

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Don't forget to take some bread for the Baie de Somme ducks.

Have a good trip.

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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So, Bev is at hairdressers, I am picking her up at 11:15, just finishing off

Been left a list of things to put in, I am OK with that

Bottom of list it says HOOVERING, and in caps like that

Who on earth hoovers before they go away??

That's the last time we get a neighbour to pop in and feed the cats :D
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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Arrived at the Aire de la Baie de Somme, awful drive down to Folkestone, mainly the busyness of the roads the further south we got, aggressive driving style the further south we got and awful road surfaces around the M25 M20, who in their right mind ever allowed concrete surfacing and why has it not long since been ripped up

Then there was the wind, or really lack of it, not really aware of it too much, a tree down in our own town as we left but generally pretty OK drive, got good mpg (for us at least) 22.4 326 miles all the way here, maybe the wind was directly behind us

Now it is windy here, really gusty around Calais / Boulogne, blowing a hoolie here near Abbeville

But free wifi, in MH thanks to my new iBoost, great piece of kit

Till tomorrow .... nite all
 
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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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We have survived a night on a motorway aire, we really like this place, now even better with our wifi iBoost, free wifi in MH, Aire de Baie de la Somme, motorway aire but worth a stop

Lorries using MH bit of an annoyance, buts that's all, basic shop open all night, toilets free, shower option

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Peage Calais to Abbeville cost us 12 euros, roughly 80 miles although the first bit is free anyway, so not too bad. We feared the worst when the ticket was delivered at lorry height, put us as class 3, but price does not seem too bad

So then we had to plan the day, we have driven over the bridge at Pont de l'Arche and thought how nice it looked so that was destination for lunch.....................

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Puddleduck

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If your worried about the door flying open and doing any damage..

Gaffa Tape it while in transit... (y)

You beat me to it. That tape is wonderful. To get any residue off use "sticky stuff remover" from Lakeland but test it on a hidden part of the surface you will use it on first just in case. An ice cube and palette knife might work on glue residue but is much more work.
 

magicsurfbus

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I'm impressed that you managed to climb the wind turbine for those photos.

I can see your house from up there.

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DavidG58
Feb 24, 2013
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continuation of first real day in France

Forgot how nice driving here is, but have also realised fuel stop options are not as common as I recalled, put 40 euros in at motorway services before leaving this morning, always planning to top up and shop at some point soon. But also only doing about 150 miles anyway so not a great issue

Checked map, picked on Chateaudun area, found there is a MH aire there so set off to check it out. There are hardly any garages en route, no problem no fuel light on and only 40 miles to destination will shop and refuel at same time

So then light comes on, 40 miles on 2 gallons suddenly seems less likely, but will stop if we some fuel, we don't

Get to Chateausud, see a Champion pull in to see 3m height limit on fuel and car park, BO***X, we are 3.3m, so negotiated way into car park via way out, turned round the saw a 24/24 fuel option, phew

Out came the cards, none acceptable, not even the bloody Caxton we got specially (Thanks Taran Las), even tried to convince a Frenchman waiting to use his card but he explained in best Franglais he had no credit left!!

But he did guide us to another garage, luckily in range, where we filled to the brim, mainly thanks to the rather quaint French custom of forecourt service

Then on to the aire, forgetting we had not shopped, but we can eat out says he confidently








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what a lovely location, right underneath the tallest chateaux I have ever seen, room for 7, we were third in at 16:00, now full 19:00

right beside the Loire, but busier than you would expect road right beside, but opposite aire, steps lead up to town, steps and steps, didn't count but they did hurt by the top

found the town, bit closed up, but found a bar and a pizza shop, the latter closed till 18:30, so bar it was, but it was only 17:00, so decided bread and cheese and a bottle of wine will do nicely back at MH

and so they are
 

magicsurfbus

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Can't say I've been up the tower at all. Baie de Somme is one of my wife's favourite service areas, so she usually pretends she needs a wee stop whenever we get close to it. I usually sit in the cab drumming my fingers until she's fed the ducks.
 

Emmit

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"Who on earth hoovers before they go away??"

Mrs Emmit for one. I'd swear she would put out beer and sandwiches for Mr Billy Burglar if I let her.
I don't think she could stand the shame of Billy complaining about getting his striped jumper and his bag marked SWAG mucky, climbing through the window.
 
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DavidG58
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the
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Pont de l'Arche update, municipal site beside river convenient for town, right outside a free dump with charged for water and electric

Free aire in separate car park although more or less adjacent

If using be brave make first right turn over bridge straight into car park do not follow camping site signs

We have not used either sites but liked the town, bit tired, but amazing church
 

Emmit

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Thanks for the postings, David,
Our virginal cross channel motorhome trip is only 12 sleeps away. Me? Excited? Nah. NOT MUCH!!!!!!!!!

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