Anniversary Waltz (more of a Wander) through France (2 Viewers)

[DavidG58]

After our engine issues, we are now raring to go, had a one day test drive to boost confidence all round, now just about to book a Chunnel crossing for early Feb, returning towards the end of Feb traversing our 35th wedding anniversary on 14th Feb , a wander through France

Before we had the engine issues we bought into a frequent traveller package on the Tunnel, shared with a fellow Funster and we were quite sure we would use our three return trips, but then we started with the limp issues

The bad thing is we only ever used one, the next bad thing is they have to be used including being home again by the anniversary of the set up which was 2nd March 15, but the good thing is we have a free trip, well sort of free, we still have to add in the supplements for the motorhome and Lola, but it still means a return trip for less than £50, technically of course it is still £150 but most of it was paid last year and long since forgotten about

The last time we went, my thread title mentioned the classic get to France and turn right or left, we sort of did both, me being persuaded to go up to Holland for the bulbs then down to Bordeaux, this time I am taking a little more control (yeah right) but we will be going straight on or right for sure this time

Nothing fixed although we will be committing to a return date, part of todays planning, my thought for night 1 or last night is one of the aires beside the Seine to the west of Rouen, a couple get regularly mentioned on here, will be trawling back through older threads in search of options for all the other nights

Nothing at all planned other than we would like to revisit Millau, possibly get down to the Carmargue and Carcassonne, plus we have an open date with @yodeli will try to work that in

Maps and diaries out on table as I write this, to be continued..................

 

[canopus]

There is a cracking little private aire at Heurteauville called Les Cerisiers but not sure when it opens. Failing that there is always La Mailleraye-sur-Seine just up the road.

 

[DavidG58]

There is a cracking little private aire at Herteauville called Les Cerisieres but not sure when it opens. Failing that there is always La Mailleraye-sur-Seine just up the road.

Many thanks Ken, I really admire those of you that can just recall these place names, even when I make a note of them I cant even remember where I kept the notes

La Mailleraye - sur - Seine was one I had heard of

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[canopus]

Les Cerisiers is right on the edge of the Seine and if you get one of the three or four pitches which look out over the river the you can almost touch the huge ships as they come and go on the tide.

Broken Link Removed

http://www.campingcar76.fr/Site P20 53 Photo Juin 2014 ( Les Cerisiers Heurteauville 76).html

Drat - doesn't open until 1st April

 

[Rob and Val]

So pleased to hear that problem with the 'van has now been sorted. A few years ago we stayed at
Camping Municipal Eure Et Seine
Quai Marechal Foch
Pont De L Arche
Normandy
27340
It's on the banks of the River Eure near to where it joins with the Seine and it's an easy walk into town. A lovely place to stay.
We're looking forward to hearing about your adventures and keeping our fingers crossed that all will go well for you.

 

[scousebird]

La Mailleraye-sur-Seine just up the road.

love it there & there is a bar, boulangerie and small supermarket all within easy walking distance

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DavidG58]

Camping Municipal Eure Et Seine
Quai Marechal Foch
Pont De L Arche
Normandy
27340
It's on the banks of the River Eure near to where it joins with the Seine and it's an easy walk into town. A lovely place to stay.

Thanks for that, we have had many a night there, always on the adjacent free aire / car park, including a mini adventure last time there with one of my (many) flat batteries, another problem hopefully overcome with the new cab battery fitted in June 15

 

[Fenman]

Well I have been following the saga of going limp and am so pleased that you're sorted.
What a romantic day for a wedding anniversary. Bit different to ours which is 1st April At least I can't forget the date - or would lose certain parts of the anatomy if I did. 38 years for us this year.
On top of all that you couldn't go to a more romantic place for a celebration. Just enjoy.

 

[TheCaller]

David, you told us about the aire at Pont de L'Arche. We looked in on our way south last May, but didn't stay as it was only lunchtime. We did stay for four nights in the adjoining campsite on the way back though. Lovely little place - view of both the Eure & the Seine in front of us & the old town right there outside the gate.

We wouldn't have been able to stay on the aire because the aire, the adjoining car park & the grassy bit under the bridge were all taken up by a combination of a visiting fair & a temporary market. You will have the opposite restriction - the campsite doesn't open until the beginning of April.

Several handy places to eat - in particular a very nice restaurant on the south side of the first square you come to as you go up into the town. On the corner of Rue Jean Prieur & Rue Huauit I think.

As you will already know, there are walks in both directions along the banks of the Eure, more particularly upstream. We didn't get to see the inside of the church, but it's pretty spectacular from the outside!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scousebird]

David, you told us about the aire at Pont de L'Arche. We looked in on our way south last May, but didn't stay as it was only lunchtime. We did stay for four nights in the adjoining campsite on the way back though. Lovely little place - view of both the Eure & the Seine in front of us & the old town right there outside the gate.

We wouldn't have been able to stay on the aire because the aire, the adjoining car park & the grassy bit under the bridge were all taken up by a combination of a visiting fair & a temporary market. You will have the opposite restriction - the campsite doesn't open until the beginning of April.

Several handy places to eat - in particular a very nice restaurant on the south side of the first square you come to as you go up into the town. On the corner of Rue Jean Prieur & Rue Huauit I think.

As you will already know, there are walks in both directions along the banks of the Eure, more particularly upstream. We didn't get to see the inside of the church, but it's pretty spectacular from the outside!

We once went to park up at the aire at Pont de L'Arche to visit the market but it was full of travellers so we drove away

 

[FIDGET]

Hi David,
Another small aire on the seine a few miles up from La Maileraye, is St Nicolas de Bliquetuit.
GPS:
N 49.52102, E 0.72737
N 49°31'16", E 0°43'39"
no services room for about 8 moho's

 

[Chockswahay]

We drove through Clermont Ferrand and Millau last week and it was heavy snow! Keep an eye on the weather if you go that way as it is often freezing at this time of year.....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DavidG58]

We drove through Clermont Ferrand and Millau last week and it was heavy snow! Keep an eye on the weather if you go that way as it is often freezing at this time of year.....

It is a route we used a lot when we caravanned taking the kids always in school holidays, but we used to read out the roadside markers, sad yes, but we did it and will do again if we go down next month they quote the altitude every 200m or so, always amazed us how high we were, think if memory recalls correctly you get up to 1300m, compare that to Britains highest motorway M62 at just over 1000' 300m, and Ben Nevis our highest mountain 1344m!! it is little wonder it snows up there

 

[DavidG58]

Excitement now building, must be my age, don't remember having such feelings just before going away before

I have put to bed any worries about the turbo

Ordered 2 new maps (see other thread for details) both arrived, one gong with us

Sorted out a 3 sim for our motorhome wifi mifi, took advice for youngest daughter as I couldn't keep up with the offers and options constantly changing. Bev has gone for a 12Gb 12 month option for her ipad, I was going to buy 2 x 7Gb 3 month options, but that offer went, now have a contract, well sort of, 20Gb / month on contract for £20 / month. But you have an option for cancelling on day 1, so I have effectively bought a 20Gb one month wonder, should do me for 18 days

Motorhome washed by local Polski's, £20

Only thing unresolved is the wheel balancing, taken it to three places now, apparently the centre of the wheel is much larger diameter than normal, so they say, but they all said it wouldn't fit on their machines, more precisely they cant fix it on to do the job. So we have a self imposed 62mph limit, above that the shaking of the steering wheel is not nice, but we tend to stick at 100kph anyway, so a near perfect speed limit, lets just hope it doesn't get lower if they go any more out of balance

We are away for the weekend with eldest daughter who has just confirmed she will deliver us our third grandchild this year (her first) , youngest daughter is sorting her and our second, due in July

This weekend I will find an answer for the 'blended' black waste down grey drain riddle, (see other post) at least I will find out what applies at a Somers Wood http://www.somerswood.co.uk/ we will see what they say. Looks like a nice site, first time there for us

Then Sunday am early off for Tunnel, followed by an aire somewhere in northern France

Back to packing

 

[Easyliving]

I know what you mean about being excited before a trip David. We are not France bound till June but I already have the books and maps out plotting our route to Brittany. We have stayed on the aire at La Mailleraye Sur Seine several times now, lovely spot and a not too long drive from Calais. There are a couple of funsters who have posted dashcam videos of the aire here and here.

On the subject of anniversaries - 35 years? pah, newleyweds! Its our 40th later this year. I would like a few days out in the van but she wants an expensive weekend in London.

Paul

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Hymie]

David, have you tried ATS for wheel balancing?

Hymie.

 

[DavidG58]

Back to a minor panic tonight, Bev says over tea, have you got our euros, no says I, we have loads left from last year, oh says Bev I thought you paid the plasterers in euros last year

Oh yes replied I, oops,

Post Office in the morning, at least we discussed it tonight not tomorrow in Birmingham

 

[Dazzlin]

"It is a route we used a lot when we caravanned taking the kids always in school holidays, but we used to read out the roadside markers, sad yes, but we did it and will do again if we go down next month they quote the altitude every 200m or so, always amazed us how high we were, think if memory recalls correctly you get up to 1300m, compare that to Britains highest motorway M62 at just over 1000' 300m, and Ben Nevis our highest mountain 1344m!! it is little wonder it snows up there"

We avidly watch the markers also when going overthe top on the A75.
Puts it into perspective when we are here at Tafraoute in Morocco at 1,200m in shorts and 28° daytime, but down to 10° at night. Chilly!!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[denisejoe]

Back to a minor panic tonight, Bev says over tea, have you got our euros, no says I, we have loads left from last year, oh says Bev I thought you paid the plasterers in euros last year

Oh yes replied I, oops,

Post Office in the morning, at least we discussed it tonight not tomorrow in Birmingham

Why not get your Euro's from a cash machine in France when you get there with the right card you will get the day rate and no commission

Joe

 

[davanne]

Why not get your Euro's from a cash machine in France when you get there with the right card you will get the day rate and no commission

Joe

That's what we usually do

 

[Tweedie]

Know what you mean about getting excited we too are off to France in April, have ferry booked one way only as we are very flexible can be away for up to 5 months, will just see how it goes, this is our first trip abroad in MoHo, first MoHo and just getting to grips with it now. We are always looking at the Aires books, ACSI book, etc. deciding what we would like to see and when someone posts about a nice place or site then that get added to the little black book, can't wait. Keep posting about your trip great to read about people travels, helps the days go by quicker till we can get on with ours

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[DavidG58]

Why not get your Euro's from a cash machine in France when you get there with the right card you will get the day rate and no commission

Joe

That's what we usually do

I think I am stuck somewhere between old school and untrusting, there is something I like about knowing exactly what is going on. The PO quote their rate on the window, stick debit card in machine, swap pin number for an agreed number of euros, walk out sorted

If you put your debit card in a machine abroad, firstly there is a chance it might not get returned, then how do you know what rate of exchange you will actually get? presumably all you ask for is so many euros, you will not know the rate until you check when home

 

[DavidG58]

One night down, only gone as far as Birmingham to see eldest daughter before leaving for France, pouring with rain since we arrived, hoping for better in France tomorrow

Still deliberating first nights stop, driving time from here to Mailleray according to our truck Tom Tom is 10 hours, too many for us really, chunnel booked for 12:30, puts us in France for 14:00, we don't like to drive after dark from preference, finding the aire and getting parked in the dark isn't always much fun.

we are also looking to leave a little earlier and maybe go across on an earlier crossing which changes everything again

So now exploring Le Crotoy / Neufchatel area as a more realistic target, I am still nervous about the paying for entry / barrier / tokens etc etc so far in our French travels we have used about 12 aires, only 2 of which were chargeable, one Niort said would be collected it wasn't, the other Embry was a rather cute little CL type private site, little old lady appeared on arrival took money and bread order.

I suspect I am going to have to break my duck on going through a barrier this trip and hope we can get out without too much hassle you will be the second to know how that goes

 

[Anthea M]

We stayed at Crotoy last year and there was no barrier just a pay and display. May be different now. Have stayed at Amboise aire in the Loire valley it does have a barrier but you pay on exit with a card .We used to be nervous of pay at the pump for diesel but now even English petrol stations have them .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Eeyore]

Lovely privately owned aire ( next door to campsite) at Neufchastel en Bray. There is a barrier but, if it goes wrong, ( and last year it hardly went right...) then it is easy to get the campsite guardien out.

We like the aire on the clifftop at Boulogne which is very handy for the tunnel as you are well away from possible problems in Calais. It takes us about 15 to 20 mins from pitch to ticket barrier and is easy to navigate. The aire fee is collected in the evening and no barriers. If you want water or to dump then best to do it as you go into the aire as it is a one way system and a nuisance to have to go round again.

Forges les Eaux is another, free and huge aire in the area you are looking at: all services, even EHU.

 

[FIDGET]

Hi ,Calais tunnel to Mailleraye sur Seine aire , should only be between 3 to 4 hrs max , only 150 miles avoiding paege/ tolls

 

[DavidG58]

Hi ,Calais tunnel to Mailleraye sur Seine aire , should only be between 3 to 4 hrs max , only 150 miles avoiding paege/ tolls

The 10 hours is from Birmingham where we are tonight, 4 hours from Calais would put us there around 6, it is still in the mix for tomorrow, but we might save it for the return journey

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[FIDGET]

sorry , I should have read your post correctly.

 

[davanne]

I think I am stuck somewhere between old school and untrusting, there is something I like about knowing exactly what is going on. The PO quote their rate on the window, stick debit card in machine, swap pin number for an agreed number of euros, walk out sorted

If you put your debit card in a machine abroad, firstly there is a chance it might not get returned, then how do you know what rate of exchange you will actually get? presumably all you ask for is so many euros, you will not know the rate until you check when home

David we use Nationwide flex account and they always give the commercial rate for that day not the tourist rate never had a problem in over 15 years and believe me I am cautious I used to work in banking
Le Crotoy was an open aire with pay at machine when we were there last year.

 

[Mousy]

@DavidG58 I've just been looking at our booking to Bruges next week and noticed your booking is for Sunday 14th...it's only the 7th tomorrow, is that right??

Edit. I've sent you a pm

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}