A New Motorhoming Adventure Starts For Me Today... (1 Viewer)

[TheCaller]

You won't catch Frankie & JJ as easily as that. Having their own experience confirmed by your own glowing recommendation of it's wonderfulness & perfection, I'm sure they will very sensibly keep it's location to themselves.

 

[JJ]

This Is Getting Slightly Worrying.

Another TWO (2) nights on a campsite.

But...

1) This is a municipal campsite INSIDE the walled Citadelle De Blaye.

2) The lady allowed both vans to go on one pitch, and only charged (an extremely affordable) fee for one pitch, two people, and two lots of electricity.

We can have a gentle stroll around the walls and easily wander into town on foot.

More details to follow...


JJ and Frankie

(PS. I did spot a Rufty Tufty Off-Site spot just out of town, but then we would have to drive into town in the morning, and find parking, and then walk to where we actually are right now. A case of location, location, location.)

 

[veevee]

This Is Getting Slightly Worrying.

Another TWO (2) nights on a campsite.

But...

1) This is a municipal campsite INSIDE the walled Citadelle De Blaye.

2) The lady allowed both vans to go on one pitch, and only charged (an extremely affordable) fee for one pitch, two people, and two lots of electricity.

We can have a gentle stroll around the walls and easily wander into town on foot.

View attachment 72360

More details to follow...

JJ and Frankie

Are you going soft JJ???

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[yodeli]

What a brilliant place this is! Nice little campsite right in the middle of the fortified city of Blaye.
Nice walking around, for about an hour going gently, surrounded by the river Gironde

A few more pics to come... but now we're going to have some more specialities of the area.... to go with of course a Red Wine Château de Blaye.....

Frankie

 

[yodeli]

Le Petit Canon is a snack bar restaurant with quite a large terrace , with full view onto the Gironde and little islands here and there.
While I had duck prepared in 3 different ways(sausage, confit and filet) on a bed of Ratatouille (a mix of onions tomatoes peppers courgettes and aubergines) JJ tried the lamb chops, with roast potatoes. We both chose to have a desert: Crème brûlée for me and Chocolat liegeois for JJ. .....Yummy

In case you would prefer a parking place to overnight, we discovered one ....errrr..... after we were parked in the campsite!!!
Funnily there were 2 vans parked down there looking very much like ours.

 

[yodeli]

A bit more walking and here they are the Huge Canons.... at last ... something a Prince can ...rely on!!!

And down there , in the distance..... free loaders (some men even call them ...tossers.... but I was told that, being a Princess , I should not say this word)

Two more pics to come for the beauty of the area

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[yodeli]

 

[Fenman]

Thanks to you both for this thread it's giving me lots of ideas for visits from our French abode even before we finally get to the retired status and then get a motorhome for the big tours.
Great photos and much laughter.

 

[Frentchy]

View attachment 72501 View attachment 72502

So that's where you two Escaped to We thought you had dunna runner, I called the cops an set up road blocks we missed you by five mins, we brought cakes an wine but there you were Gone Anyway, real nice to see you guys, an hope to meet-up some where; Bon continuation with your tour, an Bon route

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[TheCaller]

What a brilliant place this is! Nice little campsite right in the middle of the fortified city of Blaye.

Great place! We were there in May - parked exactly where those vans that look like yours were down in the M/H parking area. Only a day trip for us from Twin Lakes, but I found the inner camp site while we were walking round. It's a place I'd like to go back to - if only to stay in that camp site - rather cool to be camping right in the middle of the old fortress city.

 

[whoa]

Thanks to you both for this thread it's giving me lots of ideas for visits from our French abode even before we finally get to the retired status and then get a motorhome for the big tours.
Great photos and much laughter.

I concur, great little travelogue, good info

 

[peterc10]

I concur, great little travelogue, good info

So good I have bookmarked it so I will be able to check the sites when we are next down that way.

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[JJ]

On the recommendations from the restaurant people at the Citadelle De Blaye we headed off to visit the "picturesque" village of Talmont Sur Gironde.

Very, very touristy but would be worth a visit off season.

On the way we had lunch at this aire...

After wandering through Talmont, we decided to return to the lunch time aire for the night.

We found a nice, peaceful part of the large area and had a quiet night.

In the morning, we watched as one van moved from the other side of the field to be next to us and then they were joined by friends in another van...

Look at this!

Unbelievable!

So, needless to say, we both moved straight away...

There are the usual aire facilities here... free parking and dumping, water (€2.00 for ten minutes or 100 litres), electricity (€2.00 for one hour) but what makes it special here is a great shop with a very friendly man and wife in charge, and they gave us the password for their internet!

We have already stayed two nights and will stay here again tonight and visit the nearby castle on foot tomorrow.

I got a huge bit of dead cow cooked for me for lunch today...

Will spend the afternoon digesting this...

...and watching City's Sunday goals again (and again).

JJ

 

[Frentchy]

Don't be so picky you two, they only thought you might be lonely

 

[houdini]

"In the morning, we watched as one van moved from the other side of the field to be next to us and then they were joined by friends in another van..."

Why do people do this? It happens on the beach as well, can't understand it.
Sounds like you're having a great time, love hearing about your trip.

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[2657]

See you have the proper rufty tufty campers wind breaks

 

[JJ]

See you have the proper rufty tufty campers wind breaks

A proper rufty tufty would have just rubbed two sticks together and to hell with the wind breaks... but then the cooking of the meat would have taken longer...

JJ

 

[yodeli]

The French way to fry a steak is the best way to have a good steak BUT The frying pan must be really HOT !! And if there is wind the flame goes away ... and all is ruined!! Hence the wind break !
Nothing to do with rufty tufty whatever, it is just a matter of GOOD cooking! Sorry pressed the wrong button with half of the answer LOL

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[Ali n Tim]

You two look as if you are having a great time!!

 

[Bluemooner]

Food looked better than my smoothie did

 

[yodeli]

A few more pictures and info about that smashing aire . we found at Saint Dizant-La-Gua:
You can buy bottles of gaz, you have a mail box, and a post office service (I guess buying stamps only).
There's a Bar up the road which sells cigarettes too, there's a tiny petrol station with 2 pumps one is 98 and one is diesel, quite expensive but .... here they are in case of problem!
Right in front of the bar , on the other side of the road is a Castle..... the Château Beaulon also called "the blue fountains" "Les fontaines bleues"! 5 euros entrance ...MAGIC place, you wait for Tinkerbell an Peter Pan to come and greet you!
After a walk around this small forest where the fairies live and once you have read all about the magic of this place , the People of the Castle will let you have une dégustation de vins (it's more than a wine TBH : Cognac+Pineau ...MMmmm). Don't forget to take your little plastic card ...it might help if you want to buy a nice bottle!!!!
That Château Beaulon is to die for.... my credit card died I reckon!
I'm hopinp to download a few pics but internet is crap here so it might take longer than I thought. If I can't manage tonight then I'll do it tomorrow if a better signal at the next stop. May be JJ will post a few pics of the blue fountains ..... After all he is the Magic One!

Frankie

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[Frentchy]

The French way to fry a steak is the best way to have a good steak BUT The frying pan must be really HOT !! And if there is wind the flame goes away ... and all is ruined!! Hence the wind break !
Nothing to do with rufty tufty whatever, it is just a matter of GOOD cooking! Sorry pressed the wrong button with half of the answer LOL

Sorry Frankie I have to disagree us Brits know how to cook a steak!! crammy It has to be snap-able like what the cowboys eat, (I,m right arn't I you Brits?) beef jerky I think its called. Its two Scouts your supposed to rub together to light a fire JJ, trust me. If your thinking of going to Twin Lakes give us a shout an we'll nip up, with the dogs, an park between you I might even start smoking just for the weekend an really make JJs day

 

[JJ]

Photos of the coolest, nicest, magical "garden" I have ever had the pleasure to stroll though...

Talk about relaxing...

JJ and Frankie

 

[whoa]

According to James Martin that well known chef, host of Saturday kitchen in the UK, and other programs, his version of a French cooked steak is, wipes it's bum, take the horns off, walk it to the table and it will be ready for the plate, maybe a bit blue for some, and don't forget the seasoning. I'm sure it's as true as I sit on this camel playing scrabble.

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[whoa]

Well it looks to me as if Frankie and JJ have got new careers as tour guides.

 

[Chris]

It all looks fantastic.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[JJ]

Sadly... our tour has had a temporary hold up...

Max has got a puncture!

Out come two jacks, sockets, spare wheel from under the bonnet, AND an extra long wheel brace kindly given to me by those famous Funster Off-Site Freeloaders, Bob and Janie.

But guess what...

The air hammer used to do up the nuts must have been set really high and this old man can't budge them at all.

So the breakdown people have been summoned...

Of course... if we had non driving, wine drinking passengers they wouldn't mind the break, but we don't.

JJ and Frankie

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[JJ]

All fixed now...

JJ and Frankie

 

[Bluemooner]

Wow what a machine to turn up in

 

[Frentchy]

Bloody-ell that's Big hammer to "crack " a few Nuts !!

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