Off to France for a month.... (1 Viewer)

[Allanm]

we are booked on the Tunnel for Thursday morning, driving over to Brittany to pick up the van, a couple of days welding gates and checking the house, then a slow meander south, through the Midi Pyrenees, down to the med near Narbonne, up the coast then a slow drive back up the East.
Busy planning what we want to see on the journey at the moment so the table is full of books and maps. ( but too early for wine, yet!)

 

[Tootles]

Try Skeggy. Much better, and you can sell your welder!!

 

[scousebird]

A month, wish we could take a month off. Enjoy your trip

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[WynandJean]

If going anywhere near Cholet don't miss Puy Du Fou. It has an aire attached. Allow 2 days, you can't really do it in a day. Book your tickets online.

http://www.puydufou.com/en/

Wyn

 

[Allanm]

A month, wish we could take a month off. Enjoy your trip

You have to give up work first. Well, somebody has to do it and keep buying all that cheap French diesel.....

 

[Allanm]

Try Skeggy. Much better, and you can sell your welder!!

We went to Skeggy in 2007.
If I remember right, there was a lovely beach and not bad fish n chips over the road.

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[Tootles]

We went to Skeggy in 2007.
If I remember right, there was a lovely beach and not bad fish n chips over the road.

TOP MAN!!!

 

[snowdrops]

My command centre is open already, books, maps, notes............ and we're not even going for another 63 days Have a lovely time

 

[Allanm]

Thanks. We rarely plan anything, I don't think I could wait that long for a trip, but, we are both retired so can really go when we want.
Tunnel crossing is 0820 tomorrow. I never realised how restricting it is going in the car. No instant toilet stops, no overnight stops if we can't be bothered to carry on driving and getting the two of us, both dogs, clothes tools and gadgets in. Luckily, we are dropping the car off at the house in Brittany and swapping everything into the van efforts we set off south.
Have a great time when you go in June. Hopefully, we will be back there ourselves for the summer.

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[Philiphall]

We are in the Haute Vienne 30 minutes north of Limoges off the A20 & spring is well on the way evenings & mornings are still chilly but daytime is definitely warming up & sunny enjoy your trip! I love driving down to Narbonne - if your not in a rush try following the canal du midi some lovely quiet villages & towns we were down there last month everywhere very quiet, just the motorhomers travelling.

 

[Allanm]

There's no rush. We'll have a look at the canal and we might even plan this trip! Just pulling out of Folkestone now, no motorhomes at all on this train!

 

[snowdrops]

We never make firm plans either, well, other than get down south quickly lol. I have a list of absolutely must sees and we work our way thro them where ever we end up. For June tho, we are defo doing Verdon Gorge/Lac ste Croix and probably Barcelona. The rest we shall wait and see. Have a fab time

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[Allanm]

Well, we left Brittany yesterday lunch time after I had welded the gates back together and mowed the lawn
Spent last night near Niort and had a slow drive into the Gironde and through all the Cognac vines. Crossed the Dordogne river at Branne and are now parked in an aire overlooking the vines. Very peaceful and warm. 22 degrees here today! Off to the Midi Pyrenees tomorrow and on down near the Spanish border.
This is the life!

 

[Allanm]

We are parked in a fantastic aire at Payolle in the middle of the Pyrenees. Great views all round of the mountains covered in snow, a river full of meltwater running past and a massive lake a few metres away.
We may drive to Spain through the Bielsa Tunnel tomorrow and head towards Barcelona. Should be interesting, we don't have any Spanish road maps!
Anyway, I wondered if anybody knew if the Spanish have self service launderettes at supermarkets and service stations like in France. We may need to do some washing soon.
Not interested in booking into a campsite to use their facilities though.
We have had fantastic weather the last few days, it's been up to 25 degrees today as we drove through Galan.
Who says France isn't sunny and warm in April!

 

[Allanm]

So, we left the aire and decided not to go to Spain but to head East and to drive over the Col d' Aspin.
Mrs A has only just started speaking to me!
It was a very narrow road with sheer drops most of the way and very steep. Too steep to hold the speed in any gear but first going downhill, so had to use the brakes a lot. We had 3 stops to cool them down, hot brakes are rather smelly!
Anyway, we made it after only one sudden stop when going round a blind right hander to find the road full of goats. No goats were harmed or put in the freezer!
Here's a pic from the top. It was scary enough looking over the edge. The road appears mid left, goes to the centre of the picture, down onto the very steep bits that are hidden and reappears in the trees bottom right. All in all, I think we dropped about 900 metres.
In an aire on a river now, south of Toulouse and heading ne for a while.

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[scousebird]

So, we left the aire and decided not to go to Spain but to head East and to drive over the Col d' Aspin.
Mrs A has only just started speaking to me!
It was a very narrow road with sheer drops most of the way and very steep. Too steep to hold the speed in any gear but first going downhill, so had to use the brakes a lot. We had 3 stops to cool them down, hot brakes are rather smelly!
Anyway, we made it after only one sudden stop when going round a blind right hander to find the road full of goats. No goats were harmed or put in the freezer!
Here's a pic from the top. It was scary enough looking over the edge. The road appears mid left, goes to the centre of the picture, down onto the very steep bits that are hidden and reappears in the trees bottom right. All in all, I think we dropped about 900 metres.
In an aire on a river now, south of Toulouse and heading ne for a while.

View attachment 101145

 

[Jac Sprat]

We are in the wonderful English run camp Parc Verger full of English people! It is half way down under Limoges in Champagnac au Rivière. Right on a 'vert voie' which is a bike path along the site of a small railway. Not only is it a beautiful quiet region but the campsite is immaculately run by Franc and Lisa. We rented bikes yesterday and explored the local small villages and had a smashing meal at the La Gare restaurant which is right on the cycle path - being an old station. Worth remembering if you are nearby or passing through central /west France. Had the great pleasure of meeting 'dippingatoe' Sue here. Thank you forum for introducing us!

 

[robnchris]

Fantastic photo looking back down the valley, we are taking 5 weeks to meander through France to Italy in June, early tunnel crossing then heading to Troyes for the first nights stop, from there to Annecy 2 nights here then drop down onto the coast for the drive into Italy, will find somewhere to stay around Portofino.
Plan then is to drive up skirting Turin to the the Mont Blanc tunnel and back into France.
Aiming then for the Loire and just see where we go from there.

Have a fantastic time and keep writing.

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[glenn2926]

We went to Skeggy in 2007.
If I remember right, there was a lovely beach and not bad fish n chips over the road.

I went to Skeggy once. It was shut.

 

[magicsurfbus]

Try Skeggy.

May I politely enquire when you last visited Skeggy?

I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a West Indian chap who's family migrated from the Caribbean to the Midlands when he was a child. Not long after arriving and settling into their new home his dad suggested a family trip to the beach. The little lad was thrilled with the thought of once more seeing the palm trees, the warm azure ocean, and disporting himself on sun-drenched white coral sands.

They took him to Skeggy. Bastards.

 

[Tootles]

May I politely enquire when you last visited Skeggy?

Er, it must have been around VE day..........Lovely place Must admit the barbed wire and the mines on the beach were a drag, oh, and the barrage balloons, but hey.

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[Munchie]

@Jac Sprat pop over and have a glass of grape juice with the Munchies!
We are the static in the naughty corner with the red C1!

 

[magicsurfbus]

..the barbed wire and the mines on the beach were a drag, oh, and the barrage balloons, but hey.

All totally unnecessary - Hitler had ordered the Luftwaffe not to bomb Skeggy in case it raised British morale.

 

[Allanm]

We are in the wonderful English run camp Parc Verger full of English people! It is half way down under Limoges in Champagnac au Rivière. Right on a 'vert voie' which is a bike path along the site of a small railway. Not only is it a beautiful quiet region but the campsite is immaculately run by Franc and Lisa. We rented bikes yesterday and explored the local small villages and had a smashing meal at the La Gare restaurant which is right on the cycle path - being an old station. Worth remembering if you are nearby or passing through central /west France. Had the great pleasure of meeting 'dippingatoe' Sue here. Thank you forum for introducing us!

We popped into Parc Verger and met the Munchies a couple of years ago. Nice site, lots of good walks and some half decent wine in the Naughty Corner ......

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[Allanm]

We went to Skeggy in 2007.
If I remember right, there was a lovely beach and not bad fish n chips over the road.

Oh no, hang on, it wasn't called Skeggy then, it was Mabelthorpe.
Is it the same place? They are both oop
North!

 

[Anthea M]

Oh no, hang on, it wasn't called Skeggy then, it was Mabelthorpe.
Is it the same place? They are both oop
North!

Some like to call it Skegvegas!!!

 

[Allanm]

T

Fantastic photo looking back down the valley, we are taking 5 weeks to meander through France to Italy in June, early tunnel crossing then heading to Troyes for the first nights stop, from there to Annecy 2 nights here then drop down onto the coast for the drive into Italy, will find somewhere to stay around Portofino.
Plan then is to drive up skirting Turin to the the Mont Blanc tunnel and back into France.
Aiming then for the Loire and just see where we go from there.

Have a fantastic time and keep writing.

That sounds like a great trip, I'm sure you will have a great time.
We are currently in Sorèze about 20 miles north of Carcassonne. Not sure where we are going tomorrow though.
We challenged ourselves to stay only on free Aires. So far, we haven't spent a cent on stopovers or service points. We even got free dog poo bags today!
Sorèze is a lovely ancient village and apparently one of the many sources of the Canal du Midi. There are info plaques around the town in French and English.
Free parking for 6 motorhomes,6 coaches and 250 cars. Free services, a Super U a couple of hundred metres away ( with 24hr launderette!) and great views all round.
And we are the only ones here!
Well worth a visit and don't forget to take your camera.

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[Reallyretired]

We are off to France/Spain whatever in May but yesterday we decided we couldn't wait that long. On checking diaries we found we had 15 days free this month so booked tunnel for next Thursday.On our return we will be in the UK for about a week then off again.
We haven't been for such a short time for years (even managed 3 weeks when I was working) so will use the tolls to get down south fast for the sun, though we've actually managed to get a bit brown in the last couple of days at Canterbury C&CC site where we went to get our new dog, Spice, used to the MH. Canterbury site is full of rabbits though.

 

[Allanm]

Visited a few disappointing Aires today after leaving Sorèze, but wonderful scenery and mountain roads up to 910 metres and down again. Lovely hilltop villages but many more scruffy industrialised ones. Went through Roquefort but didn't buy any cheese because it all looked mouldy to me!
Eventually stopped at an aire in La Couvertoirade, a Templar village, like a small version of Carcassonne. €3 but the money is used to restore the village, so, we aren't really paying to use the aire!

 

[snowdrops]

So, we left the aire and decided not to go to Spain but to head East and to drive over the Col d' Aspin.
Mrs A has only just started speaking to me!
It was a very narrow road with sheer drops most of the way and very steep. Too steep to hold the speed in any gear but first going downhill, so had to use the brakes a lot. We had 3 stops to cool them down, hot brakes are rather smelly!
Anyway, we made it after only one sudden stop when going round a blind right hander to find the road full of goats. No goats were harmed or put in the freezer!
Here's a pic from the top. It was scary enough looking over the edge. The road appears mid left, goes to the centre of the picture, down onto the very steep bits that are hidden and reappears in the trees bottom right. All in all, I think we dropped about 900 metres.
In an aire on a river now, south of Toulouse and heading ne for a while.

View attachment 101145

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