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DBK

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I guess you will be heading for the south coasts of Spain and Portugal?

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Sep 11, 2014
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We'll be following you, or maybe a bit ahead of you. We used to use the Newhaven/Dieppe route but we're tunnel converts and will probably be travelling out on 18th.

Our first trip to Spain/Portugal and expecting to be away 6-8 weeks.

Excited much we are.
 
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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Just signed up for a 3 mobile mifi with 20Gb per month for £23 per month. Hopefully this will allow me to perform my 2 days a week paid employment while we are in France and Spain.

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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Day 1

Didn’t start as we hoped. Vanessa spent the day finishing the packing whilst I was working from home. We planned to leave around 4pm and drive to Newhaven to spend the night there ready for the ferry the following morning. About ¼ hour before we were due to depart I went to turn the motorhome around on the drive. Something I’ve done half a dozen times before without problems. This time was different. I’m not sure why but probably something to do with lots of recent rain and taking a slightly different line. Anyway one of the rear wheels ended in a rut between the drive and the grass which together with the camber caused the opposite front wheel to lift and lose traction. We spent the next hour trying everything we could think of, jacking it up, putting boards under the wheels, towing it with my van, but all we succeeded in doing was turning the gravel drive into something resembling the Somme battlefield. Eventually one last concerted towing effort saw it pull free. We were finally on our way just before 6.

The drive down to Newhaven was fairly straightforward. We were too late for dinner at our chosen pub stop so supermarket sandwiches had to suffice. We did have time to meet up with Vanessa’s son Chris, who lives nearby, for a drink before closing time. We had another MH for company on our BritStop pub carpark but we never saw the occupants.


Day 2

After a good night’s sleep we were in plenty of time for the ferry. The DFDS Newhaven/Dieppe crossing is a lot cheaper than our usual Brittany Ferries route but the ship was not nearly as well appointed as BFs. The breakfast was definitely of the greasy spoon variety. However the 4 hour crossing was uneventful and on time. We were soon on our way in France heading towards our second home in the centre of Brittany. We weren’t in a hurry and planned to stop for the night wherever looked convenient as it got dark. A check with the Camper Contact app on the GPS suggested about 3 sites in Lisieux. We picked one near the centre, where we hoped to find a nearby restaurant and head for it. By this time it was dark and the road into Lisieux was busy with nose to tail traffic in both directions alongside rows of parked cars. All seemed to be going well until an unplanned incident resulted in us losing our nearside taillight cluster. We found the Aire we had been aiming for but we’d chosen a spot in a large carpark which looked like it was just meant for servicing rather than overnight parking. It did give us chance to review the damage and reconnect the bulbs which were hanging loose. Fortunately the information at the service point indicated another carpark suitable for overnight parking, so chancing another couple of miles without proper lights we set off for it. A mobile pizza van in the car park solved our problems of where to eat as by now neither of us felt like venturing any further.

Looking at our options we decided the best plan of action was to try find a trailer board in the morning and fasten it to the towbar so we could continue our journey without risk of attracting the attentions of the Gendarmes.

The night was rather uncomfortable for Vanessa as it looks liked she’d pulled a muscle in her arm whilst we’d been messing about trying to free the MH from the mud at home. She settled down though once she found a supply of Cocodomol.


Day 3

We headed for the nearest Centre Commercial where we were hoping we’d find a store which could sell us a trailer board. Without really looking we came across a large enterprise selling horseboxes and all kinds of trailers. They had quite a varied display of different types of the thing we were looking for, but when I said I wanted to buy one he asked what kind of trailer we had. I showed him the missing rear light and pointed to the towbar electrics and he just said why do you want a trailer board when we can sell you a new light. Sure enough he produced the correct light and even let me help him fit it. The only sign of the damage now is the missing rubber strip between the plastic panel which covers the lower rear quarter and the bodywork. That can wait until another day. Amongst the other articles they had in stock was a frame to hold the front wheel of a motorcycle on a trailer or in the garage of a motorhome. This too was purchased.

A few Euros lighter but feeling a lot happier we headed towards Caen, eventually stopping for lunch at a very pleasant restaurant in Evrecy.

We reached our hamlet in Brittany just as it was going dark. After our experience at home I wasn’t very keen on taking the MH down the drive as it is on slope and quite slippy when wet. Thanks to the generosity of our UK neighbours the van is now parked on their property and we are in our own home in front of a roaring fire.

We are here for a few days and intend to head south next week.

Paul
 

Anthea M

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What a horrendous start to your holiday . Glad it's sorted now and that you both have a great time in the sun.
 
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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Heading south east tomorrow to a site near Nantes. About the only one open in the area at this time of year. I just hope the internet is good enough for a couple of days work while we're there.
 
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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Camping du Bois de Beaumard between Vannes and Nantes

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Feb 24, 2013
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Sounds like you have my kind of luck, or in reality maybe we all have the same luck but only some of us share it here :)

What is the site like, we are travelling a similar route the week after next (y)

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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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What is the site like, we are travelling a similar route the week after next (y)
The site is excellent David, but a couple of miles from the nearest shops. There are about 40 pitches but apart from a couple of caravans which seem to be permanent fixtures and a few static lodges we seem to be the only residents. The owners are a young couple who are working really hard to make a go of it. EHU, black waste disposal but nowhere to dump grey waste, toilets, washing up and showers etc There are water taps around the place but the fittings won't match any of mine. There isn't much to do here at this time of year but it's an excellent place to break the journey. I've been working for the last couple of days but we've still managed a couple of cycle rides and short walks. The weather has been fine since we got here but just started drizzling tonight. We're leaving the site tomorrow but thinking of visiting the submarine bases at St Nazaire before we leave the area.
Paul
 
Feb 24, 2013
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Not without a 20 foot pipe I can't or several trips with a bucket. :)

we carry a hose for our black tank which is the same size for the grey, but we don't carry 20' of it, we would be leaving with both still full!!

no wonder they drive along with valves open :(
 
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The site is excellent David, but a couple of miles from the nearest shops. There are about 40 pitches but apart from a couple of caravans which seem to be permanent fixtures and a few static lodges we seem to be the only residents. The owners are a young couple who are working really hard to make a go of it. EHU, black waste disposal but nowhere to dump grey waste, toilets, washing up and showers etc There are water taps around the place but the fittings won't match any of mine. There isn't much to do here at this time of year but it's an excellent place to break the journey. I've been working for the last couple of days but we've still managed a couple of cycle rides and short walks. The weather has been fine since we got here but just started drizzling tonight. We're leaving the site tomorrow but thinking of visiting the submarine bases at St Nazaire before we leave the area.
Paul
Definitely worth a visit to the sub pens, very interesting, I got a souvenir too......there is a nice cafe at the front of the pens and there is a scruffy looking car park nearby where some people were wild camping, but we only day parked there.
 
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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Gave the sub pens a miss as weather was dismal yesterday. Sorted out waste, water, fuel and shopping and crossed the river at St Nazaire. Spent the night in an aire at St Michel de Chef Chef. Free WiFi included and electric so made use of the fan heater and managed to download some of the UK tv we've missed. Had fun and games with the barrier trying to leave this morning. Now by the lighthouse at La Tranche Sur Mer for the night and watching Crocodile Dundee in French TV.

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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Spent Friday and Saturday night at Camping Le Pressoir a few k north of St Emillion. That is a good site for a winter stopover. Good facilities including free wifi with superb download speeds and a bar/restaurant which was quite busy on Friday night as they had a live band on. Now at Camping Lac De La Thésauque just south of Toulouse for 3 nights. This is also good for a stopover. 13 Euros with ACSI membership, wifi is chargeable though. 5 euros per day. I have yet to find out how good it is as we are still using the 3 mifi.
 
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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Spain at last! Sunshine, t-shirts, and sunglasses. We even needed the air-con, well driving with the windows open. The coast road south of Perpignan looked a bit daunting on the map for a motor home but well worth the effort. Would be a fantastic ride on the Harleys. We are now at a great campsite called Los Medes near l'Estartit and are planning to stay for a few days. The site is about half full, mainly UK, German and Dutch
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After a bad start seems like you are having a good trip. Keep posting, love reading about people travels and experiences on various sites & aires. Enjoy the sun:sun:

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Anthea M

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Love your thread sounds like you are having a great time after the auspicious start! Keep posting and the campsite which you mention sounds like one for us in the summer! Thanks:sun:Enjoy the sun!
 

Anthea M

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Awesome ! We should be away just now but due to the wife not being well we have had to postpone.. Have a great time !!!!
Hope your wife is well soon so you can resume your travel plans@Charlie.

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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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Moved on from l'Estartit and spent a few days at Terranova Park but not ideal for cycling due to the busy (and hilly) road between the campsite and the town. We are now at Camping Bonterra in Benicassim. A lovely site and town. Our favourite so far and a possible for a much longer stay in the future.
 
Feb 24, 2013
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Moved on from l'Estartit and spent a few days at Terranova Park but not ideal for cycling due to the busy (and hilly) road between the campsite and the town. We are now at Camping Bonterra in Benicassim. A lovely site and town. Our favourite so far and a possible for a much longer stay in the future.

have very fond memories of l'estartit, 30 odd years ago spent a fortune on a go kart circuit there
 
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mustaphapint

mustaphapint

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We stayed a week at Bonterra, Benicassim and we are now spending this week at Los Pinos in Denia. A lovely site and probably our favourite. This is as far as we go this trip. We head back to Benicassim on Sunday for another week and then up through France and back to Brittany and the UK.

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