2018 anniversary trip 200 / 100 max miles per day for 22 days (1 Viewer)

[lorger]

BROKEN LINK

@lorger Gerry is this the site / aire you meant, your link just took me to a map of all locations

the price sounds right but reviews bit iffy

Yes that's it David, I think it has more good reviews than bad and most bad ones complain about the €16 a night. We enjoyed it and thought it was ideally placed for St Tropez, it's far enough out to be nice and quiet and close enough to walk or cycle to town. I think some folk moan about the facilities personally I didn't use them as I'm Scottish and didn't want to pay a euro. I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't think it was ok.

 

[Neilfg]

We stayed there last year, but only because you could easily get into St Tropez, although we did cycle in. It is quite near a nice sandy beach, very easy walk. Friends did use the facilities, they were fine although a bit off putting at first glance. It's expensive for what it is but not for the location. The approach looks narrow but is fine.

Enjoy your trip, hope the weather is kind.

 

[Anthea M]

Bon voyage and safe travels!

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[big map]

Have a wonderful time and chillax.

 

[Stretto Boy]

I’m very jealous, never having managed to have more than 10 days away in one stretch in our motorhome because of work! Hope you have a great time. I’m sure you will.

 

[jollyrodger]

Have a grate trip ,relax and enjoy

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[irnbru]

Have a great trip. Looking forward to your daily blog.

 

[Phileas Dog]

Have used the St Quentin sire it's a mixed car park coaches park up overnight, and start off early nice riverside position with walks along the banks Town short walk away
Impressive war memorial on opposite river side.
Free but no services

 

[jumartoo]

I’m very jealous, never having managed to have more than 10 days away in one stretch in our motorhome because of work! Hope you have a great time. I’m sure you will.

Perhaps if you got moving quicker you could go for longer

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[funflair]

Hi David and Bev

Enjoy your trip, one piece of advice, turn off incoming calls on your phone

Martin

 

[daveandsan]

David & Bev, safe travels, and keep your eye on that weather forecast.

 

[Kim H]

Have a great trip David, Bev & Lola

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[DavidG58]

Day 1 was alway going to be bad, mainly due to our inability to do things in advance so everything is last minute then followed by the logistics of dropping mum off and getting to Folkestone on UK motorways

Mums hit went Ok I got delayed dealing with a work insurance issue then picked Bev up near Coventry 180 miles from Folkestone and 4 hours till our crossing

No chance M25 did it’s bit and we were still on it when our train left, decided not to bother calling them and see what happens

Well what happens or at least when they are quiet anyway, we checked in told we had missed ours and were offered next available which left nearly empty 20 minutes later

We had by now decided to park at Cite de Europe, not done that coming off the train before, it’s a slightly odd route in through the high fences then what seems like through fields, but spent our first night in the supermarket car park it is flat and dry and served its purpose. 4 others when we arrived none left at 8.

We have set off and for ease I let Bev navigate, but mainly because TT refused to plan a route that didn’t involve a ferry I think it hadn’t picked up where we were

Now covered 10 miles generally heading east spotted a little supermarket bought bread and ate it here, classic French for us already quiet straight roads places to stop and sun is shining 0C outside 22C in lovely

Heading to Marcoing for a look at their aire

 

[DavidG58]

we have driven 110 miles, mixed navigation, some pretty heated argument mainly navigation related but probably mainly when I took a junction earlier than Bev had said to, based solely on my own judgement and the position of the sun at that moment

but arrive we have done, a simple aire on the outskirts of Marcoing, just looking for details in camper contact to share and found there are 2 aires here, the other looks less 'simple' and even appears to have free electricity, not that we need it

so when the pizza is cooked, we will have a drive to the other and decide which we prefer, doubt either will be busy, we are the only ones here suspect same will apply at other

we have a little stroll and didn't spot the other aire, although TBH we don't really know where it is other than only 340m away

lovely sunny but very cold day today, looks like the French as much of a Horlicks of their weather predictions as we do, although there is some evidence of snow on the ground here

I do like a canal no shops within walking distance though and what there were looked closed, but this is France in winter I guess

 

[DavidG58]

so we moved, now have no view of the canal anymore, the water is turned off, (don't blame them for that), but so are the electrics

but we don't need them, just nice to have, cant be bothered to go back to the other aire, but apart from clean and level it doesn't have much more going for it , but neither did the other although it was slightly nicer outlook

we can at least dump in the morning at this one though

hoping for water at garage tomorrow when we get fuel, we didn't refill diesel in UK after M40 (Beaconsfield) where we got LPG as well, remembered we had been to 'the beach' although we filled on the way there we had 4 nights with freezing temps there

Put in 18 litres LPG and filled with diesel, but now getting ready for diesel, €1.36 is as cheap as we have seen it so far

Big plus for today, total cash outlay €2.40 on bread and pain au raisins, plenty in the budget for tomorrow, just looking at possible destinations / waypoints now

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[BreweryDave]

CC 46112 looks ok, good reviews
13513 if you go a bit further, by a canal which you seem to like

 

[peterc10]

so we moved, now have no view of the canal anymore, the water is turned off, (don't blame them for that), but so are the electrics

David, according the reviews on Campercontact the electricity comes on when the street lights come on. Presumably the electrics are on the street lights circuit. I suggest you plug in and wait for the dark.

 

[DavidG58]

David, according the reviews on Campercontact the electricity comes on when the street lights come on. Presumably the electrics are on the street lights circuit. I suggest you plug in and wait for the dark.

thanks for that Peter, nice idea but not true, well not tonight anyway

still it gave me some more exercise and Lola came out to keep me company while we tried

can also confirm it is kin cold outside again, but from what I hear its the same back home, at least we are heading south

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[Offagaingr8]

at least we are heading south

Bl**dy cold in the Algarve. But sunny.

 

[Scout]

@DavidG58 we are coming out in two weeks, we also will use cite Europe as we has a late train, going the other way round to you but should be in the Bordeaux area around 25th give or a take day or so.

 

[DavidG58]

a cold night last night, -2.5C this morning, heating ran nearly all night set at 16C

moved on, route out of village didn't pass a boulangerie and next town didn't have parking option easily, headed out into countryside to a lot of snow on the ground, think it has been there for a day or so though, roads fine, just before fuel light came on we opted to pull into a small town Total garage, we can pay cash that way, but did think twice at the €1.56 / litre that we couldn't see till alongside the pump, but the owners face looked so happy we had pulled in I decided to fill up anyway, 60 litres later €97 handed over, it only represents about £10 over paid compared to the very best price we have seen so far, which as we predicted we could have got about 5 miles later but no clenched arse driving for me at least and we were €100 underspent from yesterday

Now pulled into a side road layby for lunch / late breakfast, part baked bread rolls (baked) then filled with smoked bacon medallions

Heading slightly more due south, so west of Reims, via Soissons target destination currently Sezanne which will be 110 miles for today

The locals warned us at the garage that heavy snow is forecast here for tomorrow, so a few more miles south should help

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[Langtoftlad]

Loved the pic of Lola on the other thread - she seems comfortable in the snow - how's her tum?

 

[DavidG58]

Loved the pic of Lola on the other thread - she seems comfortable in the snow - how's her tum?

not fully fixed, but she seems to like the tuna and rice instead of normal kibble

 

[DavidG58]

119 miles today, weather forecast for northern France isn’t good, even colder with more snow so not exactly over done it, but done a few more miles today

Opted to head more due south as well, funny thing is we last did this route before we got married and although we recall none of the places at all, the place names are very familiar, this must have been more or less our toll free route south in the very late 70's / early 80's

we are parked up in Sezanne, a nice little town, free aire with free electrics, these will probably go off when the lights come on

had a walk round town, enough places to eat if we wanted to but cooking curry tonight, chicken from home, have sourced our bread shop for tomorrow, might have to have some pastries as well but for now a few photos of the aire, followed in a bit by some of the journey, I need to use laptop and phone so could get messy

thinking about it I will post journey photos which are on my phone on a separate post

next one is of our Alde heating controls, we are not abusing the free electricity, this is our internal temp with no heating on

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[DavidG58]

A few shots of our journey down today, beautiful sunshine but must have been tricky on the roads recently

Our morning view of the road in front of us that we swapped for a canal view was interrupted about 6 tines by a council type van driving in looping round without stopping and going again all 6 visits in about an hour. Possibly coming to mend electric but waiting les Anglais to depart

When at highest fuel priced garage in France as I went to move off heard a sickening crunch couldn’t see a thing in mirrors and was moving dead straight decided I must have hit the roof got out walked right round roof looks to a good metre above us, then saw a football size lump of snow under MH, we must have run into it, the noise was awful the result absolutely nothing

We have already passed dozens of war cemeteries very humbling I think they are either now more prominent or as well they are now signed as are the ones down side roads making us even more aware

We even passed the first that I have noticed German war grave, just the same but not white stones but hundreds of wooden crosses

Got some planning for tomorrow to do, must be at Nice by 17th to meet Annie and Roger who are flying in to join us for the weekend. So got to work on miles per day to get there with some slack

 

[DavidG58]

moved on today early by our standards, but only to a layby aire outside of town for breakfast , I love bread and jam in France for breakfast

forgot to say yesterday in the bright sun Bev went in search of sunglasses, found in glove box with 240€ we had forgotten was in there

we have covered 50 odd miles now its about 12:00, going to do a medium shop, partly to do with weekend, mostly to do with snow forecast which local French news has said is causing traffic chaos around Paris and some areas even have travel bans, we have got very lucky

somewhere around Dijon is tonights approx. destination but the numbers of aires are quite low in that area

today we have driven along the upper seine valley things are still really bad flooding wise, lots of side roads barriered off with route submerge signs, driven past acres of flooded land, some of it scarily close to the main road, which only seems to be a foot or so above the water which is still flowing across the fields right next to the road
, it would seem impossible that some of the villages we have been through haven't been flooded recently, but no obvious wet marks on buildings, hopefully they are higher than they look

It was -3C in Sezanne town centre, -4C just outside but now +3C and green fields again, think we have rather fluked our route and timing and missed the worst of the weather

 

[Scout]

moved on today early by our standards, but only to a layby aire outside of town for breakfast , I love bread and jam in France for breakfast

forgot to say yesterday in the bright sun Bev went in search of sunglasses, found in glove box with 240€ we had forgotten was in there

we have covered 50 odd miles now its about 12:00, going to do a medium shop, partly to do with weekend, mostly to do with snow forecast which local French news has said is causing traffic chaos around Paris and some areas even have travel bans, we have got very lucky

somewhere around Dijon is tonights approx. destination but the numbers of aires are quite low in that area

today we have driven along the upper seine valley things are still really bad flooding wise, lots of side roads barriered off with route submerge signs, driven past acres of flooded land, some of it scarily close to the main road, which only seems to be a foot or so above the water which is still flowing across the fields right next to the road
, it would seem impossible that some of the villages we have been through haven't been flooded recently, but no obvious wet marks on buildings, hopefully they are higher than they look

It was -3C in Sezanne town centre, -4C just outside but now +3C and green fields again, think we have rather fluked our route and timing and missed the worst of the weather

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Morning David hows lola?

nice pics its a bit cold though

at the rate you finding money, you will come home richer than you went

Roberts eating out posh....

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[andy63]

Hi David.. must catch up on your thread and photos tonight.. always enjoy your photographs... sounds dodgy over there ...mind how you go and safe travells..
Andy

 

[DavidG58]

Moved on to Beaune today, a nice free aire, close to town centre, right alongside a medium sized Carrefour amazing popular for the time of year, but this is now pretty much on the main route north / south to the riviera

more or less as we arrived it started to snow, so all we have done is pop to Carrefour and back, but that has dented todays budget, might need to do a running total to see how we are doing

The run down to Beaune out of Dijon is a complete mass of vineyards, my wine ignorance tells here I don't know what this region is known for, but we have bought a bottle of local red to have with dinner, plus the region seems to specialise in making the fruit licquers we like, so have indulged in a ginger one to try

tomorrow we really need to sort some water, all the aires we have used have either had no facilities of the water has been off, 2 garages have been frozen up and not useable, this aire has a bonkers set up with a machine you have to buy a token from to then put into another machine that dispenses water and electricity, but it looks complicated, not sure if the €4,20 covers everything inc electrics that you cant possibly used parked on he dump area

May still not bother and make more effort to top up on our travels tomorrow, we can dump for free on a drive over gulley here

Back in MH have discovered a couple of Norwegian cans of lager in the back of fridge, 4.7 alcohol but tasteless so have added a splash of ginger licquer that seems to have improved it

Expenditure today me at boulangerie €11.70 got carried away with the tart, €75 more on diesel, €66 in Carrefour, didn't even buy much but alcohol doesn't come cheap

€143 in one day not looking good for the budget cooked chicken for dinner, I will fry some onions, peppers and add in some rice to accompany, washed down with a local red wine

snow doesn't look to be doing enough to worry about and forecast for tomorrow is dry and possible sun

Tomorrow we divert towards the gorge du Verdon, (I think we do anyway, not looked at maps carefully yet, might be Lyon tomorrow then divert on Sunday) Bev is already asking me to replan the route, but will see how it looks as we go


Edit - Lola seems fixed firing nice solid poos again moved on to French dog food, will see how that goes, but still topped up with tuna and or scrambled eggs, do you know she is well spoilt

 

[FIDGET]

Hi David , just a thought there's a couple of nice aires ,towards Lyon( just a bit west ) Roanne aire beside canal or Villerest nice terraced aire above a lake.

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