Autumn 2024 in France

Week 1. Calais to Bracieux – 539 miles

Saturday the 14th of September

We had a fantastic night’s sleep for our first night away. So peaceful, so quiet, add in the fact that we were both exhausted, and it all helped. It’s a bright, clean, fresh morning this morning. Over our first coffee of the day, we talk about our options. Do we stay, do we leave, do some shopping, have a look around Calais and come back here or do we move on? After deciding on an option we change our minds, we then talk our way out of the next option by choosing the last only to arrive back at the first option. You get the idea. We decide to stay another day.

After a short simple breakfast, we set off for a good long walk. The other reason that we decide to stay is that they have our favourite dragon here, if there can be such a thing. Calais has had a lot of money spent on it over the past few years and one of the attractions that they have is a 72-tonne motorised, fully animated dragon. We looked in on it the last time we were here, but this time we are going to pay some money and go for a ride on the Calais Dragon.

The beach walk before is amazing.

The beaches here are long, flat, clean and white. The visibility today is so good we can see the white cliffs of Dover very clearly.

It’s a beautiful day. We walk along the beach for quite a while before heading back for our 2 pm dragon ride. This thing is quite something. 72 tonnes of steel, wood, leather, and other stuff and cost the town 27 million euros. It takes 6 people to operate it and quite a bit of the seafront has been laid out to accommodate its journey. Very impressive.

To get onto her back you climb up the steps which make up her tail. 50 people can ride on her back. Once we are all loaded, we’re off.

It’s very slow but very good. Her whole body moves, she spits and snorts water and steam as well as breaths fire. Great fun. Watching everyone below getting squirted with water as the dragon’s head twists, turns, falls and rises is a giggle for those below and us on the back of the beast.

After 30 minutes it’s all over and we disembark. There is a friterie here, or chip shop to us, that has been going since 1974. We quite fancied having some of those before our dragon ride but it’s so popular with the French that the line to get served extended out of the shop.

However, after our dragon rides the shop is now empty of people so we take our chance and buy a small portion of chips. Wow…!! They are certainly worth the wait.

Best chips ever. They are double-cooked and fabulous with an unlimited supply of different sauces to choose from. The portions are very generous and unbelievably cheap. Now we know why it’s so popular. Excellent.

Time for a walk along the pier to walk off the chips and back to Jess for a quick rest before dinner, which tonight is in the town.

Le Coq d’Or or Golden Cock is where we are dining tonight. We are the first in. Del goes for a duck version of shepherd pie called Parmentier du Canard while Hayley goes for a Blanquette du Veau, or Veal in a white wine sauce. It was nice, but not the best French meal we have had, a little bit on the bland side, but Hayley has said that she will have a go at doing these dishes when she gets back home. She has done a few recipes from around the world which have always been an absolute success. So something to look forward to.

A nice walk back along the seafront to finish off the day just as the sun sets. It has been a great day here in Calais, our second visit here. There has been some bad press about this place in the past, but take it from us, it really is worth a visit, and we will be coming back.

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Sunday the 15th of September

Calais to Neufchatel-en-Bray – 107 miles

Today we are moving on. Definitely, for sure. We have made our mind up. After a non-existent breakfast, we set off to fill up with diesel and do a shop. An expensive day today but it has to be done, and it will see us through for the next few days.

We are heading southeast towards the town of Neufchatel-en-Bray. We have been here before a couple of years ago on our way down to Spain. Back then it was a freezing cold winter night, we arrived at 8 pm, and it was cold and frosty. We stayed in an aire but this time we are going to stop at the campsite which is called Camping Saint Claire.

It’s a very beautiful and peaceful place. The town is just a short bike ride and today we have arrived on the day that they are having a Viking cheese festival. A little random we think but still we give it a go. It was a bustling place, very busy. There are chickens, rabbits and ducks for sale. Horses, goats and pigs to stroke. A mock fight with real swords and armour. Lots of stalls selling local cheese and honey.

It’s all rather pleasant and nice to walk around. There is a small stage set up in the town square where someone is going on about how wonderful the region’s produce is. Which is true, it is all rather good.

There are lots of people dressed up in colourful cloaks and hats who are either cider makers, cheese makers or both.

We buy a small local cheese and a small glass jar of honey before collecting the bikes and setting off for a longer bike ride.

The weather is beautiful and the temperature is just perfect. Blue skies, birds singing. We love it.

Tonight we dine at the campsite. They have a reputation for providing good quality local food as well as dishes from around Europe. Del goes for a fantastic beef bourguignon, while Hayley tackles a chicken Normandie. It is all delicious. Top marks. We finish with Pain Perdu (a French version of bread and butter pudding).

Back at Jess for some gentle jazz, low lights and a cup of tea. Smashing. A great day today, we are tired…

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Monday the 16th of September

Neufchatel-en-Bray to Rouen – 31 miles

We had rain overnight, not a lot but enough for us to be woken up. We still had a good night in this lovely place though. We have woken up to grey skies, with a threat of rain. We shall see.

Today we are going to Rouen, a place that we have always wanted to go to. It’s the capital of Normandy and it’s also where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake at the age of 19 in 1431 for “…blasphemy by the wearing of men’s clothes, acting upon visions that were demonic, and refusing to submit her words and deeds to the judgement of the church“. She is the patron saint of France and it was the English that burnt her. Whoops!

Hayley is at the wheel today on a route which takes us through the city, and after a diversion and some ducking and diving avoiding height restrictions, we arrive at the only place that’s close to the city where we can stay for the night. It’s at the marina, in the port on the river Seine. A friendly chap takes our 14 euros for which we get all the facilities that we need.

Once parked up we have a cup of tea before starting the 45-minute walk to the town.

We wait for a shower of rain to pass before setting off. It’s a nice walk along the river into the town. Most of the riverside warehouses have been renovated into trendy restaurants, bars and cafes along a very wide riverside walkway.

The town is beautiful.

It’s chock full of old buildings, some are bulging and leaning like they could fall over or collapse at any minute, but back in the day despite the look of impending danger, they built them to last. We weave our way through the town admiring the many shops, bars and restaurants. We are looking for the spot where Joan of Arc was executed by fire.

Her church looks a little run down considering she is the patron saint here. It’s a Monday so it’s closed. Shame really as it is supposed to have beautiful stained glass windows inside.

We walk some more and finally arrive at the main square.

The first thing that catches your eye is the huge cathedral, famously painted by Monet multiple times. It’s massive and is being renovated. It was here that the spire caught fire in July, it was almost a Paris Notre Dame moment. Inside is spectacular with its high stone archways and stained glass windows. How these places were built is still a mystery.

We stop at a small bar for a drink and a crepe with lemon and butter.

Delicious. We walk some more before deciding to do the 45-minute walk back. 16,164 steps, which equates roughly to 6.5 miles, we arrive back at the marina where Jess is waiting.

We take turns having a shower and Hayley makes up fabulous fajitas which is

followed by some of the fabulous cheese that we bought yesterday in Neufchatel with a little drop of honey and a small glass of red wine. What a feed!! Very satisfying. These French know how to do cheese and wine.

Del loves Normandy, he has already said that we should move here. Oh dear, trouble brewing. Tomorrow the plan is to go to Le Mans to meet up with our good friend from the Isle of Wight.

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Tuesday the 17th of September

Rouen to Le Mans – 130 miles

Up and away early today, if you call a 10 am departure early. It’s a long drive today – another 130 miles. It took ages to get into Rouen because of roadworks and diversions, and getting out is just as bad, but we are finally free and away. We liked Rouen, a very pleasant stay in a very pleasant town.

The next stop is Le Mans, home of the 24-hour Le Mans car race. We hope to get there at a reasonable time to go and see some “stuff“. It’s a long drive. We are the only ones on the motorway for some long stretches. The countryside is very nice to look at, all green and hilly in parts but the motorway is just long, with few service stations and sometimes it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere, which you are.

We decide it’s time to have a quick leg stretch. It feels like we have been on the road for hours. We pull into a new service station that has LPG which we need for heating and cooking. We head to fill up, but find that it’s out of service.

Brilliant. Another bit of manoeuvring into a parking space so we can get a leg stretch and a drink when all of a sudden Hayley yells out, “There’s Karen…!” Sure enough our friend from the island has stopped at the same place on her way to her hotel in Le Mans. You couldn’t make that happen if you tried…! What a fabulous and unexpected surprise.

The three of us go into the services which is superb. So clean. So tidy and with a massive food selection and patisserie. Nothing like the dull, dirty and overcrowded services back home that stink of KFC and Burger King with the usual chains of WH Smiths, M&S and Waitrose. How dull! It really is dull…

After some refreshment, Karen speeds off and we slowly set off agreeing to meet later on this afternoon or evening. Not long to go now, thankfully. We manage to find a service station that had a working LPG pump so we will now have enough heating and cooking gas to last us until the end of the trip.

We arrive at our campsite, Camping Pont Romain about 8 km from Le Mans.

We get a nice cosy spot tucked up in a corner and get settled in quite quickly.

We have made contact with Karen who is only a two-minute drive from us here at the campsite. She is kindly going to collect us and we will all go together into Le Mans. It’s a 15-minute drive into the town and we park just below the imposing cathedral. France is just full of cathedrals and this one here in Le Mans is quite a spectacular one.

The building of it started in the 6th and took a staggering 9 centuries to build! The stained glass windows are the biggest we have seen. It’s a huge place and very very old.

The walk through the town is wonderful.

Street after street of old stone buildings all lovingly restored or taken care of over the years. We look at a few places to eat and settle on a very charming place with lots of outside space with a tree and umbrella canopy. La Baraque A Boeuf has an excellent and varied menu and the beauty of it is that the price for a 3-course dinner less than 30 euros. The portion sizes are generous and the food and service are excellent. The best meal on the trip so far.

We struggle to walk back to the car, full of excellent French fare.

Karen drives us back to the campsite, it has been a very nice day and evening.

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Wednesday the 18th of September

Le Mans to Tours – 63 miles

We are heading southeast today towards Tours for one night. It’s a very beautiful city and one that we have always wanted to visit in the past. We are all packed up and ready to go. Karen has arrived to meet with us as we are going to pop into the Le Mans Car Museum. The annual Le Mans race is the famous 24-hour endurance race around the track, and nearby roads.

Ten minutes later and we have arrived. For 16 euros each, we get to walk alongside the famous track, which is a bit of a disappointment as there is a huge chain fence between us and the track, for obvious safety reasons, but it does hinder the view a bit.

Today the track is open to what looks like people who have their own race motorbikes, who can pay a fee and ride their bikes as fast as they like. It’s incredibly noisy as up to 100 bikes are zipping around the track. It’s one way of spending your money.

The museum is very good. With cars starting from the very first French Bollee Family car to the latest Alpine A424. It’s well worth a look.

There is also a huge collection of model cars in glass cases from the 1920s to the present day, which is quite an interesting collection that shows all the cars that have taken part and how they have evolved.

Once we are done with the museum and the circuit, the three of us make our way back to Jess at the car park, where Del knocks everyone up a small lunch of bread, cheese, local Jam and duck rillettes. Smashing. We discuss tactics for the rest of the day and it’s agreed that we will all meet at the campsite in Tours and Karen will drive us into the city for a look around. We arrive at our campsite after filling up with diesel here in Tours (we arrived here on fumes). We reckon we had about 20 miles left, but you never really know. We get settled in and Karen joins us having gone around the houses a few times getting lost in the endless roundabouts and service roads that just jump out on you. It’s all a bit messy. She has arrived with goodies: cheese, prawns, wine and our favourite dessert for later. We freshen up and make our way back out into the complicated road system towards the centre of town.

The 10-minute drive to the centre is complicated and busy, but eventually, we arrive at the centre of the town of Tours. It’s very smart, we just meander down any old street and they are all the same. Full of lovely shops, bars and restaurants.

We eventually stop in the main square, which is lined with bars. It also seems to be full of students, some doing homework, some just chatting away. It’s very peaceful, friendly and safe. We stop at a bar and order some Kir Royals, all very civilised.

Back to Karen’s car, she kindly drops us off at the campsite and makes her way to her hotel, or rather her chateau. This is her chateaux holiday. She is staying in them and visiting them. We will be visiting a few with her in the coming days. We say goodbye. Back at Jess, it’s a simple dinner of prawns and salad.

It has been a lovely day, the evening is still and the sun is about to set so we decide to have a quick evening walk before turning in.

We finish the night with tea and a French pastry called a ‘Paris Brest’, one of our favourites. Again, thanks to Karen.

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Thursday the 19th of September

Tours to Bracieux (Day 1) – 50 miles

Del slept for 11 hours straight, a record. Hayley is not so good, so she’s a late riser this morning, poor thing. Today we are moving east to a place called Bracieux which will be the start of a small tour of Chateaux. It’s a bright warm day, we have a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. It’s a short drive today so we take our time this morning. We stop to do a small shop and wash Jess, she’s starting to look a bit grubby. After 8 euros and 20 minutes, she looks like new again.

We are in the Loire Valley which so far is very picturesque. The road that we are on follows the Loire River almost all the way to the campsite in Bracieux.

We are staying for three days at Camping Les Chateaux part of a chain of campsites run by Huttopia. It’s based in some woodlands and is fabulous. There are a few water-filled potholes so Jess’s clean wheels are no longer!

We get into our rather large pitch and get set up.

Everything is out for the stay here… Jess gets a good weekly clean inside. Everything, shower, toilet, kitchen everywhere gets cleaned. In a small space, it’s frightening how much dust and grime can gather, and by 3 pm we are sitting in the sun with a cold beer and some nibbles, brilliant. It’s nice here. Quiet and peaceful with lots of birdsong. The weather is warm and sunny so we are off to a good start.

Our friend Karen has been sightseeing all day and we have agreed to meet up with her for dinner at a Michelin listed restaurant in town. We spend the rest of the afternoon in the tranquillity of our French wood enjoying the sunshine.

6 pm and we have to get showered and ready to walk into the small town of Bracieux to meet Karen at her hotel. She is staying in a nice place less than a 5-minute walk from the campsite.

She takes us into the courtyard at the back of the hotel for a glass of fizz. It’s very nice, again peaceful and well appointed with friendly staff. Our table is booked at the Le Rendez-vous des Gourmets for 7:15 so off we trot.

The restaurant is lovely inside. It’s a Bib Gourmand rersturant. The menu is small but with a good choice.

The dinner is excellent, everything about it from the restaurant decor, the excellent service and the food, all helped along with a bottle of Sancerre. One of the best dinners in France so far.

We leave just after 9 and bid Karen goodnight. We walk back to the campsite in the pitch black of night, but real black with only 10% left on our phones for light. We take a few bad turns in the woods but we eventually make it

We are here now for the next three nights.

Tomorrow we are going to visit our first chateau.

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Friday the 20th of September

Bracieux – (Day 2)

We have now been out for a full week today, two more to go. This is our second day here camped in the woods at Bracieux. The town of Bracieux is the heart of the chateaux country. The place is teaming with them. Every 20 to 50 km there is another impressive chateau. Today we are going to the biggest of them all, Chateau Chambord, but first, we have breakfast at Jess. We are joined by Karen. Del does a fabulous scrambled egg with smoked salmon, tea, coffee, and some toast with cherry jam. Quite a feed.

After the clean-up, again done by Del, we set off in Karen’s car towards Chambord. It’s a short drive and in the distance, we can see the chateau and what a sight it is. It is huge, ornate and very impressive. Quite a sight. We get parked up and make the short walk to the ticket office and the chateau itself. Hayley and Karen take an iPad or HistoPad to walk around with to get a full interactive history and description of the place.

The chateau took 28 years to build and was the home visiting place for up to 2000 courtiers, royalty and politicians, their families and their friends. It has quite a history, one fact that stands out is that in 1939 the Louvre in Paris was emptied and all the artwork, over 5300 cases of it was transferred and stored here to protect it during the second world war.

After a couple of hours, we walk out and attempt to walk the perimeter and see some of the gardens, but it appears that some of the walkways are closed off and it looked more complicated than it appears. No matter we have seen enough and head back to the car.

We drive to our local town to find a patisserie for the purchase of fine French fancies but find that it’s shut. What a shame. Del and Hayley head back to the van, leaving Karen to enjoy some cheese and wine on her terrace.

Back at the van we get the bikes off the back of Jess and go for a short cycle. Del’s bike is on its last legs, a bit like him, but we manage 10km on cycle tracks in the forest.

The tracks just stretch for miles and miles, joining at a junction that has more long stretches of cycleway that go for miles, in all directions.

Back at Jess we shower, clean up Jess and put the bikes back on the back of Jess and cover them up as rain is forecast. Dinner tonight is pasta with a salad and we are looking forward to Karen’s arrival.

She doesn’t disappoint as she cycles to us appearing at the side of the van on her bike with a bag with a baguette sticking out the top. There are more surprises in the bag. Three French cakes from a patisserie that she eventually found.

Dinner is very pleasant. The evening is warm and bright, hard to believe that rain is forecast. We shall see.

An early night tonight. After dinner Karen sets off on her bike before it gets dark, Del does all of the cleaning up, Hayley put on a fine dinner together after all.

All in all a very nice day and evening. What shall we do tomorrow?

See more of Del’s photos on his website and Flickr account.

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