Author: deljones (Page 1 of 5)

A Wet Week in Portugal…

January 25, 2025 / deljones / 4 Comments

Week 6. 18th – 24th of January 2025. Seville to Lisbon 359 miles

Saturday 18th of January 2025 (Seville, Spain to Altura, Portugal – 94 miles )

Today, we are leaving Spain, we’ve spent 32 days there so far. There are two weeks left so the plan is to go into Portugal for a few days, then back into Spain for the last few days. Today we are setting off to a small campsite in the countryside, in a town called Altura. The drive is about an hour and a half and is very pleasant. Del is at the wheel today having not driven Jess for a week. It’s a lovely day, it’s a bit of an obstacle course trying to get out of Seville, but we make it and we are soon on our way.

Soon, we are crossing the border into Portugal, having passed the usual blue square with the gold stars. The roads have a noticeable change, a bit bumpier, let’s say.

The campsite is just outside the town of Altura and is set on a hill so the pitches are all “terraced” style. It looks very nice. We are greeted by a very friendly lady who offers us a pitch without electricity, which is fine, there’s plenty of sunshine so the solar panels on the roof of Jess will keep the batteries charged.

We have a very pleasant pitch. It’s bright and sunny and we have a view of the Atlantic Ocean off in the distance through a valley. We need to do some laundry. We give the bag of goodies to the lady who welcomed us, she disappears and comes back later all done! All we have to do is stick it out to dry. We have the usual plastic line from one of Jess’s ears (a wing mirror) to a fence post. While the clothes are drying we have a nice cold beer in the sun.

Dinner on board tonight is a salad served with salmon and broccoli, fabulous.

It’s very quiet and peaceful here once the sun sets. You can hear a pin drop. The skies are bright and clear and the stars are so clear. A very chilly but lovely night.

Sunday 19th of January 2025 (Altura to Faro – 34 miles )

Del knocks up a nice omelette with some chopped green peppers and onions. Fantastic with fresh coffee…

We say goodbye to our host and set off for Praia de Faro, the southernmost part of Portugal. The weather has changed a little bit, some clouds are coming in and we are threatened with rain later.

It’s a short drive today to Faro to the Municipal Campsite there, where we get another warm friendly welcome. The site is located right next to the beach on one side and Faro Airport on the other. It sounds odd but the airport is far enough away to see it but not really hear it.

We get settled in and set off for a walk on the beach. It’s fantastic, it stretches for miles, just clean sand for as far as the eye can see. It might be cloudy but it’s still quite warm. There’s enough wave height to attract some surfers.

We walk along the front of where we are staying, popping into a bar with a rooftop terrace where we have a small cold beer and enjoy the view.

A late lunch/early dinner today at a restaurant called Elementos. We have a very nice meal there, it’s a bit of a noisy, busy place but good all the same.

Back at Jess for early showers and a cup of tea, while we listen to some Sarah Millican. Very funny…

Monday 20th of January 2025 (Faro – Day 2 )

The rain and wind overnight has been horrendous… Heavy rain and strong winds, so much that we get buffeted about a bit. Looking at the forecast ahead, it’s going to be like this now for the next few days. We had big plans for Portugal. Today we were hoping to take the small ferry that goes from where we are to Faro itself. That’s now off…! The original plan was to go to Albufeira for 5 days but on that campsite there are grass pitches and dirt roads, which will make it a mud bath which is not great, so we have binned off Albufeira for this trip, which is a shame. Looks like we will have to make it up as we go along, which is fine, as long as we are in Santander on the 1st of February…

We are stuck on the van today, Hayley catches up on some admin, Del does a bit of homework and in between the rainstorms we go to the beach for a walk and some fresh air. We can’t stay out for long as the rain is soon back with us.

There is a nice little restaurant here at the front of the site called Bel’mare, it’s very quiet so we have no problem getting a seat. We have a full view of the tempestuous sea and angry sky. It’s rough, very rough and the sky is heavy with more rain.

Lunch was delicious and good value. Back at Jess, we settle in to play one of our many escape room games, this time with no clues! Yeah right! Hayley helps the afternoon along with some more guitar playing. She’s not bad at it really.

She has brought along with her a Yamaha “Guitarlele” (restrung for normal guitar tuning). Del loves listening and watching. Well up to a point anyway!

A night in. We did two games and yes we needed clues… We cheered our defeat up with a massive salad and some prawns. It was all very nice.

Tomorrow we shall see how the weather is and decide what to do, but we have a feeling that we might be here for another night. We are hoping for a break in the weather to get over to Faro on the ferry for the day. We shall see.

Tuesday 21st of January 2025 (Faro – Day 3)

We were shocked by a storm last night and into this morning. Heavy rain and the strongest winds we have experienced in Jess, in fact, Hayley had a government emergency weather text about the conditions. It was made worse because the back of the van, which is a 3m square block takes the wind at full force, so it feels like we are trundling down a Belgian road! Constantly buffeted and shaken by the fierce wind.

We have decided to stay another night as we feel that it’s so fierce out there that it could be dangerous, besides we would only be moving to another campsite with the same problem. What we will do though is spin Jess around the other way so that we are facing into the wind.

First, we secure everything inside and drive to the freshwater fill-up and grey water emptying. The rain has stopped but the wind is so strong. We get all the jobs done and get back to our pitch with the front-facing into the wind. It certainly makes a difference, it’s still windy of course but it’s a bit more comfortable and quiet.

We are both tired and a bit weary from the lack of sleep, so Del does a massive hearty breakfast which goes down well. As we are finishing breakfast we see some blue skies appearing, there is a break in the storm, we still have the wind, but the rain has gone. We are still surrounded by angry skies, and we are told that the storm is still with us, but as there is a break we decide to take a chance and get the small ferry to Faro town.

The boat is waiting at the dock and we are the last to get on, arriving just in the nick of time. It is certainly a windy crossing and it takes the captain of the ferry 6 or 7 attempts to get docked in Faro.

Once safely docked we make our way into Faro.

Faro. Hmmm… Was it worth it?

We are scheduled to be here for about two and a half hours. We set off through the old town where we just meander around the streets. No disrespect to the people of Faro, but we find it all a bit disappointing, but to be fair we are not sure what we were expecting. There are many unoccupied buildings in disrepair, just generally unkempt. There is a lot of graffiti everywhere. Yes of course you can’t really go anywhere now without some graffiti, but this is just everywhere!

We try to get into the only real attraction here, the Cathedral of Bones which is closed so we find a small friendly coffee shop and have coffee and a Pastel de Nata served by a very friendly lady.

What we have noticed is that the Portuguese do like cash. Most places here so far just take cash!

Disappointed in Faro (sorry), we get the early ferry back.

It’s sunny with broken clouds, so we make for a beach bar with a view of the rowdy sea before heading back to Jess where Hayley studies maps for the rest of our trip and Del cracks on with a bit of homework.

It’s still sunny but still windy.

Wednesday 22nd of January 2025 (Faro Porto Covo – 113 miles )

We have finally had enough of Faro… It hasn’t stopped raining and the wind is driving us mad… Once again we were battered by heavy rain and strong winds last night, and the cherry on top was the addition of thunder and lightning! We thought that we had seen the last of the bad weather yesterday, but overnight the storm returned with a vengeance.

We get packed up, do a full service and set off.

Hayley finds us a campsite, Parque de Campismo Costa Do Vizir (a bit of a mouthful!) in Porto Covo which is on the west coast of Portugal, going north. It’s a 1 hour 40 minute drive through more heavy rain and even more terrible roads.

We thought Belgian roads were bad, but some of these Portuguese roads win hands down. In the UK we complain about bad roads. Go to Belgium or Portugal and you will find that UK roads are like driving on silk!!!!

The weather, thankfully, is easing. We find the campsite which is an oasis. It’s a lovely place with a good clean pitch. We get in and Del cleans the van inside of all the grit from Faro and we are soon settled in… Bliss. We are both exhausted after three nights of little or no sleep.

We are visited by a cat on this pitch. A cute little thing who, after a bit of caution, is soon inside our van exploring before settling down in the passenger seat for a wash and a nap… Nice. While clearing up we are visited by a second cat, who just like the first, soon makes himself at home in our van by joining the other while they take turns washing each other and settling down for a nap, and generally looking cute.

We leave the two cats alone. They are in good condition and clearly they make a habit of visiting vans and pleading poverty, so we give them some cat treats each and leave them alone to rest… Cheeky.

Tonight we are going to an Indian restaurant that is very popular here in the town of Porto Covo, It’s a ten minute walk and soon we are settled in and looked after by a very smiley Indian chap.

The food is excellent and the service is very pleasant. His sister lives in Birmingham.

Back at Jess, we settle in with a nice glass (or two) of port. It’s quiet and peaceful. At last. There is the slightest hint of a breeze with the odd gentle shower every now and then which we don’t mind.

We are deadbeat. Time for bed…

Thursday 23rd of January 2025 (Porto Covo Day 2)

We have woken up to grey skies again this morning, but we don’t have the howling wind, sea and constant rain on the roof. It makes a pleasant change that’s for sure. The weather forecast has also changed, it looks like we are going to have a grey day all day today. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that the rest of the trip now will be like this, it is mid-winter after all. Today we read that Ireland and the UK are about to get battered by another potentially terrible storm, Storm Eowyn, so we are lucky really to be where we are, and we hope that everyone will be ok back home.

These storms, throughout Europe, are getting more frequent and ever more ferocious and dangerous. A terrible sign of the times, one that we feel there is no going back on, these storms are just going to get more regular and more dangerous.

We are up and about, the laundry is on and Del has done another fabulous breakfast. We are visited by our two cat friends, one of which makes herself well at home far too quickly.

It’s a cloudy but peaceful day, with no wind and about 16 degrees. Nice. We set off for a walk to see what’s in Porto Novo. As we leave the camp there’s a lot of new building going on in the area. Saying that, there are also quite a few abandoned building sites, where apartments have been started, and for whatever reason, probably Covid, the site has been abandoned which is a bit of a scar on the town.

It already has lots of apartments and the excellent campsite we are staying at. The town punts itself as a holiday destination. There is also a rather flashy-looking Spa hotel on the seafront, which is where we are going to have a walk today. Although the weather has calmed down, the sea is still quite high and rough with 4m waves.

The small town is quaint with a few shops all of which are taken care of and looking smart, even on a grey day. We are heading for the seafront.

The coastline here is fantastic and stretches for miles. There are lots of alcoves and caves with unreachable beaches.

There are plenty of beaches that you can go to that require you to take a steep staircase to get to, but when you get down to them the beaches are excellent. We have a good walk and get as close to the sea as we safely can. We love it, such a great coastline.

Making our way back to Jess we stop at a small coffee shop in the town and have a very tasty cup of coffee, Del has two, with a pastel de nata and a nutty chocolate brownie. Very tasty.

Back at Jess, we do some more laundry. We are on our last 10 days.

There are some barbecue stations here where you can bring your own coals and food. They also provide tables with a brolly roof with a light inside, all very smart. Hayley has a brainwave that we should have a barbecue for dinner. Del is not so keen and is being a bit miserable on the whole idea, but Hayley insists and prepares all the stuff needed and dispatches Del back into town for some more bits to complete the dinner.

What a fantastic dinner we had! Barbecue chicken, burgers and baked potatoes with a huge salad. We had our candles, and some music with beer and wine. It was absolutely brilliant. We were joined by our cat friends, of course.

One we have called Alex on account that one of her eyes has what looks like black eyeliner that gave here the look of Alex from the film A Clockwork Orange! They are well behaved as we give them the odd bit of chicken. The cats here are spoilt by all the visitors but like to play the “we never get fed” card.

A lovely day and evening. We have enjoyed our stay in Porto Covo. Tomorrow we are heading north to Lisbon.

Friday 24th of January 2025 (Porto Covo to Lisbon – 107 miles )

We have a two hour drive today which will take us to a campsite near the centre of Lisbon. Del worked there only last week but didn’t see much of the city. It’ll be good to explore it together. The plan is to do a two-night stay.

This morning, we wake up to the cat posse waiting outside. After a short breakfast, we spend a little time with them before departing for a full van service and then to do battle on the Portuguese roads! Until we get to the motorway, we have to dodge and weave around the deep potholes on the local roads, but once we are on the motorway, it’s pretty much smooth going until we get to the city of Lisbon.

The traffic into Lisbon is heavy, but we safely arrive and get checked in.

A lift in the town designed and built by a student of Eiffel, him of tower fame.

It’s rather rustic. It’s a municipal campsite in a city so it’s a bit scruffy in parts but we get a concrete pitch, so no more gravel or mud for a change. Once we are in and settled, we do a little research to see what’s what in Lisbon. We find that it’s quicker and easier to catch an Uber into the city, which is 8km away, rather than 40 minutes on the bus.

Lisbon is a beautiful city, however, it’s so big and so spread out. It’s also quite hilly in parts, with lots of steps, lifts, and funiculars.

We are not entirely sure where we are going or what we are doing. We are more interested in mixing and seeing what the locals do, we are not so mad on museums and castles unless, of course, they are a must do, which not all of them are (we saw a sign for a flour museum yesterday). We get an Uber to drop us in Praca do Comercio. Wow! The square here is just amazing. We start to just walk and walk and walk, through back streets, and main roads.

There are a lot of things to try out one is a salted cod croquette, this one is a little different, it has cheese in the middle. Not bad, a bit salty but ok.

We probably need to try another. Which we will. Ginjinha is the local typical drink in Lisbon. It’s made from local cherries and there are dozens of hole-in-the-wall bars serving it in shot glasses, we find it’s very tasty. On we go. There are so many shops and restaurants and the place is just alive, busy and full of life. It’s quite a place.

We are having an early dinner tonight at a restaurant called Bomjardim where we will have some Piri Piri chicken, again a popular Portuguese dish. This is not your Nandos nonsense, this is the real thing. It’s fabulous tasty chicken cooked on the spit served with a fiery chilli oil and cheap. We also have a starter of the salted cod fishcakes, these are much better.

Time is marching on and we have done 4 miles of walking already just around a small part of this enormous spread-out city.

Before catching another Uber back to camp we have a Pastel de Nata but this time with a glass of port, which is really what you are supposed to have. Port or the cherry liqueur we had earlier, Ginjinha. There are many shops that specialise in Pastel de Nata, this one, Castro, is one of them serving them along with the liquors.

Well, this is something else. These little cakes are good with coffee, but with a Tawny Port, they are something else. Who came up with that idea?

We are worn out now and just want to get back to Jess. We have another full day tomorrow, but we would probably do a little more research before we set off. What we have seen so far is wonderful, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. We only have tomorrow left so we need to make the most of it knowing that we will not be able to fit everything in.

We have another cat friend here in Lisbon, a rather plump one who is trying to tell us that he’s hungry and destitute, “feed me please” look about him. They’re scammers, the cats here.

We can’t help ourselves though and give him some cat treats that we just happen to have on board.

_{We recognise the copyright holders of the picture used of Alex from A Clockwork Orange as Polaris Productions / Hawk Films, distributed by Warner Bros (US), and Columbia Warner (UK).} _{We don’t know much about Alex the cat.}

A week apart… :(

January 18, 2025 / deljones / 6 Comments

Week 5. 11th – 17th of January 2025. Nerja – Seville 248 miles

Saturday 11th of January 2025 (Nerja to Manilva – 99 miles, Del goes to Lisbon)

Today, we are going our separate ways! We’ve had enough!!!

Del is off to Lisbon, Portugal to do a week of work, while Hayley is driving off to a campsite west of Marbella. Before that, there are a few things that need to be done. Jess needs a wash, a top-up of LPG for the cooking and the heating, and a full service, and a shop. The plan is to do all of that before dropping Del off at Malaga airport, so a busy morning.

We are up early to pack up Jess, we say goodbye to our parrot friend at the campsite here in Nerja. We have had a nice stay here and we are sure that we will be back again.

The first stop is a shop, which is not for very much, but enough for Hayley as she will be in one place for a few days. Next, we find a van wash and LPG. Hayley has found a fantastic place that does everything. It’s very spacious and has ladders on castors so you can even wash the roof of your van! An excellent place for vans and caravans.

Next stop is the airport. We are not sure where we can drop Del off as there are reports of height restrictions and drop-off fees, we have read everything that appears to make everything as inconvenient as possible! In the end, we research a small BP garage which is right in the airport, so we head for there, fill up with 10 euros of diesel and buy a coffee. Google Maps in satellite mode is a godsend!

Del grabs his bag and is off, crossing the main road between the airport and the garage, within 10 minutes he is in the airport, meanwhile, Hayley has set off, passing Del as he jumps over the central reservations barrier and is on her way to Manilva.

Settled in before Del has landed in Lisbon!

Hayley:

The drive to the campsite becomes very windy and it’s a bit scary as Jess is being strongly buffeted by the wind. A larger van in front is being blown across the motorway lanes, and Jess feels like she is on 2 wheels sometimes. After what feels like a long time, H arrives at the campsite in Manilva. The Bella Vista. She has been here before with Del and it’s very comfortable, right on the beach, with all the facilities that you need and close to an excellent Indian restaurant.

She checks in and gets her spot and after some faffing for a bit, getting onto ramps to get level, she sets up camp and gets comfy.

After a walk around the local area, she has a simple dinner, clearing out some old stock from the fridge. Stuff does build up in there after a while.

Del:

A very comfortable flight from Malaga Airport, which is huge!! It’s all too easy this trip as the taxi from the airport to the hotel is only 15 minutes away and 8 euros! He’s in a comfortable hotel which is only a 10-minute walk to the venue.

The rig build progress there is going very well. He is here now until Friday 17th January. A full week!

Sunday 12th of January 2025 (Manilva Day 2)

It’s a beautiful warm day today in Manilva. H didn’t need any heating in the van last night either. After a morning of sunbathing and getting some laundry done, she trots off to what we regard as the ‘best Indian restaurant in Spain’

The setting isn’t great sadly, it’s next to the main road and is accessed by a long trek down the noisy road to a very unattractive bridge and then back up the other side, but the food is great and well worth the walk.

Afterwards, she has a perusal of the Chinese (junk) shop next door, she has acquired some pegs, more Tupperware (sorry Del) and a sewing kit for Jess. All in all not a bad day out for a Sunday in January.

Monday 13th of January 2025 (Manilva Day 3)

Hayley:

The weather is a bit cooler today with a bit of a breeze, it’s a time to get some chores done, change and launder the bed, clean the van and sort some of the cupboards out.

A quiet day in all, with just a walk to the marina nearby. Got to keep up with some kind of exercise.

Del:

All in and working. Rehearsals start tomorrow…

Tuesday 14th of January 2025 (Manilva Day 4)

It rained in the night last night and the wind has built up to a fierce force 6. After a long walk, H goes to the local Indian, again, for their menu of the day. A staggering €12.90 for 3 courses. It’s delicious, Del will be sorry he’s missed this.

Back at the van, H contemplates packing the outside stuff up early for tomorrow’s departure just as a huge rainstorm comes and soaks everything. Oh dear.

Wednesday 15th of January 2025 (Manilva to Gibraltar – 25 miles)

H is moving off today. It seems to take ages with all the jobs to do like toilet emptying and van servicing, it’s a lot easier with 2 people that’s for sure. She sets off for Gibraltar which is only a 50 minutes drive away.

There are some spectacular views on the motorway of the huge rock of Gibraltar and Africa. She is staying on a large aire tonight in the marina just by the border on the Spanish side. We have been there before, it’s spacious and well appointed with services. It’s a 10-minute walk to the border and into Gibraltar.

It seems a bit strange walking down the high street with familiar British shops having just been in Spain just a few minutes ago.

She wanders around having lunch at the marina and going in M & S. ‘Why?’ says Del, ‘novelty value’ says H. After 6 miles of walking she heads back to Jess where she has a view of the rock out of the windscreen.

Thursday 16th of January 2025

It was a quiet night last night apart from some fireworks just before midnight. H managed to pop her head through the roof hatch to catch a glimpse of the fireworks.

It’s a longer drive today and the last one on her own. It’s about a 2.5-hour drive to a small basic campsite just a couple of miles from Seville airport, where Del will be flying into tomorrow.

A quick stop halfway for a coffee and a diesel top up, this includes taking a wrong turn and ending up in a very cramped and pokey car park. This is always tricky on your own with no one to get out and help with backing up. The reversing camera mostly shows a view of the bikes on the back, so isn’t of great use. After some careful manoeuvring, she finally gets herself out and back on the road again.

The aire is interesting. The parking area is accessed by driving through a huge warehouse space full of stored motor homes. It’s right next to a busy road and a train line but handy for the airport and a bus line into the centre of Seville.

Once Jess is set up, H jumps on the number 28 bus into town.

The city is even prettier than she remembers it from the last visit 20 years ago. Hopefully, Del will be in a fit state to spend a few hours there tomorrow. His flight leaves at 7ish so he will be up very early. 4:30 am!

Friday 17th of January 2025

Del:

Del is flying back today to Seville. The week has gone very well. Happy customers!

He’s up at 4:30am, showered packed and in an Uber by 5:15 to get to the airport for a 7:15 departure. Again a short cheap drive. We leave on time and are expected into Seville at just gone 9am.

The flight is spectacular as we do a tight turn above Lisbon in the sunrise.

Hayley:

H watches as Del flies over the van at 9:15 am, not long after he is back in the van. It’s great to have him back. He’s tired but wants to see Seville so we jump on the bus.

We are on the number 28 bus making our way into Seville. We were here 20 years ago so we are looking forward to seeing it again together. Hayley did a good couple of hours ago yesterday so is ready to share what she knows.

The city is beautiful, absolutely stunning. We make for the famous Plaza de Espana and arrive just as there is a horse procession. There is some religious festival going on and the police have given speeches and some horses have been ridden… It all looks fantastic against the blue sky and warm sunshine.

We have a good walk around the plaza, checking off all the Spanish towns and cities as we walk around. Each town has a bench and all are decorated in splendid Andalusian tiles. It’s all rather good.

Valladolid. Another lovely city. We will be there on our last week.

We have a walk to look at the cathedral and the Giralda tower, this cathedral (a former Mosque) is the largest in the world and also the resting place of Christopher Coumbus. After we settle into a back street restaurant for a typical Andalucian stew and a salad.

After lunch we just walk around this lovely city, Hayley buys some shoes! The streets are vibrant and colourful with hundreds of bars, restaurants and shops. It’s all very clean and tidy and a joy to walk around.

It’s almost 5 pm, we set off at 12 midday so we are starting to feel a bit weary, so it’s back in the bus and back to Jess via a supermarket which we drag ourselves around somewhat unenthusiastically… We have walked 7.5 miles today, but it was all worth it.

We have had a full week apart. Del went off for a week to earn some pennies while Hayley drove and took care of Jess from Malaga to Seville. It all worked out rather well. Hayley found and booked the flights as well as the campsites that are close to airports. She did a great job.

We are back together now and setting off for Portugal next. We have two weeks left of this trip so we are expecting the weather to get cooler especially as we will be well in the north of Spain for the final week heading north to the ferry in Santander.

“They think it’s all over…”

January 11, 2025 / deljones / 0 Comments

Week 4. 4th – 10th of January 2025. Cabo de Gata to Nerja – 116 miles

Saturday 4th of January 2025 (Cabo de Gata day 3)

It’s still the Christmas season here in Spain. Yes, it’s not over yet. We have had Christmas, and New Year, this week it’s King’s Day which is on the 6th of January. This is the day when the three kings turn up if you believe in that kind of thing. (Thought it was the 25th?)

It’s our last day today here at the Cabo. We like it here, it’s very peaceful and quiet. There is not a great deal to do here, you can walk and bike ride, but that’s about it. There isn’t much to see as the campsite is set in a national park which is very flat and arid. It’s not stopped this place from being a very popular campsite with many Europeans and we are sure that we will come again in the future.

A bit cool this morning, so it’s breakfast inside. The weather does improve though and we have a lovely sunny wind-free afternoon outside reading and just taking it easy. A very nice day.

Dinner is at the campsite restaurant, a very simple dinner… Pizza!!

Back at the van, we watch the last episode of Squid Game 2, we think it’s not as good as the first series… Very slow, and very laboured.

Sunday 5th of January 2025 (Cabo de Gata to Adra – 54 miles.)

The drives for the next week or so are quite short. We leave the Cabo de Gata campsite having spent a very nice few days there. Today we are going to a campsite that is buried deep amongst the plastic-covered greenhouses that cover most of Almeria. Called Camping Las Vegas, it’s supposed to be a very popular campsite, but unusual for its setting and location. We are staying two nights, tonight and tomorrow, King’s Day or Epiphany.

But first a breakfast of tortilla and Hayley’s tomato bread. According to Del, this is the best van breakfast he has ever had! A warm chunk of potato and onion tortilla. Hayley’s tomato mix; a traditional Spanish dish of grated tomatoes mixed with olive oil and salt and warm toast.

Put a generous dollop of the tomato mix on your toast, leave it to soak through a bit and eat with some tortilla and fresh coffee… Whoo… heeee!!! The best…

It’s just over a 1-hour drive during which we will stop at an Aldi and do a small shop. The drive is thankfully uneventful but the scenery is changing to a plastic city.

We find the campsite after driving through the greenhouses on not very well-kept roads, and are greeted by a lovely Spanish lady who just tells us to park wherever we like and make ourselves comfortable, pay when we leave. She even gives us a one-day out-of-date stick of bread… It’s the thought that counts.

We get settled in and yes it is very charming, like a little oasis, we can see the attraction.

There are plenty of campers here and we can imagine that in the height of summer, it will be packed.

We sit outside in the afternoon sun with a tea and some King’s Day cake, a roscon.

It’s a short walk to the beach which is mainly gravel and rock.

It’s a cool day today with a slight wind, but very nice all the same.

Better than the snow that is, according to the news, that’s bringing armageddon to the UK.

Monday 6th of January 2025 (Happy King’s Day!) (Camping Las Vegas day 2)

We had some very heavy rain last night from about 3 am until daybreak. It’s very noisy on the roof of the van in rainstorms.

We are up late today, the latest ever… We have a good, hearty breakfast while we are waiting for the weather to clear, which is expected later this afternoon. We stay in the van and read, Del gets on with some homework. It is very grey outside. We celebrate King’s Day with a tea and the remainder of the roscon from yesterday.

Inside the cake is a figure, of course, you are supposed to collect all three kings. We have two. Clearly, we have not eaten enough cake!

By 2 pm the clouds have gone and we get our bikes off the back of Jess and set off. It’s warm enough but the wind is building as we cycle through a lot of localised flooding. Our bike ride is nothing spectacular as the campsite is set among the largest collection of greenhouses in Europe, but we are glad for the exercise and the fresh air all the same.

We don’t go very far, but we have been out for over an hour and done a good few miles. Once back at Jess, despite the strong wind, the sun is out and it’s nice outside so we take advantage of it and sit and have a beer until the wind gets too much.

We pack away and cover the bikes ready for leaving tomorrow, and take a quick walk to the beach to see how rough the sea is. Compared to yesterday it’s rough!

Dinner is on board tonight after which we tackle one of our escape room games.

Tomorrow we are moving on to Nerja which is about an hour’s drive. Nice and easy.

Tuesday 7th of January 2025 (Adra to Nerja – 64 miles)

Today we are halfway through our trip. So far we have come through France, trundled down the east coast of Spain, around the corner and headed west along the south coast. The remainder of the trip is not set in stone, but the plan is to carry on along the south coast of Spain up into Portugal, head north then pop back into Spain heading for Salamanca and Valladollid before running north to Santander for the ferry back to Portsmouth on the 1st of February.

We have had a good trip so far. The weather hasn’t been exactly stable, but it’s been pleasant and we have enjoyed the trip so far.

This morning, we wake up to a beautiful, fresh day, with the bluest of blue skies and sunshine. We are not going far today, 50 to 60 miles to Nerja and a regular campsite that we like. First, we need to do a spot of shopping.

Despite being short, the drive today seems to take ages to get to Nerja. The scenery is fabulous though, very mountainous and surprisingly green, it just feels long. Eventually we arrive to do a shop, fill up with diesel and even give Jess a wash. We are all set for a 4 day stay in Nerja.

The campsite have been expecting us so we are checked in quicky and given pitch. It’s nice here, lots of cacti, exotic flowers and avocado trees. We are parked right under one, tucked in out of the way.

It’s time for Jess’s internal cleaning. We get to work and air the van sweep her out wash her down and freshen everything up. She is now shiny and sparkling inside and out.

If you ever see an old fire engine, ambulance, military truck or just a truck that is being used as a campervan, the odds are that it will be German.

They love it! They buy and convert old utility vehicles into campervans. Some are basic looking and some are very slick and well done. We happen to have an ambulance on the opposite side of us. Brilliant.

We set off for a walk to the beach which is just 10-minutes away. We say ‘hello’ to a friend of ours who has been here for a while, a green parrot who is at the entrance of the site.

She’s very cute and likes a head scratch. It’s a lovely day. The sky has stayed clear, no clouds light wind, perfect. There is a small beach bar/restaurant where we take a table and have a cold glass of cava and some calamares fritos. Very very nice. We just sit and take it all in. A Tuesday afternoon in January.

After the lovely afternoon we walk back, and as usual at this time, late afternoon it starts to cool over so we get back and warm up Jess and have a fab tapas dinner of Spanish Jamon, potato salad, prawns and ali oli… Whew! It was fantastic. After a clean up we get stuck into one of our escape room games. We tried an old game that we did at the start of the trip three weeks ago. We still got a bad score!

Wednesday 8th of January 2025 (Nerja day 2)

Bit of a grey start today, but still pleasant. Today we are off for a walk along the beach towards the town of Nerja and stopping for lunch at a restaurant called Torrecilla. We have had lunch here before and it has always been very pleasant.

We start with a traditional red vermouth, aubergine rolls and a salad. Hayley goes for the Secreto Iberico and Del a Wagyu burger. All very good and all helped along with a glass of wine each. The view, like the food is tremendous.

Our German ambulance is leaving today…

Thoughts of going for a longer walk are put to one side, so we decide to take a slow walk home as the weather has changed to a cooler, fresher feel. Back at Jess we just take it easy and settle in for the night. Another good day.

Thursday 9th of January 2025 (Nerja day 3)

It started grey, but it soon clears up to be a lovely warm but breezy day. We had planned to walk today into the town of Nerja, but it’s so nice on the site with the van that we decide to just stay where we are for a couple of hours, sit in the sun, read, and chat.

It’s early afternoon, and we decide that maybe we should go for a walk now, so we get ourselves sorted out and take a long walk into the town.

Nerja is a lovely town, clean and very vibrant. It’s a busy place, very popular with the Britsh. There is a large contingent of them that live here.

On the walk back we stop at our favourite beach side bar/restaurant and have a cocktail in the sun with some patatas brava. The walk back is fabulous, bright and sunny with a very nice breeze.

Dinner tonight is Hayley’s Paella with some Spanish music to add to the ambiance.

A lovely day today. Tomorrow is the last day before Del flies off to Lisbon for a week and Hayley carries on along the coast towards Manilva just past Marbella.

Friday 10th of January 2025 (Nerja day 4)

Our last day here today. We have liked our stay, we have had some good weather, good food and a little exercise, not as much as we would have liked but what do you do?

We have a relaxed morning outside today. It’s so warm that we manage a light breakfast outside. The rest of the morning, into the early afternoon is just spent reading, Hayley starts to plan our next section of the trip.

At 2pm we set of for a short walk and to find something to eat. We end up at a beach bar restaurant where we have a shared salad and Secreto Iberico. It’s the best day yet, clear blue sky, no wind… Perfect!

Back to Jess, it’s late, we had no idea.

Del packs a few things as he is flying off to Lisbon tomorrow for a week to work while Hayley will set off for Manilva, about an hour from where we are now.

Happy 2025 from Spain…!

January 4, 2025 / deljones / 5 Comments

Week 3. 28th of December 2024 – 3rd of January 2025. Mar Menor to Cabo de Gata – 130 miles.

Saturday 28th of December 2024 (Mar Menor day 2)

Cloud, cloud, cloud everywhere, with a small rain shower this morning. Our first morning on the Mar Menor where the weather was forecast to be sunny, big sun though, 18 degrees…! What a letdown. No matter we are up and about and we have had what Hayley calls, “…the best breakfast of the trip so far!…“. Del does the breakfast and today it’s just a simple arrangement of the remainder of the fresh eggs from the other day, hash browns and bacon, toast and coffee… We have a small van but Hayley does some great dinners and Del does a good breakfast on board Jess, so we don’t see why things like good eating should change despite the size of the cooking area.

Today we are hoping to get out on our bikes and get some proper exercise. So far this trip has been a bit disappointing, we have done some walking, but that’s just local. We have been concentrating on getting as far south as possible so we have been arriving late and leaving early some days. We are also going out for dinner tonight to an excellent local restaurant called Kinita. It is attached, but independent, from the campsite. It’s highly regarded and we have been before and had a fabulous dinner. We are hoping for their tasting menu tonight.

We finally get the bikes off the back of Jess, two weeks after setting off.

We have a fabulous cycle along the front from the campsite to the town of Los Alcozares. A small, typical Spanish town that has the biggest nativity setup we’ve seen. The Spanish like to put a nativity scene in the town, either in the town square or church or both.

They keep them up until past the 6th of January (King’s Day or Epiphany). This one not only shows the nativity but the whole of Bethlehem and other places. It’s rather good. We cycle around the town some more, visiting a chemist and a hardware shop.

The cycle back is bright and sunny, beautiful. The view of the strip, (la Manga) of the Mar Menor is clear on the other side. We stop and have a coffee and a coke and soak up some of the sunshine.

What a lovely day. We clock up a modest 9 miles. Not much but it’s a start. More tomorrow.

Back at Jess we spend a couple of hours in the sun reading, a marathon read. Del finally finishes a book he’s had going for weeks now. He finishes just as the sun and the day is cooling off, around 5 pm. It’s been a lovely afternoon. We have a hot shower and get ready for dinner.

It’s a cool 3-minute walk from Jess to the restaurant, but inside it’s warm and inviting. We are looked after very well by the staff and we order the tasting menu, 2 snacks, 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts for 50 euros each. Excellent value and excellent food all presented expertly in this lovely restaurant.

After many years of being associated with Spain, Del finally tries a vermouth as an aperitif and is hooked. Vermouth is regarded as a very typical Spanish drink and there are many bars specialising in it. Somehow it has escaped our notice until now.

Two hours later we leave the restaurant absolutely full, but satisfied. It has been our 4th visit there, 5th for Hayley as she came here last year when Del was working in Berlin.

We have been to a lot of eateries in Spain, and Kinita is, at the moment, our favourite.

Sunday 29th of December 2024 (Mar Menor day 3)

It’s a sunny morning today, albeit a little cool. We manage a very simple, light breakfast outside and plan on doing a long cycle ride today.

As the morning wears on the clouds slowly disappear leaving behind clear blue skies. We don’t waste any time and get ready to go out for the day on the bikes. The plan is to cycle around the Mar Menor as far as we can. The boring bit is cycling around the military airport next door which is not operating today, the campsite is on the opposite side of the runway. It’s all nice and flat so we shouldn’t be moaning really.

It’s a great day for a bike ride. Soon, we arrive at Santiago de la Ribera, where a lot of the urban furniture is a nod to the Spanish Air Force. There is an air training centre here.

All the benches are aircraft wings, with statues of planes, plane parts, and helmets dotted along the bike and pedestrian route. It’s all very nice. We stop at a small cafe and enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by. We have full sunshine. It’s glorious.

Back on the bikes and it’s non-stop to Playas de la Llana which takes us past the salt pits and wading flamingos. Playas de la Llana is a beach with a great view of the Med and we remember passing here a few times on Stargazer our boat.

Indeed once we stopped at the Mar Menor at San Juan de Pinatar to visit Hayley’s Auntie and Uncle who once lived here in a beautiful house. Here are a few snaps from 20 years ago…!!!

20 years ago, Hayley with Auntie Marie and Uncle Eric

The whole area is fabulous. It’s full of life with plenty to see and do. Great for walking, and as we found, cycling.

We stay at the beach for a while, gazing into the horizon and watching boats go back and forth.

It’s a lovely day, but we have to turn back if we want to be back before it gets too cold.

On the way back we can’t help ourselves, we have to stop for a Menu del dia (menu of the day).

For 15 euros we get a three-course lunch with a drink, we sit outside, it’s fantastic. We get back on the bikes and back to Jess. Today we have done an 18-mile cycle, better than yesterday, but we could do better.

We have an evening in tonight, no dinner. We settle in and watch two episodes of Squid Games 2. We were a bit confused for the first half an hour as to what was going on, but a quick google solved that.

It’s a cold night tonight. Nice warm days, but very cold by night!

Monday 30th of December 2024 (Mar Menor day 4)

The weather has no idea what it’s doing today. We had a splash of rain last night and it’s a bit grey and cloudy first thing, but as the morning moves along it gets brighter. The local Airforce are busy today, planes are zooming about.

We take our chances and set out for a long walk. The weather has brightened up a lot, and it’s a lovely walk. We walk about 11,000 steps, or 4 and a bit miles.

We get back to Jess just in time, and the heavens open up. We get torrential rain, thunder, and lightning. It’s a massive storm. We stay for the rest of the day. Del does some homework for upcoming jobs in the new year, and Hayley reads and pesters Del!

We spend the evening in and have a fantastic dinner of chicken and long green peppers. Ace. We settle down and watch a movie—The Matrix. Del has never seen it, it’s a good film. We start thinking that we would take the red pill, but by the time the film finishes we’d rather have the blue one after all. Ignorance is bliss.

Despite the weather, we have had a good day. We’ve had a good long walk, witnessed a massive storm, had a good dinner and watched a movie. Not bad for a Monday…

Tuesday 31st of December 2024 (Mar Menor day 5)

The last day of 2024. More rain today, but we will be going out to our favourite restaurant here again, Kinita. We had a fantastic dinner there the other night so we thought we would give them a try for lunch. We spend the morning indoors. Del gets some more homework done.

The rain and the thunder today are massive again and we are lucky to get a small break in the intensity of the rain and make it to the restaurant.

The lunch doesn’t disappoint. It is delicious and truly amazing, and as we are sitting there the rain stops and we got a good view of the bay and across to the strip on the opposite side. The visibility is crystal clear despite the cloud.

We are spending the night on Jess to bring in the New Year, along with all our other campers who will be doing similar. It’s a lovely afternoon back at Jess.

For the evening we have a very light snack of Spanish tapas and a glass of fizz and we settle down to watch some more Squid Game.

Midnight fast approaches and we celebrate the start of 2025 with another glass of fizz and reach out to friends and family to wish them a Happy New Year.

We stick our heads out of the van to see what’s happening at the campsite. There are a few sporadic cheers and giggling. We toast our immediate neighbours (in our best German) and retreat back inside.

It’s been a very good day today. We like it here…

Wednesday 1st of January 2025 (HAPPY NEW YEAR…!) (Mar Menor to Palomares – 80 miles)

Happy New Year to you all. We hope and wish that you all have a good 2025, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Don’t let them grind you down!

We are up late and take our time packing up after our five-night stay. The outside stuff is all wet and gritty after the huge amounts of rain that we have had here. We have been parked on ramps to level Jess up and when Hayley rolls back off them a torrent of water pours from off the roof and into the open side window, whoops. A hasty mop-up is done before it can get into the battery compartment, then we set off on our way south. It’s a nice day today, with a few clouds, but it’s sunny and warm. The roads are empty, we drive for miles and miles without seeing a car.

We are heading to a free overnight spot, a regular place in the town of Palomares, right on the beach. When we eventually arrive it’s busy. New Year’s Day here is very popular with people from all over Europe, and why not… We slowly drive along the beach and find somewhere, side on to the sea. It’s fantastic. The sun is out and the sea is blue. We get settled in and just sit outside Jess looking at the sea reading our books. A great way to spend the first day of the year. We love it.

By 4 pm the temperature is cooling off a little so we take our chairs in, turn on the hot water and have showers and settle in. The sun is setting and tonight we are having ‘Spanish Night’ on board. We have some Spanish goodies to eat with some music and dancing. Tricky in a 6m van!

Bedtime, as we settle down all we can hear is the sea breaking on the beach, fabulous (oh and Del snoring).

Thursday 2nd of January 2025 (Palomares to Cabo de Gata – 51 miles)

We have had some good weather so far on the trip, but we have had some unbelievable storms, it seems that the whole of Europe is suffering from terrible weather at this time. Back home in the UK, there have been some strong winds and heavy rain, with snow on the way.

We had a lovely night in Palomares, very, very chilled.

We have a light breakfast and set off. There’s nothing to decamp today as we have been wild camping so it’s just a tidy-up and we are done. We need to do some shopping so we stop at the Consum Supermarket in the town of Palomares. Another of Hayley’s favourite supermarkets. Sad innit?

We are fully loaded and it will be just over an hour to our next stop which is the southeastern tip of Spain, (that’s the bottom right of Spain as it goes around the corner.) We are going to a regular place Camping Cabo de Gata. Which is in Andalucia, considered the poorest region of Spain, it’s very dry and arid but covered in greenhouses made from plastic sheeting. This area provides the bulk of the fruit and veg in Europe.

It’s a beautiful warm day. 18 degrees… The drive is fantastic, the scenery has changed. It’s more mountainous, dry and brown.

Finally, we arrive at Cabo de Gata and we are given a very nice pitch for our 3-night stay. First things first.

We have lunch, a fine salad and some ‘Chiperones’ (baby squid) Fantastic…! It’s time for Jess’s weekly clean and we have a bit of cleaning up to do after the soggy stay at the Mar Menor, so everything is pulled out of the storage locker, known as the garage, and the inside of the van is clean and swept out to within an inch of it’s life!

The rest of the afternoon is spent reading in the waning afternoon sunshine. At around 5 pm the birds, including some green parrots, get quite chatty as they settle into their nests, which are the numerous palm trees around the site.

Friday 3rd of January 2025 (Cabo de Gata day 2)

A bright sunny morning this morning, with the sun on our pitch. It’s warm enough to have breakfast outside today. Without wasting any time, Del springs into action and prepares a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and fresh coffee. Lovely.

We need to get some laundry done and there is a good facility for doing it. Hayley sets off while Del is sorting out breakfast. After putting our laundry in a queue earlier and then having two German ladies push in at the washing machines Hayley puts her foot down and gets stroppy, our washing is soon loaded in.

The rest of the morning is spent reading and enjoying the warm sunshine while drying our washing on a line between our trees. Very handy. Once the clothes are dried and put away, we get our walking boots on and set off for a good walk towards the beach.

There used to be lakes and a small river that ran through her but it’s all dried up. There is one small lake left where there is some wildlife pecking about; ducks, cormorants and 4 white flamingos.

The wind is building and it’s supposed to be very windy this afternoon. We have a good walk and make our way back to Jess to do some more reading outside which goes well until the clouds come along and take away the sun…

Not to be defeated we just get in Jess close the door and carry on…

French night tonight for dinner. Steak, dauphinoise potatoes and green beans with a splash of red wine.

Merry Christmas from Spain…!

December 28, 2024 / deljones / 3 Comments

Week 2. 21st – 27th of December 2024. Lloret de Mar to Mar Menor 436 miles

Saturday 21st of December 2024 (Lloret de Mar to Amposta – 155 miles)

We hope that you have all had a lovely Christmas. Our best wishes for the New Year…

In the last week, we have driven from home in East Cowes in the United Kingdom to Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava, Spain. We got through France in three days. We have seen the Millau Viaduct, been on the beach in the Med, seen some lovely old Spanish towns and had our first ‘menu del dia‘ on this trip at least. We have also enjoyed some sunny walks on a beach or two. A good start.

Today we are leaving Lloret on this the shortest day and heading south on our journey. We leave later than we hope but we are off after filling up with diesel and a fine Spanish coffee from the service station. Bit of a long one today, 3 hours. We are planning to stop at a free spot next to Port Aventura, which has one of Hayley’s favourite rollercoasters, Shambhala, we won’t be visiting it today, however, as it’s the weekend and too busy. Our route will take us along the back of Barcelona on the AP-7. It’s another bright sunny day and getting warmer.

We find the free spot, but it’s a bit away from anything unless you are visiting the amusement park, so we decide not to stay the night. No matter, we have a spot of lunch and we are soon on our way again, this time to another free spot, a very popular one, on the Ebro Delta south of Barcelona. It’s getting warmer, 18 degrees. It’s a lovely drive.

We get a space, which is lucky, as there are only two left. Whew! It’s a nice spot next to the city of Amposta. We get settled in and have a chat with the Dutch neighbours behind us who have also just been out for a week, but are out until March…

We have a good walk around the town near to us, it’s not bad, nothing spectacular but it’s warm and sunny and we like walking around new towns. The walk back to Jess is through the local park, which is very nice.

We are back at Jess at 5 pm. A full day.

Dinner tonight on Jess is a local dish, Fideua. Similar to Paella, but made with small thin pasta instead of rice. Hayley does this really well.

Sunday 22nd of December 2024 (Amposta to Benicarlo – 25 miles) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEL!!

Today, we’re taking a short 30-minute drive to our next stop, where we will spend Christmas. We’re doing a full van service and filling up with LPG. Even though it’s Del’s birthday, some jobs still have to be done…

It’s a lovely day today, and as we move further south, even though the drive is short, the temperature is a warm 18 degrees. There is a threat of some clouds, but nothing yet.

We are heading to a campsite that we have stayed at before in a town called Benicarlo, Camping Alegria Del Mar. It’s a very popular site with people from all over Europe who are transiting through or spending weeks at a time there. It’s a very nice place, well maintained, with lots to do with some good walks.

We are given a nice and spacious pitch and get settled in quite quickly.

Today it’s Del’s birthday and Hayley has booked a nice beachside restaurant for lunch. He has already received his gifts, his favourite Champagne, Taittinger, and a nice pair of Apple Air Pods Pro. He loves them.

Lunch is just a 5-minute walk from the site so we set off and we are given a nice inside table with a great view of the sea.

The sun is lovely and warm, at 18 degrees with no wind. What a day and a place for a birthday.

Lunch is delicious and very well-priced for what we had and the location. We walk it off with a short walk towards the marina and the town before setting back towards Jess. The city of Benicarlo took quite a bashing from the floods in the Valencia area that killed so many people in October/November 2024.

We see, at first hand, some of the devastation as the road that used to connect the campsite to the marina and towards the town has been swept away.

As we are staying here over Christmas we get Jess set up for the festive season. We have some lights to put up and we find space for the Christmas cards that we were able to bring. She is all set up.

In the evening we stay indoors and play an escape room game and finish off the rest of the champagne. A lovely day today. There is a threat of strong winds on the way apparently.

Many thanks for all of your kind birthday wishes for Del and our Christmas cards. There may be some back in the UK that we missed after we left which we appreciate.

Monday 23rd of December 2024 (Day 2 Benicarlo)

As predicted the wind has built up overnight and is expected to get fierce later today and overnight, calming off for Christmas Eve. We have a simple and quick breakfast today before setting off for a walk into the city of Benicarlo. It is windy, it’s behind us so we will struggle to walk back in it.

Artichokes are grown around the Benicarlo area. Here are some farmers. Not sure who the statue is in the middle.

It’s a nice easy 30-minute walk into the town which, is fabulous. A very bright, clean and lively town. It’s a small city with a population of just over 26,000. We stop at a busy cafe as Del wants some Chocolate con Churros. A popular Spanish snack all year round, even for breakfast but very popular in the winter months, especially this time of year.

It’s basically a doughnut straightened out with some icing sugar sprinkled on top with a cup of very thick hot chocolate. Not very exciting but if you get a good one it’s delicious, and this one was a good one. Just the right amount and only 3 euros! In the UK we have seen £5 and upwards for a rather substandard copy. Never had a decent one at home.

Back at Jess Hayley knocks up a very pleasant Malaysian dish with chicken and massive Spanish prawns, very tasty. The rest of the day is spent at Jess reading and just enjoying the sunshine despite the strong wind. The last time we were here it was the same. We seem to attract the wind…

Tonight it’s free bingo at the campsite bar. Yipee! A pleasant afternoon, reading, chatting and Del doing a bit of work, all very relaxed. We get showered and set for our big night out!

The restaurant on the campsite is very popular and we can see why. The menu is excellent, it’s cheap and they are quick. It’s very good.

We have a pile of calamari, patatas bravas (again) and a massive house salad. We cash in our two free drink vouchers that you get when you check-in.

The winner…! (looks like she’s had half already!)

Bingo time. Six games were played in total and Hayley won the full house on the last game! Well done Hayley. The prize was a bottle of red wine. Very nice.

The last time we were here she won twice… A bottle of wine and a huge bar of chocolate.

It’s still windy as we make our way back to Jess. It’s supposed to calm off soon, we hope. It would be nice to sit out in the sunshine for Christmas.

Tuesday 24th of December 2024 (Day 3 Benicarlo)

Finally, the wind has gone away – well, kind of. We are expecting a warm, sunny day, so we shall try to get out and sit in the sun and read our books with a cold beer. Fingers crossed.

Del is off for a solo walk along the beach. It’s fabulous. A bright, clear, warm sunny morning. Hayley is back at the van sorting out drawers and cupboards. She likes that. Well in small spaces, everything must have a space… Back at Jess we just take it easy, reading outside.

Lunch today is at a Japanese restaurant called Matuya. You order everything on an iPad that is bolted to the table on a gooseneck arrangement so you can move it about between you.

Our walk to the restaurant is blocked off completely today. The road was completely smashed apart during the recent Spanish floods, and now the temporary fix is shut, so we have to take the long tiresome trudge over the stone pebble beach.

Hayley taking ages to pick something. As usual.

We are shown to a table in the restaurant, which is rather nice on the inside.

It’s very big and spacious with lots of tables with a very bright, ‘easy-on-the-eye’ decor. It’s busy already. The waiter cleans down our iPad and resets it for us. For 15 euros you can eat as much as you like! Drinks and dessert are extra. What a deal. When we lived in Barcelona there was something very similar, only it was the traditional belt that went around the restaurant and as the small plates sailed past, you just scooped one up. We spent a lot of time in that place. (And money!)

Hayley has Sake to drink, and Del has a cold local beer.

Indeed we take advantage of this place. We have lots to eat, maybe too much. The restaurant has a policy of ‘fining’ you if you order and leave too much food behind.

Quite right too, however, there is no chance of that at our table as we hoover everything up that we have ordered.

A very pleasant walk back in the afternoon sunshine. Back at Jess we just lay back in the sun and read. Del lasts 3 minutes before he’s snoring.

As Christmas Eves go, it’s fab. Warm sunshine, a good walk and a great value lunch. Not bad, not bad at all.

The evening is back at the van and another escape room game from “Unlock” by SpaceCowBoys, helped along with a few drinks of fizz… Tonight we did well… 4/5 on this game!

Wednesday 25th of December 2024 (Day 4 Benicarlo)

Merry Christmas to you all… Have a great day!

When we look through the van blinds this morning, the sky is beautiful and clear. We are up and wishing each other a “Merry Christmas.” Del puts together a fabulous breakfast complete with fizz and Christmas crackers.

We exchange some gifts and cards over coffee. A lovely morning.

The weather promises to be very nice today, and we plan to go to the same restaurant that we went to for Del’s birthday, Mar Blava. The only space they have left is on their terrace, so we have booked that for 3pm, but first we should have a walk so we set off for the short walk to the beach. To our surprise, and shock, the skies have clouded over, but quite a lot, not what was forecast as we feel spots of rain.

No matter we have a couple of options up our sleeve. We can eat at the very good campsite restaurant, or we can eat at Jess, which is equally good.

The clouds thicken as we walk back to Jess, but the rain has now gone. Del gets himself comfortable outside with a chair, his book and a small beer, Hayley joins him and they just get comfortable when a small shower of rain passes through. We decide to cancel our Christmas lunch at the beachside restaurant and decide on the campsite restaurant instead.

Despite the cloudy sky and the odd, very light shower, it’s still warm as we sit in the van with the door open and read, watch videos and exchange messages with friends back home.

One of Del’s gifts from Hayley was a bottle of 10-year-old Scotch, so of course he has to try a sample. Delicious.

So who got what:

Hayley: A year’s subscription to Audible. A box of Hotel Chocolat chocolates. A Bluetooth sleep mask.

Del: A bottle of Scotch. A Scotch tasting kit. The two remaining books are from the Brian Klein Trilogy. And a phone holder/lamp gismo.

Here is a quick promo for Brian Klein. Brian Klein is a TV director who turned his hand to writing during COVID-19. He has written three books, with a fourth on the way in March 2025.

They are excellent, real page-turners, and highly recommended. (There you go, Brian, that’s a fiver you owe me!) They are a seriously good read. You can see them all here. Give them a go.

Christmas dinner is at the campsite restaurant which is excellent. House salad followed by chipirones (baby squids), fiduea and a dessert. This is all helped along with a couple of glasses of house red all for 50 euros… Excellent.

Back at the van Hayley gets her guitarlele out and plays us a few songs with a little help from Del with vocals until bedtime.

Here is the setlist.

Don’t Speak – No Doubt
Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day
One More Time – Britany Spears
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Day Dream Believer – The Monkees

INTERVAL

Army Dreamers – Kate Bush
Rebel Yell – Billy Idol
Sail Away – David Grey (Our Wedding Song)
I Got You – Split Endz
Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths
California Dreaming – Mamas and Papas

ENCORE

Heart Of Gold – Neil Young
Harvest Moon – Neil Young (Del’s ‘H’ song)

2ND ENCORE

Strong Enough – Cheryl Crowe

Blackout…!!!

No kidding here. She really does strum and pick these tunes out properly on her guitarlele that we have brought with us… Good stuff!

We have had a lovely day today, and a good Christmas. Stress-free, easy going and just nice. We hope that you too have had a lovely Christmas and we will see you in the New Year. The evening is finished off with some good old country and western tunes from Patsy Kline, Kitty Wells, Glenn Campbell and Loretta Lynn. Love it…
Our very best wishes to you all…

Thursday 26th of December 2024 (Benicarlo to L’Olleria – 140 miles)

Today, we are moving on. We have spent four nights in Benicarlo and have enjoyed our stay. The town is not a tourist town by any means, but it has a lot to offer. It has everything you could want. It’s vibrant and busy, very clean, and well looked after. The town also has a good collection of great places to eat. We only tried two of them, but there are many here with at least two Michelin-rated restaurants.

The campsite is great. Well run and looked after, they have something for everyone. Us Brits are in the minority amongst a large contingent of Germans, Dutch and Swiss. We like that though, that’s why we are here. We have enjoyed a good Christmas, no overeating or drinking, some sunshine, lots of fresh air and a very happy Christmas. We hope that whatever you did, you enjoyed yours…

Time to move on though and get ourselves further south. We are heading for a simple overnight stop, inland. It’s a piece of land that has electricity and water with hens that peck around the van.

It gets great reviews, so we shall see. The weather is cloudy and we do have a few showers of rain, nothing heavy, just a light shower or two.

We leave Benicarlo via a fuel stop. It’s a 2.5-hour drive but we are in no rush to get there. Our journey takes us through the outskirts of Valencia where the traffic is pretty heavy and where we also see where the flood water came through. The city itself was spared the worst of the flood but the water came rushing through via the dried-up river bed bringing heavy debris and trees with it.

At 2:30 pm we arrive at our stop after taking the wrong turn and ending up on a cycle path. We have a very short moment of concern about how we are going to get back, or turn around, but fortunately, the path opens up again onto the road and this time we make the correct turn.

True to its reviews it is just a large scrub land, but well provisioned with electricity, water and there is even a shower. The weather is the warmest it’s been but by 4:30 pm it turns a bit chilly.

In the field with us is a large dilapidated IVECO truck converted into a motorhome with 2 adults and 4 kids (and a washing machine)… There are 2 vans registered in Estonia, a Finn, a Swiss and then us. The Finnish car/van has been here for a month and a half!

At 5 pm the chap who owns the land, and has a very nice substantial house next door, comes to collect payment.

15 euros for the pitch, electricity, water and half a dozen fresh eggs from the hens next to us, who aren’t allowed to peck around the vans anymore (much to Hayley’s disappointment).

Dinner in tonight and early to bed.

Friday 27th of December 2024 -116 miles (L’Olleria to Mar Menor – 116 miles)

Our breakfast this morning is the fresh eggs that we bought from the site owner last night when he popped by for payment. They are in Hayley’s words “…the best eggs I’ve ever had…” and they are. Very tasty eggs, laid by the hens behind the van.

It was a very pleasant stay here, L’Olleria. It was very peaceful. Today, we are off to Mar Menor, south of Alicante. It doesn’t take us long to pack up, and we are on our way. It’s a cloudy, cold start to the day, but we are hoping that it will improve. On our way, we need to do some shopping, so Hayley finds us an Aldi, which is about an hour away. We also need some LPG, so she finds that, too.

The journey is a bit gloomy. There are lots of heavy, low clouds about, and we think it might rain.

Indeed, we do get a small shower or two. In this area of Spain, farmers are allowed to burn wood at this time of the year. It’s bad this morning. Plumes of smoke are dotted throughout the countryside. You can’t smoke in a lot of places in Spain now but you can burn as much wood as you like. We tried to get a photo as we left the farm this morning of the sky. There was a low cloud stretching for miles that was yellow, yes, yellow! Wood burning had been going on since the early hours.

We get parked up at the Aldi. Hayley goes in while Del stays with Jess. The shop is at a busy intersection, and at the lights, Del spots an unusual busker. Every time the traffic is stopped on red, this chap jumps out into the waiting cars and starts a juggling act. Very odd.

The next stop is to pick up LPG. We have a successful fill up so we are ready with plenty of gas for cooking and heating. While Del pops into the shop to pay, Hayley is left to remove the adaptor from the side of the van that allows us to fill up with LPG. As she removes it, the excess that had built up in the pipework of the van spits back at her and gives her a nasty ‘ice-burn‘ on her finger. Over time these can turn into a nasty blister so we will keep an eye on that. Needless to say, she is now banned from having anything to do with the LPG unless it’s inside the van, i.e. cooking, making the tea and putting the heating on…

The drive has taken just under 2 and a half hours when we arrive at the campsite in Mar Menor. Camping Mar Menor is a popular place frequented, as usual, by the Germans. We like it here. It’s good for bike riding. We get parked up in our allocated pitch.

After a cup of tea and some traditional ‘Kings Day‘ Roscon, Del rips the van apart and gives her a good clean. The outside is prepped with the awning, table and chairs, finished off with some decorative lights. While that’s going on H is running back and forth to the site laundry facilities getting some, much needed, washing done.

By 6 pm we are all done.

We have a clean van inside and out, all the laundry is done, we are full of gas, and water and plugged into the mains and we are now settled in for our 5-day stay here. It’s here that we will bring in the new year. 2025.

See you on the other side…

Another winter, another escape…

December 21, 2024 / deljones / 15 Comments

Week 1. 14th – 21st of December 2024. Home to Lloret de Mar, Spain – 913 miles

Saturday the 14th of December 2024 (East Cowes to Dieppe – 154 miles)

We have never been big fans of winter in the UK, the light, the damp and the cold. This winter seems to be a bit more depressing than normal. It has been sometimes difficult recently to be really “cheery” about stuff. There was always a plan to escape winter in a big style this year with lots of trips planned, and today we are off on the first of many. Jess will cheer us up and take us away somewhere with bright light and maybe a bit of a warmer climate.

We are up early today to finish off some of Jess’s packing; we did most of it yesterday. Last week, Del was away working while H was left to organise the trip. Unfortunately, she was floored by a really bad cold, which meant she was not able to do any of her usual prep. She likes a list. She has a nice spreadsheet with check boxes and categorised sections to check it all off. It’s lovely, but sadly, the pen didn’t touch the paper. Most of the prep and packing was done on Thursday and Friday and in a rush.

Del has also been feeling a bit under the weather, but nowhere near as bad as H. Poor thing.

With all the packing done, we will be off to catch the 11:00 am ferry from Fishbourne to Portsmouth followed by a drive to Newhaven and the 4-hour ferry crossing to Dieppe.

So what are our plans for this trip?

We are planning to be away for 7 weeks. The plan is to get to Spain as quickly as possible, the south of Spain in particular. The first bit of the trip, through France, we will just make it up as we go along. Most, if not all, of the campsites in France are closed now for the winter, so we think that we will be over the French/Spanish border in 4 days. Fingers crossed.

It’s quite a nice day today, for a change. It’s an easy drive. We do one stop to check the tyre pressures and to fill up with diesel. We arrive at Newhaven Port very early. You just can’t trust the ferries on the Island anymore, and we have to build in extra time in case they decide that the water is too watery and can’t sail…

Time to kill in Newhaven. A nice cup of tea with some German stolen cake on Jess, getting Christmas off to a good start. Very nice. We are flagged through to the waiting area at 3:30 and placed, ready for our 5:30 ferry.

We are eventually loaded into the belly of the ship and given our keys to our cabin. We like the cabin. It’s only a four-hour crossing but it has a shower and a comfy bed. We drop our bags in the room and head for the ship’s restaurant and have an early dinner, after that, it’s a shower and a lie down for an hour or two. Nice.

The crossing is calm and very pleasant and before we know it we are back in Jess and being loaded off. Hello Dieppe! We are stopping at a paid-for ‘camping carpark’ spot, which is just a 1-minute drive from the ferry. Once settled in, the kettle is on and we are quite content.

It starts to rain.

Sunday the 15th of December 2024 (Dieppe to Riom – 360 miles)

We did have some very light rain this morning. It’s very grey, very dull in Dieppe this morning, nothing like our last time here in October when it was cool but bright and sunny.

We want to get through France as quickly as we can so we have a simple, quick breakfast and we are off and away by 10:30 after a quick van service. We need to do a shop so we stop at a supermarket to stock up. In France, it’s the law that supermarkets can open on a Sunday, but they have to close at 12:30, so it’s quite busy. 80 euros later we have a good collection of goodies including a freshly roasted chicken and potatoes! That’s lunch sorted out.

Hayley is at the wheel, after 30 minutes she gets bored and there is a swapover. We push through France and different types of weather from a bit of sun to rain to fog, everything except snow. That may yet come in the next day or two. We stop on the way at a layby and get stuck into the chicken and spuds. They are fantastic! Very tasty.

We decide to just keep going and going. After 360 miles we arrive and settle in the French town of Riom. 360 miles is like going from London to Manchester and back. With all the stops it comes to about 8 hours. Remember we are in a motorhome where we do an average of 60 miles an hour! We could go faster but we would use up a lot of fuel pulling our 3.5t van and it would be very noisy!

In Riom, we stay at a very nice spot and decided to do some exercise and take a walk in the town. It’s dead, empty, but very pretty. They have some lovely Christmas decs up, all very clean and tidy, but closed!

Having done a long day driving, and had a bit of exercise we are back at Jess and settle in with a light snack and a witter before bed.

A good day. We are two-thirds of the way through France. It’s a big country.

Monday the 16th of December 2024 (Riom to Portiragnes – 223 miles)

It’s a beautiful bright cold morning this morning. clear blue skies, 4 degrees. After breakfast, we do a full van service. It’s the usual thing, empty the grey water from the shower and the washing up etc. Fill up with fresh water and, the best bit, empty, clean and freshen up the chemical toilet. Nice.

We fill up with diesel, again, and set off south. We are confident that we will cross the border today and into Spain…

Hayley will do most of the driving today. She does a good 2 and a half hours at the wheel taking us up and over the Massif Central which gets up to just over a kilometer in altitude. Jess works hard pulling us up the hill, which has recently had some snow.

Onwards towards the Millau Viaduct. Designed by Norman Foster, it’s the tallest bridge in the world and quite spectacular, more so today in the bright sunshine.

After a walk and a spot of lunch, we change our plan. We are ahead of time so instead of going over the border to Spain, we head for a ‘camping carpark’ in Portiragnes on the south coast of France. The camping spot is right next to the beach so when we get parked up we go for a walk and meet the Med. It’s a beautiful afternoon, not a cloud in the sky, no wind and the sea is flat and calm. Wow!

Dinner on board tonight. Steak and chips…

Tomorrow we will be in Spain.

Tuesday the 17th of December 2024 (Portiragnes to Capmany – 91 miles)

We had a fantastic sleep last night. It was so quiet and peaceful. For a while, we have not slept the best, especially Hayley with her cold, but last night was great.

We woke up this morning to grey skies, chilly. We have a good protein-filled breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon with toast. Today we will be in Spain. We are heading to a regular stop called Capmany, just over the border. The site is a bit rustic but it has everything you need, and it’s a short walk into the charming little town.

Hayley is at the wheel today for a very pleasant 1-and-a-half-hour drive. It’s a very nice day today. We arrive just before 1 and Del checks us in using his best Spanish. Not.

We can choose our own pitch and we get settled very quickly with a cup of tea outside on our chairs basking in the afternoon sun. It’s lovely.

Time for a walk so we get our coats on and set off for the small village of Capmany. It’s closed… We are the only people around. Everything is closed, the streets are empty. It all looks rather festive with the Christmas decs out though.

We make our way back to Jess and catch the last of the afternoon sun. It’s cool but nice. We sit and have a small beer.

After showers we have a rather nice dinner of turkey, potatoes with onions and roasted peppers. Lovely.

We are a day ahead of schedule. If we had one…

Wednesday the 18th of December 2024 (Capmany to L’Estartit – 35 miles)

We are up before the sun rises over the hill where we are pitched. It’s a lovely bright sunny morning, with clear blue skies. We have breakfast, clean up, and set off by 10:15. We drive for only 20 minutes to a small town on the Costa Brava called Peralada. There is free overnight parking for up to 6 vans with free services.

The drive is fantastic. The countryside is beautiful. It’s 13 degrees, clear, and bright. We arrive at Peralada, hoping that there will be a space for us. We are lucky; there is. We park up, secure the van, and set off through the stone archway into the town.

There are lots of these types of towns and villages in this area. Once Roman settlements, some have expanded and have more modern buildings, but the centres have been restored and kept in tip-top condition.

This one is beautiful, well looked after, clean and tidy. We have a look at some of the restaurants but they’re very expensive. These towns are real tourist traps in the summer. Thousands flock to them causing mayhem with hundreds of people and cars. Today, however, out of season, it’s quiet. There is hardly anyone about and it’s a pleasure walking around this town, which we almost have to ourselves. It’s cool in the shade, but warm in the sun. Perfect.

Once we finish the walk we reconsider whether we should stay the night, once you’ve seen the town, you’ve seen it, so we set off for the large seaside town of L’Estartit.

We have fond memories of this place. When we were boat owners we used to sail around here going from France to Spain and back again. We stopped at a lot of the marinas along the Costa Brava and this was one of them. It’s a great place to hang around in. Before the boat came along we used to holiday in this area, staying at St. Pere Pescador, then driving around the coast and visiting all the towns here.

There is a newish camping stop here called Costa Brava Area. For 18 euros you get a nice secure pitch with electricity. Some services cost extra but are very cheap. It’s in a great location. Once settled in we set off to find lunch, in particular the good old ‘menu del dia’, menu of the day. The chap who checked us in tells us where we can get a good one. It’s called Don Quixote. It really is nothing special, just your average Spanish restaurant that all the locals go to, but it is fantastic. Old old-fashioned inside, a bit rustic, but the food is fabulous. A 3-course lunch with a drink is 14 euros each. Bargain, and it’s delicious.

Time to walk it all off. We walk the full length of the town. The weather is just fantastic. No wind, just clear blue skies with 13 to 14 degrees of temperature. What a fantastic walk we have, reminiscing about our days here on a boat and on holidays which is now 25 years ago!!!!

Back at the van we settle in after showers and have a quiet night in. We have had a lovely day today.

Thursday the 20th of December 2024 (L’Estartit to Lloret de Mar – 49 miles)

There is no rush this morning. We have two nights booked in Lloret de Mar, our next stop. A big holiday place that started back in the ’60s, 70s, and 80s, it was one of the first to offer Brits the package holiday experience. There is a campsite in the centre of town so we are going to have a couple of nights there.

It’s a bit cloudy this morning but it promises to be a nice day as we go further south. It will be about an hour’s drive, but first Jess desperately needs a wash.

The rain coming through France was dirty and plentiful. She’s looking a bit sorry for herself.

It was a nice stay here in L’estartit, very nice. It’s a short drive to a van wash, and 8 euros later Jess is looking fabulous in the sunshine. The next stop is Hayley’s favourite supermarket in Spain, Mercadona. She loves it there. They are rather good, spacious, and bright and they sell all the best Spanish goodies. We do like it. Sad that in our lives we have a favourite supermarket! Well, you have to have a hobby.

I love this supermarket. It’s the best… (Sado)

While Hayley dives in with her trolley, Del does a few touch-ups on the van. Once Hayley is back with a full trolley and grin on her face, we set off once again.

45 minutes later we arrive at Lloret de Mar and we can drive in and choose our space at the Lloret Blau Campsite. The lady at the check-in is very friendly and helpful so we are off to a good start here.

Once we get parked we set off for a walk towards the beach. The weather is the best yet, in fact, the best we have seen in a long time. Bright clear skies and in the sun it’s more than enough warm. It is lovely. We stroll around the bay along the beach and find a bar right along the front with a fabulous view looking back along the bay. It’s fantastic. We just sit there and say nothing while we bask in the sunshine. Finally. At last…

Cheers everyone! This a ‘medium sized’ Cava, apparently.

Hayley has a medium cava, but when it arrives we are sure that it’s a third of a bottle, it’s massive, but it doesn’t stop her from finishing it, with a little help from Del who is sipping on a delicious cafe con leche.

We finish up and stroll back towards Jess. We watch a German motorhome getting towed as they have parked right in the motorbike parking spaces. Oh dear, they will have a nasty shock when they find their home on wheels gone. We walk to a hotel that Hayley visited with her mum and dad 42 years ago when she was 11! The hotel is still there and still looks the same…

Back at Jess we get showered and settle in as the late afternoon sun disappears and the air starts to cool.

Tomorrow we will explore some other parts of Lloret if we can find them. We shall see.

Friday the 21st of December 2024 (Lloret de Mar – Day 2)

Our second day in Lloret de Mar. We had some wind blow through last night so it’s a bit cooler this morning but it’s dry and bright. Not much on today. We go for a walk to see what Lloret has to offer. It’s not much really, 80% of it is closed as it’s out of season, but we like the walk especially along the front again as we make our way to the same place on the other side of the small bay where we had a drink yesterday.

We have some calamari and patatas bravas, the usual staple of the visiting tourist. It’s just nice to sit in the warm sun and look out to sea.

The visibility today is amazing since the wind blew through. So clean and fresh.

We have a slow walk back to Jess, where we get some laundry done and just relax until dinnertime. We plan on going to bed early tonight, it was late last night. Tomorrow, we are setting off for Salou, a good 2-3 hour drive from here.

We have been out for 7 days now. It has gone very quickly and we have come so far.

A gentle, wet trundle home…

October 5, 2024 / deljones / 18 Comments

Week 3. Paris to East Cowes – 703 miles

Saturday the 28th of September 2024

Paris to Senonches – 75 miles

We get our last knock on the door this morning from Karen. Today she is going south, we are going west then north towards home. We all have an enjoyable breakfast together and say our goodbyes. It has been fabulous, with the three of us together, and most enjoyable. We have seen a lot, done a lot, eaten a lot and drank a lot, but it has all been worth it and it’s what we are here on earth to do. Enjoy as much as you can when you can. We will miss her.

Today, as part of our trip back, we are going to France Miniature. It is said to be a 1:30 model of France laid out on a piece of land in the rough shape of France. There is a special online price, so Hayley has booked us two tickets.

After a 40-minute drive, we arrive. It’s a nice day. There is a bit of cloud floating about, but it’s bright and sunny, a welcome break from the rain that has blighted our stay in Paris. It’s not very busy, so we get the pick of the parking and make our way in.

France Miniature is worth the visit. It’s very well laid out, all the exhibits are numbered and the path leads around in the right direction. There is a QR code to scan that gives you some history about the item you are looking at. It’s all very good. As we approach the Paris part we get a spot of rain. There is something about Paris that’s wet! It doesn’t last for long though.

After spending a couple of hours here we decide to move on and find a place for the night. We like it here, it’s ok. It could do with a little TLC however, some of the exhibits are a little tatty, but we like it all the same.

It’s a short 1 hour drive to a town called Senonches where we are staying at a small aire for motorhomes for 9 euros that includes water and electricity.

The drive is pleasant and uneventful and the town of Senonches is very pretty, from what we have seen driving through. The parking is just on the outside of the town. We swipe our card for 9 euros, the barrier goes up and we are in a nice cosy pitch for the night.

Dinner is on board tonight, something we haven’t done for a few days now. Hayley does a fridge clear out and we have duck with a potato dish that she puts together, which is ace, and some broccoli. After more fridge cleaning, some bits of cheese need to be eaten, so with a glass of red, we finish them off.

Time for bed…

Sunday the 29th of September 2024

Senonches to Honfleur – 106 miles

With a ferry on Friday, we now have to start the drive west and then north. We think that we will head for Honfleur which is a very picturesque fishing town across the river from Le Harve. This is where the Seine ends its journey into the sea.

It’s a bit of a challenging drive today. After a toss of a coin and a ‘fight’, it’s Del’s turn to drive. It’s always a battle over who is going to drive as we both enjoy it, but yesterday Del was tired so Hayley drove which makes it Del’s turn today.

There is no direct route to Honfleur from where we are so the drive takes us along miles of fields along very narrow roads. For miles, we are the only vehicle on the road. It hasn’t been helped that the road that we are on has been closed due to a town market.

There are diversion signs but suddenly they stop and Google Maps takes us across country, great. It also doesn’t help that Del misses a right turn because he was wittering on. Oh well.

It’s 2:30 pm and we have arrived at the parking spot in Honfleur. What we have noticed is that the temperature since last night has dropped to single figures. It has turned very autumnal. We get parked and settled in while the cold wind blows down the river Seine. We get whatever warm coats that we have and set off for a walk. There is one of those tourist trains here so we jump on and for eight euros we are taken to the top of Honfleur. Here there is a small charming chapel. Honfleur wasn’t bombed during the war, and it is said that it is because of this chapel that it was saved from the ravages of war.

There is a good view of Le Harve across the river from here.

After 15 minutes at the chapel, we get abroad the train and it takes us back down the hill into Honfleur.

Time for a walk. We head back into the charming back streets of Honfleur. It’s very nice here, very old but very well looked after with its cobbled streets and leaning over, slate-fronted buildings. There is an all-wooden church here in the main part of the town, so, of course, we have to go in and have a look.

The port is the “main square” of the town which is surrounded by lovely bars and restaurants.

We are starting to feel the chill so head back to Jess for a warm-up and a cup of tea. Tonight we will eat in the town.

After our walk and train trip around town we get back to Jess for a hot tea and to chill out. We like it here. The town is full of charm, shops, restaurants and bars they are all very nice, a very easy-going town.

We set off for the short 5 minute walk to the restaurant where we are fortunate to get a table. It’s a very busy and popular place, number 9, of hundreds, in the Trip Advisor guide. It doesn’t fail. We have starters of oysters and mackerel. A main of pork and Dorade ending with an Ile flottante.

It’s all helped along with a very nice white wine. An excellent dinner, our first without our travel companion who is now in the south of France heading for St. Tropez tomorrow. We remember St Tropez well from our boating days.

It’s a windy, chilly night when we leave the restaurant and we are glad to get back into Jess with the low lights, heating and some soft music.

All in all an excellent day. Tomorrow we have no idea where we are going, we like that.

Monday the 30th of September 2024

Honfleur to Saint Pierre en Port (via Duclair) – 88 miles

It was a breezy night last night as the wind rushed down the Seine, we also had some rain showers in the night. The weather has taken a turn. It’s much colder than a week ago, with strong winds and rain.

We have a very simple quick breakfast this morning. We pay our 14 euros for the aire and off we go. We are trying to get to a small free aire right on the banks of the river Seine where we think the wind will be less, the problem is that there is only space for 5 vans so we are getting a bit of a move on this morning.

The weather is grim and we get pushed about by the strong wind going over the Pont Du Normandie, nasty. The drive to the aire in Duclair takes about an hour and it’s a bit of a climb uphill for Jess but we arrive and are a little disappointed, to say the least. It is a bit of a trek to the town, the weather is foul and it’s right next to a cemetery. After some discussion, we decide to move on and head for the coast after doing some shopping and a diesel fill-up.

After an hour or more driving in bad rain we arrive at Saint-Pierre-en-Port and to a campsite with a sea view. And what a view, the sea is huge, 3m waves out there apparently. It looks very rough. We have to wait ten minutes for the office to open. Hayley is seen by a very friendly lady who gives us a pitch.

The pitch we have been given is like a mud bath, just terrible and it takes us a lot of back and forth, left, right, yes and nos. There is mud everywhere and the trees above are hitting the side of the van.

We finally decide to go on a corner pitch which, like all of the pitches is just a mud bath, but it has a nice big corner piece of just grass… wet grass but no mud, so we manoeuvre ourselves there and finally get settled in. It’s miserable outside but Hayley gets a tea on, Del cleans the mud out of the van and we get settled down. It’s now quite cosy.

Time for a Belgian beer to cheer us up some more. We will not be going out today.

Hayley has done a fab dinner for us.

Beef bourguignon, her own dauphinoise potatoes with a glass of red. The weather is horrendous outside, the worst we have had in the van we think… lashing heavy rain and the wind is so strong we are actually rocking in our pitch.

No matter, after a glass (or two) of red Hayley gets her baby guitar out and plays a few tunes to end the day.

Yes, the weather has been terrible and we wasted an hour of time and fuel for what has been a bit of a none day, but tonight has been lovely… That’s what we like about Vantours…

Tuesday the 1st of October 2024

Saint Pierre en Port to Veulettes Sur Mer – 10 miles

Last night goes in our top 3 worst nights for storms. It was horrendous. For most of the night it rained, and the wind battered the van resulting in violent snatches of movement which went on all night.

We managed to get short periods of sleep throughout the night and by the morning the rain has stopped and although there is still some wind, we have blue skies. Quite a pleasant morning. Our pitch is still a mud bath when we set off. We do a quick service and set off for the town of Veulettes Sur Mer, which is only 10 miles away but because the roads are small and twisty it takes a good 40 minutes to get there. The drive is very nice, it’s sunny and warm and we are getting closer to Dieppe.

We have just missed the campsite office by only 5 minutes, so we have to wait a couple of hours until they open again. To kill time we head for the town. It’s a very charming seaside town with not much here. There are a few hotels and restaurants all of which, except one, are closed. The sea is rough after the storm of the past few days, but it’s a lovely day and nice to be out walking in the fresh sea air.

We get back just before 2 and can check-in. The campsite is a municipal campsite, run by the local council. It’s beautiful, very well-manicured and tended to, but most importantly it has hard standing for Jess, no more mud! Being the end of the season there are not many vans or caravans so we get the choice of pitches. We get settled in and Del starts to clear out the ‘garage’. Everything is out, gets cleaned, old stuff binned and then all neatly put back for the next trip.

Dinner on board tonight, a simple affair with a glass of rose wine a gift in fact from our friend Karen back in May.

We are surprised that it’s lasted that long…!

We end the night by playing one of our puzzle games by the Danish publisher 50 Clues. This one is called ‘The Pendulum of the Dead’, the first in a trilogy. We got 59%, not so great but good fun all the same.

Wednesday the 2nd of October 2024

Veulettes Sur Mer to Dieppe – 31 miles

The strong wind and rain returned during the night and woke us both up. We are getting fed up with it now… It’s a cloudy wet morning, the rain has stopped though. We are in the process of getting up when we hear a loud car horn going off. This is the traditional French campsite sound in the morning of a bread van selling morning pastries and bread.

Del, half-dressed, dashes out and gets two pastries and the world’s longest baguette… Not really, the record for the longest baguette is 140.5m and was broken in May of 2024 in Suresnes! (Never heard of it)

We are moving on today to Dieppe where we will stay for two nights. There is quite a good stop there at the harbour. Our plan is to do a dinner tonight and maybe a lunch tomorrow.

A good, but carb filled, breakfast this morning. After a quick service, we set off for Dieppe. Hayley wants to buy some boxes of wine to take home and stock up with some French goodies. We stop at a huge Auchan supermarket but sadly she is not able to get what she wants which is boxes of 6 bottles, she could get the wine but not in boxes and to get them home safely, we need them in boxes, so no joy there.

We give up and make our way to Dieppe. Getting into the town is a little complicated, with narrow roads and roadworks being done. After a bit of ducking and diving, we finally arrive at the parking place next to the harbour. We get settled in and do a bit of Jess cleaning and sit in the warm sunshine… At last… We set off for a walk around the town of Dieppe which we find to be quite charming. The main part of the town is built around the harbour which has lots of restaurants and bars and is set back from the equally nice seafront. There’s a pebble beach which is popular, with lots of hotels along the front. We spend a good hour or two walking around and taking it all in. We like it here. It’s nice.

Before dinner we find a place with a panoramic view of the harbour while we sit and sip a ‘cocktail of the day‘.

Hayley has found us a Michelin rated restaurant, in fact, it’s a Bib Gourmand (a good value for money place). We have a very nice dinner with some scallops, which are the local speciality, and a small bottle of Chablis. Very nice, not outstanding, but we did enjoy it.

Back at Jess, it’s very quiet and peaceful. Early night.

Thursday the 3rd of October 2024

Dieppe Day 2

Our last day in Dieppe so we plan to have a walk into the town and see the bits that we’ve not seen yet. Before that though, we are looking for a typical French lunch. We plan to eat early today as we are hoping to get an early night as we are up at 4:30 am to catch the 6.30 ferry back to Newhaven. Del does a little bit of homework for work he has when he gets back. We lock up Jess and set off, the tide in the port is high so the walkover bridge is open to let boats get in and out. We wait. We wait some more. We do a little bit more waiting before we get fed up waiting and start to walk up the harbour to another bridge.

After a 20 minute walk, we wait. We keep waiting. The bridge starts to move ready for us to cross but there is a change of mind somewhere because it moves in the opposite direction meaning that no one can cross. We have to wait, wait and wait. For both bridges. We wait 50 minutes, so by the time we get to the harbour most of the restaurants have stopped serving the ‘Menu de jour‘.

We walk up and down the harbour looking at the remaining restaurants that are open and doing food until we settle on a Vietnamese restaurant and have some summer rolls and a Bao Burger each.

Both are absolutely delicious. A fabulous replacement for the French lunch. We’ve had enough of them now anyway!

After our splendid lunch, we set off and explore the rest of Dieppe. Again unplanned, we end up in a clothes shop and spend a couple of hundred euros on clothes, that Del now has to drag around the town in a pink bag!

Dieppe is very nice. A working town, big on fishing. The high street is full of lovely shops, butchers, florists, fruit shops and cake shops.

There is a 900-year-old church that we go in to have a look around. It could do with some work as the masonry is starting to fall away. In fact, there is a net stretching the whole of the roof to catch falling debris.

It’s a shame. Hopefully, they will get some restoration done to it before it’s too late.

Enough walking, time to get back to Jess. We can’t help but walk into a patisserie and buy two cakes to take back to Jess to have with a brew. It’s a lovely warm sunny day.

Back at Jess, the tea is on, cakes eaten and we sit outside for a while and enjoy the sunshine before the late afternoon turns chilly.

We have had two days in Dieppe and we have liked it. Another place that you would never think of going to, but is actually full of surprises. We will be back.

Friday the 4th of October 2024

Dieppe to East Cowes – 292 miles

There is nothing worse than hearing an alarm going off at 4:30 in the morning… Horrible, but unfortunately we have to be away from here at 5 am, drive around the corner and be ready to board our 06:30 ferry bound for Newhaven.

It’s dark and chilly. We drop the grey water from the tank. The drive from the parking place to the port is probably 10 minutes. We are in the queue, which is moving slowly but finally, we are on board and making our way to our cabin. We like these cabins. You get a nice comfy room with everything in it, a comfy bed, toilet and shower. We have an outside room so we get a sea view, but it’s still dark…

Like robots, and for no reason at all, we head to the restaurant and have a full breakfast. Why did we do that? It’s expensive and not the best. Once done we go back to our cabin and get a couple of hours sleep.

Soon we are woken up to the announcement that we are approaching Newhaven. It went so quickly. We get up and have a walk on deck. It’s a beautiful morning. A flat calm sea, blue skies and sunshine. A nice way to come back home, Lovely.

Jess needs a wash, she still looks like a rally van, covered in lumps of mud.

The ferry was brilliant if a little slow at getting on and off. We are probably about 30 minutes late and we have another ferry to catch for home. Hayley has found a car wash and after Del nearly kills us at a roundabout, we are giving Jess a good well deserved ‘bath‘.

The traffic toward Portsmouth is terrible. Stop start, stop start. We are going to be late. Del calls the ferry company and the motorhome club to let them know and gets us on a later ferry. Unfortunately, it will be much later. Instead of 13:20, it will be the 15:20. Dull. A long wait.

With Hayley at the wheel, we make good progress and arrive at 12:50. By luck there is space on an earlier ferry which we are put on. Great news. Back at the flat, we unload Jess. We can’t believe how much stuff we always take off her on these trips, so much stuff. She is cleaned up and taken to her storage spot, wrapped up m safe and sound until our next trip in December.

We are looking to do southern Spain, Portugal and back up to northern Spain.

Back at the flat, we put all this stuff away that has spilt out of Jess, rev up the washing machine and start to get through the washing.

We can’t be bothered with a full-on dinner tonight so it’s good old British fish and chips to end our 3 week journey and our day.

Again many thanks to all of you who follow us, we always like to hear from you. Until the next time, we would like to wish you all good health.

Some stats from this trip

Fuel: 283 euros

LPG: 18 euros

A soggy week in Paris…! How was London?

September 28, 2024 / deljones / 10 Comments

Week 2. Bracieux to Paris – 259 miles

Saturday the 21st of September 2024

Bracieux – (Day 3. Last day)

A busy day today. Karen joins us for a very light breakfast before we set off for the city of Blois. We are going to have a look around it and have a Michelin-listed lunch at about half one. Yes, another Michelin-listed meal. A bit of background about Michelin-listed restaurants and dining. It doesn’t mean that it is expensive, lavish with finely manicured food. It means that it’s good quality food, presented well and at a good price. The average for a 3-course lunch or dinner is around 30 to 35 euros (or £28.00). You would quite easily pay that in a pub or average restaurant in the UK and leave not particularly satisfied.

It’s a 25-minute drive to Blois and it’s packed. Very busy. We have to abandon one car park as it’s full, but luckily we do find a space with a bit more of a walk to the town. No problem, what else are we doing?

Once in Blois city, we find it to be a very pleasant place indeed. The usual beautiful French shops line the streets.

We find a busy Saturday market selling local food, cakes as well as fruit and veg. Some stalls are selling clothes. Karen buys a couple of nice woollen tops.

Like all French cities and towns, it’s full of churches and of course, a cathedral. We find a nice looking church so we go in and have a good look around.

None of us are religious but we do like these places, they are so calming to walk around and sit in.

Back into the streets and to the restaurant. Called BRO’S it is situated off the beaten track in a back street. We are given a table outside which is too noisy for us so Hayley, in her best French, asks if we can go inside. We are given an inside table and have the small but comfortable restaurant to ourselves.

The food is fantastic. A fixed menu with a choice of fish or meat. We all have a small glass of white wine. The total bill is 39 euros each which was a three-course lunch and wine, so that’s £33.00 each. You cannot beat that. The standard of the food was high as was the service. Exceptional and well worth the Michelin listing.

We leave the restaurant not full or uncomfortable, but content and happy along with the memories. We now have to walk some of it off!

A short walk across town to a Chateau, Chateau De Blois. Admission is on a special offer this weekend of 7 euros.

Not as big and as grand as yesterday’s, but very interesting all the same. Great to walk around. Del has taken a shine to the paintings and the way they convey light. They are impressive to look at, especially the large ones.

We are flagging now, it’s 5 pm so it’s back to the car and home, via a carwash for Karen’s car and a supermarket to buy some bits and pieces for later on. We are dropped off at the campsite, and Karen goes back to her hotel. The sky is looking heavy now with dense black clouds, so we pack up the outside of Jess, the awning, the table and the groundsheet, we are leaving tomorrow anyway so it saves us a job. There are a few drops of rain and the air is hot and heavy. A storm will surely come. Just as we are packing away we spot a couple of hot air balloons passing over us. We are not sure about that, especially in the coming weather.

Once we are packed and settled we get some various French cheeses out on the table with honey, figs and a stick of bread. The end of a great day in France.

Tomorrow we are hoping to get to Sancerre, a famous French wine town in the Loire Valley.

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

Sunday the 22nd of September

Bracieux to Sancerre – 73 miles

The rain has finally come. Last night, just as Hayley went for her shower. She got soaked just walking 20 meters from the shower back to Jess. The rain, in heavy and light bursts, was quite noisy on the roof last night. We have woken up this morning to grey skies, it’s still quite warm and for the moment it’s not raining. Fortunately, we did all the packing up last night before the rain came, so it’s just breakfast, clear up and off we go.

We do a full service on Jess, empty the grey water, freshen the toilet and fill up with fresh water. It’s a longish drive today, 2 and a bit hours to Sancerre. It’s wet everywhere, but at least it’s not pouring with rain so far on the drive.

We spoke too soon, the rain has started again. Hayley has found a supermarket with a mini laundrette in the car park. The French are good at providing washing machines and dryers at supermarkets, some even have motorhome service points too.

The roads are long and straight here, but very long and straight and a little bit rough. Soon we get a rest from it as we pull into a supermarket which closes in 30 minutes. Hayley dashes in for a small shop while Del sorts out the laundry. For 5 euros we get a full dark wash done, and for 3 euros the drying.

We have seen these car park laundrettes before but never tried them. We like it so much we have put fresh bedding on and put a white wash on too. We know how to treat ourselves. Van life isn’t all sunsets and beaches!

All the laundry has been done but the rain is still heavy. Del is at the wheel for the next bit. It’s a challenging drive as the roads are a bit lousy in part, twisty and very wet. The drive coming into Sancerre, despite the rain, was quite nice.

The views are still spectacular. It looks like the harvest has already been done as we can’t see any grapes on the vines. We arrive at the campsite, it’s all a bit sad in the rain. We are given a spot and we get settled in. We have done this before. We have plenty of food, drink, games, and Netflix downloads, so we’ll not be stuck. The only downer is that we will not be seeing Karen tonight who is in the town of Sancerre up on the hill, we are a couple of miles away at the bottom, with no bus service in between.

We can’t walk or cycle as the rain is so heavy. Karen can’t get to us as her car has to stay in the hotel compound as the town is closed off because of a special event… In this weather? We just spend the rest of the day in the van comforting ourselves with a bottle of white from Touraine, a wine area not far from where we are, and very nice it is too. Hayley watches some Netflix, Del does a bit of homework, sorts out his photo stuff and writes this blog!

Hayley will knock up a fab dinner for us tonight and we will see Karen tomorrow morning, when hopefully the weather will have improved. Hopefully.

Monday the 23rd of September

Sancerre to Chablis – 75 miles

This morning we have some sunshine, it’s also a little cooler. We don’t know how long we will have it this way, but it’s a lovely morning to start the week. We are joined by Karen for morning tea and to discuss tactics for the day. It’s a bit of a drive to Chablis, so we will break the journey up a little and stop at “Les Caves Bailly Lapierre”. Here they make Cremant which is made the same way as champagne but they can’t call it that because it’s not made in the same region of France, so it has to be called “Cremant“.

On the way, we stop at a small village called Bouhy, about half an hour out from Sancerre. There is supposed to be a small Patisserie there and as we have time to kill we agree that we will stop there buy some French fancy cakes and have them in the van with another cup of tea. Karen leads the way and gets there first. Like all French villages and some towns, it’s dead. There is not a living soul to be seen anywhere, but we find the cake shop on the only corner of the village. We are served by a very nice French lady who has a total of 5 cakes for sale!

They do look amazing though, so we buy three. The biggest sale of the day. She packs them all into a nice box for us to take away.

Happy with our purchase we head back to Jess in the car park, get the kettle on and have these delicious cakes. Excellent.

After an hour so we are cleaned up and on our way to Les Caves Bailly Lapierre, which translated means The Bailly Caves of Lapierre. The drive is great. We are deep in the middle of France where the countryside is extensive and big and stretches for miles. France is a huge country made up mainly of agricultural land, and what a sight it is.

We arrive at Les Caves Bailly Lapierre and find a parking space, do the short walk to the cave. It really is a cave. You enter and the temperature drops and everywhere is wet. It’s wonderful.

The first thing you see is a huge bar area where you can try all the different cremants that they make. We go for the 8 euro tour. We are given an audio guide to listen to about how this place came about from being created in the 12th century to source stone for some of the most famous architecture in France, and then became a mushroom farm in the 70s. After the tour, we get to sample some of the wines that they make. Very nice it is too, not quite as good as champagne but very good all the same. As a thank you they let you keep the little glass flute. We purchase two bottles, a brut and an extra dry.

Back at the van we get packed up and agree to meet Karen in Chablis. The drive there is beautiful. The countryside here in the Burgundy region is stunning. Miles of hills full of grapevines, with small towns nestling in the foothills, real picture postcard stuff.

We arrive at the campsite in Chablis. This is the third time we have stopped here. There has been heavy rain here recently, it’s a mud bath. Nasty. We get one of the remaining few spaces but with no electricity. We’ll be ok.

Tonight we are all meeting in town and going to… yes, another Michelin-rated restaurant. We get showered, Del’s is cold and as he is coming back to the van it starts to rain, but heavy rain. Here we are in our evening finery going out to dine and the rain is lashing down. Fortunately, Karen says that she will pick us up. Whew! Sure enough, within 5 minutes she is waiting for us at the entrance to the campsite. She takes us to the apartment where she is staying tonight. It’s a lovely place, in the centre of town and very well-appointed.

She is acting as our sommelier tonight and offers us 3 white wines to taste. We try them all and enjoy them all.

It’s a short 5 minute walk to the restaurant. ‘Au Fil Du Zinc’, where a three-course dinner is 42 euros or £38 each! Of course, we have to add a local Chablis white to go with it. The whole thing is just excellent once again.

By the time we leave the restaurant, the rain has eased so we bid Karen farewell and take the short walk back to the campsite. On the way, Hayley has a fall. No, it was not the wine, she slipped on a double yellow line – the painted line was slippery. Really, it’s true.

Jess is waiting for us in the mud bath. We are glad to be in.

Tomorrow we are setting off for Paris…

Tuesday the 24th of September

Chablis to Paris – 118 miles

It rained for most of the night last night. Noisy on the roof. We remembered that September in France used to be good for sunny, warm weather. We did get off to a good start last week, but now we are just getting heavy showers of rain. Europe has had some bad weather over the past few weeks, especially in eastern Europe where a few people in Poland have sadly lost their lives because of flooding. We are probably getting the tail end of that here.

To tell the truth, we are pleased to be leaving Chablis this morning, which is a shame as we have always had a nice time here. We didn’t sleep well either because of the rain and at 7 this morning there was a rather ferocious argument next door. It seems that there was some disagreement amongst them, ending with someone storming off shouting and ranting. Everything is wet, everything is muddy, and we had trouble getting access to showers last night and toilets this morning, so it’s best to cut our losses and get going. We did have a very nice dinner here and the town is rather nice but no, we are off.

We are packed up quickly and away. We do a quick service first as the drive is a good two hours. Karen has already set off after having morning tea and a croissant with us. We need diesel, a small shop and a van wash. She only had one a couple of days ago but since being in Chablis, she looks like she has been in a motor rally contest with mud dripping off the wheels as we exit the campsite.

Finally, we are on our way. Mostly motorway today, the campsite is in the south of Paris and a 30-minute train journey into the centre, so it’s a very good location to be in for the next 4 days, as Del is off to London on Wednesday for some work. We need to keep the “van tokens” up.

An uneventful drive. On the outskirts of Paris, the traffic starts to thicken up a bit and it becomes more erratic and sometimes dangerous. We almost get sideswiped by a local who thinks it might be a good idea to speed up and cut in front of us. A truck almost, but almost, slams into the back of another, other than that all good. Del is at the wheel today, he does like a driving challenge, but even he is getting a bit fed up with it. We do a shop, fill up with diesel and find a wash for Jess. She is all clean again, we are full of fuel and food, just 20 more minutes to the campsite.

The campsite is a welcome oasis, considering where it is. It’s clean, and tidy with polite staff and hard standing, so no more trudging through wet grass and muddy walkways. Bliss. We open up the van and give her a good clean on the inside. Such a relief to get rid of all the mud and grit from Chablis. Hayley has a hot shower and comes back to Jess feeling fully renewed.

Karen is staying in a small chalet on the campsite. It’s small,has everything inside that you might need, but isn’t quite the same as the apartment she had last night. She pops by to say ‘hello‘.

Tonight we are having dinner in a complete stranger’s house in the centre of Paris. There is a website called ‘Eatwith’ where dinner hosts advertise what they offer. We, as guests, choose a good-rated host and book an evening with them where they cook you dinner in their home. What a great idea, for many reasons.

We have chosen a lady called Catherine who has great reviews. We take the train into town and it’s only a short walk to her apartment.

She greets us downstairs and takes us to her apartment which is beautiful. The conversation is free-flowing and varied with some nibbles and a glass of white wine to help it along. The food is tremendous, consisting of:

Starter: Aubergine and lentils with feta cheese. Main: Baked Mackerel fillets with potatoes and a tomoto and olive sauce. A selection of cheeses with figs. Dessert: Mirabelle tart (a small seasonal plum)

It was a fabulous 2-hour dinner. We give our thanks to Cathrine and congratulate her on the fine dinner and we leave for the station and back to the campsite. The trains here are efficient, regular and cheap and about 40 minutes later we are back home. We say good night to Karen and we are back in the van just in time for bed! A great experience, going to someone’s house and having them cook good local food for you, something that we will definitely do again.

Wednesday the 25th of September

Paris (Day 2) London Day 1

We had a good night’s sleep last night, both of us. Rain is forecast in Paris for the next few days, we shall see. Karen joins us for breakfast and we all leave at 10:45 for Del to get on the train to Charles De Gaulle Airport for a 2hr 25min flight to London. We get off at Notre Dame and Del carries on to another train to the airport leaving Karen and Hayley to wreak havoc on Paris.

>>> Del. Paris to London Day 1<<<

It has been a long time since I was last at Charles De Gaule airport, I remember it being not a great airport, but this time it has been a much more pleasant experience.

It’s quick to move through the airport and there are plenty of cafes and shops to hang around in. The gate has been changed three times already and we are now leaving 30 minutes later than advertised. No matter, I have plenty to do.

We are finally called to the gate and boarded onto a half-full flight, which is a bit of a surprise, usually, these flights are just rammed full, but no today there is plenty of room.

An uneventful flight, which is always the best way to have a flight, and within an hour we land at Luton Airport. The Immigration lounge is packed and takes just as long to get through that as did the flight. It’s mad.

I’m on my way to a hotel in Camden Town, where I hope to have a relaxing night, and early night and be ready for my 7 am start tomorrow.

>>> Hayley. Paris Day 2<<<

Once Karen and I leave Del at Notre Dame we head out onto the streets near Notre Dame, the cathedral is due to re-open in December after the terrible fire that it had 5 years ago.

It’s still quite a building site and the roof looks like it needs finishing off, but this being France I’m sure they have it in hand. We walk over to Ile St. Louis and admire the lovely shop displays of cakes, cheese and art, such pride is taken in making everything look just right.

After a good wander around the Marais district, we are becoming hungry so we find a restaurant. We end up in one specialising in Burgundy cooking and their speciality is beef bourguignon.

Of course, we have to have this with a glass of red and it is delicious! We sit under the canopy outside watching Parisian street life and the rain starting to fall.

The weather is only going to get worse so we hop on a metro and have a look around Galeries Lafayette.

It’s a fantastic department store with a very impressive glass dome and a whole separate building devoted to kitchen goods and selling food including fragrant spice shops and a full gourmet supermarket in the basement.

There are some beautiful cakes here, which are works of art, but it’s so busy we opt to get cake and tea elsewhere.

After our cakes, the rain starts to come down hard and is predicted for the rest of the night. We jump on a train back to the campsite. After a shop at the local supermarket, we retire to our accommodations and get an early night. We have walked a lot today!

Thursday the 26th of September

>>> Del. London Day 2<<<

I’m up bright and early today to start a small but intense job at the Roundhouse in Camden Town. The Roundhouse is a famous train shed from yesteryear which has been converted into a concert venue as well as a place for large corporate events which is what I’m up to today, it’s a long day which is expected to end at 1am.

I have worked here many times in the past so it’s good to see old faces as well as meeting new people. The production company that I’m working with is a regular client, so the day is expected to be a bit of a giggle.

There is quite a lot to get through, the day goes by quickly, however. It is a little sobering though when I look at my watch and it’s 5pm and I think to myself that I am only halfway through the shift…!!!!

We go live at 7:30pm and it’s not long before it’s passing midnight and we are on the home run.

By 1:00 am everyone is booted out. There’s peace and quiet as we load out the small amount of kit that we brought in with us.

Time at last for bed… Back in Paris tomorrow.

>>> Hayley. Paris Day 3<<<

It rained a lot last night, but it’s dry now so after breakfast Karen and I head into Paris again.

We catch the train to the Eiffel Tower, which never fails to impress me. It’s a shame that you can’t get near it now without a ticket as it has a perspex wall surrounding it.

The whole area looks a bit of a building site with cranes and concrete blocks everywhere, maybe this is a hangover from the recent Olympic Games. After a stroll to the Champs Élysée, we jump on a metro and head far south into the city to the Chinese district. Karen spent many years living in Hong Kong so is keen to see what the Chinese quarter is like. We have also found a Michelin recommended Chinese restaurant here.

The district doesn’t look too different from the rest of Paris but has lovely aromas of Asian food. We’re hungry by now, so we go to our restaurant. I ask Karen to choose all the dishes and she does so in Cantonese (it’s always quite funny seeing the reaction of people when a blond haired English lady starts talking in Cantonese).

We have a feast of duck, char sui pork, dim sum, a delicious tofu and pork dish and chicken feet, this is my second time trying chicken feet and I’m still not mad about them but everything else is delicious. It’s great that Karen knows exactly what the best things are to order. We wash this down with a pot of Chinese tea.

Very satisfied with our very reasonably priced lunch we emerge from the restaurant to find the torrential rain is back. We hop on a metro and decide to sit it out with a glass of wine in a pavement cafe next to the Seine watching the people hurrying by, huddled up, and the traffic chaos.

Eventually, the rain stops and we head back but it seems the rail system is in chaos and the journey back is harder than it should be. Back at the campsite most pitches and roadways are flooded,

luckily Jess’s pitch isn’t. Karen and I have a drink and a light dinner on her terrace, my shoes are now completely soaked having walked through the 2 inches of standing water that is now everywhere on the campsite.

When will this rain stop?

Friday the 27th of September

>>> Del. London to Paris Day 3<<<

I’m flying back to Paris today on a 2:30pm flight so there’s no rush to get up, which is a good thing as I am feeling a bit drowsy having had only a couple of hours of sleep. After the longest shower in the world, I get my small amount of stuff together and head off for Luton Airport. There is train trouble today and there is a mass of people at the station blocking the entrances to the platforms. Security are on hand in case tempers start to fray.

Finally, I get on my train to the airport which is now leaving 20 minutes late and goes so slow to get there that I’m 45 minutes late arriving. Good job I decided to hang around Luton Airport this morning rather than London. If you had the choice which would you choose? London or Luton…? Not much in it…

The flight leaves on time, and I sleep for most of it. A plan has been hatched to meet the ‘girls‘ in Paris for a last dinner together. Karen is going south, we are going…? We don’t know yet. The skies in Paris are angry. Very heavy black clouds surround the airport. While I’ve been away they have had some heavy rain here, it looks like there is now a pause, but for how long?

The immigration hall is packed. It takes me an hour to get out and on the train to Paris.

Paris (Day 4. Last day) London day 3

>>> Hayley. Paris Day 4<<<

Del comes home today! After a light breakfast, Karen and I have some chores to do. I have some van chores (the yucky ones that Del normally does.) We then both set off to a laundrette where we both do some washing and then shopping.

Exhausted after all this activity we find a Lebanese restaurant in a nearby town that we’ve never heard of and have a delicious lunch of a Lebanese platter.

We have seen sunshine today, amazing! It’s so sunny that we have to have the blind pulled down to shade us however as soon as we leave the restaurant the heavens open and soak us as we run to the nearby car.

I’m fed up with this rain now, this has been one of the worst runs of consistent rain that I’ve had on the van. It even makes Todtnau, in Germany, look dry!

Del is on his way from the airport so we have arranged to meet at a restaurant in Pigalle in the Montmatre district. Del arrives, and Karen and Hayley are already waiting. Restaurant Ose is a Michelin rated restaurant serving a three course dinner for 44 euros. It was all very nice, but not as memorable as others that we have been to.

We have decided that, as it’s our last night to jump on the metro and go and see the hourly glittering light show on the Eiffel Tower.

Sadly the event didn’t have the memorable end that we hoped for. At the station for the tower, there is a random ticket inspection and for some reason, Karen’s ticket, which we just purchased, is not valid. Despite contesting it with proof of purchase she receives an on-the-spot 50 euro fine which puts a bit of a dampener on the evening. The inspector is being a bit of a ‘jobs worth’. We were able to prove that three tickets were bought at the same station at the same time through our bank account, he agrees but says if the ticket can’t be scanned through his little gizmo then it’s a fine! Very disappointing.

We watch the glittering tower, but we are now not in the mood. We get on a very packed train back to the campsite and call it a day.

Tomorrow we are promised an end to the rain. We shall see.

Autumn 2024 in France

September 21, 2024 / deljones / 12 Comments

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.

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

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…

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.

The site where it all took place… nasty!

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.

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.

In all the service stations in all the world…!

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.

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.

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.

We get a lot of stuff in that little van!

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.

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.

Bye-bye Summer 2024 – Hello autumn!

September 14, 2024 / deljones / 14 Comments

Well, that’s the summer of 2024 been and gone, and what a disappointment it was. Saying that we did have some days of warm weather, but it was never a “real” summer, not the kind of summer that we remember from previous years. It was a busy summer for us this year. Plenty of work with lots of friends and family coming to visit us on the Island. You all know who you are. It was lovely to see you all and we hope to see you again soon. Many thanks for making the effort to come and see us, it’s a long way and not the easiest place to get to, so thank you very much.

Now autumn is with us, on Thursday the temperature dropped to single figures, and you can smell the change in the air.

We have three weeks spare in September and thought that we would get away to France, now that all the families and kids have finished their holidays, the weather can still be warm and beautiful so why not? Hayley has done some prep and even booked a few sites for us to stay in advance. During our trip, we will be joined again by our good friend from the Island who spent some time with us on our last trip in May. She is going to be in France touring some of the finest chateaux, so we hope to be joining her soon.

13th September 2024 – Home to Calais. 182 miles

We are up early, ferries are booked, Jess is prepared so off we go. The Wightlink Ferry leaves on time, for a change.

Next the long drive from Portsmouth to Dover, which is uneventful until we get to Cobham services on the M25 going east. Del fancies a coffee from Greggs, which is nice, however, the car park is in gridlock. No one can get out due to the only road out of the service station being blocked as most people want to go west toward Heathrow into roadworks and a huge traffic jam. All the traffic is backed up to the service station, brilliant. We are trapped there for 45 minutes.

Finally, we are free from Cobham services and on our way. We make good progress and can get on an earlier ferry. Fabulous.

The weather is stunning. It’s bright, sunny, warm and calm as we slip away from Dover and into the English Channel, we can see France clearly in the distance. The boat is empty but very empty. It is a fabulous afternoon crossing.

Tonight we will stop at an aire in Calais, a massive aire capable of holding over 100 vans. It’s still quite full even though the holidays are over. It would appear that a lot of people have the same idea as us… We get parked up, plugged up and cleaned up and set off for a walk after hours of sitting.

It’s a lovely evening in Calais. We visited here in May and it took us by surprise. It gets a lot of bad press about immigrants, hoards of men roaming the streets etc, but the beachfront is very smart and tidy. We have a good long walk before turning back towards our mobile home, stopping to take in the sunset.

A very calm, relaxing and pleasant start to our trip.

Author: deljones (Page 1 of 5)

A Wet Week in Portugal…

A week apart… :(

“They think it’s all over…”

Happy 2025 from Spain…!

Merry Christmas from Spain…!

Merry Christmas to you all… Have a great day!

Another winter, another escape…

A gentle, wet trundle home…

Week 3. Paris to East Cowes – 703 miles

A soggy week in Paris…! How was London?

Week 2. Bracieux to Paris – 259 miles

Autumn 2024 in France

Bye-bye Summer 2024 – Hello autumn!

Where are we now!

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Week 3. Paris to East Cowes – 703 miles

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