Back on the Road!

We’ve been back in England for 7 weeks and in that time, we’ve seen Rio and Hamish head off for their 9-month adventure, Bob has (with the help of my brother Rob) insulated Ian’s ceiling, we’ve spent a long weekend in Devon (Bob was ill), divided our time between Wiltshire and Dorset, eaten out far too much, met up with friends and family, bought numerous essentials for the Moho but at the same time lightened our load from things we feel we don’t need or won’t use. 

It been odd not having our own house, being guided by someone else’s house rules.

I was lucky to join Ashley at Wessex Walx whilst in Wiltshire who got me out on some great and Ashley walks to places I’ve not seen before.

We’ve both ended up going down with colds and we were itching to get back on the road to head for some winter sun.

Finally we said our goodbyes and spent our last night with friends Deb and Rob who have very kindly looked after the van for the month in their paddock. 

First stop was a campsite on the outskirts of Littlehampton  – a small seaside town along the south east coast to Folkstone. We stayed there two nights and during that time I managed to drop my sim card only to find it later by retracing my steps but by then it was damaged! Sound familiar! 

On our first day at Littlehampton we explored the harbour and sea front – a long stony beach with a small pier set at the mouth of the Arun river. It probably looks a lot nicer in the summer but just like most coastal towns in November, it looks a bit sad at this time of year. The sea was extremely dramatic looking, and it was good to be by the sea again. 

The following day we headed across the other side of the river Arun which took us along a path called The Rope walk – a road alongside the shipyard. Ships in those days required 20 miles of rope to support the masks. The mariners who made the ropes would walk up and down the road covering 15 miles a day to make the ropes. That puts my daily step count into perspective! 

This same area during WW2 was occupied by Canadians troops who took control of sea and air rescues and had their base along this same road, but it now houses private bungalows. We took a step back in time by having a coffee in Rita’s Diner. 

Our next stop was another site near Maidstone but only as a stopover before we took the train in the Chunnel the next morning to Calais.

It was good to be back in the van, but the weather was taking a dive in degrees, so we made use of our onboard diesel heating as well as the extra blanket for our bed. George wore his little red coat at night to keep cosy, luckily we always seem to sleep so well in the van.

The Eurotunnel for us is the best way to take a pet and its definitely the quickest route. All went amazingly smoothly with Georges Irish Pet Passport – he even got time to play in the pet park.

35 minutes later you drive onto the smooth wide French roads. So easy and stress-free. Goodbye to busy, narrow, bumpy English roads with roadworks everywhere. Hello to quiet smooth roads with expansive views of French countryside. Bonjour to my favourite place to eat. When I was a student, I studied and cooked French cuisine and as a young child we spent many a holiday in France along with French exchanges at school. French patisseries are a feast for the eyes and the supermarkets are full of treats that I just can’t help buying.

Unfortunately, we were only 3 nights in France as the temperatures still plummeted,  at night it was -3 and during the day with wind chill it was often the same. We did though have 3 nice nights in 3 different Aires.

First stop Neufchatel en Bray – a very well-situated Aire on the outskirts of a small pretty French town in Normandy. The Aire was well organised with good clean facilities and by 5pm it was full. There was a Greenway (disused railway line converted to walkway) that one way took you into town in 10 mins and the other way took you into the countryside. Great walks for George. It was here I spent an hour grazing the supermarket shelves of LeClerc and had my one and only fresh French croissant the next morning from the nearest boulangerie.

Aire no 2 was in Blois – also on the outskirts but walkable across a beautiful bridge over the wide Loire river. Blois is how you imagine all the old medieval French towns to be; Turreted chateaux surrounded by cobbled alley ways of cafes, restaurants, ancient abbeys, monasteries or churches with beautiful stone architecture, bustling market square selling various sweet treats and French warm wine and streets lined with chic French boutiques. I  was in heaven! We stayed until dark so that we could witness the Christmas lights.

The Aire itself was a very basic secure car park but also had a good path to take George for a walk in the morning.

Next morning, we set off early to cover some big miles. 5 hours of driving with a stop next to a windmill for lunch (icy cold).

We arrived at a small town just before Bordeaux called St Andre de Cubzac. The Aire itself was very nice as it was set in a large landscaped field so you weren’t cramped together and had some good facilities and a lake not far to walk to. But the local shops were a good 2 plus miles boring walk. The only upside was at the town hall there was a Christmas fayre with some remarkably interesting animal stalls and old-fashioned iron works to try.

I took George the following morning on a stunning lakeside walk before we set off for our venture into Spain.

Up until now we had avoided the toll roads, but the day before had been an exceptionally long journey and a hell of a lot of roundabouts so to get to our campsite in the Basque country we took the motorways and cut at least 90 minutes from our journey. Tolls cost us over 20 Euros, but it might well have saved us that in fuel!

I dedicate this blog to my mum. We spent a few weeks staying at the house where she lived with Ian, and during that time I felt her presence many times and especially enjoyed cooking in the kitchen where she created so many wonderful meals for happy family times.