30/05/2014 : Back to Dieppe for ferry home :(

Friday

Departed Honfleur after Jo had been for a run and I had done the bicycle trip to a boulangerie. Jo wanted to buy some new running shoes so we planned to track down the Decathlon store on the outskirts of Dieppe.

We had noticed that water was pouring out of the back of the van whenever we negotiated a left turn. I tracked it down to the grey waste overflow and it only happened when the tank was more than half full. We weren't sure if this was normal but I wanted to stop at an aire to empty the tank. We found a lovely one by the river at St. Nicholas De Bliquetuit but unfortunately the service points were all closed. Had coffee there though before pushing on.

Found Decathlon easily for once. Purchased shoes - much cheaper than home!

We drove down to the port and had lunch parked at the beachfront aire before going to the boat. Very sad that our first foreign adventure with Frank was coming to an end!!

Dieppe - Beachside Aire

Boat journey home, drive from Newhaven to Winchcombe, very tired, dull dull dull. Got home about 0115, straight to bed.

Our ferry home

Once the disappointment of the road trip ending subsided, we did realise what a fantastic place we live in - it was nice to be home! 

Next Jo Mark and Frank adventure only 5 weeks away!

Honfleur - Dieppe 87 miles

Newhaven - Home 156 miles

29/05/2014 : Honfleur

Thursday

Plans changed again mainly because it was chucking it down when we awoke this morning. We had planned to go to an aire we visited last year in a lovely beachside location, but its loveliness really relied upon decent weather. So we decided to go to Honfleur. Again, somewhere we visited last year, but a bustling town with lots to do. When we got to the aire it was packed and was a case of one out one in, however after a short wait we got a decent spot with a view across the water and boats. 

We had lunch, Jo went for a run, I went for a cycle and Amelia read her book. Feet up for a bit with a cuppa before heading into town for a mooch round. It was very busy, but on the harbourside we stumbled across a great band playing, and spent a while watching a strange bunch of middle aged musicians hamming it up for the tourists.

Decided that although it is a very attractive town it is massively over commercialised and in fact a bit of a rip off (€8.00 for a large beer on the harbourside!). The aire was completely rammed to the point where people were struggling to get out, and the waiting time to access the service point was over an hour! We think we have seen enough of Honfleur now and don't think we will need to visit again!
  
Aire €10.00 
113 miles.

28/05/2014 : St. Vaast La Hougue

Wednesday


Wet this morning so we got up, had breakfast and hit the road towards Cherbourg in search of Decathlon. As always we spent ages driving round following fleeting signs to our destination. One minute a sign, and then nothing - but that seems to be the French way. We found it eventually and bought some sports kit for Jo and a posh new fleece for me. 


Then it was back to St. Vaast La Hougue, an aire that we had rejected last night. The weather was a bit better and somehow it all looked much nicer than last night. Amelia crashed in the van , Jo and I went out for a cycle around the harbour, looked at the oyster beds and checked out the fish restaurant.




After a couple of hours  chilling in the van we went for dinner and a walk. Best fish and chips ever!!! And it was a beautiful evening for a walk round the harbourside. 

Lesson learned - don't judge a town by the immediate surroundings of the aire! 

Aire €7.50. 
Dinner for 3 with wine €45.00 
86 miles.

27/05/2014 : Grancamp Maisy

Tuesday
     
No running or cycling this morning, headed straight off to Granville, where we had coffee and went to explore the town. Made lunch up in the van and took it over to the cliff tops where we had a great view across the sea. 

Next stop was our intended overnight aire at St. Vaast La Hougue. We didn't like it much so moved on, but not until Amelia and Jo had wandered the town and discovered a fish restaurant. More of which later. 

Next choice for our overnight resting place was Issigny Sur Mer - nice, but full! Final choice was a place strangely named Grancamp-Maisy. This was full as well, but vans were parked up in an adjacent car park. There was a notice on the gate which seemed to prohibit 'camping cars' and there was a height barrier that was open. 14 vans in there so we decided to chance it on the basis that there was safety in numbers! Perhaps we will get locked in overnight.

Will we get locked in??

We went for a walk after dinner - everywhere is gearing up for 70th anniversay of D Day.We got back to the van to find a little  man going door to door of all the vans, so thought we were being charged or turfed out, but no, he was trying to flog his home made cider!

As for St. Vaast, we are going to stay there tomorrow night now so we can go to the fish restaurant. No plan survives contact with the enemy (or in this case Jo's love of fresh fish!!).

Aire €0.00 
129 miles

26/05/2014 : Avranches

Monday

Another great nights sleep. We seem to be sleeping better in Frank than we do at home!

Woke to grey skies, but quite pleasant so Jo and I went for a ride for half an hour leaving Amelia to sort herself out. Planned our route for the day, wrote it down and everything, but 20 minutes after departure we realised we were going in completely the wrong direction - it must have been a navigator error because I was driving to instructions. 

As we passed a brocante I tried to  tell Jo it was closed. Jo's french however,was better than that, her teach yourself french CDs obviously doing the trick (sign said 'ouverte'). So we stopped, and another Pastis bottle was purchased to add to the collection. 


We ended the day at the aire in Avranches. It was a nice spot and the town lovely so we went for a walk and passed a pleasant hour in the town square, soaking up evening sunshine, two colours of wine and a Ricard. 


J and A made delicious burgers. We settled in for a quiet evening, planning the next day and round 2 of Yahtzee. Heading towards the Normandy beaches tomorrow.




Aire €0.00 
81 miles.

25/05/2014 : Pont D'Ouilly

Sunday

This morning the sun shone. And hid. And shone a bit more. J & M went for a short cycle and then J also ran. She was then keen to finish the triathlon in true Jack style so took a dip in the neighbouring river for the sake of completion. A, who had previously sustained a number of semi-serious injuries, rendering her unable to participate in such strenuous activities, read her book instead. 

Croissants, baguette and fresh strawberries were bought from the local town / market. We then re-embarked upon our journey in F. M had many a dispute with the satnav and we all clung to the edge of our seats as J took to the wheel. Thankfully we escaped without any casualties (and by that I simply mean between nervous driver, J, and even more nervous co-driver, M.) 

Another great riverside spot

M = OIC BBQ

We finally reached a particularly pretty and peaceful aire and after a short exploration of the nearby small, but pleasant  town, (though we suggest one of the local households sack their landscape gardener), J & A prepared food and M emptied the toilet. 

A glass (or bottle in some cases) of wine and lush BBQ finished the day off nicely. Now just time for them to read this entry and disagree with various aspects of it. Bon nuit.







P.S. Jo did not go  for a swim in the River - that was just Amelia's poetic licence!!
P.P.S. Aire was at Pont D'Ouilly.                                  
P.P.P.S. If you hadn't guessed the author of today's blog was Amelia who hijacked the computer.                            
Aire €11.00. 
145 miles

24/05/2014 : Dieppe - Pont De L'Arche

Saturday
                                           
The ferry landed at 0400 and we drove just a few hundred yards to an aire on the beachfront. Straight to bed and fell asleep to the sound of rain hammering on the roof. We didn't wake up until about 1000. Jo and I went for a walk along the harbourside and bought croissants leaving Amelia to get dressed. 

Last available spot, right by the river

Coffee and breakfast on the promenade before heading towards Rouen. We found an absolutely enormous Carrefour and so stocked up with food (for us and Frank - diesel still cheaper here than at home) before driving to an aire at Pont De L'Arche. Only 4 spaces according to the book so we drive down with fingers crossed to find the last spot right next to the river.

J & A hiding from the smelly man!

Jo cooked a lovely supper of fish and prawns after a walk. Lazy evening in the van reading - shame though that we had to endure some of the local oiks blasting rubbish music from their car stereos in a nearby car park! We did get accosted by a fellow motorhomer, who spotting another English van, was desperate to engage us in conversation. We think he was Dutch, but lived in Britain. He had been on the road for eight months, and unfortunately, appeared not to have had access to any showering facilities for the period! - very friendly though!!       




Aire Dieppe €7.00 / Pont De L'Arche  €.00 
138 miles

23/05/2014 : Waiting for the ferry.

Hooked up to good old Ronald McDonald's free wifi at Newhaven ferry terminal.

We are on the 23.00 ferry to Dieppe. Picked Jo up from work and had a really easy journey from Cheltenham. We were dreading the traffic, it being Friday of a Bank Holiday weekend, but everyone was going the other way!!

Minor pre-departure dramas:- Amelia fell over out running this morning and sprained her ankle, grazed her knees and elbows, and the boiler is leaking again. Anyway, we got off safely and are now about to embark on our first foreign adventure with Frank (oh, and Amelia's here too!)

Hopefully we will blag wifi in France and be able to keep the blog updated.

4-5/05/2014 : First Overnighter - Forest of Dean

We booked 1 night at Deanwood Campsite, at Yorkley, Forest of Dean to ensure we were match fit for our adventure across the channel. Daughter, who will be accompanying us, is hoping for a "slick operation" en France. We collected Frank Saturday night. Sunday morning Mark rode with his club. Jo got the last bits ready to load Frank ready for a quick get away when the cyclist returned. We hit the road sat up high and  unable to go very fast we pottered along, very relaxing. Great views of the countryside!

Arrived at the site, located our pitch and set about setting up. 'Try not to look like complete numpties' said Jo! We got out hook up leads, turned on the gas bottles, water, electricity - all looking like we had been at it for years - until we discovered I couldn't get the hob to light, partly because we forgot to pack any matches, and we hadn't brought any cash to buy any, and partly because I couldn't remember which knobs had to be turned which way! Jumped on the bikes, went up the road and joy of joys, not only a shop but a cash machine as well. Still couldn't get the hob to light or the water to heat up - cue a phone call to Bob, Frank's previous owner. He talked me through everything that he had already told us at handover, and bingo, all was well.








Did a bit of exploring and then cooked our first meal in the van, accompanied with a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the start of something we have been talking about for years.











Slept well, woke up and felt a bit chilly so tested the heating - got that working as well. Jo then announced that as well as being exclusively responsible for the toilet cassette, I was also in charge of making tea in the mornings, which would be served to her in bed!!





We had a lovely morning, and after breakfast in the van went for a cycle in the forest before returning and packing everything away. Next up, a visit to Ross on Wye, before driving Frank back to the storage area. All in all we had a great try out couple of days. The site was excellent, probably not what we would normally choose, but it was a good location to make sure everything worked before going to France.

Mileage travelled : 102