Three days into our trip to France and I find myself in a camp site in Normandy in the town of Arramanches. My travelling companions are my wife and navigator Chrissy, and my 15 year old daughter Madeleine who is particularly good at devouring books on holiday in a way I can only aspire to. We are travelling in the Outlook Romahome which is designed to comfortably sleep two people but at a push can squeeze in three. Consequently we travel with one of those pop up tents so that Madeleine can experience the privacy that 15 year old girls desire.
Getting the Romahome on and off of the Dover to Calais Ferry crossing was no problem at all. Its much cheaper than taking the longer ferry from Portsmouth which takes you close to Normandy, although I must confess to wondering if that would be an option worth exploring in the future.
Partly in the name of breaking up a long journey South, but mostly out of pure interest, we have spent a couple of days around the site of the D day landings. We are camped at Arromanches, just a few hundred yards from the site of the famous artificial harbour that was built to enable the transfer of troops and equipment shortly after the first wave of the invasion that took place on June 6th 1944.
Two full days of military cemeteries and visits to such beaches as Juno, Utah and Omaha have left us duly inspired. As well as the American and English cemeteries, it was a rewarding experience to visit the German war cemetery too, but with the greatest respect, it is now time to leave the battlefields behind us and head towards what should (hopefully) be a warmer climate. Tomorrow we head off in the direction of Bordeaux, a drive of approximately 400 miles.
We arrived in France on Friday morning. Despite a likely total mileage in excess of 2000 miles on this holiday, it was the fear of the Dartford crossing (which is about ten miles from home) that caused us to wake at 4AM to catch the early ferry from Dover to Calais. In retrospect, I’m not convinced this was the best policy. I found myself extremely tired just an hour into the French side of the journey. Fortunately we have two drivers, so I was able to doze in the back of the van for an hour to get my strength back.
I awoke in time to see the spectacular bridge crossing at Le Havre over the river Seine. After pausing briefly for a photo opportunity, we made the short journey into the harbour town of Honfleur. This was a marvellous find and a visit is highly recommended. It’s extremely pretty and very arty with a number of artists plying their trade on the street. For some reason Honfleur was sparred any serious war damage and so has retained a unique architectural atmosphere.
We took the coastal road through to our campsite, which was slow going as it passes through several seaside towns. After crossing Pegasus Bridge we were at the start of the Normandy trail.
There is an early-ish night planned for tonight so we can hit the road and head south. We could do with some decent weather. The last few days have been cloudy at best. Although this was an appropraite way of seeing the D Day sights I feel we are in need of some sunshine.
Tuesday 3rd Aug
Yesterday was a driving day where we left Normandy and headed about 300 miles south reaching the Island of Isle De Re which is accessible by a bridge close to the town of La Rochelle (at a cost of 16 euros I might add).
We’ve clearly hit the peak holiday fortnight for the French. After a pretty good journey, we then spent two hours bouncing from one full campsite to another. We finally got the very last spot on a site called Les Grenettes. At 37 Euros a night, I expect more than the sandy pitch we are on. The toilet and washing block is tiny and there appears to be no tap for drinking water. Worst of all I can’t get the electric hook up to work despite the willing but useless help from a neighbouring Italian camper who had less idea than I did.
It’s close to a nice looking beach however, and so we will have a "do nothing" rest day today assuming it warms up a little. This is clearly going to be an expensive trip if the prices thus far are anything to go by. We will be heading further south tomorrow for the main part of the holiday. The weather better be worth it!
It’s now several hours later and I’m sitting outside the van after a hot day during which I swam in the sea and the onsite swimming pool. It’s possible that we are the only English people at the site. There was a lovely moment earlier where Chris and I stepped out to go to the site shop, when a young lad of about six pulled up on his bike and asked us a question in French. I tried to get him to understand that we couldn’t speak the lingo and that we were from England. He looked at us like we were mad, repeated his question a few times and then road off. We really ought to have a command of the language, It’s terribly rude of us.
No progress on the electricity front. I tested our cable out on the Italian’s van and it all worked fine. Possibly something amis with the supply that our UK based wiring objects to. I’ll see what happenes at the next site. With temperatures and expenses likely to be high, and eating out so expensive. a fridge is a must.
Wednesday 4th August
Well here’s something new. Looks like we will be spending the night in a car park! Rather than head south immediately, we decided to spend some time looking at the town of St Martin on the Island before leaving. This is a lovely harbour town with quaint market shops and harbour side cafes. It was well worth the stop. By lunchtime we were back on the road with the intention of camping near to the city of La Rochelle, which is back on the mainland.
The book lists a few campsites but the only practical one was full. We decided to park in the town centre and then see what happens from there. Bad idea! We queued for an hour to get in a town car park that turned out (at the last minute) to have a height restriction in place. It was then we discovered that there was a campervan parking lot which (we think) allows all night parking for free. We parked in there and then walked into town.
After a good lunch in a harbour restaurant we made our way to the town’s main attraction, the Aquarium. Allegedly this is one of the largest in Europe. All I can confirm at this stage, is that the queues were the largest in Europe. We were advised that it would be a 90 minute queue and if we were able, it would be better to come back in the evening.
So it looks like we will be sleeping rough in the car park with no toilet facility other than the bush we are parked alongside. Doubtless we’ll have an early start tomorrow!
Thursday 5th August
An early start we did have. It worked pretty well in the camper van park but we hit the road and headed south at first light. The aquarium was certainly worth a look last night, although I would say that it is on a par with the London version.
We took a scenic coastal route stopping at the village of Talmont for a late breakfast. Talmont has an overnight parking facility for camper vans with very nearby toilet facilities. All for 4 euros per night.
The weather is really picking up and so we were keen to get to our main holiday location on Biscarrosse, which we first visited two years ago. We arrived in good time but once again had to play campsite tag as the crowds had followed us. We eventually found a spot on a very busy commercial site (run by the Campeole chain) at Navarrosse, where we booked a five night slot. It’s busy and noisy. It’s about a 15 minute drive to the beach which is not what we hoped for, but we’ve learned a lesson about seasonal timing! It works out at a very expensive 40 Euro’s per night. On the plus side it is located on the edge of a very swimable lake. I guess you can’t have it all!
Saturday 7th August
We’ve just spent two extremely hot days on a very crowded beach at Biscarrosse. The sea was of the rough sort that the ladies like and I tolerate just to be sociable. As the tide turned later in the afternoon it was just about safe enough for me to have a go at jumping the waves. Another home cooked meal this evening from Chrissy which left the aroma of curry swirling around the site.
Sunday 8th August
We’ve decided to have a chill out day around the site and the lake today. I can’t really be doing with another crowded beach. The nomadic spirit is also kicking in so we will check out one night early as it’s really not our sort of site. Hopefully we’ll find something a little quieter slightly further south for a few days (fat chance!)
Tuesday 10th August
It’s been an interesting couple of days with mixed fortunes. After checking out from the Bicarosse site we headed south to explore resorts further down the coast. The sleeping arrangements would once again be left to providence as nothing was booked.
We arrived in Minizan for breakfast and the inevitable gift shop trail. Nice place but it has nothing that Bicarosse doesn’t have.
The next port of call was Contis Plage which turned out to be a great find. We stumbled upon another of the Airre De Service campervan only sites. This one had the luxary of a toilet and shower! It was a short stroll (uphill) to the beach that had the type of waves that my lady companions have become accustomed to. It was also a stones throw to a small town of restaurants and bars. A really worthwhile stop. The site costs just 8 Euros per night which is a damm site better than what we have paid thus far. All in all it’s been a great day to add to the impressive collection we had already built up.
Then came today. It was always the plan to set off even further south towards the Spanish border to the city of Birritz. We took a senic route which was nice but slow (very slow). After a short stop to glance at yet another southern resort, we eventually mad it into Birriitz. Now I’m sure this is a nice place but I can not positively confirm this as we couldn’t actually get out of the car to examine the evidence. My wife tells me that there were some fantastic views as we crawled through the hill top coastal road, but I never saw more than a glimpse. There was nowhere for even our small camper van to park and there was no sign whatsoever of any campsites. The end result was that we pulled into a car park a few miles out of town and actually ate in McDonalds.
We’d been driving for something close to four hours. Clearly we were not going to make any progress in the area, so we headed for the motorway and made out way back to the the familiar area of Bicarosse. We'll just have to go back there one day (in June next time!)
Despite the trials of the day, it ended on a high as we stumbled upon a lakeside campsite (Camping Calede) about five miles out of Bicarosse that squeezed us in. The initial pitch on offer was horrible (next to one of those bowls sand pit things that the French are so fond of). After a gentle complaint, the site staff took pity and offered us a pitch next to a large wooden shed. It turned out that this shed had a bed in it and they said we could use it free of charge. I’m writing this sat just outside of it after a much needed swim in the lake.
This really is a great find and it came at just the right time as we were tired and patience was wearing a little thin. It’s a much quieter site than we have found elsewhere on this trip. Those French types really know how to make a noise when they all get together.
Tomorrow, we’ll make the most of the area and maybe split the day between the lake on the site and the beach at Bicarosse. After that we intend to head in the general direction of home stopping off at three places to spread the journey and give us some relaxation time to boot. What could possibly go wrong?
Wednesday 11th August
Well I suppose you could say that belting down with rain counts as going wrong. Not that it stopped the ladies from going in the sea at Bicarosse for a final dose of rough sea on this holiday. I’d already dipped into the lake on the campsite earlier so felt justified in giving the sea a bit of a miss. That said we can’t complain about the weather on this holiday, its been fantastic.
Saturday 14th August
We’re about 500 miles North of my last paragraph. We decided to make the long journey home in three stages. We left Bicarosse on Thursday and headed North towards the theme park of Futurscope. A pleasant enough journey in which we avoided the motorway tolls by using the national road. Futurscope is close by to the town of Poitier where we stopped off for a walk around and spot of lunch.
To give us a day without driving we spent all day Friday in the park. It’s nothing like the traditional Disney type theme park. Instead it’s an educational / environmental arrangement consisting of 3D cinemas and motion rides. There is also an evening show that makes use of projections on the lake. A pleasant but extremely long day. We entered the park at around 9:30 in the morning and didn’t get out until just before midnight. As part of the deal we had a room in an adjacent Campomile hotel. (I preferred the van bed to be honest). We were lucky to have spent the previous evening close by to the park in a municipal campsite (where we got the very last pitch).
As I write this, we are back pretty much where it all began in the Normandy town of Honfleur. There’s been some torrential rain on the journey which has resulted in us camping in a bit of a mud bath on a site close to the town. It is a short walk to the centre where there are plenty of bars and restaurants to pick from for our last evening. Tomorrow we’ve left ourselves a relatively easy drive to Calais for the return crossing scheduled for seven o’clock in the evening. It means we can have a casual morning before heading off (possibly to visit the scene of the battle of Agincourt.
Sunday 15th August
This is more like the sort of holiday I remember! Its about 9AM and its lashing down with rain. It’s our last day and we have to be about 175 miles away by 7 this evening. We’ve got the morning to please ourselves until a dry bit comes along that will give us a window to drop down the small tent that Madeleine is (still) sleeping in. (Although at the time of writing,there seems to be little prospect of a dry bit!)
We had a particularly good evening in Honfleur last night. A stroll around the harbour and backstreets was followed by a nice meal in an off street restaurant. This finished the holiday off nicely. Honfleur is a a great place place and I’d like to come back one day out of season. I wonder what it would look like at Christmas? There is a campervan park the other side of town they may well be open in the winter months so a December visit one year would not be out of the question.
Coming back out of season is a sentiment I can put in front of most locations we visited on this holiday. It really has been busy everywhere we went. I suspect all experienced Romahomers would know not to travel in the first few weeks of the school holiday, but this particularly seems to apply to France. We always found somewhere to stay but at times that was hard work.
We ought really to get to grips with the language too. Although last night we carried out the entire ordering process in the restaurant using a combination of badly pronounced French and pointing. We got pretty well what we ordered so it does work. I was useless at learning languages at school and this has generated a limiting belief in my ability to learn ever since. I think throwing ourselves into the deep end is the way to do it.
It could be a few years before we get back to this part of the world as my good lady travel planner is already thinking of Scandinavia and Italy as destinations for forthcoming trips. I’m certainly not learning Norwegian, so it would be a good use of time to learn some basic French as I suspect we will be coming back to various parts of the country over the coming years. It really is easy to get to and the road system is very impressive so I think we will have the confidence to travel here in later life.
Anyway,its time to get breakfast going and then to start packing down in the rain. If it clears up we will visit Agincourt on the way home. Signing off now, England tonight and work tomorrow!
Tuesday 17th August
What a crossing! The ferry from Calais to Dover was extremely rough. We had spent a casual day visiting the site and museum of the battle of Agincourt. It’s only an hour away from Calais and so if you like that sort of thing, it makes an ideal way of filling in time before a ferry crossing.
As I drove towards Calais, I noticed that the van was rocking far more vigourously than usual. The wind was certainly picking up which gave us an idea that we might be in for a rough ride to Dover!
Once on the (delayed) ferry, the announcement came over the tannoy that despite a couple of goes at it, the ship did not have the power to safely get out of port in this weather. A tug boat had been summoned to pull us out, which would take a little longer to organise.
We eventually rocked and rolled our way into the port of Dover after staying firmly in our seats throughout the entire crossing to avoid motion sickness or tumbling down the corridors.
The delays meant that we did not arrive home until around 11:30 at night. A very quick unpacking of the essentials followed before I had to retire to prepare myself for work next morning.
It was a particularly enjoyable holiday to a country that I'm sure we will be returning to on a regular basis, but never again in the first two weeks of August!
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