12 March 2024

Early Spring Hoilday 2024, 11 March

So we are home. We actually got home last night (Monday), but once we had unpacked and sat down, I went fast asleep and didn't wake up until the Swan Whisperer woke me as he was going to bed!

Yesterday morning, we got up early without too much dawdling, and were away shortly after 9. We had hoped to call in at the nearest Lidl, but they had a height barrier at the entrance to their car park (Grrr), so we went to the one in Cité Europe, which has all its announcements in both French and English. I got several things I wanted on coupons, most notably some fish and some stuffing for vegetables - I adore French stuffed tomatoes, and hope that this stuffing will be able to recreate them at home. I also have some tomatoes and a cucumber. And I bought, not on coupon but couldn't resist, a pack of 12 yoghurts based on traditional French puddings; we had two last night and they were okay, quite edible!

We then got diesel - only marginally cheaper than in the UK, but we needed it, and as most of our journey in the UK is on motorways, definitely cheaper than there!  After which we made our way to the checkin for the Shuttle,

to be offered a crossing an hour earlier than we'd booked. Which was good, especially as our letter had just been called, so we could go straight through - and then the train we were loaded on turned out to be half an hour earlier even than the designated one! So instead of stopping at Clacket Lane services to eat our lunch, and arriving at no 6 at about 14:30, we actually arrived at 12:30 and shared our lunch with my mother and sister!

After lunch, of course, it was a matter of packing up and checking stuff, and the Swan Whisperer cleaned the WoMo inside and out, and put it away, and we left for London at about 17:00, getting here about 18:45.  Then it was a matter of unloading the car, putting away the cold stuff and the contents of the crates, and the bare minimum of the rest of the stuff (I finished off this morning). doing a load of washing, eating a Chinese (thank you, Just Eat) and flaking out in front of University Challenge! And, as I said, I fell fast asleep on the sofa!

Next trip in the WoMo will be to Oberstdorf in May. Not sure whether there will be anything between now and then, but I wouldn't be surprised.

10 March 2024

Early spring holiday 2024, 10 March

Marck, Pas-de-Calais. 

I woke up in the wee small hours worrying about that wretched Intermarché card, and thinking I should perhaps have used it so that it was up and running and wouldn't expire or anything and make me have to go through the whole rigmarole again. And, of course, I then couldn't go back to sleep until the Swan Whisperer woke in his turn and was able to reassure me that we could stop at an Intermarché on our way here.

Which we did, and I have done almost all of my take-home shopping, although I hope we will have time to call in at Lidl tomorrow morning as I have some rather nice coupons, and it would be a pity to waste them. Mind you, I don't suppose for one minute that the shop will have what I want, but I still have to look!

Anyway, after I'd been to the Intermarché - which took a long time and it was beginning to close by the time I left (French supermarkets close at noon on Sundays), we drove up as far as the Aire de la Baie du Somme where we stopped for lunch, and then we stopped again at another aire en route for the Swan Whisperer to make himself a cup of coffee and get a breath of air as he was feeling a bit sleepy.

Then we came straight here to Marck, a few kilometres north of Calais, to a very nice aire, with everything you could want, including electricity. It's supposed to cost €8, but nobody has come round to collect it, although the money is sitting out for if and when they do. We will come back, I expect, although I imagine it gets full quite early.

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk, which he says was a bust as he couldn't get where he wanted, and he forgot to record it. Then it was time for our Zoom Lent worship, and now he is getting a quick supper. Home tomorrow! 

I haven't taken any photos today, so here is one from a few days ago:

09 March 2024

Early spring holiday 2024, 9 March

Mesnières-en-Bray, Normandy. 

We hadn't intended to be here tonight, but we decided that Marck would be a better place to spend the last night of our holiday than Merlimont, where I had originally suggested we stop, not least because the latter was full last night and we didn't want to risk it (okay, we could have checked), but mainly because it is a good hour from there to the Eurotunnel, and I will need to do a Last Shop and buy things for people. I already put our crossing back an hour.

If Marck is full, we can go to Calais, which is dull and expensive. So, anyway, I checked on What's Halfway, and it seemed to be around Neufchatel-en-Bray, and this aire is free and quiet. The only thing wrong with it is that the services are "mises hors gel" and haven't been brought back into use yet.

So anyway, the Swan Whisperer went and picked up the baguette and croissants I'd reserved last night, and after breakfast we set off. Our first port of call was an Intermarché, and I decided that as we had been to so many this holidays, it was silly not to get a loyalty card. The only problem was, I couldn't register it, because it demanded an identity card number and, obviously, not being French, I don't have one of those. Hold that thought!

The Swan Whisperer wanted to go over the Pont de Normandie and then along the coast as far as Dieppe, then south to Mesnières-en-Bray, since we had plenty of time and it wasn't very far. So with a judicious tweaking of the satnav, we had a simply wonderful drive round much of the port of Le Havre, quite fascinating. When we got to Fecamp we stopped for lunch, and then in Dieppe I saw another Intermarché, so we stopped there, and I went to talk to customer services.

 Who really went above and beyond for me. Turns out you really need an address in France to register, and as I'd told her I'd got an Auchan and a Carrefour card with no problem, she decided to see what she could do! Did I have any friends in France whose address I could use? Alas, no - I do have friends in France, of course, loads of them, but not their postal addresses! I was about to give her my address in Paris from 50 years ago, but she decided to try using the address of the store. And eventually she got through all the red tape and my card now works. Which will be very useful next holiday, I hope - especially in those supermarkets that do scan'n'shop!

After that, we drove more-or-less straight here, and then had a cup of tea. The SW went out for a walk, to see if there was anywhere he could run in the morning, which there isn't, as it's too muddy, and now he is getting our Saturday sausages and mash ready.... 

08 March 2024

Early spring holiday 2024, 8 March

Courtonne-La-Meudrac, Pays d'Auge.

Although I like Le Mans, I was feeling really tired this morning - and we have been there before - so decided to pass on having another look round it. There was a boulangerie a couple of hundred metres away, so the Swan Whisperer got a demi-baguette and some croissants, which were nice. We then emptied our grey and the loo (using the contents of our hot-water bottles to rinse the loo, as it really wasn't worth spending €8 just for that and a top-up of water! Our route out of town did take us up the hill and past the cathedral, but though, as which was a bonus.

I really couldn't think of anything I wanted to buy today, other than perhaps begin to collect stuff to take home, so passed on that, too, and basically drowsed off for awhile. The Swan Whisperer decided that we were going to visit a chateau en route, at Saint-Germain-de-Livet, but when we got there - down tiny roads we were thankful not to have et another car on - it was closed until 1 April, so we came away.

We arrived here at Courtonne-La-Meudrac at about 15:00, and were not best pleased to find most of the aire taken up with parked cars, when it specifically said Camping-cars only. However there was a space, so we grabbed it, wondering whether nobody could read, but it turns out there was a funeral at the church and so the church car park was closed, so those who wanted to attend the funeral didn't really have much choice.

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk, and I read and watched a couple of YouTube videos, and tried not to doze off.

Later, I went to investigate the local restaurant, but found that they only serve food at midday, and are just a bar in the evening. So I have had to cook (courgette and mushroom risotto, which is smelling lush just now!).

However, the restaurant gets bread delivered in the morning, and I have ordered a baguette and two croissants to be picked up after 08:00 tomorrow. Meanwhile, the funeral party has gone, and the two remaining places have filled up! This seems a very pretty hamlet - I don't think it's more than that. 

07 March 2024

Early spring holiday 2024, 7 March

Le Mans, Sarthe.

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and after breakfast we both walked round the lake, which was a shorter distance than it felt! A lot of the path was very wet, and my navy boots are now rather muddy.

When we got back to the WoMo, I had a second cup of coffee while the SW had his, and after using the services we set off for Le Mans. It was just as quick to go cross country than to use the toll motorways, so we did, stopping for lunch and then for the SW to cope with an emergency in one of the Circuit's manses that has been let out, although what they thought he could do from France I don't know. Anyway, I think they've sorted it for now. 

This is the third time we have been to Le Mans; the first time was on our very first motorhome trip and the aire was on the other side of the river; then that aire closed, and we had to use the car park where we now are, but there were no dedicated places for motorhomes, and no services provide. Now there is a small area dedicated to motor homes, and there are services, although they are quite expensive so we will probably only use them to empty our grey water. We could empty the loo, but not rinse it. 

The Swan Whisperer went for a short walk, and I hope to join him in the morning, although it is very steep up to the old city. Still, there is a free shuttle bus that runs all over it, so once we are there, it shouldn't be a problem.

Meanwhile, today I saw daisies growing in various patches of grass, for the first time this year, and there are some lovely flowers just outside our habitation door. Spring is coming, even if it isn't here yet! 

06 March 2024

Early spring holiday 2024, 6 March

La Celle Saint Avant, Indre et Loire

I don't seem to have got out of the WoMo all day, which is very wrong of me, I suppose, but I appear to need a rest day. I had been going to go over to the supermarket just up the road from last night's campsite, but we didn't need milk, and I forgot that I should have quite liked to have looked for one of the delicious salads they make here - chickpeas, perhaps, or peas.

Now, if I had been thinking clearly, I would have suggested that, instead of coming here tonight, we checked What's Halfway to find a place more directly in line with tomorrow night's planned stopover, as we had gone so far out of our way yesterday. But I didn't think of it, which meant we had a very long drive today. Having said that, much of it was scenic and enjoyable.

We stopped after about an hour for the Swan Whisperer to have coffee (I have mine with my breakfast) and then found a car-park somewhere for lunch. I made a large bowl of salad, including both chickpeas and sweetcorn, which was delicious!

Then it was another three hours or so of driving until we got here, which is actually a very nice place indeed. There is a lake, which I think the Swan Whisperer has gone to explore, and I shall do so, too, in the morning. 

05 March 2024

Early spring holiday 2024, 5 March

Donzenac`

We were actually supposed to be in Niort tonight, but I gather from Park4Night that much of the aire there is closed due to flooding. So the Swan Whisperer took over planning, and decided that we would go a little back on ourselves and drive down the Dordogne to this village, not far from Brive-la-Gaillarde.

But first, he went for a walk and I pottered around the church (it was locked, so I couldn't go in) and the enormous cemetery attached to it. I thought of going into the village, but it didn't look particularly special, so I didn't bother. 

We thought at first we had made a terrible mistake, as really as far as lunchtime the road just went through industrial estate after commercial centre after industrial estate, with roundabouts every 500 metres or so. Horrible, and very dull.

After we had stopped at one of the many supermarkets we passed, for me to shop and the Swan Whisperer to have his coffee, it began to rain. And it rained. Threw it down! Really nasty.

But when we stopped for lunch in a village called Lilande, the rain stopped, the sun came out again, and the place where we had stopped was absolutely lovely! As, indeed, was the afternoon drive, although I did fall asleep and woke up again before the last 35 km which ended up being on the motorway! Once we got here, it was raining again (there had been some very splendid rainbows en route), to the point that it got really dark and we had to turn the lights on. 

It did clear up a bit later, and the Swan Whisperer went for a walk into the village, which has a mediaeval centre which I should love to see, but, alas, it is up a very steep hill, and well over a kilometer away from here, so it won't be possible. We will drive through in the morning and see if there is anywhere to stop while we are there, but unlikely. I think I shall get my exercise walking to the nearest supermarket, which is about as close as Tesco's to home!