Early Spring Holiday, 13 March 2026

Blériot-Plage, Pas-de-Calais

Wouldn't you have thought my tablet could have waited until tomorrow before deciding to die on me? It will no longer find any WiFi, and although I suspect I can do my non-WiFi puzzles, I do hope most of them are saved in the Cloud, so I don't lose too much. I know the NYT puzzles are, and I can do them on my phone until I get another tablet, but not all of them. Well, we shall see. 

Anyway, the weather was atrocious again this morning, and the drive from Riqueval pretty nerve-wracking! We stopped at a Carrefour outside Cambrai for me to do a Last Shop in France, and then at the Auchan near Dunkerque, where we had lunch and I did another Last Shop as I'd forgotten to buy Easter chocolate (so much nicer here).

Then we drove to the aire in Blériot-Plage and had a cup of tea, at least, I had a cup of tea and the Swan Whisperer went for a run, and had a cup of tea and a shower when he got back. I spent the afternoon finishing the sleeve of the sweater I'm knitting, and attaching it to the main body. I haven't taken any photos today, so here is one from yesterday's walk. 

Early Spring Holiday; 12 March 2026

Bellicourt, Aisne

The rain departed during the night, and the sky cleared, with the inevitable result that the temperature dropped like a stone, and in our bedroom this morning my clock said it was only 8.5° C!  However, the heating soon came on and it was reasonable - not warm, but reasonable - by the time I went to have my shower.

We decided against retracing our steps  into Troyes - we have been there before and will doubtless go again.  So we headed straight on towards Saint-Quentin, stopping for me to shop and then again for lunch.  Alas, by the time we got there, there was No Room in the Inn as the aire was full.  So we decided to come here to the Riqueval canal tunnel, where we have been a couple of times before.  There are services, but according to the nice man in the tourist office nearby, they are a new installation and don't work, so he came out to see exactly how they didn't work, so he could report it!  He also let the Swan Whisperer have some water from the tap, so we should be all right for showers in the morning.  

After a cup of tea, we went out for a walk from the tunnel mouth down to the bridge over the canal and back.  What was rather fun was that there was a barge just coming under the bridge

so we were sort-of racing it all the way back - it was travelling at about the same speed I'm comfortable with, so I pushed myself slightly.  But it moored up before reaching the tunnel, and we thought it might not go through this evening.  And on that side of the canal you have to go down to water level and up again, rather than staying on the level of the bridge as you do on the far side, which was a very long pull up.  I got there in the end, but was utterly feeble and kept having to stop to catch my breath.  Poor Swan Whisperer was very patient with me, but I'm sure he'd rather have gone on by himself rather than trailing along at my speed.  He was most polite, but....

Anyway, we are approaching the end of the holiday - Calais tomorrow, and a Last Shop in France, and then home on Saturday.

Early Spring Holiday, 11 March 2026

Pont Sainte-Marie, Troyes, Aube

We decided not to visit Dijon this morning - the prospect of a walk round the Lac Chanoin Kir (sadly not filled with the eponymous beverage!) was far more attractive. 

It was a lovely walk; the lake, artificial, is a leisure area, with loads of sporting facilities, cafés, etc, plus a cycle track and a pedestrian path - well used by joggers and walkers - all round it.  We did come slightly off it - not so's you'd notice, really - to walk alongside the Canal de Bourgogne, which is alarmingly well-groomed, and appears to have no life at all apart from some weeds. 

There were plenty of water fowl on the lake proper, though, including grebes, coots and mallards, and a heron on a post (photos on Facebook, of course).

The walk was just under 4 kilometres by my watch, and I was struggling a bit towards the end, but nevertheless enjoyed it.  Back at the WoMo, we had coffee and then the rain started!  It has continued  on and off ever since, and we are thankful we got our walk in before it started!  

We set off for Troyes going on a non-Motorway road that, although bendy in places, was mostly very well kept.  We stopped at a random Lidl to shop, and at a picnic area for lunch.  After which I went sound asleep, and have really not been awake much since.  Supper, fortunately, was leftovers, and the Swan Whisperer very kindly hotted them up.  We are not at our usual aire, because when we got there, the motorhome spaces were filled with cars (which they ought not to have been), and there was nowhere really to park up while we waited for their owners to come back.  However, there is a paying aire not 10 minutes' drive away, and we have come to it - so useful, as we can have electricity, which always helps make the place more appealing on a cold, wet night, as we can have the heating on and not worry about the lights.  But we are not well placed to visit Troyes - however, we have done that before and it doesn't really worry us not doing it again.  There is an Aldi not very far away where I can shop in the morning.

Early Spring Holiday, 10 March 2026

Plombières-Les-Dijon, Côte d'Or

The weather this morning was not conducive to an enjoyable walk round Chalon-sur-Saône.  The Swan Whisperer did go for a short run, but didn't enjoy it very much, and after breakfast we decided that the prospect of a healthy walk in the rain was not one that filled either of our hearts with joy.  

So instead we decided to spend the morning doing a load of laundry.  Many French supermarkets have self-service laundries in their car parks, which include detergent and fabric softener, so we found where the nearest one was and made good use of it. 

I was intrigued by the dog-washing facility next door, and wonder how many poor pooches are subjected to its rigors!  Anyway, I shopped and the SW got diesel and coffee while it was happening, and when it had finished, we put away our clean clothes (I am annoyed that I forgot to put my jumpers in there - they are acrylic and can go on a 40° wash - but we will have far less washing than usual when we get home.  And I do have enough jumpers to do me until then - and, at that, the others are pretty much still wearable!

By the time we had done all that, it was gone lunch-time, and there was a restaurant in the complex, so we decided to go and see what it was like.  We decided against a starter, so the Swan Whisperer had chicken breast in a Roquefort sauce, and I had white fish in a lemon sauce. 

He had chips and I had vegetables (the choice was chips, vegetables or rice), and we both had chocolate mousse to follow, which was rather much but it would have been a pity to waste it.  And coffee.  As we had had cordial while we were putting away our washing (I had the French elderflower, which isn't nearly as nice as the English, and the SW had raspberry-and-rhubarb which I had bought him this morning because I Am Nice Like That), we just drank water.

After that, it was time to head on, but we hadn't very far to go today, only as far as Dijon.  We went the pretty way - and it really was pretty, up the Ouche valley.  The rain went on and off, and at one stage there was a rainbow.  

Early Spring Holiday, 9 March 2026

Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire

Memo to self: Where we park in Vichy is in one of the car parks by the Mairie!  We had trouble finding it and at first the Swan Whisperer wanted us to park somewhere where it would be about 30 minutes walk to get to the spa park and back - I don't think so!  But eventually we found where we like to park, and it was gratifying free on a Monday.  This, of course, means that most shops are not open, but it is not closed up quite as much as Moissac, for instance, is, and many bars and cafés were doing a roaring trade.

We had a lovely walk.  I gather it was proposed(?) named(?) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, and it is doing what it can to justify that nomination in terms of refurbishing the place.  Most of the park has been refurbished now, and looks very nice - the Swan Whisperer said it had been heaving the previous evening, and I'm not surprised - but a lot of work is still being done.  We were able to enter one of the "Sources", but not to drink the water, which is a pity.

  

After our walk, we headed on to what I hoped would be the nearest Lidl, but the Satnav started taking us all round the houses, and there was a large Carrefour, so I shopped there, instead.  After which I was very low blood sugar and felt cross and weepy, and it was a good 15 minutes to the picnic place where the SW had decreed we would have lunch.  Once that had happened, I felt sleepy (often do, after a hypo), and slept most of the way to Chalon-sur-Saône.  We are parked up in the municipal aire we have used before, and I'm looking forward to a walk in the morning.  The SW has gone for a leg-stretch and to remind himself of the layout of the place.  I, meanwhile, am very amused by the plethora of young people, obviously going to or from playing sport, who, by their hairstyles and dress, could be clones of my older grandson!  Teenagers everywhere look the same.... 

Early Spring Holiday, 8 March 2026

Bellerive-sur-Allier, Allier

Today made a lovely change from the wet days we've been having recently.  It was very cold overnight, and I rather wished, after I'd got up to use the loo, that I'd had a hot-water bottle!  And my clock said it was only 10°C when my alarm went off!  But it soon warmed up, and today has actually been a lovely warm, sunny day!

The Swan Whisperer went into the town before breakfast and bought a baguette and some Sunday patisserie (pear tarts, which I found slightly disappointing - too sweet, and not enough pear flavour).   We actually had ordinary toast for breakfast, as it was boiled eggs, and you can't make soldiers out of a baguette!

After breakfast, we visited the services and then drove into Maissiac, where we found a car park very near the centre, and had a lovely wander round.  The town is so very pretty - just the sort of mediaeval village I love, with just enough modern buildings and so on to keep it interesting and relevant.  There was a lovely modern complex with the Mairie and the schools - an elementary school and a "maternelle" (nursery school), at any rate; I don't know where the older children go.

Photospam on Facebook!  When we had finished our walk, we called in at a different patisserie and bought a couple of quiches for our lunch, which were very good.  We then went back to the motor home and had coffee, and by the time we had had that, it was time to watch our church service on livestream.  When that was pretty much finishing, we had our lunch - including the disappointing tarts - and then we set off to come here, which is on the outskirts of Vichy.  Last time we were here, it was very disappointing as the park was being renovated (which the French always amuse me by calling "relooking"), and there was very little to see.  The Swan Whisperer says it isn't finished yet - he went on an explore - but most of it is looking very grand.  

It was a lovely afternoon, and, along with many other people in this aire, we sat out for a bit.  The SW said that there were simply no parking places anywhere along the river - but on the first fine and warm Sunday afternoon of the year, what do you expect?  However, it cooled down, of course, and I was just moving back into the WoMo when the SW returned, so he put the chairs and table away - and just as he came in to sit down, it started to rain!  Only a very brief shower, but of course the other motorhomes here were rushing about to put their tables and chairs in.... We felt smug that we'd got ours in in time!  This place isn't a Camping-Car park, for once (I think the SW feels about CCPs like he used to about Ibis hotels - you always know what you're going to get), but it is in many ways even nicer.  Well, nicer than some - they do vary!  And, like the CCPs, we have electricity, and allegedly WiFi (which basically doesn't really work unless you are parked up absolutely snug to the router), and of course all services.

Early Spring Holiday, 7 March 2026

Massiac, Cantal

Another very wet morning.  The Swan Whisperer went for a walk round La Cavalerie, but my eyes are still slightly playing sillybuggers after the bites, and I decided to stay in the dry!

We had some discussion about where to spend the night.  Originally I had planned to spend last night at St-Hippolyte-du-Fort, but then changed it to La Cavalerie, which is actually a lot further from St-Hippolyte-du-Fort than I thought it was!  So where we had planned to spend tonight was rather too near.  So the Swan Whisperer discovered this Camping-Car Park in this little town of Massiac, just off the A75.  It's the kind that is a campsite in the summer, and a motorhome aire in the off-season.  I think we are the only people here, despite the fact that it is so  near the motorway, and has over 80 pitches!  It actually has usable WiFi, which makes a change - we are making the most of it!

However, I think we made a bit of a nonsense of today's journey!  Had we been going straight from St-Hippolyte-du-Fort to the motorway, it would have made sense to have shopped in the Auchan in Millau first.  However, what I hadn't realised was that the SW wanted to drive under the viaduct, and to do that first, rather than shop first and then go under the viaduct!  So in fact it would have made more sense to have shopped at the E Leclerc or similar - we had lunch in its car-park once - rather than go all the way to Auchan.  However,  it did mean a rather lovely drive through Millau, and we were in no real rush.

Except that I should have liked to have stopped at the aire du Garabit-Viaduc Eiffel, where we could probably have bought sandwiches for lunch and maybe even patisseries.  However, it was too late for that, but we did stop in an aire - forget which one - that sold local produce and got bread and also some cheese.  Not Roquefort  - we already have some of that, although only the rather industrial "Société"  This is a "Brique" made from sheep's milk, and 'M looking forward to trying it, as I do love briques made from both cows' and goats' milk!  I'd been really fancying a "jambon beurre" and had bought ham in Auchan, so that's what I had (and half an avocado and half a tomato) and very good it was, too.

We drove on up the A75, fortunately now out of the rain although you couldn't exactly call the weather very nice, stopping near Lorzac for the SW to have coffee and some fresh air.  We debated stopping at the Viaduc Eiffel, but you can see it from the road, so we decided honour was satisfied!  I didn't have time to take a photo, though, so today's photos are all rather bad ones of the Millau viaduct.

Maissac looks like a lovely small town, and I hope to explore in the morning, if the weather behaves (I think it will); the SW did go for a walk round and says it is as lovely as it looks.