Early Spring Holiday, 26 February 2026

Calais, Pas-de-Calais

This week appears to  have been inordinately busy!  "Tired" doesn't really begin to cover it, and getting up at 06:00 this morning really didn't help!

I think the older we get, the longer it takes to get ready, and it was after 09:00 when we set off for Sussex.  A slow old drive, somehow every traffic light that could be red, was.  Actually, I think that is an exaggeration, but not by much.  However, we arrived by about 11:30, and the Swan Whisperer went to get the WoMo, and we spent the next hour transferring stuff from the car and putting it away, all except the SW's clothes and making the bed, which we did on the crossing.

After a delicious lunch of kedgeree and home-made cheesecake, we set of shortly before 14:00; I fell asleep as we joined the M23, and didn't really surface until we were almost at Le Shuttle!  We got on a crossing 30 minutes before our booked one, and it was very empty.  Just time for a quick cup of tea, and we were through and on the train.

When we arrived in Calais, we did a quick trip to Carrefour to get some vegetable matter to go with the cooked chicken thighs I'd bought for supper, and then up here to the Camping-Car Park.  I am annoyed because I folded up my rainbow shopping bag, which I love as it folds almost flat, and now I can't find it.  It has to be in the WoMo somewhere, but where?  Oh well, it will either turn up or it won't, and I do have others.

Meanwhile today's photo is of the rosemary bush outside no 6, which is looking lovely.  Spring is definitely arriving - there was a polyanthus in their garden that was already in flower, and lots of blossom and primroses and so on.  Such a pity the weather is much colder today, and we have the heating on low.  

The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show, 17 February 2026

In hindsight, of course, we should have gone by train to the NEC, but when your tickets include free parking, you don't really think of it!  However, the NEC is about 3 hours each way from London, and it made for a very long day in the car.

We set off at about 10:15 am, stopping for petrol and buying sandwiches when we were at it, and arrived at about 13:30.  We were able to catch a shuttle-bus up to the NEC itself, our car park being about 15 minutes' walk away.  Once there, we made ourselves comfortable, and then spent a very happy 3 hours or so wandering around the five halls devoted to the exhibition.

We are not in the market for a new motorhome, but it was nice to look round the new Pilotes, deciding what was nicer than our one, and what was less so ("But where do they put their clothes?" we asked, of one model!).   However, the joy of these occasions is the huge variety of stalls scattered along the sides of the halls, selling everything from accessories for a motor home or caravan (but we couldn't find a reversing camera, which is what we really wanted, and the only thing that might have been a stove-top oven, which I quite want (like this one, for instance) was eye-wateringly expensive.  In the end, we didn't buy very much - a new power-bank which came with a free screen protector for the Swan Whisperer's phone, and some glasses-cleaner (what, has that got to do with camping, I wonder - something we wondered about many of the offerings!).  We did, however, pick up quite a lot of brochures about France (which, one of the stall-holders told us, is pretty much completely under water right now - I hope we don't get too wet when we set off next week), and about television aerials/wi-fi boosters, as ours doesn't seem to work.

After a much-needed cup of tea, with a slice of cake (for the Swan Whisperer) and a flapjack for me, it was time to head home.  There was no sign of a shuttle-bus to our car park, so we walked back, and then it was a long, slow drive home.  I did sleep some of the way, but found this morning that it takes more than one night's sleep to recover from this level of exhaustion.  But it was great fun, and I'm glad we went.  Next year, if we go again, it will be by train!

An afternoon with Bartholomew. 26 January 2026

The boys had an INSET day today.  The Lanky Teenager planned to spend the day with his friends, playing badminton and maybe revising (February mocks are coming up), but Boy 2, at a loose end, said he'd like to come to us.

He came by himself for the first time, having stayed on the Tube after his mother got off.  We met him at Brixton, although I'm sure he would have been perfectly capable of travelling the rest of the way on his own.  

We didn't do anything in the morning; the Swan Whisperer had a meeting, and then he had some paperwork to catch up on, so it was lunchtime before we headed off, to eat at Mama Lan (link) at Boy2's request - we've eaten there before and enjoyed it.  I chose chicken wings and vegetable dumplings, he had chicken noodle broth and the Swan Whisperer had chicken fried rice.  All delicious, although I did give the SW one of my chicken wings and probably shouldn't have eaten the last one, either.  

Then we went out. I wanted to see the Great Hall and the Hogarth Staircase at St Bartholomew's Hospital, which is on a direct 59 bus from Brixton, so we went there.  

First of all you come across the church of St Bartholomew the Less, which we looked into briefly, having come through the Tudor Arch with its statue of Henry VIII (didn't manage to get a photo of the statue, which is apparently the only one of him).  

It was well worth going - the staircase, portraying the Pool of Bethesda (link) and the Good Samaritan.  And the Great Hall is truly spectacular - three fireplaces, which reminded me of a mediaeval hall, and it's about that size! 

It is part of the North Wing of the hospital, which had three wings built round a large square (the East wing was delayed as their treasurer absconded with the funds but was eventually built),

designed by James Gibbs and built in the 18th century (I think - I am finding it a bit vague).  The site has been beautifully restored, and has not been open to the general public before.

When we had finished, we went into the hospital museum, which was quite interesting, and included a short film about the life of the first founder, Rahere.  Henry VIII had to refound it after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as one of the Laws of Unintended Consequences was a vast influx of sick and indigent people that had previously been cared for by the religious communities and now had nowhere to go.  

After the Museum, we visited St Bartholomew the Great church (link), just outside the hospital, which is apparently London's oldest parish church.  It works closely with St Bartholomew the Less, within the hospital grounds.  It was rather lovely, although it honked of incense (which isn't really a bad smell, but doesn't actually enable me to worship.  Still, each to their own.), with Rahere's tomb

and modern paintings and an appalling Damien Hirst statue (link) showing St Bartholomew holding his skin. I did not take a photo of it!

When we had finished, there was about half an hour before the Daughter was due to finish work, so we decided to walk over to Tavistock Place.  This was through a part of London I really don't know very well, through a couple of old graveyards and past the Postal Museum.  I'd shared our location with the Daughter, so she came to meet us.  Then the SW and I jumped on the nearest bus, and changed at Holborn on to a 133 to Brixton - I fell asleep! - and then there was a 35 just behind, so home.  

Photos on Facebook, as per usual.

A disastrous railtour! 20 December 2025

 It should have been a lovely day!  We have been on several railtours before, and always enjoyed them very much, so that when we learnt that UK Railtours were organising a trip to Durham with an optional excursion to the Beamish Living Museum (link), I treated us to the day as part of the Swan Whisperer's Christmas and birthday presents.  

We started off by cutting it really rather close to get on the train as we had called in at McDonald's to get a breakfast (you would have thought that it would be quiet at 07:00, but no!).  However, we got to our seats in the end, which were very comfortable, but very difficult to get into and out of as the armrests didn't move, and there was very little room between the armrest and the table!  Another couple joined our table at Potter's Bar, and promptly latched on to us for the rest of the day, which cramped our style rather!  

I should have packed a couple of peppermint  humbugs to keep my blood sugar going, as eating breakfast two hours earlier than usual, and then not eating lunch until we arrived at Beamish was a Big Mistake, especially as there were queues everywhere.  We found a café that could sell us a packet of biscuits, which helped, but there wasn't really time to do more than find another café that did us rather nasty toasted sandwiches, and took so long about it that we then had to go straight back to the buses!  On our own, we could have probably seen a lot more than we did, even if only very quickly, and especially if I hadn't had that hypo, but as it was, it was rather a waste of a visit.  I only took two photographs, one of the tram shelter all dressed up for Christmas

and the other of two buses at the stop once we had arrived back at the exit.

We got back to the buses in good time, and they got us back to the station in good time.  The train left slightly late, but had a scheduled stop to make up time and find its path - but it got there and then broke down!  

Fortunately the train remained warm and lighted, and the buffet was still well-stocked with sandwiches and so on, but we sat in what was pitch darkness outside for literally three hours!  They did keep us informed.  The engine drivers turned it all off and on again, to no avail, and eventually a freight locomotive was removed from its train to shunt us into a siding while we waited and waited for a replacement engine to arrive from  York or somewhere like that.  This took an hour, and by the time we moved off, it was nearly the time we should have been arriving back in London, and felt even longer!  Eventually we were told we would arrive back in London about 00:30 instead of the 22:10 it should have been!

They went round the train checking that people would still be able to get home that night - I don't know what they did for those who couldn't, but I expect they arranged cars or something. We had been allowed to go on a quicker route than planned, so would have made up some of the time, but then they said we were going to stop at Doncaster, and LNER said they would take the London-bound ones and arrive in London about 45 minutes faster.  So we decided to do that.  The Azuma train wasn't nearly as comfortable as the charter had been, but much easier to get in and out of the seats.  But it, too, was delayed, and arrived in London at about 00:10!  Still, there was no sign of the charter, so I think we did get there before it.

There was no way I was going to face the Night Tube, so we took a taxi, which was horribly expensive, and eventually got home at about 00:45!  Of course, had it been a regular train we could have claimed Delay Repay, which would have covered the cost of the taxi - as it is, I doubt we will be offered compensation, but I hope they do acknowledge what a nightmare it was.

And why I thought somewhere like Beamish on the Saturday before Christmas would be a good idea, I do not know!  

Brittany Christmas Markets, 7 December 2025

Brixton, London

So we are home.  We got up fairly sharpish this morning, and headed to Auchan, where I did a Last Shop in France, and then headed over to the Eurotunnel terminal, where we were pleased to be offered a crossing half an hour earlier than booked.  But we nearly lost it, as we were sent to go through that horrible machine where you have to get out while they send your vehicle through the machine while you stand outside and it makes a horrible noise!  However, we just made the crossing by the skin of our teeth, and got back to the UK about 11:30 local time

And it was not only raining, but foggy with it - the most appalling weather!  But we were able to drive safely and with no hold-ups  we stopped at Clackett Lane to eat our lunch, and got to No 6 by about 14:30.  By the time it was all redd up, it was about 17:00, and we got home just before 19:00.  The weather, fortunately, has improved, although it was very windy when we arrived in London.

So that's it for the WoMo for the next few months.  We will be sleeping in it over Christmas, but after that, apart from much-needed servicing, it will be garage up until March.  We will have other adventures, though - watch this space.

Meanwhile, since I have taken no photos today, here is a picture of the back of the sweater.  I started it while waiting for the WoMo to be ready for us to leave on this holiday, and finished it this afternoon.  It will now go into hibernation while I knit a matinee jacket for my newest great-nephew to wear at his baptism in January. 

Brittany Christmas Markets, 6 December 2025

Blériot-Plage, Calais, France

We discovered that La Rivière-Saint-Sauveur had a Christmas market today, literally just behind our motor home! 

It didn't open until 10, so before that we went for a walk round the Parc de la Morelle, which we always enjoy.  It is neither as nice, nor as far, as the lakes at Cesson-Sevigné, but still enjoyable, none the less.  After that, the Swan Whisperer had a quick coffee, and then we popped next door to enjoy the festive atmosphere - which wasn't, very, as it was still very early!  There were several stalls outside, including one selling local apple products - cider, apple vinegar, various jellies, calvados and pommeau.  There might have been some spending going on, as the prices were incredibly reasonable, given the event.  There were more stalls inside the hall, although these were more of the handicrafts variety, and we didn't buy anything there, although I was rather tempted by a felt waistcoat.... 

Outside, we chatted to some human and canine representatives of Aquadogs Normandie; these are huge Newfoundland dogs who go into the water to rescue people in distress, wearing a distinctive harness with grab handles. 

 

Then it was time to go, and we headed on, trying to believe the Satnav that it knew best which was the quickest way.  We had a very enjoyable drive, actually, much of it not on the motorway, although we were on it a bit, and stopped at the Aire de la Baie de Somme for lunch.  We didn't go into the building, but to the part of the car park set aside for motorhome picnics.  The SW had a quick leg-stretch, and then it was on and on again until we finally reached the aire here in Calais.  

The Blériot-Plage Christmas Market is on this weekend, but it is a good 30 minutes' walk away, and it was raining, so we decided that one small market was enough.  However, after a cup of tea, we did set out again in the WoMo to drive round Calais and enjoy its Christmas lights.  And now back to the aire for the final night of our holiday.

Brittany Christmas Markets, 5 December 2025

La-Riviere-Saint-Sauveur, 5 December 2025

How is it Friday already?  This week has gone so fast, and tomorrow is our last full day!

This morning, the Swan Whisperer went and bought croissants and a baguette for our breakfasts, and after it he went for a short walk round the town. I, for some reason, fell asleep!

We weren't quite sure what we wanted to do today, but eventually decided to go to Camembert and see if we could buy some artisanal cheese from a dairy there. Then we would see, but probably end up in Falaise, as I needed to shop and we needed to buy gas.  As it happened, we drove past a supermarket where we could do both those two things not very long after we had set off, so we went straight to Camembert - only to find that the dairy had closed for the weekend at 12:30, and wasn't going to open again until Tuesday morning!  Bummer! Oh well.  So we ate our lunch in its car park, and then decided to drive at least as far as here - La Riviere-Saint-Sauveur - today, and then see whether we wanted to add an extra hour's drive to where I had originally intended for us to spend the night.  We decided we would rather stay here - there is a nice walk to go on in the morning, although it will be a very long drive from just south of Le Havre to Calais, and it would be nice to visit the Christmas Market in Blériot-Plage if there is time.  At that, there is one here this weekend, not at all far from the Camping-Car park, so maybe we could do that instead?  We'll see.

Meanwhile, I haven't taken any photographs today, supermarkets not being very photogenic affairs, but here is a photo of my eye drops bottle - as tonight is the VERY LAST drop to put in.  This journey started on 29 August - well, before that really, when I was first referred to Tommy's - and now, 5 December, it is finally OVER!  And I can see really well, especially when wearing my glasses, but I can also see well enough to read in bed without them, if I want to!