Autumn Holiday, 6 October 2026

Tagnines, Haute-Savoie

The Swan Whisperer went to get bread this morning, and we didn't hurry away; in fact, he had his coffee before we set off. We drove up to the Fer a Cheval, about 20 km from here. Motorhome have to park in the furthest away car-park, and it is a 10-minute walk, all uphill, to get to the centre, where there is a restaurant, a souvenir shop and a tourist office (closed for the mid-season). There are also a great many hikes, and the SW decreed that we would go on one of them.

I was already regretting not having brought my trekking poles, and my water, and not having worn my stout walking-shoes, even though that would have meant also wearing socks and my feet would have been too hot. By the time we were half-way up the walk (just like Clapham Woods, it appeared to be uphill all the way, and the lovely mountain views

disappeared into woodland)

I was gasping for breath in a way I haven't for some years now. Bear in mind that we were at over 9000 metres, and went quite a lot higher (Strava says 104 metres). The SW was very patient, but you could feel he was longing to rush on at his own pace. Finally, finally, finally the torture was over, but I was fit for nothing.

There was a drinking-fountain just before we got to the restaurant, and I made good use of it! We had lunch - both of us had a "salad paysanne", which was lettuce with tomatoes, croutons, cubes of cheese, lardons and a hard-boiled egg. Very nice. I drank non-alcoholic 1664, which wasn't quite as nice as the full-fat version, but still very drinkable. Then I had a café gourmand to finish with. 

Then a final 10-minute walk back down the hill to the WoMo, and I flaked out inside while we drove back, going out of our way to go to the Super U, where I scored some lovely fresh pear juice which we drank with our supper. On the way back to the campsite, we stopped again at a Mr Bricolage and the SW got a hook-and-loop fastener to try to keep the bedroom door in place - it slides, and its catch no longer works. 

When we got in, I changed into pyjamas so that we could do a much-needed load of washing, and basically flopped on the bed reading until supper time. The kind SW cooked; it was fish with the end of the lemon butter sauce, mashed potatoes/cauliflower and carrots, followed by the kind of chocolate dessert that Americans call "pudding". 

I do hope that I won't be fit for nothing tomorrow - I only did nearly 8k steps, and I've done a lot more than that in my time, but it was uphill, at altitude, and I am exhausted! 

Autumn Holiday, 5 October 2026

Taninges, Haute-Savoie

We hadn't expected to be still here tonight - and we will, in fact, be staying another night. I had booked us into a Camping-Car Park at Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval (hoping, as I explained yesterday, to visit Chamonix tomorrow, but that will probably now happen on Wednesday), only to find when I got there that I had absolutely no telephone signal, none, nada, zilch. There was WiFi at the place, but I couldn't get logged in, as I think their systems were down. We couldn't get in there, either, and couldn't phone them up without a signal! So we came away and came back here, and he was very kind and booked us in for tonight and tomorrow night, no problem. We'll probably go up to the Fer a Cheval tomorrow anyway - it really isn't that far, and the Swan Whisperer would like to see it. 

Meanwhile, the first port of call this morning was to a Super U where I did a small shopping - quite forgetting the bread I'd wanted to get for lunch! Oh well, we did have some, but not a lovely fresh baguette! The Swan Whisperer suggested we visit Morzine, which wasn't too far away, so we drove there and parked up. It was a very pretty little ski resort. Hardly anywhere was open, it being both a Monday and October, you would expect that, but we enjoyed a short-Ish walk round the town.

Then we headed back to Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval, with the aforementioned result. The receptionist here said that there are no networks up there and it is a well-known problem. 

Anyway, once we got back here, the SW went off on a long walk by himself, and I stayed in as I was expecting a phone call, which duly came through. Then it was time to start getting supper, which was fresh pasta with a home-made tomato sauce (I should have blended it, but failed to), cabbage and leek. Followed by fromage blanc and strawberry compote! Delicious. 

Autumn Holiday, 4 October 2026

Taninges, Haut-Savoie

We weren't going to be here tonight - I had planned for us to stay at a lovely France Passion farm, although I can't now remember what it sold. However, the Swan Whisperer said it would be impossible to go there because it was at the end of a long single-track road - although in that case, how come it is a long-standing France Passion host, with excellent reviews? So he said we would go to this campsite.At least he paid! It's another OnlyCamp, so I asked the very nice receptionist in the camp where we stayed last night if she would be kind enough to ring them up and ask if there were any spaces for us. She quite understood my not liking to telephone in French (I can if I have to, but....) and was told that they had plenty of spaces, and we should arrive between 3 and 6 pm. 

It wasn't a long way from our overnight camp by the lake, but first we had to go to a local Carrefour Market to try to get gas, as our French cube had run out and the SW was quite convinced there were only dregs in the other one (in fact, as he apologised later, it is at least 1/3 full, we needn't have worried). So he then found another place in Annecy where he hoped we could get it, and, luckily, he was successful this time. 

Anyway, he then said that we wouldn't be able to go into Chamonix from where we are staying tomorrow and the next night, because there isn't a direct route. I do wish he had said that before I booked and paid for the Camping-Car Park, as I would have made other arrangements. As it is, he wants to go to some ghastly Cirque or other, although he says we will be at the bottom of it, but I bet there are nothing but hairpin bends all over. It might be impressive. But I'm annoyed as my vague meal plans for the week had us eating lunch in Chamonix (which I said several times before he said we couldn't go there!) so I wouldn't have to cook in the evening. 

Anyway, we got to this campsite shortly after 3, having stopped for the SW to have coffee and then again for a long lunch break (we didn't want to arrive before 3), and it is pleasant enough. As seems usual with OnlyCamps, the receptionist - a man this time - is very nice. And the scenery is lovely! 

I haven't really been out today, other than for an explore when we arrived, as I felt very dizzy and unwell this morning - sinussy, I think - and although that has passed, I got a raging headache. 4Head has seen that off, more or less, but even still. I should have liked to have gone to the farm. 

Autumn Holiday, 3 October 2026

Sevrier, Haut-Savoie

It really was the most enormous Lidl you ever did see! Easily as big as your average hypermarket! I went over after breakfast to do my shopping, and even though I bought very little that wasn't on my actual list - some carrot salad (which would have been on my list had I remembered to put it there!), some pears, some grapes and a packet of pairs of socks for the Swan Whisperer, who is complaining because he has gone through the toes of all of his current pairs and I am making him throw them away - I found the shopping-bag very heavy, and when I discovered I had used the wrong exit to the car park and was walking merrily away from the aire, I had to ring the SW to come to my rescue. I had suggested he bring a second shopping-bag so we could divvy up the load, but he didn't hear that bit, and carried the lot for me. We stopped at a bridge over a stream where there were several nutria - we think that's what they are - and watched them for a bit. 

We had to stop again en route to the mountains as Lidl in France, no matter how enormous, doesn't seem to sell fresh milk. We stopped at a U Express, and I was delighted to find some greengages and some of the quinoa salad I like, as well as milk. 

En route to Lake Annecy, a small black squirrel ran across the road in front of us. I think it must have been a red squirrel - you know how they can be black, despite their name - and I reckoned we were having a wonderful wildlife day, especially as we also saw a black cat hunting in a field! 

The traffic through Annecy was very slow, but we got here in the end to this town on the lake where we are parked up in a campsite about 3 minutes' walk from the waterfront. The SW went for a walk but he said it was a bit boring as you had to go there and back again, there wasn't a sensible round trip. I just went down to the water's edge. There were two lovely chestnut trees, with loads of conkers underneath them. I don't think French kids collect them as passionately as British kids do, if at all!

As it is Saturday, the Swan Whisperer cooked sausages for our supper, which were lovely. Bratwurst, for a change, which we had bought in Lidl at home because they were on special offer! I gather we are going to miss Alpine Week this year, which is a bummer, so I hope they have it in France, too! 

Autumn Holiday 2 October 2026

Bourg-en-Bresse, Auvergne

My finger was a lot better this morning - I was still aware it wasn't quite right, but it didn't really hurt, and I have been able to forget about it. A good night's sleep also got rid of the shock, too, so I was fine this morning. 

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and called in at a bakery on his way back, so we had a delicious fresh baguette with our breakfast (and the end of it for lunch). After this, we walked round the lovely Lac du Kir, enjoying watching a group of schoolkids canoeing and kayaking under the stern eye of a couple of instructors, and also some wildfowl.

But the best bit was that I caught a glimpse of a marvellous fox leaping through the undergrowth. The Swan Whisperer isn't quite sure that's what I saw - he didn't see it - but it was a lovely fox red, and I saw the torso and then its marvellous brush. It must have been in wonderful condition - all those ducklings and goslings and cootlings - cootlets? - and moorchicks it will have been feeding on all summer!

Anyway, we walked round he lake and got hotter and hotter. It had been a cool morning, but the sun came out and the temperature rose. We regretted our long sleeved shirts and my jacket! 

When we got back to the WoMo, the SW had his coffee and then we used the services before heading on. Our first stop was in a random car-park in a village somewhere, beside a rather rough sports ground to which a group of young schoolchildren - no older than Year 2, if that, we didn't think - came to play some team game or other. We were rather shocked that there was only one adult with them - what if one of them hurt themselves and had to be taken back to school? Anyway, when we left, they were all starting to play (not an organised game, but something their teacher had made up) except for one small boy who was sitting between the goal posts watching. He wore specs, so we didn't know whether he was neurodivergent and allowed not to play if he didn't want to, didn't play because he was short-sighted, or was injured or disabled in some way. I hope that neither he nor any of the other children went home with grass stains on their bums; their parents would not be impressed! 

We drove on. The trouble with going cross country, as we have done so far, is that the drives are far too interesting for me to want to go to sleep! Very interesting country, especially once we got into the Bresse region, where there were lots of cattle, both Charolais and Montbéliard, and huge fields full of the white hens for which the area is so famous. 

We got here about 4:00, "here" being a free aire on the outskirts of Bourg-en-Bresse, and after a cup of tea the SW went for yet another walk, and on his way back called in at the Lidl that is only a couple of hundred metres away to get some beer. Apparently it is an absolutely massive one, about the size of a Tesco Extra at home, so I'm looking forward to visiting it in the morning! I hope it sells fresh milk - I've never seen it in any Lidl here, but live in hope - so then we won't have to stop off at an E Leclerc or similar. 

Autumn Holiday, 1 October 2026

Plombières-lès-Dijon, France

Happy Black History Month, everybody. 

It was raining when we woke up this morning (at 07:00; I had set the alarm again), so the Swan Whisperer didn't go for a run, but even still we were faffing about a bit over breakfast and so on, so didn't get away until about 10:30. We had hoped to go to the local Carrefour for the day's shopping, but it had a height barrier on its car-park (so short-sighted when there is a popular campsite less than a mile away), so we went to Lidl instead, which had no such thing. Got what I needed, and then we got diesel at a Total petrol station and tried to get air as the tyres were a little low, but it didn't seem to have any. 

So we headed on southwards towards Dijon - this suburb is by the lovely lake we visited last year - stopping for lunch in a layby, and, of course, finding much nicer picnic places a few kilometres down the road. Then we did find a garage that had air, and that is when a minor disaster struck - getting out to help the SW, I caught the little finger of my left hand in the square part of the door frame where the latch goes in. I thought at first I'd broken it, but actually think it's no worse than a severe wrench. But it hurts - typing is actually rather painful - and meant, really, the end of my day, as even though Voltarol gel has taken the worstof the pain away, I am very shaken and have been fit for nothing. The rain is away, but I couldn't face going out for a walk round the lake, although I certainly hope I can in the morning. 

The aire is very full, but I don't think there's more than one French machine here, if that - lots of Belgians and Germans, and at least one other British vehicle, plus one we can't identify. I must stop typing - it hurts too much! 

Autumn Holiday, 30 September 2026

Chalons-en-Champagne, France

Always used to be called Chalons-sur-Marne, of course. I can't remember when it was renamed. 

Which numpty forgot to reset the alarm after yesterday's early start? The occasional alarms reset themselves after one use, so of course no alarm went off this morning, and we didn't wake up until 7:40! Fortunately, we were in no hurry. After breakfast, we both went on separate walks - I wanted to go into the town centre to see whether my blithe assurance that the shop with the ghost sign on it was merely shuttered for the night, not boarded up and empty (as, alas, so many shops in France are these days). I was right; it is now an employment agency and was open.

I hadn't planned to shop, but was walking past the local Carrefour Market, so it seemed stupid not to. Of course, I had to buy a bag, but it was only 69 cents, so not breaking the bank. 

Just as I turned to go back to the WoMo, it started to rain, and I was pretty wet by the time I got there. The Swan Whisperer got even wetter, as he was further away when the rain started, so had to change; I just managed not to have to, but did have to dry my neck!

We told the Satnav not to go on toll roads or motorways, so had a lovely drive south, through the little village of Maroilles (an absolute Must-See sometime, we think - so pretty, and, of course, the home of the eponymous cheese!) and Reims and here. Oddly, we don't seem to have seen many vineyards, but we know there are masses around. We saw a lot of potatoes (and, possibly, sugar-bet) being harvested, though, and quite a lot of cattle, which presumably supply milk for the Maroilles. 

When we got here, it was mizzling a bit, and it is incredibly hot and humid. I dodged the showers to do a bit of tai chi to shake out the fidgets, and since then have been reading and watching videos. We have had supper, and I still have a couple more videos to watch.