October Break, 12 October 2025

 Home.

I had set the alarm for 06:00 this morning, and we got straight up, showered, dressed, and had a quick cup of tea; we were away before 7:00!  We did stop at a services to have breakfast - and as said services had a McDonald's, we enjoyed one of their delicious breakfasts!  I had a sausage and egg McMuffin, and the Swan Whisperer had a bacon and egg one.

The drive turned into a bit of a nightmare, though, as we think we turned where we ought not, as we got confused by road works, and this added 30 minutes to our journey.  And then it didn't want us to go on the M27, probably because there was a huge tailback on it, but instead of sensibly taking us on the A272 and down through Lavant and Goodwood, the way I used to go to school, it took us on all sorts of tiny roads, and then on to the A27 before Chichester, all those dreadful roundabouts!  We ended up not getting to No 6 until just after noon.

We did quite a lot of the sorting out and then had lunch with my mother and sister, and the latter's partner, and then after lunch my older nephew and his family turned up, including the latest addition, 12-day-old Rowan!  It was lovely to see them, and to meet Rowan as well as the two older boys, who we have, of course, seen occasionally.  

Then it was time to go - we wanted to get back in daylight, or at least get the first part of the journey done.  And nearly 2 hours later we were home, and had to unload the car and unpack, and then get the first loads of washing on.... 

October break, 11 October 2025

Heightington, Shropshire

The Swan Whisperer went for a short run this morning before breakfast, along the Lancaster canal! After breakfast, we both went down to explore a bit, and saw varies narrow boats,

as well as trains on the WCML in the background, one of which must have been a special, although I don't seem to have any photos of it. 

We had a fairly long drive down today, and went a rather more scenic route via Chester and Shrewsbury, which meant we didn't have to negotiate the Birmingham system. We arrived at the Swan Whisperer's brother-in-law's place about 15:30, and had a cup of tea with him and his son who popped in later. Then we all drove down to our niece's place, where we are parked up for the night. Their local church had its Harvest Festival service this evening, so we went to that with them and then back to theirs for a meal, which was lovely. And so to bed, as we have a very early start in the morning! 

October break, 10 October 2025

Claughton-on-Brock, Preston, Lancashire

We had to start heading south this morning, but before we did so, we the Swan Whisperer went for a walk around the area. It was low tide, so not very beautiful, but I still took a couple of photos! 

It was about 11:00 when we set off, as we had to use the services before we could go anywhere. But once the grey was empty, the water full, and the loo empty, we set off. 

Our first port of call was Tesco's in Dumfries, which we first went to many years ago when we were at a skating competition there and then took a couple of days' break afterwards. I hope I won't need to shop again until we get home, although we might have to get milk. Once I had shopped, we had lunch, and then set off on the long, dreary route down the A75 and M6. I slept a lot of the way - I haven't been knitting lately because of my eyesight, although I probably could again now, and I can't read in a moving car, so there's nothing much else to do. 

We arrived here at this very nice Certificated Location (tiny campsite on someone's farm) at about 5:00. The owner was very friendly and welcoming, and showed us where things were, and made change for the EHU, which only takes coins. The SW went out for a walk to discover the Lancaster canal and the nearby railway line - I hope to do so in the morning, but we have another long drive, and are meeting family, so mustn't be too long. Also, we have to be away by 11:00.

October break, 9 October 2025

Gairlieston, Dumfries & and Galloway

This morning after breakfast I stewed up the plums and cooking apples I'd bought the other day - quite delicious, even if I do say so myself! We didn't set off until just before 11:00, only narrowly missing having to pay a late fee! But we didn't have far to go, and wanted to make a bit of a day of it. 

First port of call was a small Morrissons where I bought some stuff for lunch and some flowers for our hostess this evening. Then we headed south to the Irish sea, passing Ailsa Craig,

until we got to Cairnryan, where we had hoped to stop for lunch. However, the picnic area we had planned to stop at boringly had height restrictions, so that was a bust. I suppose they don't want lorries taking up the car park, fair enough, but they might think of us poor motorhome! So we headed a little further south, and on the outskirts of Stranraer found a nice place to park up just outside a static caravan park, and had lunch there.

It was not much further to drive until we got to our campsite, about 20 minutes south of Wigtown, where we parked up and had a cup of tea before heading out again back to Wigtown to visit the Swan Whisperer's sister's widower's brother's widow, who is a dear friend.

One of her daughters (she has 9 children; 5 boys and at least 4 girls, although one of the girls died as a teenager, and 19 grandchildren ranging in age from 30 to 10 months old. No great-grandchildren as yet, though!) was there, and cooked us a delicious roast chicken with vegetables and mashed potatoes. One of her sons called in later on and it was good to see him, too. We had a very happy few hours with them, and then headed back down to the campsite for the night. After a very wet morning, it is a lovely evening, and the moon is just past full! 

October break, 8 October 2025

Kilkerran, Maybole, Scotland

First thing, the Swan Whisperer went for a run round the lake in Strathclyde Country Park, which I don't think was either as long or as enjoyable as he had hoped.

We had arranged to call on his sister-in-law this morning, if she felt well enough (she is never in very good health, but has good and bad days). She said she would love to see us, so after doing some shopping at Tesco's, we called on her and spent a most agreeable hour with her.

When she had had enough of us, we came away and had lunch in the WoMo, before heading over here to this very pretty campsite in Ayrshire. It calls itself "The Walled Garden", and that is just what it is. For some reason I was very, very sleepy, and slept most of the way to it, and then again while watching a video! I just hope I get a decent night's sleep tonight - I haven't slept very well for several nights, which might explain why I've been so sleepy today. 

The SW went on an explore, but it seems his phone is dying - it is an old one of mine which is why I replaced it, but it has served its purpose since he got his stolen some months ago. It runs out of battery almost before it is unplugged. And I packed two chargers for his smartwatch, but none for my own, which is now resembling a brick and will do so until I get it home! I'm still wearing it, though, as my wrist would feel very odd without. 

I haven't taken any photos today, so here is one I took in Peebles yesterday:

October break, 7 October 2025

Strathclyde Country Park, Glasgow

We had arranged to meet our friend J at the John Buchan museum in Peebles this morning, so we had no need to hurry.  The SW went for a run, and came back very out of breath - I should have sent him out to cool down properly, but was about to go into the shower, so didn't. 

It was a pleasant walk along Peebles High Street to the museum, which was very interesting.  John Buchan, as you probably know, was the author of adventure stories like "The Thirty-Nine Steps", "Prester John" and many more.  He was also a diplomat, and ended up being ennobled - he took the title Baron Tweedsmuir - and made Governor-General of Canada.  Unlike most Governors-General, he really wanted to know what life was like in the country, and to try to unite the disparate peoples - First Nations, English-speaking settlers and French-speaking ones.  Sadly, a lot of his recommendations were ignored by the then government - his role being purely advisory - but he appears to have been much respected by the First Nations.  His sister, Anna, who wrote under the name O Douglas (many of her novels being set in a fictionalised Peebles called Priorsford), is also commemorated.

After we had seen the museum, we crossed the road to the Eastgate Theatre, where we had lunch in the café - our friend is a trustee of the theatre and has been very involved in it.  It was a delicious lunch - I had a jacket potato with bacon, brie and cranberry, and the other two also had jacket potatoes with bacon and other things.  Then we walked back to the motor home along the Tweed, which was also a glorious walk, except that it began to rain.  We said goodbye to our friend, who took a short-cut across the cemetery to where she was going, and headed off on the relatively short drive to the Strathclyde Country Park and the campsite here.  Which is all right, and we have a pleasant pitch near the sanitaires, with EHU and everything.  The Satnav, for some reason, took us off the motorway (only a very short bit of the drive was motorway - most of it was lovely country roads) and literally all round the houses to get to the campsite!  We do not know why.  

Plus the fridge has taken to randomly beeping whenever it gets very wet outside - we think it is affected by condensation, but have no idea how to deal with it.  It did it the first full day, and then stopped, but started up again now.  We have had the heating on, which may have settled it.  

October break, 6 October 2025

Peebles, Scotland

I slept extremely badly, as my glasses have been rubbing my nose and made the whole thing hurt - not just while they rub.  And it was hurting badly enough to keep waking me up in the night. Which basically meant I really didn't want to get up this morning!  The Swan Whisperer went for a walk after breakfast, and we set off around 10:30, I think.  First port of call was a nearby Lidl, where I did a shopping, and then we headed up towards Scotland.  We stopped at a petrol station to get diesel, commenting on how very much cheaper it is up here - £1.39 per litre as opposed to £1.48 or thereabouts further south (you can get it for £1.44, but you have to shop around). On our way to the main road, we went past the Grand Hotel Gosforth Park, where I stayed for the NCC AGM a few weeks ago!

Our first stopping point was Jedburgh, where there was a lovely free car park, so we had lunch and then walked across the bridge to visit Jedburgh Abbey, which was definitely worth the visit, although we both got rather chilled as it was exposed and windy!  We very much enjoyed seeing it, though.  

And then it was time to head on to Peebles, driving along the river Tweed.  There were anglers, and I saw at least one manipulating their landing-net, so I hope it was a good-sized trout or even salmon!  I have never fished the Tweed, but it looked a lovely place to fish.

We are parked up for the night outside a cemetery in Peebles, prior to meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow and visiting the John Buchan museum with her.  Looking forward to it!  It's our last night of "wild camping"; we are mostly in official campsites or CLs now until the last night, when we are staying with relations.  The Swan Whisperer has gone for a walk, and I'm vaguely wondering what to do with the salmon pieces I bought for supper - rice or pasta?  We shall see.....

October break, 5 October

Backworth Miners' Welfare, Backworth, Newcastle.

The Swan Whisperer went for a short run this morning before breakfast, which was our usual Sunday poached egg with leftover baked beans. Then we got redd up - emptying the loo, filling the clean water and finally emptying the grey, which, at that campsite, is the last thing you do after checking out. There was a sign suggesting one took photos:

so we did:

When we had finished fooling around (The SW said "You're cutting off your chin!", to which I replied: "Which one?"), we headed on.  As we had only a relatively short drive today, we decided to go via Scarborough, which made it a lovely drive.  We stopped there to listen to our church service - they have just installed a new camera, and the sound quality was infinitely better than it usually is, and one could hear what is going on.  It does want tweaking, but the SW and the guy who has helped set it up can do that when we get back.   After Scarborough, and with a very quick stop for me to buy tomatoes and cucumber, which I had forgotten yesterday, we had a truly lovely drive over the North Yorkshire moors, stopping in a lay by not far from Fylingdales to have lunch and to mourn the burnt heather in the area.  Eventually, of course,  our route took us back to the main roads and the Tyne Tunnel, which I slept all the way through!   Then we arrived here in Backworth, where they have a dedicated motorhome aire including services (no grey emptying alas, but water and loo emptying), and the SW went for a walk and I did some tai chi (even ten minutes is enough to set  me up for the evening!), and now we are each engrossed in our own things.  Soon I will make a chicken casserole for supper, which should be good.  I hope!

October break, 4 October 2025

Ashfield Touring Caravan Park, York

A long and rather dull day's driving up the M11, A14 and A1(M).  We set off at about 10:00 and first port of call was a Tesco where I did a shopping - goodness, the prices are eye-watering compared to Lidl.  Sadly, the petrol station was closed, so our next port of call was another Tesco, where we did manage to get diesel.  Then it was on and on, stopping at Cambridge services to have lunch, and in a random lay-by for the SW to have coffee, and mentally waving at our various friends who live in Peterborough, Leeds and Donnington.

And then, when we got to the place where we had planned to spend the night, we were turned away.  I don't know why, as it has excellent reviews and is a proper campsite, but evidently not on Saturdays.  However, there was another campsite only a couple of miles away, so I rang them up and asked whether they had room for us, and they did.  Incredibly friendly people, and a really nice place to stay!  So we are comfortably settled here for the night. I was stiff and tired, and got out of the WoMo when we were parked up and did ten minutes' or so qi gong and tai chi, and that has made all the difference.  It is still very windy - the wind rather impacted our drive up and made driving difficult in some places when there weren't high hedges.  But now there is a lovely sunset!

October break, 3 October 2025

Coopersale, Epping, London

Normally, once the schools have gone back, we try to get away for two or three weeks on an early autumn holiday.  This year, for a variety of reasons, this hasn't been able to happen, and the Swan Whisperer's driving licence is still in the possession of the DVLA pending renewal, so we can't go abroad as you need to be able to show a physical driving licence on demand.  But then there was a week in the diary with nothing happening, so we decided to grab the week, and the two bracketing weekends, and take ourselves up to Scotland, seeing various friends and relations while we are there.

We didn't get away as early as we'd hoped this morning, but arrived at No 6 in time for lunch (soup made by me and bread and cheese and fruit crumble bought and/or made by my sister).  After lunch the SW transferred stuff to the WoMo, and I helped put it away, and then we set off.  This pub, the Garnon Bushes,  allows a motorhome to park up for free as long as you have a meal there, and I had bravely rung up and booked our place for this evening.  Only I had to ring them up again en route because the traffic was terrible and ask if our reservation could be put back a bit!  The drive took longer than it ought to have done, primarily due to congestion around the M2/M25 junction, and between it and the Dartford Crossing.  After that, it was a straight run up the M25, and part of the M11 before turning off.  One of the things I am not so fond of when we holiday in the UK is that there are so very few reasonable alternatives to the motorways. 

Anyway, we got here at last and are parked up in a corner of the pub's car park, nicely sheltered from the wind.  I'm as glad that Storm Amy will have got out of the way before we head much further north!  We ate in the pub; the food was okay, quite edible, but far too much of it.  I'm sure my plateful could have fed a family of four!

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 31 July 2025

 London

So we are home!  I was too tired to blog yesterday by the time we had got  home and unpacked everything, so am catching up now.

Getting up on the last morning is always a bit fraught, as you have to juggle getting breakfast over and done with and beginning to pack up.  I wanted to get as packed up as possible so that the Swan Whisperer would have free reign in the bedroom area once we were on the Shuttle, or in the waiting area.  Nevertheless, we were away shortly after 09:00, and delighted to be booked on to a shuttle an hour early.  We were not really kept in the holding pens for very long, and were back in the UK by 10:00 am, arriving at No 6 shortly after noon.

At which point we discovered that one of our folding crates was missing - we usually bring two crates which are filled with things like the coffee grinder, tins of sweetcorn, jams, herbs & spices, and so on.  We looked everywhere - the Swan Whisperer practically got everything out of the boot of the WoMo; we checked in the back of the car; we checked in the garage of no 6.  Nowhere.  And it wasn't until I was telling Mum about our misadventures with the laundry that I realised - it must have been left in the laundry room at the campsite!  Sure enough, the SW hadn't realised it was ours, and had transferred the damp washing in the carrier bags it had been in when it was dirty laundry!  And I hadn't known that....  oh well.  What a nuisance.  We do have a spare one, but I think it's not very reliable.  I'll get another if Lidl sells them again before we next go away, or I'm sure Amazon will oblige if not.  Looking at the prices on Amazon, I hope Lidl will be stocking them again soon!

After lunch - cold trout, new potatoes and salad, followed by strawberries and cream and lemon drizzle cake - the SW finished sorting out the WoMo to his satisfaction, and also sorting out a kitchen drawer in the kitchen of no 6, which had demised, and we were ready to leave about 15:15.  For the next few weeks, if we go to Sussex, we will go the old way via the A3 and A24, as the A217 (or is it A216) is very badly blocked with road-works, and I think Streatham Hill is going to be, too.  So we'll try to avoid them.

However, we got home at last and unpacked, and of course I can't find my travel pill-box!  Didn't really matter, as I do have spare Metformin (the only thing I  have to take at night), but a bore, nevertheless.  I have ordered a new pillbox, and what do you bet I find the old one as soon as it arrives? 

And now home for the foreseeable future - can't make too many plans (although I do have some ideas!) as I have to have an operation on my eye in two weeks, and it so depends on follow-up appointments, convalescence and if/when I can get the cataract on my other eye removed....  So no plans as yet.

I meant to take a photo of my mother's geraniums, but forgot, so here is one of my favourite photos from the holiday:

A dolphin leaping over Maurach!!!

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 30 July 2025

Blériot-Plage, Calais, Hauts-de-France

The last full day of our holiday started rather well, with a champagne tasting at Boulard Bouquaire, where we had spent the night.  We tasted a rosé, but decided that we have had nicer sparkling rosés, and eventually bought two bottles of a "blanc de blanc" 2019 called Mélanie, to celebrate the owner's mother, who - I didn't gather whether she had been then, or was today - 101 years old!  

After that, the Swan Whisperer had his coffee and we headed on.  We decided to go non-toll, as we had plenty of time.  Our route took us to Landrecies, where we have stopped several times before, either overnight or for lunch, but the aire was full, so we headed on and eventually stopped for lunch in a Carrefour car park near Valenciennes.  Not that I was that hungry - my insides told me rather firmly that tasting champagne at 10:00 am was a Bad Idea.

We drove on all afternoon, getting held up in a couple of places by road works - not too badly, but at one lot there was the added misery of a very heavy shower.  However, that passed, and the afternoon was sunny and warm.

We arrived at Cité Europe at about 16:00 and had a cup of tea before I went over and did a Last Shop in France, and then drove up here to the aire.  I had suggested we go to the park-n-ride, but the Swan Whisperer preferred the aire for security reasons. Plus we have electricity here, which is always nicer.  

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 29 July 2025

Cormicy, Grand-Est, France

Today has actually been pretty fine and warm, apart from a few spits and spots of rain, but mostly sunny.  Which makes a change.  The Swan Whisperer went for a walk before breakfast, coming back with croissants and a demi-baguette, and then said there was a 7 km walk that one could do in the woods.  He was obviously longing to do it, and why not?  So he went and did that and it was late morning by the time we had used the services and headed off, and by the time I had done some shopping at a local Carrefour - which had not, I think, had its full delivery of food, as there were quite a few empty spots on the shelves.  However, I did manage to get what I wanted, mainly milk and cream cheese, although they didn't have the Madame Loic we love, but I got an own-brand version of the same thing, which will do for now.

Most of our run today was on the A4, but we came off to join the D937 across country towards Reims, and so to this champagne  place, which is France Passion.  I believe they charge €10 for a tour and small tasting, which will be most enjoyable - except the SW won't be able to have more than a couple of sips as he is driving! There is a lovely view out of the windscreen,

and it is very quiet except for some doves cooing!  We were warmly welcomed by a large golden retriever, who I think is called Leo, and his owner greeted us warmly and told us we were welcome.  The SW went for a short walk before supper, which was fish with lemon-butter sauce, green beans and mashed potato (the latter, I regret to say, bought, as we are out of potatoes and the French don't seem able to sell them in small quantities!), followed by fruit salad (nectarine, strawberries and raspberries) with yoghurt and caramel sauce.  Lush!  I bought some gooseberries the other day, and the SW has been stewing them, so we'll be having those with our yoghurt tomorrow, which will be our last night in France.  

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 28 July 2025

St-Avold, Grand-Est, France

Once again it was not raining this morning - we have had rain today, but nothing like the past two days.  I went for a brief leg-stretch to look at the Rhine, and was delighted to see the most enormous barge laden with containers going downstream.

We were in no hurry this morning, and didn't set off until well past 10.  Our first port of call was a ReWe, where I did a Last Shop in Germany (yes, Mummy, I did get those coloured eggs we like!), wondering whether to get some of the delicious-looking white wine they were selling.  Much as it pains me to say this, I think Germany and Austria may do nicer white wine than France, but nobody can compare with Mas Alart's rosé!

We then set off on today's relatively short journey back to France, stopping for lunch only about 30 minutes short of our destination.  We are in a Camping-Car park - I did book, but need not have as we are the only people here.  Nothing wrong with the place, and it's half-way between Saarbrucken and Metz, so quite a useful stopping-place.  I have to admit that I slept most of the journey - I hadn't slept terribly well last night, what with traffic noise, and the noise of the rain on the roof.

The Swan Whisperer has been for his usual walk, and I dozed and read most of the afternoon.  I am now cooking supper of a huge vegetable stew with lardons, accompanied by green beans.  The stew/hash/whatever should do us twice.

NCC Pertisau holiday, 27 July 2025

Karlsruhe, Germany

It was a bit dreich this morning, but the Swan Whisperer attempted a run anyway - not a success as he got a twinge in whatever body part it is he gets twinges in, and had to come back.  However, it wasn't raining, so after breakfast I went for a short walk, enjoying the geese by the lake.

We set off fairly soon after breakfast, as the SW wanted to get here (Karlsruhe) ASAP in case the aire was full.  When we started, we should have arrived by about 12:30, but there was hold-up after hold-up on the motorway, especially past Pforzheim where they are rebuilding it, and it was about 14:00 before we arrived.  We had stopped briefly for the SW to make and gulp down a cup of coffee, but that was all.  The weather didn't help - although the sun came out at times, there were also a great many heavy showers, too!

When we got here, we found there were still a couple of spaces in the aire, so that was all right.  As it's Sunday, no shops are open or anything, so I have spent the afternoon reading and answering emails and so on, and the SW has gone out for a long walk and got wet!  This device is running out of battery, so must stop.

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 26 July

Somewhere in Germany

I'm not quite sure where we are tonight - I think it may be somewhere called Kissing, which seems unlikely.

We had hoped to go for a last boat trip this morning, and then back to the campsite by bus, but it was raining so hard that we would have been soaked, so we decided, regretfully, that this was not going to work. So we used the services and headed off in the pouring rain down to Jenbach (well, it had to be raining there, didn't it!) and so up the Inn valley to Kufstein, where we stopped for the SW to have coffee and me to visit an Austrian Lidl, which I don't think I've done before. There was also a Bipa and a KIk in the same complex, both of which I visited, and and look how restrained I was:

Had any of those large balls been navy or even a brighter blue, I couldn't have resisted, but I resist I did!

And so we headed on in the rain up wet motorways and wet side-roads, finding a parking-space on a side road to stop and eat lunch, including this patisserie from Lidl:

But when we got to our planned stopping-place in Augsburg, it was full. I am sad, as there is a very nice Norma and an off-licence just a short walk away. Oh well. The Swan Whisperer found this place which is basically a huge, empty car park - I think there may be another WoMo here, but the lines are separated by hedges, so I can't see it. No services, no nothing, and precious little signal!

The SW went for a walk round the lake which this is the car-park for, and I fell fast asleep! I hope I sleep tonight, and I hope - probably vainly - that the rain will go away. I can't believe that a week ago I was in shorts and a light top - now it's jeans and a sweatshirt! Maybe the weather will improve as we get further north. I hope so. 

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 25 July

Maurach-am-Achensee, Tirol

Today was the last full day of the official holiday, although several people have already left.  The vast majority are leaving tomorrow, though, as, indeed, are we, although we won't be home for a few more days.

The "official" excursion was up the Rofanseilbahn, the cable car on this side of the Achensee, but after seeing the one in Mayrhofen yesterday I was a bit put off, and, frankly, bottled it!  I had planned to go to the Atoll, but when I got there, they told me they didn't accept the Erlebniskarte, which I find a bit odd, since they issue it!  So I came away and spent a quiet morning in the WoMo.  I did go up to Reception to pay our campsite fees and order rolls for tomorrow - you are supposed to pay the day before you leave.  The Swan Whisperer had gone up the Rofanseilbahn, and had walked, with some of the others, to a nearby (not very) village, where they had coffee.  He was kind enough to do some shopping for me in Maurach before catching the bus back for a very late lunch - I didn't wait!

After lunch we decided to go on the boat again, so picked up the 15:10 service from Buchau and went all round the lake and back to Buchau, joined by some of the others for various parts of the journey.  If there is time in the morning, we might just venture one last trip across to Pertisau and the bus back, but there may not be time.

It has been a lovely week with old and new friends, and lots of different excursions in the area and beyond!  

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 24 July 2025

Maurach-am-Achensee, Tirol.

We were up very early this morning.  We were going to have to catch the 09:10 to Jenbach if we were to make the steam train to Mayrhofen, today's official excursion.  However, given how packed out the bus had been on Monday, we decided we would get the bus an hour earlier, then change to the Pertisau-bound bus and stay on it to Jenbach.  This would have worked better had the driver not been a complete jobsworth who insisted we disembark and wait in the rain for him to come round again.  Which we did, although there was some shelter under the edge of the Boathouse.  Why we couldn't have waited at the terminus of Karwendelbahn, I will never know.  However, the bus wasn't too crowded when Herr Jobsworth finally brought it back round, yelling at people who weren't showing their tickets, and goodness knows what all else....

Of course, it was raining in Jenbach - I am quite convinced that if it ever stopped raining there, the town would vanish!  I've never seen it in anything other than rain!  We had almost an hour to wait for the train, which was profitably spent drinking coffee in the little café and reminding ourselves of the trip to Mayrhofen that the girls took in "Princess of the Chalet School".  Meanwhile, our tickets were obtained for us and in due course we clambered into our reserved coach at the very back of the steam train.  The wooden carriage was very beautiful, but I had a severe case of chapelbottom by the time we arrived!

We enjoyed a walk round Mayrhofen, stopping to have a not very nice lunch (at least, mine wasn't - the SW swears his was delicious!) in a random café, and then an utterly delicious ice-cream (actually a sorbet in my case) further along the road.  We then walked back to the station in good time for the 14:49.  The journey, in greater comfort than that of the outward leg, cost 1/3 as much, but then, it wasn't steam-hauled!  Back at Jenbach, the heavens promptly opened and there was a massive thunderstorm.  The kind driver - not Herr Jobsworth this time - let us all get on the bus as soon as it arrived, even though it would not be setting off for another few minutes. The bus was soon fuller than it could comfortably hold, but we got to Maurach all right, at which time it turned into the Achenkirch bus, so we had no need to change, and got back to the campsite.  The SW is having a nap and snoring very loudly - if it wasn't for the fact that I must get supper in half an hour, I'd follow his example.

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 23 July

Maurach-am-Achensee, Tirol

The planned excursion for today was a trip up the Gramaialm, in a tractor-trailor outfit called the Huttopia Express, and, while some - a majority, I think - planned to walk back, many of us chose to ride on a vintage coach called the Nostalgiebus.

We had to catch the 09:10 bus to get to Pertisau on time, which meant we were about an hour too early, but there was a coffee-shop so we sat there and the SW and the other Chaletian who is staying in Maurach both had coffee - I had only fairly recently finished my breakfast coffee, and didn't want anything.  Eventually the others turned up - two of our number had hired electric bikes to go up to that and a couple of other alms!  We were asked to buy our tickets in the sports shop rather than from the driver, which was a huge bonus as it meant we could pay by card rather than having to fork out cash.  

It was a slightly dull ride up to the alm, as we couldn't really see out of the trailer. I was in the back trailer, which the driver had recommended those of us who were "less sporty" use - the SW, needless to say, went in the front trailer, which was rather higher.  When we arrived, many people decided to go on the 20-minute hike to see a waterfall; I didn't go, but sat and drank apple juice with some friends, and took a variety of photos.  There was a helicopter which, we discovered, was pulling up a dead cow from a field, and I later saw it being carried on a forklift or similar in front of a tractor into the farmyard. 

Our crowd gradually returned from their various walks, and we had lunch at the restaurant at the top of the alm; the SW and I both chose the Tirolean "Grostli", which was a mixture of onions, bacon and fried potatoes topped with a fried egg, with cabbage salad on the side.  And very good it was, too, even though I couldn't finish half of my potatoes. We washed it down with beer.   

The bus was due to leave at 13:30, and the walkers were going to wait until it had safely gone before they set off.  I enjoyed the bus far more than the trailer - I sat near the front and we could see out of the front windows, although I didn't take any photos.  The bus dropped us near the Karwendelbahn, and I eventually got a bus from there back to Maurach.  I'd meant to go for a swim, but sadly, my insides decided to confirm my suspicion that they really can't cope with pickled cabbage any more.... Grrr!  So I just flopped and read most of the afternoon.  Either that or too many restaurant meals in too few days.... And another one tomorrow at Mayrhofen.

NCC Pertisau holiday, 22 July 2025

Maurach-am-Achensee, 22 July 2205

Today was, for me, a rest day.  Many people were going into Innsbruck, but the Swan Whisperer wanted to do one of his favourite walks, from Achenkirch back down to Pertisau, and I knew I was tired and needed to rest.  Which was justified by the fact that I slept incredibly badly - even with a rug over my duvet (the summer-weight 4.5 tog one) I was cold, and I had cramp.  Which I hope wasn't caused by the wine I'd drunk, as I've just drunk another glass of the same brew, and it was delicious!

So, anyway, I also needed to do a week's worth of washing, but when I went over to do it, the machine was occupied, and it was about 11:00 before I could get the first load on.  Washed that okay, and then put the second load on, but the dryer was in use.  And the man who was using it said crossly that it wasn't drying his clothes at all.  When the Swan Whisperer went to get some more euro coins for us to use it, he was told it was out of order!!! Wouldn't you have thought they would have put a notice on it saying so???

The SW, who is good at that sort of thing, fished out our washing-line and the poor WoMo has been festooned with damp washing ever since! It is beginning to dry, and I'm pretty sure most of it will be dry by morning, but it is annoying not having been able to dry it as tumble-drying does seem to mean we don't need to iron so much, if at all! And no, we are not installing one in our flat - an iron takes up less room and is less damaging to the environment!

I had half thought of going for a swim at the Atoll this afternoon, but when push came to shove I really wasn't feeling it, so spent the afternoon reading and dozing.  I hope I'll sleep tonight - I'll use the heavier rug, I think, and it may not be so chilly.  I don't want to put on the heavier, 10.5 tog, duvet as the lighter one has really been all we've needed during the earlier part of the holiday

.Anyway, the washing festooning the place meant I really couldn't cook without a great deal of inconvenience, so we went to the campsite's restaurant and had a delicious meal - I had beef with onions and rosemary potatoes,

which were utterly delicious, and the SW had Käsespätzle, which also looked lovely, and which came with a small salad that he shared with me.  I had been tempted to choose the same, but knew I wouldn't be able to finish the plateful - as it was, I only just finished my own!  

NCC Pertisau holiday, 21 July 2025

Maurach-am-Achensee, Tirol

The weather took a turn for the worse, but we are not made of sugar, so a considerable number of us boarded the bus to Jenbach - Robert and I were actually quite lucky to get on at Maurach; we squeezed on and spent the journey on the driver's platform - nice of him to let us.

One of these days, I'll see Jenbach in the sunshine, but today was not that day.  Some people went up to the church; others, more sensibly, went and sat in the local café opposite the station. I did try to go to the church, but it was very wet, and very steep, so eventually I gave up and went back to join the sensible ones with a very nice cup of coffee.

Eventually everybody turned up and we foregathered at the station to take the Achenseebahn up to Seespitz.

We had a reserved carriage, and made the most of the journey. The first part is a rack-and-pinion railway, which is fun, but not very scenic as it is mostly in woodland. At Eben, however, the plateau begins and the engine stops pushing the train but runs round to the front to start pulling it the rest of the way, via Maurach and Maurach Mitte to Seespitz.

The boats meet the train, so we all piled off and found our reserved tables on the boat, where we were served coffee and apfelstrudel with squirty cream. Delicious, especially as the apfelstrudel was not too sweet.

The boat took us round the lake, to Gaisalm, Achenkirch and Scholastica, before calling at Gaisalm again on the way back to Pertisau, after which the formal part of the day was at an end. Some people got off, but many stayed on - we went as far as Seespitz where we then caught the train as far as Maurach Mitte to do some shopping before getting the bus back up to our campsite, where we had a couple of hours to relax before the Centenary Gala Dinner.

This was held at one of the big hotels in Pertisau, and was extremely good.  We started with pancake strips in consommé, followed by raviolis with a herb filling.  There was a choice of main courses - we had made our choices earlier.  I had lake trout with new potatoes and almonds, and the Swan Whisperer had spare ribs with potato wedges and coleslaw.  The other choices were wiener schnitzel, which may have been delicious but which smelt of hot fat, and which came with chips, and, for the vegetarians, some kind of spinach dumpling. Pudding was Kaiserschmarrn (chopped up pancakes with, in this case, a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and the most delicious stewed plums).  I had white wine, and the SW had red.  The hotel had printed commemorative menus for us,

and there were speeches, and a presentation to the person who had done 99.9% of the organising - incredibly efficiently! 

We shared a taxi back with someone else who is staying in Maurach, and went straight to bed!

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 20 July 2025

Maurach-am-Achensee, Tirol

The thunderstorm passed, but the rain continued far into the night.  And this morning dawned cool and cloudy - no weather for eating breakfast outside.  When we had had it, we went up to the Achensee Atoll and  were able to convert our visitor passes into holiday cards.  We then came back to the WoMo and the Swan Whisperer had a cup of coffee before we decided to test out our cards by taking the boat across the lake to meet the others, which we did successfully. By which time the sun was out, and has remained so all day! 

A walk round the village followed, with sites of interest to Club members pointed out, and we ended up at the Karwendelbahn, which is a cable-car up the local mountain.  At the top there is a restaurant, or you can walk about half an hour to another one. (resstaurant, not cable car) which some of the party chose to do.  I firmly stayed local, and the Swan Whisperer and I, with some others, had lunch; he and I both had soup, his washed down with beer and mine with Apérol Spritz.  Then he left to go up tp the other mountain, and I stayed down looking at the glorious views over the lake. 

I then went down to use the loo, but when I came back, I wanted to go back to the viewpoint, but didn't see the rather high step (which should really have had a yellow stripe on it), and tripped and fell.  Fortunately my phone wasn't damaged, and nor was I, really, bar a bad scrape on one leg and generally being  shaken up! Someone had a first-aid kit with them and helped mop me up and sprayed me with antiseptic cream, and I sat and drank coffee with others of the party before the Swan Whisperer came back down to escort me down the mountain!

Several of us went into the hotel and had drinks while waiting for it to be 16:00, at which time I had promised to lead a short service, which I duly did.  The hotel was great and let us use a quiet corner, and there were 13 of us gathered - some churches I preach at, I don't have as large a congregation!

After that, the Swan Whisperer and I pottered back through the village, past both the Protestant and Catholic churches, and ended up at the boat landing.  Sadly, the first boat wasn't going to Buchau, so we wandered to the bus stop and found that the next bus left ten minutes before the next boat!  So we decided to catch it, as the SW's phone was almost out of battery and he was trying to clear up some muddle back home.  It turned out to be one of the few buses where you don't have to change, and it dropped us off at the Atoll in good time.  He is now hotting up the hash we had for supper the other night, and I am relaxing and wishing my shin didn't hurt quite so much!

NCC Pertisau Holiday 19/07/2025

Maurach-am-Achense, Tyrol, Austria

We didn't hang about this morning, as we wanted to get here early, and were away by 09:30 - with the result that the SW asked whether it was time to stop for lunch when it was only 11:30!

We had hoped to go the familiar way down as far as Fussen, but the Satnav told us there was a 30 minute holdup just out of Ulm, and we had do better to go via Munich, which we did. And there were a fair amount of holdups there, too, but nothing very major.  And then there was that lovely moment when the motorway swept round a corner and the view opened up - and there, at last, were the Alps!  And, not too long later, the first signs to the Achensee.  We came in from the Northern end, via Achenkirch, and arrived at our campsite at about 13:15 (having stopped for a coffee en route).  Checkin was quick and easy - they recognised us from last time - and apart from a few queries like where do we plug in our electricity, and when were they going to email us our visitor cards, we got settled in very quickly and had a lunch sitting out of doors in the shade - the WoMo was unbearably hot!

After lunch, we pottered for a bit and then headed to the bus stop to catch the bus to Pertisau, where we had a lovely walk pretty much along the lake up to the boat place, where we met up with some of our friends before heading to the Hotel Christina for Kaffee und Kuchen (in my case, tea and an ice-cream!) and meeting the other book club members who were there.  We have not yet got our holiday cards, and are rather annoyed that, had we known it, they are available from the Achensee Atoll Welcome Centre, just a couple of hundred metres away!  We can get them in the morning and perhaps get the boat over to Pertisau tomorrow.  Actually, we couldn't have gone on the boat trip some of the others were going on, even had we had our holiday cards by then, as it wasn't going to Buchau, which is our stop, and we would probably have missed the last bus.

As it was, we had about 20 minutes to wait for the bus - the penultimate one of the day - but it came, and the change at Maurach was as quick and easy as ever.  We got off at the Atoll, as the bus goes in there and one doesn't have to cross the very busy road, as you would at Buchau, and got home just before the rain started!  There is now a massive thunderstorm going on, which is lovely!

NCC Pertisau holiday, 18 July 2025

Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, Germany

It was so lovely this morning eating breakfast out of doors - I thought at first we wouldn't be warm enough, but it was actually warmer outside the WoMo than inside, probably because we had had the shutters closed and the skylights open all night.  So we sat out and enjoyed our fried eggs, fruit juice, toast and pains au chocolat, and by the time we had got "redd up", as my Irish in-laws say, it was already past 11:0 am.

We could have gone via Stuttgart and the motorway, but it is the A8, which is be-roadworked to the hilt, and we didn't fancy spending most of the day in traffic jams, so we told it to go a different route. This was slower (except for the traffic jams), but absolutely lovely, going first through the Black Forest and then the Schwabian Alps.  Small roads, and a few hairpins, but nothing to really worry about - lots of little villages and speed restrictions, though.  But all in all, we agreed, an enjoyable drive, and the Satnav tells us we saved 30 minutes going that way!

When we got to Neu-Ulm, we thought at first it would be a bust. The actual aire was jam-packed solid, as was the one on the other side of the road, and the car park said firmly No Motor homes Beyond This Point. However, a fair few motorhomes had gone beyond that point, so we did, too - but then a very kind man came up and said that he had a space that was far too big for him, and could easily make room for us in it!  So we said Thank You Very Much and moved here - which was slightly more expensive than the main car park, but which has electricity and at least some services (we will be able to empty the loo, anyway, although I'm not sure about the grey tank).  And now we are about to eat the second half of the chicken and rice casserole!

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 17 July 2025

Saverne, Alsace

The funfair finally quietened down at midnight - technically it closed at 23:00, but music went on thumping out until about midnight.  Not too awful, though, and we will certainly return to that aire again - it has far more spaces than the one we usually use, and they won't have funfairs all the time!

The Swan Whisperer went to get croissants in the morning, and we were ready to head on at about 10:00, stopping first for a quick visit to a supermarket.  This was a mistake, as the shop in question was going to be closed tomorrow for stocktaking, and it had obviously not had any deliveries that day, so there were quite a lot of gaps on the shelves.  Still, I got most of what I wanted.

It was a lovely drive today; although we decided not to pay motorway tolls, the route we went was nearly all either non-toll motorway or dual carriageway.  Not very well maintained, mind - you can see the difference between roads one pays to use and roads one doesn't!  The drive took us past many of our favourite places in Northern France - Chalons-en-Champagne, Vitry-le-François, Bar-le-Duc, etc, and also past many places where we have stopped for a night - Toul, Pont-au-Mousson, etc.  We stopped for lunch at the Aire de Toul - not the eponymous motorhome parking, where we have been a couple of times, but this was just a motorway services.  We didn't stop again until we got to this very nice campsite in Alsace, where we are parked up for the night.

After a cup of tea, the Swan Whisperer went for a walk and I read and crocheted until it was time to start getting supper, which was a sort of hash with lardons, potatoes, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, topped with grated cheese!  Delicious!  Followed by yoghurt with peach compôte.

It is a lovely evening, and many people are still sitting out, although it has cooled down now.  We did eat supper outside, but have come in now, as it really wasn't quite warm enough.  

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 16 July 2025

Reims, Grand-Est

A rather dull day.  We could have arrived here in Reims really quite early, but there really wasn't much else to do ,so we decided to go non-toll, which was going to take longer.  By the time we had had breakfast (the Swan Whisperer went out to get croissants and then, as I wasn't quite ready, went to look at where other motor homes that we could see had been parked up - basically the nearest P&R!  But they seemed happy enough to let people stay overnight, so we might do that on the way back.  We'll see.

Anyway, by the time he came back and we had had breakfast, cleared up, and used the services, it was gone 10:00 by the time we set off.  We stopped near Lens for the Swan Whisperer to have coffee and I meant to just nip in to the Carrefour, but the whole shopping centre was so vast that it took longer than I intended.  All I really needed were some new pool sliders to replace mine that demised this morning (they were ancient), and the SW was low on milk, so I got some of that, and some chicken thighs to make a casserole for supper.  Which was very good, although perhaps would have been nicer with some mushrooms in it?  And the pool sliders were only €3.99!  

Anyway, we then headed on, and had planned to stop somewhere near St-Quentin for lunch, but it got later and later, so eventually we stopped in a random layby somewhere.  We then decided, since it was going to take 45 minutes less to get here if we went on the toll motorway than if we didn't, that we would remove the SatNav's prohibition on going on toll motorways, and arrived in Reims about 16:00.  This isn't where we usually stop, but another random aire I found.  No services, but plenty of room.  The only snag is that there is a funfair the other side of the car park, and we fear it may render the night hideous!  Still, it can't go on all night (can it?), and tomorrow is another rather dull driving day.

NCC Pertisau Holiday, 15 July 2025

Calais, Hauts-de-France

This holiday is basically why we couldn't go to Oberstdorf this year, as either we would have had to have set off again within a couple of days of arriving home, or we would have had to have had a six-week holiday in the motor home - which, while do-able and probably very enjoyable, wouldn't quite do as we both have responsibilities we couldn't have left for so long.

So yesterday we spent the morning packing, and in the afternoon we visited the Inspirations exhibition celebrating 200 years of passenger rail services; it was most enjoyable, despite being mostly aimed and children and despite our arriving rather later than the time stated on our tickets, due to my having failed to check where the exhibition actially was!  We then had a quick drink with the Daughter, who was just leaving work, before we headed off home again to finish packing.

This morning we got up early and had a quick breakfast before filling the car and doing all the last bits.  We left London shortly after 09:00, and despite having to stop to check the tyre pressures, arrived at the motor home at about 11:00 or shortly after.  We transferred the stuff from the car to the WoMo (getting stung by nettles in the process; at least, I did!), and then drove down to No 6 and got as much sorted out as we could before and early lunch with my mother, my sister and her partner.  Which was cold roast venison with salad and new potatoes, followed by fruit salad and cake, and cheese and biscuits if anybody wanted, which we didn't.  They had had a dinner party a couple of days earlier, so we got the leftovers - and a boxful of cold venison to have for lunch over the next few days.  Lush!

But we couldn't linger, especially as the others wanted to go fishing, and after finishing the tidying-up that needed to be done before we could set off (things in the fridge; groceries put away), we set off about 14:00 and, after a very smooth journey (I slept through most of it) arrived at Folkestone at 15:45, hoping to be offered a crossing earlier than our booked 17:16.  Unfortunately I think there had been some disruption earlier, and our booked crossing was the only option offered.  So we parked up and did things like unpacking and making the bed, and I nipped into the AA Shop to buy a new pair of seabands (why are new ones always so tight?) as one of mine had demised as we set off.  I was delighted to find they were about half what they cost in Boots!

The crossing was as straightforward as ever, except that we were delayed getting off by a couple of cars that wouldn't start and had to be towed, but once we were off we went straight to Cité Europe where I bought some money (we will probably need cash in Austria) and did some shopping, and then drove to the Camping-Car Park where we usually stay - there seems to be a rival facility across the road, which may need investigating - and had supper.  Having not slept well last night, I don't think I'll be late to bed this evening, despite having slept en route!

Going out out, 20 June 2025

We do not often go "out out"; usually evening expeditions, if any, are to various meetings of one kind or another. The last time I went out "on pleasure bent" was to see a film screening at Brixton Library with my tai chi friends, and I don't remember when the last time the Swan Whisperer and I went to the theatre together - it was at The Landor theatre and was on black plastic ice (friends of ours were skating in it).  But how long ago was that? Also the ABBA experience a few years ago, but nothing since! 

However, this evening we went all the way to Chelsea to see a production of "Swallows and Armenians" at the Chelsea Theatre.  I had bought the tickets some weeks ago, but was not very sure what to expect.  Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The play - it's more of a musical, really - details the relationship between Arthur Ransome and the Altounyan family, on whom he based the original "Swallows" when he wrote Swallows and Amazons.  It didn't end well, with the relationship between Ernest Altounyan and Arthur Ransome going totally pear-shaped (not helped by the fact that he would have liked to have married Altounyan's wife, back in the day), and the children left wondering whether their school friends really wanted to know them for themselves, or as their characters in the books.  My main criticism was that the music was a bit overwhelming in a small space, but I took out my hearing aids for the second half, and that was much better!  The musicians were brilliant, although they occasionally missed the note when they sang.  But the range of instruments they all played was amazing.

After the performance, we could have joined in a circle dance in the square outside, but can you see the Swan Whisperer doing that?  No, me neither!  Had it been on ice.... But it was on concrete, so we came away to find a restaurant, and ended up in a very nice Persian one called Abib.  I ordered lamb chops

(I did not expect five of them - that would have done the Swan Whisperer and me at least twice at home!), and the Swan Whisperer ordered a chicken and lamb skewer.  The waitress strongly suggested we had a starter, as the main dishes would take at least twenty minutes, so we had hummus with garlic bread, and very good it was, too.  I ordered my lamb with garlic bread - the choices were that, or saffron rice or chips, but I find rice difficult to eat when I'm out as it gets under my false teeth!  So I ordered the bread, and then fell free to leave it, but I did, greedily, eat all the meat and salad! 

When we had finished, we found we could go home a different way - we had come on a 317 bus, changing at Sloane Square to an 11, but going home we took a 345 from Beaufort Street, changing at Clapham Common on to a 37. 

All in all, a most enjoyable date night!

Early summer holiday, 13 June 2025

Brixton, London, UK

I was too tired to blog last night, so to catch up on the final day of our holiday: we were able to heat water for our showers using electricity, although cups of tea made with it were disgusting! Once we were both showered and dressed, we made our way over to Auchan, where we knew we could buy gas, only to find that it wasn't yet open - sales are between 09:00 and 13:00.  Fortunately by then it was 08:55, and by the time we had bought diesel, the kiosk operator was there.

So we drove to the car-park of the main superstore and had breakfast, and, once I had finished I did a Last Shop in France, and then we drove over to the Shuttle terminus, where we got on a train half an hour earlier than our booking, which was good.  We stopped at Clackett Lane Services to eat our lunch, including belated Pentecost cheesecake/last day patisseries

and then went straight to No 6, where my mother was pleased to see us.

It is baby-pigeon season, and the results were all too obvious on our car, so the Swan Whisperer had to wash it before he did anything else! We eventually got it loaded and headed back to London about 18:00, getting home just on 20:00.  I'd bought a ready-meal for supper which we had as soon as we'd unloaded the fridge stuff, and then it was a matter of unpacking the basics, plus making overnight oats for the family, who were coming next morning to parkrun and then coming here to shower, breakfast and celebrate my birthday! It was lovely to see them.  And so ends another trip; we will be off again in about a month!

Early Summer Holiday, 12 June 2025

Blériot-Plage, Calais, France

Today has very much been what Anne Shirley would call a "Jonah Day".

It started off all right - the Swan Whisperer went into the town to buy bread and pains aux raisins, and came back saying that it was a lovely little town and we should go for a walk round it. So after breakfast we set off. Just as we got to the town centre - which is indeed lovely, there are photos

- the sky darkened, there was a flash of lightning and a huge peal of thunder, and the heavens opened! I did have my sweaty mac with me, which I put on, but it turned out to be as much use as a chocolate teapot, and I think I was even wetter than the Swan Whisperer by the time we got back to the WoMo and had to change out of the short and t-shirts we had been wearing! Of course, by the time we had done that and the SW had had his coffee, the sun had come out again and the weather has been lovely all day.

We had a pretty uneventful drive up to Calais - village names of the day: Pacy, Miserey and Mercey - and stopped for lunch in Vernon, where we stopped the last time we had spent the night in La-Madeleine-de-Nonancourt, what time it also thundered! Anyway, it has a chateau and an old mill across the stream, so the SW went to have a look at them while I got lunch ready.

Quite a lot of our drive after lunch was cross-country, and we joined the motorway a bit south of Neufchatel-en-Bray. We had intended to head straight to the Cité Europe along the motorways, but failed to notice a contraflow and were dumped off just past Boulogne. We don't mind going non-motorway on that route - it is very scenic - but it delayed us quite badly. We wanted to do a load of laundry in the new facilities outside the Cité Europe, but they were somehow disconnected from the Internet, and it couldn't accept our credit cards, and there is no way to pay cash. So that was a bust, and we will be doing our usual thing of endless washings when we get home. I suppose we might just have finished by Wednesday, time to go all over again. Sigh.

I nipped into Carrefour to get some fresh milk for the SW, and then we headed up here. The fridge started beeping and wouldn't light on gas, although it was fine on electricity and while driving.

For some reason the Swan Whisperer thought the gas needed to be reset, as it must have done an emergency switch-off, but he couldn't find out how to do this. And then he realised - we are utterly and totally out of gas! And there is nowhere local to get the right kind from a 24-hour automat, so although we might be able to have hot water in the morning, no way will it be hot enough for tea, and we won't be able to cook our breakfast. We drove all round Calais wishing we had realised what was wrong half an hour earlier, when we could still just have found somewhere open.

Fortunately, there was enough hot water in the thermos for a rather tepid cup of tea each, but tomorrow will be most unpleasant until the nearest garage opens at 08:30! If the SW thinks I'm going to get washed and dressed without a cup of tea inside me (it's bad enough having to wait 30 minutes after my thyroid tablet!), he has another think coming. Fortunately he is not saying that as we are going home tomorrow it's not worth it - but he had been convinced that we had enough gas to do us - as, indeed, we nearly did! 

Early summer holiday, Wednesday 11 June 2025

La-Madeleine-de-Nonancourt, Normandy, France

Felt much better this morning, thankfully, although not quite 100%, but quite well enough to go for a most enjoyable walk round Loches, which has ramparts and so on - quite steep, but steady.

More photos on Facebook, of course. The weekly market was also on, lots of cheap clothes and (ahem!) I might have been seduced by a couple of blouses.... We stopped for coffee en route, and I asked for a café allongé (American), but what I got was a double espresso! Oh well, no harm done!

Back at the WoMo, we got ready to leave and went to find the services, which weren't where we thought they were, but a very kind man told us where they were, which was rather out of our way, so we decided to leave it, and set off on the rather long drive to here, stopping for lunch and diesel in a random supermarket car park, which is an aire we have been to before, free everything (even electricity, although it seems to have gone off now, but I expect the Swan Whisperer can fix it when he gets back from his walk). It is near Dreux and Evreux, and probably about half-way between Loches and Calais, where we must be tomorrow. Last time we were here, there was a massive thunderstorm, really fabulous, and then an extremely loud and unpleasant noise going on first thing in the morning! The SW has gone for a leg--stretch, but I'm all right for now. I suppose I ought to go and do tai chi, but I'm too hot! It is hot! 

Early summer holiday, 10 June 2025

Loches, Centre-Val-de-Loire, France

We weren't supposed to be here tonight, but at a goat farm another two hours up the road, but this looked like a nice place to visit en route. Sadly, I have had a migraine all day - not bad, but debilitating - so we are staying here so we can have a proper look round in the morning, and have rejigged our tomorrow night's stop to match.

It's actually rather lovely here, by a river (the Indre?) with a robin, chaffinch, blackbird, doves and frogs battling it out! 

Early sumer holiday, 9 June 2025

La Roche-Posay, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

It was a lovely morning this morning, and, despite having to pay an extra €6 for out staying our booking, we didn't hurry. The Swan Whisperer went for a walk before breakfast to try to find an open boulangerie (successfully, eventually), and afterwards went for a quick walk along the river. I went down to the river while he was emptying the loo and so on; it really is lovely there.

We knew that tonight we would be parked up in a supermarket car park (which does have services, but no electricity), so we decided we wouldn't hurry, and looked up interesting things to do en route. We found a Lidl that was open (today is a public holiday in France) and stopped there for me to redeem my coupon for a free baguette, among other things. The first interesting place we called at, though, was an ancient Roman site at Bouchaud, which was up a very steep hill ("It's only about 50 metres," said the Swan Whisperer, encouragingly. Quadruple that, and you might be about right!) but worth seeing when you got there.

Also lovely views of the countryside roundabout. The visitor centre was closed, but we didn't know whether that was normal Monday behaviour or because of the public holiday. 

We had lunch there and then headed on across country - simply glorious views the whole way, and mostly lovely straight roads - to here, going slightly out of our way to visit a tourist trap called Angles-sur-l'Anglin; this had a rather spectacular ruined castle and was obviously a Thing to Do on a Bank Holiday, as it was rather crowded, so we couldn't stop. Then we drove down through La-Roche-Posay to this Super U out the other side. It will be convenient for the morning, is all I can really say about it! 

Early Summer Holiday, 8 June 2025

Cognac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

This morning slightly spoilt by the discovery that I had made a mistake booking the Camping-Car Park, and our stay both last night and tonight was due to end at 08:30. I thought at first I would have to pay an extra night's fees, but, in fact, one only has to pay €6, like you do when you just use their services. Anyway, I got in touch with them and enquired, and they kindly refunded me the €6, which was nice of them. But I do wish they wouldn't advertise their sites as having WiFi when they do not, so annoying!

Anyway, when we were ready we used the services and headed on. Our first port of call was a Super-U for bread and one or two other things - I ended up buying more cheese than I intended, but we didn't eat it for lunch as I bought leek tarts which we had with salad. We stopped to have this in a little village which rejoice in the name of Pissos! And on the same direction-board, but unfortunately underneath rather than above, a village called Ychoux! It occurred to me that if one did the latter, one might well do the former by mistake.... And the Swan Whisperer said it would go well with Cognac, where we are staying tonight.

As it is Pentecost, I might have found us an English church to join in with, or perhaps we might have headed north via Pau, but it is also our own church's anniversary, and we had a very old friend taking the service, so we decided to watch the YouTube stream instead, which we did before eating. 

When we arrived, we filled the WoMo up with water and then had a cup of tea, before heading out to see what was what. We decided that we were early enough to do a tour at a Cognac factory; we thought at first of going to Martell, which is just across the road from the aire, but the visitor centre was up a very steep hill, and anyway, it was nearly their closing time. So we went to Hennessey instead, just along the road.

It was fabulous! The last tour of the day was about to happen, so we joined that. First of all they take you on a short river cruise, mostly to show off the extent of their domain, but also the one remaining mediaeval city gate, and the Chateau (now a museum). The boat dropped you on the other side of the river, where we were shown a short film outlining the history of the company - the 8th generation of the family are still involved! Then we were shown a graphic of how the wine was made - it is a very acid grape to control the proof of the wine, which must be between 9 and 10.5°. This is because any stronger and it would interfere with the distillation process, which we learnt about next. The first and last litres of the distillate are recycled, I didn't quite gather why. The result is eau de vie, which we were allowed to smell, and it smelt gorgeous. This is then put into barrels to mature for a bare minimum of 2 years, and some of the rarest brandies are there for even a century or more! The barrels are kept in cellars known as "chais", not "caves", and there is some ritual involved when a worker places his first row of barrels, and they get their name inscribed on a barrel which has a bunch of flowers left on it and have to bring in cake.... 

The guide then went into considerable detail about the blending process, and I got a bit lost, but I gather the tasting committee meets every morning at 11:00 am and tastes a good hundred cognacs throughout the day (they do spit it out!) to get the finished product just right. And then we had our own tasting. One was the VS, matured between 2 and 6 years. It was horribly harsh, and would not be my drink of choice! Then we tried the VSOP, matured for a lot longer, which was much nicer on first taste, but still a bit harsh. We then tried it on the rocks, which was lovely, and finally a cocktail known as a Henny-Rita, which was like a margarita only with Cognac. The Swan Whisperer loved it, but I thought it a little too sweet for my taste.

Then, of course, but came the hard sell in the gift shop, but we were immune to such blandishments and came away to eat asparagus, pork chops with pasta and an apple-and-onion mixture, followed by home-made yoghurt with strawberries. The strawberries were a bit tasteless, not a patch on the French Garriguettes, which I'll buy some more of later in the week. Tomorrow is a public holiday, and I don't think most shops will be open.