Autumn Holiday, 11 October 2026

Chalezeule, Doubs

After breakfast this morning, the Swan Whisperer went for a walk around a local lake, and I set off to explore the village. There really wasn't much village to explore, and it wasn't all that exciting. I thought there was a Sunday market, but it was only two stalls, one selling honey and related products, and the other selling chicken and chips and very similar (no thanks, not straight after breafast!). 

So there wasn't much to see, although I took a fair few photos,

and then walked down to meet the Swan Whisperer on his way back from his walk. Then after coffee (for some reason I wanted a second cup, which I seldom do), we set off towards Besançon, straight along the former N road. This was a lovely mixture of scenic roads, fast roads, villages and the occasional, inevitable industrial/commercial area on the outskirts of larger towns and villages. 

We turned off to go to another "Cirque du Fer à Cheval", which the SW wanted to see, but from the top this time. I stayed in the WoMo, as I really hate that sort of thing. In fact, we think we got better views on the way down after we'd had lunch, as I think the official viewpoint was overgrown. The road was one of those dug into solid rock, always rather alarming! And not very well surfaced. 

Anyway, we headed on and arrived here at this campsite outside Besançon at about 15:30. After a cup of tea, I went for a leg-stretch around the site to get my steps in, and later the SW went for a walk on his own behalf. There is a walnut tree just outside the van and loads of windfall green walnuts; I am not quite sure what one does with them, but my mother probably knows - I must text her to ask! 

Autumn holiday, 10 October 2026

St-Etienne-du-Bois, Ain

This morning, first thing after breakfast, I told the Swan Whisperer that I was going to catch a bus into the city centre and have a proper look round. 

I just missed the bus, so walked for several stops until I came to the place where there were only a few minutes left to wait for the next one. It duly came, and I got off at the station. 

I thought at first that Aix-les-Bains was going to prove rather dull, the only interesting things I saw on the way in were a rather peculiar statue

and a "Salon du Chocolat" at the casino. I was tempted to investigate the latter, but decided not to, and walked on. Finally, I hit pay dirt - lovely independent shops, a Monoprix (which I did walk round!), a bakery, where I got bread for lunch and then the local market,

both covered and outdoor. I didn't buy anything, but really enjoyed wandering around, until I discovered that the next bus back to the aire was due in 8 minutes, and I needed to get a wiggle on if I were to catch it. 

I did catch it, but made a mistake and stayed on a stop too far. It looked as though it would be nearer, but the road I thought led straight to it ended up on a building site! So I walked down to the lake, enjoying the pollarded limes bordering the lake path,

and so back to the WoMo. 

The SW had returned from his own walk by then, so we used the services and headed on, driving cross-country to this little village, where we have been able to park up by the local church (I gather this is very much a Thing, but we are the only WoMo here just now). The drive was a mixture - the usual endless roundabouts and industrial/commercial areas, but also lovely countryside and pretty villages. There was even a rainbow on the side of a hill, which neither of us had ever seen before, but of course as soon as I got my phone out to take a picture, it disappeared! 

Autumn Holiday, 9 October 2026

Aix-les-Bains, Savoie

We started off this morning with a disagreement about what to do. The Swan Whisperer wanted to drive up to some lake near Beaufort, and I wanted to visit the heritage museum in Ugines. In the end, we could do neither. First of all, the Satnav showed that the road to the lake was closed - snow? Mud? Roadworks? Who knows! And then when we got to Ugines, we couldn't find anywhere to park near the museum, and weren't altogether too sure we'd even found the museum! So we came away, and drove here to Aix-les-Bains. 

Lunch was a mistake - it was too fatty with butter and cheese, and I felt very sick after it. After a nap it was better, so we drove back on ourselves a bit to the nearest E Leclerc, where I did some shopping, and then came back to the aire. After a cup of tea, the SW announced his intention of going for a walk. I had understood that we had been going to go for a walk together, but this was evidently not his plan, so I went for my own walk a bit later. Which was lovely - along the waterfront,

and then up along the Tillet (a little stream that runs into the Lac du Bourget), and across a small, wooded park. I'd have thought I'd gone the wrong way had I not seen a couple walking their dog in front of me! 

I went slightly the wrong way myself, as my phone told me the SW was in a park a little way away, and I thought that was where the motorhome aire was. He seemed not to be moving, so when I realised my mistake, I rang his phone to make sure he hadn't dropped it somewhere, but all was well. I got back to the WoMo shortly before he did, and will spend the evening watching YouTube videos in bed! 

I think we leave the Alps tomorrow and start heading slowly home. We haven't slept at higher than about 700 metres, but, apart from when my digestion has gone back on me, I've felt as well as I usually feel here! 

Autumn Holiday, 8 October 2026

Albertville, Savoie

What a wet day! We knew it was going to happen, but it really was wet. I stayed in all morning, and made soup for lunch - it has been a cold day. The Swan Whisperer went for a walk and came back soaked to the skin and had to change! 

After lunch, we drove up to the village of Conflans, just above the town, which has a lovely mediaeval centre, just the kind of place I love.

I remembered my water, walking shoes (and yes, I did wear socks! First time since spring!) and trekking poles and managed very well, if rather slowly. Unfortunately my watch doesn't seem to like trekking poles any more than it likes supermarket shopping trolleys, and Strava stopped recording half-way round our walk, so I have no accurate record! 

Anyway, the rain by then had dwindled to a drizzle, so although we were by no means dry, we weren't soaked when we got in. We came back to the campsite and haven't moved since. Of course, now that it is dark and cold, the rain is (at least temporarily) away! We move on tomorrow, so I hope it does stay fine. Forecast is iffy! 

Autumn Holiday, 7 October 2026

Albertville, Savoie

Today started badly and ended well, which is the best way round!

Chamonix-Mont Blanc, as they call it these days, was a bust. To start with, the weather has gone back on us and it is much colder (but I'm still not wearing socks!) and very wet. So the mountains were wreathed in mist and we barely saw the eponymous mountain. We remembered, though, that we had seen it when we went to Italy and accidentally routed ourselves that way. We did catch a glimpse of snow, but I expect it will have all gone by this time next year. Oh the other hand, they do forecast snow for up there tomorrow! I wonder. 

Anyway, when we got there, we went to the car park, but it was still raining and there seemed to be no way of crossing the motorway. So we argued with the Satnav until it consented to drive us round the town, which looked very splendid - loads of posh hotels you can just imagine wealthy Brits staying in a hundred years ago! 

After that, things got even more pear-shaped, as the Satnav decided to pay us out for being so mean to it, and first of all kept making us drive over the most appalling hairpin bends - I was very, very nearly sick - and then it couldn't find the campsite! We had stopped en route for lunch in a random Auchan car park, and the road got better after that when we ignored its instructions and followed the road signs to Albertville. But it decided the camp was up a parallel road to where it actually is, which doesn't have a cut-through! Oh well, we found it in the end. 

We thought we would like to visit the Tremplin 92 exhibition which is situated in the old Olympic hall (now an ice rink, climbing wall, concert venue and various seminar rooms), and, very luckily, I looked on its website to find that it was going to be closed tomorrow and Friday! However, it was 4:00 pm by then, and the place didn't close until 6:00, so we quickly drank our cups of tea and headed into the town. 

The exhibition - it is too small, really, to be called a museum - was great fun.

There was a lot about the Alps and the mountain environment, and even more about the 1992 winter Olympics, and the forthcoming 2030 ones. There were also VR headsets of a bobsleigh run, a microlight ride and another one, but my carsickness was too recent to risk it. The SW had a go on the bobsleigh and said it was great fun. I reckoned that if I actually got into the bobsleigh, I'd not be able to get out again!

When we had exhausted the delights of the exhibition, we went out of doors and walked over to where we could see the Olympic Cauldron

- it had temporarily stopped raining - and I took a photo of the outside of the stadium, too. Then we went back to the campsite and flaked out until supper!

 Tomorrow we think we'll go to a mediaeval village - Conflens, I think they call it - just above the town. Mind you, the forecast is appalling. It's a good job we did go to the Fer a Cheval yesterday, as they close it when there is a yellow warning for torrential rain, as there is just now. I just hope the weather will clear a bit after tomorrow. 

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. 

Autumn Holiday, 28-29 September 2026

Landrecies, Hauts-de-France

In hindsight (always a wonderful thing), we would have done better to have gone down to Sussex on Saturday afternoon and brought the WoMo back to London then, although we don't like doing that now. The Swan Whisperer had an appointment at 15:50 yesterday afternoon, but the hospital rang up to say that the clinic started at 14:00 and he should get there then, but to bring a book as it might be very busy. So in the morning we finished packing and loaded up the car as far as possible, leaving the fridge stuff until later, and after a quick lunch, the SW went off while I did one or two last things like washing up lunch and so on. He rang up very soon to say it was done, and he was on his way home, so I packed up the fridge and then made myself a cup of tea. I regretted this by the time we were half way to Sussex, so the SW dropped me off at the start of the close that leads to No 6, and I ran in while he took the car up to the garage and exchanged it for the WoMo. 

We spent awhile getting organised, and the SW washed pigeon poo off the skylight, and then we hotted up the chicken casserole we had brought with us, and sat and enjoyed Quiz Night on television before an early-Ish night. 

This morning, we set the alarm for 05:30 so we could enjoy a cup of tea before heading off; we got away about 07:15, and ate a banana en route to keep us going. When we got to Folkestone, we had half an hour to wait so we went into the terminal and ordered a "Big breakfast roll" from one of the food outlets. This was big indeed - a rasher of extremely nice back bacon, a whole Cumberland sausage spiral and a fried egg inside a large white bap! Both of us left half our sausage for later, and I only ate half my bap. 

When we arrived in Calais, our first stop was petrol, as we think Total Energies must be subsidised at the moment; their diesel is about 12 cents a litre cheaper than anywhere else - very unusual - and a bit cheaper than in the UK. So we stopped at the petrol station at the exit from the Shuttle and filled up before heading to Cité Europe where I did a shopping. Although it was lunchtime, neither of us, unsurprisingly, was hungry, so we set off for our planned overnight stop, a campsite in Guise. We decided we would stop in Landrecies, where we have been before, to have something to eat (the rest of the sausage and our first-day patisseries, and the SW ate the other half of my bap). However, although I had E-mailed the campsite, I had not heard back from them, so as nobody was expecting us, we decided to stay here overnight. There are no services, but we don't need them, and it is free! 

We decided to go for a walk round the town, and found there was a self-guided tour available of the walls, but there were no walls so much of it was rather dull, just signs saying that there had used to be a wall here, or a gate there. I think they had been destroyed in 1918, when the town had to be evacuated, and were never rebuilt. 

Now back at the WoMo, we don't really want much supper, but are having salmon with lemon butter sauce and cauliflower! 

Summer Holiday 18-20 July 2026

Brixton, London, UK

I haven't blogged over the weekend because most of it wasn't that interesting, so I thought I'd concatenate the days.

On Saturday morning, we were actually ready about 15 minutes before we needed to leave, but after visiting the services we decided to get to Le Shuttle anyway, and they didn't turn us away! In fact, they offered us a crossing on the 10:20 - we had booked on the 11:36, so we said yes please, and, although there were long queues at passport control (what with the new EES and ETA systems being implemented, although at the moment Le Shuttle's French passport officers only scan your passports and don't require fingerprints and photographs, but they do take their own sweet time about it), but in the event we got on the 10:04! I don't know why we count getting on an earlier crossing as a win, but we always do, and as the service had been seriously disrupted the previous day, I wasn't too sure whether we would be able to get an earlier one.

So we drove straight to No 6, where we spent the rest of the day. My sister decided to profit from our being there to spend the night with her partner, but she and Mum agreed it was fine if we slept in the motor home, so we did. In the morning, I helped my mother dress (not that she really needs much help, but she does like someone there when she gets out of the shower, and someone to put cream on her back, which I think is just an excuse for a daily backrub!).  We took her to church, which was lovely - my sister had already taken her wheelchair over to the barn where the dance was to be held, so she had to totter up the path with her walker, which she did rather well, we thought.  After the service, we went back to No 6, and it wasn't long before we had to load up the car with our folding chairs and table, various drinks, glasses, Mum's walker and Mum herself, and drive over to the barn.

The dance was great! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; I didn't dance every dance, but did dance a fair few of them, unlike last year.  Last year I'd thought I'd be exhausted if I danced, but I was exhausted anyway, so decided I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a goat.... and, in fact, was fine.

My sister and her partner were rather disappointed with the turnout from the villages, most people there being friends or family, and are swearing Never Again.  As my sister said, after last year, so many people said it had been fun and could we do it again, but then didn't come.  Mind you, there is a difference between a birthday party - which last year's was, to celebrate my sister's 60th - and the fundraiser that this year's was.  People apparently didn't want to pay £20 towards the cost, with any surplus going to church funds!  All the same, they missed a good time. My sister grabbed Mum's wheelchair for the last dance, and danced her in it!  I thought she'd have needed a seat-belt!

Then back to No 6, and a couple of hours to relax before we started to load the car with almost everything except the stuff in the fridge and the stuff we'd need overnight, and spent our last night, for now, in the motor home.  Up shortly after six, and were away by about 09:10; a very easy journey home that took much less than the 2 hours we have learnt to allow for it.  Almost all the traffic lights seemed to turn green just as we arrived at them! Unpacking, lunch, then I sat down in my armchair and slept for two hours! I don't know why unpacking is so exhausting, but I always find it so.

So that's it until the end of September for the motor home. There may or may not be other adventures in the meantime....

Summer Holiday, 17 July 2026

Blériot-Plage, Hauts-de-France, France

Did feel a lot better this morning - still not 100% sure I'm not getting a cold, but a good night's sleep did help. So after breakfast I popped into the Aldi, which was just next door to our overnight stop (which we discovered, when we went up to the services, had much nicer places further up in the aire, but I think they may have all been taken last night). Anyway, Aldi only had Cristal beer (my current favourite Belgian beer that I only discovered at the start of this holiday) in tins, and when it came to the checkouts, the queues were so massive that I didn't bother.

We decided that, because we were in no hurry to get to Calais, we would drive south along the Belgian coast, following the tram between Knokke and De Paan. It's a pretty amazing line - now in a dedicated space, now running along the street, and even, in one place, running through woods and sand dunes! The road - the N34 - crosses it eleventy billion times, so sometimes it's on your right, sometimes on your left, and sometimes you're right on top of it. I think it's now on my bucket-list. Almost all the trains went the whole way, but there seems to be a separate branch to Ostende. The road goes through Zeebrugge, and there was a cruise ship in the harbour, which was rather nice.  Not a that I really fancy going on one of those huge modern cruise jobs, but they are still interesting to see. 

We stopped once for lunch, rather early but the Swan Whisperer wanted to scramble up the dunes and look at the sea, and I badly needed to spend a penny, and by the time we'd done that, it was pretty well lunchtime. We stopped again for diesel somewhere in the Ostende area - forget exactly where - and then carried on down the N34 until E reached De Paan, and then got on to the A16 as we crossed the border into France, and it was only about half an hour from there to Cité Europe. 

As we crossed the border, all the variable message signs were saying you must have an ETA to travel to the UK, but we were quickly able to reassure ourselves that this was for visitors, not natives! I also found out that it doesn't apply to Irish passports, so my daughter and grandsons don't need to worry. 

I did a shopping in the big Carrefour, while the SW put on a load of washing in the facilities they provide in the car park. We had to wait while other people's washing and drying finished, but ours got done in the end. Meanwhile I had kindly bought liver for supper, which the Swan Whisperer loves. I don't know why it is so difficult to get in the UK - it's not my best thing, but this was surprisingly nice, served with mashed potato, cabbage (I didn't have time to do a more sophisticated vegetable) and a sauce made by deglazing the pan in which I'd cooked the liver with tomato paste, garlic paste, and the water over which I'd steamed the potatoes and cabbage (seasoned up, of course). It was surpringly good. Followed by the end of the redcurrants with yoghurt. 

We had, of course, moved up to the aire here at Blériot-Plage - the next-door campsite is fully open as it is July - and we are ready to cross tomorrow morning. We will head to the terminal for about 09:45, and hope to get a crossing earlier than the one we booked on, but there have been disruptions today, so we may not.

But, for once, this isn't the end of our adventures, as we are spending the weekend in Sussex to attend a Barn Dance on Sunday afternoon in aid of the local church. We had planned to go back to London on Sunday evening, but it would be a logistical nightmare to get to the dance - across the fields from No 6 - and load the car, and, etc, so we think we'll head back to town very early on Monday morning, getting the car as loaded as possible, with just overnight things to pack on Monday morning.

Summer Holiday, 16 July 2026

Melsele, East Flanders, Belgium

I had hoped to go for an explore this morning, but found myself incredibly tired and sleepy, and a bit headachy, so didn't. 

After breakfast, we tried to go to the nearest REWE, but a fat finger on the Satnav screen meant it took us to the middle of nowhere, so we had to retrace our steps. 

We found the REWE in the end, and I did a Last Shop in Germany, and then we headed on through Holland (Dutch motorways are horrid - 2 lanes, 100 kph, very crowded). Then the Satnav wouldn't talk to my phone so we couldn't find out about traffic jams. I switched both devices off and on again when we stopped for lunch, and eventually they grudgingly agreed they could see each other, so that was all right. 

It was not long before we were in Belgium - motorway speed 120 kph, somehow much more comfortable. Of course it was very slow going past Antwerp, but we got here in the end - and then couldn't find the place, the Satnav having done its usual trick when it is cross with us, and taken us to the back of it! But we got here in the end. Not very nice, just the back of a row of garages, but it does the job, and we have electricity and there are services. 

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk, but found that what he had thought was going to be a lovely historic monument turned out to be a military barracks, so he had to come äway. I've been lying down and dozing, and slightly wondering if I'm getting a cold. I hope not! It may just be that I haven't slept very well these past two nights. 

No photos today, so here is my favourite from yesterday - swifts darting about and screaming! 

Summer Holiday, 15 July 2026

Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Well, I don't know whether St Swithun works in Germany as he does at home, but if he does, they are in for a wonderful summer - warm, but not desperately hot, with a cool breeze! 

In fact, when I got up this morning, I was almost chilled after my shower - I had the first shower, as the Swan Whisperer had (needless to say!) gone for a run. But when I had finished my breakfast and my coffee, I went out to explore. 

Bückeburg is one of those lovely little German towns that nobody has ever heard of, but well worth visiting. We really liked the aire, which was plain but serviceable - one paid for electricity and for water, but other than that, it was fine. It was situated on the edge of the park, in which there is a large Schloß,

and the town itself is lovely, with an ornate church, a Gothic Rathaus, complete with integral brewery, and some lovely buildings. The Swan Whisperer joined me, and our walk was rather longer than we'd planned, as we missed a rather obvious (in hindsight) shortcut and ended up walking all round the park! Oh well, all good exercise. The local Old People's Home were also out for their constitutionals, complete with Zimmer Frames and carers! There will be photospam on Facebook, although not of the Zimmer framers. You Have Been Warned! 

Then it was time to move on. The SW had bought rolls for lunch on his run, so I didn't need to shop, and, apart from stopping for horrendously expensive diesel (it is cheaper in both Belgium and France, so he only bought 1/2 tankful) and again for lunch once we were on the motorway, we came straight here to Oberhausen, which is one of the towns on the Ruhr. 

We decided to take a slightly longer route as I, for one, am sick of the A2, and were routed via Osnabruck and Dortmund. Tonight is our last night in Germany. This aire ought to be very nice, but someone has taken our booked place, which meant we took someone else's, and the people in our place aren't there - fortunately the very nice woman whose place we had taken rang the management, who gave her another pitch, so that was all right. But there is a very busy railway-line just feet away - I hope it won't keep us awake all night! For some reason the trains seem extra-loud, but I daresay they won't once I've taken my hearing-aids out! 

Summer Holiday, 14 July 2026

Bückeburg, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Germany

We were woken in the night by a thunderstorm and torrential rain - had to close the bedroom skylight as I was being rained on, and we will not speak of the state of the bathroom floor when we got up! For some reason, it didn't come through in the main living area, which is Just As Well, and of course it doesn't matter in the shower! 

Even when we were getting up, it was still raining, at times torrentially. But eventually the rain was away, and the Swan Whisperer went for a walk into Magdeburg - I was feeling exceptionally lethargic, so didn't join him - and said the town centre was very modern, even the so-called Altstadt. 

So we came away - we really liked the aire, although it didn't have any facilities. But a huge great reserved parking-space just by the river - what's not to like? I wasn't particularly enthralled by the song of the nightingale, which may be rather philistine of me, but the swifts were wonderful, flying aerobatically over the river and screaming their delight! 

We called in at a local Netto (I wanted a REWE, and told the Satnav to take us to a proper one, not a convenience store one, but it didn't, but there was a Netto just there) and I was pleased to score a big punnet of redcurrants, which I haven't had for years. My mother says they are nicest raw, but these are on the verge, so we are going to cook them very lightly to help them keep. 

The A2 seemed a great deal more cosmopolitan today; we speculated that, yesterday having been Monday, the Polish lorries might have all started their journeys then, as lorries aren't allowed on German motorways on Sundays (our niece says they all go on minor roads instead, but we haven't really found that to be the case). The Satnav said it knew a quicker way, so we said yes please, and it took us cross-country for a while, which was really nice as we have had too many motorways this holiday. But then it took us back to the A2, and the delays built and built.... But we got here in the end. "Here" is a motorhome park in the grounds of the local Schloß and its associated park; the Swan Whisperer did go for a quick walk, but again, I was feeling idle.

We will probably have a proper explore in the morning. It is very good value for money - only €9 for 24 hours, and €1 for 12 hours' electricity. We seem to be using someone else's at the minute, but will put in a euro before we go to bed. It is extremely humid, and we have had quite a sharp shower, with rumbles of thunder in the distance - all the motorhomers who were sitting out, including us, had to put away their chairs and tables in a hurry! 

Summer Holiday, 13 July 2026

Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

The Swan Whisperer would have liked to have gone for a run this morning, but I pointed out that if he did, it would mean that breakfast wouldn't be until about 09:30, and we both wanted to go out and do different things during the morning. So he didn't, and we got straight up and I, for one, was ready to go out by 09:00.

I had a lovely morning! I caught the bus up the the shopping mall we had seen the previous day (I could have walked, but having had horrendous cramp in the night, possibly because of walking too far yesterday, I didn't want to), and pottered round DM, REWE, Kik and Tedi to my heart's content! The bigger shops didn't open until 10:00, so there was no way I was going to make it back before my 24-hour bus ticket expired, but a "Kurtzstrecke" (short-distance ticket) isn't expensive!

I bought some more rude rolls for lunch as, rude or not, they are delicious. I got some more travel toiletries in DM, and one or two bits in Tedi, including a birthday card for The Boy, who turns 16 on Saturday. But why were about half the birthday cards in English, do you suppose? Obviously I got him one in German as he has just taken a GCSE in that language!

But the purchase that pleased me most was in the local department store, which was 3 bottles of 4711 shower gel, which I haven't been able to buy for ages and am nearly out of. I could have got 4 bottles, but decided that would be greedy.

I then got the bus back to the campsite and sat down with a cold drink until the SW came back from wherever he had been - into the city, but I'm not sure what he saw. Anyway, he also had a cold drink, and then we had to slightly hurry to get away by noon. We just about made it! 

First port of call was the Getrankemarkt (drinks market) across the road to stock up on beer and soft drinks and so on, and then I popped into the Norma on the same site to get some yoghurt, which we were almost out of, and they had some lovely cherries, and also marrows! Then we stopped at a petrol station as the tyres needed air, and then in a random rest area for lunch. And then non-stop until we arrived here in Magdeburg, where we are parked up along the Elbe.

Last time we were here, in 2013, we came by train, so hadn't appreciated what a very industrialised city it is! I do remember that the Old Town was lovely, though, and we may well be able to explore in the morning.

Editing this to add a couple of things i'd forgotten. Apparently, the reason German petrol prices have risen so alarmingly is that in May and June there was a tax amnesty to help motorists cope with the price rises, and this has now expired.

On our route today we drove past the service area which, back in the day, was the place where Western vehicles, particularly Army ones, had to check in and out of the only road that linked West Berlin to Federal Germany! I saw a video about it once, which was fascinating. 

The vast majority of the lorries on the A2, the motorway we were on for most of our route today, were Polish, as were a fair few of the cars! Apparently it is the major corridor between Poland and the Ruhr, but also France and Belgium. It is known as Warsaw Alley! 

Summer Holiday. 12 July 2026

Berlin, Germany

We didn't hurry out of bed this morning, it being Sunday, and it was 10:30 before we left the WoMo. This was intentional, as we were due to meet a friend in the south of the city for lunch at noon, and the most direct way of travelling, the S25, is cut in half at the moment for engineering works. I am not sure if that is just for the weekend, or if it is more long-term; in any case, that is irrelevant. In the end, we walked up to where Line 6 of the U-bahn usually starts, but it, too, is undergoing very long-term repairs, so there is a rail replacement bus for the first five stops. 

We thought at first this was a disaster, as we just missed two buses, but a third came along within a minute, so that was all right. Of course, we had to wait for several minutes for the U-Bahn, and again when we changed on to line 7, but caught up with ourselves and it was just on noon when we met our friend who was waiting for us at the top of the steps! 

She had decided to take us to a restaurant she likes about ten minutes walk away, called Tomasa on the edge of Viktoria Park. We had to wait for a table, as our friend said it had never occurred to her that she might need to book, but they were able to seat us, and the food, when it came, was absolutely delicious. I had what was called a California Bowl, which was salmon in a sweet chilli sauce, mashed avocado, avocado chunks, pomegranate seeds, diced mango, rocket and rice.

I ate all the salmon and some of the avocado and mango, but sadly, couldn't finish it and didn't even try to tackle the rice (or the rocket, which is not my favourite salad vegetable!). 

When we had finished eating, our friend took us for a walk in Viktoria Park up to a monument from which there is apparently a lovely view over Berlin. I can imagine - I stayed at the bottom, as I am so not good at steps coming down if there is no handrail, which there wasn't, and even from there the view was fairly spectacular - it would have been more so if the trees were not so thickly in leaf! 

We then walked down to the main road and caught an M19 bus to Berlin Zoo, our friend leaving us at her nearest stop en route, and, at her recommendation, changing to a 100 bus, which goes all the way across Berlin to Alexanderplatz, passing most of the famous tourist places en route. I was lucky enough to get a front seat, although it was almost impossible to take photographs. 

Just before we got on the bus, a motorcade had passed, obviously escorting a VIP somewhere (I doubt it was the Duke of Sussex!), and in a while the bus was badly held up due to a demonstration which took forever to go past. I have no idea what it was about, but do wonder if the two were related! 

When we arrived at Alexanderplatz, we got off and made our way to the nearest coffee shop to consider our options. I didn't want coffee, so had a mint tea, which I never normally do, but really fancied it! We decided we would take the M1 tram, and then change on to a bus; it was going to take a long time, but hey. 

All went well at first, and then something went wrong with the ramp mechanism after a wheelchair user had got on, and it was taken out of service after the driver had tried to fix it, and the driver of the tram behind had also tried, but in vain. So eventually it went on with only the poor wheelchair user aboard - I hope they were able to get off where they wanted to! We, and all the other passengers from the first tram, promptly boarded the second one. 

But what we didn't realise until too late, too late, was that the M1 tram has two branches, and naturally the second tram was going on the wrong one from our point of view. So we leapt off, thinking that we must get a return tram to the junction, but a bit of work with Citymapper told us that if we walked a couple of hundred metres, we would get to a bus stop and catch a 124, which would probably take us to within walking-distance of the campsite! We had to wait 15 minutes for the next bus, but once we were on it was very straightforward, except the back doors jammed once, but the driver turned the bus off and on again, which fixed that. It was a long, hot journey, though, and then a ten-minute walk the other end, so what with one thing and another I've done over 11k steps today!

We were hot and tired, so I flaked out on the bed for a bit, and the Swan Whisperer sat out to read in the shade, and we had our supper (cold Thuringian Bratwurst with potato salad, followed by melon, followed by chocolate-covered raspberries) out of doors. I think, I though, that I shall have an early night!