Flanders Moss, Lochs and an Aire

Saturday 6 July 2024

Nido's parked up at Aberfeldy Aire.  It's a fairly new stopover just off the B846 west of Aberfeldy.  There's room for four vans and it's £5 per night, payment by cash or credit/debit card.  It looks like they've just added a service point that anyone can use for £5 also.  It's a nice idea and it would be great if there were others.  We're overlooking a large wheat field with wooded hills in the distance, with the odd rain shower after an afternoon of heavy rain.

Yesterday was a bit of a transit day into Scotland.  After a twisting and turning drive through the Dales we popped out on to the M6 just before Tebay services, so stopped off for a quick break and to buy some lunch, which we ate overlooking the water of Lochmaben, not far from Locherbie.  Carrying on up the motorway, we reached last night's stopover at Flanders Moss Nature Reserve.  This water-logged bog used to be nearly twice the size it is today.  But, like many of Scotland's bogs, much of it was drained and cleared for farming.  But this Moss survived and is still the largest bog of its size anywhere in Britain.  There's a wooden viewing platform which we climbed to enjoy expansive views over the Moss, with Ben Lomond in the distance.  The boardwalk meanders around a section of the Moss, with bench seating and noticeboards dotted along the walk. There was only one other van when we arrived but became fairly busy later, I suppose because it was the start of the weekend.  A few French children were running around playing hide and seek and a couple of guys were sat on the picnic bench playing a guitar and chatting as the sun set behind the trees.

Blue skies first thing this morning so I took Salty for a walk around the woods; it was very peaceful and warm in the sunshine.  The two guys chatting last night had left a plastic bag on the ground and as I picked it up I spotted an empty bottle of Buckie tonic wine in the grass, so that went in the bag ready to put in a bin later.  A quick stop at Tesco in Stirling for a couple of things and some diesel and we headed off through Crieff and up a winding, single lane road with passing places which climbed for about 2 miles.  This took us to a large car park by the dam of Loch Turret reservoir.  It seems a popular spot and a few cars were parked up; it's possible to overnight there too.  We walked along the dam and back, looking over the loch towards the hills. It would make a perfect place for a little cafe and the cyclists we met at the top would now doubt have enjoyed a coffee and cake stop after such a climb!  We walked a track along the northern edge of the loch, finding the odd juicy bilberry to enjoy.  There were a few birds around including a large bird of prey flying high around the crag way above us.  On the return leg a large hare popped out onto the track.  We stood like statues as it sat on the track sniffing the air until it bounded off up the track, at which point Salty spotted it and towed me along on his lead as he followed its scent!  Lunch was enjoyed in the silence with a view out to the hills and Creiff down in the glen to our left.

The satnav plotted a route back towards Crieff, but I gave it a stiff ignoring and turned the opposite way to take us on a longer but more scenic route past Loch Earn and Loch Tay.  This dips into the Trossachs and Lomond area and there was an obvious increase in touristy hot spots, shops and cafes.  The heavy rain showers pulsed through until we reached our current stop.  The adjacent road's quiet now and it'll soon be time to take Salty out for a quick walk before putting the kettle on.

Flanders Moss Nature Reserve

From the top of the viewing platform

Loch Turret reservoir

Back to Wharfedale

Thursday 4 July 2024

Nido's parked up at the Low Hall Farm campsite in Kettlewell, in Wharfedale, Yorkshire.  It's pretty basic - just a couple of fields with a 'long drop' toilet dump, bins and a fresh water tap in the corner of another field.  But it's only £10 per night and the views are spectacular. I'm sat looking out at the fells as the sun sets, watching the swallows swoop low over the fields.

We've been to Kettlewell before, once in 2015 when we stayed on another campsite in the village and I came in 2014 with my friend Ray to watch the Tour de France; on that occasion Ray and I camped in a tent on a pop-up campsite opposite Kilnsey Crag.

We've had a couple of trips out this year.  One was a few days on a CL in the Rheidol Valley in mid-Wales, between Aberysthwyth and Devil's Bridge.  It was a lovely spot, alongside the steam railway that runs between the two points and a man made reservoir with a hydro-electric plant built in the 1950s by a Norwegian company who were well ahead of their time.

The second trip was a week in Kent and West Sussex in May.  We met up with friends in their camper van and the highlight was a day spent at the Knepp Rewilding Centre on a walking safari on Cathy's 60th birthday. It's a place she's always wanted to visit so I booked tickets a few months ago and we really enjoyed seeing how proper rewilding is transforming the landscape and bringing in so much flora and fauna.  

We arrived here in Kettlewell yesterday afternoon and had a walk along the river Wharfe which runs alongside the campsite.  After dinner we sat and read before an early night.

Today's weather forecast wasn't great and the majority of the day was very windy with heavy rain squalls passing through on a regular basis.  Cathy had her last Welsh online lesson before the Summer break but with no internet signal here, we drove to park up at the National Park Visitor Centre in Grassington, about 7 miles back down the road. Grassington is a lovely old village which is used to film the latest series of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5. As such, it's now quite touristy, with lots of cafes, eateries and shops.  I took Salty for a couple of walks while Cathy was online and we stayed on to have lunch as the rain showers were heavy.  Returning to Kettlewell I had an afternoon snooze, by which time the rain had stopped and the sun was making a welcome return.  I'd originally planned a walk which took us up to the top of one of the fells before dropping down to Starbotton, but it was quite late in the day and the wind was still very strong, so we took an alternative route alongside the river, before returning via a climb to the fell top then down back to the village.  The views were excellent and we spent some time taking photos of a large abandoned farm that no doubt could tell a tale or two from years past.

Back at the van we had a cup of tea sat outside until the sun dropped behind the top of the fell and I cooked some rice and warmed up a curry I brought from home.  All is quiet now and the wind has finally dropped.  Tomorrow we'll head into Scotland.  The plan is to explore more of the Cairngorms, which we dipped into last year on our way home.

Grassington village square

Looking down towards Starbotton

Clères, Songeons, Le Crotoy and back to Ardres

Sunday 30 September 2023

Nido's parked up back at Ardres, which was our first night stop of this trip back on 20 August.  We've eaten, our passports and documents are at the ready and the alarm's set for 0430 tomorrow morning, ready for our Shuttle train back to Folkestone and the long drive home to Anglesey.

We left our pitch by the river Seine, popping up to use the service point in nearby Yvetot, as the one at Mailleraye-sur-Seine was out of order.  Then it was on to the free aire in Clères, north of Rouen.  It's mainly double pitches, separated by high beech hedges, but there was plenty of room, so we had one all to ourselves.  A quick check of my mapping app showed some GR trails nearby, so we enjoyed a walk through a forest, alongside arable fields on the high ground and back along quiet country lanes, nosying at the houses and choosing which one we'd live in!

Clères

Thursday morning Cathy had her online Welsh lesson, so Salty and I had a walk around the adjacent park before going into the town centre.  He wasn't very impressed when I had to tie him outside the boulangerie so I could go in and buy a baguette and some patisserie! Our next stop was the vets in Buchy to get Salty checked out and for him to take his worming tablet and have this recorded in his EU (Irish) passport.  For anyone needing a veterinary practice on the way back to the UK, I can recommend them.  You can book an appointment online well in advance, they speak English (although I continued with my very bad French!) and they allow you to give your pet your own tablets (sourced from your UK vet) to keep the price down.

Not happy being tied up outside the boulangerie!

We continued on to the free aire in Songeons.  This is a fairly new and well kept aire, with generous, level, gravel pitches. Once parked up we took the 25 minute walk, along the edge of a forest up to the ancient village of Gerberoy, with its cobbled lanes, old cob houses with colourful timberwork dating to the 17th century and ramparts surrounding the village.  Out of season it was quiet and only a few people were walking around.  Listed in the 'plus beaux villages de France' it has an old world charm, which although quaint and beautiful, felt a little like the 'set in aspic' equivalent of the Cotswold villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter or Bourton-on-the-water; it must get very busy in the summer season. Back at the van I popped into the village to buy a jeton for the service point before cooking some daal, then a quiet night, listening to the stream flowing past the aire.

Songeons aire

One of the gated entrances to Gerberoy village

Friday morning after breakfast, showers and servicing the van, we drove the 65km to our penultimate stopover at Le Crotoy, on the coast.  It's really just a gravel and sand parking area behind some low sand dunes, leading to a shallow flat bay with a narrow beach, with mud flats when the tide recedes for miles.  We had a walk along as the tide went out, watching the kite surfers and letting Salty have some zoomie time, albeit on a long lead.  The rest of the day was spent sheltering from the sea breeze behind the van, then sat inside for supper and an early night.

Le Crotoy

This morning it was bright and sunny and still warm.  I've been in shorts ever since we left home on 19 August, only wearing long trousers for the one night we went out for moules frites. I have jeans ready for the morning though, as it's about 10'C cooler back in the UK.  Our task for today - on the way to Ardres - was to shop for some foodie items to take home, plus a few gifts for our friend and neighbour who have kindly kept an eye on our house and garden.  I also did the last diesel fill up of this trip, so we're now ready for the long journey home.  On arrival in Ardres we had walk along some of the lakes close to the park up and back along the canal. Cathy and Salty returned to the van and I carried on in to the village to buy a baguette to make a sandwich for tomorrow, plus some patisserie (of course!).  On the way back I stopped off at the village Brasserie to use up my last few Euros and put some more money back into the local community - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!  After sitting in the warm afternoon sunshine, supper was a quiche lorraine from the boulangerie and some salad.  That's us now ready for an early off in the morning. 

Ardres

Just doing my bit for the local economy

This will teach me to bid unseen on eBay...just working out how to strap it to the top of the van!

It's been another great trip.  When I look back at these posts, I've already forgotten many of the places we'd visited.  It's the main reason I write this blog; my brain is like a sieve these days!  We've had some great weather with very little rain and explored some lovely places.  Many baguettes have been consumed and plenty of patisserie too!  So it's back home tomorrow after six weeks away.  We're both ready to return to pick up our lives and get back into the home routine.  Cathy has a lot of gardening to catch up with and I have lots in the pipeline with Môn Search and Rescue, including studying for a First Responder Emergency Care medics course in November.  We'll have the usual job of emptying the van, cleaning it inside and out and preparing it for semi-hibernation  We don't tend to travel much in the winter, maybe the odd day out, although if there's a decent weather window, there's nothing stopping us throwing a few things in the van and finding somewhere close to home to spend a night away, combining it with a refreshing winter walk.  Next year's trips are to be confirmed.  It won't be France though; we're taking a break from touring here.  It's our 40th wedding anniversary in November and a present to each other is to do a DNA test to trace our ancestry, then use the results and further research to plan future trips.  So who knows where we'll end up next year.  But it should hopefully make for some exciting and interesting travels, with a purpose and aim of returning to some of our family roots.

Until then, stay safe.

By the Seine

Tuesday 26 September 2023

Nido's parked up overlooking the river Seine, with seagoing ships occasionally passing and creating a wake and waves that Salty can't see so doesn't like!  We've stayed on this aire in the village of Mailleraye-sur-Seine before, in July 2019.  It's been a hot day and it's still warm and humid this evening, although the mosquitoes drove us inside once the sun had set.  Our original plan was to stay at a different aire, but more of that later. 

We left Saint Rémy and drove to our next stop, in the small village of Courtonne la Meurdrac.  We bagged the last of four hedge-lined pitches, although later on three vans arrived and parked along the fence line opposite, which was fine as there was still plenty of room to reverse out.  Apart from the nearby church and a bar/shop on the opposite side of the road, there's not much else in the village.  But there are some beautiful Norman houses and outbuildings and we enjoyed having a good nosy as we took a walk along quiet lanes with a 'mohican' of grass in the middle of the tarmac.

Pooped after a good walk and lots of sniffing!

Our original stopover for tonight was to be in a motorhome parking area (not really an aire) on the edge of Le Bec Hellouin, a village of ancient houses and a huge abbey - Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec.  

The Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec was founded around 1034 by a man called Hellouin, or Herluin, who had previously served as a knight under the Norman Count of Brionne before converting to the monastic life. The abbey quickly rose to become a major Christian centre thanks to two exceptionally powerful religious men. Lanfranc of Pavia, encouraging a great building programme, and Anselm of Aosta, fostering Christian thought, would make this little corner of Normandy famous, spreading the deep spirituality developed at Le Bec much further afield, notably across the Channel to England. These two abbots, having first served at this spot beside the gentle Risle River, would both in fact go on to serve as Archbishops of Canterbury, no less. Back at Le Bec-Hellouin, the abbey’s monks encouraged the growth of the adjoining village, to have workers based close by.

All here turned towards the abbey, living according to its ups and downs, from moments of great joy to times of despair. During the second half of the Hundred Years War, 1417 proved a particularly dark year; the abbot of the time, fearing a devastating attack by marauding English troops, employed a scorched-earth policy that caused the village’s destruction but did not stop the English enemy taking control of the abbey. At the Revolution, the monastic buildings were turned into a cavalry barracks. Monks only returned in 1948, followed, the next year, by some nuns, who had a separate convent built. Le Bec-Hellouin stands out not just for its religious heritage but also for its lovely setting, its peaceful, well-flowered streets and its half-timbered houses.

We parked up and had some lunch, before walking into the village.  The abbey is only open to the public on certain days and I think it's only with a guide.  There are still monks living in the monastery buildings and nuns in a separate convent; all contained behind high fences and gates with electronic locks.  It was free to walk around the abbey gardens and a small covered cloister with pews was open too, but we didn't feel comfortable going in there.  It's a lovely village, easy and peaceful to walk around, but it did feel a little like a film set.  We're out of season so it wasn't busy and it felt a little uncomfortable walking around; we felt we were being watched all the time.  I'm sure we weren't but with the monks and nuns locked away, occasionally glimpsed through the fencing and the strange feeling we had about the place, we both decided we didn't want to stay overnight in the car park.

So we ended up here, next to the river Seine.  Ships and seagoing barges pass now and again, which makes for interest.  The village is also nice to walk around; it has a much more welcoming feel than Le Bec Hellouin.  Unfortunately the motorhome service point is out of action, so I've had to do a bit of replanning to find somewhere tomorrow to service the van; looks like we're popping into Yvetot first thing.  We sat outside in the sunshine, although today I'm feeling tired so had a nap on the bed with Salty. I think the constant travelling and having to find somewhere to stay each night (even though this is really easy in France) is taking its toll.  I've no idea how those who full-time in their vans - especially those who only wild camp - do it day after day - it's exhausting!  As we approach the last few days of this trip I'm starting to look forward to returning home.