Day 8 - Josselin to Quiberon

Friday 10 October 2014

It was a quiet night at the Aire in the town, just the sound of the owls at night and birdsong in the morning. I heard the church bells of St Martin strike eight and got up half an hour later. I switched on the hot water for Cathy and walked out into a cold but clear morning, with blue sky and the sun about to rise over the rooftops.  Considering this is a town, it was fairly quiet as people made their way to work or opened shops. I walked down towards the main square looking for somewhere to buy salad, but couldn't find one. But I did go into the boucherie to buy lamb chops and some local sausages, then walked back up to buy a baguette and a croissant.  I fancied a coffee and found a bar that was open and quite busy.  I walked in, offered the usual 'Bonjour' to everyone and stood at the bar to order un crème. Here it comes with the hot milk in a separate jug.  I stood and took my time over my coffee, listening to the conversations and trying to pick out words and phrases.  I managed to pick up the odd word here and there, such as asking how much for two coffees and an orange juice.  When it was time to pay I asked how much and the bar owner replied in fast French; I picked up the 'trente' at the end, so guessed the rest and gave him €2.50.  He returned €1.20, so I missed the beginning but at least I know a coffee should be under €2.  Back at the van Cathy was showered, had tidied up and had the kettle on. After breakfast and with everything stowed away, we moved across to the service point to drop waste and headed off for our next stop - Carnac and the menhirs or alignments of stones.

There was an Aire in the town so we planned to stay there if we liked it.  It was only an hour's ride and we passed the stones on the outskirts of the town. We found the Aire but it was mainly just a car park in town and it didn't feel a nice place to stay overnight, so we decided we'd visit the alignments and find somewhere else to stay.  The alignments we wanted to visit were only a short 10 minute walk away.

Carnac is the most important prehistoric site in Europe - in fact this spot is thought to have been continuously inhabited longer than anywhere else in the world. Its alignments of over two thousand menhirs (standing stones) stretch over 4km, with great burial tumuli dotted amid them. In use since at least 5700 BC, the site long pre-dates Knossos, the Pyramids, Stonehenge and the great Egyptian temples of the same name, Karnak.  Unfortunately they're fenced off so we couldn't walk amid them, but we did walk around a section, with a view of the long straight lines of stones as far as the eye can see.  We also managed to touch some of them - surreal as we thought about their age, history, use and reason to be there. We both have an affinity with this spiritual aspect of life more than any formal religion; the power of the earth and physical energy.  Hopefully being at this spot will bring us some good health and luck.  On the way back we stopped at Lidl and bought a few goodies, including 2 litres of rosé for less than €4 - the expensive stuff as Ian described it in a text!  I dialled in the coordinates for an Aire on the outskirts of Quiberon, which was only 25 minutes away, and headed off in warm sunshine.

The drive along the Quiberon peninsular was lovely - wide sweeping roads with the sea pounding on the rocky shore to our right.  The coast here has two quite distinct characters.  The Côte Sauvage, facing the Atlantic to the west, is a bleak rocky heathland, lashed by heavy seas. The sheltered eastern side, however, the Baie de Quiberon, contains safe sandy beaches, as well as the many Thalassotherapy Institutes that line the Breton coast. The Aire was quite empty and I picked a spot with a view of the sea and the main door facing west.  Out came 'our' outdoor table and we enjoyed a tasty lunch sat in the sunshine, with a couple of glasses of the 'expensive' rosé! All cleared away and, with the sun shining, we locked up and crossed the road to join the coastal path heading towards Quiberon town. We passed a restaurant and a small 'Le Moutiere', a possible lunch stop tomorrow for (finally!) some Moules frîtes. We carried on along the coast, enjoying the warm breeze and sunshine, and surprising quite a few small geckos as they dozed on the sun-warmed rocks. The town of Quiberon is quite touristy, but with a working fishing port and plenty of good places to eat.  Cathy had a paddle while I went to buy her some patisserie. We wondered around the town but were soon heading back along the coastal path.

Back at the van, we sat outside with a wet and the cakes - almond & pistachio gateaux - a bit heavy according to C.  After that we sat with an Apero watching the sea, before I lit the BBQ.  Dinner tonight was lamb leg chops with lamb's lettuce, tabbouleh and toasted bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil, all enjoyed with some more of the Lidl rosé.  It was a lovely evening and I sat on the step watching the sunset as the chops cooked, flavoured with the wild fennel stalks Cathy had picked, thrown on the coals. Washed up and squared away, it was time to chill out and enjoy a quiet night by the sea.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll get out for a bike ride in the morning before we head off along the coast, moving in to the  Pays de Loire region.

Aire at Josselin

Carnac stones

Soaking up the magic of the stones!

Carnac stones

Carnac stones

Carnac stones

Alignment of Carnac stones

Cathy's ideal bike!

Preparing dinner

Apero time

Aire outside Quiberon with great sea view

Salut!

Day 7 - Coudeville Plage to Josselin

Thursday 9 October 2014

It was warm in the night and when I woke at 0800 it was to - yes you guessed it - clear blue skies! The sun wasn't quite above the horizon but it felt warm.  Up and dressed I made a wet; Cathy had hers in bed while I took a look at where we were heading for next.  We decided last night not to go to the pink granite coast of North Brittany; we've been there before and we really want to go there again when we can swim in the clear, warm sea. So we decided to head straight for the south Brittany coast.
Ideally we'd like to get to Carnac to visit the standing stones, but it would be a 3.5 hour drive and we want to do less of that this time.  So I looked for somewhere most of the way there and decided on the town of Josselin. It has a large imposing chateau with three 'Rapunzel' towers overlooking the canal and lots of small medieval streets and timbered houses.  It also had a free Aire in one of the town squares.

Decision made, we went for a walk along the beach, in the opposite direction to yesterday's walk. The tide was in and surf was definitely up, but still with enough sand left to walk along the beach.  We looked up at the many modern houses overlooking the sea and imagined house sitting in them in the future.  Back at the van I sorted breakfast and we sat outside in the warm sunshine.  Our over-riding need today was fresh water, but I was able to dump waste on the way out, before we drove off, via St Martin sur Mer.  We'd decided to drive down along the coast route - La route de la Baie - with views of Mont St Michel over to the right.  This is an area we know well, having enjoyed a couple of gîte holidays around here.  We drove through Jullouville, where we hired a place with Ray & Julie and followed the road south where Ray and I enjoyed cycling so much.  One of our favourite cycling spots was around the hills of St Jean le Thomas and it was here that I spotted an Aire de Camping Car sign.  We followed this and found a lovely spot, just above the municipal campsite and close to the beach - definitely worth a return visit sometime. We managed (with a bit of a faff and a very expensive €8 - my fault) to fill up with water and we continued our journey south.  By now the sky was blue, sun shining and it was a very pleasant 19'C.  We stopped at some services for lunch before continuing on to Josselin.  The Aire was well signposted and we pulled in to a large square parking area alongside St Martin's church.

Once sorted out we walked out to explore.  Josselin is a lovely town and we enjoyed walking down the tiny streets with the narrow, tall, timbered cottages.  We headed down to the canal and had a walk along and back, before crossing the bridge to check out the other side. Returning, we walked up a steep cobbled road to a square overlooking the gargoyles of the basilica of Notre Dame de Roncier.

We checked out a few of the bars and bistros for dinner tonight and stopped at one for une Leffe pression. Thirst quenched, we popped into a shop to buy some local salt, salted cameral sauce and the local digestif.  Cathy also bought a new coat and I picked up a bottle of local red 'Celtic' wine for our Apero later.  Back at the van Cathy had a snooze while I showered and changed.  I tried the iBoost but, although picking up several wifi signals, none were free to log in.  So it was Apero time - a glass of red wine and some peanuts, sat in the van in the square listening to the birds as the sun shone through the perimeter trees.  It was surprisingly quiet, noting we were in the middle of a town.  This is one of the things we love with Aires and how campervans are welcomed everywhere.

Ready for dinner, we re-traced our steps back to the Bistro where we had an earlier beer.  Le Patron welcomed us in to a table inside (it was a little chilly by then).  There was American Southern blues music playing and, with his long hair, he was either a biker or a musician - or perhaps both.  We never found out but we enjoyed the music and told him so.  I ordered a pichet of red wine plus a bottle of mineral water 'avec gas'. We both wanted meat so Cathy had the Bavette with a shallot sauce and I had a Pavé steak; both were cooked to our taste and delicious.  Eurosport was on the TV and I managed to ignore it until cycling came on!  Mains done the Maître D' asked if we wanted desert. We'd already chosen - Creme Brûlée with apple for C and cheese for me.  C's came en flambé, with Calvados burning off to caramelise the sugar - a great idea for the future. I then had a coffee and a warming glass of Calvados.  Bill paid and 'á bientôt' and ' bon soir' done, we walked back to the van, as the Notre Dame bells rang for 2100 - a late night for us!  Á demain, I look forward to walking in to town to pick up our breakfast and perhaps stop for Un Créme on the way back.  Tomorrow we head for Carnac, a centre of ancient and mystic civilisation and many standing stones to hug.  Our hippy alter-egos are very close to the surface!

Coudeville Plage

Coudeville Plage

Josselin

Josselin

Josselin

Day 6 - St Valery en Caux to Coudeville Plage

Wednesday 8 October 2014

We both slept well.  I particularly liked it at St Valery as I could hear the sound of the surf as I lay in bed. It was quite windy through the night and, guess what?  Yes, it was pluie chats et chiens when it was time to get up!  I dressed and headed out to empty the loo while all was quiet.  Then Cathy had a shower while I walked into the town to buy a baguette and a croissant.  I took a bag to keep everything dry but the baguette was too long to fit, so I had to break it in half then eat some to get it to fit!  Back at the van Cathy had cleaned up and had the kettle on.  She decided to have a healthy breakfast - an orange, fresh fig and a croissant.  I too decided to try the healthy breakfast option so had a glass of orange juice - with my 3/4 of a baguette with Normandy butter and a pot of coffee -.-

All secured, I moved the van to drop grey water and we headed off.  The plan was to head for Beuvron en Auge.  This is one of the 'Villages de France', recognised as an unspoilt village of the region.  On arrival we could see it was lovely, with timbered houses and the covered 'Laves' by the river, where the women washed the clothes and gossiped (and kept out of the way of the men).  We found the Aire and parked up and, as soon as I switched off the engine, the heavens opened!  Luckily it only lasted a few minutes so we were able to head out and have a walk around the village.  It was lovely with some small shops to buy the local cider and calvados - sadly they were all shut!  This is what comes of having our summer holiday in October.  We needed to pay for the Aire and get a jeton (token) to top up with water.  These are available in the local bar - which is shut all week!   So again we've been f****d over by the 2014 gremlins.  We fancied some lunch and the only place open was the Creperie.  But it was a good choice as the galletes and local cider were very tasty.  Lunch done we walked through the village and decided we should move on.  So we returned to the van and plugged in the coordinates for an Aire by the beach just north of Granville, one of our favourite parts of Normandy.

Two hours later we arrived at the Aire at Coudeville Plage.  Levelled up, I went to pay for a ticket at the machine and it refused all of my cards - the gremlins kicking the shit out of us again. So like the French, I ignored it, put a sign in the windscreen to say my cards weren't accepted and we walked down to the beach.  It was a lovely, very long, sandy beach and we had a good walk in the salty wind to blow away the long drive.  Returning to the van I tried my cards one more time - no luck. But the sun was shining so out came the chairs and we sat outside with an aperitif (or two) and some peanuts, watching some French motorhomers clean their vans, then set up their awning and a long table for dinner - who says you can't spread out on an Aire!  A short while later a lady arrived in a van from the local campsite, read my note and said in French that I can pay her in cash - problem solved. As the sun dropped we put on a fleece and enjoyed the fresh air amongst the pines, hearing the surf in the background.  With the sound of the French oldies laughing as they eat together, we started to relax.  This would be a perfect Aire and beach in the summer, but in Autumn it's ready to close down and batten the hatches for the coming winter.  Dinner tonight is pasta carbonara, so I'm off to cook while Cathy sits outside and reads about Flamenco in Spain - I bet it's warmer there.  Maybe next year......

Waiting for the (free!) ferry

Onboard the ferry

Beuvron en Auge

Lunch stop at Beuvron en Auge

Sadly closed!

Pork scratchings!

Coudeville Plage Aire

Dinner time

Day 5 - Wissant to St Valery en Caux

Tuesday 7 October 2014

There was a fierce thunderstorm most of last night, with waves of very heavy rain and this continued well into the morning.  There was no way I was walking into the village in that, so breakfast was boiled eggs with bread and butter.  Just after the weather worsened with very strong wind, heavy thunder and lightning and a huge downpour of large hailstones - I thought the skylights might smash!
We considered changing our plans and heading for where the sun 'might' be, even getting Steph & Ian to text us the forecast.  But in the end we decided to keep to our original plan and take whatever the weather threw at us.  We left the Aire at Wissant at about 1000, heading for St Valery en Caux, a small town right on the coast with a free Aire overlooking the sea.  I'd forgotten to set the satnav to avoid toll roads, so we ended up on the motorway for about 20 miles.  But when the weather forced us off to take a break, I reset it and we came off at the next exit towards Le Touquet.  After that our route was on D roads through towns and villages.  We skirted Dieppe and stopped at a large Auchan to buy some food and drink, plus top up with diesel.

We arrived in St Valery and followed the signs to drive on a single lane road, with an open drop to the harbour on the right and sheer cliffs to the left.  The Aire was about half full and we picked a spot in the shade of the cliffs but still with a sea view.  We enjoyed our lunch and then went out for some fresh air.  The journey down had been a mix of sunshine and showers and now the sun was out, although with a fresh, stiff breeze off the sea.  I had a walk around the town to find the nearest Boulangerie, while Cathy walked along the beach.  When I joined her she had written 'Myrtle' in large stones and I took a photo as proof - let's hope it's big enough to pass!  Back at the van I looked up where we might head tomorrow.  Despite our plan to travel far less than last year, we still seemed to be driving a lot, so we may need to adapt our plans to cut this down.  So at the moment our thought is to head for the coast near Granville tomorrow, then work our way around to spend a few days in Brittany, perhaps stopping for two nights if we find a nice spot.  After that we'll see how we're doing before deciding where to head to next.  So tonight we're chilling out, reading and snoozing.  We may get an early start tomorrow and have breakfast en-route.

The typical view of a French cafe

Multi-coloured tomatoes for lunch

Aire at St Valery en Caux

Aire at St Valery en Caux

Angry skies

The rain's on its way

Myrtle Mission!

Day 4 - Gosport to Wissant

Monday 6 October 2014

It was a very windy night and the rain started at about 0700.  After breakfast, we secured for the journey and drove over to fill up with water.  The supplied hose had been joined - very badly! - so filling was difficult.  I was getting wet from the driving rain and from holding the leaking hose together.   Then it was over to empty both waste tanks, thankfully this was less stressful.  We drove to the large Asda in Fareham to fill up with diesel and buy some food and drink.  It was absolutely teeming down and the supermarket was busy so a very wet and hacked off Cathy finally returned to the van.  Goods packed away and Cathy changed, I drove over to Wickes to get some hose clips and some sticky tape to hold down the rear camera screen.

The journey to Folkestone was uneventful, just very wet.  We stopped about half an hour before the tunnel for lunch and I checked all the lockers to make sure we didn't have any English stowaways looking to get over to Pakistan for a free council house and benefits - sadly my cattle prod remain unused, maybe until we return!? We arrived a little over 2 hours ahead of our crossing and so were able to get an earlier crossing free of charge and 1.5 hours ahead of schedule - result!  Cathy had a snooze while I filled out a Form C39 for one day's submarine pay.  Travelling underwater is alien to me, but I didn't have a wash today in preparation.

Half an hour later and after resting our eyes on the bed we arrived in Calais.  Cathy did see one illegal skulking as we left the tunnel port but unfortunately he was out of cattle-prod range. Our passports were checked in Folkestone so we drove straight out on to the A16 and 20 minutes later were parked up on the free Aire at Wissant.  It was still raining quite heavily and looks set in for the night, so we stayed in and cooked garlic chicken with rice, plus a cheeky G&T and glass of wine to get us in the holiday mood. The wine was from Dave & Lesley, called Santa Caterina - thanks both!  So day one en France is here already and today's flown past.  But we don't want to rush about so we'll rest up tonight and hit the road early tomorrow morning, heading along the coast for our next stop, wherever that may be.  Let's hope the weather clears up, if not we may need to sprint south to find some sunshine.

Day 3 - Gosport

Sunday 5 October 2014

We both slept really well. I was up first (as usual!) made a wet and breakfast, then changed into my cycling gear ready for Ray to arrive at 1000.  He'd dried my wet cycling gear overnight, so shoes, helmet and gloves on, we headed off into the warm sunshine.  We did our normal route, but this time road along Lee seafront, then took the Haven route to Titchfield.  With our usual loo stop in Warsash we were soon on our way back towards Lee.  When I was preparing my bike this morning, I noticed the rear tyre wall was bulging, so I popped in to Solent Cycles on the seafront to buy a new one - eye wateringly expensive but needs must.  We had a coffee and bacon sarnie sat outside the Bluey in the sunshine before cycling back to Rays to change the tyre and clean the bikes.  Back at the campsite I locked the bike back into the rack and showered and changed, we chilled out ready for Ray and Julie to pick us up later to go out to the Bun Penny for dinner.

The Bun Penny was as good as always. I had a Caesar Salad, Cathy had chicken & mushroom pie, Julie a roast beef dinner and Ray scampi & chips. We even all had a pudding.  It was lovely to spend time with them and we're now back in the van listening to some music.  The sun will be setting shortly and I don't think it'll be too long before we turn in, ready for out trip to France tomorrow.

One final note, Cathy forgot to pack our Myrtle's Mates Mug - it's all her fault.  So we now have to complete a number of tasks to avoid the Myrtle's Walk of Shame.  Our first task is to spell out 'Myrtle' as large as possible in whatever form - could be interesting!

Day 2 - Gosport

Saturday 4 October 2014

I woke with a stinking red wine hangover!  I got up early to have plenty of time to prep for my bike ride with Ray.  Then made a wet for us both and some toast for me - I managed to eat one piece.  It had been quite windy overnight and was cloudy this morning but quite warm. The cloud was lifting so I thought the threat of rain might have missed us. Cathy was meeting up with Julie later for breakfast at The Cabin by the beach, so I left her in bed.

I headed off to Ray's grateful for some fresh air and arrived at his house, banging loudly on their front door for a long time to make sure he and Julie were up.  I could hear her swearing at me from within - just like the old days.  All set up, we headed off on our 20 mile route that would take us through Stubbington, Titchfield and Warsash.  Just a few minutes in the wind picked up and rain started - and did it rain! We sheltered from the worst but were still soon soaked to the skin with our shoes squelching.  Hangover? - what hangover!  We stopped off at Warsash to use the loo and make use of the hand dryer to warm up a bit!  Thankfully the rain had now stopped so we had a decent run along the coast and Lee seafront to our usual coffee stop at the Bluebird Café - the 'Bluey'.  Two lattes and a twin helped revive us we we sat in there dripping and steaming!  It had started to rain again so the run back the the campsite was ridden as fast as we could.  Back at the campsite the hot shower was very welcome. Ray drove over about an hour later to take all my wet gear home to dry it overnight as we plan to go out again tomorrow morning - hopefully this time in sunshine.

A short while later our good friends Jane & Ron turned up for a wet and a chat.  Jane has just had a full knee replacement so getting up into the van was interesting for her, but we were soon settled with a cup of tea and the iced buns they brought. It was good to catch up; they have just become grandparents for the second time, this time a little boy and were looking forward to meeting him for the first time tomorrow. An hour later our son Chris arrived to pick up some belongings we'd brought down for him, so the kettle went on again.  After they'd all left we took a walk down the Bay in the sunshine (the rain was well gone and sun was out). There was a windsurfing competition and so loads of campervans parked on the grass by the sailing club, with a great view over the Solent to the Isle of Wight - very lucky!

Back at the van we had a quick turnaround then walked down the The Old Ship on Lee on Solent seafront  ( seeing a beautiful orange sunset), where we met Chris. Dinner was the usual deep fried or microwaved stuff you get in these 'Sizzling' pubs then out friends Chris & Michelle turned up - they live just about 2 minutes walk from the pub. We had a good catch up but soon it was 2230 and we were flagging, so we said our goodbyes and Chris dropped us off at the campsite.  It was a clear and very chilly night and we slept well.

Ready for our spin - before the rain

Windsurfers looking like leaf-cutter ants

Sunset over the sea at Lee as we walk to the Old Ship Inn

Day 1 - trek to the Coast

Friday 3 October 2014: Barnton to Gosport

We both had haircuts first thing, although mine took a little less time than Cathy's!  We'd already loaded most of our things in the van the night before, so we drove down to fetch it and bring it home to finish off the packing plus, most importantly, put my bike on the rack. With everything secured we were off.

We expected a long journey on a Friday, but 7.5 hours was a bit much.  Accidents on the M6, M42 and M3 meant loads of time sitting in queues of traffic, which was a shame given it was a sunny day and 21`. With the M3 completely closed we sat on the bottom end of the A34 before cutting across country and finally reaching the Kingfisher campsite in Gosport, next to the beach.  I checked us in and we pitched up, hooked up and went off for a walk along Stokes Bay.  Despite being dark and a bit breezy it was very warm - t-shirt weather. Not bad for October.  We walked down to the Pebbles Bistro, right on the beach to see if we could blag a table. All were booked but as we stood at the bar with a glass of wine, a couple paid up and left, so we were OK after all.  We used to live opposite Pebbles, just a short walk from the beach so have been in there several times over the years. The menu is mainly seafood based; Cathy had swordfish and I had garlic prawns.  Fed and well watered we walked back along the seafront to the van and our first night's sleep of the holiday.

Most important item packed - the bike!

Great times at Rewind North with El Nido and Marmite

The saga and stress of our campervan conversion continues and, when the dust has settled, I'll tell the full story.  In the meantime, we were able to use El Nido to sleep in, albeit with no gas or water and limited electrics, when we went to the Rewind North Festival with our good friends Steph and Ian and their motorhome - Marmite.  For those who aren't aware, Rewind is a weekend Festival of 80s music, featuring many of the bands and artists of the day and, as we met and grew up together in the 80s, Cathy and I love this era.  You can find more details about Rewind here.

Friday 29 August 2014
We'd packed most of our things in Nido the night before.  With no fridge, gas or water, we were relying on Steph & Ian to provide most of the facilities, although we did thankfully have a working loo. So in the morning we packed our fridge items in a cool bag and headed off to meet them in a lay by on the A556.  We met them at 1000 and drove off in convoy to Capesthorne Hall, the location for Rewind.  Luckily it's only about 30 minutes' drive from home, so the risk of our dodgy underslung LPG tank blowing up was minimal! On arrival at the campsite we could see a large motorhome had already grounded and was stuck in boggy ground - not a great start.  The staff were a bit slow to react but eventually we drove our way through the field to our pitch, overlooking the camping area.

Setting up in a campervan is relatively straightforward and we soon had both awnings out, tied down, with mats, chairs and tables out.  Ian and I put up the kitchen tent while the kettle was on.  It was then lovely to spend a while relaxing over a brew and some cake and biscuits, having a chat with Steph & Ian.  They've just returned from a 5 month trip which included almost 3 months in Greece and we were keen to hear all about it.  Given our excitement with being in Nido for the first time and thinking about a great weekend ahead, it wasn't long before the beer and wine was flowing!

I had volunteered to cook on day one and made a chicken curry.  I'd ground all the whole spices at home the night before and had everything else ready to go.  I enjoyed doing the prep in Nido's galley, chopping onions, garlic and ginger.  The kitchen tent was really handy and I was soon in there, wearing my campervan apron and slaving over a hot pot named Flo!  When Cathy's Mum died this year and we got to the difficult day of emptying her flat, we found this pot that can be used as a normal pot, steamer or pressure cooker on a stove top - perfect for our needs.  So we named it Flo in her memory and it goes well with Oska, our Remoska cooker.  As the curry was cooking I warmed up the naan and cooked the rice too and we were soon tucking in - I think I overdid the whole chillies a bit though - Ian and me were fine but Steph & Cathy were looking a bit pink in the face!  At least there was some cucumber raita and lager to cool things down.

Washing up done we were keen to go over to the Festival site and take a look around.  On the way in we swapped our tickets for the ubiquitous wristband.  Cathy and I had also bought Posh Loo tickets as we didn't know if Nido's loo would be working, so we collected a 2nd wristband - well worth the money in our opinion.  Crossing the lake we went through the wristband check and search (no own food or drink allowed in) and into the Festival area.  The main stage was over to the left in a natural dip with the grassy auditorium sloping up around it, so perfect for thousands of festival goers to get a good view.  Around the right hand side were various stalls selling food, drink and many festival related items, such as brightly coloured wigs and hats.  Cathy bought some neon orange leg warmers to go with her wellies and I was tempted by an afro wig, but managed to refrain!  We had a good walk around, looking at the sights and watching some crazy people on some very scary fairground rides.  The Babycham van was giving away free samples, as was the Black Tower tent - well why not!  Around the edge were three very large big-top tents containing bars and where other live music was being played.  As there were no live bands on the main stage tonight we listened to some of these local bands while enjoying a pint of Doombar (me and Ian) and a glass of Prosecco (Cathy and Steph).  By now it was starting to rain so, rather than get soaked on day one, we headed back to the vans for a brew and a (relatively) early night.  This was the first time we'd slept in Nido and so we'd see if the bed was big enough and comfy enough - the boy done good on both counts! Once in with the reading lights on, cozy and warm we knew that eventually, when he's well, we'll love our time away in him.

New plates and ready to go

Setting up camp

Curry on in 'Flo' in the outside galley

Inside one of the big-top bars

Saturday 30 August 2014
We woke quite early after a warm and very comfortable night's sleep.  Following the Campervan Rules, I had to get up and make a morning brew for Cathy to enjoy in bed. Although we had no onboard gas, I had our small gas ring so that went on as I opened the Victoria choccie biscuits, normally a Christmas morning treat, but we felt the occasion deserved them.  A bit later I opened the blinds and could see the Corry's were up and about too.  Breakfast was sausages in rolls with a brew, sat outside under Marmite's awning.

The day was a bit drizzly and cloudy so we dressed accordingly, raincoats, wellies or walking boots.  The live music wasn't starting until 2pm so we had a lazy morning chatting and drinking tea or coffee.  The Corry's had a made a great effort dressing up, with wigs and wacky clothes!  As the music started we headed over to the main arena. Bands were on for about 20 minutes, with a quick change around.  I can't remember who was on, but we wandered around, had a few beers and something to eat from the pulled pork & ribs shack, then popped back to listen to more bands.  It was a great atmosphere and many had made a great effort to dress up in 80s gear - I particularly liked the green soldiers from the Toy Story movie.  About 4pm we headed back to the van to rest for a while and have a brew, before heading back to the arena just before 7pm to wait for the big bands.

It was a bit rainy on and off by now but that didn't stop the fun.  We enjoyed many well known bands and artists, including Jimmy Sommerville, Marc Almond, Tony Hadley, Level 42 and Billy Ocean.  After the final act for the night there was a great fireworks display and we made our way back to the vans, tired but having enjoyed a great day.

Morning Brew Time

The start of the dressing up! 

Wellies & Wine! 

Ready to ROCK & ROLL!

This Doom Bar's going down well

Sunday 31 August 2014
Sunday broke bright and sunny - the promise of another good day to come.  We slept in, not waking until just after 9am, then it was the same again - brew time, followed by bacon & egg rolls and a quiet morning.  With it being much warmer and sunnier today we didn't need to worry about coats and Cathy and I wore our "El Nido says Relax" t-shirts - the Corry's carried on their wacky dress code!  Heading over to the main arena, we enjoyed more bands (and the odd beer) before coming back to eat.  Steph had made a large moussaka and greek salad, both of which were delicious and enjoyed with the odd glass or three of Shiraz in very warm sunshine - this is the life!  But before that we had El Nido's naming ceremony!  With a bottle of bubbly provided by Steph & Ian we blessed his name and all who travel in him and splashed a little on his front bumper. The campers on the other side of the fence must have thought we were mad, although one did offer to take some photos.  Well fed and watered we washed up and walked back over to the main arena for 6pm.  Again, there were some great bands and music, culminating in Holly Johnson and all the 'Frankie goes to Hollywood' hits, including Relax and Two Tribes. This was a great finale to the weekend, followed again by fireworks.  We weren't ready to finish the night though, so we walked up to one of the big-top  bars and had a few drinks and a dance while listening to a great rock band.  Finally, well after midnight, we reluctantly left, dancing all the way back to the vans!  What a great weekend.

El Nido says Relax! 

Ready to Party!

Nido's naming ceremony

What you looking at!? 

Tucking in

Finishing off the delicious moussaka - well somebody had to!

Big Top time

Moving so fast the camera couldn't keep up!

Must have been wobbling my head!

Monday 1 September 2014
Monday morning and it was raining but, hey, no work for us today!  Steph & Ian kindly laid on breakfast in their van and we then slowly packed everything away before heading home to unpack, clean and return the van to storage before it starts its proper refit in a couple of weeks.

We had a great time at Rewind - fantastic music, fun, dressing up, food and drink.  But it was the company that made it.  After all the hassle, stress and worry over our van, it was lovely to forget it all for a few days and just let our hair down.  That we managed this and had such a good time was due to Steph & Ian - good friends who have helped us see that the last few months have been a tester and both us and Nido will emerge on the other side in a much better state - considerably poorer and wiser - but still able to achieve our future dreams and plans.  Thanks Steph, Ian and Marmite!