Day of the Cols

Saturday 22 June 2019

I’m mega-happy!  Nido’s parked up on the summit of Col du Lautaret at a height of 2058 metres, beneath the summit of Mont Combeynot. We’re with several other motorhomes on a large patch of ground with scree high above us, surrounded by snow-topped mountains dipped in sunshine and shadow, with deep blue skies and a silence that makes my ears ring.  The bell-wearing brown sheep (and very large, docile but friendly guard dogs who move with them) who surrounded us earlier have moved on to a new area of pasture, encouraged by a shepherd and shepherdess and three border collies.  Today I’ve seen or driven over many of the iconic Tour de France Cols and Alpes that I’ve watched over the years.  I can’t quite believe I’m here!  I’ve taken so many photos and soaked up so many views, I’m sure this day will stay with me for a long time.

We had thunderstorms and rain last night down in La Compote, but we slept well and woke refreshed and ready to move on.  We packed away quickly and drove just up the road to the village of Ecole en Bauges, to make the most of the artisan La Boulangerie Savoyarde.  For some reason they had no baguettes (Madam Boulangerie had lost her voice and didn’t sound well at all, so perhaps this was the reason), but I bought a large loaf and a couple of Walnut tarts.  We drove through the valley and popped out in Aiguebelle, where I topped up with groceries in the Contact supermarket, driving on a short way before pulling in for breakfast.  

The plan for today was to head for a wild camping spot above the lake at Saint Colomban Des Lac de Grand Maison.  The drive took us up into the mountains, occasionally dropping into first gear to ascend the severe hairpin bends, and trying not to look down at the steep drops to one side!  As we drove up I again saw the yellow signs for the Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc, the race I missed only a couple of days ago.  They’re heading up this route tomorrow - result!  As we climbed I saw lots of names and signs painted on the road from previous Tours de France.  As we drove over the Col de Frene, I realised we were heading for the summit of the Col du Glandon - another famous Tour climb - the excitement mounted!  As we continued, the cloud and mist increased and it started to rain, increasing as we climbed.  Many cyclists were either making the monumental effort to reach the summit, or were carefully descending on the wet, slippery roads.  At the top of the Col du Glandon, there was still plenty of snow lying around.  A cyclist was trying to take a selfie by the Col’s summit sign, so I popped out in the rain to take it for him.  I’m not sure the heavy rain (with some sleet) was forecast, as many of the cyclists were in short-sleeved tops and it was 4’C at the top, so they must have been feeling the cold, particularly on the descent.  

Having topped Col du Glandon, we descended about 4km to the wild camping spot above the lake and pulled over to have a cup of tea.  The wind and rain lashed the side of the van and, although we hung around for an hour or so, there was little sign of it improving.  My plan had been to park here for the night, then tomorrow cycle back up to the summit of Col du Glandon to await the bike race caravan and then the cyclists.  But we really didn’t fancy spending the day and evening stuck in the van in such dreadful weather, so took the decision to move on and we descended through cloud and mist into blue skies and bright sunshine.  I had an aire in mind at Le Monetier-les-Bains, which took us past Alpe d’Huez, one of the most famous TdF climbs.  Geraint Thomas - in the Maillot Jaune - one the stage here last year and sealed his final overall Tour win.  From the valley bottom we started to climb again and, having followed the zig-zag road and through several long tunnels up to the Col du Lautaret I knew this was where we’d spend tonight.  The 360’ views are amazing.  There’s a hotel and several restaurants and shops at the summit with plenty of flat parking.  To cap it all, the summit is also the home of The Lautaret Alpine Botanic Garden - now Cathy was excited!  I parked Nido and we walked up to the Garden, paid the €7 per person entry fee and spent a good hour walking around.  It’s a bit early for the peak flowering period up here, which is from early-July to mid-August, but there was still lots to see.  The garden’s been up here since 1899 and in the winter the plants are under several metres of snow, which insulates them from the cold.  The gardens include alpine plants from all over the world, not just local ones, so there’s plants from (for example), Siberia, Central Asia and China, the Carpathians and the Arctic.  

We returned to the van and drove a very short way up a track to our current parking place.  We sat in hot sunshine with a cup of tea before I cooked dinner, eaten on our laps outside as we soaked up the views.  As we ate, the large flock of brown sheet moved behind us to graze right next to our feet. The two very large guard dogs came to see what we were eating and to have a head scratch; one laid down in the shade between us and the neighbouring van and had a quick snooze.  I think he was hoping for some titbits, but when these weren’t forthcoming, he lazily got to his feet and wandered back to the flock.  Dinner and washing up done, we went off in different directions to take some photos and soak up the views, before returning to the van for a tea/coffee and the walnut tarts we bought this morning - we’re stuffed now.  The sun has set over the mountains, which are now silhouetted against a sky turning a gradually deepening shade of purple.  With no artificial light, I suspect the stars will be amazing tonight - I only hope I can stay awake long enough to witness it.  The van’s still warm from all the sun we’ve soaked up during the day, but I suspect by morning we’ll be feeling the chill - the duvet is on standby just in case!

So, the end of an amazing day.  The peace and solitude up here (despite being surrounded by other vans) is overwhelming and, with seeing so many cycling sights that I’ve only witnessed on TV, I’ve made some memories.

Still some snow around

Windy and rainy at the summit

Col du Glandon

Our planned camping stop, but it was 4'C and raining

Back in the sunshine

Summit of Col du Lautaret - can you see Nido in the middle foreground?

How excited was I!

Nido nestled amongst the other vans

They didn't mind us at all!

This 'rough-tough' sheep guard dog just wanted something to eat and a snooze!

Cathy was asked by the shepherdess to stay put so the sheep would move on!

Cycling the hills and valleys in the Savoie Department

Friday 21 June 2019

Nido’s parked up on the outskirts of the village of La Compôte, on a motorhome parking area across the road from the village auberge.  It’s only a few miles from last night’s stop and I spotted it when out cycling this morning.

Yesterday we drove a short distance through some lovely villages and past meadows to the village of Lescheraines.  I’d spotted this aire on the Park4Night app (it wasn’t in the Camperstops book) and the area looked lovely.  It proved to be the case, with the aire backing onto thick deciduous forest, with mountains all around.  

As we got close to the village, I saw some signs for a sprint point for the Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc.  I saw more signs as we stopped at a local produce store and again in the Casino shop.  Only later did I find out that Stage 2 came through the village that day!  I didn’t realise until I googled the race and by then it was too late. Oh well, I’m planning to get out on my bike tomorrow so will no doubt cover part of the stage route.  The aire overlooks the community sports facilities, with a water sports centre just over to the right and football fields just in front of us.  There’s also tennis courts, a large water flume and a swimming lake, a restaurant, plus loads of walks along the river and up into the forests on the steep slopes of the mountains.  I like the way the French provide such great facilities for their community.  They really seem to care about looking after their parish and something we could learn from.  Everywhere is well maintained and free of litter.

Lunch was outside in the sunshine as the external windscreen cover quickly dried in the sun after a few showers last night.  I checked in at the municipal campsite and paid our €4 fee before we took a walk around the swimming lake and along some paths adjacent to a fast flowing river and towards some other fishing lakes.  It was a peaceful walk in hot sunshine, with a few people walking their dogs and some fishermen chancing their luck although, like me, the attraction of fishing is the peace and quiet more than the catching!  We were both feeling weary after over a week on the road (it can be tiring you know!), so after a dinner of Thai green chicken curry, it was an early night.

This morning it was a bit overcast but still warm.  I set off on my bike at about 1000, leaving Cathy with some peace and quiet to potter in the van before she headed out to explore the wild meadows and take some photos.  I took the road back to the main village area, before turning right over a bridge and immediately starting to climb through a series of hairpin bends, doubling back on myself and looking down to the right at where the van was parked.  The skies gradually cleared and the sunny spells were hot, with a gentle breeze - perfect cycling weather.  As I wound my way up and down the narrows roads, I passed rivers and meadows, with great views of the mountains all around me.  The villages of La-Motte-en-Bauges and Le Chatelard had an alpine feel; old wooden buildings with balconies overlooking the meadows and mountains.  There were plenty of ‘Vente Directe’ signs, inviting me to buy local cheeses and other local produce direct from the supplier.

Passing through La Compôte - where we’re now parked - the next village of Ecole was lovely.  I could see a motorhome parked off on the right at the foot of the hills, so cycled down to take a look.  It was a lovely spot but only really space for one van without encroaching on their privacy, but I took a note in case they were gone later.  The village also had a local Flora and Fauna museum, championing the lovely nature in this Parc naturel regional du Massif des Bauges.  It was closed for lunch but the board sit it would be open this afternoon, so I thought Cathy would enjoy this, given she was out photographing the wildflowers, grasses, insects, bees  and butterflies.  The artisan boulangerie also looked good, so we’ll make use of that tomorrow.  Outside the church and village square, there was a board telling of how several men in the village were singled out by the Germans in July 1944 and shot in that very spot, in front of all their family and villagers.  This was in revenge for some resistance activity in the area.  I’ve come across so many of these sad events and always stop on my bike to take a moment to read about it and try to imagine the horror.

Onwards through the valley, I passed through the village of Epernay - not the champagne town but a small, peaceful village in a beautiful place.  A little further on I hit the 10 mile mark and found a stone bench and table in the shade, which was the perfect place to stop, take on some water and enjoy the view.  The return journey took me back the same route, up some particularly steep hairpin bends, before the descent towards Lescheraines.  I stopped off in Le Chatelard to buy a baguette for lunch.  As I cycled into the village, I guy (mid-30s?) came out of a shop selling artisan products, jumped on a skateboard and hurtled down the road at great speed, waving to villagers as he passed, before stopping at the boulangerie just ahead of me.  That’s the way to buy lunch!  The last 4 miles were all downhill until the last stretch back to the van.  Cathy was still out so I packed the bike back on the van, and sorted out my kit until she returned.  We were both ready for lunch and afterwards walked down to the swimming lake for a dip.  It was very calm and not too cool and we had it all to ourselves.  After our walking and cycling morning, this was a welcome refresh.

With the van topped up with fresh water and other tanks emptied, we drove the same route I took on my bike to Ecole.  The motorhome was still parked up where I’d seen it and, not wanting to disturb their peace,  plus the museum was closed, so we doubled back to the motorhome parking here in La Compote.  It’s a pleasant enough spot, still with great views of the cloud-capped mountains and overlooking the village pétanque courts, with a basketball and tennis courts behind us - more excellent community facilities.  Our cup of tea and research-time sat outside was interrupted by a short, sharp rain shower, which turned into a thunderstorm and heavy rain.  But at least it’s still warm outside.

I took a look at the forecast for next week for this area - it’s saying 34’C by Wednesday - that’s proper hot!  We’re slowly making our way south to the next major wild swimming area around Gap and south of Briancon.  But before that I’d like to take a look at Alpe d’Huez, one of the iconic Tour de France climbs, so somewhere I’ve always wanted to see.  I’m not going to be attempting to ride up it, like many thousands do every year (I’m no way fit enough), but I just want to soak up the atmosphere.  This year’s TdF route doesn’t really tie up with our journey and I don’t want to hang around on the off chance that we’ll see a stage.  If it happens it’ll be great.  But having missed a stage of a pro-cycling race yesterday, I now know to do a bit more research on the many other Tours taking place throughout France and see if any tie in with where we are at the time.  We only missed the Criterium Dauphine by a few days, but Ju and Jay of OurTour.co.uk managed to see the stage near Chambery, which is very close to where we are now.  You can read their post here.

Right, it’s been a physical and enjoyable day.  Having expended lots of energy we’re happy to chill out for the rest of the evening.  Time for a beer!

Just missed it!

Aire at Lescheraines

Lovely lake walks

I really enjoyed the views on this bike ride

Half way - time for some water and a rest

Making the most of the swimming lake at Lescheraines

Parking at La Compote

Enjoying the delights of Lac d'Annecy

Wednesday 19 June 2019

Nido’s parked up at a peaceful aire in Lathuile, surrounded on all sides by high mountains and close to the southern shore of Lac d’Annecy. The owners also run the adjacent garden centre and the pitches are grassy and spacious, with plenty of room to get out the awning and relax outside the van.    We’ve been feeding our stale baguette to the very tame sparrows and the local blackbird’s now singing to safeguard his territory.

The sounds of the town eventually died away last night, although the young lads were playing a loud game of pétanque into the early hours; they seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Early this morning a few of the vans made a hasty retreat before the lady came around to collect the money for staying on the aire.  I’d popped out to buy some bread and croissants and we were mid-breakfast when she cheerfully wished us ‘bon appetit’….and asked for payment!   The diesel in town was quite cheap so I topped up Nido and we left for our next stop.  Annecy has a free aire just across the road from the lake and only about 15 minutes walk from the old town.  I expected it to be rammed but there were a couple of spaces available.  We quickly parked and locked up and walked along the lakeside, past the yachts and pleasure boats towards town.  Annecy is a busy place, with lots of tourists.  The old town is delightful, with medieval buildings and narrow streets separated by canals that run through the middle - a little Venice in the central Alps.  We had a good walk around enjoying the ambience, as the restaurants prepared for the busy lunch service. As Cathy had been good, I treated her (and me) to an ice cream!  It was very hot so we made the most of the high buildings and narrow streets to seek a bit of shade to eat our cones and people watch.

Back at the aire, vans were queuing to grab one of the ten spaces, so we offered up our space to another panel van and drove back towards town, clockwise around the lake, heading for the municipal beach at Angon on the eastern side of the lake.  However, the parking is for cars only so we had to move on.  I’d picked an aire to check out on the southern tip of the lake at Lathuile.  Although a bit expensive at €12 (including 4A electric), it’s in a lovely location with fields, trees and birdlife in abundance, plus the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. We pitched up, hooked up the electric and Cathy made a pot of tea while I wound out the awning to give us some welcome shade.  She also did some washing as it would soon dry in the hot breeze and the awning is ideal to string a line from.

We were soon ready for the swim we missed out on earlier, so walked down to the local beach, where lots of young families were already enjoying the turquoise water, gently warmed by subterranean hot springs. It was a lovely swim, surrounded by the mountains, with lots of people para-gliding from the tops and catching the thermals, some landing in the field next to the beach.  We enjoyed a sunbathe in the hot sunshine before wandering back to the aire.  The rest of the evening was spent chilling out, feeding the birds and eating outside as the sun set over the mountains.  A really enjoyable, relaxing day.  Tomorrow we’re planning to head into the hills to find somewhere quiet to camp for a couple of nights.  I’m also hoping to get a bike ride in.  

Annecy old town

A lovely pitch on the aire

Wishy Washy's Laundry!

Hiking and swimming in Cascades de Herisson

Tuesday 18 June 2019

Nido’s parked up at an aire overlooking Lac du Nantua, in the Ain department, part of the central Alps.  The lake’s surrounded by high limestone cliffs; I can see lots of inaccessible caves and there’s also been several landslides, leaving a scar and taking out a few pine trees on the way down.  The town’s a bit tired, like many following the financial crash, although lots of people were out walking, sitting and enjoying the hot, late evening sunshine.

It was very peaceful at Lac d’Ilay last night and the birdsong woke us, so we were up and about early.  The view at breakfast was as lovely as yesterday. It was quite cool in the shade but the rising sun soon burnt off the dew.  We sat outside a while last night, stargazing and watching many passenger planes pass over heading south.  The bats were out catching the insects over the lake.  The plan today was to visit some waterfalls listed in the ‘Wild Swimming France’ book - Cascades de Herisson.  This is one of the main tourist attractions of the Jura and there were already quite a few cars parked when we arrived at 1030.  I’d originally plugged in the wrong coordinates, but this led us to a viewing point high above one of the waterfalls, so it wasn’t time wasted.  We’d already packed a rucksack with food, water and swimming gear and followed the well marked paths up into the damp gorge.  The ground and stones were quite wet and slippery underfoot, but on the steeper sections there were sets of metal steps. The two main falls - Eventail and Le Grand Saut were quite easy to walk to and busy, but our target was the next one - Le Gour Bleu (Blue Pool), where a plunge pool has been scoured from beneath and into the cliff.  There’s a small beach on either side, the far side being in bright sunshine.  The shallows were fine for paddling, although the stones were quite sharp, but we were wearing our swimming shoes.  The water was cool but not too cold, although it took a few seconds to get used to it!  A waterfall pool swim is always exhilarating and this was no exception.  We whooped as we entered the pool swimming against the water that had cascaded down.  The fall was a bit too powerful to swim directly into, although a smaller fall to one side was fine to sit under and enjoy the pummelling.  We were also able to walk behind the main waterfall which was magical.  We were the only people to take a swim - the mad Brits! - but I suspect the people watching were quite envious as it was a hot, sticky morning.  Refreshed and changed, we made our way back down the slippery paths and steps to the van.

Our next stop was planned to be an aire at Clairvaux-les-Lacs, but on arrival the aire was next to a busy, noisy road.  We stayed for lunch and moved on.  The next was in Arinthod, but was bit isolated next to a sports field and so we moved on to Thoirette but again, there was a busy road with a view of the supermarket.  I’d checked them out in ‘Search for Sites’ and ‘Park4Night’ beforehand, as well as the Camperstops book, but I think the photos are taken by estate agents - they hide the truth!  Still, France has plenty of aires and wild camping places to stay and this led us to Lac du Nantua.  It was hot when we arrived but a welcome strong breeze was blowing down the valley and over the lake, so we sat outside the van for a while to cool down.  I had planned to cook tonight, but it was too hot in the van so we changed and wandered into town for something to eat.  Many of the eateries seem to be closed on Tuesday evenings, so we had a beer outside a bar and ended up with some good old fast food - it was cheap and it hit the spot!  The walk back along the lakeside was in hot evening sunshine and we’re now sat outside the van, listening to the birds and watching the sun-glowing cliffs on the other side of the lake.  It’s a fairly noisy place with a road just behind us, but hopefully it’ll quieten down later.

Despite only doing fairly short hops each day, we’ve covered a lot of ground and are still perhaps travelling more than we’d like - it’s a hard habit to break, but we have another seven weeks so don’t need to rush.  We’re heading towards Lac d’Annecy next and further swimming areas in the central Alps.  I think we’ll start to slow down there, spending more than a night in places.  This will allow us to wild swim, enjoy the alpine meadows and views of the mountains and also give me time to get out on my road bike.  I won’t be climbing any of the iconic Tour de France stages (although I am looking forward to seeing Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux), but I can pretend and dream….perhaps I’ll make just a couple of Alpe d’Huez’s 21 hairpin bends before I have to turn around and find a cafe!

Le Gour Bleu

Cascade Eventail

We LOVE a waterfall swim!

Parked up overlooking Lac du Nantua

Wild Swimming in the Jura

Monday 17 June 2019

Nido’s wild camping next to the beautiful Lac d’Ilay in the Jura region.  We’re parked up with one other camper van in a parking area with a great view of the lake and the tree-fringed cliffs on the other side; I checked on the Park4Night app and many have stayed here in the past, so we should be fine.  It’s 2045, Cathy’s off taking photos of the flora in the water meadow, the sun’s lighting up the cliffs on the far side of the lake, reflecting back into the mirror-flat water and the cicadas are rubbing their little legs off!  I can also hear the bells around the necks of the cows in the nearby fields.

Today passed the butter test!  We keep the butter in the cutlery drawer in the van; the fridge is too cold and, in many cases when in the UK, the drawer is just as cold!  Generally the drawer is cooler than the cupboards but the temperature has increased over the past 24 hours, resulting in soft butter - perfect for spreading on yet another delicious baguette. The van was showing a temperature of 20’C outside, but it feels a lot warmer.  Because of this we’ve swapped from a duvet to a sheet and throw on the bed.

Our English neighbours on the aire in Gray left this morning, off to paraglide at Lake Annecy.  We’ve been watching the paragliders here at Lac d’Ilay, catching the thermals above the cliffs on the far side of the lake.  It was another two hour hop to this current stop.  Two hours is just right - it means we don’t need to rush away in the morning and can take our time, arriving at our next destination at lunch time, then giving us the rest of the day to relax and enjoy our surroundings.  I stopped off at the Intermarche in town to top up with food and water.  I’d forgotten this supermarket is one of the more expensive ones in France, so will look to find others in future.  Super U are good value, plus they often have motorhome service points and an outside launderette with large washing machines and tumble dryers.

Lac d’Ilay is one of many lakes in this area, surrounded by hills, trees and meadows brimming with wildflowers, insects and birdlife.  After lunch we walked down to the lake, enjoying a cool paddle and soaking up some hot sunshine.  Although there’s a ‘swimming forbidden’ sign in the car park, it seems the locals give this a stiff ignoring.  A few were swimming or kayaking, whilst keeping a respectful distance from the fishermen out on their boats.  While Cathy wandered off to explore the meadows, I repositioned the van with a better view and wound out the awning for some shade.  We spent the afternoon reading and snoozing, listening to the birds and insects.  With dinner prepared (Greek salad), it was about 1800 when we changed and walked down to the waters edge for a swim.  The lake is shallow at the edges and the bottom is gravel and rocks, so we also wore our swimming shoes.  The swim was lovely - the water was a comfortable temperature and very clear and calm; we had it to ourselves.  There’s nothing like wild swimming in a freshwater lake - if nothing else it washes off the dust of the day - no need for a shower tonight!  

Back and changed, we enjoyed the rest of the evening sun before sitting outside to eat our dinner with a small bottle of Grimbergen beer.  Cathy’s off photographing again, so the kettle’s boiled for a tea and coffee when she returns, to go with the cafe eclair I bought in the boulangerie - well we did only have salad for dinner!

We hope to spend a few days in this area, exploring the waterfalls and lakes and enjoying some more wild swimming.  The news covered the terrible storms in France to the south of Lyons, so really not very far away at all.  Many of the crops have been ruined by torrential rain and - so it was reported - hailstones as big as cricket balls, with many cars having their windows smashed and bodywork dented.  Nido would definitely not survive that.  So I’m keeping a close ‘weather eye’ on the forecast and, if needs be, we can shoot west to avoid the storms.    In the meantime, I might stay up until it’s proper dark, as I suspect the view of the stars will be amazing.

Lac d'Ilay

Cooling her feet!

Nice wild camping spot

First wild swim in the Jura region. Just cooling the feet wasn't enough!

This is how we keep our bread fresh - baguette sized cloth bread bag

View from the galley

Sunny in Gray

Sunday 16 June 2019

Nido’s parked up on an aire on the outskirts of the town of Gray.  It’s next to a Municipal campsite and close to the river Saone.  At €5 for the night, it’s our most expensive overnight stop so far!  But it’s well worth the money - with a large pitch and unlimited electricity, plus no additional charges for the service point.  In fact, I’d say this aire is far better than many of the campsites we’ve stayed on at home.  It’s still very warm at 2030 in the evening with blue sky and sunshine.  

We made the most of the last aire, with long hot showers this morning and a bacon butty sat outside by the riverbank.  The journey here was only about 2.5 hours and we arrived, set up and enjoyed our lunch sat under the awning.  It’s been a bit of a lazy Sunday routine, sat outside reading and enjoying the peace and quiet.  We took a walk into town late this afternoon, just to have a mooch around, heading uphill to take a look at the old architecture, before heading back to the van for a cuppa.  Dinner was outside again - merguez sausages cooked on the Cadac BBQ - with some bread toasted, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil, plus a large salad.  We’re eating lots of the green (and red) stuff, so another shopping list has been scribbled on the yellow perspex notepad on the side of the cupboard.

So a chilled out day, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and not doing much at all.  Tomorrow we reach the first of the wild swimming spots - a lake south of Champagnole, in the Jura region; the aires around the area are ski resort sites in the winter so clearly we’ll be gaining some height as we travel there - hopefully none of that cold, white stuff will still be around! I can just see a blue smudge in the distance, hinting at the mountains to come.  It should make for some great swimming, walking and cycling.

We were glad of the shade

Preparing le diner

Donjeux by the Canal

Saturday 15 June 2019

Nido’s parked up on yet another free aire - they’re coming at us thick and fast!  We’re making our way down to the Comte region, heading for an area near the Jura mountains.  This one is just outside the village of Donjeux, in the south-east of the Champagne region.  Again, it’s free to stay, with free drinking water and unlimited electricity.  It’s by a canal and next to the ‘Halte Nautique’, an area where the boats can moor up and also enjoy the free facilities.  It’s a small aire for only four vans; we’re parked in a corner and blocked in by a Dutch van, but it’s not a problem; Cathy had a chat and let them know we’re not rushing off in the morning.  The canal is teeming with life, with the natterjack toads making a right old racket!  There’s a few fishermen along the bank and I’ve seen plenty of small roach in the shallows and what looks like tench on the surface.

It rained hard in the night and I had to close the skylight above our bed at about 0145 as the odd raindrop was making its way down to me, but we woke to clear blue sky and a warm sun.  We know from experience that many of the shops and supermarkets are closed on Sunday (tomorrow), so we popped into the Carrefour in Epernay (a major Champagne producing town) to top up with food and diesel before starting today’s journey.

We’re keeping our travelling down to about two hours per day to ensure we don’t spend too much time on the road, which can become tiring day after day; we have plenty of time on this trip. So arriving here at 1300 was ideal and, after a spot of lunch, we took a walk along the canal towpath to the next village.  Sitting in the village square opposite the Marie’s office, we enjoyed watching the acrobatics of the swallows and swifts as they dived and turned feeding on the flies, before swooping into their nests under the roof eaves to feed their young.

Cathy cooked a lovely risotto and we’re sat outside the van, overlooking the canal with a cup of tea.  We’re getting back into the van routine, with our allotted jobs (Cathy’s inside and mine outside), remembering to plug in gadgets for charging as we drive along (although with so much free electricity it hasn’t been a problem) and making sure all the skylights are closed and doors and drawers secured before we drive away.   

View from the galley

Donjeux aire

Halte Nautique, also with free water and electricity

I think this garage needs a new PR & marketing team!

They were most disappointed we had no food for them