Day 10 - Piriac sur Mer to Bouchemaine

Sunday 12 October 2014

It rained during the night and was still pouring down when I got up, so any idea of a bike ride or day on the beach was soon quashed. Being it was Sunday, breakfast had to be a good old English fry-up! Luckily I only had to venture out to collect the green plastic mat by the electric step - something we found on another Aire under our van and now part of the team for this holiday (we have our own in our box room full of campervan stuff). We decided to leave the coast given the weather and head inland to the Loire valley.  We started up, drove to the exit where Cathy punched in the code to drop the road barrier and we headed off. I'd already found a nice looking Aire right on the Loire river and only about 2.5 hours away.

It was very wet and windy but our satnav kept us in the right direction.  We've changed the voice to French - that is, proper French, not English in a French accent.  It's really helping us learn numbers and directions.  We may keep her on when back in the UK - it'll be fun to hear how she pronounces English street names!  About an hour in we saw a sign for a McDonald's in the direction of St Nazaire - not that we wanted to eat anything from there, but they offer free wifi.  So on arrival we parked outside, I connected up the iBoost and we were back on the internet.  We only really wanted to do a couple of things - post our Myrtle Mission photo and upload these posts to the blog.  As for the likes of Faceache and other social media, I think it's fair to say we'd missed nothing and won't bother checking it again. We also used the opportunity to get the kettle on.  With loads of photos, I only managed to upload 7 posts before we wanted to move on.  By now the rain had stopped and wind eased, so the remainder of our journey was much easier. We started to notice the vineyards and Cave signs of the Loire region and was soon pulling in to an almost empty Aire in the village of Bouchemaine; it has space for 50 vans and only 6 were using it.  We picked a pitch overlooking the Loire - only 25m from our front wheels - and went for a walk.  The sun was lovely and hot but on our return a storm was brewing and the heavens opened as we ran the last bit back to the van.  Dried off and ready for a wet, I noticed everyone was hooked up to electric and realised this came free with this Aire.  Our current pitch was too far away from the EHU point, so we moved to it, levelled up and hooked up.  We also discovered free wifi, but the signal from the van was too weak and even the iBoost failed to connect up - oh well, it doesn't appear we've missed anything on the interweb!
We had a bite to eat and once the weather had settled went for a walk into the village.  Like most French villages, it had a boulangerie, small shop and a small bar/tabac and one our two Auberges.

We walked along the river, under the TGV railway bridge and watched a fishing match on the other bank before turning around and walking back to the Aire.  Cathy had a good clean out, including fresh bedding and we dug out Oska to cook dinner - saucisse du porc, haricots du tomate, sauté ognions et tabbouleh - or sausages, baked beans, fried onions and couscous!  Oska did us proud and we washed it down with some organic Bretagne cider.  The rain came and went, but the wind came and stayed, so with beans & onions, it'll be windy inside and outside the van tonight!

Our plan tomorrow is to explore the medieval town of Saumur, then drop down to an Aire just outside the walled medieval town of Richelieu, perhaps have dinner there tomorrow night.  As we're in white wine country we may need to do some quality control - hic!!

View from the van at Bouchemaine Aire

Bouchemaine Aire

Bouchemaine Aire

A walk along the river

Clouds are building - we didn't beat the rain back to the van!

Day 9 - Quiberon to Piriac sur Mer

Saturday 11 October 2014

It rained in the night, hard enough to wake me up, but not Cathy.  As I lay awake I thought this might mess up my morning bike ride. But it stopped at about 0400 and I drifted back to sleep. Being an hour ahead of the UK, it does mean the mornings are darker and it was getting close to 0900 before the sun was up. But I stuck my head out of the skylight above the bed and saw blue sky and a few well-lit clouds - a good sign. Breakfast for me was very continental - cold meats, cheese and bread with a glass of orange juice and a mug of tea.  I uncovered and unlocked my bike, then grabbed my cycling gear from the garage. Bidon filled, computer set and money and phone in the under-saddle pouch, I climbed - with my bike - over the 'anti-pikey' mounds and clicked into the pedals.  It was quite warm - short sleeves in mid-October is exceptional and very agreeable.  I turned right as I wanted to check out the small hamlet of Keren. This was a small commune of cottages and original design modern houses (architects and councils take note) and I rode through then turned around and cycled along the narrow lanes. I eventually ended up on the main road to St Pierre. When I say main road, this means a car about every minute or so!  But even that was enough for me, so I turned around and headed back, taking the first turning right back towards the Côte de Sauvage.  This took me back through Keren and past the Aire; I looked to the left and saw Cathy sat outside the van reading so shouted a 'Bonjour' as I sped by. Turning right I cycled up the road with the Atlantic to my left. The road was undulating and I enjoyed the ride with the sound of the sea and the sun on my back.  About 5 km in the road turned away from the sea and after a while I decided to turn and ride back the other way.  I enjoyed punching up the hills and speeding down and was soon passing the Aire again and heading for Quiberon.  Into town I did a short circuit along the front before turning and heading back to find a coffee stop, directly opposite the Gare Maritime - the ferry terminal to Belle Îsle.  I visited the island in the summer of 1980 when I was ship's company at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, having sailed across the channel, past Île d'Ouessant and into La Baie de Quiberon in a Nicholson 55 yacht - much bigger than our campervan!  So there I was, sat in the warm sun overlooking the sea in mid-October, bike parked up and enjoying a coffee.  It was a shame my cycling wingman Ray wasn't sat with me; he'd have loved it.  As I soaked up the sunlight and enjoyed my coffee I decided to try and sort out my Euro coins.  For years I've struggled with working out which coin is which, embarrassing when trying to pay in a shop or restaurant. So I spent some time working out the difference, the size of the coin but mainly the edge of the different coins.  This took a lot of concentration so I had to order 'en autre café' to see me through my learnings - and soak up some more sunshine.

It was a short 3km ride back to the van, where I locked my bike back into the rack and left my gear to dry in the sun during shower time.  With everything 'secured for sea' we checked out of the Aire and drove into the service point to drop waste and fill up with fresh water.  All sorted, it was now lunch time. On our walk yesterday we passed a small bistro selling seafood including Moules. It was literally 1 minute's drive away so we pulled in and bagged a table outside in the sunshine.  Cathy had Moules a la Crème and I had a la Marieniére. C had a glass of Muscadet and me some local Cidre (driving), plus we shared some mineral water. It was a delicious light lunch and we were soon on our way to our next stop, an Aire near Piriac sur Mer, very Brittany (read Cornwall), but actually in the Pays de Loire region. On the way back out we say the hotel for the small sailor (le petit Matelot) - definitely a photo opportunity!  We stopped on the way at a Super U Marche, where I topped up with food and diesel.  Catchy was feeling in pain and tired so took the risk of laying on the bed while I drove.  This isn't legal or safe, but we accepted the risk against the pain of her Fibromyalgia sitting in the passenger seat.

One and a half hours' later, I pulled up at the Aire at Piriac, which is actually in the small hamlet of Lerat. Cathy had enjoyed her illicit ride in the back and, after parking up, we walked across the road to the sandy beach. The tide was out and much of the sand was covered with fly-infested seaweed. We walked along the coast, Cathy enjoying the rough sand barefoot and me the rock pools.  It had the potential in the warm sunshine for a sea swim, save for the thousands of small dead, dying or still very active jellyfish in the sea and stranded on the sand.  So instead we walked along, enjoying the warm sun and sound of the sea breaking over the rocks.

Back at the van we enjoyed a brew and a read, before packing up our seats, some nibbles and a bottle of pastis & water with glasses before walking back to the beach for 'sundowners'. Duty done, we walked back to the van at dusk for a light supper and a chat.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll get out on my bike again.  We plan to move on again, aiming for one more night on the coast before heading East into the Loire Valley - Cathy's white wine country! So time for bed now, as the owls give it some proper 'terwit, terwoo' in trees outside.

Coffee stop but sadly without my wingman

Lunch location

Moules and a glass of Muscadet for C, Cidre for me

Hotel & restaurant for small sailors!

Beach at Lerat

Lerat - warm and sunny

A summer's evening in October

Chillin' on the beach with a small pastis

Sunset on the beach

Bare feet again!

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