Last Day

Saturday 11 July 2015

We're on the free aire at Wissant, just 20 minutes drive from Calais.  We stayed here before as it's handy for the tunnel.  It's been a sunny although very windy day - in fact it's been windy all year.

I was up first this morning and bought a baguette and two croissants from the bread van which arrived at the air at about 0915.  We enjoyed our last breakfast outside this trip, then secured the van and moved over to the service point to empty the loo and grey water and top up with fresh.  That all done we hit the road, heading for Wissant.  I'd also plugged in the coordinates for Leroy Merlin, a large DIY store, as I wanted some special hose fittings for a new type of water fitting on some aires.  We stopped  off on the way for some lunch and a brew and arrived at Wissant at about 1520.  There weren't any spaces in the official pitches, mainly due to other vans selfishly taking up space for awnings and chairs or parking diagonally.  This isn't the idea of an aire; they're mainly parking stopovers, definitely not replacement campsites!  But because Nido's small we managed to park up at the side by the fence.  

We locked up and walked through the village down to the beach.  The tide was out but not too far so we walked across the sand for a paddle to cool off our travel weary feet.  On the way back up we stopped for a beer then back at the van had another sat in the sunshine (although the continuous strong wind was a pain).  Both showered and changed, we walked back to the village square.  Chez Nicole, which does great Moules, was fully booked, so we tried anothe place, but they had run out of Moules!  We ended up at a small café that did have Moules frîtes and they were very tasty.  We took a longer walk round back the van and I dug out our passports and papers ready for the trip home, then we had a hot drink before an early night.  The 0600 alarm tomorrow's going to be a shock to the system!

So ends our last full day in France this trip.  We've had a relaxing time with some great weather.  Our time on Oleron was our favourite, but of course for me it was topped by seeing Stage 7 of the Tour de France on my holiday.  We could happily keep going for several weeks, although we'd need to find a laundry fast, plus top up the CaxtonFX card with more Euros.  This has been a relatively cheap fortnight's holiday, although when we take far longer trips our budget will be far smaller.  But then we won't be on holiday - we'll be living our life!   So it'll be cheap meals, far less alcohol and finding the cheapest (free!) stopovers.  

For those interested in budgets and stats:

We spent 15 nights away, broken down as follows:

• 10 nights on aires, two nights of which were on EHU and all but 3 nights were free
• 4 nights on a campsite with EHU
• 1 night wild camping

As for spends:

• £8 - Channel Tunnel (mostly covered by Tesco vouchers)
• £210 - Diesel 
• £61 - Campsites
• £27 - Aires (majority were free)
• £22 - Clothes
• £263 - groceries and alcohol
• £148 - eating out

So a total of £739 for two weeks' holiday, enjoying good food and wine and not scrimping. When long-terming our monthly budget will be about £1000, so we'll definitely need to make savings, but that's easily done.

In all, door to door, we travelled 1,909 miles at 32.4 miles mpg.

Winging it on an unofficial pitch on Wissant aire

Snoozing on Le Shuttle - blighty bound

Allez Le Tour!

Friday 10 July 2015

It's been a cracking day - my birthday spent with the lady I love, watching the Tour de France - a perfect day! 

By the time we went to bed last night there were about 30 vans on our patch - a good mix and all friendly.  I woke up this morning and went out to ditch the gash before anyone woke up.  I also tried to nick one of the Tour arrows for the Tacky Shack, but it was tied on with wire!  I had coffee and half a baguette sat outside while Cathy showered and changed, watching the Tour preps and not quite believing I had slept and was 'living' not 10 ft from the route!  It was a great atmosphere as time went on and more people arrived.  A bit later on a guy called Mark came over and asked if we were on holiday.  We got chatting and he'd lived in France for 14 years but was originally from Leigh Park near Havant and had lived in Gosport - small world!  He'd met and married a French lady and had two daughters who spoke mainly French now.  His French was good and we chatted about immersing yourself in the language.  He was particularly useful when some  completely mad French woman tried to grab everyone's stuff thrown out by the caravan, giving her a good telling off! 

After the caravan it was over two hours before the riders came through - a small breakaway a few minutes ahead of the peloton - fast and furious then been and gone!  For the couple of minutes they they cycled through I didn't spot any famous riders.  We said our goodbyes to Mark - nice guy - then had some lunch before packing up.  I said 'Au Revoir' to our French neighbours and gave the boys my TDF magazine - hopefully it'll improve their English!  Packed up and ready to move, I dialled in our next stop - an aire right on the coast at Veulettes-sur-Mer.  It was about a 3 hour drive, but the satnav didn't factor in the ferry crossing over the Seine at Bac de Quillebeuf.  We'd been here before, travelling in the other direction and panicking that the satnav was playing up!  But this time we knew what to expect.  

We arrived at about 1830, paid up, had a quick visit to the very stony beach, then washed and changed for dinner.  We walked past a little shack doing basic brochette, frîtes and beer - how I wish we had stayed there!  We stopped at a bistro next to the beach which was pretty full with locals -usually a good sign. We had a beer and ordered our food - calamares, then steak for C and Moules frîtes for me.  The calamari was clearly frozen and the tartare sauce tasteless - we told them so and waited for our mains.  Cathy's 'medium rare' steak was burnt to a crisp and like old shoe leather.  My Moules were full of sand.  The worst meal ever in France.  We complained and I only paid just over half of the bill - just shows how they rip off the tourists in Northern France.  We walked back to the van and enjoyed the last of the light before retiring to the warm, cozy interior of the van.

So ends another Birthday.  A lovely day spent with Cathy watching the Tour.  Hopefully in three years time we'll be planning our first long trip in retirement - still, three years is a long time ....... watch this space.

Morning coffee next to the Tour route - perfect!

The excitement builds

Large skies at the beach by the aire

Before our rubbish meal arrived!

Time to Party!

Thursday 9 July 2015

We're parked on a grass area at the junction on the D926 and D26 at a place called La Tête au Loups.  It's at a great spot for tomorrow's Tour stage from Livarot to Fougères.  It's at the top of a hill and at a junction so we'll have a great view of the caravan, cars and riders.  When we arrived there were about 3 motorhomes, now there are about 15 - all nationalities, mostly French, some Belgian, one German (who keeps eyeing up the Battle Ensign flying from my flagpole!) and a couple of Brits. It's 2030, there's still loads of bright sunshine and we're well fed and watered.  I've been for a ride along the tour route, the Tour will pass within 6 feet of me tomorrow and it'll be my birthday - perfect.  The only thing missing is my wingman Ray - he'd love this.

We slept well last night on our quiet rural aire and woke to blue skies, so we enjoyed breakfast in the sun.  Packed up, I drove over to the service point.  It said in the book I needed a token, but all the water was on so we were able to empty and fill up for free.  So we've learnt now to check them on arrival - if it's free we can wash clothes and have a long shower.  On the route up we stopped at an Intermarché for food and drink.  Cathy was very impressed with the outside laundry - two machines and a large dryer.  The plan was to navigate to a point on the tour route and then follow it up until we found a place to stop - which we did and it's perfect.  On the way we past the many fields of sunflowers - beautiful.

On arrival we had a spot of lunch then I prepared my bike and kit to cycle part of the Stage 7 route.  I left the pitch and cycled up the route (in reverse).  The first few hundred metres were downhill then there was a long, 2 mile climb up to the village of Exmes.  The bunting was up and they were clearly looking forward to tomorrow.  After that it was a series of hills, along narrow roads and through woods - could make for an interesting stage tomorrow.  I turned left onto the D26 and continued through Omméel and into Chambois.  I stopped here to look at a memorial; it's one of ten of what's known as the Circuit of August 1944, key points in the battle to retake France.  Another 6km on - and all uphill! - was the Mémorial de Montmerel.  This key point is where the Polish and American forces met, having closed the circle on the retreating Germans.  During the ensuing battle over the next month 50,000 Germans escaped, 10,000 were killed and 40,000 injured.  I took some time to reflect then started the route back, this time following the yellow arrows of the route.  

Back at the van I topped up with water, had a brew then showered before we had dinner.  Cathy prepared the salad and I fried some onions and cooked the sausages for our hot dogs.  We sat in bright sunshine at 1930 eating a good dinner with a glass of rosé, watching other vans arrive.  Clearly some of them are Tour Groupies, as they already had a collection of the yellow direction arrows on their dashboard and windows - I need to get me one of them!  We're enjoying the evening now, finishing our wine, chatting to our French neighbours and also the one British couple here. Cathy said she can't believe she's enjoying sitting by the side of a busy road so much and wants to follow the tour when we retire - result!  Tomorrow is going to be a good day - the forecast is hot sunshine and we have the excitement of the Tour to look forward to.  It doesn't get much better than this!

I SO wanted to knick one of those signs!

Chambois

Memorial Montmorey

Hey - that's my Birthday!

Battle Ensign flying right next to the Tour route

Our neighbours

Wet weather seating - thankfully not needed

Etang de la Fonderie

Wednesday 8 July 2015

We're on a lovely free aire near at Etang de la Fonderie, near Jublains in the departément of Mayenne. This is a rural peaceful spot, next to a boating, swimming and fishing lake. The pitches are mainly on grass, the pitch areas broken up by tall hedgerows.  There's room for about 50 vans, but there are only 3 of us here at the moment.

We were woken early at Thouars by the bin men at about 0500 and the builders, working on rebuilding the city walls at about 0630.  It started grey but was clear blue sky as we set off.  Breakfasted, waste dumped and topped up with fresh water, we continued our journey north.  The clouds built and it turned windy, with the temperature struggling to hit 18'C, chilly after the last week or so of 25-30'C, but still OK to stay in shorts.   We stopped off at an Intermarché to buy some lunch - whole cooked prawns and bread, plus dinner - duck breast, haricot beans and carrots.  The journey was mainly on flat roads, the first half cheered up by fields of tournesols (sunflowers) and vines, with mainly family run Domaines along the route, the second half was mainly wheat and cattle farms.

We arrived at the aire at about 1245, found a pitch on the grass and sheltered from the wind and sat outside for lunch.  We had a walk around the lake which had a couple of quieter, wilder areas.  Back at the van I grabbed my fishing tackle and with my limited bait (cheese and bacon!) spent a couple of hours drowning it - not a single bite!  Cathy had a snooze and when I returned to the van I did similar - a welcome, lazy afternoon.  We enjoyed a brew sat outside, then I prepared dinner: first the carrots were cut in half lengthways, marinated in salt, pepper and olive oil, and set to cook in the roasting tray on the Cadac BBQ.  After a few turns and the lid on, the duck breasts were added, skin down to allow it to crisp and the fat to escape, the turned and lid on to replicate a few minutes in a hot oven.  In the meantime the haricot beans were flashed boiled, then drained and I added a knob of butter, garlic and lemon juice.  Whilst this cooked we had a G&T apéro, sat outside.  It was a delicious dinner, enjoyed with a bottle of Samur sparkling wine and in isolation, as we had the whole 55 pitch aire to ourselves! We washed up outside then had a walk into the barley fields to catch the last of the sunlight, before returning to the van for some hot chocolate.  With a relatively short drive it's been a lazy day today, just chilling out, relaxing and sleeping (oh - and eating good food!).  

Tomorrow we have a short 1.5 hour hop to Argentan, which is on the Tour Stage 7 route.  From there I'll drive up the route towards Livarot, to find a suitable spot to park up for the night, ready for the great Tour de France spectacle on Friday.  Until then, the complete silence here is making my ears ring, plus with no light pollution we should sleep well.  For the first time since we left Normandy we've put the quilt back on the bed.  Let's hope tomorrow brings more sunshine.

Nice lake, but I didn't catch anything

We had a 55-pitch aire all to ourselves

Quiet night in Thouars

Tuesday 7 July 2015

We're on an aire in Thouars, a typical small medieval town in middle Poitou, with a monastery, several churches, castle walls and tiny streets.  It sounded good in the guide book, whereas I think it's been hit hard by the credit crunch, with lots of empty shops and closed down bars.  The aire is at the foot of the town walls and has 8 very narrow pitches - there are six vans on it, with three others spread around the car park.  But I don't think the local council will complain, they really need the tourist income!  

We both slept well and I was awake at about 0800.  I walked the short distance to the Boulangerie for two baguettes and two croissants.  We had breakfast outside, then packed up ready to leave.  According to our book, this aire was €9 per night plus €4 for water, and that someone would come and collect this.  Well, nobody came.  We didn't need any more water, although I did empty the toilet cassette, but what does that cost?  So it was another free night.  I punched in the coordinates for the Le Clerc to fill up with diesel.  It was a hypermarket, so we popped in to buy some more water, a stool and a dress for Cathy.  We hit the road and finally left Ile d'Oleron after a great week of sun and sea.  Our route took us North, through Rochefort and Niort.  I'd set the Satnav to,get us to the Tour de France route on Friday, so the plan was to drive for about 3 hours then find somewhere to spend the night.  At about 1230 we pulled in to a picnic site for lunch and sat outside at a large wooden table to enjoy our lunch.  However, we saw a few men pull up in cars, mooch about and the disappear into the bushes -  another strange French lunchtime occupation! 

Lunch done we headed for Thouars, about an hour away, but pulled off on the way at Airvault, which looked like it had an interesting town centre; it also had a free aire.  We parked at the aire them walked into town.  It had some small, medieval streets, but was quiet and rather run down, so we decided not to stay.  But we took the opportunity to empty grey waste and top up the fresh.  Back in the road we continued to Thouras, doing a circuit of the narrow, one way streets before finding the aire.  I manoeuvred into the end pitch so we had room to open the sliding door and sit outside, with jasmine and honeysuckle for our little garden.  After a brew we walked into the town.  It took us a while to find anything interesting.  We eventually made our way down to the river, where we came across over 80 'jardins famlieux' (allotments) leading down to the water's edge.  Each was unique but lovely, with veg and flower beds, most with a little 'tacky shack' down near the water.  We walked up into the town and I found the Tourist Office.  They could do little but offer me a map!  We were looking for a bar to quench our thirst but found not one open in this large town!  So one baguette purchase later, we were back at the van for a beer apéro, sat on the car park bench like a couple of winos!  Dinner was bacon, onion and garlic omelette, with a bottle of rosé, eaten in our little courtyard garden just outside the van.  Washing up done, showered and after a brew, we're ready for sleep. 

As I finish typing I can hear the swallows calling and flying overhead around the castle ramparts surrounding us (one of my favourite sounds in France), something which probably hasn't changed for hundreds of years.  Tomorrow we continue our journey north.  We'll look to stay somewhere about 3 hours away, which will leave us a short journey on Thursday to find our pitch to watch the Tour on my birthday - can't wait! 

Thouars aire - room for a little one!

So we sat on the bench drinking - does that make us bad people!?

Lovely family 'allotments' down by the river

Cozy spot to eat outside

La Cotiniére

Monday 6 July 2015

Anyone know who's wearing the maillot jaune in the Tour?  We're staying away from Wifi and news, so I'm not up to date with the tour.

We're on a small aire next to the municipal campsite just outside La Cotiniére, a working fishing port with lots of restaurants - even a fish and chip shop! The aire is basic but at least has some shade from trees and space to hang our washing line.  We packed up camp this morning after 4 nights.  We enjoyed putting down roots for a short time and got to say hello and good evening to our neighbours and watch the children play (and occasionally paddy when they could no longer play!).  I paid up and we drove a couple of hundred meters to a car park in order to walk up to the market to buy some food - tonight is curry night!  

It was a short, 20 minute bimble down to this aire.  We picked out spot and set up the table and chairs and had lunch.  You're not supposed to get anything out on an aire, just park and use inside the van, but everyone does it in France, so who are we to buck the trend.  The beach was about 100m away, through the campsite and over the dunes.  It was a very hot still day and we'd forgotten the tide was out.  There was loads of seaweed and rock pools and we cooled off in the shallow water. It took about 3 hours for the sea to be deep enough for swimming, so after a dip we'd had enough sun and walked back to the van.  On the way we used the free cold showers, perfectly fine for us so all we had to do back at the van was dry off, slap on some body lotion and change, then hang the wet stuff up on our line.  Dinner tonight was Thai green chicken curry and rice, made from a kit but with extra garlic, onion and chilli, cooked and eaten outside.  We also washed and dried outside before packing up and walking to the centre and port area in town, as the sun started to set.  It was a lovely cool walk and the waterfront was very busy with restaurants full, shops open and people queuing for ice creams, as we did.  The fish and chips looked very tempting (at least I was tempted, Cathy was too full!).  Now back at the van, we spotted a boulangerie just a few metres from the campsite, so that's breakfast sorted tomorrow.

This will bring an end to our week on Ile d'Oleron.  We've really enjoyed being in one place and with very limited driving.  This is probably our last beach day as we start to head inland towards Livarot, for the tour, and ultimately back to the tunnel.  But we're ready for a change, perhaps looking around some old towns and villages and we might come across some good freshwater wild swimming spots.  So we still have some adventures ahead of us.

'Free' aire by the municipal campsite at Cotiniere

Cotiniere port

Lazy Sunday Routine

Sunday 5 July 2015

Apparently there was rain and heavy thunder overnight - well, I didn't hear it!  It was pleasantly cool though, so we both slept well.  Breakfast done, we had a long walk along the beach as the tide receded, mooching around in the rock pools.  We walked back across the slipway by the harbour and found a nice spot for our afternoon swim.

Back from the beach, we walked into town.  The daily market was coming to and end; Cathy bought a dress and we bought something tacky for the TS.  All this walking and shopping is thirsty work, so we stopped off at the site's resto/bar, for a cheeky bottle of Grim or two, Grimeniere, a strong blonde abbey beer.  Back at the van (and Cathy a little 'tired' from the strong beer!) we cobbled some lunch together, then snoozed and read until the tide was far enough in to make it time to head for the beach. Although the morning was a little overcast, this afternoon was hot and sunny (again!), albeit with a strong westerly breeze.  After a restorative brew, we walked over to our beach stop, where a couple of the concrete blocks (shaped like the metal jacks we played with as kids) had conveniently fallen into bench seat shapes.  We enjoyed our swim and a dry off in the sun, although it felt a little cool in the wind.  Back at the van and having showered first, I sat with a Ricard and water listening to podcasts while Cathy was off at the shower.  We have neighbours now - nan, grandad and a bullying, overweight, teenage grand-daughter; I bet her parents were glad to wave her off!  She's done nothing but nag and shout at her grand-parents. They've been setting up camp for several hours, including sandbags and plastic wine barrels full of sand around the tent and caravan awning - either they're here for weeks or expecting a hurricane!  Camp also includes a long windbreak to mark their territory.  And just along the way a group of about 30 teenagers have turned up with 'redcoats' for some sort of summer camp.  We've noticed over the last 24 hours that it's become much busier here and guess that the school's have broken up for the summer - time to move on.  Having said that, we've enjoyed our stay on this municipal campsite and being around families and others.  It's certainly something we'll do again. 

After our apéro we walked a few minutes to La Guinegelle, the site's resto/bar and blagged an outside table, although a little too close to the young chap playing his accordion to taped music, mainly out of sync! We ordered two local beers, although Cathy didn't like hers so I had two.  We both ordered pizza and they were big enough to fill us too much for pudding. Back at the van, it's quite chilly outside (although it's all  relative - probably still warmer than home) so Cathy's in bed reading and I'm sat in the cab seat with a hot chocolate.  Tomorrow we move on, so will need to strike camp, pack everything away and dump waste.  But the plan is for a short hop to the aire at La Cotiniére, about 20 minutes down the coast, for one more night on the island.  Then we'll be starting our transit North (nooooooo!!), heading inland towards Livarot, aiming to find a spot to camp along the Stage 7 Tour de France route on Friday.  Still, we have another 7 nights in France so we plan to keep on enjoying ourselves.  We're certainly relaxed and in a nice routine.  We'd be happy to keep going for several more weeks.....one day.

Deux 'Grim' s'il vous plait!

The campsite bar/resto

For Julie

Saturday 4 July 2015

This blog is dedicated to our lovely friend Julie.  Her mum - Lily - died today at the grand old age of 98.  She was well loved by all her family, but especially by her special daughter Julie.  Love and thoughts to you, Ray and the family. 

It's just turned 2300 and it's still lively outside the van.  It's been another hot, though windy day and turned a tad cool this evening.  So Cathy retired early, while I sat outside the van, nursing my glass of rosé.  I can see and hear families laughing as they pass by and groups of old friends sat outside their caravans and campervans, having a good natter and the odd drink.  The campsite resto/bar was still full and lively as I washed up and ditched the gash.  And there is still a little, purple-tinged light in the sky even at this late hour, with a small breeze and the sound of the surf as the tide ebbs.  This is what makes France special.  They know how to make the most of the day and evening as a family, without resorting to TV, gadgetry, heavy drinking or drugs.  Even the little children wish us "Bonsoir" as they pass by or run around the van.  And I realised today that I've not seen any tattoos - none on the men, never mind the women.  Plenty of suntanned skin, the odd cigarette, but no tattoos.  How refreshing.

It was warm and still last night, although it turned a little chilly towards day break.  I was up at about 0815 and went to fetch our bread and croissants for the day.  While Cathy had a little lie-in, I sat outside with a pot of coffee, reading my Tour de France magazine.  Today is the Tour Prologue, starting in Belgium and skipping into Holland before settling into France.  I hope to witness Stage 7 - from Livarot to Fougères - next Friday, my 52nd birthday.    Breakfast was the usual lazy affair, sat outside as the families around us came to life, prepared their own breakfast, washed up, went to the loo and wished us a pleasant 'Bonjour'.  The French are a very social, community group.  They have few hang-ups about nudity or bodily functions, with shared heads and bathrooms.  Having said that, we're thankful for our own onboard loo!  

We needed some food so walked into the town.  The local market was in full swing, everything from a stall selling nothing but mattresses, to fresh, almost wriggling seafood in the small covered market.  We bought fruit and vegetables for dinner, plus a couple of fresh swordfish steaks.  We enjoy walking around these markets - no pressure from the stall holders and they don't mind if you feel and smell the goods.  Back at the van I realised I forgot fresh milk, so walked back into town, while Cathy prepared a simple lunch of rillette, yellow tomato and red pepper salad (with some very hot chilli pepper we though was benign!), saucisson, chorizo and bread.  After lunch we sat and read in the shade - it was turning into another hot one.

We walked down to the beach at about 1500.  We put up our beach shelter (for the first time) and I left Cathy reading while I went for a walk along the beach as the tide came in.  I walked just above the water's edge, searching for and picking up stones with holes through them.  Apparently if you string them together with an old key they ward off evil witches.  Stones with holes are lucky, but keep the witch from the door with a key! (so my very own white witch tells me!).  We had a swim but the waves were quite lively so we didn't stay in too long.  Not long after some old 'Charlie' was rescued from the rolling surf by a couple of young chaps - he looked most unimpressed by this and his young grandson gave him a right bollocking for getting into trouble!  I returned to the van early (enough sun for me) leaving Cathy on the beach.  I emptied the loo (then washed my hands!) before chopping the veg and marinating it in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cathy returned and went off for a shower as I started to cook the veg on the griddle in four batches, then chopped it up and left it to cool.  I cooked some rice, rinsed it in cold water and mixed it with the griddled veg.  I left Cathy with a G&T while I showered, then laid the table while the BBQ griddle heated up again.  The swordfish steaks, cooked with the help of some olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice, were delicious with the veg rice and some rosé.  Dinner done, Cathy sat inside the van for a while before turning in and I finished off my glass of wine. Cathy would like to say, she also does jobs, including all the interior cleaning, although this blog sounds like she sits around all day!

So another relaxing day with good food and wine.  No doubt on our first long trip we'll not be able to afford such extravagant food on a regular basis, but the sun, sea, warmth and ambience should make up for this.  I'm tired now and ready for bed.  It's cooler this evening so sleep should come easier.  It's Sunday tomorrow (I think!), a day of rest, so we'd better take it easy.......  á bientôt.  And - Lily - thanks for the Lily which grows as well in Barnton as it did in Gosport.  Bless you and Rest in Peace xxx

Fish market where we bought our swordfish

Part of the daily market in St Denis

Mini Citroen!

Another 'light' lunch!

A pretty takeaway pizza sign

Chilled Heat

Friday 3 July 2015

It was a little chilly last night, but we woke at about 0900 to a warm, still morning.  I wandered over to the campsite shop for a couple of baguettes and a croissant.  Breakfast done, I prepared my bike and changed into my kit, while Cathy cleared up.  She was going to have a long beach walk while I was out cycling.  I road out of St Denis, following the road south along the East Coast.  At the village of La Brée les Bains I came a cropper, hitting a patch of deep sand as I slowed alongside a truck waiting by the junction.  I managed to unclip and grab the truck before dropping the bike, but no harm done!  I cycled through Sauzelle into a strong headwind and, head down, missed the turn to St Pierre.  Before I realised I was in Boyardville, so had to reverse my route to get back on track,  through St Pierre, I again took a wrong turn in Le Cotiniere, but eventually found the road towards La Biroire.  Now heading north along the west coast, it was very hot and sunny.  I passed through a few sleepy hamlets, including Domino, Chaucre and Les Trois Pierres before passing the aire we stayed at last time and back to the campsite.  At the bar just inside the barrier I bought a couple of cold cokes and enjoyed one of these sat with Cathy in the shade of the tamarisk tree. She had enjoyed a long, low-tide walk, paddling though the rock pools and asking a lady what she and others were digging for - some type of clam, (palourds) delicious raw or cooked.  A quick change into swimming shorts and I got on with a few chores, emptied grey water, topped up fresh, emptied the loo, then washed and oiled the bike.  We shared a melon for lunch with a brew and I put my cycling kit to soak.  The rest of the afternoon we read and snoozed in the shade.

Later we walked along the beach, having a swim now and again - lovely! - before sitting in the sun to dry off. Back at the van I went for a shower first, then prepared the salad while Cathy had her shower.  Dinner included some spicy merguez with bread and white wine.  The wind's dropped and it's very warm tonight.  Being Friday, there's been a few more arrivals and the funfair in the town is in full swing. Another hot day, but we're both chilled out and nodding off; hopefully we'll be able to sleep tonight in the warm van. Yesterday we put the silver screens over the windscreen and cab windows, which have helped greatly to reduce the internal temperature, but they can only do so much.  Tomorrow we'll wander into town to have a look around, buy some food and perhaps have lunch.  The pace of life is slow and we're enjoying this lazy routine......one day!

Awning out, silverscreens on, bike ready to roll!

Enjoying some shade

Messy but comfy!

Map of Ile d'Oleron - we're currently in top NE corner

St Denis d'Oleron

Thursday 2 July 2015

Time for a bit of information about Ile d'Oleron.  The island lies just off the coast between Royan and La Rochelle and has, since 1966, been linked to the mainland by a long, curving road bridge, the longest in France at almost 2 miles.  Except for Corsica, it's France's biggest island - 18 miles long and 3.6 miles wide.  The white houses of Oleron are surrounded by mimosa, oleander, tamarisk, fig trees and the grey-green spines of agave.  Everywhere hollyhocks spring up through seemingly tiny gaps between the concreted ground and walls.  Oysters are its main crop, along with some early fruit and vegetables and the cultivation of vines.  The vineyards, mainly grouped inland around St Pierre and St Georges, produce white and rosé wines with an agreeable, slightly iodised flavour.  

Some naval related history:  The Rules of Oleron - in 1199, the 76 year old Eleanor of Aquitaine returned to her island possession.  She set about restoring law and order.  The dangerous Côte Sauvage, for instance, had long been at the mercy of wreckers who looted and pillaged ships driven ashore and robbed any survivors from their crews - a practice euphemistically known as le droit d'aubaine (windfall rights).  Eleanor decreed that henceforth such brigands must be punished: "They must be put in the sea and plunged under water repeatedly until they are half dead, and then taken out and stoned to death as one would dispose of wolves or mad dogs".  Subsequently she set up a set of rules "concerning the seas, the vessels sailing upon them, their masters, crew companions and also merchants".  This maritime code, known as Les Rôles d'Oleron", served as a basis for all subsequent charters regulating conduct on the high seas (such as the International Law of the Sea, which I came to know well).  The island was occupied by the Germans in 1940 and liberated on 30 April and 1 May 1945, though not without difficulty.  Overcoming the stubborn resistance of the 15,000-string garrison and forcing a German surrender required a large-scale combined operation, which was code named Jupiter.

Now on with today's travels.  The wind blew up again in the night and it rained quite heavily on and off; I had to get up again to batten down the hatches (shut the skylights!) but the morning was calm and warm, still with some high cloud.   I was awake quite early so got up, dressed and made a pot of coffee while waiting for the bread van to toot its horn.  Soon enough he arrived and I wondered over to join the queue of old boys sent out by their wives to buy the bread (life as an old chap is hard).  He'd already sold out of croissants, so I bought two bavettes, one for breakfast and one for later.  It was hot sat outside and we enjoyed our breakfast saying 'Bonjour' to our neighbours as they walked by and acknowledging the occasional "Bon Appetit!".   Soon it was time to pack and and secure the van.  With waste dumped and the water container topped up, Cathy punched in the code and we drove down to the Super U to buy some food, water and local wine.  I then drove us back past the aire and north along the coastal road I cycled yesterday.  We stopped off at a roadside shack to buy some local salt, before checking out the aire at Boyardville.  It looked nice - grass pitches with plenty of pine trees for shade, but a little too close to the road and not close enough to the beach.  So we continued on to St Denis.  We stayed on the aire here for a couple of nights when we first came to France in a motorhome two years ago.  But we wanted to check the beach to make sure it's sandy before deciding.  On the way down to the town we saw the municipal campsite, right next to the beach.  Although large (400 pitches) it also looked welcoming, with plenty of room between pitches and shade from pine and tamarisk trees.  We parked up and walked down to the marina.  On the way back I got some cash from the ATM and by then we'd already decided to use the municipal site.  I checked us in for four nights and we found a lovely pitch; quite flat, right next to a sandy path to the beach and by all the facilities.  It's south facing, protected from the prevailing wind and, although in direct sun, has a small tamarisk tree with plenty of shade for two chairs.  As we're here for a while we 'made camp', putting out the groundsheet, fitting the external silver screens over the windscreen and cab windows and fetching tables and chairs out.  We also rolled out and secured the awning.  We had some lunch sat outside, again enjoying the friendliness of the French - they really do know how to relax and make the most of a peaceful spot.  We took the path to the beach and within 30 seconds were on the sand.  The tide was coming back in and we could tell it would be a great swimming beach, a bit rough and windy but lovely clear, cool water. After a walk along and back we walked around the site to get our bearings, after I let reception know we were on pitch 72.  There are plenty of facilities on site, including a good shop, bars and a small restaurant.  And we're only a few minutes' walk from the centre of town.  The next few days are going to be very relaxing.

We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and snoozing in the shade of the tamarisk tree before hitting the beach, now almost at high tide.  So just 30 seconds away the warm sand welcomed us and the tide was in.  It was quite breezy so felt a bit cooler on the beach, but all is relative - still a lot warmer than an afternoon at home!  After a read it was time for a swim.  The waves were high and the water was cooler than we've been used to, but we were soon in, battling the swell and the tide, plus the seaweed wrapping itself around our legs and body!  Swim done, Cathy laid out to dry off while I walked along the beach up to the WW2 gun emplacement and back.  It was quite cool in the wind so we walked back to the van, to shelter and warm sun.  A brew later, Cathy showered in the van, while I walked to the shower block - straight in, warm and powerful.  I also dhobied my swimming shorts, pockets full of small stones and seaweed.  Back at the van, Cathy had made the salad while I grilled the lamb chops on the Cadac, enjoyed under the awning with some bread and rosé for Cathy (called Les Tourettes!), local red for me.  As we ate we watched a nice little chap (maybe 3 or 4) kick his inflatable ball around then ride on his pedal-less bike.  He was not happy if anyone touched his ball and even less happy when called in for his tea, nevertheless he got stuck in to his food.  The last time we saw him he looked fit to drop, but was heading out with his family to the small funfair between the campsite and the town.  Cathy sorted the washing up while I went to ditch the gash; I walked nearly twice around the campsite before realising that what I thought was a shower block was actually the gash compartment!  

It's a bit chillier tonight, still OK for shorts and flip-flops but with a fleece.  Still we sat outside with a brew and a biscuit.  Cathy's just gone off to take some sunset photos at the beach.  It's been a good day, a short commute from one site to the next, a lovely pitch right next to the beach and with shade if we need it.  We both feel very chilled out.  I look forward to another bike ride tomorrow and no doubt Cathy will enjoy reading, snoozing and sunbathing.  Lovely, chilled out, relaxing, warm, sunny day.  We're also turning a nice shade of brown - sunshine, not muck!

Aptly named wine!

Relaxing lunch

Pitched up ready to relax