Greetings Followers from Senor Paul and Senora Sam.
We have had some interesting times so far so thought it was time to share some of them.
Monday 12 March – The ferry crossing was calm and easy – not impressed with the terminal at Dunkirk, but they are never the prettiest places. All that northern part of France is very flat and the wind was pretty strong the first few days. Rouen tried to persuade us we couldn’t get under any tunnels and therefore would have to stay forever, but then we learned to read the roadsigns properly.
First night in France in a pretty little village – St Germain des Pasquiers after a hairy last section on single track roads with big speed bumps and overhanging trees which beat merry wossname our of the solar panel (still working though). Car park filled up early evening for a village meeting but nobody took objection to our presence.
Tuesday 13 March – Woke to a deafening and rather lovely dawn chorus from the surrounding woodland, quick brew up and off to a fairly early start. Sideways rain and driving winds made the drive quite challenging and showed us that, whilst willing to please, Bessie runs out of puff quite quickly especially on the hills (3rd gear and maxing at 50mph many times!). Couldn’t locate our planned stop so motored on past Tours and found a pretty little town called Vivonne where we parked in the village centre and met fellow travellers Steve and Norma who shared wine and wisdom with us.
Wednesday 14 March – Decided to have a shorter drive today as we were a bit tired – the sun came out and the scenery started to roll a bit more – tres jollie. Took it nice and steady through a series of hairpins and saw some lovely views and pretty villages, often with a dedicated place or two for campervans. Parked up at about 2:00pm by the canal at Caumont-sur-Garonne – another pretty village but VERY quiet. Shops didn’t open at advertised times so bought a baguette from a dispensing machine outside the boulangerie!
Thursday 15 March – after a decent cooked breakfast featuring local tomatoes and mushrooms bought previously we decided on another short run which gave us glimpses of the snow-capped Pyrenees catching the sun in the distance. Destination today was Venerque where we parked up near the river – very pretty and sat out watching the locals playing petanque.
Friday 16 March – stocked up with food and diesel and decided to go for Spain rather than Perpignan as previously intended. Given Bessie’s mountaineering limitations we decided discretion was the better part of valour and hit the coastal toll road. Must admit it was well worth the money – still a lovely drive but with no dramas. Stopped for lunch once over the border and then headed for Pineda de Mar. Tricky finding the site as it’s buried in the middle of the village but great once found. Decided to pay to stay for the first time and booked three nights here at 10 E per night.
Saturday 17 March – had a bit of a lie-in and then a gentle cycle ride along the front the next village. Turns out Pineda are hosting a Guinness world record attempt to barbeque the greatest number of artichokes and have lots of people eat ’em! (takes all sorts). Sarah, Steve and the girls came here last year (but got here quicker) – small world innit?
Namaste
Paul and Sam x
Parked up for the night in Hythe with a perfect view of the sea from our window. Got a bit sidetracked in London trying to avoid M25 orbital carpark issues but Bessie behaved impeccably throughout. Inadvertently hit the low emission zone – that’ll teach me.
So far she has had full mechanical and habitation services, quite a lot of welding underneath, full underseal (by hand – never again!), new deep cycle batteries, a large solar panel on the roof, new carpet in the cab, fridge repaired and refurbished, wheels refurbished, some new plumbing, lots of sealant replaced etc.
Finding the Elephant 