WEEK ONE: CORNWALL TO MARSEILLE
Day 1: Monday 6th January 2025
At last! We’re off! We left around midday after packing the last bits and pieces in Colin. The house looked immaculate when we left, and it will be a pleasure to come back to, but please, not for at least 6 weeks … hopefully!
We had a really good drive to Portsmouth, starting off in light rain, but by the time we left Cornwall the skies had cleared and we marvelled at the views of Dartmoor and then of the south coast as we went through Honiton, Bridport and Dorchester. We got stuck in a road works queue on the M27 as we approached Whiteley, but all of that was quickly forgotten when we met up with Graham and Julie (brother and sister in law) to share supper at Prezzo.
After catching up on all the family news, we headed for the Port where we didn’t have to wait too long to board. We were disappointed that the rain decided to return and dampen our plans of walking around the deck as we sailed out of the dock and round the Isle of Wight. Instead, we walked around inside the Normandie (after being directed into a very tricky parking spot right at the back (stern) of the boat in amongst some huge lorries!) Still managed to get a really good photo of the Spinnaker Tower.
Day 2: Tuesday 7th January 2025
After a fairly calm and thankfully, uneventful crossing we were woken by the usual gentle Brittany Ferries music. Geoff went off to the café to spend our 12.50 pp Euro credit and returned ladened with bottles and some chocolate! The coffees were undrinkable!
We were pretty much the last vehicle to disembark, which wasn’t a problem except we couldn’t see where to go to Customs and guessed! We were soon on the road to Caen, along with lots of locals, presumably heading to work. It was dark, raining and very busy on the road so I had to concentrate, not at all what we were expecting. We stopped for breakfast and to avoid the traffic, giving time for the sun to rise. When we left the picnic spot, the sky was on fire with a brilliant sunrise, but I forgot to photograph it! Everything looked much better in the daylight and, miraculously, the traffic had all but disappeared and we found ourselves on open roads. We had decided to, for the most part, avoid toll roads, and stick to the more important ordinary roads.
Our first port of call was an Intermarche on the line of route. We stocked up with the essentials, bread, water, ham and wine! Then continued south to Tours and were doing really well, enjoying the scenery and the weather when we were stopped dead in our tracks by a ‘route barre’ We ended up doing a detour via the motorway, incurring a toll, and then rejoining our route towards Le Mans, stopping for brunch in a Commercial centre on the outskirts of the city. This was a great success, as we achieved the bulk (as the day turned out) of our steps for the day, in the sunshine!
Revived by our brunch and our walk we headed towards our planned overnight stop just south of Tours. We drove past the centre for the 24hour Le Mans race, and also drove part of the road circuit unexpectedly!
Further on, we were thwarted again, by yet another blooming ‘route barre’, this time in the middle of nowhere with no evidence as to why. This involved a long detour and again, we opted to use the motorway to speed up our journey. We arrived in Viegne, our intended destination for the night with a Camping Car Park, but unfortunately it was sited on a river plain and was all but surrounded with swirling river water, so we immediately decided we couldn’t stay there. A quick check of the CC app, and we had to discount several others close by which were also near to the river bank in favour of one which turned out to be at the top of a hiill and dry(ish!),
After another 45 minute drive across much rougher country we found our next site in the village of Montresor as dusk descended but we were soon settled with our wine and supper after a much longer, and more eventful day, than envisaged!
Day 3: Wednesday 8th January 2025
It was pouring with rain when we woke up this morning and although it eased a little as we left the site, it was still too wet to enjoy this lovely little touristy village. The Chateau, visible through our front window was surrounded at its base by the village, which looked worth a wander, but that will have to go on the ‘another day’ pile!
We had decided to stick to the regular roads again today, and we headed south west through Chateauroux and Montlucan. We stopped en route to enjoy our coffee and for Geoff to pop into a Boulangerie for the obligatory baguette, before deciding to abandon our original plan and use the motorway to finish our journey to Romi, our next overnight Camping Car Park. We stopped again at a motorway services to have some soup for lunch before pressing on. So glad we did, as we arrived at 4pm, and had a choice of pitches on a very smart looking new site, giving us time to explore part of Romi centre before dark.
The Christmas decorations were still up, and must have been an impressive site just a few days ago. The main part of the town comprised of tall buildings fringing cobbled streets and was full of very interesting shops. Home to Colin to discover that the site was almost full with some late arrivals, good job we got here early.
All this travelling is tiring, whilst we had intended to ‘tootle’ all the way down to the Mediterranean, we think we will just head straight there tomorrow on the motorway!
Day 4: Thursday 9th January 2025
After a rather unsettled night for us both, we were up reasonably early, and away from what was a really good little site before 9.45am. We headed first to a fuel station to fill up before hitting the autoroute. Actually it was a selection of autoroutes, A89, A71, A72, A47, A7 and A55 via Clermont Ferrand, Saint Etienne, Lyon, Valence, Avignon and then to Sausett Les Pins bordering the Mediterranean to the west of Marseille.
We were fortunate not to encounter any roadworks of note, or accidents or diversions and had an uneventful, if very long, drive (300 miles exactly!) to our next Camping Car Park site. We stopped a couple of times en route in service areas for coffee and a soup lunch, eventually reaching our site at 4pm. After filling up and emptying Colin, we had to use a levelling ramp as the whole site was on a slope, but we were soon parked up.
We decided not to waste any valuable daylight and walked into the small seaside town. We first found the railway station and checked out our route and plan for the morning, before walking swiftly down to the harbour and beach so as to not miss, what proved to be, a stunning sunset.
After a shop at the Carrefour City supermarket, small but very well stocked, we decided to enjoy a drink at a harbourside bar and not being in the mood to face a walk back up the hill to the site asked the very nice barman if he could book us a taxi. This he failed to do, and was very apologetic, offering one of his staff members to drive us up the hill! This offer we gratefully accepted and recompensed her accordingly! We were so tired; we couldn’t have refused!
Back in Colin we had supper and enjoyed a glass or two of Muscadet to end the day in style. The photographs tell of our delight in discovering the Mediterranean with a setting sun as well! This is what we came for, and indeed, drove all this way for! We are hoping for more sunshine and warm weather along with lovely views tomorrow, now we are here and feeling at home in Colin.
Day 5: Friday 10th January 2025
After a leisurely breakfast and a quick tidy up of Colin we packed up our rucksacks with overnight essentials and headed down to the station. We had already purchased our tickets via the SNCF app to Marseille and excitedly waited for our train at a very smart, yet old fashioned, Sausset Les Pins Gare. The ride was brilliant, in and out of tunnels, across viaducts and skirting the rugged coast all the way, with fabulous views across the sea to Marseille and its extensive waterfront.
We arrived in Saint Charles station and wandered up and down looking for some tourist information, we couldn’t find any, but we at least managed to get our hands on a transport map showing all the bus, tram, metro and ferry lines, basically all we ever need wherever we go! We were very vigilant for pick pockets, having read and indeed been warned by Jenni of their renowned presence in this city. We were very much aware of a high level of security in the station itself.
We intended to purchase a 24 hour ticket (at the amazing price of 5.20 euros each), but knowing that we were staying until 4pm tomorrow, we decided to defer starting the 24 hours till later on today. We walked into the city centre and on to the old port, via La Canebiere, and getting more excited as we found the buses and the trams. There are only 3 tram lines, and they are not very long, but we planned to go on all of them! We enjoyed a coffee at an intersection of 2 of the tram routes.
A snack lunch was our next mission, and a croque monsieur for Geoff and a quiche for me hit the spot before we walked around the port. The views of the harbour and of the Basilica Notre Dame de la Garde on the hill were stunning and all enhanced by a sunny blue sky. We came across a petit train, and everyone who knows us, particularly our children, will tell you that a petit train is not to be ignored! It was well timed as it filled a gap until we wanted to activate our 24 hour travel ticket, so we boarded and set off around the harbour and then around the coast and up to the aforementioned Basilica.
The ride was excellent, scenic all the way, but the stop at the Basilica itself was amazing. The views were tempered slightly by the arrival of cloud but still stunning, and the interior of the cathedral itself was very impressive. As we queued to board the train for the return journey, the 60 bus turned up and we decided to catch that back instead, activating our tickets and trying out our second form of transport (so sad!).
We caught another bus, 55 on to the Hotel Ligo, booked two days ago on booking.com for £87 including breakfast. The location was excellent, just around the corner from the tram and the bus, and the room was large and well equipped. After a rest and a chat with the grandchildren, we headed out to find a suitable dinner venue trying out a tram route, a metro and another bus!
We enjoyed an aperitif watching the sunset over the harbour in the bar, La Samaritaine, before wandering around and not being inspired by many restaurants. Clearly we went looking in the wrong place, and our phone apps were not helpful, we ended up in a brasserie and had a nice enough main course each. Back to the hotel and a good nights sleep after topping up our steps total today.
Day 6: Saturday 11th January 2025
Breakfast was excellent this morning, with more to choose from than we could manage to eat! We have been very impressed with this bargain hotel, and note that they are a chain, so we may come across them again!
Our first destination was the Cathedral la Major. We walked via the Intercontinental hotel which we will stay in next time(!) and approached the cathedral via a back street, which meant that it was revealed to us almost as a surprise. It had an Italianate feel, with layers of different coloured stones which reminded us of Italian churches. It had a restful ambience inside and we sat a while contemplating the impressive décor.
From here we caught a bus back around the harbour to discover what we thought was a protest centred on the Hotel de Ville, but proved to be a belated celebration of 2025! This was right next to the passenger ferry which crosses the harbour, so we boarded this and crossed to the other side, ready now for a coffee. We went into one café which had a very strong unpleasant smell, so we left there and found another very nice café in the Cours Honore d’Estienne d’Orves, which was full of restaurants, and where we should have come last night!
Our next mission was to travel more, so we headed to the tram via a very smart shopping street, lined with boutiques, jewellery and designer shops. Then the tram, Metro line 2 out into the suburbs where we boarded the 83 bus, the route of which took us out to the sea and all around the coast road, the Corniche de John F Kennedy, back to the harbour. We stopped on the way to view more closely the war memorial which covered the first world war and those of French colonies in Indo China. We saw this from the petit train yesterday and it was way more impressive viewed close up. The views across the bay were amazing as the sky had cleared and the blue sky reflected on the blue and turquoise waters of the Mediterranean.
Another 83 bus delivered us back to the harbour, just in time for one last pavement drink outside La Samaritaine watching the world go by. There was a lot of it as the numbers of people were way more than yesterday and the fact that a large cruise ship was moored up further along the waterfront probably contributed to that. We caught the metro back to the station within our 24 hour ticket and after such a big breakfast we didn’t feel like a proper lunch today so we just grabbed a sandwich at the station from ‘Go Johnny Go’ …. had to be done!
Home via that same scenic train route and we were very glad to find Colin where we had left him and even more glad to enjoy a cup of tea …… how old are we! (on that latter note, I was very put out to be offered seats on several buses yesterday and today, I clearly look much older than I feel!!).
PS: On both afternoons the wind picked up dramatically, it was very cold and the sea was flecked with white horses, we believe this was the Mistral.
Day 7: Sunday 12th January 2025
It was a very windy night last night, and cold, and we were glad to have been in a relatively sheltered site. No rush this morning after a busy but very exciting couple of days in Marseille.
The sky was a brilliant blue as we left and drove down into Sausset Les Pins and along the coast. There was a market in the village, which looked lovely but we couldn’t find anywhere to park, so carried on to Carro, where there was a large Camping Car Aire right on the point beyond the little village. We parked right next to the beach with a stunning 180 degree view of the sea. It was a perfect spot to watch the sunset this evening.
We enjoyed a walk around the village, stopping to buy our baguette and pain au raisins at the Boulangerie and our coffee at the local bar. This was an experience, probably not to be repeated, but fun to watch the locals! Back to the van and we enjoyed the warmth of the sun through the windows and then I went off for a long walk along the coastal path and Geoff caught up on the news.
We had paid to park and contemplated staying off grid, as the car park fee covered up to 72 hours, but it was bitterly cold, even in the sunshine, and the forecast showed a drop to below freezing tonight and we were concerned that our gas might not last long enough if we are not careful. We therefore decided to find an ACSI campsite and do some chores at the same time.
We drove via Martigues and a fuel station (a very boring story about which will not be trotted out here!), and then onto Camping Neptune. I had phoned ahead and the owner told us to find a suitable pitch and she would raise the barrier for us. We were soon plugged in and had the heater on full pelt on electric.
I went off for a march around the site to make up my steps and found the small beach on the edge of Etang de Berre opposite the campsite. We are a few miles north of Martigues which we intend to visit tomorrow on the bus.
WEEK TWO: MARSEILLE TO ARGELES SUR MER
Day 8: Monday 13th January 2025
So glad we decided to move to a proper campsite last night as we had the electric heating on all night! Even though the sun was shining in a brilliant blue sky this morning it was still very cold, 1 degree outside. We can hardly believe that we have come all this way to find some warmer weather only to find it is colder than at home!
Sunshine is a real pick me up though, even if we are wrapped up in gloves, scarves, hats and several layers under our coats! I went off and enjoyed a walk alongside the Etang this morning and around the site again. We are quite sheltered in our own little hedged in pitch which has helped to minimise the effect of the wind.
The bus into the local small town, Martigues, was situated right outside the campsite, and with two buses an hour all through the day and evening, proved a real bonus for us. This was a bus for locals rather than tourists and we enjoyed the route which covered several housing estates, a few schools and two large commercial centres, which even had a B&M!
The old town was situated on an island in the middle of the waterway between the sea and the Etang. It was very quaint with narrow streets and canalside houses very reminiscent of Venice. In fact a plaque noted that Alexander Dumas called it a miniature Venice. Several bridges connected the island to the mainland and we had a good wander around, including the rather unusual Church and a collection of statues sited around the town created in 2020.
It was Monday, so inevitably many of the shops and cafes were closed but we were not looking for sustenance today. A quick trip to Carrefour Connect to pick up milk, bread and some fruit was all we needed then we boarded the bus home to the campsite. We were lucky to get a seat for the return journey as it was very busy.
Home via the office to pay the ACSI rate for our two nights, a real bargain compared to British campsites, and then we were delighted to receive a call from Jonathan on his way home from work, so we could catch up on his news. The most significant today being the birth of Hugo Simmons, a son for Ali and Tom, we are delighted!
Day 9: Tuesday 14th January 2025
Another cold night, but we were very cosy in Colin. We left Camping Neptune just before 10 and within 5 minutes were embroiled in an almighty row! Normally, we don’t argue on these trips but today we blew that theory out of the water! I was driving, and Geoff was navigating ….. not! We drove round a roundabout and back the way we came, round another and back again! I am trying not to let Geoff drive because of his poorly shoulder, but he is not the best navigator in the world, by a long stretch, and it is difficult for me to do both!
Suffice it to say we have both survived to tell the tale and indeed have had a really lovely day!
We eventually found the right road to cross the Camargue (for you Val!). The start of the road was rather boring, being the main access to the port, there were lots of lorries, all in a hurry. We did see some white horses in the wild, but thinking we would see lots more, didn’t stop to take photos, a mistake as it turned out as we didn’t see many more!
We found ourselves in a lane on the road with high kerbs on both sides and we ended up stopped by a traffic light which controlled access to a ferry – of which we were unaware! Turned out to be a larger version of the King Harry ferry, crossing the River Rhone! Very exciting. The map showed it as a bridge, probably too small a scale.
The road across the Camargue was interesting, although not a trip to return to we think. The skies were huge, with flat land stretching for miles either side of the road, the verges of which had been immaculately cut. As we continued we saw lots of different birds, Herons and Egrits which we recognised and flocks of others which we didn’t as well as Flamingos!! Honestly – lots of gorgeous salmon pink flamingos, mostly with their heads in the water. (A Christmas cracker recently pulled posed the question which bird feeds with their head upside down? Answer: Flamingo!!). We also saw: White horses, Black long horned cattle and I am sure it was a beaver, or could have been a Coypu (according to Google).
The resort of Saintes Maries de la Mer marked the end of the road through the Camargue and whilst it was fairly deserted at this time of year, is clearly buzzing in the peak season. As it was we saw a couple of full restaurants along with an enormous Mairie!
After a picnic lunch we headed for an Intermarche to do some shopping and then onto a Camping Car Park at Le Grou du Roi. This is a very busy CCP which I have been monitoring on the app, but we were lucky to secure a reasonable pitch and to take advantage of the excellent service point that these sites are equipped with.
After setting up we headed into the town for a wander. It was clearly a very active fishing port and the main canal running through the centre was packed with boats and fishing paraphernalia. It is also a very popular tourist resort in the main season but we managed to find a nice café for a drink before walking back to Colin, stopping to wait for the swing bridge to open. We walked along the beach, enjoying the best sunset of our trip so far.
Day 10: Wednesday 15th January 2025
I walked up the road to the bakers this morning so today is the first day we have had fresh bread for breakfast, and it was delicious! We watched lots of other vans depart before us, and when we wanted to use the service block it was clear with no queue.
We followed the coast, first to La Grande Motte, which was a seaside town full of white oddly shaped apartment buildings. We felt that there must be some form of planning constraint, meaning that they all had a similar feel and all were white!
We stopped by the side of the Grand Travers beach road and walked over the dunes onto the beach, which was huge, stretching for miles in both directions, fringed as far as we could see with apartment and tourist orientated buildings. We wrote our signature statement on the sand, of course!
From here we headed to Palavas les Flots, stopping on the side of the Etang du Perouis for coffee and a flamingo watch! There were flocks on the water and whilst some had their heads in the water feeding again, we saw a smaller group all parading around as if they were having a neck stretching competition! Several took off revealing a flash of deep red and black underwing which was stunning. We tried to park in the village in order to walk along the Canal du Rhone a Sete. This canal ran through the middle of the lake, bound on each side by a ridge with a pathway on it. Sadly we couldn’t find anywhere to park, except an overnight Aire, which involved a payment, so we continued on our way.
We tried to find somewhere to park further on near Frontignan Plage, where the road took us again over the canal, but the car parks all had low height barriers and Camping Cars were actively discouraged. We eventually found a spot near where the canal emerged into the sea and achieved our canal walk!
On to Sete, and it was a much bigger town than we expected, and our efforts to drive through it were thwarted by one way systems which seemed to get narrower at each turn! Spotting a sign for Toutes Directions we followed that and eventually found our way out of the town, and along a road sited on an isthmus, one side was the sea and the other an Etang or lake, towards Marseillan. From here we decided to head straight to our next CCP at Meze, as we were both dying for a cuppa!
There was a small lake situated next to the CCP so we completed our steps tally by walking around that before watching another stunning sunset from the warmth and comfort of Colin.
Day 11: Thursday 16th January 2025
Another very cold night and when I opened the blinds there was a frost everywhere!
We were away by 10 and heading via the autoroute to Castelnaudray and our next CCP site. We had decided to go straight there as quickly as possible, to secure a good spot and attend to all the necessary services on arrival. I chose this site because it is very close to a railway station, from which we can catch a train to Carcassone tomorrow, thus avoiding the headache of having to park Colin!
After a brief stop en route we arrived just after 12.30 and there was only one other van here. First problem, the barrier wouldn’t raise up after we put our smartcard on the reader, so a quick phone call sorted that and we were soon well established and drinking our cuppa!
We had come through some rain on the motorway, but by the time we finished our tea the sun was out and the sky was blue so at last the time was right to give Colin a good wash. He was still covered in dirt from the drive from Truro, so long overdue. He was sparkling in no time thanks to Bobby Dazzle – those who know ….. know!
Jobs done, we walked first to the railway station to check out our plan for the morning. I had already bought our tickets through the SNCF app, so we just needed to know which platform and how long it would take to walk from the van, 5 minutes probably!
Onto the Canal du Midi and in the winter sunshine, it looked amazing, and so quiet because there is little or no traffic on it from November to March. We walked around the canal basin, where 74 (I counted) Le Boat cruisers were parked up for the winter. We crossed over a bridge to walk around to the other side of the basin and spotted a lock on the other side. I ran over and a drunk man came up to Geoff and helped him across the road! We were in hysterics and the man wandered off, smelling strongly of alcohol apparently unaware of our amusement at his intervention!
We walked on up into the town, me climbing the war memorial steps to photograph the two main Churches, and then onto to the main square where hordes of people were flooding into the Halles. It appeared that the local Mayor was entertaining his constituents to a new year celebration similar to that we had seen in Marseille. Geoff had read about this tradition in the Times, and it is being discouraged by central government due to cost, but our experience would suggest that such advice is being ignored!
After a coffee and a visit to the Tourist Information office, where a very helpful lady who spoke perfect English provided Geoff with oodles of literature to keep him happy this evening. Back to Colin via the canal again. We really like this little town and love the canal, I have been googling cruises on the canal, not self drive, and am quite intrigued!
Day 12: Friday 17th January 2025
I had been really looking forward to today as we planned to visit Carcassone. When we visited this area before in 2020 in our caravan, we saw the city from a service area on the autoroute as we were heading home via Bordeaux. We vowed to return one day, and today was the day!
We caught the 10.03 train and whilst it was still cold, the sun was shining and sky was blue…. again! It was a fairly long walk from the station through the newer town to the old cite. The route took us over the Canal du Midi, through the town centre, over the Old bridge over the River Aude and up to the Porte d’Aude. There were very few people going our way, and at one point we had to follow a deviation and walk up some very steep steps to reach the entrance. There are only 2 entrances/exits from the cite and we had chosen the less well used route, but it seemed so dramatic as we entered it alone.
Our first thought was for coffee, but apart from some open air options, which we felt were too cold, we managed to find a restaurant which served coffee, it was rather weird with all sorts of odd things on the walls, but a delicious coffee and hot chocolate.
We bought tickets to view the castle and the ramparts and they were so worth it. I took loads of photos because at every turn the view was stunning. It took us about an hour to walk around the walls and for most of the time we were entirely on our own. We were reminded of our walk around the walls in Dubrovnik, albeit on a slightly different scale!
After a lovely lunch we walked to the Sainte Nazaire Basilica which had the most amazing stained glass windows, before walking back into the town. By this time we were both wilting so enjoyed a coffee in the Place Carnot and watched the world go by for a time.
On our way back to the station, having a few minutes in hand we had a look around Monoprix. As we were leaving Geoff’s ICD set the security alarm off as we tried to leave the shop having bought nothing. The guard asked us to go back into the shop and checked our carrier bag which contained a strawberry tart we had bought from the boulangerie around the corner! I’m not sure he understood our explanation as to why it had happened, but he let us go anyway!
Home on the train, and a busy one. We were lucky to get a seat and the aisles were full of schoolgirls all with their wheelie suitcases, strangely. When we got back to the site it was to see 2 other UK motorhomes. These are the first we have seen the whole time we have been away.
19,000 steps and a really great day!
Day 13: Saturday 18th January 2025
Pain au raisin for breakfast, we really mustn’t make a habit of these, delicious but probably too calorific!
We headed off to our next CCP on the national roads again this time, avoiding motorways and tolls. First to Limoux and then to Quillan, on very straight roads, often fringed with stately trees, making us think they had something to do with Napoleon! The weather was just as lovely, with blue skies and bright sunshine. We drove through masses of vines, as far as the eye could see on the plain but after Quinlan, and a brief stop at an Intermarche for bread and milk, we started going up the foothills of the Pyrenees, albeit the lower end nearer to the Mediterranean.
To begin with we suddenly entered a gorge and scarily the height clearance of some of the rocks was only about 50cm more than us, so we ducked, as if that would help! Fortunately there was very little traffic around so we were able to move out into the middle of the road, giving ourselves much more room.
Newcastle were playing Bournemouth today at 12.30 UK time so Geoff listened to that whilst I found our way to our next CCP site to the north of Argeles Sur Mer, via Perpignan. We had booked this site but our card wouldn’t open the barrier again, when we rang they explained that they were having problems with this barrier, but that it should be fine when we come to exit.
We were soon set up and while Geoff listened to the second half of his match, I went for a walk to find the beach. It wasn’t far, and was glorious, miles and miles of sand in both directions, very few people about and warm in the sunshine! Win, win, win! This is what we have come all this way for!
After drinking our cup of tea sat outside, we repeated the walk when the match was finished (sadly Newcastle lost 4-1) before sampling a local bottle of wine before supper tonight.
Day 14: Sunday 19th January 2025
The sound of the sea must have had a soporific effect on us both last night because we both slept better and indeed were reluctant to get up too early. After a leisurely breakfast we decided to get the bikes out today as we were a fairly long way from the centre of Argeles sur Mer, and it was relatively flat and bike friendly.
We have resisted using them up to now, principally because of the cold, walking along in a cold wind is not nice, cycling in it is awful. We have had new phones since we last used the bikes, and they are intended to work with the phone, as the phone determines the level of electric power required. Mine linked and worked perfectly, sadly Geoff’s did not. He decided to cycle anyway, but it was hard going and he gave up. I continued into the resort and found my way to the port where several cafes and restaurants were open.
I rang Geoff and he decided to have another go, I cycled part way to meet him and we swapped bikes so he could make the most of my electric power! We parked them and locked them in favour of a walk around the port where we chose a restaurant with a very reasonable menu du jour and sat in the sunshine. We could not believe how warm it was, I ended up removing my coat and gilet, and even Geoff was minded to remove his coat and jacket!
Feeling warm, well fed and possibly slightly tipsy (Alison, not Geoff) I headed off for a longer walk and Geoff returned to the bikes in an effort to get his bike working, seeking advice from GoCycle, which again did not work. We cycled home to Colin along a much busier promenade as the warm Sunday afternoon sunshine had brought everyone out for a stroll.
The weather forecast for today was for cloud and little sun, but as it turned out it was the warmest day we have had by far. We are hoping this is a turning point as tomorrow we head further south into Spain and Camping Les Medes near L‘Estartit.
WEEK THREE: L’ESTARTIT TO BARCELONA
Day 15: Monday 20th January 2025
After two weeks in France we moved on to Spain today. Avoiding the motorway we chose the main road which ran through the same valley, so we criss crossed the motorway several times. The views in the distance of the snow topped Pyrenees were amazing, particularly as the morning sun caught them. We had hoped to buy our last French baguette in France before we crossed into Spain, but it was Monday and they all seemed to be closed. We stopped instead at a Mercada and bought the usual necessities before pressing on to find a coffee spot.
Sooner said than done. In France aire de pique nique’s seemed to be everywhere, not so in Spain. We were virtually at the campsite before we stopped in a large parking area for a break. This was after trying to park in a car park which we discovered too late was only meant for cars, and then we got trapped in a small town, with very narrow streets and lots of parked cars to navigate through!
We arrived at Camping Les Medes, near L’Estartit, just before 1pm. It was a large well organised site, already quite full with Dutch, Germans, Austrians and 2 other British vans. There were lots of caravans, with their awnings, who looked as though they were here for a long time. We were able to choose our pitch, which normally presents us with a decision which is hard to make, but we soon chose and were parked up on pitch 21.
First job, after our usual cuppa of course, was the washing and there was a really good laundry set up here with super quick machines. I managed to do most of my steps walking around the site waiting for the washing to be done, and I got to have a good nosey at all the other vans. There is a lot of money in motorhomes and caravans on this site!
I went for a cycle down to the coast, which looked amazing. Geoff waited at the van for a call back about his bike which eventually came, but they were not able to solve the problem over the phone, so we may have to visit a dealer here some how.
A wonderful video chat with Hamish and Ethan, with waves from Sophie in the background rounded off our day perfectly.
Day 16: Tuesday 21st January 2025
It seems as though we have been on the go ever since we left home, so a quieter day was called for. I opted to start the day with a swim in the indoor pool here. I had the place to myself and at 28 degrees, it was lovely and warm, I enjoyed it enormously!
There was lots of activity on the site this morning as vans packed up to move. It is great fun watching others depart and arrive especially when they have all got so much stuff. The longer term campers set there vans, awnings and various equipment out like small estates so it is very interesting to watch.
We decided to walk into the town of L’Estartit and set off down towards the sea, Geoff was feeling rather tired, so he opted to return to the van and I continued ….. a lot further than I intended, walking the length of the promenade to the port and beyond, by the time I got back to Colin and Geoff I had walked over 6 miles. When I returned Geoff had done another load of washing, which was brilliant!
The photos show what a lovely place this is, for me even more so because there are so few people about at this time of year. Most of the shops, cafes and restaurants were closed for the season, but there were some open, which we might check out tomorrow. There was also an awful lot of holiday apartments and houses which were empty and very quiet.
We enjoyed some time sat out in the sunshine this afternoon before it clouded over and I had a video chat with Sue. She reminded me of the number of references I make to food and drink, so I promise to make an effort to stop that, well maybe not completely, as I take a sip of my wine!
Day 17: Wednesday 22nd January 2025
Another swim before breakfast, but sadly I had to share my pool with 3 other ladies! I managed my 30 lengths then enjoyed a long hot shower in the changing rooms.
The forecast was for a much warmer day today, so after a quiet morning we set off on our bikes to the coast, retracing my steps of yesterday. Geoff hadn’t seen it, so he was as impressed as I was on my first view. The sun, the sea, the beach and the view across to the Isles Medes (of which there are 7 isles) was stunning.
We cycled around the promenade and the port parking our bikes up on a very posh bike rack, before visiting the tourist office. As ever, there were several members of staff in there, all quite happy to chat to each other and seemingly uninterested in us …. the tourists! We came away with a cycle map and a book on Barcelona.
Further on we walked to the café where I had enjoyed a coffee yesterday. I had seen that they were selling tapas, all laid out on plates on the bar, to which you help yourself and are charged accordingly. I was unsure about the system to follow, but a very nice waitress who spoke very good English helped us out. It was delicious and amazingly good value, including my wine! Apologies Sue, but tapas is unusual for us!
Geoff cycled home and I did a longer tour, including a visit to a Spar, walking part of the way back to top up my steps tally!
By this time it was very hot, registering 33 degrees inside the van, but a few open windows soon cooled it down, but I was too hot to sit outside. We can hardly believe the contrast with the low temperatures we have experienced, but this is more like we expected it to be after our visit 5 years ago at the same time of year.
I had another cycle to see the River Ter, which flows into the sea just south of where we are staying, it was a very wide river, which must have been canalised at some point.
Day 18: Thursday 23rd January 2025
Time to move on again, this time only 40 miles or so further round the coast to Loret de Mar.
We were up fairly early this morning and one of the first to leave the site. It has been a good few days, excellent facilities here, not least the swimming pool and we have enjoyed ourselves.
Our first stop en route was in Sant Antoni de Calonge, where the GoCycle dealer was based. It was a seaside location, on a pedestrianised road, so we couldn’t take Colin there. We stopped on the nearest main road to unload the bike and Geoff went off with that while I tried to find somewhere to park. In the end I parked in the Carrefour car park, as the only parking recommended on parkfornight, my parking app, specifically said no motorhomes!
Geoff was very cross as they refused to help, despite assurances from the GoCycle support desk, with whom he had exchanged several emails, that they would be able to do so. They told us to come back on Monday, which we can’t do. A wasted journey but we made the best of it by doing our shopping in Carrefour.
We arrived at Camping Loret Blau just after 1pm and not surprisingly the office was closed, but fortunately a man came out and told us to park where we liked and pay later when the office opened at 4pm. The site is not as well laid out as the last, nor are the facilities anything like as good, but it is well located in the town, and I have a nice view out of my bedroom window!
After a cuppa I went off for a walk and Geoff opted to have a rest. He is not 100% at the moment, feeling very tired and we are wondering if he might have done too much towards the end of last week, so he is going to take it easy for a few days.
I set off through the town to the promenade, which with its palm trees and long line of cafes and restaurants stretched out in front of a long attractive sandy beach was a well established seaside resort. I walked out to a rocky point at the southern end of the promenade, to Dona Marinera, a bronze statue of a fisherman’s wife. It afforded fabulous views of both the town and the bay to the north and a rocky cove to the south. There was a coastal walkway stretching around the cove, but I decided that I had walked far enough.
I returned to Geoff via the bus station, which I checked out for a possible trip tomorrow and a bakers, only fair to buy him a treat for tea! As you can see from the photos, it clouded over this afternoon but it was still quite warm.
Day 19: Friday 24th January 2025
We had decided to make today a quieter more relaxed day and so we took our time, even more so than usual, in getting up and breakfasting. We watched other motorhomes leave the site before we wandered down the hill in the campsite and into the town.
Our first port of call was the Bazaar Feliz – which appeared to be the Trago Mills of Lloret de Mar! it also reminded us of a shop called Babou in Brittany which Jenni used to love! It was a veritable Aladdins cave of all sorts, and we wanted inexpensive hats. Once purchased, Geoff wore his immediately and mine went in the bag in the event of hot sun later, as the forecast predicted.
To the bus station next and we bought our tickets in the office and boarded the bus for Tossa de Mar. The ride was excellent, high above the coast with stunning rural mountain scenery to one side and coast the other, the hills being dotted with some very impressive looking villas.
After a visit to the Tourist information office for a map and some excellent instructions, we walked to the old town and then on to the promenade. We found a small bar where we enjoyed hot drinks and churros. I had a hot chocolate and it was so thick, it was like drinking melted chocolate, delicious!
Geoff then walked back to the promenade to sit in the sun while I walked up onto the castle walls and to the view point, Muralles de Tossa de Mar. the views were amazing over a bright blue sea. We wondered if there were some coach groups wandering about as they seemed to be hunting in packs!
A walk on the beach and then along the promenade back to the bus station finished our short visit here. We definitely feel we have come at the right time, the weather is just right for us, though not the bright sunshine the forecast promised, the shops are mainly closed, which suits us just fine and the best thing of all, far fewer people than there would be any later in the year.
Home to Colin via the same bakers I visited yesterday, the cakes are amazing, to sit outside in the sunshine with our cuppa. The day was rounded off with another lovely chat with the boys and Sophie.
Day 20: Saturday 25th January 2025
It was a lovely bright blue morning again, and the forecast, like yesterday was for full sun all day. We had planned another local day today, taking advantage of the excellent, inexpensive small local buses which radiated out from the bus station in varying circles.
The first bus, L11, headed west through a commercial area, and then a huge residential area, full of apartments. We got the impression that the bulk of these were built in the 1970’s or 1980’s as our experience of further south in Spain was of much higher multi storied buildings. This resort probably had its heyday some 40-50 years ago, and it has a sort of shabby feel about it, which we actually appreciated. Google refers to Lloret de Mar as a budget destination on the Costa Brava, perfect for us then!
I got off the bus at Playa de Fenals, a beach to the west of the main one, and then walked around the coast path back to Playa Lloret de Mar. This was the rocky coastline I had viewed from the Dona Marinera statue a couple of days ago. The path involved loads of steps up and down, but gave fabulous views at every turn.
Geoff stayed on the bus and then caught another in the opposite direction, which climbed up into the hills above the town. There was a range of different types of property here from some very grand villas with stunning views to basic apartments, all crammed together.
We met up outside the Museu del Mar on the promenade, me having just had a paddle in the Mediterranean whilst waiting for Geoff’s bus to deposit him outside the museum. We wandered up the prom before enjoying a drink in a bar overlooking the sea and then walking back through the town via the Esglesia de San Roma, which had a very Gaudiesq look!
Newcastle were playing Southampton this afternoon so that was Geoff’s next mission, while I popped to the Supermercado before enjoying my book and what turned out to be a rather stunning sunset. Another good and restful day.
One note about the weather, every morning starts off with a clear blue sky, as suggested by the weather forecast, but then clouds over. Today the hills were shrouded in a low cloud which seemed to descend onto the beach at one point.
Day 21: Sunday 26th January 2025
Moving day today, and it wasn’t far to our next site just outside Barcelona. After striking camp we headed along the coastal road instead of going inland to join the motorway. We had expected to find some scenic bits, and there was perhaps a mile or so of road which was right on the coast with views ahead and behind along the beach, but most of the road was in the midst of commercial development and quite boring.
It was Sunday so we were not alone on the road, blooming cyclists were everywhere, serious ones, decked out in their lycra. They demanded space, with cars overtaking them with plenty of room between them and the cycles, but we couldn’t believe how close the bikes came to us when sliding by at traffic lights.
The road through Barcelona was a dual carriageway and we passed very close to the hotel we will be staying at later in the week, not that we could see it as we passed by in a cutting, between the hotel and the sea!
We arrived at Estrella de Mar campsite at 1pm, huge metal gates slid back to let us in and there was also a security barrier, so no issues here with security. We were soon checked in and found a level pitch on a designated area for motorhomes. The pitches are large and as there are very few vans here, we have got lots of space around us.
I went off for a walk to explore the locale, including checking out the closest bus stop. The beach reminded me of City Beach near Perth in Australia, with its wide promenade and boardwalks down onto a sandy beach. There were lots of people around, enjoying the beach and frequenting the many cafes and restaurants which were open along the promenade. I was amazed to see long queues at them for tables, and the place was buzzing. I was also impressed by the up market feel of this beach, compared to those we drove through this morning.
I stopped at a takeaway on the way back to the campsite that was selling rotisserie chickens, they looked and smelt delicious. Along with a fresh baguette purchased from the bakers next door, that was supper sorted!
WEEK FOUR: BARCELONA TO L’AMPOLLA
Day 22: Monday 27th January 2025
A boring domestic day today, necessary but not very exciting I’m afraid!
After completing a couple of loads of washing, I went off for a walk to find a supermarket, which happened to be 2km away, just to buy a bottle of milk and a baguette! I walked past a former Olympic rowing lake, visible through a fence, but very little worth photographing today, hence the flowers and the lemons!
We have got a very exciting week ahead of us, so hopefully there will be much more to write about then!
Day 23: Tuesday 28th January 2025
Neither of us slept very well last night but I think that was because we were excited about this morning. We were up early and off to catch the bus at 9 o’clock. The one we wanted to catch didn’t turn up but we caught an L95 which took nearly an hour driving through the suburbs of Barcelona to reach the Placa Espanya. I popped down into the Metro to pick up our 72 hour travel tickets and then we caught the H16 bus all the way to our hotel. This was a good 40 minute ride on top of the hour it took from the campsite into Barcelona, compared to David’s flight from Bristol which was under two hours!
David met us in the reception at the hotel and whilst our room wasn’t ready, we were able to leave our bags in his room before setting off on our days adventure. We went up on to the roof terrace where there was a small swimming pool, very cold, but fantastic views across the beach. Our first port of call was a café around the corner from the hotel where we had a coffee before walking to a Metro station to pick up Davids ticket and we decided then to use the Metro to travel to the port. This was after some confusion where Geoff couldn’t get through the barrier and then we ended up on the wrong platform and had to retrace our steps to the other side!
We visited the tourist information office in the Port and a very helpful young lady explained how we could get to Montserrat tomorrow. She also said that the cable car was operating from the port to Montjuic so we walked a long way to discover that it wasn’t operating! After a brief look at the beach we caught the bus back to Barceloneta and then onto the funicular which took us up to Montjuic.
This is where it started to get exciting. We took the Teripherique up to the Castel Montjuic where there were amazing views across the waterfront and back over the city and to the mountains beyond. It was an incredibly clear day, we were so lucky. Back down the cable car to Salts bar, a snack bar really but we enjoyed some Tapas with cracking views over the city and of the Olympic diving pool. Our next 150 bus took us to the Olympic Stadium from where we walked past the National Museum of Catalan Art, a stunning building. There was a series of escalators taking us down in front of the museum past fountains and waterfalls which must be stunning when full of water!
We were ready for a break so found a café in the basement of the Arena shopping centre built inside a former bullring. We took the lift to the top floor and the view from the balcony around which we walked the entire circumference of the bullring was incredible.
We were pretty tired by this stage so caught the H16 back to the hotel to check in and have a rest. None of us was really hungry so we returned to the café that we had visited this morning and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine while playing cards – a fabulous first day in Barcelona.
Day 24: Wednesday 29th January 2025
We had agreed to meet for breakfast at 9am so I popped up to the roof terrace to take some photos of the coast and the pool, it was very windy this morning. Today we planned to visit Montserrat, a mountain peak some 40km north of Barcelona, famous for its Benedictine monastery. Apparently, this was first established as a community nearly 1000 years ago, and is a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims.
The journey there involved a train from Placa Espanya, which took an hour, then a rack railway from Monistrol. The latter was amazing, winding its way up and around the limestone mountain, with typical karst formations, rising abruptly from the plain. The buildings themselves were impressive, but so was the view back to the coast. We walked up to the Basilica, planning to go in, but we had to buy some tickets. We asked a very nice security man where we could get the tickets and he explained that it was where we had got off the train, which involved a walk back down a long flight of steps. Clearly, we looked horrified at this prospect and were turning to walk away when he gestured for us to go in without paying! That was 24 euros saved! We are so glad that he allowed us in as the interior of the Basilica was stunning, with fabulous stained-glass windows. We could see that a long queue of people were walking past a statue of the Black Madonna, touching her hand as they did so.
Time for some sustenance, and we stopped in a café for sandwiches before taking time to admire the views, including the snow topped Pyrenees, from the other side to that viewed when we were in Carcassone a couple of weeks ago. Back to Barcelona via the rack and the train, both of which were extremely busy, in fact we were very lucky to get a seat on the main train. It is becoming quite usual now for us all to be offered seats, clearly we are all looking very old! I for one, don’t care, as we are so tired with all this sight seeing, a seat is very welcome!
We decided to stop off on our way back to the hotel on the coast near Port Olimpic, and found an excellent bar restaurant – Agua. We started off just having a drink outside, right by the beach, but thought it was so nice, we moved inside and had a meal, and David and I shared a lovely bottle of Rioja Rose, delicious!
The bus then took us right back to our hotel where we were all glad to get back to at the end of another superb day.
Day 25: Thursday 30th January 2025
Our last breakfast in the hotel, and it was very good. In fact the hotel was good, albeit further out than we would have ideally liked, but it was quiet at night and right on a bus route so it worked. We caught the bus to connect with the tram again and got off at Monumental and walked through to the Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi inspired Cathedral. When we visited Barcelona five years ago, it was covered in scaffolding. A lot of that had been removed, although there was still an enormous amount of work being done involving several cranes.
We stopped for a very expensive coffee next to the cathedral, before walking towards the entrance. It soon became apparent that there were hordes of people looking to do the same thing so we decided to abandon a visit inside as we hadn’t purchased tickets in advance. I have promised myself that if and when it is finished, we will come back!
Another bus took us first to the Arc di Triomphe, where we had a quick wander, then another to the Placa Catalunya where Geoff and David checked out the Tourist Information Office and then we started to walk down the famous Ramblas, taking great care to hold onto our phones etc, because of the danger of pick pockets, in this tourist area.
Half way down we stopped off to visit the Mercat de Boqueria, full of fruit, fish and meat products and buzzing with life. We were really impressed with the variety and quality of all that was on offer, in particular the oysters were enormous! Further on we turned into the old town and the Placa Reial, a large rectangular plaza with a fountain in the middle (again no water in January) and lots of restaurants and bars all around the edge. We stopped at one, but not liking the menu, got up and left! We carried on through back streets down to the port, then across a new bridge to Port Vell where there were lots of restaurants and bars. We went into another which looked really nice, but again, David didn’t like the look of this menu, so we got up and left that one too!
Eventually we decided on another tapas bar with a lovely outdoor area overlooking the water, this was perfect, so third time lucky we stayed and had some excellent tapas with wine for me, beer for David and Fanta for Geoff! We were all tired, and after three days of fairly intensive sight seeing, we parted at Placa Espanya, David returning to the hotel and Geoff and I boarding the L94 bus back to Colin.
We have really enjoyed our second visit to this lovely city. It was very busy, even though it was January. We kept saying how awful it must be during the summer with even more people and in hot weather. As it was, the temperatures were colder than when we visited at the same time 5 years ago, but still pleasant and the sun shone pretty much the whole time. The public transport was excellent, particularly the buses, apparently two thirds of the fleet are either electric or gas powered and everywhere was clean and tidy.
Day 26: Friday 31st January 2025
Feeling very tired and lazy this morning so we didn’t get up for ages! No rush really as we were only moving on around 90 miles further along the coast to a campsite near L’Ampolla, south of Tarragona.
It was a sunny morning again, but only 8 degrees outside when we left the site. It soon warmed up outside and the first part of our road trip was along a winding coastal route to Sitgees, the road clinging to the cliff face, or so it seemed. It reminded us of the long coastal road in Croatia which we so enjoyed last year, unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the road for the best viewpoints with laybys, but the views up and down the coast were brilliant.
We stopped at a Carrefour Market to do some shopping, and have a coffee in a local bar, a fraction of the cost of that we had yesterday outside the Sagrada Familia!
The sat nav encouraged us to use the motorway, toll free, and we were soon at our next campsite, Taiga Delta de l’Ebre. A very nice man checked us in and explained everything then we drove to our pitch. It took a fair bit of manoeuvring to fit between the trees, but we were soon set up and enjoying the cuppa.
I went off for a walk along the sea front and Geoff retired to read his book and recover from the excess of exercise we have expended this week! It is very flat here, but the bay itself is huge and adds interest to an otherwise straight coastline. I stopped short of the town and marina, saving those for tomorrow to discover together.
A beautiful sunset rounded off the day.
Day 27: Saturday 1st February 2025
Domestic day today. We had intended to walk into the local town, but it was dull and cold, with the promise of rain later so we changed our plans and stayed close to home, with frequent walks to and from the laundry, not because we had so much washing, more that the tumble dryer always seemed to be full!
As a consequence, I have not taken any photos today, so in order to give some visual interest I have included some photos of unusual artworks I spied yesterday when walking along the seafront.
They include a contemporary sculpture of a reclining man, with extremely long legs and a bronze statue of Adrian of Utrecht, Bishop of Tortosa, who was a professor of Theology, an advisor to Charles V of Spain in the 16th century. He left from L’Ampolla to travel to Rome to become the Pope, hence his position looking out to sea. The third piece of artwork was a 3D picture of some of the characters symbolic of the century in the Bay of Fangar, including the aforementioned Adrian and a white goat!
The map shows the delta after which this campsite takes its name.
Day 28: Sunday 2nd February 2025
We woke up to a blue day so we cheered up enormously and set off after breakfast to walk along the promenade and into the small seaside town of L’Ampolla.
There was still a cool wind blowing, so we needed scarves and, in Geoff’s case, several layers, plus hat, plus gloves! Everything always looks so much better when bathed in sunlight, so we ignored the wind and enjoyed the views. I showed Geoff the artwork I had discovered on my first walk a couple of days ago, introducing him to the Bishop! The marina was very posh, clearly having had lots of money invested in it over the past few years. It was fringed with the usual bars and restaurants, and, as it was a Sunday, it was buzzing with life. Everyone was wearing big coats, but sat out of the wind, it was very warm, and I even dispensed with my scarf and jacket! Geoff sat in the sun for a while and I walked on around the coast to view one of the sandy beaches this town has to offer, the other being further on, so I’ll save that for another day.
We stopped for a coffee on our way to the port and a tapas lunch on the return, both of which were leisurely, allowing us to watch the world go by. We really liked this little town, and. as with L’Estartit a week or so ago, feel that we could come back here to find some winter warmth another year.
Back to Colin to enjoy an ice cream sat in the sun before the chilly wind sent us back inside. I rounded off the day with a video call with Sue.
WEEK FIVE: L’AMPOLLA TO CORNWALL
Day 29: Monday 3rd February 2025
We made a decision last night to head back to Cornwall earlier than planned. Geoff has been struggling with walking and getting comfortable in Colin, so we thought it best to wave the white flag and instead of taking a couple of weeks to explore Bilbao, San Sebastian and tootle back through France, we will use the motorways instead and go direct.
Having said that, we opted for the direct route north not on the motorway to begin with! Driving out of the campsite at 8.30am we were struck again by the beauty of the bay here, and we hope to be back one day. The road took us through Tortosa, towards Lleida, following the magnificent River Erbe, quite fitting as we had been staying on the Delta of that same river.
The scenery fair took our breath away and we had the road to ourselves for a large part, climbing all the time, until a huge lorry bearing a folded crane pulled out in front of us, on a road which showed no overtaking! We trailed this for some distance, when it suddenly turned off, thank goodness.
We joined the motorway just west of Lleida after filling up at a rather obscure petrol station, the only one we could find before the motorway. A very nice man actually did it for us, but we paid handsomely for the privilege! A little further on we spotted large nests built on the top of electric pylons and then saw storks standing in them!
Breakfast was next on the list and we had bought the bread at the campsite but decided to eat a late breakfast en route to save some time and we stopped at a picnic area off the motorway, of which there are many. This next section of motorway to Zaragoza was ‘on the plain’ and huge skies framed miles of scrub land, which miraculously was irrigated and cultivated with fruit trees, olive groves and vines. There were also miles of solar panels on the plain, matching the thousands of wind turbines we saw on all the mountain tops. Geoff had read that Spain achieves 60% of its energy from renewable sources, and we could see the evidence of that everywhere we looked.
After Zaragoza we headed for Pamplona and then we started looking for the Pyrenees, which were soon upon us with snow tops, lots of tunnels and dramatic mountain scenery. Everywhere was very green and the houses reminded us of Alpine chalets.
The last section was around San Sebastian and the motorway into France. We both commented how good it was to be back, it felt familiar! We headed for a Camping Car Park and were disappointed to find that the pitches were very uneven and muddy. We knew there was another down the road, so we drove out and onto that. It was quite full, but infinitely better with flat large laid out parking bays. After setting up we walked out to the coast and on to a promenade above the sea. It was glorious, so wild and such a contrast to the Mediterranean, with rolling waves crashing onto the rocks. The sun was setting, so after a walk, we watched the sun sink into a cloud before returning to Colin for supper.
The holiday is not over yet, despite driving 346 miles today, the scenery was spectacular and so different as we ate up the miles.
Day 30: Tuesday 4th February 2025
Happy Birthday Anne!
It had been a noisy night, sited right next to the road, but we didn’t really mind after the pleasure of watching the sun set last night.
We headed straight for the motorway to Bordeaux this morning, stopping off for coffee en route, courtesy of a flask! Our first port of call was the Intermarche Hyper on the outskirts of of Bordeaux, and it was entered on our sat nav, but the problem was my navigator fell asleep and we missed the turnoff! A long detour around the suburbs, including turning around when we came across a low bridge which would have decapitated Colin, and then within touching distance of the supermarket, but not being able to find the entrance, we eventually parked up to do our last shop which included the wine and some gifts for the kids/grandkids – I wonder if they are reading this!! One bonus of all this driving around is that we saw a few trams – we loved these when we visited before.
Back to the motorway and on to our Camping Car Park sited in a village called Jurignac, just off the N10 south of Angouleme. The motorway was very busy with lots of lorries again, goodness only knows how many of those we have passed since arriving 4 weeks ago.
We arrived at the park just before 4pm to discover that there was only one van here already. It was a fabulous site, probably the best CCP we have stayed in, with far reaching views, excellent pitches, good services and within easy walking distance of a lovely small village. We were soon set up, and just as we were levelling (the one disadvantage – we need the ramps) another British motorhome showed up and parked right next to us! There were 16 other pitches!!!!! We nearly moved ourselves, but felt that was probably rather rude, so we went off for our walk. When we returned they had moved, so they must have detected our annoyance!
The village was small but delightful, with an excellent shop, Mairie, school, War Memorial, Church and those amazing views. I was also amused by a trompe-l’œil door painted on a house, with a cat sat outside! We returned to sit outside Colin with treats from the Patisserie with our cup of tea, it really doesn’t get much better than this!
The day ended with a fabulous sunset, deer grazing on the hill opposite and Jon ringing for a chat.
Day 31: Wednesday 5th February 2025
We experienced a fabulous sunrise this morning, pouring through the front windscreen. The way all the vans were parked, we had an unobstructed view forwards.
The first part of our journey today was through fairly familiar territory driving up the N10 past Angouleme and Poitiers, both of whom we had visited with Jean and John when they lived near here a few years ago. This road was very busy, full of lorries, who we presume chose this road over the A10 to avoid the tolls.
We stopped just north of Poitiers for our coffee and then continued on the motorway to Tours. This is where we sort of linked up with our outward route from Caen just over 4 weeks ago, but then we had chosen more national roads rather than the motorway. The weather had turned now to misty rain, first time we had used the wipers for weeks!
We stopped at a motorway services for lunch, hoping for a reasonable restaurant, but it was only a self service cafeteria! We haven’t actually fared very well for eating out this time. It was when we got back into Colin that we realised the fuel had dropped very low and was only showing 45 miles left, so we looked for a fuel station off the motorway and found an Intermarche service station in the small town of Sees, eventually(!)
Deciding to drive the last 60 miles on the national roads we were driving along quite happily in the evening sunshine when we came across another blooming route barree! How I hate those words. We were signed on a diversion, but then decided to just get back on the motorway – blow the tolls!
Caen was very busy, and there was a breakdown on the peripherique which caused a traffic jam. Our sailing was not scheduled until 2330, so we had decided to park up in a Camping Car Park in Lion sur Mer, just 15 minutes from the port, to pass the last few hours, and spend our last credit on the CCP card.
We walked around this attractive small seaside town, which must have been the scene of some terrible happenings during WW2, indeed it is adjacent to Sword Beach. We found the sea front and its promenade, the English Channel did not look quite as appealing as the other seas we have been used to this trip, but we are now looking forward to sailing across it tonight.
Day 32: Thursday 6th February 2025
Overnight on Brittany Ferries, Mont St Michel, proved a very comfortable and calm crossing. We had pushed the boat out (!) and booked a Commodore Cabin, feeling we deserved a treat and it was lovely, albeit we weren’t in it very long.
We were off the ferry quite quickly and onto the motorway along with the commuter traffic heading to Southampton. Even though it was only 6.30am it was very busy but at least we kept moving. We drove via Salisbury and the A303, stopping to eat a second breakfast and then a quick stop at Exeter services as I was flagging a little by then, but seeing the welcome home trees, spurred us on and we were very glad to get home.
We have had a great trip, slightly shorter than planned, but what we did was excellent. Colin drove like a dream, and we covered 2664 miles over 32 days, staying at 11 Camping Car Parks and 5 campsites.
