Gandalf the VW is parked up in France! This is a trip that we planned back in 2020 but it got postponed due to Covid. We’ve had a lot of time to think about this trip and to prepare and plan, and re plan, and 3 years later, we’re here and it feels great.

We travelled from Norfolk to Dover on Saturday, leaving late morning, and arriving at Dover around 3pm. We parked up at the National trust White cliffs of Dover car park, and had a bracing walk along the cliffs to South Foreland Lighthouse, which is a recently renovated Victorian lighthouse.

We enjoyed a trip up to the bulb (individually as we had Jazz) and even got to stand on the balcony and check out the views before retracing our steps back to Gandalf.

We then drove the short distance up the road to Folkestone, where we had booked a table in the Valient Sailor Inn, a pub stop just 10 mins from the tunnel. We both enjoyed home made pizzas – and Jazz was made very welcome with a handful of chicken and bacon! The service was good, the food nice and very reasonable in price.

It’s a popular place for motorhomes as it’s equidistant from both the ferry and the tunnel- 10 mins either way. We had an early night because we had set our alarms for 2am- ouch! Our tunnel was 04:30 and we wanted to give plenty of time to get Jazz documented out etc. Of course this all was smooth – it’s no longer the pet passport scheme anymore so we’d got a very expensive animal health certificate from our vets 6 days prior to travel and this was glanced at!

Our train was delayed by 2 hours so we actually went back to bed whilst in the queue for our train! Perks of having a motorhome/ camper van.

Eventually we on in our way! I want to point out that currently there are rules that you can’t take meat and dairy into France from England. We adhered to this and had an empty fridge, however it wasn’t checked at any point on our crossing. I’m not suggesting you break the rules by the way- I’m just saying – it wasn’t even asked let alone checked.

From Calais, we took payages (toll motorways) all the way to Colmar. We covered 480 miles in 6 hours on exceptionally smooth roads. It cost us €70 in tolls however as we’re on a timescale it was a good way to get to Colmar quick.

We arrived at Camping De ill around 3:30pm, very pleased to be here finally. Our riverside view pitch was lovely and the staff were so friendly. At £20 per night booked through C&MC prior to us leaving, it’s a real bargain.

After some well needed showers we had a quick beer before walking into the beautiful and very historic Alsace town of Colmar. Filled with lots of colourful medieval houses, Colmar is a real treat to walk around. The medieval streets are still cobbled and the buildings ooze charm.

The Petite Venice area has cute waterways and boat trips not too dissimilar to its namesake. Visiting on a Sunday evening made for a much quieter walk around the city which we enjoyed.

We managed to grab a drink overlooking one of the many little squares and we got to sample the local beer and wine. Both were tasty but by that point I’d probably have had dregs and still have been happy!

The tiredness of the last two nights began to creep upon us both though, so we made our way back to the site and settled in for a quiet night ahead.

Monday

Despite the campsite being situated fairly close to the side of the motorway, the vehicle noise wasn’t too obtrusive thankfully. We both slept well, had a mini lie in, enjoying some fresh French pastries for breakfast in bed (pre ordered the night before).

Before long though we got itchy feet and Keefy unloaded our bikes. We made use of some of the area’s fantastic network of cycle lines and cycled back into and through a Colmar

then out to Eguisheim, described by many as the prettiest village in France.

Spoiler…..

It most certainly is.

It’s just staggeringly beautiful- like being on a pantomime set with medieval charm and colour. This area is surrounding by vineyards and there were hundreds of winemakers dotted along the town walls. The town plan is still in tact in its wonderful circular shape with an outer rim of original houses which you walk along (part of the town walk available at the Tourist info). There were cheese shops, wine tastings. Cobbled streets and semis marched coloured houses. Our favourite was the pigeon loft and the pretty central square.

We absolutely loved our time wandering the streets – it’s fast become one of our favourite hidden gems.

The wine here was lovely and we tried a couple of glasses of local plonk on our way around.

After our visit we made our back by bike along the vineyard cycle path and into Colmar and our campsite- stopping briefly for some supplies at the nearby supermarchee.

What a great day we’d had!

Tuesday- exploring Strasbourg

Rather than driving to Strasbourg, we decided to travel there from Colmar as a day trip on the train. The bus stop outside the campsite took us to the train station (Gare) and then the high speed train took us to Strasbourg. There were at least 2 an hour running and on paper it all looked smooth. Which it was. However we hadn’t considered the strikes – which as it turned out didn’t affect us, nor the price – €70 return for two adults and one dog (Jazz’s ticket was €14 for goodness sake! Also the fact that dogs need to be in a rucksack in France. Luckily this later one we’d prepared for and we’d actually got Jazz a dog backpack from Amazon prior to our trip.

We swallowed the cost of the train, opting for convenience over lugging the van off its pitch into the city. Plus we love travelling by train!

On arrival in Strasbourg, we wasted no time and made our way the short walk to the historic centre and UNESCO cathedral area.

The first impression of Strasbourg cathedral is overwhelming, it stands so tall, yet so narrow and the impressive gothic architecture is fabulous. We spent some time marvelling over it as we enjoyed a beer right below it.

We went for a walk around the tourist info suggested route and enjoyed looking at the sites of Strasbourg.

A highlight was seeing an organ in which Mozart had played on, in St Thomas church.

We stopped for lunch at Petit France, a lovely charming area overlooking the river, but very popular with tourists. We managed to grab a table for lunch though in prime position and enjoyed French onion soup and a tarte flambé, a local delicacy which is like a thin flat bread crossed with a pizza. Both were delicious, and feeling refuelled we continued with our walk around the city.

To end our walk we returned to the cathedral so that we could have a look inside (it was closed for lunch when we arrived). The huge stained glass windows were stored in sand during ww2, the large rose one was particularly impressive. It really is a magnificent building.

After a final beer in our favourite position underneath the cathedral, it was time to get our train back to Colmar.

It had been a great day trip- and we’d definitely recommend a visit to Strasbourg, be it on the train from Colmar, which makes a lovely base, or by staying at the campsite or Aire de camping car in Strasbourg itself. Personally though, we really enjoyed basing ourself at Colmar and it’s something we’d definitely recommend. Just give yourself more than a day there!

Wednesday

Wednesday soon came around, and it was time to move on. We both felt really sad to be leaving Alsace, I must say. Before we did leave the area, we decided to make use of having the van off site and, after a stock up at the local supermarket just down the road, we drove north 20 mins to the pretty town of Riquewihr. This town apparently was where Beauty and the beast was inspired. It’s not hard to see why. It was stunning.

Once more, the tiny streets were lined with colourful quirky medieval houses, with wonky roofs, romantic terraces and the icing on the cake for this town- some magnificent town walls. An imposing clock tower stood proudly at the top end of the town. The whole place was brilliant. We really enjoyed an hour or so wandering the streets (we parked in one of the Motorhome aires on the edge of town).

From here, still itching to gleam every last ounce from Alsace, we made our way to the next village- Kayersbourg. This village sits beneath a castle- so it brought its own charm.

We grabbed some pics quickly,but honestly can see us returning someday.

But for now… it was time to move onto the main feature…

We adored this region so very much. If you haven’t heard of it, please save this post, add it to your itineraries if you’re heading to France. I can honestly say it’s been brilliant and we will definitely return!

Keep your eyes peeled for where next!

Until next time

Lx