The Easter holidays arrived in a blur this year. After what felt like one of the busiest work weeks I can remember, we were more than ready for a break—and we didn’t waste a second. By Friday lunchtime, bags were packed, snacks were stashed, and we were waving goodbye to the UK on the 13:54 Le Shuttle crossing, heading off on an ambitious road trip in Gandalf, our trusty VW campervan.
Day 1: Champagne Dreams in Troyes
Our first destination was Troyes, a charming medieval town in the Champagne region of France. After a smooth Eurotunnel crossing and a solid afternoon on the road, we arrived by Friday evening. We’d heard that Troyes is full of charm—cobbled streets, half-timbered buildings, and the kind of place perfect for a relaxed wander and a quiet drink. But after a hectic week at work and a long day on the road, we arrived just after 7:30pm and quickly decided to be sensible. Rather than push ourselves, we stayed put at Gandalf, made some food, and chilled out. Exploring Troyes is firmly on the list for next time. The overnight spot we picked was ideal for our route south, but with a 30-minute walk each way into town, it just wasn’t realistic given how shattered we were.
By Saturday lunchtime, we’d reached the stunning Lake Annecy, often dubbed the cleanest lake in Europe. The drive itself was scenic, winding through the French countryside and gradually revealing alpine peaks in the distance.
Once parked up, we hopped on our bikes and enjoyed a relaxed ride along the lakeside cycle paths.
The views across the water to the surrounding mountains were unforgettable, and the town of Annecy—affectionately known as the “Venice of the Alps”—was full of charm, cafés, and postcard-worthy corners.
€26 for 2 people, 1 dog, and electricity with ACSI card
Great facilities, right on the cycle path, private access to lake (no dogs allowed at lakeshore though). Lidl and a Bus stop within a short walk.
Day 3: Through the Alps into Italy
Sunday began with a drive through the dramatic Chamonix Valley. Even after many road trips, this route took our breath away. Snow-dusted peaks, deep forests, and the promise of crossing into Italy through the Mont Blanc Tunnel kept the energy in Gandalf high.
Emerging on the Italian side felt like an instant shift—warmer air, Mediterranean colours, and winding roads heading down towards the Ligurian coast.
By Sunday afternoon, we rolled into Levanto, on the edge of the Cinque Terre. With Aperol spritz, cold beer, and a glass of bold Italian red in hand, we toasted the fact that in just three days, we’d made it from home to one of the most picturesque coastlines in Europe.
Settling In: Levanto and the Cinque Terre
We’re now parked up in Levanto for three nights, giving both Gandalf (our VW) and his driver a much-needed break. We think Levanto will be a perfect base—slightly quieter than the five famous Cinque Terre villages but connected by the local train line and even a converted railway line which is now a cycle trail, that hugs the cliffs and tunnels through the mountains. Over the next couple of days, we’ll be exploring these UNESCO World Heritage villages—each with its own unique vibe, colourful buildings, and dramatic coastal views.
Tips for Anyone Planning a Similar Trip:
Timing is everything: Leaving early Friday meant we beat a lot of the Easter rush and made solid progress on day one.
Stopovers matter: Choosing towns like Troyes and Annecy gave us something more than just a place to sleep—We like to have a little explore even on driving days (even though we failed on that this time at Troyes, having to listen to our bodies for a change instead!)
Mont Blanc Tunnel: It’s a smooth but pricey crossing (it cost us €54.80 one-way for a campervan), but worth it for the time saved and the views. Had we have not travelled through Mont Blanc tunnel from Annecy, we have only saved €13 (according to Waze, our navigation app)
Péages/ Tolls: When it comes to péages (toll roads), every traveller has their own take. Some swear by the slower, scenic routes; others (like us) often find ourselves on the toll roads, especially when time is limited.
Over the past three days, we’ve spent around £200 on tolls getting from the UK to Northern Italy—including the Mont Blanc tunnel, which alone is a chunk of that cost. It’s definitely not the cheapest way to travel, and if we had more time, we’d probably take it slower and avoid the tolls much more. After all, France is packed with incredible towns, villages, and countryside that you’re far more likely to stumble upon when you’re off the main autoroutes.
But the reality is, we rarely have more than two and a half weeks for a trip like this. So for us, toll roads are about efficiency—they get us to the “main event” of our journey as quickly as possible. Once we’re there, we can slow down and explore properly.
That said, there are definite downsides to the alternative. Non-toll roads can mean an endless series of roundabouts, slower traffic, and occasionally, bumpier surfaces. Our dog, for one, is not a fan. He’s developed a habit of barking at roundabouts—something that doesn’t happen on the toll roads where he happily snoozes through the smooth, straight stretches. So in our case, paying for tolls isn’t just about time—it’s also about keeping the peace in the van (and saving our ears!).
In short: if you’ve got time to meander, the non-toll routes are full of hidden gems. But if you’re on a schedule and want to maximise your time at the destination, toll roads can be worth every penny—and every bit of peace and quiet 😂 they bring.
Levanto as a base: Highly recommend. Less crowded than the Cinque Terre villages, and still full of great food, wine, and beachy vibes.
More updates to come as we explore this incredible coast—one village, one plate of pasta, a pizza and a couple of glasses of wine at a time.
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The day had come for us to bid a very sad farewell to Switzerland, which had exceeded any of our already high expectations. As we packed up, the weather turned and our journey out of Switzerland was grey and drab. A bit like how we were feeling! We did however have one final chapter remaining of what was turning out to be a phenomenal trip, and so as we competed the 6 hour trip to Orange, France, we began to look forward to the next few days.
Travel views from the motorway
Before arriving at our campsite, we stopped for fuel and supplies at a large supermarket near to the campsite. Gandalf had astounded us – we’d completed 680 miles on one tank of fuel- this came out as 38mpg- incredible considering we had the bikes on the back. Supplies replenished we made our way to Camping Manon, on the outskirts of Orange. Whilst we had booked a pitch, we hadn’t needed to as the campsite was quiet being out of season. We settled into our lovely glade and enjoyed the sudden temperature increase- we’d gained 13 degrees since leaving Switzerland. We celebrated with a bbq!
Next morning and we were up and out early. As we’d tacked the Matterhorn on to the end of Switzerland we had lost a day at Orange. Also, tomorrows itinerary was affected by a day of strikes in France and also the star attraction in Nîmes, where we were heading was closed, so it was going to be a two towns in one day sorta day!
We walked from the campsite to the triumphal arch, and were instantly floored by how incredible it was. The Triumphal arch in Orange dates from the 1st century, and is in an incredible state. It’s listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and we could instantly see why. The intricate carvings all along the monument is largely in tact and it’s great to stand at its base and gaze up to admire it.
From here we continued down the Main Street, which is lined with many historic buildings, and oozes French character.
We made our way to the Roman theatre, and if we were floored by the arch then we were flabbergasted by the first sight of the back of the Roman theatre wall. It was huge. I mean seriously big! And what is astonishing is that a busy road runs mere feet from the base of the back of it!
We were pleased to learn that Jazz the dog could come inside the theatre ruins, as it meant that we could both enjoy the visit together. Inside the Roman theatre we got an even better view of the other side of the theatre wall, which measures 103 metres long and 37 metres high. There is still a large 3 metre high original statue of the emperor which sits high at the top of the wall. The auditorium is also very well preserved and the audio tour was particularly good. We were completely blown away, and also slightly emotional to be in such a great example of the Roman empire’s history.
From here, Jazz went into his backpack briefly to enable us to visit the art museum across the road and included in our ticket entry for the theatre. Inside this historic town house was a great example of Roman maps which had been found nearby.
We spent some time looking at the other historic sites of Orange, before going to retrieve Gandalf from the campsite. We were on a quicker schedule than intended , and it would definitely be possible to enjoy some time in Orange.
There is a Motorhome Aire right next to the triumphal arch, but we enjoyed our stay at Camping Manon. The site is a little dated, but the showers were hot and not push button ones. The glades were lovely and it was a very quiet area. We’d definitely return here to enjoy some of the cycling in the area.
From Orange, we drove the short distance to Nîmes, where we arrived at our next stop, a park 4 night stopover on the outskirts of the city. This place, names as Bernard’s place, is a wonderfully quaint private stopover in Bernard’s back garden. He’s landscaped the area to allow for around 8 motorhomes to stay over, has provided electricity and a water tap and even chairs and picnic tables. It reminded us of a certified location in the UK. The whole area was secure and situated behind a large gate so you felt very safe.
Bernard and his wife were perfect hosts and made us feel very welcome. He also provided a wealth of information on the local area, and had converted his conservatory into a map room/ tourist info area. For €20 a night – with electricity – we found this to be a good value stopover and we enjoyed meeting Bernard and his wife Sissy.
After a quick lunch, we walked the 30 mins into Nîmes. We passed some impressive street art on our way and soon arrived at the Roman Augustus city gates.
Our first stop was the Maison Carree which completely took our breath away- it’s a 1st century Roman temple and is unbelievably well preserved. Jazz was allowed in in his rucksack and we enjoyed the exhibition inside.
From here we made our way to the amphitheatre, again a magnificent example and enjoyed our visit inside (it’s dog friendly – we had Jazz in backpack as it was busy but dogs are allowed in without backpack).
The only thing we didn’t like inside was the horrible scaffolding seating which in our opinion completely ruined the lion of the original features. We understand it’s used still as a venue but there really must be a more sympathetic on the eye solution than the harsh metal!
Nether the less, we enjoyed our visit – it’s impossible not to be moved by these majestic buildings.
By now, it was most certainly beer o clock. so we enjoyed a beer with a prime position view overlooking the arena,
before walking up to the Fountains park and the Magne tour.
This is a Roman tower that was once part of the city walls, and we had the opportunity to climb the many steps (with Jazz in backpack again!) for views over the city. This isn’t an activity for those with vertigo or claustrophobia!
By now we’d covered 5 Roman ruins in 2 cities in 1 day, and our energy levels were dropping. We’d made good use of the attractions card in Nîmes which allowed entry for the three Roman sites for €17 pp. We had a last wander around Fountain’s Park, which is said to be inspired by the gardens at Versailles,
and then after a quick beer stop over looking the temple of Dianne, we made our way back to Gandalf. By the time we made it back we’d clocked up 10.6 miles of walking- But we’d had the best day!
Dinner was a simple meatball supper- we were still channeling our inner Roman- and we had an early night!
Thursday arrived, and it was time to move on. We made our way back on ourselves (not ideal but necessary because of the closures in Nîmes) to Pont Du Gard. This was a major bucket list tick for us both. We paid the €9 to park and strolled down the river 300m before we caught sight of this hugely impressive Roman aqueduct.
We spent time enjoying the views, and taking it in from every angle possible. It really didn’t disappoint! Just marvellous! In the summer months you can walk down the top tier water channel which I’m sure would be an amazing experience – and if we were in the area again, one I’d probably try to do.
There is a museum here also, but we decided to give this a miss as Jazz wasn’t allowed even in his rucksack, and we were going to move on to Arles.
On arrival at our campsite in Arles, we were hit with an inconvenience. The campsite reception was shut for two hours for lunch and therefore we had to wait to check in. We were hoping to crack on and explore Arles that afternoon, so we debated sacrificing our booking here and moving to another campsite down the road which were open all day. However in the time we were debating this we got blocked in by another motorhome also trying to check in. The owners of this motorhome went for a walk and therefore before we could do anything about it we found ourselves blocked in! We therefore had no choice but to sit out the wait for reception to reopen at the gate. When the receptionist arrived she was really very unfriendly- told us off for blocking the entry barrier, when we explained she were blocked in and couldn’t move she didn’t care- it was all our fault. Desperate to crack on, we pitched up in super speed time and unloaded the bikes off and we’re cycling into Arles.
Our first impressions at the site were bad, and during the ride into the city they didn’t improve. The cycle path disappeared and we found ourselves in an industrial estate and then through some seedier parts of town. By the time we got to the tourist info we were both agitated! Luckily, things soon improved, starting with bike parking outside the tourist info which was a relief. The town of Arles is pretty and is also home to lots of Roman ruins including a theatre, ampitheatre, baths and under street foundations. Unfortunately, unlike everywhere else we’ve been on this trip it’s entirely non dog friendly- even in a backpack. I offered to sit them out, I’d brought my kindle and was happy to find a bar and have a couple of hours reading whilst Jazz people watched- his favourite activity! We walked around the perimeter of the amphitheater, sneaking glances in where we could and Keith came to the conclusion that he was happy to just enjoy the external views- which were impressive. We could see like in Nîmes that the seating was scaffolding again.
We walked around the perimeter of the amphitheater, sneaking glances in where we could and Keith came to the conclusion that he was happy to just enjoy the external views- which were impressive. We could see like in Nîmes that the seating was scaffolding again.
We also managed to see most of the theatre site from the outside and it was no where near as impressive as Orange. The same with the baths. So we enjoyed a beer together overlooking the amphitheatre. Keith did go inside the cryptoportiques whilst I enjoyed a wine at the cafe in which Van Gogh painted in 1888. Soon he had joined me (Keefy not Van Gogh!) after his visit which he had enjoyed.
After a little more of an explore, including the town walls, we went back collect our bikes and made the journey back to our site, Camping L’Arlesienne
We found the showers there horrendous, they were outside, which I’m sure during the peak of summer is lovely but in a fairly fresh April, it was so cold- I lasted 20 seconds tops! The water was freezing and the washing up area manky. Definitely not a site we’d recommend or return to.
Given that we didn’t like the site, we made the decision to move on a day early.
On leaving Arles, we stopped at the vets (we’d pre made an appointment on the phone two days earlier). There are two English speaking vets at this practice and we were able to get Jazz’s return to England tapeworm treatment provided and administered along with the paperwork for €45.
Realising how close to the Med we were, we decided to find a sea view pitch somewhere along the coast for our final two nights. We struck gold- and bagsied the last sea view pitch at Camping la Plage, at Marseillan Plage. On arrival the site staff couldn’t have been nicer, a vast contrast to the one at Arles and before we knew it we pulled onto our glorious sea view pitch (number 100).
The best thing about European sites is that we can go on most of the pitches sidewards- rather than the regimented style of UK club sites, and this pitch was certainly made for our sliding door.
We wasted no time in cracking open a bottle of wine, setting up a cheese board and spent the reminder of the afternoon chilling outside the van and taking in the magnificent sea views. For the first time this trip, we just stopped! I read my book, Keith read some magazines and it was just perfection.
Dinner was cooked outside – we’d set the canopy out to avoid some showers and enjoyed chilli burritos for dinner, before enjoying more sea views as the light faded and it became bedtime.
Saturday dawned with glorious blue skies despite a stubborn breeze, and we spent the morning having a lazy time of it whilst enjoying the views!
We took a short walk to the town of Marseillan Plage to pick up some fresh bread and found a local wine cave offering tastings next door. It seemed rude not to partake, so we enjoyed a glass of red each and a glass of white. We were even brought out some complimentary tapas.
The town of Marseillan Plage is very small, just one Main Street sits behind the beach and there are a number of restaurants and clothing shops along with those selling hats, bags, lilos etc. there is also a small supermarket (coop) and a cash machine. It felt a very understated place to spend some time, and we really enjoyed the small scale size of the resort.
On the edge of our campsite there was a beach bar so we tried a drink in there, and enjoying watching all the French devour their Moules for lunch. We were almost tempted to join then and probably would have had we not got a kilo of mussels in the fridge ready for dinner tonight tonight.
After our drinks, we made the short journey along the beach back to Gandalf and settled in for an afternoon of chilling some more and a paella lunch.
It had been a sensational couple of weeks, but we were quite tired, and we had a long drive ahead of us, so we found this a great place to just stop and rest. Our final dinner en vacance over was moules marineres, followed by cod and veg.
Before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and after a beautiful sunrise over the sea, it was time to pack the bed away and drop the lid for the final time on this trip. As we were planning to drive back all in one go, we spent time preparing on the go snacks.
We left the campsite at 10.30 am, in very high winds, but had an exceptional journey north. With a couple of comfort stops on route we rolled into Calais at 9:30pm and straight onto a train 4 hours early. This meant we were home for 00:30- 14 hours after setting off. This style of journey home wouldn’t suit everyone, but for us it was brilliant. It enabled us to max out the time away and we just loved it!
This will go down as one our best trips yet! We cannot recommend these places highly enough. We hope you’ve enjoyed our adventures- stayed tuned as more to come soon!
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!
Weather- showery but sunny and warm in late afternoon
Bluebell the motorhome is parked up on the banks of the Moselle River on the outskirts of Trier. It’s not the nicest campsite we’ve been on, but it is serving a purpose.
We were up early and drove 4 hours to Trier and its 110 space aire, arriving at 1.00. Annoyingly, the aire car park was completely taken over by the ADAC world championship rally, and there were rally cars, stewards all over the place and a big cross through the Motorhome sign. Not quite knowing what to do for the best, I pulled over and promptly got whistled at by a steward- turns out I had stopped in a pit stop!! 😂 Bluebell’s been officially everywhere now! Lol
On the exit road there was a sign for a campsite so we pulled in and luckily they had space, Keith wanted to see the Roman remains here and I could tell he was disappointed the aire was shut. They probably could have included a note in the Camperstop Book as I’m sure it would have been known about.
After a quick lunch we walked along the banks of the Mosel River to the old town. We saw the Roman bridge, the lower columns were 2000 years old!
We crossed the Roman bridge and went into town, the outskirts of town are awful, seedy and filthy, I was crossing everything that the historic centre would be nicer. Once we got into the Market Square, we relaxed, it was very pretty indeed and had a lovely character- high wooden building etc, lovely.
A short walk from the Market Square and we reached the most impressive of the sights in Trier, the Porto Nigra, which is the worlds largest preserved a Roman City Gate. What an amazing sight. Keith went inside whilst I had a cheeky wine, payment for dog sitting!
We then did a walking trail which included other Roman remains, including the amphitheatre, Roman baths and Basilica. My favourite was the amphitheatre, it was surrounded by banks of vineyards and was a bargain to go in, only €4 each. You could go underneath the arena and right around the top of it. It was very easy to reinact Russell Crowe’s Gladiator!
Roman sights visited, we headed back to the market square for some beverages, Keith was happy he found somewhere selling Kristellweissen (spelling!) I settled on the local wine. We moved onto a pop up wine stall also in the market square, I tried the local fizz which was delicious, and Keith had a pino noir white.
We then had a meal, only our second meal out of the trip- opting for a local restaurant also on the market square, we both had pork schnitzel and frites, which was delicious. Day 27– Sunday
Location – Oye Plage- municipal aire, free GPS: n50.977090, e2.039650 Miles driven – 280 Weather– showery but sunny and warm in late afternoon
Bluebell the motorhome is almost back where she began 3.5 weeks ago! We left Trier bright and early and did a full service fill/empty before checking out of our campsite.
We were on the road for 9am, and as a result we were filling up with ridiculously cheap fuel an hour later in Luxembourg- €0.92 per litre! After squeezing as much as possible in we were back on the road and soon in Belgium. Our toll free route took us through Belgium, round Brussels and back up to Calais. It was an easy journey and we were pulling into Gravelines aire at 2pm. Sadly the fair was in town opposite the aire, and we didn’t fancy a noisy night, especially at €7 for the night, no services, so we carried on to where we spent our first night on Oye Plage beach aire. You can imagine our shock when we arrived and there was a great big height barrier blocking the carpark- considering we had stayed there literally 3.5 weeks ago! Oh well, we trundled down the road to the municipal aire in the village and found a space alongside another Brit, shortly followed by several others!
We had a good chill, watching a couple of movies, and had an early night after prawn egg fried rice for tea.
Day 28- Monday Location – Home- Norfolk, UK Miles Driven 150 Weather – Sunny
Bluebell the motorhome is sat having a well earned rest having carted us and our mad dog around 2900 miles Europe for the last 28 days, with barely a problem -other than the tyre incident in Brugges and lack of power on hills!
We started this morning having had a lovely quiet night at Oye Plage, and having bit of a lay in. Once up, we decided to give ourselves a head start on packing up, stripping the sheets and loading up the washing bags- 2 huge Ikea bags full of dirty washing- oh joy!
After a thorough clean at the service point on site we head 30 minutes away towards Wissant, we were heading to one final WW2 site of our tour- the would have been launch site of the awful V3 guns set to bombard London with over 1600 bombs per day – Fortress de Mimoyecques (GPS n50.517 e1.4530)
It was only €5.50 to go in, and you got to explore right through the under ground tunnels, 600m of them. It was so eery in there, but so fascinating. Thank goodness for the French resistance who along with the RAF aerial surveillance noticed the site being built and therefore bombed it heavily so it never got completed.
After a very enjoyable visit (feels not quite the right word but I’m sure you understand!) we headed to Cite Europe, right next to the Eurotunnel Departure, for a chill, shop, and to give Bluebell a thorough clean – one less job to do when we get back. I had a good hour exploring the French supermarket- I’ve really missed the choice, sorry Germany but your supermarkets weren’t (in my opinion) as good as the French, before whipping us up an early tea. Keith got on with some bits of maintenance- we’d lost a few screws here and there. At 6pm we moved round to begin check in- a longer than normal process, not entirely sure why as the actual passport check was minimal, again! 8pm and we were on the train and by 11pm we were home and ready for bed!
We have had a brilliant tour- seen some absolutely amazing sights, eaten and drank some cracking food and drink. Our general opinion of Germany is we loved what we saw, but not sure we would rush back. We found some parts of it hard work- all outweighed in the end by the good stuff obviously, but we came back feeling satisfied but ready for home!
Thoughts now turn to our next adventure- lined up for October Half Term, and my birthday! We are thinking about visiting South Wales- but as ever, who knows till nearer the time!
Location: Oye-Plage, Nord- Pas de Calais. Free aire, no services GPS n50,99703 e2,04228
Miles Driven: 152m Norfolk – Calais, 10m Calais – Oye-Plage. Total 162m
Weather: overcast, some sunny spells
Bluebell the motorhome is parked up by the sea alongside several other vans from across the continent and we are waving to the big ferries traveling between Dover and Dunkirk.
We set off from a wet and miserable Norfolk late morning giving us plenty of time to reach our 6pm Eurotunnel crossing from Folkstone in light of recent reports over the weekend of hours and hours of delays. Of course, we had a remarkably quick journey, reaching Folkstone in around 3 hours, making us 4 hours early, and predictably, due to the summer holidays we were unable to travel on an early train! Oh well, we parked up and operation chill began with an immediate afternoon nap and a cheeky Burger King for good measure -Keith was suffering with a migrane hangover (we’d had a boozy night with friends in the village last night!) and before we knew it we were gliding through passport control at an alarming rate considering the extra high security alert at the moment and on our train waving Au Revoir Angleterre!
We initially thought we would drive straight to Belgium but on the train had the realisation that we are over here for 4 weeks, longer than ever before (and boy doesn’t Bluebell know it, her cupboards are filled to bursting!) so decided to pick an aire (French Overnight Parking spot for motorhomes) from our Bible (aka Camperstop Europe) ten miles E of Calais. Twenty minutes later and we rolled onto Oye-Plage, conveniently located a stones throw from a nice little locals bar, 5 minutes after that we were propping the bar up enjoying our first continental beer of the trip, a nice refreshing Pelforth each, thoughts turning to where next?! We’ve been slightly less organised this time round, with only a loose plan of a route, we have chosen to embrace this and so tomorrow we will be sampling a few Belgium beers/chocolates in Brugges.
Day 2- Thursday
Location: Bruges Air. 25€ per 24hrs , full services inc electric GPS n51.195670 e3.226380 Miles Driven: Oye-Plage- Brugges 64miles Weather: mainly sunny
After a great sleep we woke feeling refreshed and eager to explore so we wasted no time and set off around 09:00, stopping at the municipal aire in the village to do our services (fill water/empty loo and waste water etc).
An hour or so later we were saying Au Revoir France! Bonjour Belgium! and 30 mins later, thanks to our trusty CoPilot and Camperstop app we were pulling into our secure aire on the edge of Brugge and ready to explore! What a perfect day!
More pics of Brugges next time. Tomorrow we are heading towards Waterloo to visit the battle of Waterloo battlefield.
Until next time
Lx
PS you can follow our journey using a real time location tracker by following this link: https://track.gs/LXADWw
We woke up on Wednesday feeling massively satisfied that we’d managed to fit in so many attractions already. We decided to head over to Montmarte on the metro. At 130m high, Montmarte is Paris’ highest point, and is often referred to as The Artists District. The journey from George V to Blanche on the metro was very straightforward and we both found the metro very good value- we basically got a single ticket which was €1.80 each and meant we could travel anywhere as long as the journey time didn’t exceed 1.5 hours. Excellent value.
Our first sight after getting off the metro at Blanche was the iconic Moulin Rouge.
Obviously I couldn’t resist having a little go at the can can outside – given that Moulin Rouge is where the can can originated from. Jacques Offenbach, composer of The Can Can is buried nearby.
Using our trusty Lonely Planet and Eye Witness city books, I navigated us on a great walk around the Montmarte area, passing some fabulous sights along the way.
^ The house where Van Gogh lived between 1886-1888 (his brothers house)
^ Le Moulin de la Galette- Renoir painted his master piece Bal du moulin de la Galette here ^The passer through Walls- Le Passe-Muraille is the title of a story by Marcel Aymé about a man named Dutilleul who discovers that he can (you guessed it) walk through walls. The statue is situated in a place named after Marcel Aymé in beautiful Montmartre.
^ This small city centre vineyard produces thousands of litres of wine per year!
Lapin Agile- Pablo Picasso’s 1905 oil painting, “At the Lapin Agile” helped to make this cabaret world famous. ^All this walking and exploring is thirsty and hungry work, and what better place to stop for a crepe and vin rouge than Woody Allen’s favourite cafe, featured in his film “Everyone says I love you”
^ Place de Terre – a bustling market square full of artists selling their work, cafes great for people watching and just a lovely vibe
We hadn’t realised it but we’d actually climbed very high, and down all the little streets there was a view of Paris.
We were now right up as high as the Sacre Coeur – and wandered round to the terrace over looking Paris below. We could see the Montparsse Tower, and Gare De Nord station, but the Eifell Tower was just round the corner so wasn’t on the skyline.
After a quick visit inside we decided it was definately lunch time. Today was going to be our traditional French meal, and we had spotted a lovely looking bistro right on the market square so worked our way back to it, picking up several souvenirs en route!
I opted for the menu of the day- Escargot (snails!) to start, Chicken with mushroom sauce with potato daulphinaise , and a cheese board to finish. Keith went for French onion soup to start and fillet of pork for main. It was absolutely delicious and the service was brilliant. We had wine and beer and the whole thing came to £60. Amazing.
We’d walked for miles, and feeling happy, fed and watered, we decided an afternoon nap was definately in order so we made our way to the hotel and snoozed, wanting to feel refreshed for our river trip on the Seine that night.
We woke feeling refreshed and headed back towards the Eifell Tower to pick up a river boat for our evening cruise. We hadn’t pre booked, but it didn’t matter- we went to the first kiosk under the Eifell Tower and paid our €13.50 and booked onto the 21:30 cruise with Vedette Du Pont Neuf. It was handily located next to a nice looking bar and snack bar, and was a great spot for people watching for a couple of hours.
The hubby (haha) did good and got me some champers to celebrate the end of a lovely break, and before we knew it, it was time to board our lovely boat. Unlike a lot of the other companies, our boat was a lovely open topped wooden boat and the journey was a highlight of our trip. Seeing Paris turn from dusk into night, and all the twinkling lights was wonderful.
We got off the boat deliriously happy, it was wonderful sailing down the Seine at night, you can understand why it’s called the city of light.
We bought crepes and a small bottle of wine and went into the Trocadero gardens, for a mini picnic. We’d been told the Eifell Tower would start twinkling on the hour, and at 23:00 we saw it, crepe and red wine in hand. It was gorgeous!!
All that remained for our last night in Paris was a stroll hand in hand, back to the hotel, via the Arc De Trumph.
We had the most amazing break- we saw all the sights that we wanted to see, ate and drank some amazing food and drink and fell in love with Paris, particularly at night!
We were fairly impressed with Eurostar, it was nicer than flying, and fairly stress free and easy. We didn’t think much to the hotel, our room was dated and had lots of loose wiring, no access to drinking water or tea and coffee making facilities and the lack of shower curtain meant every time we took a shower the entire bathroom flooded. But location wise was good, although if we go again we will go for a hotel in the Latin quarter.
Our main honeymoon is in America in August, we fly to New York and travel on Amtrak trains for 3.5 weeks through Washington, Chicago, Denver, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff National Park, Hollywood, San Fransisco and Yosemite National Park.
Now the wedding has happened we can grab a few motorhome breaks in the meantime- in fact we’ve just booked tickets for Jimmy’s Sausage and Beer festival at Jimmy’s Farm in Ipswich which has got Chas and Dave and Topload performing, so we’ve booked a caravan club CL down the road.
Bluebell the motorhome is safely tucked up at home having a rest, whilst Keith and I have been celebrating our recent marriage with a cheeky little “mini moon” sans Bluebell, courtesy of the Eurostar and lastminute.com
We’ve had a fab 3 days and crammed so much in, our feet have barely touched the ground! We departed London St Pancras on Monday morning and enjoyed a stress free journey, starting as we meant to go on, with some vin rouge and saucisson!
Three hours later we were checking into our hotel, Amarante Champs Élysées, a “top secret” choice off last minute, handily located a minutes walk from The Arc de Triumph- and right in the heart of the VERY designer Champs Élysées area. Great location for exploring; not so great for grabbing a morning coffee- we had to walk almost an hour to find a coffee for less than €10 each (no pastries included in that!) on our first morning. Motorhome 1 : Parisian Hotel 0
Bags dropped, we hit the streets- our first port of call, the most famous landmark in Paris- The Eiffel Tower.
We’d been advised to take our trip up the tower at dusk into nightfall, so that’s what we did, and my word- it was absolutely breathtaking. We joined the (shorter than daytime but still v. long!) queue at 20:30 and got down at about 23:30- so the attraction took 3 hours in total. There was A LOT of waiting around, and to be honest the whole system seemed a bit chaotic; you queued for a ticket (but only to get to floor 2) then again for the lift, then again on floor 2 for the ticket to the top, then again for the lift to the top- you get my drift. Having said that- it was absolutely AWESOME and actually at €15.50 each (with today’s exchange rate that’s around £12) we thought it was remarkable value for money. And just look at the views…
It was really good to ‘get it out of the way’ in the nicest possible way, as often when you arrive somewhere on holiday, the first day can be a write off. If we had waited to one of our 2 full days we would have had to sacrifice another attraction.
Tuesday dawned and we were up and about early. We’d got lots to do- it started with a hours walk to the Musee D’Orsay- we could have made it easier by getting the metro however we like to walk round new cities! Plus, we were after a coffee! We arrived at the Musee D’Orsay and another long (but at least moving) queue. I got our place, whilst Keith set about sorting some caffeine out, and actually the queue didn’t seem too bad. I think we waited for about 40 mins in the end. The Musee D’Orsay is a fabulous art gallery set in an old railway station on the banks of the Seine. It’s home to lots of works by Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Dagas, Picasso plus lots of sculptures. It was a wonderful place to explore- our personal favourites being Dagas’ “L’orchestre de l’opera” and Monet’s “Plage d’Etretat”- particularly of interest having visited there last year. An absolute highlight of the Musee D’Orsay is being able to stand inside the clock face. Absolutely wonderful, and another bargain- the museum cost €11 each (£7 something)
I really enjoyed visiting this gallery, and would highly recommend it. Keith’s done the Louve before (I haven’t) and he said he enjoyed Musee D’Orsay far more.
From here we walked along the Seine to Il De la Cite- home to Notre Dame cathedral, our next stop.
After a quick refuel at Cafe Esmarelda opposite the cathedral, we joined the shorter queue and avoided the Quasimodo con men- trying to crash our selfies and then get us to pay them! Notre Dame Cathedral is wonderful. It’s a very special place for our family- Keith’s stepdad, Steve, and his (Keith’s) best friend, Andy, wrote a musical called Quasimodo- based on the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, which of course is set within The cathedral. Sadly Keith’s stepdad passed away 2.5 years ago, and Andy’s father passed away only a couple of weeks ago- it was an incredibly moving visit. The rose windows in the cathedral were stunning and we lit a candle for both right beneath.
Next stop was Sainte Chapelle– with the most impressive stained glass windows we’ve ever seen! It’s nestled right in the heart of the Palais de la citie, and although with it, came another hour and a half queue, it was well worth the wait, and probably one of our favourite places we visited.
By now, it was most certainly beer o clock – all this sightseeing was thirsty work! We crossed the bridge back over into the Latin Quarter, and soon found ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the lively area packed with bars and restaurants.
The Latin quarter is home to restaurants from every part of the world- we opted for dinner in an Italian restaurant, and it was delicious and very reasonable on price. We fancied a last drink before we returned back to the hotel- we’d been out since 09:30 and walked over 10 miles! We popped into The Piano Bar for a swift cocktail whilst Happy Hour was on- 3 hours/ €70 later we emerged having had the most wonderful evening we’ve ever had on holiday. There was a live pianist and singer cabaret act, and we absolutely loved watching them- they were top class performers – Dominque, the singer, worked the room, had an amazing voice and a warm personality. They were fab.
By now we’d been out for 14 hours in the same clothes, were midly tipsy, had blisters on both feet but ever so happy! We walked across Il De la Cite, past Notre Dame, and admired her all lit up, before getting on the metro back to our hotel. We couldn’t believe how much we’d fitted into our first day and a half in Paris!!
Bluebell the motorhome is parked up in the free aire at Arromanches Les Bains. We’re parked up alongside over 20 hired motorhomes that seem to belong to the BBC however they are unoccupied, infact – nosey pants here had a good look through the window of one (or five!!) earlier and the beds aren’t even made up? We’ve been told by the tourist office that the aire is closed until 10th June, but bearing in mind we’d already driven onto it, parked, had lunch and a wander by the time we found this out, plus there are 3 other non BBC vans here, we’ve decided to be brave and stick it out here. The security van has just done a round and seems happy for us to be here so that’s good enough for us! There’s not much breathing room in the spaces here, but it is free!
Our neighbours- 20 odd hired motorhomes belonging to the BBC – although no one seems to be staying in them!!
Today we had a contemplative but pleasant drive along the Normandy coast, passing the pretty Courseuilles sur Mer, Deuville and Trouville. We’ve done this tour before ( read here ) but never made it Site Hillman, so that was our first stop today.
Site Hillman was given the code name HILLMAN by the Allies, and consisted of 18 concrete bunkers buried 4m deep and linked by tunnels. It was surrounded by minefields and barbed wire, and was defended by guns, machine guns, and armoured gun posts. On 6th June, the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment captured Hillman and the bunkers seem to have been untouched since.
the entrance to Site Hillman
It’s free to visit Hillman, and is very interesting, if not eerie! There are info boards dotted about – I’d highly recommend it as a place to visit
After our Hillman visit, we carried on to Arromanches as we were concerned that there are only 19 spaces on the aire there and didn’t want to not get a space! As it happened, we bagged the last space, so celebrated with lunch and a stubby. By this time, I’d noticed all the other motorhomes had BBC signs on the dashboard, and were infact hire vans, but we put it down to prep for all the coverage from here next week. Still not sure why they are in motorhomes and not hotels though!!
We got soaked on our initial walk into town, and had to retreat back to Bluebell for our waterproofs. It was then that we noticed the no access sign blocking the aire. This definitely wasn’t there when we drove in as we wouldn’t have been able to get by it. Still undetered, and suitably dressed in waterproofs, of course the sun came out as we returned into town. Nosey Norris aka me, went I to ask about the aire at the tourist office, where I was told it was closed til 10th June! :-/ I decided to keep quiet that we were infact parked in the aire and we carried on up to Port Winston via the free shuttle train!
Soldiers patrolling the beach here at Arromanches – one of the anniversary events
the view of Arromanches from the 360 degree cinema
After a good look around and soak up of the very busy atmosphere, plus a purchase of a couple of new stickers, we opted for crepes and a vin rouge which was delicious and then headed back to Bluebell. We’ve got an excellent internet Fon signal here thanks to motorhome wifi. After dinner we enjoyed an evening stroll into the town, which was more enjoyable as it was far less busy than earlier today. As much as we’ve enjoyed revisiting, the huge crowds were off putting- but seeing as this is one of the key sites of the Landing beaches, a week before D Day it’s hardly surprising.
Next week, we’ve heard there is lots planned for the D Day anniversary itself- Chris Evans brings his Breakfast show here on Friday morning, there is a big concert and even a Prince William and Kate will be here. So no doubt they are already beginning the preparations and tightening security.
Once the anniversary celebrations are over, be sure to visit Arromanches if you haven’t already- seeing the remains of the landing platforms in the sea is really a humbling sight.
Bluebell the motorhome feels like the poor country cousin! She’s parked up in the official motorhome aire at our beloved Honfleur, along with over 240 other motorhomes. It’s like the forecourt of Brownhills!! There are motorhomes in all different shapes and sizes here, occupying the 240 official spaces, and seeping out into the surrounding lane and squashed into corners. We’re fairly confident that we could leave our door wide open and not get burgled (although don’t think we will try!) there are some SERIOUSLY swish vans here, including my personal favourite- a very fancy looking RV with 4 pop out sides, smart car garage and the front looks like an articulated lorry front, rather than a bus! Seriously cool, and worth a fortune I would guess!!
a jam packed aire!
This is our 4th visit to Honfleur (you can read about the others here, here and here) and we think the €10 for 24 hrs overnight parking including services and electric is worth every single penny. Clearly other people share our thoughts as we’ve never seen this aire so busy! The aire is situated 5 mins walk away from the picture perfect harbour, that is lined with tall historical buildings, all painted in different colours, and overlooking the sailing boats moored in the small square harbour. There are oodles of restaurants, art galleries, regional produce shops and cafés dotted along the way, all of which we’ve enjoyed before, and I am sure we will do so again next time- however today we chose a happy stroll through town for a couple of hours in the drizzle, nosing in gallery windows picking out the paintings we would buy if we were rich, and enjoying the atmosphere of everyone else spending their money! We’re not being tight – but we are being careful with pennies this time round with our wedding this time next year. 🙂
gorgeous harbour here at Honfleur
One expense we did sort today was Jazz’s return to England vets trip. This time last year we stopped here to sort the same thing out, and our visit to Honfleur was with the same intention this time. You can easily travel to France with your dog(s) now, providing they have had their rabies jab and have their own pet passport. To re enter the UK you need to take your pet to a vet 5 days – 24 hrs before you intend on travelling home, and the vet will administer the pooch with a tapeworm tablet or injection, stamp their passport and charge you a princely sum for the privilege. Today we admit, we got stung €43- however in the end we outweighed the convenience with trying to find the best deal- the vet could see Jazz there and then, so we didn’t need to make an appointment for a future time/day, plus the vet was opposite the aire so we didn’t need to move Bluebell to get Jazz there. Also the vet spoke very good English- I am capable of making an appointment in French and some basic conversation during the appointment itself, but obviously if the vet speaks English it does make the whole experience slightly more stress free. 🙂
One other note for today- we’ve been very impressed with our Motorhome Wifi and Fon set up so far on this trip. It’s the first time we’ve tried it in France, and I was curious as I had read some conflicting reviews of its performance in France. We’ve only dug it out 3 times, but every time we’ve found an SFR PUBLIC WIFI FON within range and therefore entered our FON login and hey presto, we’re online! This has saved us some pennies (again, don’t mean to sound tight!) as usually we’re forced (!!) to drink in bars after a couple of days just to check emails (being self employed, as much as we’d like to switch of for 10 days in reality we can’t)
So there we have our day, money saving but soaking up the atmosphere none the less and having a really great time. Tomorrow we’re continuing south or is it west?! towards the WW2 landing beaches.
If you’ve never travelled to Honfleur before, be it in a motorhome or not, we would seriously seriously recommend coming here. It’s a beautiful place, and if you worked your ferry/tunnel crossings wisely, we think you could make it here on a long weekend trip easy peasy. It’s 3.5 hours from Calais on the payage. What are you waiting for?
Bluebell the motorhome is parked up on the port side on the aire at Dieppe, along with around 20 or so other vans, all shapes and sizes, including a couple of other British vans. There are two aires here, both €7 for 24 hrs parking- one with services and one without. We naughtily filled and emptied at Dieppe 1, and on going to get our ticket saw Dieppe 2 across the other side of the port, so drove round and decided we preferred that location.
The Aire at Dieppe
a couple of choppers for company in the motorhome aire at Dieppe
The weathers been rubbish today, drizzling all day, but we still enjoyed our wander round Dieppe, taking in the history and the chocolate shops… ahem, along with the grand architecture. We both learnt about the first attempt of liberation of France by mainly Canadiens back in Sept 1942, and found the town a nice place to spend a rainy afternoon.
The castle at Dieppe
Dieppe town centre
The Port at Dieppe
Keefy getting our baguette from the bread van that visited the aire this morning
We had a good chat with another British couple on their way back from 6 wks in Portugal- lucky things, it’s always nice to swap stories with fellow motorhomer’s. Our spot on the port was brill- we watched the passenger ferry leave and also a beautiful wooden sailing boat, along with a large barge carrying what we think was wind turbine sails. a real mix of old and new.
Tuesday
Bluebell the motorhome is parked up on her 1st France Passion site of this tour- we’re on a dairy farm near Etretat, which specialises in butter and goats cheese. Nom nom. We arrived around lunchtime, went to say hello, check we could stay tonight and to find out what time the shop open/closes. The France Passion scheme works in the same way Brit Stops does- your host welcomes you to stay for free, but you’re expected to take an interest in their produce etc. There is never any obligation to buy, however we usually do as we’re local food and drink junkies!!
Parked up by the chickens on our France Passion site
After a hearty lunch (Camembert, saucisson, baguette of course!!) we unloaded the bikes with the intention of cycling to nearby Etretat- a town we’ve seen signed when on the payage, but never managed to get too. Etretat is on the map due to its amazing 3 sea arches, and what a sight they were! Even if by the time we’d got there we could barely stand due to picking a particularly hilly cycle route! Of course once there we couldn’t NOT take the cliff path to the view point at the top, so by the time we were back at our bikes we were cream crackered. Oh well, we’d cycled pretty much the whole 7 kilometres up hill there, so we were quietly confident that the laws of physics meant that we would return downhill. I’m not sure how, but it seems physics weren’t on our sides today as somehow, we managed to pick an equally up hill journey back!
The middle sea arch at Etretat
The arch on the left is the middle of the three and the small arch on the right is the baby arch
we enjoyed finally visiting Etretat having passed the signs for years!
the town of Etretat is very pretty
the larger of the three arches, that is only visible from sea or a hike up the side of a cliff!
Once back at Bluebell, we swiftly went up to the shop to have a chat with the owner of the farm (so impressed I managed a whole conversation in French!!) we’d discovered they made yogurts, butter and goats cheese, the butter is made on site but the goats cheese isn’t because she doesn’t keep goats, and that she thought we were crazy for cycling to Etretat. Oh how we laughed! We came away with some salted butter and goats cheese, both of which we’ve devoured as a pre dinner snack- well it’s been a tough day!! They were absolutely delicious!
another pic of us on the France Passion
We enjoyed visiting Etretat, the sea arches were better than I’d hoped and the town is also very pretty – there are some lovely wooden buildings to enjoy housing restaurants and creperies, lots of souvenir shops, a nice stretch of pebbly beach (no dogs though on the beach, although they are allowed on the promenade) and a really buzzing atmosphere. If you’re not a member of France Passion (you should be, it’s fab!) then there is a conveniently located motorhome aire just on the outskirts of Etretat that you can park at for €8, or day parking on the Le Havre road.
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