Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I have been thinking about where to go once we are across the Channel on the timetable amended P&O Ferry. I had been hoping we would have been changed to go on the new ferry on the Dover-Calais-Dover route. called Pioneer.

Then today another email. This one saying we are still on the 1005am but the boat has changed from Pioneer to Spirit of France. Except I didn't know we were on Pioneer in the first place.

Anyway.... One we bump into France at the Port of Calais it will be around noon before we disembark. First stop Picard at Coquelles to stock up on dogador for Reggie.

We have a bigger freezer now and maybe we can get enough to last him the entire fortnight. He has around 160g of meat with every meal and this means that for every 500g pack there are just over 3 meals to the pack. We are away 15 days or 30 meals away. Or (9.6!) 10 packs! Even though dogador is listed on the Picard website, it seems very few stores sell it. Calais/Coquelles is one! Could we fit 9 or 10 pack into the freezer. We'll have to measure the space available and not need anything for ourselves!!

Thanks to Brexit we can't take his food with us. He is on a raw food diet. It has been good for him over the seven or eight years since we took him down this road.

So where we are going? France? Spain?

I have been distracted lately by blasted YouTubers. I have been tempted to head towards Germany and Switzerland this year rather than next year. I had already got it in mind for May 2024. Although..... You get the picture. The world is our huitre!

Claire and I originally though the cutting down the mileage and staying in one place for longer each time would be better. It all depends on the availability of sites. We can always guarantee an aire (more further down!) as many are 24/7 365 days a year.

After a few hours on the internet on site after site I am back to looking at Normandy and Brittany. I have been on the ACSI site and getting a little confused as many of them are saying the ACSI card (CC) can be used but then quoting €45 a night instead of the CC quoted price of €21 or €23. So this need a little more work I think.

Another thing I have found using the ACSI booking site is that many of the northern France campsites in the chains like Sandaya and Flower actually close on September 4th! Why? Ony your chosen deity will know why!

Bookings? I have booked Formerie already. There are only six emplacements there and there were five vans, including us, even in November.

From there I am thinking of some sites on and around the Normandy beaches. There are aires that we have seen on various YouTube blogs, but having to rush to get a pitch with EHU is something I can't be bothered with. I'm on holiday to relax.... I like the idea of Honfleur. But having seem at least three different YouTubers there it looks like everyone's worst nightmare. Almost 200 camper/moho's cheek by jowl and the aforementioned fight for the EHU pitches. Not for me.

Planning continues. The next day!

This morning I booked three nights in the Flower Camping Omaha Beach. The site is above the cliffs over the beach. We will be pitching up in the footsteps of the German defenders and the US invasion force. Gulp.

We stayed at three different Flower sites in June and they were all good, although the first one was a bit tight. When you stay you get points that can be used against future stays. It's about a tenner at the moment and so I left it there and a fourth stay here will add a few quid to it. It may all come in handy another time.

I decided to book a "PRIVILEGE Package (1 tent, caravan or motorhome / 1 car / electricity 10A) + Seaview 2/8 Ppl" I am hoping it is this one as some of the others look a bit to near the edge for me to feel comfortable!

From there I am looking at maybe a single night in a CCP as we move west towards Brittany. There is a new CCP aire near Mont St Michel. It's probably too far for us to walk and with Reggie not liking roads it maybe too far. I did look at a campsite really near with an off road walk to the causeway to the island, but it seemed reasonable until you factor in the €9.50 a day perking charge on top of the touring pitch.

More about Omaha Beach and the events of D-Day 1944.

It was suggested by a few friends that the UK has plenty to offer and I have to agree. Maybe another time, although we already Staycation in UK.

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

Best laid plans of Mice and men etc...

I booked the crossing on P&O for after 11am so that we didn't need to get up at the crack of dawn to get the last packing (fridge etc) before the short drive to Dover Eastern Docks. So I was a little miffed today to get an email telling me that due to operational reasons the sailing time has been shifted to 10.05am. Over an hour earlier than booked. Bummocks, as someone that might read this would say!

It does mean of course when we eventually bump into France at the Port of Calais we will be over an hour earlier there as well. All being good. Of course our first stop, as it has been on the last three trips across in 2022/23, will be at Picard to get Reggie some dog food - Dogador. As we have a larger freezer in the 175 we need maybe to buy a little more than usual so that we don't run out. he really doesn't get on with tinned stuff....

We should be into the low season again once in September and so the ACSI card will come in useful. As such we may not need to book much in advance and be more flexible on where to to and when. In a previous blog I mentioned the vloggers we regularly watch and the idea of the Île de Ré has always seemed somewhere to go. But after a variety of bloggers my interest has waned.

Although we live about 400m from the sea, we still like to be near it when we go away. Whether it is to the timeshare in Spain or Florida, or when we are in the van. Sadly this summer the worst part of our trip was by the sea on the Camargue. Not the place as such, but the site wasn't good.

So I'll be looking at a mixture of campsites and aires. Whereas we have solar (internal lights) and gas (cooking and heating) I do like the idea of being able to go to the loo and have a wash in the site's facilities rather than use the van's bathroom.

So first night? Last year we stopped at Formerie in the Camping-Car Park (CCP) aire. It was okay and we arrived late after an accident in front of us had us stuck on the A28 motorway for a long time. But is it in the right direction?

Not if we are looking at maybe avoiding the love of the sea and replacing it with the love of the mountains! Where did that one come from?!

Those darned YouTubers again. If anyone read the earlier blog entry - https://devall-travels.travellerspoint.com/548/ - then you will have seen I was thinking about Germany and Austria for next year. However, I am thinking about it for this break instead!

More to come!

So until the next time.....

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

I was having a problem with these posts as Blogger kept saying the "inbox" was full despite not having any clue where the inbox for the blog might be and how to check!

So I had to copy and paste from the other family level blog site.

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - Where?

With all the planning for the Awaycation in the Summer all sorted, It's just a matter of getting the van from storage and a little cleaning, then going on the trip. It seems that the sealant that Elddis use on the body is especially sticky and gets dirty really quickly. So, we need to give it the once over before we set off in about 11 days.

By InvictaMoto - 27.05.2023

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - Where?

After a fortnight in France and over 2000 miles done, we began to think that maybe when we go away in September we'd cover fewer miles next time. So it seems we will stay in France. Despite all the tales of woe in UK, France is no longer a cheap destination for holidays. Basic foods in supermarkets are higher in an Auchan than in Sainsbury's in UK.

By InvictaMoto - 24.06.2023

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

Now we have decided to stay in France it's now time to start looking at where to go and seeing if I need to book anything. At the moment only the P&O Ferry with pet lounge has been booked. I was hoping to get on the new ship "Pioneer" but I can't tell from the current reservation which ferry it will be. Don't get me wrong, I do like the tunnel.

By InvictaMoto - 04.07.2023

Awaycation Autumn Sun 2023

This trip hasn't been looked at since Christmas Day 2022. So I am having another look to see what we can do on this trip. The options are to stay once again in France or to go east and look at Germany and maybe Austria?

The last blog was about going to Germany and maybe as far as Fussen and Neuschwanstein Castle. I have read a few reviews of the parking near the Castle and they aren't all that good. When I was there last June with my bike mates, the Castle had been sold out for ages to the many coach parties.

Claire and I did part of the Romantic Road already and the bike lads and I did a bit of it last year on the way home.

So where to go? This trip we will be on the P&O Ferry to Calais and arriving at around 12.25pm. We will of course have to do a shop and so we have about five hours or so to the first stop of the trip. I will be checking the ACSI site to see what there is available around that time and distance.

Maybe limit the total distance to the Mosel and Rhein? Even at 50mph average on the toll free motorways we might not get that far. It's sun we want to pouring rain and cold! Perhaps head to northern Germany? Or keep to the original plan and head for Bavaria and maybe Czech?

Suggestions always appreciated.

The world of course is our huitre....

P.S. A useful website is https://www.tolls.eu/fuel-prices . I needs to be updated more often as it looks like only monthly.  

Awaycation Summer Sun - France

In my last post I mentioned I had got the return date wrong.  It was only one day! Of course it would have meant turning up at Eurotunnel and them charging us an arm and a leg to change the booking on the hoof.  I am still smarting at the cost of the last time when we came back in the snow in December. It had to be done then as we may have got stuck in France!

Last time it was well out of season and we only booked a few places and used the Camping-Car Park sites more than actual campsites.  This time I have opted to book ahead. It's June and apart from the first few nights on the way down to St Etienne, I have booked two nights at a time at a variety of places.

Even though we live near the sea in Kent, We rarely have a trip that there isn't at least one day where we can sea the ocean or even paddle in it.  This time no different. A couple of nights in the Camargue near to the Mediterranean and then we turn northwards and inland. France is a relatively large country compared to the UK. The campsite at La Brise in the Camargue is around 1140kms (708 miles) from Eurotunnel.  In the past I have done it in a day when on the Suzuki Cavalcade LX.... But never again!

So this time we are going to go "up the middle" as it were. Keeping to the east of the way we went down and back up to Spain before Christmas.  I usually plan using Google Maps and then look for suitable campsites or aires around the route.  This time I decided on places to stop and then looked at the ACSI website where I have taken up a year's membership. It seems the best rated and included in the ACSI system, and bookable online, are in a chain called Flower Camping!

I have a two night stop near the Millau Viaduct.  The chances of paying to go over it are very very slight.  We should be able to get a good view of it in all it's glory.... The next stop will be somewhere we have stayed before, but only for one night in a hotel in the upper town - Saint-Nectaire the Puy de Dôme locale. This time another Flower site at La Vallee Verte. 

It so happens that my favourite cheese is Saint-Nectaire fermier. Hopefully we'll get to sample a few whilst there! Three nights there to have at bit of R&R and unwind.....  and consume cheese....!

I have been looking at vets that can do Reggie's worming and have been recommended a couple of vets in Belgium that will do that and also are able to provide a pet passport for Reggie.  It's something I looked into when we were in Spain in November and a local vet in Alcossebre would have done it. With two trips this year across to the EU it would have saved us £69 each trip this year. In the end we didn't do it.  One of the vets is in Bruges and she can do the worming and pet passport for us.  It's a fraction more than another £69 for Reggie in August. But the passport is valid for three years.  Reggie is no youngster but it should be better for him in the long run. And us in the wallet! 

Where after that?  I have yet to think about it too much. But I expect with around 550 toll free miles left to do to get to Eurotunnel and 5 and a bit days to do it that we won't be biting off too many miles each day. So probably single nights at Camping-Car Parks.

It's a month today before we are away. I prefer the non-toll routes and not have to pay the tolls on the motorways. But, the first day I think we'll need to get some shopping done once across into France and then pay the toll on the A26 to kill off some of the mileages to the first overnight stop. Hopefully Picard will have some of their dogador raw food for Reggie. It seems that very few of their stores stock it. We have been lucky in Calais!

So the countdown has begun.

Awaycation Summer Sun 2023 #1

After hitting the books and the apps, I finally picked Camping de Mon Village of Mantenay-Montlin for the second overnight of the trip. This one is a former municipal campsite. So it will have loos and showers to save us using Molly's onboard facilities! It's also a little more expensive, with local tax added, it's a tad over €14 for the night.

I wanted somewhere booked rather than letting it go to chance and this place popped up on the Camping-Car Park site and app.  It's far enough down towards Macon and we can decide which way to go from there.

I had been looking on the ACSI website and found one that looked good, but the booking page kept throwing up HTTP:4 errors so I couldn't be arsed to wait about for them to sort themselves out. The site with the them is €19 as the base price but by the time it had added on EHU and a dog it was €24. Still cheap compared to UK sites but that extra is a couple of beers or pizzas! Looking forward to a pizza machine agin!

We can either go southwards to the Mediterranean or maybe a little eastwards to the mountains. At some stage we need to pay a visit to Claire's friend neat St Etienne and that can be on the way down or the way back northwards. We need to find out when she is there to meet us.

Once I know that I can start to work out where to go. 

I would still like to see the vet at Mons to see what sort of money it would cost to get Reggie a pet passport as it may work out cheaper in the long run. It currently costs us £69 each time we take him away with us. We have another trip in September as well.

So that's two nights sorted.

Awaycation Summer Sun 2023 #1

I have been hitting the books/apps today to look for a second overnight stop on the way south.  I booked some places in advance last summer as it was our first trip away in the motorhome.

When we went again in November, I only booked the first night in advance and then we left it to the morning to book the next one. The PITA with Camping-Car Parks is that when you book online it doesn't eat into any balance you have on the card, but wants you to pay separately.  This in effect means you have €'s sitting the account that aren't used until you rock up at a site un-booked.

As we are planning to meet Claire's ex-work colleague at her home near Sainte Etienne, I am looking for somewhere near Macon on the way down and then maybe neat StE on the next night.

Camping-Car Parks aren't that wonderful in this area.

So I checked the ACSI book. Some choices for both areas. But the need to pay in full now is a little off putting.

I'll give the France Passion app a bit of a bashing later and see what we can come up with .

Awaycation Summer Sun 2023 #2

Another awaycation already!

The P&O ferry was booked for this trip whilst we were away last year. There was an offer that vastly reduced the fare and so I took up the offer.  It wasn't quite at the level of being unable to refuse though!

So where to go? We leave after the kids go back to school in early September, and so we should have a children-free adventure in the Moho. Well, that's what I am hoping anyway.

Personally I'd like to go to Norway. But with only two weeks booked that's not going to be possible.  I think Norway will become Awaycation Summer (Sun?) 2024! Sun in brackets as that depends on the time of year.  I think we'd be looking at June and maybe three weeks or more.  We'd also need to be more self sufficient by then.

Anyway back to #2 this year.

Since I went with some friends to the Czech SOC Rally last year and we came back via Fussen and some of the Romantic Road, I'd like to try Bavaria again. Once again we have two weeks.  Claire likes the idea of France and going across to Brittany.

So France or Germany? A trip along the Moselle and the Rhine could be enticing even if we don't get to Bavaria.  Of simply head across France.

Plenty of time for the thinking caps on.

Awaycation Summer Sun 2023 #1

After sorting out a few details and working my way through the various books from ACSI and France Passion, plus the websites/apps about overnight stops I eventually checked pitchup.com.

For the first night in France after we get off the Shuttle I want to have somewhere booked so that we don't have to start looking for a stop.

In the end I have booked one night with EHU at Camping de la Pointe near to Laon. 

It's to the north of Reims and easily accessible from the A26, should we decide to take the toll road route from the Shuttle at Coquelles.

Compared with many UK sites this is much less expensive. A pitch with electric and with even having to pay for the dog it's a few pence over £21. It's a grass pitch. So we have to keep fingers crossed it's dry!

That's all booked so far. I'll hit the books and apps for a second overnight.

The second night is more than liable to be at a Camping-Car Park Aire or France Passion.

I joined the latter last year but we didn't use the book. Partly as I forgot to pack it. Instead we did use seven of the Camping-Car Parks.

These proved pretty good and averaged about €11.50 across the entire stay. We also stayed at a council aire at St Cyprien on the Mediterranean coast. Another car-park style park-up.

Awaycation Summer Sun 2023 #1

This is the trip we have planned for June. We decided to go earlier this year so that the end of the holiday should be over before the French school holidays begin.  It's not that I have anything against the French per se, it's just that once they get to a holiday campsite, the inner problem child escapes.

Last year we had a quietish holiday until the last longer stay at a campsite near a beach on the Atlantic coast.  Once the families arrived, and I mean families, it was bedlam.  Everyone from Grandad to tiny kids seemed to think that despite being allocated their own pitch to put their tent or their caravan, that walking across my little piece of holiday heaven was okay. Once they had fallen over the bright orange guy ropes to our wind-break a few times it was becoming a joke.

We use the wind-break to of course break the wind that comes off the sea or perhaps from the other direction, but also to save Reggie having to see passing mutts and bark at them.  Having neighbouring kids ignoring it and walking right past our windows and door was a PITA!  

So that's why we are going early. I am currently scouring France Passion, Camping-Car Parks and ACSI campsites to find a couple of nights on the way down to the Lyon/St Etienne area.

Maybe my idea to go to Annecy was somewhat knackered by an "animation" festival on when we would be there and maybe a little fanciful to get up to see the Gorges du Verdon again. I have been twice and weather was against me each time. Third time lucky might be another time!

Then I had thought of passing through the lavender fields in Provence before hopping across the border to Italy and up through Switzerland. That looks like it will be another time now.

Then we have the visit to Claire's friend near St Etienne. This actually takes us further west than I had planned. But we have to do it if we are nearby.  So somewhere to overnight in that area?

Claire has suggested that we head off northwards from there through the Auvergne. We crossed through it last summer as he went from the vineyards of Burgundy across to the Dordogne. Given that we have ten days to get back from there to Calais for the train hone. It needs a lot of thinking about.

One thing I'd like to do is to get a Pet Passport for Reggie. It would save all the hassle with getting an AHC each time. I have found a vet in Mons (Belgium) that can do it but need to get more information if I am to build it into this trip and make the next one simpler.

To be continued.....