Blog shutting down...

This blog has run its course as it is too much hassle updating here in Blogger and on Travellerspoint.

To keep friends and family up to date Travellerspoint has a much better email update system.

Blogger used to handle that well but the pissed it away. 

All future posts will be on https://invictamoto.blogspot.com/ and https://devall-travels.travellerspoint.com/

Thanks for viewing.

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

Day 3

Saturday.  Wow. It's ironic that for years our European cousins have joked about England (the mean the UK) being rainy all the time, and yet at home it's warm, hot in some places, and dry.

Here in Normandy apart from a brief period of sunshine it has been raining, sometimes heavy, and overcast.

We didn't venture out until it was too late to collect our bread order. The epicerie is only open from 8am to 10am in the morning. We got there about 1030am. Buggeur.

It started to brighten up around 11am so we decided to take a walk down to the beach and into the town again. This time I remembered to take the Sanyo camera with me. More on that later.

The path down to the beach is very steep. Our old knees complaining on the way down. Whole body complaining on the way up!

I took a few photos of the bunkers and gun emplacements that litter the area and of the National Guard Memorial. When will you see them.....

Not for a while. When I plugged the memory card into my Motorola G50 it reduced to read without formatting the card! 

We stopped at the kiosk that was closed yesterday and had lunch. A cheeseburger 🍔 and chips washed down with Diet Coke.

It was very nice and the burger was real mince not like a McDonald's burger at all.

Then the walk back. The sky was filled with hang-gliders taking advantage of the cliffs and the thermals created. 

The grass pitches are still very muddy and wet. It was supposed to be warm and sunny all day. By mid afternoon the greyness has returned plus a strong onshore breeze blew up.  This did nothing for drying the wet grass!

At least the site appears to have a workforce that can push and pull vans off the pitches. We saw a couple that needed both human and tractor power to get moving!

I am hoping we get some decent weather tomorrow to at least dry our pitch out. I am not looking forward to battling to get off this pitch on Monday morning.

Tomorrow is Sunday. The forecast is better.... But of course, the forecasters may as well close there eyes and choose what they think the weather will be with a stab in the dark with a finger!

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - Day 1 & 2

I started this blog for day 1 at Formerie and saved it as a draft. Sadly, it didn't save and so I have to start again.

Day 1

We were up around 0615 to finish the last minute packing of the van, breakfast, and get Reggie ready to leave.

We had to be at Dover to check-in about an hour before departure. So that would be 0905.  To make sure there were no surprises at the French Passport Controls we aimed to leave at 0800. 

We were on the way well before that and arrived at Dover Eastern Docks at 0820. The queues were quite reasonable and moved quickly. 

We had plenty of time for Reggie to do his thing and then we loaded.

The pet lounge was far busier than last time. But apart from a few freeloaders that were turfed out by the attendant. What is it that these people don't understand about signs saying "Pet Lounge- Customers Only"?

Once in France we unloaded and headed to Auchan to get supplies and to walk across to Picard for Reggie's "Dogador" raw food.

We opted for 5 kgs to last him the whole holiday.

Then to fill with diesel. The price is about comparable with UK.

Then we were off to the first overnight stop at Formerie. It's a Camping-Car Park Aire. At €11.30 a night it's good value. Hard surface and includes electric hookup.

The weather was terrible. Drizzle and at times pouring rain.

We eventually arrived about 1700. Filled the water and then picked our pitch.

The machine showed 2/6 spaces were remaining available. All four were British vans. 

It continued to rain all night.

Day 2

We had a lie in. It was drizzling when I took Reggie for his morning toilet. We had bought croissants and pan au chocolate in Auchan. These were breakfast.

As the van was showing a quarter tank used I checked the fuel app and it showed a much cheaper Intermarché just off the toll free A28. We did that. Bought some bread for lunch.

As time was getting away, despite not wanting to spend on tolls we stayed on the A13 to Caen. 

Arriving at Flower Camping Omaha Beach at just after 1600. We were quickly checked in and set up.

It's ironic that we have a sea view over the D-Day beach and we are surrounded by Germans....

Once we found the WiFi isn't free and 8s costly, plus despite deciding to spend €12 we couldn't actually sign up. There wasn't enough signal in the ten minutes of wifi they give you to cough up! Perhaps a warning how crap it was going to be?

We had a walk down to the beach and walked along the sand to a small bar for a beer. 

The walk back was a little knackering.

Dinner in tonight again. Pasta Bolognese.

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

I saw last year on a forum that there is an overlay for Google Maps that shows where there are veterinary clinics across Europe that can handle the need for animals coming to the UK to have their paperwork stamped and also administer their worming tablet.

It has to be done between 120 hours and 24 hours before travel.  The grey area seems to be whether that 24 hours in before they get on the ferry or train to the UK, or before landing in the UK. No one seems to answer this question with any authority.

So we have always done it around 48 hours before travel. That means that I have been looking at Day 14 or the 16 day trip for a vet.  One that appears to be popular (and too popular if you read the reviews on Search4sites!), is the clinic at Buchy in Normandy - Clinique des Cateliers. I have the co-ords in the Ohrex satnav already.

It's on the east side of the Seine in Seine-Maritime. Department 76..  I emailed them as their online booking wasn't working properly,  I have booked us in at 5pm.  This gives us plenty of time to make our way to the area.

Many of the "regular" Moho travellers recommend staying in the free aire in Buchy itself. As I am expecting to stay in a few Camping-Car Park (CCP) aires  on the way across from the Ile de Ré. CCP aires in general have no loos or washing facilities other than in the van itself, I'd rather have a campsite.  I have found one in nearby Neufchatel en Bray - Camping Sainte-Claire! Reasonably priced and so I have reserved a pitch. It should work out at about €22 with electric hook-up.

So where to go when we leave the Ile de Ré?  It will be the morning of Day 9 and that will give us 5 overnights to look at before we have to be in Buchy.

We have talked about the Loire Valley. So many places and chateaux to see!

I read on a forum (!) that it is possible to stay in the parking area at the Chateau de Chambord. We have been in the car before, with Reggie, and walked around some of the grounds and I thought that this might make a nice stop. It will be off-grid though!  

There are CCP aires at Saumur, Bléré, Chenonceaux, Montrichard and Amboise and all of them on or near the River Loire. Some might get crossed off if there are fewer EHU's that pitches.  It avoids the rush to get on that pitch!  It's tantamount to rushing down in the morning to put your towels on the sunbeds...

I need to have the map books out to see where everything is and decide later.  Nothing to be booked!!

Awaycation Autumn 2023 - France

I know. I know. I said that maybe this holiday would be less booked and more impromptu, but then again in the popular areas a booking is essential. 

We decided that after Normandy we would start to move south to hunt for the weather.  I was looking at the west coast again with maybe a few nights on one of the islands this time.

Once again I was on Search4sites and came across some Flower Camping sites on the Ile de Re.

The one at La Flotte couldn't do the dates I was after but the other at Loix fits the bill. With Reggie and our loyalty card discount it's €77 for three nights. At the current exchange rate that's around £66 or £22 a night.  The site has EHU on every pitch as well as bar/snack bar etc should we want them.

From there I am thinking about maybe a little further south before looping back up through the Limousin and the Loire Valley.  We still have to book Reggie in for his worming and Pet Passport.