France 2005

Set off from Billingham about 11.00, every thing going well, the Wetherby racecourse bypass is now fully functional and we are making good headway. Unfortunately the Selby bypass is still restricted to 50 mph but looks like it will be fully open soon (mind it did last month as well). As soon as we leave Yorkshire the A1 deteriorates (roundabouts on a major road, ridiculous, these are the first since the end of our road 160 K back) and the weather turns nasty, heavy rain. Then we get caught in a traffic jam for about 45mins where resurfacing work is being done near Newark. We eventually arrive in Peterborough at 15.00. The plan is to have time will our new granddaughter before continuing on to Dover for the 05.00 Seafrance ferry, booked in March for £67.00 one way to Calais, we will be retuning via P&O Zeebrugge – Hull, thus avoiding the long drag back through England.

Granddaughter Amber is beautiful and doing well, she cries ever time I hold her but she loves Dot and lays on her for hours. Part of the plan was for me to have a nap as we will be up all night but as always happens to me, if I try to get to sleep it never happens but I did get some rest I suppose.

We leave Peterborough just after 10.00 (a bit early but I like to be in plenty of time). Made very good time so we pull over at the last service area on the M20, set the alarm on the phone and again, try to have a couple of hours sleep, probably did but didn't seem like it, the car park was a bit busy. We eventually arrived at the port on time, I think this is a first, we are usually very early.

The Seafrance ferry is a bit French, all very arty, everything is designed to look good but I found it to be very uncomfortable, food not bad though.

Once off the ferry its straight on to the A26 motorway, heading south towards Châteauroux for one or two nights on the way to the Dordogne, this year we have not bothered to book any sites, we will just see how it goes. We have however researched the areas we are going to and have some sites provisionally picked out.

Soon on the A1 heading for Paris but about 2 hours into the drive, we are very tired, so we pull over into an Aire for a couple of hours rest. Then its back on the road, I will never go anywhere near Paris again as long as I live (unless we are actually going to Paris), we got stuck in traffic on the A3 and A86/A4 for over two hours. Eventually got on to the A10 and back up to speed, all was going well until Orléans, when we managed to miss a slip road and did not get off the A10 onto the A71. The first place we could have turned to get back was quite a long way, so we just turned off the motorway, reprogrammed AutoRoute and set off to rejoin the A71 further south. We where still tired and when we passed a campsite on the edge of a town by a river, we thought about stopping there but carried on. About three kilometres down the road, I pulled over and as I was worn out, we agreed to turn back and stop there for the night.

The town was Beaugency and the river, the Loire, the campsite is on the opposite side of the river to the town next to the bridge. There is an Aire opposite the campsite in the town over the river but this always looked to be very full and very cramped, and the municipal was only about £7.00/night.

Went over to the bar for a drink that night but then a karaoke started, so we went back to the van and watched the sunset over the town (something you can not do from the Aire), we had an early night, very tired after a long day.

In the morning the weather was hot, the river was beautiful, campsite economical so we thought we would probably stop on for a few days and then just travel along the Loire for the rest of the holiday.

Crossed over the wonderful bridge and spent the day exploring Beaugency, trouble was it was Sunday and there wasn't much open, but we had a good hot walk anyway. After a peaceful day, we just sat out the front of the van again that night, looking over the river, watching another wonderful sunset.

One thing against this site is that toilet facilities were not very good, the small block closest to us was the worst, the one near reception was slightly better. It did however have a motorhome service point, which is better than a lot of UK sites.

Back over the bridge into town for another good look around, a day very much like yesterday, only with the shops open. Did a bit of shopping, got some supplies for tonight (we would find a supermarket in the van later, to stock up for the next few days), had a beer in a cafe and eventually, ended up at the outside bar of the local swimming pool. If we had our swimming gear with us we could have had a much needed cool off in the pool but we didn't.

After a very tiring first day, we have now had two very relaxing days and are ready to move on to somewhere further along the Loire tomorrow. Had another great night overlooking the river, planning the next stop, and drinking in the fantastic sunset and beer.

From our ASCI book we found a site just off the Loire on the river Indre not far from Tours, a site that was still offering discount at this late date.

The plan was to follow the river as much as possible, so we left Beaugency on the N152 (I now think, we would have been better off on the other side of the river) but stopped almost as soon as we set off, at an Intermarché to stock up and fill up with fuel. At Chaumont-sur-Loire we crossed over the river onto the D751 to Amboise where we headed away from the Loire on the D83 towards Saint-Martin-le-Beau. Now at this point the GPS wanted to send us down what looked like a forestry commission road, so we had to pull over into a lay-by and sort out a new route. This is the first time this has happened, last year it did try to send us under a low bridge but was different it was still a main road. We stayed on the D83 to the D45 then D17 to the site in Veigné.

Nice site but most of the amenities did not open for another couple of weeks (hence the ASCI discount I suppose). We pitched right on the river bank, then had a good look around the site and village, after that we had a walk along the river on the opposite side to the site.

That evening it cooled down and started to rain so we changed our minds about just staying on the Loire and decided that tomorrow, we would head for the Dordogne.

We left on the D50 heading for the A20 via the D59/D13 and then N134 from Châtillon-sur-Indre. We did stop at Aire de Briance-Ligoure on the A20 for a quick snack and drink before continuing to exit 51 the E70 and then D704 to D703 to D31and finally Limeuil.

The site is on the banks of the river Dordogne, at the confluence with the river Vezere, just over the bridges from the village of Limeuil. Again we get a pitch over looking the river, this time though with a large empty field between us and the river. Quiet site well out of the way, facilities are very good and pool area is empty most of the day. Small shop, bar and restaurant/takeaway, all of which are very good and very reasonable.

First thing I get the scooter of the rack and get the porch awning up, its best to do it this way as if you do it the other way round, the van suspension rising when the scooter comes off, rips out the pegs or just rips the awning.

All those around us are very friendly, Dutch either side of us, one couple in a caravan, the other couple in a very small tent and an English couple opposite us in a chalet. That night we have a couple of drinks over at the bar and get talking to the English couple from the chalet opposite our van. Then later a few more drinks outside the English couple's chalet, this is terrible of me but I can never remember the names of the people we meet (Dot would probably remember but she thinks I am mad recording everything we do).

Walked over the two bridges to the village, then just keep walking until we ended up at the top of the village, at the Château and gardens. As we where there, we paid up the entrance fee and had a wander round the garden. Glorious views over the rivers and valley from the gardens, although it did cloud over for a time in the afternoon, it was still very warm.

Now a word of warning, there was a giant redwood tree, so I thought it would be a good idea to stand against it for a photo, to show its size. Well its not a good idea, the bark comes off and attaches itself very well to your clothes and takes ages to get off.

That night back over the bar for a couple of drinks but this time the it's Dutch couple from the caravan next to us that we get talking to and this time, end up having a few more outside our van with them. We find out from them that they are not using the showers in the amenity's block, or the one in their caravan but have setup a makeshift shower outside (with canvas round) and are using that. They do not seem bothered that there are no drains and I think that their other dirty water was just draining onto the ground as well (don't know what they were doing abut the toilet, it doesn't bear thinking about).

Friday morning decided to venture out on the scooter, we headed to the market at Le Buisson-de-Cadouin (don't remember if we intended to go to the market or if it was just on when we got there) it was only about 3.5 miles (5.5k) but we had only intended to do very short trips with it. We had a very good look round but I couldn't help worrying about where the scooter was parked as it was on a pavement but I needn't have been bothered as it seems you can park a bike just about anywhere in France. There is a train station in Le Buisson-de-Cadouin and we did consider a day out on the train but we never did get around to it.

On the way back we remembered reading about a famous church and a micro brewery just outside Limeuil, on the road to Le Bugue, so we continued on past the village for a look. The church is the Chapelle Saint-Martin built in 1194 by Henry II, in atonement of the murder of the archbishop of Canterbury, Saint Thomas Becket. Built back in the days when Aquitaine was still English (there is not much to see, but I am not big on churches, especially small churches). On the other hand, the micro brewery (Brasserie La Lutine, run by a Dutchman, Han Van Strien, http://www.lalutine.com/), was a different mater and we will be back later with the van, to collect some beer to bring home. The same beer was for sale in the campsite shop but it was slightly more expensive.

The pool was not being used when we got back to the site so we had a nice cool down after our ride before our evening meal and later a drink at the bar.

I don't remember much about this day, except for setting up the satellite dish and sitting outside watching the Live Eight concerts until late into the night. I think we spent most of the day reading and just generally relaxing by the river.

One thing we discovered was that this site is big on recycling and to empty your bin you have to walk over to a place near the site entrance where the only bins are.

Sunday, we had booked a day out canoeing on the Dordogne, we got picked up from reception with several others and drove what seemed like a long way to me, before backing down to the river (I have no idea where, though but it was probably Siorac-en-Périgord, about 7 miles or 12 K away by road and slightly more by river).

This is a very calm stretch of the river, which was good for us as we were new to all this, all we really had to do was sit back, steer the canoe and let the current take us back to the site. Saying this, the others that came with us started to paddle off into the distance and you just can not help but try to keep up or even pass them (can you?), also it would take a very long time to get back to the site just drifting. Dot took loads of great photos along the way, whenever I tried to take any, the boat would list form side to side, so I stopped doing it. As I have said this is a very calm stretch but the first slightly ruff bit we did come to (lets call it a rapid), we ended up coming out the other side of it going backwards (I don't suppose everyone possesses the skills required to do such a manoeuvre).

The rest of the paddle was uneventful, very scenic, very quiet, very relaxing but very, very hot. Uneventful that is we had to beach the canoe back at the site, there were people walking and swimming in the river just where we had been asked to come ashore, luckily we managed not to kill any of them and got in safely. One tip if you are going to do this, either take something soft to sit on or, if you are a good swimmer, sit on the lifejacket, I promise you, you will thank me for this.

We had been looking forward to having something to eat at the restaurant when we got back but as it was Sunday it wasn't open until tea time, so we had to have something in the van and then went back over for a meal and drinks in the evening.

There was one really annoying thing about this site, as it was getting towards the main holiday season and the site was filling up, they started to put tents (lots of tents) on the grassed area between the marked out pitches and the river. There even seemed to be people who were just sleeping in their cars, this to me spoiled a good site, anyway instead of getting bothered about it we decided we would move on tomorrow, and note never to come back in peak season (not that we were likely to anyway).

Back on the scooter again today for a visit to Le Bugue, we parked up next to a Intermarché by the river and had a walk around town. Dot saw posters for an aquarium (Aquarium du Périgord Noir) so we set of to find it, it wasn't very big but it was quite enjoyable, there was also a county centre (The Village of Bournat) next door but I didn't fancy it. There is also a campsite behind these attractions, we didn't get a good look at it but it is central for visiting Le Bugue.

Got some provisions from the supermarket before setting off back to the site. On the way back from Le Bugue we rode up into the hills above Limeuil to checkout another campsite we had seen advertised, looked like a very nice site but it was a bit far out. We also had a car try to kill us on the way back but anyone with a motorbike/scooter will know this is not a very unusual or infrequent occurrence.

Thought we would pop over to the village for a drink on the night but the bar we sat outside looked like it was closing so we finished our drinks and wandered to the next place and got a good seat. When the waitress came over, she informed us that they only serve food and had no drinks licence (what), there are one or two other places higher up the hill but that was too far for me, so we just went back to the site and had a drink there.

Today we move on to Sarlat but first we call in at Brasserie La Lutine for some beer, I get a couple of large bottles of each they make and a glass with the breweries name on. We then follow the river along the D51, D25 & D703 to the D49 & D57 into Sarlat. Site was not the easy to find, and we drove about looking for it for quite a while, it is down some very narrow streets, and is a bit far out of town about three miles, not what we expected.

We book on and drive to our appointed pitch, it is the smallest on the site with a tree in the middle, so I wander back to reception only to find I have gone to the wrong number and it is the very large pitch next to the one I was trying to get on.

It was still early so we got the scooter of and set off the three miles into Sarlat, the roads are very busy (must have been rush hour), I lock the scooter up to some railings and we set off for a walk around the shops. Sarlat is a nice town with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants and like the roads is very busy. I is still quite early when we get back to the site, we have a look over the bar and have an early night.

I have mentioned that the scooter is for short trips into town but today we use it for sightseeing and manage to notch up about 20 miles or 33K. This wasn't too bad as we used back roads, so it wasn't too busy, we also tested the power of the bike by riding up the side of a cliff and it coped really well.

The plan was just to visit to Domme, a walled town high above the river Dordogne, but as we where already some distance from the site, it ended up as a full sightseeing day. We checked out a provisional quiet route on the GPS (but as you can not gat a laptop on a scooter we had to remember the route) and setoff on a narrow road that ran alongside the site. This road after initially climbing up hill from the site eventually led down to the river where we crossed over at Vitrac and packed up by the river for a walk. This was only after about 4 miles or 6.5K riding but it was very hot and the riding position very uncomfortable, especially when your back isn't in the best condition. Here many canoeists were passing by and we could see that parts of the river were running much faster than for the canoe trip we did.

Back on the scooter and uphill to Domme, we missed the turning and ended up at Domme airport but by doing this we did get some fantastic views over the Dordogne. Headed back to Domme and parked up just off the main square, one of the advantages of using the scooter rather than the van or even a car. Great place for a day out with glorious views and also there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants, bought some knickknacks as presents for folks back home.

We came back down to the river via the road on the other side of Domme to cross the river at Cénac-et-Saint-Julien, where we stopped on the bridge to take photos looking back up to Domme. Dot now suggested we visit La Roque-Gageac, as it looked nice there when we drove through on the journey to Sarlat. Now this surprised me as it's Dot that is not that enthusiastic about being on the scooter (she doesn't like it at all and I spend most of the time I am riding, giggling at her making squealing noises every time we turn or accelerate) , but it was only another couple of miles from this position.

We park next to where boat trips are running and set off for a walk, when we get back a boat trip is about to leave so we take the opportunity and hop on for the trip.

The ride back is done in one go and its not very good for my back but the scooter is running well and we are doing exactly what we wanted to do with it, so at the moment I think it was worth the outlay for the tow bar and bike (although in 2006 it is not the same and we hardly us the scooter, could be because the holiday was much shorter and we pick sites that are within easy walking distance of town centres).

Very overcast, cool and gray today, so we start to make a move back north and drive while the weather is not good. Not wanting to ever go close to Paris again, and as we are heading ultimately for Belgium, we think a second visit to Auxerre is in order (we like it there). So its onto the D704A to the D703 through Souillac and a short stretch of the D804 to the A20 north. We got flashed by another motorist as we where on the long slip road to the A20 so pulled over to check, one of the straps on the bike was coming lose and trailing along the ground behind us, tightened it up and we were on our way again. On the A20 to Châteauroux where we should have turned of and gone via the N151 the rest of the way to Auxerre but we didn't, we took a long roundabout way to get there trying using motorways, I think it took longer than that the N151 would.

It was getting late when we got there, so we just got something from the site takeaway and had a night in.

Walked along the river into town, and spend the whole day there, before having our evening meal in a restaurant, before walking back to the site in the dark. On the afternoon we decide to fined the bar we where in last time we were here, we walk for ages looking but its not where we thought it was (the mind plays strange tricks, it was only two years ago we where here), eventually when we do find it, it is closed (sods law).

Set off again towards Belgium again, heading for a stop in Saint-Quentin overnight, leaving via the N77 and the supermarket (where we get a seesaw for the twins and a lot of beer for me). As I said in 2003, getting from the N77 to the A26 via the A5 is not very straightforward as there are not that many places you can get onto the A5 (we have now done it twice, two different ways and it's not simple). I think it may be just a easy to drive though Troyes, but I haven't tried it. From the A26 its onto the A4 for Reims and then its back on the A26 the rest of the way to Saint-Quentin.

This municipal site just over the road from the river Somme and about 1.5 miles from the centre of town, Saint-Quentin is nice place, pity about the campsite though, looked like it was good site at one time but is now very rundown.

Got a street map from reception and set off into town with a nice walk along the river, after a walk round the shops and the church, we came upon a strange sight. In the main square there was a beach, sand dunes, swimming pool and beach volleyball, along with stages for bands and other amusements. If everyone is going to go away to the beach for summer, why not build the beach in town? Had a wander round the beach and then had a couple of drinks at one or two of the many bars.

We walked back to the site via the back streets, quicker than walking back along the river but we couldn't have done it without the map.


Beaugency	Veigné	Limeuil	Sarlat-la-Canéda	Auxerre	Saint-Quentin