As we left Newhaven…
…with a reminder of the UK’s new status in Europe!
Four days in and we’re still just 85 miles or so from Dieppe as we write!
A new (to us) first overnighter at a free Aire in Auffay, delivered a nice little stopover of just four emplacements on grass, at the far end of the station car park. This is a nice alternative to our usual stop at Montville as it’s closer, so a short hop from the ferry, and although small, like Montville it has an adjacent car park ‘just in case’! Oddly, even though it’s right next to the train line, it was lovely and quiet too.
Waking slowly to a glorious day, we bumbled along to a small village on the banks of the Seine, Les Andelys and a campsite, Les Trois Rois, as a base to visit Monet’s gardens in Giverny. Mr B’s cough has been getting worse and we figured a day or two of calm and quiet by the river might be the perfect spot to relax and recuperate. Luckily, his eye issues are improving, so fingers crossed another couple of days will see the pesky virus off!
And so here we are, still, bordered on one side by the Seine and its majestic chalky cliffs, and on the other by a small lake, home to coypu, big whiskery mammals that look a bit like beavers but are actually large rats, albeit cute large rats - and quite vocal! There’s a little family of swans too, with four tiny cygnets, as well as numerous ducks. And, of course, more frogs than you could shake a stick at. It’s a real haven for wildlife.
We visited the gardens, which are very beautiful but also very busy, on day 2.
It was a gorgeous sunny day and just perfect to admire the riot of colour, the
famous lily pond and Monet’s house, although it was all a bit cheek by jowl in
terms of numbers.
Parking is free here and there’s also an Aire with space for loads of camper vans, which was a bonus. Here we spotted another self build Iveco, made in Cornwall with ‘blood, sweat and pasties’!
Intrigued by the design of the back doors, we stopped to admire its ingenuity and got chatting to Roger and Jean, the owners. Several hours later we were exchanging phone numbers and promising to stay in touch. We love these chance encounters - and what a great van they had!
Back at the campsite we booked another night so we could walk up to the old
castle, Château Gaillard, that looks out over the village to the river and was
built by Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century. The views from the top
are fabulous and we were lucky enough to see some re-enactors there.
We got the timing of the walk just right, as we passed two cruise boats’ worth of tourists trudging up the hill on our way down. There are loads of mini cruises plying the Seine, as well as a regular procession of cargo boats.
By the time we got back to the site, it seemed bonkers not to stay just one
more night …. After all, the weather is glorious and it’s just so beautiful
here. This morning (day 4) we headed into the village for provisions and a
coffee (admiring this huge mural and the trompe l'oeil on he way) and then a cycle to
the next village in the other direction, along the voie vert (VV) cycle path
and then onto quiet back roads and through sleepy villages, followed by a
picnic by a lake. Perfect!
It looks like there are loads of VVs in this part of France – Mr B is getting very excited!
Tomorrow we are, finally, heading south – and it looks like we’ll be picking up
the Rick vibe!
J&S
Posted 29.05.23
