Entering France via Basel with
a trouble (and document) free border crossing, we decided we should have enough
time to get to the Verdun area, rich in WW1 history and monuments. We had no
plans to visit anywhere though, as we intended to get to the coast with a day
spare to explore the approach to Dieppe from the east – something we’d not done
before. Our overnight stop in Jaulny, midway between Nancy and Verdun (camping
de la Pelouse) was chosen because it was in just the right place at just the
right time to allow us to set up camp and go for a swim in the on-site pool – a
treat after a hot day’s drive.
Our ACSI app had warned us
that there may be some noise from nearby trains but as the TGV thundered past
as we registered, ‘Madame’ reassured us that they stopped at night. Of course,
our French language skills were not able to pick up the subtle inference that
by ‘stop’ Madame was referring to the fact that the trains do indeed stop at
night, at platforms somewhere en route, but they keep speeding past the
campsite throughout the night, albeit less frequently …
If you look carefully you
can make out the elevated train track behind the trees in the photo below –
perfect for allowing the sound to carry further and clearly across the campsite.
Next morning we headed off
with the intention of making straight for the coast, leaving the history of the
tragic events around Verdun for another visit with more time to do it justice.
Except, as we headed north towards Verdun we drove right past the American
Cemetery in St Mihiel near Thiaucourt and it just seemed wrong to drive past
without paying our respects, as we’d only visited British and Commonwealth ones
on previous trips to northern France.
It didn’t take long before
one of the main differences between US and UK approaches to war graves made
itself apparent – the presence of a resident ‘superintendent’ from America,
keen to welcome visitors and answer any questions. Before long we learned that
unlike UK war cemeteries in foreign countries, US ones are not established at
or near the battle site where soldiers would have fallen, but are instead
organised into aggregated and larger memorials in response to over 65% of US
war dead from WW1 being repatriated at the request of their families. The smaller
number of overseas memorials means that the US is then able to fund a resident
superintendent – at each of the 26 overseas sites.
The knowledge that
approximately another 65% of bodies were missing from the St Mihiel site,
simply added to the poignancy of the sheer scale of death that had been
delivered on an industrial scale, and via a newly mechanised form of war.
Leaving the cemetery, and
the sunshine behind, it wasn’t long before we were approaching the northern
French coast east of Dieppe, our port of return to the UK. Drawn by the
interesting nature of the surroundings and the existence of a few ACSI sites
that were still available to us in the second week of July, we were soon
following the blue dot on our ACSI App to camping Le Ridin in the Baie de la
Somme area. The App showed it as a few hundred metres from the sea, which was
interestingly described as ‘not suitable for swimming’ – but the site did have
a heated pool – hurrah!
We had no idea how busy an
ACSI site midway between Dieppe and Calais might be. We knew that we were not
yet in the main French holiday period, and not that close to a major route into
Holland from the south (we had seen many Dutch campers heading north), but Le
Ridin is a small site and we were not that surprised to be told that it only
had one ACSI space left.
So, after pre-ordering the
obligatory morning croissants for our penultimate stop, we set up camp amongst
a variety of mainly rental chalets and private bungalows. The site is operated
by the ‘Yelloh Village’ group, and having stayed at two of their sites in
Portugal and France in the past, we were prepared for a proper pimped up
experience. Perhaps the site has only just started on an investment plan, with
most of the investment in the permanent rather than touring infrastructure…but
I doubt we’ll be rushing back any time soon, even though the heated pool made
for an enjoyable bask and swim in what was left of the sunshine on this trip.
We did get to the bottom of
why the sea was described as unsuitable for swimming when we walked into the
nearby village of Le Crotoy for the shellfish treat we’d promised ourselves. It’s
really good value here with 1.5ltrs of moules et frites costing only €8.50 –
bargain – if probably enough moules in one bucket for two people (we had one
each of course – Mr Creosote would have been proud!) and the moules were some
of the smallest and sweetest we’d tasted – delicious!
The reason for no swimming
(except for a very narrow strip right in front of the lifeguards) is that the whole
of the bay area is subject to a big tidal race, second in Europe only to that
at Mont St Michel. At as much as 10m between high and low tide, it’s an awesome
sight as the endless sand flats are very quickly overrun by rushing sea water.
You can make out the speed of the incoming tide in the next photo by the lean
of the buoy, set beneath the grey and windy sky – also helping to prepare us
for our return home!
On our way out of Le Crotoy
to Dieppe we explored along the coast and found a really good Aire just south
of St-Valery-sur-Somme across the bay, as well as a very large and reasonable
Aire in Le Crotoy itself for just €7 – somewhere we may use on a subsequent
trip, as not only are the seafood restaurants perfect for a last night treat,
the variety of seafood available from the various shops and stalls along the
seafront was fabulous, including samphire and other sea greenery as well as
delicious looking mussels, oysters and crabs.
For us though, our last
night was to be in Dieppe and parking up in the revamped Aire by the port (€12)
we were able to walk into town for our final meal out on this trip – a
delicious romp through some Dieppeoise cuisine that seemed to be a prefect end
to an amazing trip.
Of course the weather
continued to be wet and windy, and although we had seen how hot the UK had been
in June whilst we were travelling in Croatia, somehow it seemed to be getting
us acclimatised for the changeable weather we were to encounter once we had
settled back in at home – already putting some rough plans together for our
next trip…
So, thank you Croatia for a
remarkably fun and interesting visit – without doubt we experienced a standard
of camping higher than any other European country we’ve travelled to so far,
and with hospitality second to none, Croatia is a country we will be returning
to.
S&J.
PS We hope to get the final ‘data’
entry posted over the next few weeks, giving a summary of route, fuel and
camping costs etc.
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