Scotland – sub zero camping and a trip down memory lane!

Days 1 – 9 Off to Arran!

(NB we have put a few hyperlinks in if you want more info - click and you will be directed to a standard 'are you sure' page!)

Mrs B and I have been talking about a trip in Evie the campervan up to Scotland to see our good friends Paul and Sue on Arran for some time… years in fact! So it was with great anticipation, expectation and a little bit of trepidation that we headed into the unknown on a dull day in March, not sure as usual where we would stay on the first night until we had tucked some miles under our belts.

 

Which is how we found ourselves on a small Certificated Site (CS – the small sites licensed by the Camping and Caravanning Club, C&CC) that we are very fond of, as they are usually tucked away in interesting places.

 

And whilst this small site at Leyland near Preston might not win many prizes for its picturesque location, it offered all we needed for our first night’s kip and we were grateful to pitch up just before darkness fell.

 

 

Not one of the cheapest CSs we’ve stayed on at £20, but it offered all the usuals, including hook-up, which we decided we’d try and find for all stops on this trip if we could, in order to run our hot water system and radiator and have the back up of a plug in 1kw ‘greenhouse’ heater if needed. Forward planning for expected low temperatures in Scotland…

 

As it transpired, we didn’t need the plug in heater this stop, and after a reasonable night’s sleep with the gentle drone of the M6 in the background, we woke to more dull weather before setting off to reach Scotland later that day.

 

As the CalMac ferries to Arran have had, at best, a challenging reputation of late, we had decided to err on the side of caution and aimed to stay close-ish to the departure port, Ardrossan, by the end of day two. We’d also booked ahead on the last-but-one ferry, in case of problems or cancellations. It’s not possible to ‘stand by’ in a motorhome for these ferries, unless you’re an islander, so booking ahead is essential. We decided to take the windy and very scenic route across from Dumfries, via the interestingly named ‘St John’s Town of Dalry’ on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park to give ourselves plenty of time and an interesting drive to the coast. We’d plotted this route after having searched on our Park4Night app over lunch for a possible stop not far from the port and realising that, in theory, we had time to do a bit of site seeing…

 

Arriving at the quirkily named ‘McFadzean John’ site, another CS and perched on the hills above Culzean Castle just before dark, again (for scenic read slow, very slow), we were treated to our first sight of the Isle of Arran, Ailsa Craig and, in the distance, the Kintyre peninsula and even further west, Northern Ireland – just 12 miles away at its closest point!

 

We had been recommended the C&CC site at Culzean Castle itself, but as it didn’t open until 31^st March we had to cast around nearby. And how lucky were we! This is a very basic site (the showers and toilets are in a brick outbuilding on a working farm) but it is kept very clean and the views are truly spectacular. And at £15 with hook-up it’s an absolute bargain! The owner, Fiona, was extremely helpful and friendly and taught us how to pronounce Culzean properly – very useful as we planned a quick visit the next day, prior to catching the ferry to Arran.

 

Culzean Castle (free entry with our National Trust membership thanks to the reciprocal arrangement with NT Scotland) was quite something. Rebuilt in the 1700s it’s more of a country house than castle, and, ancestral home of the Clan Kennedy – that’s Ludovic rather than Jack or Bobby though! There is an American connection however, as when the clan handed the castle over to the NTS in 1945 (the usual death duties) they stipulated that a top floor apartment be given to Ike Eisenhower who stayed there a few times, including whilst President. We only got to see the extensive grounds this time, as the House is closed until the 1^st of April. But we’ll definitely return and to the same CS, it was lovely.

 

It was just a short drive up the coast to Ardrossan port and before long we were queuing with a small number of other over-height vehicles. We knew we were expecting an older, smaller ship, but were surprised when we saw just how small – more like the small boats that ply between some of the islands off Croatia, except for the weather!

 

 

As we wandered around the ferry we chuckled at this sign to the crew area…

 

…and the interesting items on the menu…

 

 

…and, for fans of Outlander, what looked ominously like a portal waiting for us off the shore of Arran…

 

 

Our good friends Paul and Sue have lived on Arran for some time now and its always a real treat to go up and spend some time with them – and at last we’ve made it in the camper as part of a mini trip exploring Scotland! Luckily for us, they are also fans of the travelling life and we were able to hook up on their driveway…

 

 

…from where we had some amazing views of the Holy Isle just offshore…

 

 

We were extremely lucky with the weather on Arran most of the time, and we soon settled into a relaxed routine of amazing walks, delicious food and drinks and lots of nattering and catching up in-person on the past few years – not to mention the odd wee dram!

 

If you’ve never been to Arran, it really is Scotland in miniature and well worth a visit. The following pics give a snapshot of what we got up to…

 

Looking east back to Lamlash where we stayed…

 

 

Up behind Lamlash…

 

 

Around Glen Rosa…

 

 

The north east side around Sannox…

 

 

A couple of Navy ships, well camouflaged - until the sun shone…

 

 

The ruins of a small farm and cottages abandoned in the clearances, with my new best friend Clyde…

 

 

Sannox at the end of the walk, the mainland in the background and Clyde in the river, again!

 

 

Looking north from the shore of the main town and port, Brodick…

 

 

…where there is this cool shed with produce for out of hours shopping…

 

 

Before long our week with Paul and Sue (and Clyde!) had whizzed to an end, and it was time for the start of our trip to explore bits of the Scottish mainland, assuming the ferry was running…

 

 

Luckily it was, and on time! Thanks Paul and Sue for your hospitality and an amazing week – can we stay again?

 

Landing in Ardrossan it was time to stock up before we headed north. Having been introduced to the wonderous spurtle for stirring porridge without it getting lumpy, and having failed to find one on Arran, we tried in the main supermarket thinking that anywhere that has a sign just for porridge surely must…but no, so the search continued…

 

 

 

Days 10 -12 Memory Lane and uncharted territory…

 

Mr B spent some his childhood in the mid 60s in Scotland and, in spite of being beaten with a tawse for the heinous crime of starting to write before the teacher had given permission (on his first day in a Scottish school aged 7) he was keen to visit his old junior school, Gourock Primary. Now a block of private apartments, it still has an imposing look about it…

 

 

…as does the block of flats where he used to live on the top floor, and get the bus from to school…

 

 

Lunching in Gourock on another Scottish delicacy, Scotch Pie as we looked across the Clyde estuary, we started to scope where we might fancy exploring over the next week. With heavy snow on the eastern side of Scotland, we decided to explore up towards the Trossachs to get started. Which is when we discovered that of the many sites in the area that popped up on Park4Night, only one was open at the moment, and it was full! Oops – maybe we would need to be a bit more savvy about booking ahead up here, or coming later in the Spring.

 

Luckily, as we continued to look on the App, we saw the symbol for a ‘paying aire’ at Loch Katrine in the Trossachs. Taking a risk as there was no way we could see of booking ahead, we decided to give it a try and as the location should allow plenty of free camping opportunities nearby, even if we had to do without mans electric for the night.

 

After a beautiful drive heading north from Glasgow into the national park, we eventually found our way to the loch-side car park we had read about on the App. And sure enough, there was a camper parked up and plugged in! Pulling into one of the empty bays and finding no-one about at the main office, nor a way of paying to stay overnight using the automatic machines, we were super pleased to find that the hook-ups were live! So, after leaving an explanatory note in the windscreen and plugging in, we settled in for the night.

 

And how lucky we were that we could plug in, as the temperatures dropped overnight and we woke to a covering of snow!

 

 

We were somewhat relieved to see that there was a tractor with snow plough ready for action and by 0900 the car park was coming to life, as staff turned up at the visitor centre, office and café.

 

 

With the snow now melting, Mr B popped over to the office to explain that we had stayed the night and wanted to stay another, as there was a promise of a boat trip and walking around the shore! The prices are fair here: £15 to park and an extra £10 for electric and access to a heated camper shower and toilet!

 

And, as we were booking the boat trip for later that morning Mrs B added to our growing list of Scottish delicacies by buying our first Tablet a sort of fudge on condensed milk steroids. It was delicious – and we bought two more before we left …

 

Loch Katrine is home to the lovely old steamship, SS Walter Scott, launched in 1900 and still offering tours of the lake. Unfortunately for us, it won’t be getting up a head of steam until the end of April…

 

 

But that didn’t stop us from boarding the diesel ship Rob Roy, seen in the foreground of the picture above, for a fascinating and informative trip around the loch. Owned by Scottish Water, the Loch has been the primary water source for Glasgow since 1859, featured in some of Sir Walter Scott’s poems and novels, was the birthplace of the outlaw/folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor, and is an obvious tourist magnet!

 

Chuffed that not only we had a warm night’s sleep, but that we had a chance to get a boat trip and a walk in as well, we set sail under a cloudy sky that threatened snow and or rain…

 

 

…admired these moraines from the ice age…

 

 

…and saw, according to the skipper, a ‘fish ladder’ that joins up with an adjoining loch…

 

 

Returning to the quayside after being told that the slower return was due to one of the engines failing (glad they kept that to themselves until we disembarked!) we headed to the lochside café to warm up…

 

 

After thawing out from the bitter wind on the lake, we went for a walk around the northern shoreline, as the skies started to darken. We only covered a short section before we needed to head back, but it is possible to do a longer one way walk and return by boat later in the season, as well as longer circular walks. Not wanting to miss out on the legacy of Sir Walter Scott, here’s our own homage to the Lady of the Lake!

 

 

Learning from our discovery of the potential difficulty of finding a pitch on an open campsite, before we set off from Loch Katrine the next morning, we phoned ahead to a site that Mrs B had found at Blanefield in the grounds of an interesting looking hotel, and right on the West Highland Way footpath should we fancy some more walking…

 

First though, we wanted to head east to Falkirk to see the famous Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, something we had hoped to do and now only a short 50 mile drive away (we hadn’t really appreciated just how narrow the distance was between the two coasts!).

 

 

Days 13-14 An interesting campsite…

 

We had both wanted to see these two famous attractions ever since we saw them featured in the Great Canal Journeys TV series with Prunella Scales and Timothy West back in 2015. Wanting to do something for such a long time probably explains why the driving rain and howling wind wasn’t enough to put us off as we left the M9 and parked up in the almost empty visitor car park of the Kelpies!

 

Standing at 30m high, these amazing stainless steel sculptures, which were built in 2013, were truly impressive, in spite of the weather!  Based on the Scottish mythical shape shifting spirits, the Kelpies are intended to celebrate the long history of horse-drawn canal transport, and they stand either side of a new sea lock that links to the Forth and Clyde Canal.

 

 

Certain that we would come back to see them in better weather and enjoy the canal-side walk to the Falkirk Wheel on another visit, we struck lucky in the visitor centre and at last managed to get ourselves a spurtle to stir our daily porridge in an authentic Scottish style!

 

Then it was only a short drive over to the Falkirk Wheel. It is possible to walk along the canal, which we would have, but the weather was truly awful and we were already soaking wet. When we arrived, unlike the free off-season parking at the Kelpies, the ANPR-assisted barrier issued us a ticket as we pulled up in another near empty car park in driving wind and rain!

 

The only rotating boat lift in the world, this engineering marvel joins the Forth and Clyde with the Union Canal, enabling boat travel between the two coasts at this narrowest part of Scotland for the first time since the 1930s and replacing what used to be a flight of 11 locks.

 

 

It’s possible to book a short trip on the wheel, and also to take a stroll up to the Antonine Wall which Mr B was particularly keen on ever since he discovered that there was another Roman wall north of the more famous Hadrian’s, even though he had left his sandals at home…

 

However, with the weather worsening, and sure that we would be returning, we settled on a brief walk around the site to watch the wheel in action, as one coach load of visitors/passengers was swapped for another. It’s an impressive and majestic sight to watch the wheel transport a barge 24 metres into the air using the Archimedes principle of water displacement to balance the two parts of the lift – genius!

 

With just enough daylight left for us to get to the ‘interesting’ site at Blanefield, we retraced some of our route to the motorway, after stocking up for what promised to be a campsite with a difference!

 

And indeed, difference was delivered in spades! Our first inkling that this might be a different type of stopover was when we called to book and were told by the very friendly and genial owner that we’d discuss the price on arrival… This turned out to be £50 a night, the most we have paid anywhere in Europe so far, broken down as £20 per head plus £10 for electricity. This is obviously better value for solo travellers, which is no bad thing. Plus, the cost included a breakfast in the hotel, all day access to the hotel's lounge area (with roaring wood burning stove and a Stag’s head…), with snacks and hot drinks in the dining area, as well as the usual camping facilities. Camping guests were also welcome to have dinner with the hotel guests if they wished. We didn’t, and for those who know Mrs B, you will know why!

 

 

So, not a cheap stopover, but certainly interesting…

 

And our curiosity continued to be piqued after hearing the owner talk about his family history stretching back to the 12^th century (his father, Sir Archibald Bruce Edmonstone is the 7^th Baronet of Duntreath castle, just around the corner…) we ended up spending an interesting evening on the free interweb researching the back story… Suffice it to say that it’s a chequered one – but the welcome was warm and the location is outstanding, so much so that we decided to stay for two nights and do some exploring of the West Highland Way.

 

As we turned in for the night and the temperatures dropped to -3c, we checked the weather…snow forecast! And sure enough, when we woke there had been a light snowfall…

 

 

…so, tummies full on instant porridge and toast from the hotel’s breakfast offer, we set off for what we hoped would be a visit to a distillery and a pub lunch…

 

 

After a couple of false starts in the still falling snow (we were relying on some photos of the route from a guide book!) we settled into a combination of checking our bearings and admiring the glorious scenery that unfolded before us. We figured we should arrive at the Glengoyne Distillery around lunch time and we hoped to move on to the Beech Tree Inn for lunch. However, as we discovered from staff at the distillery, we were out of luck as it was closed that day!

 

 

The visit to the distillery was great fun! We decided not to do the tour, with tastings, on an empty stomach, but we were able to sample a couple of single malts before adding a full-sized bottle to our rucksack! The staff were really friendly, knew plenty (and more) about our interesting campsite and the family that own the land, including that not only was another nearby hotel a meeting place for the mistress of King Edward VII, Alice Keppel (daughter of the 4^th Baronet of… you guessed it, Duntreath) who happens to be the great grandmother of Queen Camilla, but Duntreath was also one of the meeting places of a certain Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles… Bring on the Republic!

 

As we rejoined the West Highland Way, munching on our emergency energy bars instead of sitting down to a pub lunch, the sun broke through the clouds and the rest of our trip back to the van was bathed in glorious sunshine.

 

 

Ever vigilant for a forage opportunity, and aided by the sunlight, Mrs B spotted some wild garlic, which just happened to be ready and a perfect addition to the evening’s dinner of pan fried chicken…

 

 

When we returned to the site we were able to move Evie to the best pitch on the site, which was now vacant…

 

 

Dinner that night saw us nice and toasty in the van as the temperatures plummeted to -7c, so of course we had to sample the single malt as part of our standard sub-zero survival strategy. It was lush, and all the better for having been gathered in with the garlic on our amazing day out in the glens!

 

Next morning saw one of the heaviest ground frosts we have experienced in the van – it was still -3c outside as we filled up on more porridge…

 

 

 

Days 15 and 16 – the journey south

 

 

Managing to sneak a quick picture of the stag’s head in the lounge before we left…

 

 

… we headed off for a quick walk around the nearby Mugdock Park to get some air before the forecast day of rain returned…

 

 

This place is free to enter and park, and is owned and managed by two local councils. It was once the seat of Clan Graham and, more unusually, the site of a Zoo in the early 50s! We only had time to wander round some of the grounds and historic buildings and loved how it was completely free – and well used as a consequence, even on a cold and dull day!

 

Over lunch in the van we called ahead and booked a pitch for the night on the C&CC site at Moffat, at the pleasingly low cost of £21.50. We had been recommended this site by a fellow traveller at the West Highland Way site, as it was not far off the A74(M) and was ideally placed for our last night in Scotland.

 

Arriving, as is now customary, not long before dark, we made good use of the facilities, dodging the heavy rain that rolled over the site in dark, lowering bands. It was still raining in the morning, so unfortunately we forgot to take a picture!

 

Knowing that we needed to break the journey for a final night, but not sure where, we decided to travel south into England as far as Tebay Services in Cumbria, where we had visited on previous trips north. Not your average service station by any measure, there is overnight parking with hook-up available (currently 1 April to 29 October) including access to hot showers for £25. We’ve not used it yet but hear good things about it for an easy stopover. There’s also overnight parking off season (no hook-up) for £15. The farm shop is amazing, and reasonably priced – so much so that we had an impromptu lunch of one of their luscious pies – each – back in the van!

 

With enough time to digest the pies and look for a likely overnight stop, we decided that somewhere near Banbury ought to be about right, so we plumped for a CS just east of Banbury at Burgess Farm, estimating we should arrive by 1700 easily…

 

…except we underestimated the time to get around Birmingham, even though we used, for the first time, the M6 toll motorway to the east of the city (at £14.50 for our motorhome, it is definitely money well spent unless you are transiting in the wee small hours!).

 

Which is how we arrived, after darkness had fallen, at the basic but clean and friendly site at Burgess Farm. The owners had very kindly let us hook-up and park in their yard, as the camping field was too flooded to use. There was a bit of road noise overnight, but nothing to worry about, and at £20, a fair price for what was available and included heated showers and toilets.

 

 

The drive on from Banbury was uneventful and relatively quick, leaving us time to take a final cuppa in Evie just before we arrived home, and plenty of time to unpack in the dry – perfect!

 

So, what did we reckon to Scotland in a campervan? In a nutshell, we loved it – so much so that we’d like to try again next year – perhaps travelling for a little longer and further north, and, if Mr B is to be believed, maybe with his mountain bike tucked away in the van’s garage!

 

Thanks again to Paul and Sue for their impeccable hospitality during our first week on Arran, and to all the other people we met who, as always, make travelling such an enjoyable experience. Will we be back? Och aye we will!

 

S&J

28.03.23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trip across France Days 55-63

Salies de Béarn Days 55-56

 

The journey across the border into Spain was dominated by the biggest truck-jam we have ever seen. Mile after mile of HGVs on the inside lane, crawling slowly forward. Waiting, it transpired, to get off the AP8 at Irun and turning onto the N1 to cover the last section into France.

 

Which meant we were able to sail past, smiling cheerfully at the Douanes and speculating whether the truckers were buying cheaper fuel; dodging motorway tolls; or just queuing for lunch in one of the many Spanish eateries lined up before the border.

 

We arrived at Chris and Sue’s with the help of Google Maps and memory (the latter more reliable) via an interesting detour that took us past the town’s Aire de Camping Cars, as we were coming at their place from the opposite direction to normal.

 

 

Last here in 2016, it was lovely to see them and experience their Béarnaise hospitality, which, on our first night, included a lush Garbure, a typical meat and bean stew of the region.

 

Waking to a dull but not-raining-yet day, we went out on a walk around the edge of their extensive slice of French countryside and were introduced to an element of French rural life we had no idea existed…

 

 

The palombiere! In a nutshell, this seems to be a tradition in the Aquitaine/South West region (and into Spain) where, in the months of October and November, wild pigeons are hunted as they migrate towards warmer climes, with the ingenious use of tame/previously captured pigeons that are hoisted into the top of the tree canopy via some very Heath-Robinson looking contraptions. The idea being, that as a flock is sighted, the tethered birds are ‘activated’ via long lines and pulleys and the flock is enticed into the canopy – or close enough, to be shot by the intrepid hunters, themselves also perched precariously in the canopy!

 

The amount of feathers and shotgun cartridges we saw attested to the apparent efficiency of this way of hunting. Taken for their meat, Chris explained that the pigeon hunt is also as much about the men getting out into the woods and having a drink, sometimes staying out to eat in small cabins, as it is the gathering of a pigeon harvest!

 

Thanks for your hospitality both and good luck with the ongoing work at the house!

 

 

Oloron Ste Marie day 57

 

Once on the key trading route between Dax and Zaragoza and situated where two ‘gaves’ or mountain rivers meet, it’s a hat-fiend’s hot spot for a Basque beret, the txapela. It also has some ‘almost’ hanging houses Cuenca style.

 

We went there after leaving Chris and Sue to chill and plot our route across France, hoping to get a chance to try some of its regional delights, including the local ewe’s cheese.

 

 

However, after arriving in lovely autumn sunlight at Camping

Pyrénées Nature, our departure coincided with what turned out to be a trip north plagued with lots, and lots, of rain.

 

So, as became common on this part of the trip, we left knowing that there was plenty to come back for on another visit!

 

Septfonds Day 58

 

We saw, in between the bands of rain marching across France, some absolutely gorgeous autumn landscapes, none of which, unfortunately, we managed to capture on camera!

 

Taking us in a general north-easterly direction, our route enabled us to head for an ACSI site we had used once in the past, Camping de Bois Redon. On that occasion, we arrived late in the afternoon, in the dark, with hardly anyone else on site except the owner, a lovely Dutch chap who was really helpful in spite of us no doubt dragging him away from a nice cozy fire…

 

Oddly, for reasons we were never sure about, we managed to time our arrival in the dark again, and had an almost exact re-enactment of our last visit! The only substantial difference was that last time it was very, very cold with hard ground, and this time it was very, very wet with some extremely muddy pitches indeed!

 

 

Following the advice of the owner, we parked up sideways almost on the gravel road and settled in for the night, with the (just) heated shower block a short walk away.

 

St Germain les Belles Days 59-60

 

Setting off after a very quiet night, we set our route more directly north and onto the fabulous and free A20 heading for yet another ACSI site we had used in the past, Camping Montreal, where we had also arrived in the dark and were helped by a friendly Dutch owner we had dragged out into the night…

 

This time we made a better show of the drive though, and we arrived in daylight (just) to find a lot of activity in the on-site restaurant, where preparations were being made for some live music! Too tired from the driving to be tempted by some Australian/French harp-driven swing, we woke the next morning to a gap in the rain, and treated ourselves to a walk around the lake, which we remembered from our last visit…

 

 

Except, the lake had been drained just a few days prior to our arrival for maintenance! So instead, we enjoyed a walk around the empty basin of the lake, enjoying the left over memorabilia of the previous owners…

 

 

and, noting how the lake had probably been formed from what was once a confluence of many small waterways that were now beginning the task of refilling it!

 

A chat with the (now Anglo/American owners) confirmed that the lake was the idea of the Mairie back in the 70s, and the lake has been shared by the locals and the campsite ever since.

 

We really enjoyed our couple of nights here, giving a welcome break to the pattern of drive, sleep, drive that we were in danger of slipping into and would definitely stay again.

 

Lailly en Val Day 61

 

Slipping back onto the A20, we decided that as we had upgraded our stop with two consecutive nights on a site with hot showers, we could maybe rough it for a night and stay on an Aire – so long as we had some electricity, as the nights were getting as low as 2c, and although we have a gas heater, with electric, we can use our passive-heat radiator that is plumbed into the hot water boiler – a much nicer form of background heat if you have the luxury of choice!

 

We had already made a sort of ‘agreement’ with each other in the planning stages of the trip that, if the chance arose, we should try out one of the commercial Aires we had first discovered near Marseille, which are barrier controlled, with electricity, wifi and the usual water arrangements. And with the bonus that if using their Camping-Car Park App to find one, it tells you how many spaces are still free – a great idea if you are taking a punt on an unknown location.

 

Which is how we found ourselves, in the dark, heading for an unknown Aire that was just a short drive from the free one we had used in Jouy-le-Potiers on the way down.

 

 

The CCP App told us there were 20 free places out of 21, and sure enough, as we presented our card and paid for the night, there was indeed only one other camper there! The Aire was adjacent to a church which, the reviews on the App assured us, only rang its bells up until 11.00pm and then not until 7.00am – good enough for us having endured church bells every 15 minutes on our first night in Spain!

 

 

And, although the bells did ring twice at 11.00pm, they didn’t start until 7.00am as promised, and so, having heard them and knowing we could just sleep through the 8.00am ones probably, we settled in for a lie-in…

 

Except, as the 8.00am bells tolled, the only-too-familiar roar of the pointless and petrol powered leaf blowers beloved of all landscape maintenance contractors it seems, started up, and got closer and closer…

 

It was a bit of bad timing we’d arrived on the very day that the Aire, and its surrounding parkland, was due for a bit of TLC, not just from the leaf blowers, but a couple of ride-on mowers as well! We had to laugh, as we make regular comments about how much we admire French municipal pride and how neat and tidy everywhere is – now we know how!

 

After a quick wander around the adjacent lake and a grumble that the facilities here, apart from the electricity, were all turned off, so no water or emptying available, which is a bit cheeky for a charged-for facility, we raced back to the van just in time to dodge the next band of rain that was keeping us company on our return trip.

 

Usually, when we stay at an Aire, we’d pop out to buy croissants and a baguette from the local bakery but, partly as the CCP App had told us that the nearest boulangerie was closed (it was), and partly as we’d already paid for the night, we headed off with a plan to find a site with a nice hot shower. Clearly we are becoming used to campsite luxuries on this cold and wet final leg!

 

Port Authou Day 62

 

Which is how, after extensive web research using all our available Apps, we came to the realisation that this far north, there really aren’t that many sites still open…

 

Undeterred, and spotting an opportunity to swerve a repeat humiliation of navigating around Rouen, we ended up taking a wide arc to the north west of Rouen into uncharted territory for us, le Neubourg region.

 

With the familiarity of an old friend, darkness fell well before we were anywhere close to our destination of Port Authou, where, our Park4Night App reassured us, we would find a small municipal site that opens all year…

 

So you can imagine our dismay as we eventually turned into a long access road to Camping Les Marronniers, to see a very impressive but firmly shut gate blocking the site entrance…

 

No lights on in reception… and not much by way of any lights in the camp ground itself…

 

As this was a Mr B choice, he did the obvious thing and jumped out of Evie, muttering under his breath that there would surely be a sign on the gate and a phone number to call…wouldn’t there..?

 

Leaping about like a man possessed, he had struck lucky and sure enough, there was indeed a sign – and after a brief chat on the phone with the ‘Gardienne’ the gate magically opened and we could see a figure striding across the site to us – phew!

 

Signing in with no more formality that Mr B giving his name, and €16 in cash, we were guided onto a pitch that we were told in no uncertain terms we must reverse onto! Grateful that the Gardienne had assured us there were hot showers waiting, we would have happily parked in any orientation we were asked to, we were just so glad to be able to stop for the night!

 

(Noting the many ‘evacuation in the event of flooding’ signs, we figured the request to park that way was to allow for a quick and easy exit, perhaps!)

 

Pleased that we had a hot shower to look forward to, and intrigued that we had to use an entry code to get in, we decided to wander over before the next band of rain arrived.

 

Well, maybe Mr B’s muttered reference to ‘Xyklon B’ summed it up best, as we moved cautiously around the cold, airless, windowless and fetid rows of closed cubicle doors and the abandoned shaving kit at the one sink, lit dimly by a failing single light…

 

Needless to say, much as we were looking forward to a hot shower, we swerved it and beat a hasty retreat back to Evie!

 

Waking to another gap in the rain we could see racing in from the west, Mr B decided we just had time to empty our chemical toilet at, what he reckoned was an odd emptying point in the nearby field, clearly labelled with a campervan symbol but literally, just a manhole (but no more odd than the showers, surely...?)

 

 

In spite of Mrs B’s suggestions that maybe we should check up by the sanitary block (where there is usually a dedicated area) Mr B, remembering the many other French sites with manhole covers that needed lifting, ploughed on regardless…

 

Of course, as we emptied our recycling in the bins by the shower block, we saw the WC Chimique outside, much to Mrs B’s amusement…

 

With Mr B busy asserting that it all looked to be the same sewage network anyway, but afraid that we might have some awkward explaining to the Gardienne, we headed straight to the gate and escape onwards for our final night in France…

 

Touffreville-sur-Eu Day 63 – our last night!

 

Given the difficulty we had experienced in finding a campsite open already, it was with some trepidation that we started the search for our final night. Knowing only that we definitely wouldn’t be staying at the Aire in Dieppe itself (€12 and very noisy with the arrival and departure of the ferries) we were amazed to see that there was another municipal site just along the coast from Dieppe on the east side, at a little village called Touffreville, Camping les Acacias.

 

Mindful of our experience the previous night, we arrived mid afternoon only to find the site deserted, the barrier down, and the rain catching up with us to add to the now familiar sense of gloom…

 

By now a firm believer that all closed campsite gates in France must have a get-out-of-jail card Mr B was soon talking on his phone to another Gardien (chap this time) who promised to get to us in five minutes to register us… Sure enough, there was a sign, this time on the reception door!

 

The Gardien soon arrived, registered Mr B on the computer system, took payment of €13.40 by card and suggested we choose one of the hard standings further down the site…

 

 

Already confident that we were at a very differently run site, we were extra pleased to find that the sanitary block was heated, as well as the water piping hot – hurrah!

 

And so, after what was by some stretch the best shower we have had in France this trip, we settled in for our last supper, watching the warning lights on the nearby wind turbines twinkle through the rain splattered windows as we started chatting about where we might be planning to go next year…

 

 

Waking to another short gap in the rain, we headed off to spend a bit of time on the coast at Criel-sur-Mer, before the short drive down to Dieppe for our teatime ferry.

 

 

With the wind picking up and the rain continuing to lash the parked vehicles at the port, there was a brief moment of panic when virtually every single other waiting vehicle had been loaded, departure time was only five minutes away, and we wondered whether we had been bumped for some obscure reason…

 

But no – we had been saved for a very tight space at the back of the ship, surrounded by freight trucks – phew!

 

It was a long trip back – six hours tossed on stormy seas instead of the usual four, because of the deteriorating weather, but, with simultaneous sighs of relief, we arrived home at 0130 local time (so 0230 for our tired bods!) parked up in the drive and, knowing that the house would be cold until we went in and restarted the heating, we spent a very restful and quiet night in Evie – the perfect end to a perfect autumn trip!

 

Thanks to those of you who have been following our adventures, and for the comments! We will be posting a couple of reflective entries on driving and food in a little while, but for now, au revoir and ¡hasta luego! And thanks Evie for 3,144 miles of trouble-free travels!

 

S&J

04.12.22