La Ferté Saint-Aubin, Loiret, Sunday 25th October 2015

Château de La Ferté Saint-Aubin

We forgot to put our clocks back one hour last night, so we’ve enjoyed one extra hour of holiday time today! And it really has been a lovely day. We woke up to a sunny, bright and fairly warm morning at Pont de l’Arche and after walking Beano and a visit to the local boulangerie, we were on our way again to St Jean Blanc, just south of Orleans.

Pont de l’Arche view from motorhome aire

On arriving there just after midday and finding it teaming with people and the motorhome aire full of cars, we had to make a quick decision as where to go next and La Ferté Saint-Aubin was the obvious choice, just a few more miles on the same road south, D2020, and we were here by 12.30 pm.

Interesting sculptures near motorhome aire at La Ferté Saint-Aubin

We were very impressed with the location, a wooded park by the river Cosson with a very interesting and original selection of sculptures part of “D’un Bout à l’Autre” (From one end to the other), a joint effort between La Ferté Saint-Aubin and Beachport in south Australia, and it is also very near the Château, which we visited this afternoon. This aire is free and has a borne for water as well as the usual emptying facilities. It is just outside the municipal campsite and has room for 10 vehicles.

D’un bout a l’autre information board

Interesting and original sculptures part of D’un Bout à l’Autre project

D’un Bout à l’Autre sculpture

I loved this exotic looking flower, part of D’un Bout à l’Autre

D’un Bout à l’Autre sculpture

D’un Bout à l’Autre sculpture

As far as the Château itself, it makes a very interesting and enjoyable visit and we particularly liked the stables, originally built in the second half of the 17^th century, the kitchen, where they were doing cooking demonstrations and hands-on activities for children, making the local speciality, honey fairy cakes and, my personal favourite room, the Orangery, with its superb collection of dolls and old toys, which I simply loved. This room can be hired for weddings, receptions and congresses.

Cake making demonstration in the kitchen of the Château de La Ferté Saint-Aubin

Hands-on experience for the kids

Dolls display in the Orangery

Dolls display at the Orangery

Dolls display at the Orangery

Dolls display at the Orangery

We also liked the park, which covers 80 acres of land, where various traditional games can be played, making it ideal for children and young families.

Waling outside in the park gardens of the Château

Chapel Island in the Château park

The view of the Château from the park

The drive from home to Calais went without a hitch, except that, once again, the aire at Wissant was full and we had to drive a bit further down to Audinghen, like at the beginning of our summer holiday.

From there, we drove to Pont de l’Arche, where we found that the motorhome aire has now been moved to the other end of the car park, right by the municipal campsite. It is still free, but now there is room for 10 motorhomes and the bays are wider, so it is definitely an improvement.

New grounds for the Motorhome aire at Pont de l’Arche, outside municipal campsite

This morning, I walked to the bakery just a few metres from the aire and, besides the usual baguette, I bought a most delicious 3 chocolates cake, which we thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon.

Delicious 3 chocolate cake bought at Pont de l’Arche patisserie

Tomorrow we only have a short drive to Neuillay les Bois near Châteauroux.

Gérardmer, Vosges, Friday 10th July 2015

Lac de Gerardmer

The first week in our new Hymer 584 has gone very well indeed and it didn’t take us long to get used to all the new control panels, doors and windows mechanisms, etc. We are really enjoying the extra space for storage underneath for tables, chairs, fishing gear, buckets and bits and pieces one needs when travelling like this and we really LOVE the separate shower with its own screen, the bigger bed lower down and with more space for the air to circulate, the bigger fridge and fixed dining table and just about everything else. I don’t even miss the oven, as we have bought an Andrew James electric Multi Cooker that heats up pizzas, casseroles and even cooks chips with a crisp finish. It really feels like a step up the motorhoming world!

We had a sort of plan for the first week of our travels that we failed to follow completely and about which we had a very good laugh earlier on. Poor Adonis spent hours researching motorhome aires and maps to come up with a route towards Germany, but for some reason, not really quite sure why, we did something totally different.

The last hour on our way to the Channel Tunnel was slow and painful due to the M20 being shut for Operation Stack after the French strikes at the docks, so we had to follow the A20 through Ashford, which added a whole hour to our journey. Still, we arrived to the terminal 2 hours before our scheduled departure time with the hope of boarding earlier, but all the trains were full and we had to wait until 4.20pm, which gave us time for lunch and a rest before the crossing.

We arrived at Calais about 6.15pm and tried to stop for the night at the aire at Escalles, but they put up a sign now banning all overnight stays, so we tried Wissant further down the road, which was packed by the time we got there. We then moved further down towards Cap Gris Nez and stopped a the restaurant-bar Les Deux Caps in Audinghen, which used to be a France Passion site before but not any more. Nevertheless, we had a beer outside to enjoy the last of the sunshine and asked the friendly waitress if it would be possible for us to stay the night in their car park and they very kindly obliged.

The lovely motorhome aire at Nuncq Hautecote

The next day, Saturday, we did our usual shop at Auchan in Boulogne-sur-Mer and stopped for the day at the private aire of Nuncq Hautecote for €6. this is a lovely aire with all the usual facilities with an extra charge for electricity, which we didn’t need. It also had a country lane adequate for dog walks.

View of the Champagne fields from Manoir de Montflambert, Mutigny

Sunday was our 18^th wedding anniversary and it found us in Champagne country at Mutigny, south of Reims, with amazing views of the vineyards. This aire was free and there were numerous Champagne outlets in the village, but the aire itself is further up the hill following the road to Manoir de Montflambert.

Champagne fields

Motorhome aire at Manoir de Montflambert, Mutigny

From there we carried on south east, past Châlons-en-Champagne and followed the N44 to St Dizier and N67 to Froncles, north of Chaumont in the Haute Marne department. Here we stayed at the aire by the canal and, although the location is very pretty, we felt a bit crowded and, for some reason, I couldn’t quite relax, so we decided to make our way to the spacious aire at Corre in Haute Saône.

The attractive aire at Froncles by canal

We were the only ones in Corre when we arrived and had pick of the pitches and only a couple more motorhomes joined us during our stay.  We love it here because we can swim in the canal and Adonis can fish and the facilities are all included in the €8 daily fee. We ended up staying 3 days, as it is lovely and quiet, with everything we need and the village is only a few minutes walk along the canal, which is also a very pleasant dog walk.  There is a nice bar and restaurant by the Marina and aire too for those who don’t feel like cooking…

The large and mostly empty aire at Corre

The bar and restaurant at the Marina and aire in Corre

The pleasant walk along the canal from the aire to the village

We left this morning and tried a campsite with direct access to the lake Gérardmer, but the only pitch available was too small and totally unsuitable for us, so I went back to reception and asked if we could have our money back, which they very kindly did without any fuss. The campsite was heaving with young families and young people in tents, but we think this is due to the Kayak races taking place at the moment for the French Championships.

Lac de Gerardmer

We are staying at the aire by the Tourist Information Office for €5.50 overnight fee and went swimming in the lake before lunch and after siesta. It’s much busier than when we came 2 years ago, again due to the races we presume, but still wonderful and cooling.

We are planning to cross into Germany tomorrow, but then again, we might change our minds…

Cap Nature, Audinghen, Cap Gris Nez, Friday 27th August 2010

Baterrie Musee Todt at Audinghen

Here we are again on our last day before our journey back to England.  We’ve just been for a walk with Bramble through the woods, past the Nazi Bunker Museum Todt and its impressive Railway Gun K5.  To our amazement, we discovered 3 more bunkers in the woods, all enormous, and we could see some more from the walls of one of them.  We counted 7 through the binoculars and it really makes you appreciate history and the sacrifice of all the people involved.  We’d like to travel further south along the coast and visit the D Day landing beaches next time, like Omaha.

It’s quite cold in here and I could have done with a pair of jeans, a jumper and trainers for the muddy tracks in the wood, but I survived in my Ripcurl shorts, a t-shirt, a cardigan, my water-proof jacket and my flip-flops. 

We were at Montreuil yesterday, where we took Bramble to vet.  He was much calmer this time round and din’t bolt for door.  It was pleasant enough in the afternoon, but heavy rain hit us after 6 pm.  We took advantage of pizza van in campsite and ordered an ‘Andalucian’ with chorizo and hot sauce.

The German Railway Gun K5

 

We spent the evening reading, crochetting and looking at maps for future reference.  We had an early night and got up early too.  It was nice to see the baker’s van by reception, where we got the daily baguette from.  We set off just before 10 am and arrived here by 11.  We bought some beer and lovely mango lemonade before walk and are about to have lunch as stomachs are gurgling already.

This will probably be my last entry of this long and interesting holiday.  So until October, then.  Bye.

 

 

 

 

Batterie Musee Todt, Audinghen

 

 

 

The following entry was written by Peter Saysell (husband)

So 48 days later, after lots of fun, we’re in Audinghen, just outside Calais.  It’s been a really lovely holiday.  We just want to come back again.  Proof, I think that the van life is ideal for us.  At least we’ll be back again in October and this thought always keeps me going at work.  We earn the money there and then enjoy it here.  One third of the year on holiday in France – you can’t complain.  Going to do nothing much for the rest of the day – we have a very early start tomorrow and then home.  5 days and back to school after a special experience.  May write tomorrow!