Yup, we’re still in Burgundy..this region has really “grabbed” us, and not only because of the wonderful wines we’ve discovered. Givry was chosen because a) it’s another free Aire and b) it’s adjacent to the Voie Verte cycle route and oh, we do like a good cycle route and c) the aire has picnic benches, one of which we nab for use at lunchtime.
Its a surprisingly bustling little town and having found a space in the Aire we then found Tourist information open at the second attempt. The jeune homme working there supplied us with a token for the fresh water at the aire – €2.50 for 100 ltrs- and offered us free tastings of wine…..eek, don’t tempt us! In 32 degree heat, lunchtime degustations are a dodgy idea.
Yet again, we’re the only Brit van, but we exchange Bonjours where appropriate and it’s all quite amicable even when some vans try to squeeze in a tad too close to their neighbours. After dinner, again at “our” picnic bench, we sit watching bats skitting about through the air….what a treat! A second night is on the cards, as we want to try the cycle route, and next morning we head off to Buxy. It’s a beautiful route through vineyards, on totally traffic free paths- albeit we have to negotiate a few junctions and gates but we only encounter about three cars. Not bad. The edge of Buxy provides a cafe/bar where we each have a well- deserved Monaco. Purely to rehydrate of course.
Friday 13th brings another long drive- this time 160km. The Medieval town of Beaune provides around 70 car park spaces set aside for Motorhome parking -perfect! From the parking it was only a short walk into town, so off we set for the Tourist Information office. The Hotel de Dieu, a former hospital, was recommended for a visit as well as the Notre Dame Basilica. Following our long drive and the intense heat we were too tired for either; instead stopping for a drink and a spot of people watching before returning to the Aire.
Beaune has a real “buzz” to it even though it’s a compact town. The next day was Market Day too so we had a lot to cram into Saturday.
The Saturday market was worth a look around though prices seemed high, for example poulet roti was €17 when similar were on sale in a supermarket for €8.
While meandering through the market, we spotted the Basilica, so went in for a look especially at the tapestries dating back to the 15th Century. There was no audio guide, but Andrew helpfully provided his own, slightly cynical version of the scenes.
Hotel de Dieu did not disappoint at all, despite the hordes of tourists sharing our afternoon visit.
Hotel de Dieu is a beautiful building. The fascinating story of its foundation and subsequent use and of its self funding through farming, wine production and much more was covered by the tour audio guide.
Aires provide some brilliant examples of interesting parking; this clown parked in the roadway when there were many empty spaces. Doh! We also heard a Motorhome sideswipe another, which was inconsiderately parked in a short space- all 8m of him.
A long drive for us, this one was about 255km from our last stop at Brezolles. It looked like an easy drive on wide roads, so I asked Andrew “Do you think your nerves are up to me doing a bit of driving?” His reply was accompanied by an audible “woohoo!” so I guessed I’d picked the right moment to offer. At the next suitable layby, a quick change of driver and mirror and seat positions and we were off again. Ha, only a few minutes into “my” drive, and we were in a small village with those damed chicanes and lorries coming the other way. Hold on to your seats. I should have recorded how much I drove, I suppose, but after a few similar villages and roundabouts etc, I handed back control.
Arriving at Gurgy, the temperature had become oven-like, and we parked up in the lovely setting of the motorhome Aire alongside the river. The overnight charge was 8.60 euros, including electric hook-up.
Once hooked up we were off on our bikes for a cycle along the riverside. Approaching home, my bike’s rear tyre punctured..grrr…so I did the short walk of shame back to camp.
We had booked a table at the village restaurant for 7pm so Andrew set about replacing the inner tube, interrupted only by at least three neighbours who stopped to offer advice, or just watch, then talked about our van etc.
Dinner was superb! One of those 3 courses Menus, with 3 choices per course. Andrew couldn’t resist the andouilette starter….yeeeuk. To further aggravate the vegans, his main course was lapin in a mustard sauce, with tagliatelle…sorry Benjamin Bunny!
Our overnight here was brill, with stunning scenery and we’d highly recommend it.
Having left Normandy and our DDay 75 tour, its time to head South East and Brezolles is chosen as our first Aire in Burgundy region. It’s right on the edge of the village, and just off a busy road with lots of trucks thundering through, but hey, it’s free and has all facilities for Motorhomes.
There are 6 other vans parked up, and we choose our space next to a picnic bench before walking into the village to see what’s on offer.
Most of the shops are closed, but a boulangerie is located for tomorrow. Back at the van, we wrestle with the “no camping behaviour” rule, (which usually means no awnings to be wound out, no tables and chairs, no BBQs) opting instead for hob-cooked sausages with baguettes. Heaven forbid we would be “The Brits who insisted on using their BBQ, against the rules”. We both slept well, despite the traffic noise and the peal of bells from the nearby church. To be fair, traffic had subsided by late evening.
Oh, and what did Brezolles have to offer? The usual- a church, no doubt at least one hair salon and a couple of takeaways, but the fishing lake had dried up due to lack of rain so far this year as can be seen in the photo below.
Andrew did spot what was probably a coypu, and a kingfisher, on his walk to the boulangerie, but they had gone into hiding by the time we both walked into the village later, so we will have to take his word for it.
Onwards….to Courseulles sur mer, another of the DDay landing beaches – this time by Canadian forces-and we just need daytime parking. It’s free, and very near the beach- that’ll do nicely. It appears there used to be a 2m height barrier, which has been dismantled and discarded, so we park up with the other Mohos and wander into town.
All we need is a Boulangerie for some bread, but it looks like the fish market is the only shopping available. All the shops on the port seem to be closed. Still, it’s a nice enough walk along looking at the many fishing boats and pleasure craft.
Even the bridge across the river is closed, thus involving a walking detour to the next one. It’s getting hot, we’re getting frustrated, when suddenly we see a sign, and soon there’s a slightly more bustling town centre. Woohoo, a boulangerie, ah but there’s also a creperie. Plan B- lunch out, so no need for a baguette. Here we had delicious galettes, though everything was garnished with a strawberry or raspberry..maybe chef’s had a glut this year? Finally returning to the aire, there’s another Hymer parked next to us and the excited owner approaches us to tell us our van is from the same village in Germany where she lives…small world, eh? We have a quick natter, mainly in English but I also try a smattering of schoolgirl German, which she seemed to appreciate.
Next stop is Caen, where we visit the Memorial, the museum for peace. We’ve both visited before but feel it’s time a for a re-visit. Managing to avoid the centre of Caen, it’s relatively easy to locate, and there’s Motorhome parking at the venue. Squeezing into a space it’s time for a wander to the museum though our visit won’t be till tomorrow. Not only is this free overnight parking, but we’ve had a discount on the entry tickets, win win!
The memorial is full of interesting exhibits, including this Hawker Typhoon, and tells the history of WWI leading to WWII and subsequent war crimes trials. Very thought-provoking.
The atmosphere was very different to the DDay museums, as it encompasses so much more than “Overlord”. There was a group of teenage schoolkids, three of whom thought it was OK to take over a small cinema area during a film; feet on seats etc, whilst talking loudly. Grrr….after a few minutes of tutting, direct action was needed, so we (with another French man who was similarly annoyed) stood in front of the “yoofs” as they clearly weren’t watching the film, and when they continued talking loudly, Andrew turned to them, saying “Pardon, j’ecoute”..Bravo, that man! Our visit continued, having sorted the younger generation.
Having finally located someone on the farm to take our euros for the overnight stay, we hit the road again, this time heading for Arromanches but we were distracted en route by the sight of military vehicles outside the Overlord Museum at Colleville-sur-mer. This turned out to be an excellent detour. It is a private collection of military vehicles and more, often in the form of mock-ups based accurately on original photographs from WWII. A lot of these vehicles had been in use until the 1970s and beyond. A background of the sound of battle in the air and on the ground, created an immersive experience. There was also a photo collage of war veterans, accompanied by excerpts of their stories in their own words. A humbling exhibition. All in all, a museum not to be missed, though we nearly did.
Onward, along more narrow, meandering roads towards our destination of Arromanches. We had expected to find a Motorhome Aire in town, but the nearest we found had a 2m height barrier. Gee, Thanks. Instead we followed some dubious signs for “Camping Car Parking- Payant” which seemed to take us miles out of town. Once at the parking, however, it would cost us just €6 for 24 hours. And we got a seafront spot overlooking the Mulberry Harbours. As for being miles out of town, nope, it was a 10 minute (albeit very steep) walk into town.
The view from our room. Arromanches Mulberry Harbours, put in place to support the D Day landings.
A walk around Arromanches and along the beach was enjoyed till the rain started. A bit “museumed out” we just took in the scenery, and some fresh air (and fresh rain). Chicken curry with rice on the menu tonight, with lashings of cider. One of our 5 a day, n’est-ce pas?
The next morning, moving on from St Mere Eglise, we headed along some small, winding roads towards Utah Beach, and Le Musee du Debarquement. A continuation of our education on the subject, including a very interesting film, and even more artefacts and real life stories of the invasion.
Our Aire of choice for the night was on a farm. Ignoring the slight “farmyard” smell, we pitched up, once more among Dutch, German and French Motorhomes. These included an unusual 1952 bus conversion driven by an elderly Dutch couple.
The bikes came off the rack and we cycled to Pointe du Hoc, a 100 foot cliff where on D Day a US Army Ranger assault group courageously scaled the cliffs using ropes, ladders and grapples whilst under enemy fire. From the viewpoint we could see the multitude of craters caused by Allied bombardments which targeted the Pointe du Hoc German gun emplacements.
Back at the farm, our BBQ attracted the attention of two farm residents- a tiny kitten and a large dog, neither of which got any food from us despite their best efforts. Tonight, we also had The Big Changeover- 1 tog duvet to 4.5, as requested by Andrew, who claimed this resulted in a much better night’s sleep.
Saturday has arrived, and we each have a 6.30am alarm to swear at. A quick shower and dress up, and we’re off to Portsmouth ferryport for the 0900 Fastcraft to Cherbourg. We use our “locals’ privilege” and arrive just before the check-in closure time. Soon, we’re boarding, and Andrew has the unenviable task of reversing the Moho onto the ferry….eek! After indulging in a croissant and coffee, A has a snooze, while I do some people-watching. The upside of being among last to board is that we are then among the first to disembark.
Our first destination in France is St. Mere Eglise, where an effigy of a US Paratrooper, John Steele, still hangs from the church, as a tribute.
The adjoining Airborne museum was our next port of call; an amazing place to learn more about why the town had been a strategic target for D Day. It also explains the story of John Steele, and the other paratroopers who landed here on 6th June 1944. Having found the town’s Motorhome Aire, for our overnight stay, it was a walk back into town for a delicious meal, with obligatory bottle of cider, at a creperie.
Click on the link to see our other D-Day ’75 photos: D-Day 75
We had already updated the van’s USB charging capability by adding in 2 switched USB sockets in the ‘tech’ cupboard and had added a 5Amp 4 USB socket, all connected to the leisure batteries, however, we had limited USB charging ability in the van’s cab. In the cab there is the standard Ducato 180W 12V socket alongside the unused lighter socket. Occasionally we use a double USB plug in these sockets, but decided to replace the lighter socket with a proper USB socket to provide 2 x 2.1Amp outlets.
Connecting the new socket was a breeze; the dash disassembled easily and the lighter socket was quickly removed. The crimp connectors on the new USB socket connected to the van’s wiring so no modification was necessary. The new socket is fused separately by its own 5A fuse as well as by a 15A fuse in main fuse box.
The dash display on the Ducato is not particularly well lit and looking at the speedo means taking one’s eyes off the road. The speedo reads in mph, which is not brilliant when abroad. I do use the sat-nav to tell me the speed, but there again, that means taking my eyes off the road. To provide a bigger, better, clearer display of speed we bought a HUD (head up display).
The HUD is mounted in our usual line of vision and can be powered from either USB or ODBII.
When powered by USB, the HUD estimates the vehicle speed using GPS. When powered from the ODBII socket the HUD uses the van’s on board diagnostics to display speed in mph or kph, water temperature, battery voltage, engine revs etc. We have connected ours to the ODBII socket and hidden the cable in the dash panel.
Finally, time to escape for a few days. A quick trip to Normandy had been a possibility, but the costs and time spent on the ferry made a short break seem overly expensive so instead, a plan was hatched to visit somewhere more local. There are some easily reached counties near Hampshire, and now seemed an ideal time to investigate. The West beckoned us. Ever mindful that the school holidays were imminent, we weren’t looking for coastal areas, happy for a bit of culture.
Wiltshire
Our first county hop. Soon, we were stocking up in Lidl just outside Salisbury , after which we headed off to the camp site. We had driven through Salisbury a number of times and had stopped there once for a meal, but we had never taken the time to have a good look around. This time we did. From the campsite the city centre is a pleasant walk of about a mile and a half, mostly along the river Avon, and the old centre was easy to find – we just looked for the tall spiky thing on the skyline.
We knew that the Cathedral was going to be special and it didn’t disappoint. Conceived in the reign of Edward III and completed in only 38 years, this magnificent building really is a sight for sore eyes.
We paid the entrance fee (cunningly disguised as a donation) and explored the Cathedral; we even took advantage of the free, newly-established tour of the Cathedral’s stained glass windows and to cap it all we viewed the Cathedral’s original copy of the Magna Carta. The Cathedral is a magnificent edifice in really gorgeous surroundings, so during our 2 days in Salisbury we spent many hours wandering around the surrounding area, including the gardens- thankfully without a hint or sniff of the Novichok left by some suspicious Russian “tourists”in 2018. So, we now know a bit more about Salisbury, and it’s well worth a visit. Next county?
Somerset
For Somerset, we chose Wells as our base for a few days. I’d wanted to go to Wells ever since watching the excellent film “Hot Fuzz” which was set there. Fiona had been before, on a flying visit. Our campsite of choice was Wells Touring Park, an adults only site. This was a short-ish walk from the city, but there was also a bus stop outside the site, so we opted for bus travel for a change. The site was great- spotless facilities, and it was quiet and peaceful. Once in town, we were ready to spot some film locations. There is a regular “Hot Fuzz” tour, on Saturdays, so we missed that. The cathedral is another stunning location, and, having paid another “donation”, we were able to wander round and explore it. Wow! what a place….possibly even more stunning than Salisbury’s , the jury’s out on that one.
The free cathedral tour was about to start as we arrived so we joined it and were treated to an informative and interesting tour, full of extra Things to See. Later, on our meanderings we “discovered” the Bishops Palace and as it was late in the day, decided to come back and do the full tourist visit the following day. The palace itself was, hmmm, OK, but its grounds were well worth the entrance fee.
After 6 days of glorious sunshine, the weather changed on Friday. When I say changed, I mean it rained all day. This didn’t really matter to us as Friday was a travelling day and we travelled down to Moreton campsite which is just outside Dorchester. What did matter to us was that our Sat Nav took us 7 miles along a very narrow, winding road, only to turn back at the end and head in the opposite direction, back to where we had started 30 minutes earlier. That awful moment when you realise what she’s asking you to do…Damn technology.
Dorset
En route to Dorchester we diverted to the main Tesco for food, only to find its car park very difficult to use, definitely not suited to larger vehicles.
The rain stopped prior to our arrival at Moreton and once settled in we wandered over to its railway station and caught the hourly train into Dorchester, which was a 7 minute journey time away. A visit to Tourist Information had us loaded with maps and suggestions of places in the town to visit; my preferred place was Goldies pub on London Road. It’s the oldest pub in Dorchester, so a visit with some history…oh, and they have Hobgoblin Gold on draught. Delicious. The weather continued to improve overnight and Saturday saw us again catching the train into Dorchester for another good look around, following one of the recommended Walking Tours of the town, doing some shopping and, of course, another visit to Goldies.
A day and a half was probably enough time to spend wandering around Dorchester so we had only booked 2 nights at the Moreton campsite so Sunday morning saw us packing up and heading for Aldridge Hill in the New Forest.
Hampshire
The “Camping in the Forest” Aldridge Hill campsite has no facilities; no showers, no toilets; it does have both grey and black water waste disposal as well as fresh water taps and only cost £40 for 3 days. Of course we have our own toilet and shower onboard, and our two leisure batteries provided ample power “off grid”.
Our pitch looked out over the heather towards trees which was home to numerous cattle, highland cows, horses and a multitude of butterflies. All of the above roamed through the site at various times of day and evening. Well, they do live in the Forest, we’re only visitors.
Aldridge Hill is 10 minutes cycle ride from Brockenhurst, which has an independent baker among its range of local shops so we were able to enjoy “viennoiserie” and fresh coffee for brunch, once back at the campsite, while marvelling at our surroundings in the New Forest.
The weather turned very hot; over 30C, which we felt was too hot to cycle around the forest. Even the New Forest ponies were feeling the heat, and taking shelter. Instead, we settled for long walks on some of the many forest trails, keeping ourselves cool in the shade offered by the trees. Highlights were the sight of a woodpecker doing his work on a tree, and a treecreeper, flitting about in the woods.
Our three day stay at Aldridge Hill passed all too quickly. It was a very relaxing place. We will definitely be back. Downside is, this site has a very short season.
