All the Aires
Neufchatel – Honfleur – Colleville-sur-Mere
When we woke up the camp site was completely covered in fog. Quick pack’n wash then off for 4 hour scenic drive along some coast roads to our next destination: D Day beaches.
Along the way we stopped off in Honfleur, a very pretty port loved by the Parisian jet set. Driving through tiny roads that have tons of pretty little restaurants on either side looking out towards magnificent private boats anchored in the middle, it’s easy to see why. We stopped on an aire [aka Aires De Service], which fundamentally is a network of stopping places specifically designed for motor homes [or camping cars, as the French call them]. Across France you can find aires on private land, motorways, close to camp sites and even on farms and vineyards. They can be large, holding up to and in excess of 150 vans, or tiny spots that accept only 1 or 2 vans at a time, the choice is yours. No way is it the same as a camp site but some locations are very close to popular tourist haunts. We were the only VW on this particular aire as ideally you’ll have to be fully equipped with showers & toilets as these are rarely provided. We only used aires as a safe stop for quick picnics and dog walks.
After an hour playing with the *big boys* we then carried on via Rouen to the camp site we had selected @ Colleville-sur-Mere.
Picnic in the wood
In order to keep costs down we decided to have picnics for lunch. We’d stock up on fresh baguette daily and every other day we would pick a different cheese and different cured meats. Depending on where we were we would stop in different supermarkets and were pleasantly surprised to find that all of the Aldi branches we went to were well-stocked with different local cheeses. The Neufchatel in Normandy is one of France’s oldest cheeses and is very similar to Camembert in texture yet with a crumblier centre and a little saltier & sharper. It’s typically shaped like a heart (other shapes are available…). Legend has it the shape came about because during the Hundred Years’ War, Norman milkmaids wanted to *soften* the hearts of English soldiers (aaawwwww). Supermarkets also seem to stock a wider variety of cured meats perfect for picnics and breakfasts. In France, Aldi’s range of affordable wines is outstanding (we found a bottle of good AOC Bordeaux from as little as €2.99). Having stocked up for the day we headed off to the Allee des Limousins, a bridle path that cuts through the forest for approx. 9 miles.
Val Ygot – Normandy – France
Monday morning. Woke up frozen stiff. Iced up windows. Frost on grass. Brrrrr. Luckily we had remembered to borrow a small portable heater which served us well on this trip. After a cup of tea, some washing up and a shower (facilities at the Sainte Claire camp site are extremely clean, well laid out and housed in what must have been stables once upon a time) we decided to have an easy day and start with some shopping in the local supermarket. Having stocked up for the day we headed off to the Foret d’Eawy for some quality dog time.
We drove through some lovely villages such as Saint-Saëns (where we stopped off to get some fresh baguette from the boulangerie) and Bellencombre in some gorgeous weather with not a cloud in sight and then decided to make our way to Val Ygot, an unusual WWII site with a reconstruction of a V1 bomb right in the middle of the forest. I did not know this but after Hitler was defeated @ Stalingrad he decided to design weapons to destroy London & other British ports and subsequently ordered the construction of 400 V1 launching pads. Completed by Christmas 1943 the Val Ygot site was immediately bombed and as a result never functioned.
We were the only people on site that Monday morning and the historical implications of Val Ygot definitely left an impression on me. It’s quite amazing to stand in a part of the world that was as heavily involved in war time activities & tragedies as Normandy. And the beaches were yet to come…..
Kitchenette in a tent
Here’s a typical *kitchenette* set up; it’s how we like to have it when the drive away awning is up:
1) the gas cooker / grill
2) the kettle (old style enamel, we love the whistle)
3) gas bottle. Note that you can only carry limited amounts of gas into France [for obvious reasons]. We decided to be economical with our gas [in case we ran out and could not find suitable supplies] and cooked most of our food on the barbie. It’s much more of a social affair and meant less washing up: meat on the barbie, salad in a bowl, baguette on the table ^-^
4) bowls, colander, plates
5) wooden boards for chopping, small frying pans and a flat one to push underneath the grill for a quick & nourishing portion of cheese on toast [particularly good with all those lovelies readily available in all the French supermarches]
6) washing up bowl
7) yep, that’s right – mini chopper……. just because nobody should live without hummus or chopped herbs [and sometimes life’s just too short for chopping…]
8) solar camping light. Cosy!
9) we carried everything else in 4 boxes that sit snugly inside our fitted cabinet. We had tons of spices, cutlery, wet wipes, BBQ skewers [for vegetable kebabs with Halloumi, which – incidentally – we found almost impossible to source in French mainstream supermarkets], cups, plates, matches, fire starters, toilet paper and even tea lights ^-^
10) laundry bag.
Everything we could possibly need under one rain tight roof and all you need to do is zip up’n go.
Dover – Neufchatel-en-Bray: Sainte Claire
Dover – Calais – Neufchatel-en-Bray
Camp site: Sainte Claire, €12 with hook up
Managed to catch the 11:10hrs sailing as opposed to the 12:05 we had been booked on. Dogs stayed in car while we went for coffee & cappuccino. Crossing only takes 1.5hrs and having left a very overcast & windy Dover we arrived in sunny Calais @ 14:30hrs. Vive la France ^-^
2.5hr drive to the first camp site we had in mind, Camp Sainte Claire in Neufchatel-en-Bray. Arrived to find a queue of 2 caravans and a very tanned man and his wife from Anglesey (small world) travelling in a tent. Camp site was opened that very same day (1 April) and we were shown to a humongous corner plot facing a stream & field (bit of a theme going on here?). Predominately British & Dutch campers on site. Decided to stay for 2 nights (€12/night with hook up and dogs with ACSI discount card) and once fully set up we cooked pasta & tuna we had in our emergency rations [due to the fact that none of the shops in France are open on a Sunday], washed it down with a bottle of Bordeaux we had bought on the ferry and had an early night watching a film on the laptop.
The adventure has begun!
The docks in Dover
We’re so close to France now we can actually smell it. Calais is only an hour and a half by boat yet as soon as you set foot on French soil you feel a million miles away from the UK. It seemed even the weather improved instantly ^-^ Travelling with pets does have advantages as we found out when we were given a nice big sticker for the windscreen and were about the 5th car to board the ferry. As this was the first time we took the dogs abroad we were a little apprehensive but it is no different to travelling anywhere else with them; we made sure they had a good run before we got to Dover and left it as late as possible to arrive at the docks. And we did see people walking their dogs while we were waiting to board so if you worry about having to lock your dog in the car for ours – don’t.
Planes & docks
It’s the morning of our short ferry trip to Calais and the camp site’s owner turns up to collect the £8 cash we owe him for a night on his gorgeous field. What a truly interesting character he is! He takes some time out to show us around his pride & joy and we respond with *ooooohs* and *aaaaaaaaaahs* as he divulges how he got into flying and what kind of people come to hang out on his land. I’m almost crying over the fact we never got to taste his ice cream but then the anticipation of taking our own pride & joy across the channel to do what it’s supposed to do takes over and we say our goodbyes [see you next year!] and head off to the docks. France, here we come!
Dover / bye bye Britain
UK quarantine laws changed in January 2012 and by March we were finally ready to take us, the van & the dogs across the Channel for some continental fun. We started the trip with a gentle 6 hour drive down to Dover the night before our ferry crossing and arrived @ Solley’s Farm mid afternoon. Little did we know that we had actually chosen a site with no toilet or washroom facilities [#oops]. Time to set up the drive away awning to house the toilet and to provide some much needed shelter from gale force winds that were blowing down the airfield mowed down landing strip in the middle of a massive wheat field. The camp site’s refreshingly eccentric owner keeps his old yet beautiful small aircraft in a massive shed behind his farm, which is genius! After a quick dog walk and a 5 minute hike to the local pub [The Plough Inn in the historic village of Ripple] we discovered that we were allowed to bring the dogs inside the pub for the first time ever, bonus! Couple of pints to wash down game pie (for him) and salmon cakes with chips (for her) while watching the very friendly locals and their dogs mingle on a Friday night. Good start!
Walking up the back – Mount Snowdon
We walked up the back of Snowdon & in this particular picture we took a moment to look back and admire the stunning scenery behind us; it’s a super sunny day and there’s no rain in sight [for real!]. Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales and has previously been described as *probably the busiest*. You’re never quite alone walking up on any of the well-known paths to reach the summit which boasts some of the best views in Britain.
For the less energetic ones there’s the Snowdon Mountain Railway which brings you [almost] directly to the new cafe they built on the summit which is officially Britain’s highest water hole. Oh, and the Olympic flame came here too, when mountaineer Sir Chris Bonnington carried it up in May 2012.
Pick a pub & pitch up
We thought we’d do something different and picked a camp site with a pub, the Snowdonia Park Camp Site. It’s a typically Welsh pub right next to the Welsh Highland Railway that serves simple and home-cooked food & has a variety of delicious Real Ales from their own brewery on offer. It’s neither a gastro pub, nor does it do boutique chic but if sitting outside on rustic benches after a full day of hiking around the Snowdonia Park with a pint in hand while watching the world go by and seeing a lot of locals pop in & out tickles your fancy then this place is definitely worth a visit.
Toilets & showers are across the railway line on the other side of a field (which, I suppose, is a bit inconvenient during the night). It’s a little on the pricey side [£18 per van + £4 for your hook-up] but it’s a nice little basic site with a nice little basic pub & the wilderness literally at your doorstep. I’d score it 4/5 which made us very happy campers ^-^
van plus 4 