Scroll down to read blog! Posts are in reverse order – most recent first! However, in the menu below, we have grouped them into whole trips, which can be read in chronological order! This blog was set up to be our diary of our adventures in our Campervan Boris, which are often somewhat spontaneous! however, we have also had some big adventures without Boris, and these are included here too! We have a particular interest in Good Food so this features quite frequently, and I hope to make this a useful resource for fellow travellers. Welcome :)
Jan 8th. Farewell to House sitters. Train to Peter and Tracy’s house. Taxi to airport. Catch first plane. What could be simpler? Anything apparently, as we missed the first train! It shut the doors 1 minute and 15 seconds before departure and would NOT open them! Luckily there was a lot of leeway built in, and despite a rail strike AND a big rail accident, we made it in plenty of time.
Our trip is huge, and is constructed around a 7 leg multi destination ticket, plus lots of short hops on local budget airlines. (Some of which may make Ryan air look luxurious!). I wanted to use airmiles to upgrade the longest flights to business class to try to avoid leg cramps. This was not permitted, but the lovely people at Round the World Travel found us a ticket with Emirates and Qantas for just a few hundred pounds extra, that gave us Business class on all 7 main flights, and included all our internal Australia flights AND free taxis to and from Heathrow and Dubai Airports. 😊🙃
So.. at Heathrow we headed for the Emirates Lounge. Wow… comfortable, peaceful and an endless supply of yummy food and drink. Veuve Cliquot Champagne Sir, or perhas a Chablis premier cru. The water was nice too😕.
Then to our business class seats…ooh..more champagne! Then hey presto…we have a lay flat bed. I never want to travel any other way!
6.5 hours later we land in Dubai. After recent news stories about people being arrested for having too many pills, I was understandably anxious about the small pharmacy I carry with me. Luckily our bags were checked through to Sri Lanka from London, thus avoiding customs, and immigration was a speedy formality.
We had a 17 hour layover thanks to a flight change, and had arranged to meet Mike, a german expat who hosts the air bnb we will return to in April.
He took us for a 1 day tour of Dubai. Old town, museum, souk, waterfront were fascinating, and we had a delicious inexpensive lunch at the Arabian Tea House. This is a traditional musical instrument…a skirt wrap covered in goat’s hooves!!!
Then on to the restaurant in the architecturally and decoratively stunning Burj al Arab – just for the amazing views. (See pic of tower below. Had I realised how ridiculously unsupported the platform is, I might have thought twice against going up!) We didnt eat there…this hotel is seriously expensive. We came downstairs and did splash out on drinks on the outdoor terrace -Wow!
Then onto the Palm, a massive area of reclaimed land full of hotels and apartments in the shape of a giant palm. By saying you are going for a drink in Barazura, you will get into the gorgeous Atlantis hotel. The interiors are stunning, as is the enormous aquarium.
Finally to Dubai mall, where, alongside carpeted shopping avenues, you could let your child drive his own car around, wonder at another huge aquarium, marvel at a 155 million year old diplodocus skeleton or gaze at the wall waterfalls.
Then outside to round off a ridiculously busy day watching the incredible fountain display, plus light show on the Burj Kalifa.
This is a city that invites you to suspend belief. Anything is possible. It is opulent, materialistic and frivolous… but fun and interesting! Seeing it through the eyes of a resident was especially helpful. This was just desert 40 years ago. We enjoyed Dubai much more than we expected to.
Back to the airport and free dinner in the business lounge again as we wait for our 02.45am flight to Sri Lanka!
These backpacking holidays, roughing it, are great!!! Ahem😉
We left Seville Tuesday morning and headed north, using the excellent, and toll free, route 66 through eastern Spain. We had a stop at the fascinating city of Merida, which was once a hugely important Roman city. This is evident from the extensive buildings which remain interspersed with more modern buildings. We could only visit the amphitheatre, classic theatre, temple of Diana and casa del Mitrio, however you can buy an inclusive ticket to all the monuments. and the museum.
In addition, the 9th century moorish castle contains a fascinating well. It is housed in a building and reached by a divided descending stairway so that donkeys could be brought down to collect water and go up the other side.
After Merida we pressed on Northwards to a city I have always wanted to visit, Salamanca.
We arrived at 8pm and found the free parking under the bridge. We walked into town because we had heard it was wonderful at night. We were immediately bowled over by the network of historic syreets and beautiful sandstone buildings, all illuminated. The Plaza Major is a jewel. We ate delicious tapas at the Vegetarian Cafe Atelier and wandered back to Boris.
Salamanca is full of history, and home to one of the oldest universities in the world. The next morning we explored the city again, climbing the Bell Tower and visiting the Old and New Cathedrals, which are woven into one. They contained some of the best mediaeval wall painting and altar paintings that we have ever seen.
Our time was limited so we did not visit inside the Old University buildings or the architectually lovely Art Deco museum .. we are saving that for next time!
We did find a super restaurant, En La Parra, for a final special lunch… a delicious and creative tasting menu for 37 euros. A great end to the Iberian part of our holiday. Luckily we have done lots of walking so we havent put any weight on! The food has been marvellous everywhere.
LThen a long drive north almost to the Spanish border with France. Another free night opposite Orio before some Spanish supermarket shopping to buy ‘essentials’ like my favourite Salmorejo soup!Crossing into France we stopped at a bird reserve and with the help of a Grey wagtail, a Greylag goose and a humble blue tit took our bird list total over 100 for the trip.
Finally our drive north continued to Pons for 2 days with friends before sailing home from Cherbourg on Saturday. What a great trip!
We will have driven nearly 3000 miles.. this map shows our route.
3 great days meandering south down the west coast of Portugal. Temperatures 28 -30 degrees☺
Firstly a visit to Monserrate Palace near Sintra. Wow! Created by an Englishman in the 1750s who employed the Head gardener from Kew, and laid out massive English style gardens on the steep hillside. House was in the arabic style and has recently been restored.
We decided to bypass Lisbon and Sintra on this trip, and so headed south before visiting a super bird reserve at Lago Pequena, then driving through the beautiful scenery of the Parque natural da Arrabida, where we camped in the ecopark near Setubal. 8 euros with full if simple facilities and electric hook up, and facing the sea.
Day 2 we headed for the south-west coast of Portugal. En route we saw the great sight of storks nesting on pylons!
Remote, undeveloped and with the best scenery… we loved it. Our first objective was a local seafood restaurant… restaurant Azenha do Mar – getting our priorities right! It was in the middle of nowhere at a tiny port. We arrived at 12.00 and just got a table. It reminded me of our favourite places in France. Great home cooking and packed with locals and artisans. We chose the local speciality… rice with crab and king prawns. The crabs were brought in from the fishing boat while we were there! Beer was 1 euro! Fantastic meal for the total sum of £12 per person.
Then we explored the stunning coast with great cliff top walks, before watching the sunset at Cabo Sardao and spending the night at the excellent camping Villa Park Zambiyeira.
Zambijeira was a lovely coastal village with a stunning beach.
Day 3 we continued exploring coastal spots and walking wherever possible. Migrating birds were frequently passing overhead, the highlight of which was great views of a booted eagle.
Our 2 favourite spots were Odeceixe, and Bordeira beach near Carrapateira.
Finally we arrived at the very southwestern tip of Portugal and continental europe. We free camped on the headland at Sagres, and watched the sun set into the sea. Then a chance find of Mums restaurant in Sagres…. a small cosy place catering for vegans, vegetarians and Pescatorians. Best meal of the trip so far. A great sleep then up to watch the sunrise, because this headland faces east towards the Mediterranean as well! Fab!
My blogs have caught up with my facebook posts! I will still post in both places as I have friends who only use one of them. It would be lovely to have some more followers for the blog. Then you get notified when we make a new blog post 😀
Yesterday was super…it just all came together. Lamego is the home of a chapel built high on a hill, in the mid 1700’s. A huge ornate stairway was built, ascending from the town below, with tile panels on every landing. The church is Santuário da nossa Senhora dos Romedios do Lamego. Pilgrims ascend the 684 stairs on their knees! Thanks to a sneaky back entrance to our campsite, we were already high up, so we descended!😀
We then explored the old town centre and the cathedral before driving to Regua.
We parked easily in the super new camper spaces by the river. 3 € per night including electricity! Then a lovely lunch in Sus Douro in a beautifully converted goods shed before our train trip.
And what a trip! The track hugged the riverbank as it wound up the Douro valley passed steep terraces of vines and olives owned by all the major port wine houses. It was a special trip using a vintage steam train pulling historic carriages. Free glasses of port were handed out, and a costumed folk band moved through the carriages. Everyone was singing, clapping and even dancing. We felt as though we had gatecrashed a huge party! At the 2 stops an artisan market was set up with all manner of local produce to try, and the stations were decorated with tile panels which were over 100 years old. What a trip!
We drove into Portugal and immediately noticed the change in architecture and cultivation. Weird! Came to the amazingly pretty town of Ponte de Lima which claims to be the oldest town in Portugal. It has a roman bridge. . well part of it is original… and delightful buildings. Campervans park free by the river and we had a lovely, very inexpensive meal in the local taberna.
Our favourite thing is the sculpture of roman soldiers next to Boris.
On the opposite river bank is a roman general on his white horse.
In 135AD a roman general arrived here… his men thought the river was a legendary river Lethe, and if they crossed it they would lose their memory. The general rode across first and called every soldier by name to prove he had kept his memory! The soldiers are on this side…the white blob is the general on his horse!! This town is so lovely it plays classical music through it’s lamposts! Sad to leave!
Bom tempo para patos!
We can officially confirm that the forest fires are out…. you can stop raining now for a while.. please!!
Thankfully good waterproofs mean the rain doesnt stop us getting out and seeing the sights. And Boris is very cosy😊. The next day we drove to Viana de Castelo on the coast. There are the remains of a large 500bc celtic village there which sadly was closed!! Also an amazing 1920s neobyzantine basilica (!) high on the hill, a beautiful 16th century old town centre and a restored hospital ship, the Gil Eannes, which was used to support the massive Newfoundland fishing fleets, and was really fascinating.
Then on to Porto. They have great free parking for campers on the riverbank opposite the city. Just a 2km walk along a lovely riverside boardwalk to the bridge across the river Douro. And back of course. Stunning on a balmy summer day. Fairly stunning in the pouring rain.. and more forecast Friday. We are here until Saturday… please can we gave a dry day then!
We did have great tapas in Jameo’s … including elvers…. a first for both of us.
The urge to get on the road again was too great, and we found ourselves with a week off at Easter, so at 22.30 on Friday night we decided to go away for a week in Boris. The advantage of a campervan is that we keep Boris 80% ready to go, so 2 hours of adding water, toilet cassette, maps, clothes and food, and we were ready to leave at 8am the next morning! As usual, we looked for the area with the best weather forecast! Nowhere was great, but East Anglia was driest!
(Summary of Campsites, Parking, Activities etc is at the end of the Blog!)
After a day visiting Margaret in Sussex, we headed north over the Dartford Crossing (Remember to pay in advance online or by phone – no paying at the crossing anymore), and aimed for our first Britstop south of Cambridge 216 – a tiny, very old pub next to a river with a Pizza oven! Excellent stop – faint noise from the M11 but it didn’t disturb us.
Next morning, just 11 miles to Cambridge. Park and ride excellent, so we were in the city by 9.30 on Easter Sunday morning. It was deserted, and we enjoyed a super walk around this wonderful, compact and historic city before the crowds began to arrive. One of the great charms of Cambridge is the proliferation of stunning buildings and history all around you, but you are just a few steps away from what is essentially a country walk along the river in the area known as The Backs. Added to that, there is an aura of achievement everywhere – here DNA was unravelled, there the electron was discovered. Stephen Hawking works here… Isaac Newton worked there – what a super place to visit. We took a free walking tour with Footprints Tours. http://www.footprints-tours.com . It was excellent – Charlie our guide was both a student and resident of Cambridge, and a mine of information. We were left in no doubt about Cambridge’s superiority over Oxford (89 Nobel prizes to Oxfords 48 – although he did acknowledge that was partly due to Cambridge having more science options!), and we were very glad that Cambridge won the Boat race later that day!
We also learned that in days gone by they had some interesting interview techniques. One professor threw a rugby ball at prospective candidates. if they dropped it they were rejected, if they caught it they were offered a place and if they threw it back they got a scholarship! Another gave the interviewee a brick and told them to throw it through a particularly historic stained glass window! He had to intercept a few throws – they were rejected. if you could argue a good reason why you weren’t throwing you were offered a place but the scholarship went to those who opened the window first before throwing !
Admission charges to the colleges vary, but we had been told that to see Kings College and is amazing chapel free of charge, the best way is to attend evensong, which is open to all.
We were so glad we did. Because it was Easter Sunday we had the full choir. The chapel is unbelievably beautiful- it’s ceiling and windows have to be seen, but where it surpassed anywhere was with the acoustics. As the choir sang, you were covered in tingly goosebumps! This is the choir that sing the televised Christmas 9 lessons and Carols, and they were amazing. What an experience to end our day in Cambridge. There were lots of places left to explore further – just how we like it. We will be back!
A night at Britstop number 255. This was a super little pub with rooms. The carpark was tiny but sheltered, which was just as well because Storm Katie made her presence felt that night. Its full force hit the south coast, and at 2am we had a message from my son saying that one of our chairs had blown over a 6ft wall into the neighbours garden, and our little plastic greenhouse had broken loose and was now on the study roof! Luckily that was our only damage – other people fared much worse. In Boris we were snug as usual.
Next day the wind and rain were still in full force, so we visited Oxburgh Hall, a super National Trust moated manor, with a priests hole, which was quite a challenge to enter and leave! Highly recommend a visit! There was an EasterBunny Hunt for children – the person setting the trail had a sense of humour – Can you spot the bunny in the 2nd photo?!
By mid-afternoon the sun had come out and we did a lovely walk at Salhouse Broad before heading to Britstop 251 for the night. This pub is attached to the Woodforde’s Brewery, so of great interest to Chris as he uses their Home Brew kits! Large Car Park and a very peaceful night.
Next day we caught the Park and Ride at Sprowston, into Norwich. It is a real mix of old and new, partly due to extensive bombing in the war, particularly as part of the Baedecker raids, when cities like Bath, Norwich and Canterbury were targeted, having been chosen from the Baedecker guide books as having great cultural significance.
The Cathedral is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown. It is a huge and beautiful Cathedral – started in 1069. The Cloisters are beautiful too, and the cloisters and Nave are famous for the carved and painted ceiling bosses at every junction.
In the city there are lots of old areas of narrow, historic lanes, and interesting shops and restaurants, as well as a newly opened riverside walk. The Catholic Cathedral is also worth a visit, and next to it is a super garden in a quarry pit – the Plantation Garden – a real oasis of peace.
Leaving Norwich, we headed to a campsite so that we could shower, empty the loo etc! After finding the site at Ludham, we drove to Hickling Broad Norfolk Wildlife Trust centre and did a wonderful early evening walk to the raptor roost. November to February is the best time of year, but it was a lovely evening, and we were rewarded with seeing 7 Marsh harriers flying in over the reed beds, and 3 Chinese Water deer grazing close by. A group of small birds appeared and we are sure they had literally just arrived from their migration back to the UK. They were feeding frantically. Then we heard a Chiffchaff calling – the first of the year for us.
Next day we did a different walk at Hickling Broad, but some of the view was obscured by the reeds which was a shame. However the beautiful Potter Heigham church was a real treat, with a super hammerbeam roof and beautiful embroidered kneelers. Then we headed south to Norwich Camping – a huge camping and accessories shop at Blofield, east of Norwich. Excellent base for supplies! Then onto Strumpshaw Fen, an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve where we did a super 5 mile walk and saw our first Swallow and sand Martins of the year – Spring and summer can’t be far away! We need reminding of this as the temperatures at night have been around, or below freezing, and in the daytime the windchill has made hat, gloves and scarves essential. But it is dry!!
Tonight was Britstop 246. The pub has new owners who are really trying to turn it around. there was a bit of noise from the road but we slept well.
Thursday we drove to the National Trust carpark on Dunwich Heath and used the Geocaching website to plan a 7 mile circular walk on the Heath and in Dunwich forest. A great walk (which included spotting a Dartford Warbler), and by finding a sheltered spot we were able to remove our coats and have a picnic on Dunwich beach. A long history of coastal erosion has meant that Dunwich, which was an important, thriving port in Roman times, is now virtually all buried under the sea. At very low tide, remains of buildings etc can be seen and mapped.
After the walk, we headed a few miles to the lovely RSPB flagship reserve at Minsmere for an evening walk looking out over the Brackish ponds and scrapes where birds gather to breed at this time of year. Lovely.
We stayed at a small campsite a few miles away at Eastbridge Farm – very basic but just £8 and so peaceful – and a Tawny owl flew right past Boris!
Friday we made an early start back at Minsmere and walked all around the reserve. Lots of different birds but highlights were the Avocets, a close up view of a Cetti’s warbler and 2 rarities – an Iceland Gull, and Mediterranean Gulls. Oh.. and did we mention the wonderful Marsh Harriers hunting very near the hides – great views. They have also created an adder walk, and there were 3 good sized adders basking in the sun – apparently they are quite predictable first thing in the morning, when they need to bask in their favourite spot to warm up before they glide off to start feeding.
Finally, we started the long drive home, but made much more enjoyable by stopping in Beaconsfield to visit Peter and Tracy and have a super dinner in the Thai Rack restaurant in Goddards Green – their treat!! Then we couldn’t resist staying for a game of Diminishing Whist – so home about 1am! A great Bimble!
Car Parking:
Cambridge – Park and ride excellent. £1 to park, £2.70 return on bus. BUT ONLY the Trumpington Park and Ride just off M11 Junction 11 has no height barrier – look for the special lane. All other P&Rs are 2.1m. No overnight Parking
Norwich – Park and Ride excellent. £3.50 return on bus. No parking charge. No overnight Parking
Dunwich – Free car park at Beach. National Trust Car park on heath free for members. No overnight Parking
Minsmere – Free parking. No overnight parking.
Overnight stops:
As usual we made great use of the Britstops Guide – just £27 for 1 year. We stayed at 5 different ones – all pubs this time. Ate a meal in one, had a drink in all the others, so most nights cost us about £5 – and we might well have gone to a pub for a drink anyway.
Tuesday night we stayed at Ludham – Grove Park Barns, a Camping and Caravan Club certificated campsite near Hickling Broad which was a lovely quiet location, with 2 toilet/shower units. Very clean but not the most powerful shower we have ever had! Still – all freshened up again! We thought £16 was a bit expensive for what you got.
Thursday night, in the absence of any Britstops , we stayed at Eastbridge Farm Campsite – just £8, but you need your own loo! there is a water point, and CDP. Essentially just a field, but SO peaceful and within a mile of Minsmere RSPB reserve.
Places to eat:
Cambridge – very busy but we had an excellent meal at Cote Brasserie near St Johns College.
Norwich – Excellent lunch menu – Soup, Sandwiches, Paninis, Quiche, Jackets etc, but all excellent quality and great value – in the Refectory at Norwich cathedral.
Things to do:
Cambridge – Kings College Chapel, Walk along the backs, Take a guided walk, Visit Colleges – Trinity plus Wren library, St Johns, Granchester,
Norwich- Cathedral, Plantation Garden, Meander the lanes. Excellent Tourist Information has many walks.
Birders – Hickling Broad boat trips, walks and raptor Roost. RSPB Minsmere and Strumpshaw Fen.
National Trust – there are lots of great properties in this region – we only visited Oxburgh on this trip – excellent.
So, one of our challenges was a Bimble in Boris every month this year. We didn’t have much time left for January so we seized the moment. The beauty of Boris is that he never seems to suffer with damp so we can get him ready with just a few hours notice. I had to work in West Sussex (about 100 miles from out home in Dorset), running a parent workshop on Tuesday evening this week. Chris had Monday off, so, …perfect opportunity for a Bimble.
We decided that we wouldn’t cook in Boris this time (great excuse for some January meals out!), and so we set off at 1.00 Monday. Within 20 minutes we had agreed it would be far more sensible to eat a main meal at lunchtime so that we didn’t have to go out looking for a restaurant on a dark, windy night. Hmmm – we were just about to pass one of our favourite New Forest pubs – The Oak Inn at Bank, near Lyndhurst.
www.oakinnlyndhurst.co.uk We hadn’t been for a while and…. well why not?! They had a table and we enjoyed a really great Winter’s lunch. It is a wonderful, traditional Forest Pub and with it’s fire, was lovely and warm. They have an excellent menu, but we went for real winter warmer food… well…we did AFTER we shared an excellent Greek Meze platter to start! Chris had Game Faggots and I had Calves Liver with Horseradish mash. Both were superbly cooked and very tasty – just the job!
Then, off we went. The intention was to stop at Horndean in Hampshire where my father had grown up, to look for my Grandpa’s grave. He was Lieut. Arthur Henry Warburton, R.N, and he died in 1949, so I never met him, but I wanted to find it. Success in the Victorian churchyard, and the grave was covered in Snowdrops which was rather nice.
Old photo from 1949 that I used to locate the graveGrave of Grandpa Warburton Jan 2016
Then on to the Chichester harbour area, where we found a place to stay at Cobweb’s campsite on the Cobnor Estate on the edge of Chichester Harbour. Their actual site was too wet due to the almost endless rain we have been having, but they found us a place in the farmyard – right next to a boat – useful if it keeps raining!
Apart from the wind it was so silent and we slept very well. Having electric hookup meant we could put the electric blanket on which was lovely! Next morning, a path from the site led us to the edge of Chichester harbour and we did a pretty, but blustery walk for a mile or so before turning back. Lots of birds but all very hunkered down against the wind.
Looking towards Bosham
Then into Chichester where we parked on the Festival Car Park without difficulty – £3.90 for 5 hours, and an easy walk into the centre. Chichester is a small but beautiful city. We visited the Cathedral which is unique in its collection of 20th-century paintings, sculpture and glass. These include a window by Marc Chagall, a tapestry by John Piper a beautiful copper font and a painting by Graham Sutherland. However the art in the Cathedral also contains some wonderful early objects including the 12th century Lazarus Reliefs and the 16th century Lambert Barnard paintings. We also visited the interesting museum in the Novium building. Both were free admission and worth a visit. The Novium is built on the site of a partially excavated Roman Bath house.
Finally a visit to a restaurant – you guessed it – there had to be food here somewhere. I had found Amelie and friends on Tripadvisor. http://amelieandfriends.com It was situated in a beautiful old building in the heart of Chicester. On entry we were greeted warmly and shown to our table. The restaurant was fully booked on a Tuesday in January – a good sign!
The menu was lovely, with a good range of choices. The portions were not huge (that suits us – although the fish pie was pretty generous) but the quality of the produce, the taste and the preparation/presentation were wonderful.
Chris had ham hock with baked apple to start, and homemade Fish Pie which he said was superb. I loved my Goats cheese and pear starter, and for main course I had John Dory with roasted fennel…mmmmm.
The desserts were gorgeous, and too tempting to resist. We both recommend the Kir Royal Souffle and the Moelleux de chocolat. Wow.
It was a lovely lunch on a wild, wet and windy day!
Then we had to drive to Billingshurst where I was to work. A quick change into work clothes, a cup of tea for Chris and a game of cards while we waited for the start time… that is the beauty of the camper van. We could have had a light snack as well…but we were TOO FULL!!!
The workshop went really well, finishing at 9.00pm – but then we had the drive home in the teeth of a pretty ferocious storm. At times the rain was being driven horizontally. We made it home by 11.15, having really enjoyed our short, but productive, January Bimble!
Another day catching up with Jenny and Tim (I wish they would stop running off!), and visiting the lovely and historic town of Saintes (rhymes with pant!). Roman and gothic relics abound and the newly pedestrianised centre makes it a super place to Bimble away a morning. The formal planting was quite impressive too!The serious business of the trip was to find a good lunch spot. We can wholeheartedly recommend La Terrasse, by the river, whose 18 euro 3 course lunch was exceptionally good quality and value.
Rain was forecast for the rest of the afternoon so we headed back to the house and had a good session of cards and nattering.
Saturday September 19th
My birthday! A nice breakfast and a lovely gift of a picture frame from Jenny and Tim, before our sad departure 😔. Thank you to Jenny, Tim, Mimi and Monti for a super stay, but Mimi…. you need to improve your hide and seek technique before our next visit!
We headed north via the outskirts of Rochefort and La Rochelle. This is an excellent way to avoid motorway tolls!
We used to own a cottage in the Vendee and as we drove by we resisted the pull to go and see the village …We had a more important mission!
When we had the cottage we also had a favourite vineyard.. Chateau de Rosnay. We wanted to get there before it shut for lunch!
We made it in time, and soon 2 boxes of our favourite white wine – Tendresse – were installed in Boris. Time to head north again, picking up the autoroute just south of Nantes from where it is free all the way to Rennes and Caen.
It was a good drive. We stopped to picnic on the Nantes – Brest canal, but that was our only pause before arriving at Carrefour at Ouistreham to stock up with cheese and other ‘essentials’.
However we were not heading straight for the ferry. By using the ferry at 8.30am next morning we saved £140, and having the camper we could sleep in an aire free of charge so didn’t need to pay for a hotel room. So we crossed the river at the site of Pegasus bridge and went a few miles east to Cabourg, where we enjoyed a bracing walk along the promenade and the dunes before returning to Boris to get changed.
I had booked a restaurant for dinner using their Internet booking site. Au pied des Marais had super reviews and we were very excited. When we arrived it was a bit of a shock when they said they had not received the booking and were full. My face fell and they took pity on us and found us a table. Wow am I glad they did. The food was exquisite and very unusual. Presentation was excellent and the service was so courteous and helpful. The owner / head chef was charming – he takes all the orders and serves the main courses , and is often clearing tables and serving drinks and chatting to his guests. There was a roaring fire which some of the dishes were cooked upon.
For our foodie fans, here are some photos of our choices. Nibbles were followed by 2 amuse bouche – a veloute of carrot, pleurotte and broccoli and a broccoli, and chorizo mix with tomato cream on top.
Starters – Chris had Oysters while I had a tower of Lisette (tiny fish) with vegetables and asparagus topping in a gazpacho coulis. Then the Trou normande. . A delicious apple sorbet over which they drizzled Pommeau (16%) or Calvados (42%) – your choice!
Entrée – we both had Skate in a tower with vegetables, spinach puree and a sensational apple cream sauce. Then cheese – a bon bon Normande which was a parcel of melting camembert.
Finally, the dessert and to my astonishment mine arrived with a candle and Birthday greetings piped around the edge, and served by the owner..who offered to sing but said he didn’t recommend it!
Finally coffee with home made bonbons!
Sublime. And the price of that whole menu was 36 euros.. about £27.50.
What a treat. Thank you again Chris as this was the second half of my birthday present!
Finally, we left at 11pm, and went from the sublime to the ridiculous. We drove back to the port at Ouistreham and Boris crept in to the aire next to the docks, where about 40 other campers were already hunkered down for the night. We found a spot and snuggled down for our last night in Boris for this holiday. We set the alarm for 6.45 and both slept like logs!
Sunday September 20th
The alarm worked and we were soon queueing at the ferry terminal. It was a foggy start but it soon lifted and we had a flat calm crossing, arriving into Portsmouth by lunchtime. Best of all, we spotted a gannet and an arctic tern which took our bird total from a frustrating 149 to a brilliant 151 for the holiday!
Then home, and after some unpacking etc. Jen arrived home and cooked us a delightful birthday dinner. Delicious. 💗 A fabulous end to a great trip.
The Yelloh campsite at St Emilion was excellent and we got all our chores done before leaving and driving West, through Libourne and out along the Dordogne estuary to Bourg. From there we followed the Gironde corniche road to Villeneuve and on to Blaye. It was narrow in places but very quiet, and it was interesting to see the houses built here, with their gardens down to the water.
At Blaye the Dordogne river has merged with the Garonne river to form the huge Gironde estuary. Blaye was first defended by the Romans. Subsequently a significant 12th century castle was built when the area was under English rule, but today what can be seen is a huge citadel built in 1685.
Boris at the citadel at Blaye.
King Louis XIV wanted to defend the estuary and he commissioned Sebastian Le Prestre Vaubon to devise a plan. The estuary was wider than the range of cannon fire, so Vaubon devised a plan to bolt the estuary shut. He built the citadel at Blaye, Fort Medoc on the opposite bank and a small fort on a reclaimed sandbank in the middle. These were not subjected to attack until 1814!
We explored the citadel, dodging a few spots of rain. There is ample free parking for campers just outside the gates, and it is a nice overnight stop as well. There is also a municipal campsite inside the citadel!!
It was then time to head for a supermarket to stock up on some essentials… wine, Normandy cider, confit de canard…. before taking the excellent D137 north to Pons to avoid the motorway tolls. Every other vehicle seemed to be a campervan heading south. British, German, French and Netherlands. It made us sad to be heading home, but first we were heading to our friends in Villars-en-Pons for a few days.
We had a lovely afternoon and evening catching up on news and enjoying a scrumptious Fruits de mer supper. I’ve never seen so many Oysters and Prawns, and the Crab was wonderful.
Now to sleep in a bed for the first time in a long while.
Thursday September 17th
We heard on the news about terrible rainstorms to the south of us which had resulted in 2 deaths, and then saw that there had also been torrential rain in the UK with flooding in Bournemouth and Boscombe at home. We were obviously very lucky to have missed most of it!
Today we headed out to Talmont, a lovely village on a promontory founded by King Edward I. The old church is lovely – very simple, and looking out over the estuary as it has done for nearly 1000 years. The town is quite a tourist trap but still very pleasant. The streets are lined with flowers and there are some excellent artisan shops and eateries.
Fishing was a major industry here, and the adjoining cliffs have traditional carrelets or fishing huts.
We had excellent and very reasonable galettes for lunch at La Talmontaise, and then drove to Palmyre for a blustery walk along the cliffs, again looking out to the estuary, but much nearer the open Atlantic now. There is a beautiful sandy beach here which is dotted with the remains of Nazi blockhouses from their Atlantic Wall defences in WW2.
Following the walk we headed back to Jenny and Tim ‘ s via a garden centre where we spotted the latest must have accessory to enable you to take your dog or cat for a walk…..the doggy pushchair!
Then back to Jenny and Tim’s for another excellent supper and then a very giggly evening of cards!
After a weird nights sleep (when I was sure I was rolling out of bed…but the slight slope was in the opposite direction) we reviewed the weather. Rain had been forecast, but was downgraded to showers so we decided to do a 3 mile circular walk from the campsite along the strikingly beautiful Basque coast. This area is notable for its cliffs and coves.
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We were at the junction of horizontal black Flysch rock, which resulted in huge wave cut platforms, and vertically folded white limestone. It was a super, if very hilly, walk, only slightly marred by the arrival of a shower towards the end. Waterproofs were donned for the first time this holiday and we finished the walk nice and dry inside them. By the time we reached Boris the rain had stopped, and within 30 minutes the waterproofs were dry!
Then we suddenly decided to say goodbye to Spain and drive into France.
One hour later we were pulling into a carpark in St Jean de Luz, just south of Biarritz.
St Jean de Luz is a beautiful town that has had good fortune throughout the years. Firstly it became a wealthy port due to lucrative fishing in Newfoundland. Naval wars in the 16th and 17th centuries put an end to this, but the armed ships were put to use by the naval Corsairs .. legalised pirates one might say. They brought great riches back to the town, and many grand buildings were built, including the unbelievable church, with its 3 tiers of galleries!
This was also the church where King Louis 14th married Maria-Therese the daughter of the Spanish king, in 1660. This was to seal a pact between the 2 countries and end years of war, which also meant St Jean de Luz was no longer attacked and pillaged from both sides!!
The town’s last wave of glory was between the World Wars, when it attracted the rich and famous from around the world. A cubist casino was built and some super grand villas. It is a beautiful town and we really enjoyed walking out onto the cliffs, and then back along the mile long promenade to the port. Ice creams were obligatory!
The old town centre is very pretty, and the shops reflect it’s continuing status as a chic place to be seen. Paris boutiques and gourmet food shops abound including those selling the renowned Espelette poivrons, often with very impressive displays of them outside!
Espelette poivrons (peppers)
We would definitely like to return here. There is an aire but it was crowded and noisy. Another time we would consider Camping Cote de mer in the next bay, but today we drove north another 40kms to Labonne Ocean where there is a large aire. We chose this because it is just a few miles from the Marais d’Orx bird reserve that we want to visit early tomorrow morning.
Despite the shower, I am pleased to say that it is still warm enough for shorts, and today is the 20th day in succession I have worn shorts! I want to live in a warmer climate!!!
We took a free walking tour with Footprints Tours. 
Then we headed south to Norwich Camping – a huge camping and accessories shop at Blofield, east of Norwich. Excellent base for supplies! Then onto Strumpshaw Fen, an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve where we did a super 5 mile walk and saw our first Swallow and sand Martins of the year – Spring and summer can’t be far away! We need reminding of this as the temperatures at night have been around, or below freezing, and in the daytime the windchill has made hat, gloves and scarves essential. But it is dry!!
Bimbling! 