Bliss Ventures
I am Bliss, descended from wolves, a 4000 year lineage of Siberian Huskies. I’m travelling the World in our self converted campervan Ivy with my Mum & Dad (Vikki & Darren). I love to be in nature seeking adventure. The spirit of my ancestors with me. Läs mer🇬🇧Isle of Wight
    • What to do on rainy days?

      6 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Weather forecast says rain all day today so we’re staying put. It’s time we had a slow day anyway and it’s so peaceful here, we have everything we need and we can plug in for free electricity to top up our batteries so it would be rude not to.
      On trying to light the diesel heater for some hot water to wash up with we soon discovered we had a problem! It seems we have air in the system again which is preventing it firing up. This is bad news as we will likely be needing hot water and heating when we get up into the Pyrenees mountains so we need to fix it somehow.
      Luckily we had until 10am before the rain was due so Darren was able to get under the van to try to figure out a solution. Next thing I hear is “Oh shit!!” as the inlet tube to the filter snapped off as Darren was trying to reposition it! Oops... what are we going to do now! Well, after a bit of head scratching we figure get rid of the filter altogether (it’s broken now anyway) and hopefully that’ll get rid of the air that’s stopping the boiler from lighting up. So we get it all back together, minus the filter, strap the pump back up with gorilla tape (someone forgot the zip ties!) and realise that we only have three more tries to get it lit before the Truma heater system locks itself and we won’t be able to try anymore. So with bated breath we try to start it up...it splutters white smoke and then fails again! We only have 2 more attempts before it will be locked!
      Finally...really not expecting things to go well, it works!! Yay 🙌🏽 we have hot water and warmth. Then the rain arrives and we spend the rest of the day inside enjoying our little cozy home on wheels. Cheese, biscuits and nibbles in bed and a couple of crime documentaries, what more could you ask for.
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    • A pond with ducks and a million frogs

      5 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      In the morning we thought we’d get our step count up and join those people for a walk around the lake. As we were getting ready to leave I saw another otter, that’s 3 now! This time Darren managed to get a short video of it swimming near the shore. We walked around the lake which is pretty big! At least 10,000 steps worth! Lots of bloody annoying fit people running past us all the way. Definitely moving on to a quieter place today...
      Moved on and found a pretty little park up next to a pond. Went for a walk, which is the first thing we always have to do when we arrive anywhere (whatever the weather) as Bliss is like an excited child going “where are we now! Let me out! I need to see! I need to pee! Let me out!”
      So like dutiful doggy slaves we get out in the rain to check out the area. Walk towards the pond and all of a sudden loads of frogs leap away from our feet back into the pond. Bliss is beside herself... Prey drive fully triggered. Darren very nearly went for an unscheduled swim. 😂
      Returned to the van for some food and the remainder of the afternoon spent resting, listening to the frogs 🐸 ribbiting and the rain on the roof. It’s so cozy and relaxing inside Ivy when you’ve nothing to do and it’s raining outside...(if you can tune out Darren’s snoring) 😴 😂

      Title disclaimer: Not a racist honest 😇
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    • Lakeside under the trees

      5 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      Arrived at a lakeside parking spot, no services but hoping to find a peaceful spot to rest as we’re all quite tired. Lovely view of the lake but unfortunately there was a constant stream of people walking, running and cycling along a path that circumnavigated the lake. We had thought we’d stay a couple of nights here but it’s too busy so we only slept the one night. In the morning we ourselves walked the perimeter of the lake. Lots of joggers and fishermen met along the route.
      Bonus though… finally captured an otter 🦦 on camera!
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    • Le Mont Saint-Michel take two!

      4 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Amazingly, considering our sore feet from yesterday we managed to actually get up and get going before dawn. So so glad we did, it was beautiful, the mist rising from the open fields was glowing as if on fire as it reflected the sun rise. Not a soul to be seen until we neared the bridge to the island and then only a handful of people were about (strangely they all seemed to be Chinese people!) Bliss was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, clearly enjoying the day as much as we were. The walk there went in the blink of an eye as we were awestruck by the sights and sounds of a perfect morning. We arrived at the island and as if for the first time we could now see what we had missed the day before amongst the scrum of people. The village is amazing, how on earth was this possible, it was built like something you could only imagine ever seeing in a fantasy video game. The stone walls and cobbled streets with gift shops, cafes and restaurants that were built on such a gradient and the many quirky little narrow passages and steep stone steps leading to small clearings where trees grow and walls with death drops everywhere (I’d never want to take a child there, I’d be a nervous wreck!) for someone scared of heights it certainly triggers your vertigo. Birdsong all around you as you are now at their level high up on the rooftops as you ascend the steep winding steps. Unfortunately we could only get halfway up because we weren’t able to take Bliss into the monastery or the museum but it was still very much worth making the effort to get up and go again when it was quiet. I would have loved to have seen it at night, I imagine that lit up it would be stunning. We made the long walk back to Ivy tired but happy and set off for our next journey to our next overnight stop.Läs mer

    • Crowds at Le Mont Saint-Michel

      3 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      Arrived about midday to a vast car park and were directed towards a dedicated camper-van area which was about as far away as is possible to get. After a brew we started the long pilgrimage to the Mont. I had read advice not to come in the morning because there would be school trips and the afternoon would be a better time to visit. How wrong could they be!...it was absolutely heaving with people. All the way from the car park, an hours walk to mont saint michel there were so so many people. We went along anyway but in truth it wasn’t at all a pleasant experience, couldn’t see anything but people, we were packed together like sardines. If you know anything about Darren and I you’ll understand how this made us feel. I’m surprised Darren didn’t just flip out like Taz of Tasmania and send French folk flying from the buttresses in all directions. But beyond any expectation we both managed to keep our cool. So very proud of Bliss too who took it all in her stride.
      After a short while we left for the long walk back to the van feeling quite disappointed and mildly stressed out.
      But then Darren informed me that it was open 24hours as it’s basically a village, people actually live there. We decided to get up at dawn and go back then, hopefully it will be quieter and a much better experience right?
      Got to bed early and set the alarm for 5:30am… Will I actually get up?
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    • Back to the coast

      2 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      We’re drawn toward the coast like the water flowing from the stream we slept at last night. We found an aire that has electric and water dump so going there for just the one night on our way to see Le Mont Saint-Michel the next day.
      We had a walk down to the beach with Bliss who was able to get off her lead so she could have a proper run around. It was heartwarming to see her so happy and behaving like an excited puppy, sometimes lately when she’s tired it reminds me she’s 9 years old, to see her having fun like she did when she was young is lovely. From the beach we can see Mont Saint-Michel, a massive village with monastery castle at the top all built on an island in the sea, it looks amazing from here so can’t wait to see it properly tomorrow. Later we took a walk around the small seaside village and indulged in a cake shop. Happy days!
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    • Tranquil rain alone in nature

      1 maj 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      We bade a sad farewell to our quiet village stop by the river and headed off again after a good sleep. Our morning call was the sound of the river, birds and the braying of the donkey.
      We drove some distance to our next quiet riverside stop and settled down for the night. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw another otter. This time much closer and sitting on his haunches grooming himself, close enough for me to get a video of him. Darren passed me his phone so that I could capture him and I proceeded to get what I thought was a great video of him on the river bank...BUT…when we watched the video afterwards it turned out that as Darren passed me his phone I must have touched the camera switch and ended up videoing my jumper instead!! So annoyed with myself. 🫣
      Nice quiet night in the middle of nature, listening to the sound of the rain on the van roof. Slept really well.
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    • Another beautiful riverside spot

      30 april 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      After a short walk around Broglie to find a fresh baguette for our tea, and a tidy up in Ivy we headed off to our next destination. Another stunningly beautiful drive through countryside that just keeps taking our breath away to yet another river side spot for us to relax, have dinner and stay the night. Met a lovely local lady and her dog who came over to introduce herself, she gave us lots of ideas about places we should visit on our way down south. She kindly listing them on Darren’s phone so we would remember them. I, with the help of the lady’s dog spotted an otter in the river which I and both the dogs were very excited about. We had dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching the river and hoping to see the otter again.Läs mer

    • Broglie

      29 april 2024, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Darren found a lovely river side park up so we headed off early afternoon to Broglie. It was a couple of hours away and a simple drive on quiet roads. We stopped off at Lidl to pick some supplies and were hoping to give Ivy a wash but the car wash was euros so we couldn’t do it as we don’t have any. Must try to get some somewhere soon. Quiet night, slept like a baby ( I don’t know why we say that because in my experience babies don’t always sleep well!)Läs mer

    • A magical walk to Gerbaroy Village

      28 april 2024, Frankrike ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

      Our first day of proper adventures. We got up and walked into the village of Songeon to get a baguette and some cheese and meat for our breakfast and lunch. The bread is delicious and the smelly cheese was nice too. We then went for a walk to the next village which is an amazing place like nothing we’ve ever seen before. 17th century buildings all kept so well preserved and like stepping back in time. Bliss was such a good girl even though she got seen off by two little terrorist terriers. We wandered around the picturesque village for the afternoon taking in the historic sights, wisteria was growing profusely along many of the ancient buildings and walls, the scent it emitted was fragrant in the air. We decided to take the long way back through the woods, Darren saw a small fox but I sadly missed it. By the time we got back to the van we both had sore feet and tired legs as we’d managed to clock up over 17,000 steps. Not used to walking that far anymore. We polished off the rest of the baguette, cheese and cold meat before Darren washed up and we all retired for the night tired & happy somewhere over the rainbow.Läs mer

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