Ivy’s Maiden Voyage

In our self converted camper-van named Ivy, Bliss (the world’s most amazing Siberian husky) is travelling full time with her Mum and Dad (Vikki & Darren) in search of adventure, happiness and the best dog food.. もっと詳しく

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旅行の開始
2024年4月25日
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2024年4月22日月曜日
☁️ 10 °C
海抜: 22 m
イングランド Shide 50.696404, -1.28178350°41’47” N 1°16’54” W
Building our tiny home Ivy (Part 1)
2024年4月22日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
We initially had this idea when we first fell in love in 1990, for over 34 years it seemed like an impossible dream. Wouldn’t it be just amazing to make your own tiny home on wheels and go venturing around the world in it? How wonderful would that be? Of course we knew it would always be out of reach for the likes of us.
But then unexpectedly the opportunity came to us.
“Let’s do it now” said Darren. “Don’t be bloody ridiculous, we’re too old “ said I. So we talked and talked through the night until eventually the reasons not to do it had been whittled away to just one. The only valid reason was the fear of the unknown!

We spent the next few months watching Youtube videos on building a campervan and living the van life. Gradually becoming more and more sure of our decision.
Finding a suitable van was difficult,, the perfect van completely impossible. But after weeks of searching we found Ivy. She ticked most of our “must have” boxes and arrangements were made to go and get her from Nottingham.

Having spent her life so far as a delivery van being abused by careless drivers she was in dire need of some tender loving care. So with love and blind naive optimism we began her transformation.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Dream came to reality ✨️
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
You both deserve to fulfill your dream . You’ve worked so hard over the years . Couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple xxx [Annette]
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
5いいね
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2024年4月23日火曜日
☁️ 13 °C
海抜: 22 m
イングランド Shide 50.696388, -1.2817250°41’47” N 1°16’54” W
Building our tiny home Ivy (Part 2)
2024年4月23日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
We began by adding lots and lots of insulation. Built the roof rack from aluminium scaffold poles, added cool lights and cameras. We put cameras on each side so that we can always see what’s happening outside. Then we put in the floor base, the framing for the walls and the vapour barrier before the ply lining. Windows were terrifying to cut and fit, we so nearly messed it up on the first one despite measuring FIVE times first!
Then the ceiling, the bulkhead and the doors. Phew… this is a much bigger job than either of us could have imagined.もっと詳しく
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4いいね
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2024年4月24日水曜日
☁️ 12 °C
海抜: 22 m
イングランド Shide 50.696377, -1.28173350°41’47” N 1°16’54” W
1 1
Building our tiny home Ivy (Part 3)
2024年4月24日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
This is the fun (but really really hard) part. All the furniture, plumbing, electrics, painting and decorating… the whole nine yards. But at the end of our most ambitious project to date we are so pleased with the results. Ivy is everything we had hoped for. Ready to take us on our adventures!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 That’s so cozy
2025/03/18返信する翻訳する
旅行者 💖
2025/03/18返信する
4いいね
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日1
2024年4月25日木曜日 20:30
☁️ 9 °C
海抜: 9 m
イングランド East Cowes Ferry Port 50.758614, -1.28979250°45’31” N 1°17’23” W
Leaving the Island!
2024年4月25日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
The day has finally come for us to take the ferry and begin our adventure to France. We have said our emotional goodbyes and we have caught the 8:30pm ferry heading to Southampton and then a long drive to Canterbury. The journey wasn’t a pleasant one to say the least. The M25 was closed, there were roadworks everywhere and diversions that were extremely confusing, even the multiple satnavs struggled to work out how to get around it all...and don’t get me started about the state of the roads... potholes... it’s like driving on mars in this country! 🤬もっと詳しく
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旅行者Has Bliss been on a boat before?
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
旅行者Yes, lots of times. She’s good as gold. x
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日1
2024年4月25日木曜日
☁️ 12 °C
海抜: 56 m
イングランド Canterbury 51.261433, 1.09876151°15’41” N 1°5’56” E
Canterbury Park And Ride
2024年4月25日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
We arrived exhausted from a much longer than expected drive at our overnight stop in Canterbury. Nothing exciting or scenic but very convenient with facilities that we needed. After a good sleep and well needed rest we set off for the Tunnel full of nervous excitementもっと詳しく
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3いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日2
2024年4月26日金曜日 22:30
☁️ 8 °C
海抜: 62 m
イングランド Folkstone Eurotunnel 51.096008, 1.13890351°5’46” N 1°8’20” E
Channel Tunnel
2024年4月26日, イングランド ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
The drive to the tunnel was very straightforward and the whole process of getting through customs and onto the train was easy. Quite a strange experience, driving onto a train that you know is going to take you deep under the sea and deliver you to another country but apart from a little discomfort when you feel your ears popping and the shaking of the train it was okay really and so quick.
Getting off at the other end was just the beginning of another very long and stressful journey!!もっと詳しく
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3いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日2
2024年4月26日金曜日 23:59
☁️ 7 °C
海抜: 21 m
フランス Fréthun 50.919617, 1.8107550°55’11” N 1°48’39” E
Arriving in France
2024年4月26日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
I was ok with driving on the right but every time the satnav (and Darren) said go left or right I did the opposite!! I seem to have completely forgotten the difference between the two 😂 I think I was just so stressed and tired that my brain was not working at all with these instructions. It didn’t help that it was raining quite hard at times and the street lights in France aren’t great also there’s no cats eyes on the road to help you see the lanes clearly. Saying that though I have to say how impressed I am with the French roads, they are so smooth, not a pothole to be seen anywhere. Not even on the small roads, the roads are lovely to drive on.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Not like the island lol potholes everywhere
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
3いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日3
2024年4月27日土曜日 4:30
☁️ 8 °C
海抜: 107 m
フランス Songeons 49.545017, 1.85522849°32’42” N 1°51’19” E
1
Songeons... our first French aire
2024年4月27日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
We arrived at our chosen aire at about 4am. So elated to have got there alive and in one piece. We sat up celebrating with wine and snacks for an hour giggling and chatting like excited school kids until the last few days caught up with us and we fell into bed exhausted. 😴
We woke by 9am and were greeted by a babbling stream right next to our van and birdsong , what more could you ask for on your first morning in France 🇫🇷 I spent most of the day just feeling so tired and hungover that I didn’t even leave the van until teatime. Went back to bed in the afternoon to catch up on some sleep 😴 before getting up and going for a wander into the small village for some supplies. Lovely peaceful place to stay to recover from the last few days so we’ve decided to stay here until Monday before we move on. Best thing is it’s free!! Only have to pay 2 euros for water and EHU if you need it.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Beautiful ❤️❤️
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日4
2024年4月28日日曜日 9:00
🌬 10 °C
海抜: 174 m
フランス Gerberoy 49.534096, 1.84958849°32’3” N 1°50’59” E
A magical walk to Gerbaroy Village
2024年4月28日, フランス ⋅ 🌬 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.もっと詳しく
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4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日5
2024年4月29日月曜日
⛅ 17 °C
海抜: 153 m
フランス Broglie 49.008075, 0.5305849°0’29” N 0°31’50” E
Broglie
2024年4月29日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 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!)もっと詳しく
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4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日6
2024年4月30日火曜日 11:40
☁️ 16 °C
海抜: 20 m
フランス Oudon 49.052223, -0.02647549°3’8” N 0°1’35” W
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Another beautiful riverside spot
2024年4月30日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 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.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Chilled
2024/05/05返信する
3いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日7
2024年5月1日水曜日
☁️ 13 °C
海抜: 13 m
フランス Remilly-sur-Lozon 49.180825, -1.25117849°10’51” N 1°15’4” W
1
Tranquil rain alone in nature
2024年5月1日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 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.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Highway to ...heaven
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日8
2024年5月2日木曜日
☁️ 13 °C
海抜: 15 m
フランス Le Bingard 48.724693, -1.5238748°43’29” N 1°31’26” W
Back to the coast
2024年5月2日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 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!もっと詳しく
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4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日9
2024年5月3日金曜日
⛅ 14 °C
海抜: 30 m
フランス Ma Porte du Roi 48.635246, -1.51017248°38’7” N 1°30’37” W
Crowds at Le Mont Saint-Michel
2024年5月3日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 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?もっと詳しく
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4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日10
2024年5月4日土曜日
⛅ 15 °C
海抜: 57 m
フランス Le Mont-Saint-Michel 48.635902, -1.51067548°38’9” N 1°30’38” W
3 1 1
Le Mont Saint-Michel take two!
2024年5月4日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 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.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 So cool
2024/05/05返信する
旅行者 French seagull
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旅行者 Bloody hell a photo of dad 😂😂 xx
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旅行者For this we apologise unreservedly x
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
旅行者I thought the same 😆
2024/05/06返信する翻訳する
旅行者So glad you got to go without the crowds! Looks well worth getting up early for. You got some beautiful photos, I imagine it was even better in person x
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
3いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日11
2024年5月5日日曜日
☁️ 15 °C
海抜: 63 m
フランス Gazon 48.139756, -1.26322248°8’23” N 1°15’48” W
1
Lakeside under the trees
2024年5月5日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 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!もっと詳しく
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And another one of Darren. Lol. XXXX ❤️ [Kolein]
2024/06/14返信する翻訳する
4いいね
Ivy’s Maiden Voyage 旅行者
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日11
2024年5月5日日曜日
☁️ 15 °C
海抜: 52 m
フランス Saint-Michel-et-Chanveaux 47.680977, -1.13297547°40’52” N 1°7’59” W
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3
A pond with ducks and a million frogs
2024年5月5日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 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 😇もっと詳しく
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旅行者 🤣
2024/05/05返信する
旅行者 Ribbit
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旅行者 Oh another photo of dad 😉😂
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旅行者This is what happens when your mother kisses a prince xx
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旅行者lol 😂 that was a class comeback dad I’m impressed 😂😂
2024/05/05返信する翻訳する
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日12
2024年5月6日月曜日
☁️ 14 °C
海抜: 56 m
フランス Saint-Michel-et-Chanveaux 47.680573, -1.13247547°40’50” N 1°7’57” W
1
What to do on rainy days?
2024年5月6日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 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.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Glad the bump is straightened out what a relief xx
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旅行者All that and no swearing? Remarkable xx
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旅行者Plenty… 😜 excuse my French!
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旅行者 Nom nom 😋 😍
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日13
2024年5月7日火曜日
⛅ 18 °C
海抜: 8 m
フランス La Basse-Île 47.370659, -0.8089747°22’14” N 0°48’32” W
1 1 1 2
Time to move on.
2024年5月7日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
After two days of being lazy we decide to move on. First stop is the Super U to stock up on food for the next few days. We found some zip ties there so thought I’d just secure the diesel heater pump a bit better while we were parked in the car park on flat dry ground. Bliss did her best to supervise my work under the van by keeping watch at the door while Darren took the opportunity to take the rubbish to the bins.
A short drive from there we found ourselves at a small parking spot right on the bank of the Loire River. On the way there we came to a bridge that said okay for vehicles 7.5tn but to me it looked like it was a foot bridge as it was narrow and not very substantial so I was to say the least not very happy crossing it, even though Darren assured me it would be fine. He of course took great pleasure in videoing me having a bit of a meltdown while I drove over it against all my better judgment!... anyway... turned out it was fine. 🤭
We were sure we’d found the perfect quiet spot that would be somewhere nobody else would be turning up so started making some dinner. Just got everything out to make a lovely salad (so stuff everywhere!) then a man turned up asking us to move, albeit very politely (in French) so we packed up dinner and moved a bit along the path. Halfway through eating dinner we noticed a man taking photos of the van. Darren went out to say hello and make sure he wasn’t a weirdo who might come back and murder us in our beds tonight (it’s very secluded here!) but he was just saying that we weren’t allowed to park here overnight. Darren explained that we had come across the spot on park4night and that we would leave in the morning and managed to win him over so we were able to stay. It did put a bit of a damper on what would have been a lovely place to though. Cheered me up when we saw another otter swimming in the shallows. We kept Bliss on a short lead here as the river is vast and extremely fast flowing
In the morning we were up early to get back on the road.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 🤣 🤣
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旅行者 Nom nom 😋 😍
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旅行者 Bliss resting whilst mum works hard 🤣
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旅行者Course Dad deserves all the credit for his excellent supervising 🙄
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旅行者 Poser
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日14
2024年5月8日水曜日
⛅ 20 °C
海抜: 68 m
フランス Port Charbonnier 47.274047, 0.3203247°16’27” N 0°19’13” E
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Another secluded stop by the Loire River
2024年5月8日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We carried on our journey south along the immense Loire River crossing quite a few huge bridges that I was happy to drive across this time! We found a place along the way called Faye which is Darren’s daughter’s name, it was beautiful, just like her. ❤️
After stopping at an aire to empty our grey water we proceeded to our next stop. Another secluded riverside park up just big enough for us.
The Loire is immense, from our vantage point on the southern bank we watched a colony of Egrets nesting in the trees, occasionally taking flight in a mesmerising display of the purest beauty imaginable. Along side the Egrets was a lone Stork, much larger than I’ve ever seen before. Who needs a telly when all this wildlife is outside your door.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Another bridge 😆
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旅行者 Bet ur forever doin that with Bliss's hair 😆 further south u go more hair she'll molt
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旅行者Oh God, hadn’t even considered that! I might as well just stick a broom handle up my bum and be done with it. Xx
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旅行者That sounds more painful tbf 🤣
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日15
2024年5月9日木曜日
☀️ 22 °C
海抜: 112 m
フランス Amberre 46.755353, 0.15011446°45’19” N 0°9’0” E
1 3
Got a bit ticked off!!
2024年5月9日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We had some chores to do today, a little shopping. Filled up with fuel and found a washing machine and tumble dryer to get our clothes clean and dry. Washing machines at the fuel station...inspired idea!
We had high hopes for the place we had planned for tonight as the reviews on P4N were all good. When we turned up there was one other van there, a French couple with their little boy who waved hello to us as we arrived. We immediately got out to go for a walk which we were all keen to do after feeling a bit cooped up the last couple of days because the river stops did lack decent walks. The place was very interesting with woodland paths and lots of hills and crater like holes in amongst rock formations. In rocky areas there were lots of little lizards 🦎 scurrying around our feet. Of course this was extremely exciting for Bliss who had to be put back on her lead so she didn’t try to catch them and eat them! They were pretty quick though so I’m not sure she would have been very successful.
On returning to the van we soon regretted the lovely walk we had just had! The next two hours were spent removing the hundreds of tiny ticks that Bliss had picked up, and several on ourselves too!! Cringing 😬 we decided that as soon as we woke up in the morning we were out of there! Darren did a bit of research and discovered that we were right in the middle of the very worst area for ticks and Lyme disease 🦠 in the whole of France. Tomorrow was going to be a long drive to get as far as possible away from the area.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Sorry but this really did make me chuckle a lot 🤣 🤣 not just Bliss trying to eat lizards but the frantically getting away from that location can just imagine it
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旅行者 Looks like Bliss is admiring the graffiti 😆
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旅行者 Nom nom
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旅行者😂 You can tell you’re on a health kick Tash, you’re obsessed with food photos
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旅行者Deprived from calories but I am loving and appreciating all the colourful foods atm. Amazing what a bit of sun can do
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日16
2024年5月10日金曜日
☀️ 25 °C
海抜: 248 m
フランス Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas 45.442501, 0.84572145°26’33” N 0°50’45” E
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A long journey south.
2024年5月10日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Made significant progress towards the south today through some stunning landscapes. The first hour through flat farmlands with huge uninterrupted fields of wheat, rape seed and other staple crops. The terrain definitely seems to be changing now though. Slightly more hilly with views as far as the eye can see. This country just keeps getting better every corner we round there’s more jaw dropping scenery. The urge to keep stopping to take it all in is great but we must press on slowly to get to our next overnight stop. After a quick interlude at an aire where we could empty our grey tank, toilet and rubbish we continued on another forty minutes and arrived mid afternoon to a lovely park up with a view across woods and fields. There was by the end of the day no more space as it’s pretty popular but that was fine as we were at the end with the best spot. 😆 We were lucky to arrive when we did. We got the awning, chairs and table out and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the view and catching up with this diary. 📔
Tomorrow we should get a lovely sunrise as our back doors are facing East with a vista of lush woodlands and pasture between us and the horizon.
Tonight we ventured into the village that’s here to see the sights, the tranquility, the stone buildings and the summer atmosphere with sweet fragrances and swooping swallows catching the evening insects. It’s just so… it’s just so, well it’s so very French ain’t it 🇫🇷 😂
Tomorrow we’ll go again to buy some fresh bread and to see what else the village has to offer.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Tu acheter un baguettes? 😆
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旅行者 Very relaxed 😌
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旅行者 Best view from your bed you could get
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日17
2024年5月11日土曜日 0:01
🌙 17 °C
海抜: 248 m
フランス Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas 45.442513, 0.84573345°26’33” N 0°50’45” E
Aurora this far south? Don’t be silly.
2024年5月11日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
An evening sitting outside with a small glass of bubbles. Late into the night there was a strange glow in the sky which Darren noticed because he was trying to get a photo of the stars ✨ that are just so bright with the total lack of light pollution here. The photos he took however were initially discarded as he couldn’t capture the stars without this strange pink glow that he didn’t notice until he looked at the photos and frankly was completely spoiling his intended photography subject the stars.
Turns out it was the northern lights, something that is definitely on our bucket list. Who knew that it could happen while we were away, all we needed to do was just stay at home!! The display we missed on the Island was spectacular by all the accounts people were sharing online... gutted to have missed it... but anyway, here’s what could be seen as far south as we were.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Most of us in UK was asleep and missed it then turned up next night for it to not show up 😆
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日17
2024年5月11日土曜日 6:30
🌙 12 °C
海抜: 248 m
フランス Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas 45.442474, 0.8457745°26’33” N 0°50’45” E
1 1 1 3
Rise & shine sleepy head.
2024年5月11日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
The promise of a great view from our bed got us up early (well Darren anyway 🤭) What better way to start the day than this. Coffee in bed waking up with the most stunning sunrise and the fresh morning air coming in the back doors. I can’t believe nobody else is up to see this (but happy to have it all to ourselves)
After a short walk into the village for fresh bread we packed up and slowly made our way to the next place to stay the night.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Your living the dream of many
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旅行者 She is lovin it
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旅行者 Mum looks so happy 😊
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日17
2024年5月11日土曜日
☀️ 27 °C
海抜: 128 m
フランス Sadillac 44.720119, 0.47736344°43’12” N 0°28’39” E
Picture perfect parkup!
2024年5月11日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Up a narrow winding dirt path to find a wonderful spot for the night right underneath an old windmill. Now restored to its original condition by charitable donations this beautiful quaint windmill has stood high on the hillside since 1716. In the UK we’d all have to pay £££’s to visit, but it’s just here for two wanderers and a husky to rock up and stay the night for free.
It’s pretty hot and humid today and so quiet here that we decided an outdoor shower would be nice 😊...and it really was. Luckily nobody turned up in the middle of it, could have been very embarrassing 😳. Sorry everyone, I didn’t get any pics of Darren in his budgie smugglers. 😜
After the impromptu shower a couple of people did turn up to take pictures of the windmill so we timed it well.
Bliss was happy laying in the shade of the van staying cool 😎 for the afternoon. We were hoping for an opportunity to get some amazing sunset pics of the windmill but unfortunately we weren’t the only ones with that idea. A family turned up and set up a picnic with their two young children right underneath the windmill. Darren didn’t feel comfortable taking photos with the family there, can’t really do that sort of thing in this day and age. But would have made for some lovely pictures with the little girls in their pretty summer dresses picking wild flowers under the shadow of the windmill.
They left just in time to get a few pics of the sunset and the lighthouse lit up and Darren was more than happy with those.
In the evening as it got dark and quiet we were treated to a distant thunderstorm that lit up the far hills. A lovely quiet nights sleep was had here.
In the morning we were surprised by a girl walking past with her two dogs and her pet goat! The goat was not on a lead, just behaving exactly like a dog walking alongside her like it was the most normal thing in the world.もっと詳しく
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旅行者How so French to be walking a pet goat 😆
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