France
Arrondissement de Béthune

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 6

      Geschichte und schöne Landschaft

      October 4, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      Heute Morgen wurden wir mit munterem Geschnatter von den Nachbarsenten geweckt. 🦆 Die kleinen Kollegen haben uns sogar besucht und sind an und unter unserem Camper durchgeschnattert. War ein Lacher am Morgen, als die Chefin vor unserem Heckfenster rumgemeckert hat.

      Daniel hat - man muss beinahe schon sagen "wie gewohnt" - einen Ausflug mit dem 🛴 zum Supermarkt unternommen und uns ein frisches 🥖 besorgt.

      Nach unserem Frühstück und der Camper-Versorgung sind wir dann ins Inland aufgebrochen. Wunderschöne Land- und Feldwege, die erstaunlicherweise Hauptstraßen waren, sind wir entlang gefahren, denn wir Sparbrötchen wollen ja auf Maut verzichten. 😅

      Am Ende sind wir beim "Blockhaus von Éperlecques gelandet. Dem eindrucksvollsten Bunker, den wir je gesehen haben, wenn man es denn so nennen darf. Das Gelände wurde in ein Museum umgewandelt und man durchläuft verschiedene Stationen. Ganze 6000 Zwangsarbeiter verschiedener Nationen wurden damals wortwörtlich angekarrt und haben die Errichtung bewältigt. In einem dieser Waggons haben wir gestanden und es wurden Tonaufnahmen abgespielt, was man von Innen an Außengeräuschen wahrnehmen konnte. Gruselig und erschreckend sind die beiden spontanen Beschreibungen, die ich dafür finde.
      Der Bunker selbst, der für den Start der V Raketen gebaut wurde, wurde dann im letzten Teil des zweiten Weltkriegs halb zerbombt, sodass er zum Glück nie in den aktiven Betrieb ging. Daniel hat sich mal neben die Außenhülle gestellt, damit man die Größenverhältnisse erkennen kann. Einfach verrückt. Alles daran.
      Auf die respektvollste Art und Weise empfehlen wir diesen Besuch jedem weiter. Für das Museum, das sich alle Mühe gibt, um diesen Ort zu verwalten und zu pflegen und für jeden Besucher, der auf eindrucksvollste Weise Informationen jedweder Art aus den sorgfältig gestalteten Infotafeln entnehmen kann.

      Im Anschluss mussten wir erstmal alles sacken lassen und haben uns wieder auf die Straße begeben. Wir brauchten nämlich endlich - fast am Ende unserer Reise - mal einen Wasserschlauch. Natürlich einen zum Zusammenrollen, ist klar. ☝️
      Baumärkte sind hier gar nicht so leicht zu finden. Zumindest nicht über Google Maps. Als wir aber dann in Arques gelandet sind, in dem es jedes Geschäft der Welt zu geben scheint, sind wir im dritten Markt endlich fündig geworden.
      Nachdem wir uns dann mit Händen und Füßen auch noch ein, was die Franzosen hier "Steak" (🙄) nennen, erstanden haben, sind wir nach kurzer Suche zu unserem Standplatz für die Nacht aufgebrochen.

      Nach diesem Abendessen können wir uns nun wirklich Premium-Camper nennen! 🥹
      Read more

    • Day 10

      Ablain-Saint-Nazaire 17 miles

      July 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Usual start to the day although one of the poorer breakfasts so far. Fine walking though. In the morning I came upon some sort of mini Centre Parks affair with lots of folk eating outside. Could have joined them but just seemed too early in the fairly long day to have a break. Kept going as there was a boulangerie shown later on. Sound thinking except it was shut.

      Late on I came to the vast cemetery at Notre-Dame de Lorette which has the remains of 40,000 French soldiers. That was sobering enough as was the adjoining museum but what was worse was the “Ring of Memory” nearby which has the names of 580,000 soldiers of all nationalities killed in the region between 1914 and 1918. Quite a few Kilpatricks so I assume there must have been a Scottish regiment involved. A number is just a number but when you see all the names written down it hits a little harder.

      Anyway it meant I was later arriving at the next accommodation which was useful as I had been told not to arrive before 5.30pm. This was a strange affair, unlike anything I have stayed in elsewhere but not uncommon on the Via. This was a new house with a straightforward middle-aged, middle-class couple who welcome pilgrims as guests into their house, supplying evening meal and breakfast. I couldn’t make out why. They did charge 60€ but I don’t think it was about the money. Possibly just interested in meeting folk. It was on their own terms. Arrive after 5.30pm, only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, must be booked in advance, rucksack had to be left in the garage, no shoes inside the house etc. All very understandable. The trouble for me came with the meals. As most of you know my social skills are practically non-existent. This has only been heightened by 10 days of virtually hermit levels of communication. When in company I much prefer sitting quietly and listening rather than chipping in. My family are more than capable of filling in any gaps admirably. Additionally I struggle with eating noises, apart from my own, naturally, so eating with some folk can sometimes be deeply unpleasant. And as a final blow they had a large dog that found the presence of someone new to sniff etc all too inviting. The food, although otherwise excellent was very dry. Another problem of mine. “Where’s the sauce?” springs to mind. Painfully aware that all these problems were in my head. What a nutter sometimes.
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Notre Dame de Lorette

      August 6, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      Um 2 Uhr morgens kommen wir bei ströhmendem Regen an unserem 2. Übernachtungsort an: eine Gedenkstätte für die gefallenen Soldaten aus dem 1. Weltkrieg. Am nächsten Morgen ist es saukalt, dafür ist das Museum echt spannend und alle (außer Loanne) sind tief beeindruckt.Read more

    • Day 9–10

      Amettes to Bruary la Bussiere

      February 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      A day of meandering along roads and old rail tracks walking past vast fields and terrils (slag heaps) from long gone mines. Once again our accommodation was on the wrong side of town......the furthest point from entry into town!Read more

    • Day 10–11

      Bruary to Ablain St Nazaire

      February 29, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      A day of rain, vast fields, and forest. Unfortunately, due to fallen trees we ended up taking a rather challenging detour along the edge of the forest and vast fields. It was hard muddy going that seemed to take forever. We did get a little nervous when we spotted wild boar footprints in the mud. Trying to climb away from the fields was hard as the tracks were sheer mud and slippery as ice. As we carried along flooded farm tracks we came upon Notre Dame de Lorette, France's largest military cemetery. Once again the food situation was a challenge, the one restaurant has stopped serving when we got there and wasn't open again until tomorrow! More supermarket foraging required.Read more

    • Day 23

      Fromelles

      July 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

      July 19, 1916 at 6pm (broad daylight) the battle of Fromelles began.

      Today marks the 106th anniversary of the battle of fromelles.

      This battle was Australia's first major battle on the Western front. Troops of the 5th division were ordered to cease a 4km area of land controlled by the Germans.

      On the 1km front of trenches, 100m away lay the German trenches. In this small space of land, 3100 Australian casualties, 400 captured and almost 2000 KIA.

      More Aussies were killed on this day than the Vietnam, Korean and boar wars combined.

      Standing at VC corner, seeing sugar loaf 400m away and marching that 100m across what was no man's land towards cobbers statue really hit home for me.
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Louvre Lens

      July 25, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      After about an hour's drive from the channel whatsit'sface we got to the Louvre art museum (not the one in Paris the one in Lens) which had art, artefacts and sculptures some of which were from 5,000 years ago or 5,000 ans ago. There was lots of naked statues and one of them had balls but NO willy INSERT SNIGGERING HERE. I wanted to get a book (see pics) but mum wouldn't let me.

      We wanted to get some lunch in the cafe, but as it was quite late, there wasn't much left, only three flavours of sandwiches: tuna & peach, cabbage, carrot & honey and crab. We opted for the crab and were very glad we had - it was yummy!
      Read more

    • Valence

      October 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      Heilig`s Blechle, war die Nacht kalt! Trotz zweier Hosen und Socken übereinander, trotz Winterjacke im Schlafsack, haben wir bei ca. 8 oder 9 Grad gefroren. Die Herstellerangaben der Schlafsacklieferanten stimmen überhaupt nicht, denn die "Komforttemperatur" soll bei 5 Grad liegen. Man sollte sein Equipment eben rechtzeitig vor Abreise auf Tauglichkeit prüfen...mea maxima culpa.
      Die ersten Sonnenstrahlen trocknen das völlig taunasse Aussenzelt, während ich alles zusammenpacke. Wir verabschieden uns von Martin und Max, die sich heute, via Juragebirge, auf den langen Heimweg nach Prag machen.
      Um ca. 10 Uhr fahren wir 3 km steil hinunter nach Condrieu, herrliche Aussichten auf das Rhonetal inklusive und ich denke, "ja, so wars gemeint!" und dann entlang der Rhone Richtung Tonan. Heute liegt eine grosse Etappe vor uns, Endziel Valence.
      Die Strecke ist wieder mal ein Realität gewordener Traum mit schattigen, duftenden Pappelalleen, Flussauen voller Oleander, Margarethen, Rhododendren, Hibiskus und Wildblumenwiesen. Die Vegetation ändert sich allmählich und man sieht mehr Kakteen und Aloen in den Vorgärten, Trockenwiesen voller Eidechsen. Nur erschreckend wenige Insekten, Schmetterlinge und Vögel sieht man.
      Es gibt kaum Steigungen und der Gegenwind ist erträglich und unsere Laune daher heiter. Vorbei an Schleusen und kleinen romantischen Dörfchen geht es, über zahlreiche schmale Fussgängerbrücken, breite Autobrücken aus Kalkstein, deren Pfeiler z.T. gut 100 Jahre alt sind. Auf diesem Euro-Rhone-Radwanderweg begegnen uns viele Radfahrer aller Nationen und es ist üblich sich zu grüssen, auch beim Überholen, denn inzwischen sind wir diejenigen, die auch mal andere überholen :-).
      Auf einem hohen Flussdamm setzen wir uns auf einen Baumstumpf und machen Brotzeit mit Baguette, Camembert, Trauben, getrockneten Aprikosen, Bananenchips und Cashewnüssen.
      Gegen Mittag erreichen wir die Kleinstadt Tonan und ich kann endlich mal einen anständigen Café au lait geniessen und wir essen eine Tarte pomme de terre.
      Mein Allerwertester meldet sich leider wieder unangenehm, was ich zwar kurzfristig ausblenden, aber auf Dauer nicht ignorieren kann.
      Gegen 17 Uhr erreichen wir nach fast 90 km Valence, eine Kleinstadt am Ufer der Rhone. Im Industriegebiet hat meine Frau uns ein Hotelzimmer für schlappe 42 EUR gebucht, ein Unterbringungsbunker mit 80x80 cm grossen Plastik-Badezimmerkabinen, in denen derart wenig Platz neben den Betten bleibt, das man durch das eigene Gepäck hindurchwatet wie ein Storch im Salat. Ohrenstöpsel werden hier jedem Gast regulär zur Verfügung gestellt.
      Wir duschen und gehen dann zum KFC 200 m weiter und schlagen uns den Bauch voll, danach noch ein Verdauungsspaziergang und dann ab in die Heia.
      Lanyu schläft im Stockwerkbett oben.
      Meine vier Buchstaben sind schon wieder entzündet, trotz zahlreicher Vorsichtsmassnahmen und ich versuche mir mit antibiotischer Creme zu helfen.
      Read more

    • Day 51

      Avion

      November 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      This morning we didn’t wake up until 8am. I got cold in the night and was awake for quite a lot of it and then I got hot so I think that’s why I slept in for so long.
      It didn’t really matter what time we got up. We had nowhere to be except or next airè today as all we are doing now is pushing up France towards the ferry and home. All of the tourist destinations are pretty much closed now and there’s a brief rest bite for the towns and villages we have been visiting before the Christmas markets get underway.
      At 10:30am we were ready to leave and I set the sat and it said we had a 120 mile journey ahead of us. Stupidly I thought it was nearer. 50 miles but obviously we stayed somewhere I hadn’t planned last night and that threw my mileage out.
      We had a good run to our next airè with the first 40 miles being on single carriageway and the rest on duel carriageway and by 1pm we had arrived in Avion.
      Our first impressions were that the town looked rundown but the airè backed onto a huge park and seemed nice and as it was empty we decided to go shopping before settling in. We couldn’t get into Lidl to do our last major shop as there was a height barrier but it did have a big csrrefour supermarket so that’s where we went and it was much more expensive. In fact out of all the supermarkets we’ve been to Carrefour seems to be the most expensive.
      With the shopping done we headed back to the airè and it was still empty. There airè is layer out with 2 lots of 4 spaces on either side of a tarmac driveway with a turning circle and four parking spots at the far end nearest the park. Currently the 8 parking spaces on either side as we entered are roped off because they are grass pitches and completely waterlogged. That just leaves the 4 spaces at the end of the airè. I reversed in to the parking space furthest over on the right.
      Once parked we had lunch of fresh bread and soup and then at 3pm we decided to go exploring. The main high street was just 100 meters away so we ventured there first incase there were some gift shops to browse around but unfortunately it looked like a dying high street from England with hairdressers, coffee shops and pharmacies, there was nothing much to see here.
      From the high street we ventured back past Wanda and into le parc du lac’s or the park of lakes and went for a lovely walk. The park is full of lakes, some large and some small and the paths running around the outside are for hiking and biking. They even had a tarmac area made up like a road with roundabouts and road signs so people can take their young children there and teach them how to ride on the roads safely.
      As there has been so much rain in the area the tracks around the lakes were really muddy and we had to dodge multiple large puddles but the the ducks and geese were loving it and had been churning up the grass pecking through it looking for worms.
      We finally got back to Wanda at 4:30pm and we had been joined by another very large double wheel based Motorhome that had left a space between us and them.
      The airè stayed pretty quiet until around 6pm when 2 more motorhomes just a fraction larger than us turned up. Because of the larger Motorhome already here and at the edge of the turning circle they had to use the empty parking space between us and the large Motorhome to turn around. Then they both backed side by side into the turning circle and parked up. This was a busy airè.
      Just when we thought the fun and games were over 2 more motorhomes turned up. They were both Wandas size but each had a trailer. Now they had no way to turn around and no where to park.
      Next to us is an entrance to a business of some kind but it does have gates that closed at 5pm and the first Motorhome with the trailer had to nose up to the gates and then shunt backwards and forwards with the trailer on into the gap between us and the large Motorhome and do a 180 and then parked across the taped off area. The second Motorhome with the trailer had to do exactly the same with lots of people helping with directions. It took about 20 minutes for each to turn around. It seemed pointless us getting out as we don’t speak French.
      With us 4 motorhomes and the 2 with trailers parked in a straight line across the taped off area the place was full except for the space next to us. Then at 7:30pm another Motorhome turned up. He spent 10 minutes turning around and reversing into the space next to us but then decided we were all to close and left.
      Considering there is nothing in this town this is a busy little airè and there are other places about as we’ve stayed there in the past. Arras is just down the road and there are numerous places near the memorial sites which are less than 5 miles away so I don’t know why this place is so popular.
      At 8pm we had a much nicer dinner of mushrooms and crème freche with chicken so Ellie managed to redeem herself after last nights catastrophic failure. Then we closed the blinds, put our pyjamas on and settled in for the night.
      Read more

    • Day 8–9

      Delettes to Amettes

      February 27, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      Thankfully our accommodation was on the right side of the floods to make the start of today's stage easier than yesterday's completion. More farm roads and more vast fields were the highlight of today. Arriving in Amettes was our first experience of a Chambre d'Hote and what an experience. Our hosts greeted us like old friends, providing coffee and forgiving my stumbling French. We knew ahead of time that food this evening was not an option, so a ham and cheese baguette it was! Amettes is the birthplace of Saint Benoit and the relic to see is his kneecap!Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Arrondissement de Béthune, Arrondissement de Bethune

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android