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France, Spring 2024
  • timandjacky uk
  • timandjacky uk

France, Spring 2024

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  • Trip start
    April 3, 2024
    timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Wissant, Pas-de-Calais

    April 3, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    Wissant

    We got on the road from home a little earlier than planned and with a quick stop at the Vet in Folkestone to collect Niska's Animal Health Certificate we arrived in good time just after 1pm at the Chunnel......but there were long delays. We took Niska for a walk and relaxed in the motorhome and had lunch until we got the call to board at 5pm.
    A short drive in France and we arrived at Wissant , a place we love and have stopped at many times. There were plenty of free spots in the aire and after a bite to eat we headed to the beach . Niska of course was hugely excited ! She'd been very patient on the long journey , zoomies on the beach were required!
    A perfect start to our trip!    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler
    The old station

    Mesnières en Bray, Seine-Maritime

    Apr 4–5, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We left our aire at Wissant after breakfast and a walk for Niska and drove a short distance to Lidl at Marquise to stock up on provisions. A detour into Saint Martin Boulogne to fill our tank up with fresh water and a lunch stop before heading on to our night stop at Mesnières en Bray (the town is the origin of the Scottish name Menzies).
    The town has an impressive 15th century chateau adjacent to the 11th century church.
    The old railway line has been converted into an Avenue Vert; it is a popular ramblers path and part of the cycle route from London to Paris. We walked along it before supper.
    This is a very beautiful village and our aire is provided free with full services.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Le Bec Hellouin, Eure

    Apr 5–6, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    We've travelled south of Rouen to Le Bec Hellouin a place we have visited before that we really like. The village is beautiful and is best known for its Abbey.
    The motorhome park up once again provided free by the community is right next to the Voie Vert offering great walking opportunities. It's very popular with dog walkers....including us.
    Just one other motorhome standing with us tonight; french travellers.
    We're definitely in holiday mode, feeling very relaxed (actually that's our usual vibe 😄).    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Écouché-les-Vallées, Orne

    Apr 6–7, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Continuing to head south we have driven a couple of hours to the Orne region of Normandy to the beautiful village of Écouché-les-Vallées a Petite Cité de Caractère.
    We had a picnic lunch here a couple of years ago en route to another destination with the intention to return to properly explore the village.
    There is a little library cupboard on the aire where we picked up a walking guide of the town.
    There is tons of evidence of the towns history and heritage curiosities here including a revolutionary altar, a place of ceremony, celebration and worship during the French Revolution and a Sherman Tank from WW2 given to the town in memory of its liberation.
    The origins of the commune go back to at least as far as the Middle Ages .
    The absolute maze of streets here are full of historic notes. We had a great time exploring. We had nice weather today for being out and about.
    Our very pretty motorhome aire is provided free, it's very peaceful here.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Vaiges, Mayenne

    Apr 7–8, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Before leaving Écouché-les-Vallées we picked up bread from the boulangerie in town and had a walk through the park and to see the Sherman Tank. We've liked this place very much, lots of interesting history and people very friendly.
    Today we are continuing our journey south. The roads were extremely quiet and our drive took us through beautiful forests.
    We are staying in Vaiges, in the Mayenne department, in the Pays de Loire-Atlantique region.
    Our park up is by a lake; we had a nice walk around it though it has been rainy this afternoon.
    There is a pizza machine by our park up with a constant stream of visitors. Of course we had to give it a try, it was tasty!    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Chateau Gontier, Mayenne

    Apr 8–9, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We were a little later than usual getting on the road today whilst we waited for a huge thunder and rainstorm to subside. It didn't matter though because we're not driving far today; just 20 miles southwest to Chateau Gontier.
    We're stationed opposite the river (great views) and a short walk into the town.
    The weather brightened considerably in the afternoon so we had a good explore . We found some beautiful gardens and very grand buildings .    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Saint-Mars-la-Jaille, Loire-Atlantique

    Apr 9–10, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Another short drive today after using the services at the aire at Chateau Gontier and a supermarket stop in the town to stock up on provisions.
    We have found a very nice village aire at Saint-Mars-la-Jaille in the Loire-Atlantique department.
    The aire is next to a park and river so lots of nice walking opportunities which we three love.
    We've also enjoyed nice weather today.
    The aire and services are provided free; France is great for motorhoming, it's no wonder we can't stay away!    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler
    Parkup location (spot the motorhome)

    La Boissière du Doré, Loire-Atlantique

    Apr 10–11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We continue to slowly meander south , travelling largely off the beaten track and discovering beautiful villages.
    Today we have driven just 22 miles south to the village of La Boussière du Doré in the Loire-Atlantique department.
    We are stationed next to a beautiful park and lake and 50 metres from the Depot de Pain. Another great find!
    Residents in these little villages are so friendly, everyone in the shop greeted me very warmly when I went to collect our bread 😀.
    Park up and the services we need gratuite!
    Nice weather again today.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Lunchstop in La Limouzinière

    April 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After using the services at the aire after breakfast and a quick stop in Vallet to fill up with diesel we headed on to La Limouzinière where we had a break for lunch and a walk around the village.
    Group Pilote has its headquarters here......they are a French manufacturer of numerous popular brands of motorhome.
    This was a possible night stop but we decided to eat up a few more miles and get back on the road.
    It's got very warm today ....might have to get out our summer wardrobe!    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    La Garnache, Vendée

    Apr 11–12, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We're in the Vendée now at our aire in La Garnache. Another free stop with free services. The aire is full , us and fellow French travellers enjoying our evening with very nice weather.
    We've had a lovely walk all around the town after supper. Now we're just relaxing and making plans for tomorrow!Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler
    2

    Noirmoutier-en-l'ile, Vendée

    Apr 12–15, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We've spent a lovely weekend in Normoutier-en-l'Île at the northern part of the island of Normoutier in the Atlantic Ocean. We were blessed with glorious weather to enjoy this very beautiful place.
    We have stayed on a Camping Car Park for 3 nights where we have the use of services including electric hook up.
    The town is very bustling with lots of independent shops and restaurants and on Sunday morning there was a huge market.
    There are lots of walking opportunities which we took advantage of and lots of cyclists. Everywhere was busy with people taking advantage of the good weather.
    We had a long walk to the beach on Saturday afternoon sans puppy (it was just too hot for her to undertake such a long walk), we saw some magnificent houses right on the beach front...the stuff of dreams!
    A fun fact about Normoutier; the Bonotte potato which is only cultivated in Normoutier and only in small quantities is the world's most expensive potato. They are grown in sandy soil that absorbs the ocean scent and are fertilised with seaweed and algae. The land space on which they grow is limited to less than 50 square metres and they are picked exclusively by hand in just one week of the year. That will explain their price of €500 per kilogram!
    It was very peaceful here at night apart from.....the loudest frog chorus we've ever heard (the amphibious type!).
    We are about 13 miles away from where we finished the coastal route part of our holiday last Autumn so we're looking forward to continuing along the coast heading further south.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Sainte-Hilaire-de-Riez, Vendée

    Apr 15–16, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    After a trip to the boulangerie and using the motorhome services we got on the road to leave this beautiful island and head to our next stop.
    We have chosen an aire at Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez about 30 miles away (we're liking our short drives and stopping in time for lunch).
    We made a good choice , our aire is between a forest and the beach. It's extremely windy today and we had a couple of heavy rain showers , which by chance we managed to avoid . Walks in the forest and the beach twice (afternoon and evening) were thoroughly enjoyed by all.
    Niska and I also managed another beach walk before breakfast.
    This has been a lovely place to stop costing us €6.50 for 24 hours. Eau potable is an extra €2.75 but we didn't need a top up yet.
    This area of the coast is really beautiful. We imagine it gets extremely busy during high season.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler
    1

    Les Sables d'Olonne, Vendée

    Apr 16–17, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Niska and I had a walk on the beach before breakfast; a perfect start to the the day!
    After we used the services we needed on the aire we made our way to St Gilles Croix de Vie where we did food shopping and then had a very beautiful coastal drive to Les Sables d'Olonne where we will be staying the night.
    This very beautiful and it seems prosperous seaside town has a strong emphasis on sailing ; we saw around 1500 boats moored in the marina, any one of them would have suited us! 🙂
    We walked miles today exploring the town , it was busy with people doing the same.
    It's still very windy but we've had sunshine and blue skies to take away the chill.
    Our aire has cost us €8.50 for 24 hours including all services. There aren't so many free stops in popular coastal areas but its still a fraction of what we'd pay in Blighty.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler
    1

    La Faute sur Mer, Vendée

    Apr 17–18, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    We're loving our coastal drives south through beautiful villages and the Vendée really is a beautiful department.
    Today we've driven to La Faute sur Mer which is located on a small strip of coastal land in the far south of Vendée. We're staying in Les Amourettes Camping Car Park.
    This is a real get away from it all place, just nature to enjoy; a beautiful beach bordered by pine forests which we spent the afternoon exploring. Some very beautiful residences here aswell.
    We just had to have another walk on the beach after supper......just us three.....a massive stretch of beach to ourselves!    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime

    Apr 18–19, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    After using the services on the aire after breakfast we got on the road with a stop at Super U at L'Aiguillon sur Mer to get bread and change our €50 notes into smaller currency for use in small village stores.
    Then it was goodbye to Vendée as we crossed into Charente-Maritime.
    Our stopover today is in La Rochelle. Instead of venturing into the big town we had a long walk to the beach at Chef de la Baie. The peripheral walk overlooks 2 historic monuments; the battery and the Tour Carrée (Square Tower). Its a beautiful coastal walk, some parts were briefly diverted because of erosion.
    Our walk was in beautiful sunny weather.
    Our water pump broke tonight (while I was washing up!), we had the same thing happen a couple of years ago and since then we've carried a spare, great decision because having no water is a game changer! It only took Tim a few minutes to fix....very grateful that he is so handy!    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler
    Dashcam view of "road" to the I'lleCauseway, high tideFort Boyard on the horizonFort Boyard

    L'Île Madame, Charente-Maritime

    April 19, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today we crossed from the mainland at Port-des-Barques via the causeway to L'Île Madame which is the smallest island of Charente-Maritime. It is largely uninhabited and has an area of just 4 square miles.
    The drive across the stony causeway was very bumpy but worth it to arrive at this beautiful and peaceful haven.
    There is a Camping de Mon Village site on the island and we are spending the weekend here with a small number of like minded travellers!
    And we are blessed with fabulous weather this weekend.
    We've enjoyed a walk around the perimeter of the island from which we have wonderful views including of Fort Boyard.
    We also located the Croix des Galets (Cross of Pebbles) beneath which are buried the bodies of 254 catholic priests who died for their faith on this island (where they were being held prisoner) at a time of anti clerical persecution in 1794 during the French Revolution. They are commemorated during a pilgrimage here in August every year.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron, Charente-Maritime

    Apr 21–22, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    We've hopped to another island in Charente-Maritime. L'Isle d'Oléron. We had intended to visit this island in 2022 but when we were here the roads to the island were rammed with traffic.
    We are staying at a Camping Car Park in St Pierre d'Oléron where we are about 100 yards from the beach. We had two long beach walks , one in the evening when it was very quiet so Niska was able to run up and down and in and out of the rock pools to her heart's content! It's been nice and sunny today.
    This is another lovely place.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Phare de Chassiron, Charente-Maritime

    April 22, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    This morning we drove to the northern tip of the island to the Phare (lighthouse) de Chassiron.
    The lighthouse allowed sailors to enter the waters of the Antioch sluice, a place strewn with reefs and renowned for its numerous shipwrecks.
    It is the second oldest lighthouse in France still in operation (the oldest is the Cardouan lighthouse which we could see from our next stop).
    On the coast here we saw fish locks which are part of the heritage of L'Île d'Oléron. They are stone constructions from the foreshore in the shape of a convex crescent facing the ocean. A grid in the middle of the crescent lets tidal water in and out. The fish remain trapped in the crescent (the foue) , lower than the level of the grid.
    This is a popular place and quite a lot of visitors here today , there are nice walks in the area and lots to see.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    La Palmyre, Charente-Maritime

    Apr 22–23, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We've left the island this afternoon and continuing to head south along the coast. We're staying tonight at La Palmyre a small seaside resort in the western suburbs of Royan. Our camping car park is bordered by pine forests and is a short distance to the beach. It's a lovely sunny evening and we had a great hike through the forest and to the beach .Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Talmont-Sur-Gironde, Charente-Maritime

    April 23, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    This morning we visited Talmont-sur-Gironde which is one of the 'Plus Beaux Villages de France'. The village lies on a small promontory which dominates the Gironde Estuary.
    The enclosed and fortified village was founded around the church in 1284 on the orders of Edward I of England . During the Hundred Years' War which divided England and France, Talmont became a strategic stake . In 1652 the village was destroyed by the Spaniards.
    Today the village has a population of less than 100. Its a tiny place, very pretty and mainly a tourist attraction.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Port-de-Mortagne, Charente-Maritime

    Apr 23–24, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After lunch we drove a short distance to the marina at Port-de-Mortagne. We are parked up at a beautiful aire facing the marina in this charming place.
    There is a whimsical sculpture here of two 'bird souls' watching over the Gironde River. This place has a really nice relaxed vibe; very appealing for us.
    We had a lovely afternoon exploring here.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Port-de-Mortagne, Charente-Maritime

    Apr 24–25, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We decided to stay another day at the marina.
    We started the day with a wake up call from the boulangerie van which tooted its horn by our motorhome!
    There's lots of walking here and we found a laundry behind the Harbour Masters Office which was perfect timing because I have been cultivating a laundry mountain over the last 3 weeks!Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Blaye, Gironde

    Apr 25–26, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We continued south today into the Gironde to Blaye which is located on the right bank of the Gironde estuary.
    Blaye has a citadel built on a promontory beside the river which contains the ruins of a medieval castle and the ruins of a Basilica.
    Our park up is a short walk to the citadel and the town so we've spent the day exploring. There's lots to see here and we particularly enjoy visiting historic sites.    Read more

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Niska

    April 26, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Niska is 3 today!
    Of course she had a birthday cake.....and waited very patiently to eat it whilst she had her birthday photo taken.

  • timandjacky ukFrance, Spring 2024Traveler

    Lamarque, Gironde

    Apr 26–27, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We have travelled to the other side of the Gironde river today; about 3 miles across the water from Blaye. There is a ferry across the river .....but we are over the 3.5 ton weight limit....so we had to drive 60 miles instead around the estuary to get to Lamarque where we are staying tonight!!
    As a consolation we have driven through the Medoc region which is well known for its vineyards. It was a picturesque drive.
    There isn't a great deal at Lamarque but it puts us in a good position to drive to the west side of Medoc where we will be staying over the weekend.
    We did find a very nice walk here though which we did after supper; after a rainy start to the day the evening was lovely and warm.
    It's very quiet where we are parked up, just the sounds of nature!    Read more

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