Summary
4008 miles 7.5 weeks 27 different stopovers 5 matches Lots of beer
Day 53 - Back to Swindon
Had a quiet night apart from braying donkey nearby. Had a walk around the ring of remembrance which has over 500,000 names of WWI casualties. Then drove through two villlages where Boz stayed when she was 18. Then on to Calais and the very slow and inefficient border control. Smooth crossing and the...
Day 52 - Arras
Had a good night’s sleep and drove north again (via a patisserie) to a supermarket for presents. Then into Arras for a walk around the squares, cathedral and museum. Climed the belfry of the town hall. Passed a lot of WWI cemeteries of different nations and parked up at one for the night.
Day 51 - Champagne region
Had a quite disturbed night with some very heavy rain pounding on the motorhome. Had a brief walk in the woods after breakfast and then set off north again towards the Champagne region. Saw lots of vineyards covering every possible hillside. Had a visit to the champagne museum followed by a tasting....
Day 50 - northward
Left Aix-Les-Bains and drove northwards in the rain and mist. Stoped briefly at an unimpressive waterfall and had a brief drive around Dijon but nowhere convenient to stop. Found a secluded car park in the woods north of Dijon for the night.
Day 49 - Aix-Les-Bains
Chilled in the morning and then cycled up to the Spa resort above the lake. Had a relaxing 4 hours in the outdoor pool, sauna and steam room. Cycled back to town and had our first McDonalds of the trip. Sat on the lake shore for a while soaking up the sun. Back at motorhome for an early start tomorr...
Day 48 - Towards Aix-Le-Bain
Grabbed some croissants from the patisserie and then drove half an hour further into the mountains for a walk to some waterfalls at Cirque de Saint-Meme. Lovely walk through the pine trees and sunshine. Then drove over col de granier and down to chambery and to our site on the shore of the lake in A...
Day 47 - Chartreuse monastery
Quite an early start as the traffic on the nearby road was noisy. Drove two and a half hours to the Chartreuse mountains and parked up in the main square car park for free. Then took a 9km round trip walk to the Chartreuse monastery. Beautiful location in the mountains and no idea how the remaining...
Day 46 - Sisteron
Left the campsite around 10:30; stopped to get food from LIDL and then returned the car. Drove for a couple of hours to Sisteron to a free Aire overlooking the river, just below the castle. Had a nice walk up and around the castle and stopped for an ice cream in town. Back to the motorhome to see th...
Day 45 - Wales v Argentina
Had a leisurely breakfast and then drove into Marseilles, leaving the car about a 50 minute walk from the stadium. Walked through the atmospheric streets packed with supporters. Joined the 60000+ supporters in the ground. A tense games which wales should have won. Lots of loud Argentina fans made a...
Day 44 - Aix-en-Provence
Drove for a couple of hours through the Camargue ( horses and flamingos) and picked up Sammie from near Marseilles airport. Then collected the Fiat 500 rental car from the TGV station and saw some of the less salubrious sides of the area. Stopped at a hyper market for supplies and then to our nice c...
Day 43 - Le Grau-du-Roi
Bit cloudy in the morning, so set out about midday and cycled through the town to one of the long beaches in Grau-Du-Roi. A couple of hours sunbathing and then decided to watch the bulls again so cycled to Aigues Mortes. Stood in the street and got a bit too close to a couple of the bulls. Then cycl...
Day 42 - L’Espiguette beach
Spent the morning sorting out laundry and assorted jobs. Then cycled to the beach about 10km away for some sunbathing. Then a ride back into town for some food and back to the motorhome.
Day 41 - Aigues Mortes
Rode the bikes into the massive marina area and then continued on past flamingos and salt pans. Ended up in the ancient walled town of Aigues Mortes which happened to be holding. 9 day festival to mark end of grape harvest and salt harvest. They had bull races in a small arena (people jumping out of...
Day 40 - South to the Mediterranean
A good night’s sleep on our free site and spent most of the day driving south in glorious sunshine with stops for food and petrol. Drove over the Milleau Viaduct. Finally got to the beaches south of Montpellier around 5:30 and found a massive campsite next to the beach.
Day 39 - Southward
Henry left for the airport early in the morning and we stayed at the campsite to watch Argentina v Japan. Then we dropped Sammie at the tram and headed south. Ended up in an aire south of Limoges after 4.5 hours driving.
Day 38 - Wales v Georgia
Woke up late and filled up in food before cycling the 20 minutes to the stadium. Great atmosphere and good seats again, just avoiding the hot sun. Good to confirm the date of the quarter final. Back to the campsite for a rest and then a Bolt into the fan park in the city centre to watch Ireland beat...
Day 37 - To Nantes
Chilled at the Aire until about midday then drove on to Nantes, stopping at a hyper market to stock up on supplies. Then on to the campsite in Nantes for much needed showers. Henry arrived about 11pm and Sammie about 1 in the morning.
Day 36 - Angers
Drove west to Angers and cycled around the town. Some nice old parts and a couple of parks worth a stroll. The castle was nothing special. Decided against spending the night in a car park so drove on a bit to a campsite on the banks of the Loire. Lovely sunset.
Day 35 - Saumur region
Cycled up to Saumur castle in the morning and had a look around the grounds and inside. Not as palatial as the other chateaux but probably older. Stopped to get some patisseries in the way back to the motorhome for lunch. Then a 35km cycle round trip to Candes-st-Martin which is where the Loire and...
Day 34 - Azay-Le-Rideau
Spent the morning looking around Azay-Le-Ridesau chateau. Beautiful and quiet. Then on to Saumur to our campsite and then ride our bikes up to the castle and around the old town. Had a beer in the town centre.
Day 33 - Tours
Rode the 22km cycle path along the Cher into Tours. A beautiful medical old town with timber houses. Also an impressive cathedral with amazing stained glass windows. Explored the centre some more including site of original cathedral and stopped for beer and ice cream in the old square. Another 22km...
Day 32 - Villandry
Drove through the Loire valley via Blois and Amboise to Villandry and a campsite very close to the chateau. Spent about 5 hours wandering the chateau and its gardens and Boz attended a bee demonstration including stroking bees.
Day 31 - Cheverny
Spent most of the day chilling on the campsite and doing some shopping. Boz rode to Chambord as she still had energy!
Day 30 - Cheverny
A slightly shorter 27km on the bikes today. Cycled to Cheverny Chateau and had a walk around the house and gardens. Very nice. Then cycled back to the campsite to watch New Zealand thrash Italy.
Day 29 - Loire Valley
Popped out to the town market for breakfast food and sorted out the bikes. Then a 57km cycle ride around various chateaux and the Loire. Chambord was the main one but saw the outside of others. Stopped in Blois for a wander around the old quarter and grabbed a beer and ice cream. Exhausted by the ti...
Day 28 - North and West
Stopped shop in Moulins for restocking and then a long drive to the Loire area with stops to rest. Found a nice campsite for three nights with the intention of cycling to some chateaux.
Day 27 - Moulins
Dropped Henry off at the station in Bourges-en-Brasse and then headed on westward. Ended up in Moulins at a large municipal site and walked into and around town. Nice cathedral and lots of old houses and cobblestone streets. Back to the motorhome for an early night.
Day 26 - Chatillion sur Charlaronne
Left Lyon around 10:30, stooping at Auchan on the way. Henry suffering badly from the night before! Drove about an hour to a simple Aire. Had a nice walk round the medieval town and it’s castle - very pretty. A bit more sunbathing in the evening.
Day 25 - Wales v Australia
Had a relaxing morning sunbathing and then drove to the airport to collect Henry. Had lunch and then caught the bus, metro and shuttle bus to the stadium. Great seats again and brilliant atmosphere. So nice to be able to relax i the game , knowing we are winning. Boz and I bus/train/bolt back to the...
Day 24 - To Lyon
Left Annecy and drove the 2 hours to Lyon. Stopped at a Auchan for supplies and then to the campsite. Chilled and watched 3 rugby games on the laptop.
Day 23 - Lac Du Annecy
Spent some of the day doing admin and trying to fix the motorhome electrical system. Went for a walk along the lake shore and sat on the banks enjoying the sunshine. Boz went for a swim in the lake and cycle into Annecy.
Day 22 - Lac Du Annecy
Cycled to Annecy with Sammie for breakfast and then the two of us continued on around the lake, stopping at beaches and a restaurant for a beer and ice cream. 25 miles in total and only used the battery for bits of the route. Spent the evening playing cards as the rain came in for the night.
Day 21 - Valloire to Annecy
Left Valloire and drove down the Col de Telegraphie into the valley and then motorway until Annecy. Found a campsite but had to wait two hours to check in because of French midday rest. Rode the bikes in Annecy to look at the Brau town. Then back to the campsite about 4.5km from Annecy.
Day 20 - Over Col du Galibier
Had a brief walk next to the lake then drove from our campsite northbound. A fairly easy drive through Briancon and Serre Chevalier and then windy roads from 2000m up to 2650m at the top of the Col. great views with sheep, golden eagles and marmots. Boz road down 8km in her bike and we arrived in Va...
Day 19 - Driving North
Left the site and stopped for some food shopping. Then a king windy up and down road into the high alps of Provence. Motorhome making some strange smells but we soldiered on. Got to a campsite on the lake near sauce du lac and watched some great thunderstorms.
Day 18 - Nice
Spent most of the day by the pool enjoying the sunshine. Then watched the Australia Fiji game in the pool bar followed by the England Japan game in the motorhome with a game of Shanghai.
Day 17 - Wales v Portugal
Woke late and then had a nice swim and short sunbathe by the campsite pool. Managed to get a Bolt ride to the stadium after giving up on Uber and stocked up on hot dogs at the IKEA right next to the ground. Took a while to get into the ground due to archaic security checks but got really good seats...
Day 16 - Agde to Nice
Left early to drive to Antibes. Got there but no spaces in any of the campsites. Managed to find one with one space left in the hills - phew! Spent a couple of hours by the pool then drove into Nice for some shopping and to collect Sammie from the airport and then back to the campsite.
Day 15 -Cap D’Agde
Went for a cycle ride towards Tamissaire beach and then back to Coco Beach. Spent the day sunbathing and dipping in the sea. Cycled back to the motorhome and packed ready for an early departure tomorrow.
Day 14 - Cap D’Agde
After a big breakfast we got on the bikes for a short ride around Agde and then wandered the harbour area and it’s strange pipped music. Then cycled to coco beach to a nice shallow beach ansunbathed until 5pm. Finally stopped on the marina for ice cream and beer.
Day 13 - Driving south and east
Left Biganos after 5 nights and headed south east towards Carcasonne. Walked around the old city for a couple of hours - nice to revisit. Then on through torrential rain to Agde. Parked up in a large Aire for the night.
Day 12 - Biganos
Henry left about 9:30 for Bergerac airport and Sammie and Andrew left about 1:30. Rusted Tyne motorhome and the did some shopping in Auchen. Picked up Boz from the airport and had a good nights sleep accompanied by acorns and rain.
Day 11 -Wales v Fiji
Wake up and played “Jette dans Le pop” ( throwing acorns in a bucket ) and then had a swim in the pool. We then drove to the stadium. Spent a couple of hours in the entertainment/drinks area mingling with other supporters. Found our brilliant seats behind the posts and got hoarse singing and shoutin...
Day 10 - Biganos
Spent most of the day tidying the motorhome and then took a dip in the pool and a bit of sunbathing. So hot. Sammie and Andrew arrived and then about midnight Henry made it after a long journey. Big match tomorrow.
Day 9 - Biganos
Drove to the airport in Bordeaux to drop off Boz and Zoe on their flight back to Bristol. Then stopped in an Auchan for some supplies and InterSport to get a cheap Wales top and some swimming shorts (can't use normal shorts in French pools).
Day 8 - Ile De Re to Bordeaux
Left our campsite around 11 and drove to La Rochelle. Walked and rode our bikes around the very picturesque old town and gardens, stopping for an ice cream. Very pretty town with lots of boats and good cycle paths. Then drove on via the busy Bordeaux ring road to our campsite in Biganos, about 45 mi...
Day 7 - Ile De Re
Another day on the plage de Conche. Rode there via the lighthouse on the north west tip of Ile De Re and stopped for an ice cream. Zoe rode her inflatable ring in the sea until she got upended by a large wave. Built sandcastles and left the beach around 6pm to cycle back to the campsite, stopping to...
Day 6 - Ile De Re
Rode the bikes the 25 minutes on good cycle paths to a beach on the North of the island - plage de Conche. Some really nig waves but a gently shelving beach so Zoe could go in the sea up to her knees. Spent the day in and out of the water and then cycled back to the campsite.
Day 5 - Chenonceau to Ile De Re
Had a good night’s sleep until 10am and after filling up with water and Ad-Blu, drove the 170 miles to Ile De Re with a stop at a Carrefour for food, Beer and snacks. Then found our campsite on the North West coast of Ile De Re and after a bit of a faff getting the Motorhome level, we took an evenin...
Day 4 - Paris to Chenonceau
Left Disney parking lot before 10am and drove around Paris down the Autoroute to Chenonceau. Found a nice Aire for the night and then went and had a look around the Chateau which we first visited 36 years ago on our honeymoon. Then took the bikes out for a ride over the Cher River and down the oppos...
Day 3 - Paris
Woke about 8 (Zoe about 10:30) and decided to leave the Motorhome at Disney and catch the train into Paris rather than try to find another site for one night. Caught the train to central Paris (nice double-decker) and wandered around the Louvre and nearby Gardens. Stopped at the official RWC shop in...
Day 2 - Disneyland Paris
A good night’s sleep and left via small back roads to Disney; 20 minutes away. Parked up in the Motorhome lot and walked the massive car park to the entrance. Spent the day between the two parks from 10:30 to 23:30. Went on loads of rides, saw a show and watched 3 parades. Zoe braved Space Mountain,...
Day 1 - Home to Near Paris
Left home at 8am and drove to Dover in just over three hours. Got on the scheduled ferry which turned out to be a new ship – only 2 months old. Very nice. Spent the crossing migrating to our new phones 😊 Then a long drive in mostly rain from Calais to a campsite on the outskirts of Eastern Paris,...