Callantsoog, Holland

Landed at Rotterdam Europort and travelled North to a site near the coast http://www.tempelhof.nl/ The journey to the site after the motorway was along very flat but narrow roads. Mr H in his usual no fuss style negotiated some tricky bits with SJ in the front seat as co-pilot. Music, our sat-nav, numerous on board cameras and sweeties once again made this all possible! On arrival at our pitch Mr H had to get the RV up a large kerb as half the site came out to watch and marvel at our RV. SJ was unaccustomed to the spectacle we provide at most sites and watched in amazement as we set up camp. We spent our days cycling around the excellent bike routes and visiting a local beach-front town. SJ was very keen to get his exercise by cycling so we hired him a bike. Off he went to the onsite bike hire and returned with a giant sized functional Dutch model with no gears or brakes, all it lacked was a wicker basket on the front but it made us all giggle. I wanted to equip him with stabilisers, a crash helmet, elbow and knee pads! Mr H stopped me as he is a big boy now and can manage himself very well. Now it’s a very long time since we have cohabited with a teenager so I began to adjust my approach to effective communications, a bit like horse whispering but for teenagers. I found that direct eye contact should be avoided and never approach them whilst they’re wearing headphones without visual warning or food or drink. Favoured T-shirts must be freshly laundered daily and all mobile phone activity is strictly private. SJ is a pleasure to be with and not hard work at all, he avoids the sun, eats everything but the fridge door, makes grandad and me laugh and can sleep through a missile attack! 

A visit to Amsterdam was on SJ’s wish list so he and Mr H did the manly type job of co-ordinating the bus and train journey.

Gift shopping for family was expertly executed by SJ after a whistle stop tour of the canals and the red light district followed by a chinese meal and a beer in Cafe Dam for old times sake. A great day out. 

Cheltenham to York

Boarded the ferry at Roskoff with no mishaps and had a pleasant voyage to Plymouth :) So it's back home for a few weeks to get the bus and scooter serviced, stock up on essentials and visit family and friends. Back in Blighty again with no rough seas or damage to self or the RV and trailer! (double bonus ;) We received our first ever security check as we drove off the ferry this time, conducted with me hanging out the window as Mr H is in the driving seat on the left! Basically it went along the lines of...... Is this your personal vehicle madam?..... How many people are on board?......... are you carrying any tobacco or spirits? .......... Where have you travelled and for how long? ....... Where are you going and how long will you be staying? ... All enquiries were promptly and politely responded to and I must have a trustworthy face as we were then waved through the barrier by a youth barely old enough to shave with all the necessary boxes ticked! Strange really as we have enough visible and non visible storage space to smuggle through a large family and their horse plus enough booze and fags to keep a pub running for a week!! I must add that we have NEVER smuggled any item over the numerous borders we have travelled, we are not that brave or rock and roll!! (That’s if you don’t count taking red Leicester cheese into France).

First stop was Cheltenham for a few days at Briarfields to get reacclimatized  http://www.briarfields.net/ . As always we received a very warm welcome from Scott and Jo on our arrival. We spent a busy few days stocking up in the local supermarket, sorting out banking and our mobile phones enjoying speaking our native tongue once again. I was unsuccessful in tempting Mr H to upgrade his wardrobe once again so I compensated by buying myself a few ladies essentials of quality hand wash and scented candles. We conducted our ritual locker sorting in the weak British sunshine and began to plan our summer assault on family and friends. 

No need for the sat nav now as the RV knows its own way to Signature Motorhomes http://www.signaturemotorhomes.com/ As always a warm welcome for us in Wolverhampton despite the wind and rain. A short visit for us here this time and no new RV purchases to the relief of Mr H and his bank balance. Visiting Signature Motorhomes in Wolverhampton has become an annual pleasure. We feel looked after and enjoy sharing a few jokes whilst catching up with the lads! We spent the bank holiday weekend there and took the opportunity to catch up with friends we had met in Spain. Mr and Mrs L were great hosts taking us out to a fabulous local Indian restaurant and sharing their extensive local knowledge of the area over a beer or three! 

Must mention this, Mr H had spent the previous tour of Europe fighting with our levellers every time we pitched up. They are amazing inventions, four hydraulic feet that level the vehicle when we park up enabling us to use the two slide-outs. There is an auto levelling button that never worked so Mr H always had to level the RV with the manual option. I had to vacate the RV every time he did this as the front and rear bucked and rocked into a position that made my sensitive ears pop and stomach churn! When we reported this problem to the all-knowing Ross he opened the appropriate locker to investigate. His immediate response... wait for it.... one of those hydraulic pipes is the wrong way round!!! A two minute job that made Mr H’s world OK again.

Then on to York http://www.yorkcaravanpark.com/  Mr H set up camp and was faced with the now usual array of onlookers. They are always amazed at the size and design of his drainage pipes! So proud. Our stay in York was a flurry of activity as usual requiring a hire car, nerves of steel and a full wallet! We visited and received family and friends from near and far. Mr H managed to squeeze in some fishing on a rare sunny day with our daughter, partner and their very entertaining pampered pooch Buddy! Just love them all. While we were visiting it was our eldest grandsons ( SJ ) school leaving prom, an event I would have swam the oceans to witness. In true 16 year old lad style SJ didn’t want to wear a suit and tie but he went along with the theme to please the ladies! In true Nan style I fed him, bought him a new razor, ironed his shirt, became official time keeper, transported him and his mates around through the day and ensured he had a bottle opener! SJ tolerated the long process of dressing for the occasion and endless photo taking with his usual laid back style. I just about managed to hold back the tears of pride and joy when he needed his grandad to help him achieve the perfect knot in his tie! SJ finally presented his preened self to us all in his very slim fitting dark formal suit, shocking pink large knotted tie and his designer trainers! Watching SJ and his close friends arrive at the prom was emotional and very entertaining, the winners of “Best Arrival “came in a skip!! All I will report about the prom after party is that nobody died and it only took a day of constant fluids and bacon butties for SJ to recover thank-goodness! 

Our stay in York was extended due to us having to wait for the scooter to be repaired. Waiting for the needed part to be delivered from Italy cost us a fortune in extra site fees, car rental and paying for 4 changed dates for our ferry crossing. It was an all day job requiring a part from the manufacturer, I offered to fly out and collect the bugger as it would have been cheaper and quicker! Mr H was not even given a guarantee that the scooter would be ready on the day of our departure but we decided enough was enough and went ahead with our travel plans anyway. I must say that the mechanics at the garage were as frustrated as us and they did all they could to hurry up the job. Maybe a girl thing but have they never heard of sending needed parts overseas by courier? If Tom Hanks and FedEx can deliver the goods we have no valid excuse, rant over.

Our journey through Europe this year was planned and agreed and we stocked up with extra essentials. With a fridge and cupboards bulging with British bacon, beans, mayonnaise and our eldest grandson SJ (16 years old) on board for a road trip to Munich. We headed to the sacred KC stadium to hopefully collect and load up the scooter as it was the nearest available space big enough for our RV and trailer. Never been so pleased to see Mr H roll up on the scooter! 

With the scooter packed away in the trailer we headed off to get our ferry to Rotterdam in blazing sunshine and good spirits. 

A smooth overnight crossing was spent catching up with SJ and his busy lifestyle of studying, working and sporting activities. Due to the numerous ferry changes we’d lost our club cabin and ended up in bunk beds that seemed to be designed to roll you out towards the floor. Not much sleep but we all managed to hang on until we got up for breakfast, Holland here we come.

Pontorson & Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Our journey through France continued and our next stopover was at http://www.camping-haliotis-mont-saint-michel.com/english-version-camping-haliotis-mont-saint-michel.html for a very pleasant week prior to catching the Ferry from Roskoff to Plymouth.

Great little site very clean, modern and well kept. Our  large pitch with full services was a haven for many wild birds and the local church bells told accurate time! Our friends Dave & Di joined us here and pitched up next door. We enjoyed the welcome sun, a few beers and even managed several games of Rummikub!  

Mr H and I once again donned our lycra and used the cycle route along the estuary leading to Mont St Michel as it was just outside the site gate. This historic citadel was a magical place despite the throngs of fellow tourists.

 

The choice of food was vast so Mr H and his mate left us in a souvenir shop to scout a venue for lunch. They found us a lovely little restaurant with a varied menu and good chilled beer! Result.

Our ferry to Plymouth set sail early on a Sunday morning so we decided to head for an overnight stay on an Aire at Roskoff so we didn't have to be up at stupid o'clock. The sat-nav once again took us on a detour! Mr H followed her instructions and realised too late that the prescribed route was not going to accommodate the sacred bus. The road narrowed alarmingly quickly as we crept along and the stone walls on both sides seemed to lean in a bit more every few feet. We eventually stopped with no room to turn and I volunteered to walk down the narrow bendy lane to see what was ahead.  Luckily around the next bend was a large farmyard big enough to turn around. So we detached the trailer and Mr H did a ten point turn around the muddy sharp bend into the yard. With the trailer re-attached Mr H managed to get the RV back on the main road but we ended up down a dead-end in the centre of Roskoff . My girl guide skills kicked in and I guided a hot and bothered Mr H into the library car park which luckily had room to turn round in. Armed with the aire address and a smile I went into the library. Thanks to a combination of mime and bad French I managed to extract the route from a non English-speaking but very pleasant French librarian! So we arrived and spent one long night on the aire, crammed full of caravans and motorhomes doing the same on a sloping pitch and no facilities. Never again I say!

Grand Parc du Puy du Fou

Onwards and upwards again we journeyed to http://www.camping-domaine-eden.fr/accueilUK.htm on Mr H's birthday. Eight hours of driving and he still said he had a good day bless him. I had a numb arse but felt it inappropriate to complain.

As ever some of the access roads were sphincter twitchingly narrow, resulting in some oh-ohs and swear words from the cab, (I'm sure the woman in the sat-nav does it for a laugh) but we managed it just to spite her. We were greeted on our late arrival to the site by the owner who was very pleasant and gave us a guided tour while we selected our pitch. This rural site was very green and peaceful with large pitches although the facilities were very basic, multi cobwebbed and air-conditioned (open to the elements!).

A stocked pond on the site was the home of the local and very vocal, mating toads but as they were downwind to our pitch we only heard them when passing the pond thank goodness. The pond provided Mr H with his first fishing opportunity since leaving Marjal and he recovered from his Spanish exertions by landing a nice upper double!

One of the main reasons for travelling this way was to visit the Parc Puy Du Fou http://www.puydufou.com/en and we weren't disappointed. 

This theme park puts on many and varied shows throughout the day. Each tell a story performed by very skilled and fantastically costumed actors. The special effects were good enough to entertain young and old, a difficult task in our computerised age. We witnessed invading Vikings complete with burning ships that rose out of the water with men on the deck!  

We then sat in a full scale Roman amphitheatre along with a few thousand other visitors chanting, Mexican-waving, booing and cheering as appropriate. We championed our favourites and pretended we were not scared of the baddies (large and mean looking roman soldiers dressed in black ). Lions, tigers, amazing full throttle chariot racing and gladiator fights to the death (not really but still very fake-bloody and dramatic ).

A medieval knights production included enthusiastic jousting, trick riders, horses in embroidered costumes and a full scale castle wall and rotating tower rose out of the ground. Amazing. 

An indoor theatre show acted out many French historical events with a grand finale of flamenco dancing ladies and performing Lipizzaner horses upon a flooded stage.   

In between the shows we wandered around the vast park and found these giant chickens. They were very well cared for and obviously used to posing for the public

We even found talking statues, trees and plant pots!

The last show of our visit was just as impressive. Shifting rocks that released owls, a secretary bird killing a large snake (rubber) and hundreds of different birds of prey performing aerobatics just above our heads. Most of the large birds of prey were released from the surrounding walls of the set but others were released by remote controlled doors in a floating aviary in the sky high above us. Photographing them was difficult but we managed to get a few anyway.

A truly amazing place and we managed to cram it all into one day's visit!! Thank you Chris and Cris for recommending we visit, enjoyed it all.

Labenne - Ocean

So we continued our journey back to Blighty by heading up north through Spain and the Pyrenees, this journey is not for anyone nervous of heights, tunnels, toll gates or lorries.

Mr H tackles every obstacle along the way with his can-do attitude and the back up of a few driving essentials. Our travel days supplies have sadly become very non-rock and roll!  Mr H essentials consist of his trusted Ray Bans, a random selection of sweets and chewing gum, Ipod and sat nav.  Mine consist of numerous road maps, Ipad, emergency bananas and a thumping great clear quartz crystal.

Certain duties have to be completed during our road trips, refuelling is just one. We approach refuelling with military planning and at times emergency manoeuvres.  Finding a garage that meets our exacting criteria is a mission in itself. We require unleaded petrol provided at a pump with enough height and width for our RV that also has access in and out without reversing! Many attempts fail but we have become resigned to the fact that we are not the type of vehicle they usually cater for. People stop, stare and at times gasp when we rock up next to their tiny cars and vans. Forecourt attendants have been known  to spring over the counter to stop us refuelling as they think we are putting petrol in a diesel HGV!

Our destination was Labenne-Ocean and a Leading campsite called
http://www.sylvamar.fr/camping-landes-uk/index.php which was 900 metres from an atlantic beach that was a favourite surfer spot. 

The weather was not as warm as further south but we managed to get out and about to explore the area. There was a canal path right outside the site and Labenne village just up the road.

This site has good access, facilities and some larger pitches  complete with a stone built BBQ and covered seating area. The hard standing on our pitch consisted of parallel lines of pavers and with only centimetres to play with Mr H parked the bus dead centre and level!!  We enjoyed our week there chilling and managed to survive listening to the mighty Tigers (Hull City) gain promotion to the Premier League in their final game before moving on again.