France 2012, Day nine, Charente-Maritime

Day nine, Sep 9th 2012

Another pool day.

Instead of just sitting round outside the van, Dot and I went over to the pool for a couple of hours before lunch. There were a lot less people in this time, I think a lot were here just for the weekend.

After lunch we went back over, the other two were just lazing about by the van. Dot had ice cream and then we set outside the bar drinking Leffe in the sun. The pool closed at six every night, I though this was a bit early, as it is often nice to cool off in the pool at the end of the day.

Ten mins before the pool closed, there would be an announcement and then this strange slow music would start. The bathers would then start to make their way the the exit, looking like something from a holiday zombie film.

Day Eight or Day Ten

France 2012, Day eight, Charente-Maritime

Day eight, Sep 8th 2012

Hot again, but instead of just sitting about in the sun, we went for a walk into town (not the beach that was about 2 mile), Les Mathes about one mile, taking into account getting out of the park.

A very hot walk, I crossed over the road and walked on the opposite side to the others, to be in the shade. Les Mathes is a nice little town but there isn't much to see or do, just as well that we only went for the walk. There are a couple of shops, a church and a couple of bars.   Time to check out the bars, time for a beer.

 

There was something going on in the marketplace, a band were setting up, tables were being set and a hog was roasting over a fire. We asked what was going on but couldn't get an answer. It looked like it could be a wedding or some sort of festival. Later on the walk back to the site, a wedding procession of cars passed us with horns beeping and then came back the other way, heading towards the marketplace.

We also had another beer on the walk back and spent the rest of the day sunbathing. There isn't much to write about when you are just sat in the sun drinking, I could mention the beers I had but that is for one of my other blogs (when I get around to it).

 

Day Seven or Day Nine

France 2012, Day seven, Charente-Maritime

Day seven, Sep 7th 2012

Pool day.

Now we are sorted for the next eight days and the sun is shining, it was time to relax by the pool and drink beer.

The main pool was a bit cool but the indoor pool and the jacuzzi were nice and warm.

As usual, England had a football match while we were away, but that was later in the evening and we had the sat working well.

Day Six or Day Eight 

France 2012, Day six, Charente-Maritime

Day six, Sep 6th 2012

We were due to move to the bigger van today but it would not be until later in the afternoon. So we got what we could ready for the move and then set off for another drive.

We had come over a large bridge to get to the peninsular we are on, so I headed to the coast, close to the bridge, to see if I could get a photo. We parked up and went for a short walk along the shore in the sun.

From the beach there I could see an even longer bridge over to the island of Oléron so after our walk we sett off in that direction. We had to pass a McDonald's on the way so we pulled over, just to use the free WiFi but we did also have lunch there.

After lunch, we continued to the bridge, we had to pass the Lidl we had used on the way, so we knew where to get anything we needed for tea on the way back.   As we drove over the bridge we could see what looked like the remnants of a previous bridge and as soon as we were on the the island, I pulled over and parked up to have a look.  On closer examination, it was obvious that the structures hadn't been a bridge at all but were actually the old ferry terminals (more photos are on a day we went to the other side of the bridge, later in the holiday).  From where we were parked, we could see over to the right, a town with fortifications, so drove there for a look. 

The first place in town we came to was the fish quay, we arrived just as a boat was rushing up the channel with its catch of the day.

After watching for a while, we continued on to the fortifications and parked alongside the huge walls.  There were several ways through the walls to get inside the fort of Le Château d'Oléron, we just took the first one and followed the path along the walls the sea.

After taking in the views from there. we doubled back and crossed the bridge through the royal gate into main part of the fort.

We spent some time exploring the fort and walking around the top of the walls, it was very warm in there (not complaining) but we had water with us.  I took lots of photos and rather than trying to describe everything, I will just continue with the pictures.  As the old saying goes, a picture paints a thousand works and I wasn't going to write that much anyway.

When we came out of the castle, Mick and Bren went off to take photos of the shacks around the port, while Dot and I drove round to pick them up there. Just as Mick and Bren went out of sight, I got a call to say our mobile was ready. We drove round to meet then but because of the one way system and poor road signs, we ended up back at the car park we set off from. By the time we got to them they were stating to wonder what had happened to us.

On the way back we did call into Lidl and stocked up for the rest of our time here in Charente Maritime, we bought loads.

With the keys for the new van, we dropped off all the shopping first and then set about transferring the rest of our belongings, very hot work, thankfully I had a cold beer. It took a couple of runs in the car to get everything moved, and then the sat dish needed setting up again.

Finaly we could relax in comfort with an ice cream and or a cold beer or two.

Day Five or Day Seven

France 2012, Day five, Charente-Maritime

Day five, Sep 5th 2012

Rather than hang about in the small van we set off for a drive to the coast. I just drove and we ended up in Royan, the big town in the area. We parked up by the ferry terminal and had a very short walk. I was a bit disorientated, thinking that it was ferry over to Oléron Island but it is in fact the ferry across the the Gironde. The Gironde is the name of the estuary formed by the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers after their confluence.

I did get my bearings later, the island is on the other side of the peninsular. Just around the corner from the ferry in a lovely little cove, filled with some of the many fishing machines seen along the Atlantic coast.

From there, we headed back along the coast in the direction of the campsite, sticking to the sea front whenever possible, A bit further along the coast we stopped off at another lovely little cove and went for a plodge in the Bay of Biscay. 

It was very hot, better than we had expected the weather would be but as good we hoped it would be. Very nice for walking on the beach

We made a couple more stops for photos along the way, a lighthouse and a lovely little white church but didn't stop anywhere for long.

Eventually we passed through our local beach resort at La Palmyre and carried on to a lighthouse on the end of the peninsular. You could pay to go to the top of the lighthouse but none of us fancied the climb. We did however take the opportunity to use the toilets there. There are quite a few lighthouses in the area, there was another large one there and we would visit later in the holiday.

Barbecue supper again, with a few beers, what else can you do when the sun is shining, especially when we have had so few at home this year. The sandy ground around our van was very dirty and our feet where filthy, we would be moving on soon anyway.

The gas to the van kept tripping but we got the hang of getting it back on and the workmen did come to look at the fridge, promising to bring a new one.

Day Four or Day Six

France 2012, Day four, Charente-Maritime

Day four, Sep 4th 2012

Quite a long drive today (over 300 miles) but we had planned a stop off along the way for lunch and a look around a castle. As it turned out on the day, the weather was not that good and visibility in the fog was very poor, so it was not worth going to a castle we couldn’t see. In the end we had our picnic lunch in an Aire along the way once the weather improved. And the weather had improved by about 10 degrees by the time we stopped.

Before going to the holiday park, we made a visit to the Lidl close by, to stock up for a few days. The Lidl is not where it is supposed to be (according to their website) but is actually further down the same road. We found it anyway.

At the site, I was tired after a long drive and just wanted to lounge about but the van we got was that small there was nowhere to lounge. There was not enough room for four adults to sit in on an evening never mind lounge about and it was supposedly designed for six people. I did have a cold beer though and after I calmed down a bit, Dot and I went back to reception to see if we could be moved to a bigger van.

The verdict was we could move for an extra €100 but it would not be available for another two days. This is the end of season and the site was practically empty, so how could there be no vans available? I decided it wasn’t worth perusing that fact any further and we went to have a look at the van we were offered. The people that were already occupying the van let us have a look round and we decided to move there in two days time. We just had to make the best of it until then.

We got the sat working easily and had a barbecue supper, then an uncomfortable evening in the van. The fridge didn't seem to be cooling down (could have been too much in there) and the gas kept tripping out. I was not a happy bunny in that van.

Day Three or Day Five

France 2012, Day three, Normandy

Day three, Sep 3rd 2012

Just before lunch we set off for Bayeux, Dot and I have visited lots of times but it is a beautiful place and we like it there. We parked in the small quiet car park we found last year, (last year) just a short walk from the centre (most places are just a short walk from the centre anyway).

It started to rain on the walk in, we had waterproofs with us but took shelter as soon as we could. The cathedral was the first place we came to, so we had a good look around the inside while the rain blew over.

The sun was shining by the time we hit the shops, although there were not that many open, we had a good walk around the sights anyway.  After walking the shops we got sandwiches for lunch and had them by the river and waterwheel next to the tourist information (which was also closed). By the time we were finished lunch, all the shops were fully open again and we had another look round. I got a couple of beers from the Irish shop I got beer from last year (last year), only I got Irish beers this time?

I have taken so many photos in Bayeux it was hard to fine something new to capture but I did come across a red phone box near the car park, with the cathedral in the background.

After the walk in Bayeux we drove to the Lidl at Torigni-sur-Vire.  It was here I made my first driving error of the holiday.  Proud that I had successfully negotiated a complicated road junction, I pulled across the path of an oncoming car, scaring the others into shouting warnings, must have been only me the didn't think I had to give way.

After stocking up with food and beer, for the evening we had a beer in the bar next to the lake and fountain, before the drive back.

Then back at the van it was time for some sunbathing and a rest before we moved on to the next site in the morning.

Day Two or Day Four

France 2012, Day two, Normandy

Day two, Sep 2nd 2012

It was Sunday so we didn’t think it was worth going out to look for an open shop, we had some provisions we had brought with us, so we had a relaxing day in the sun by the van.

Not all relaxing though, we had one of the only vans next to a big tree and the Sky satellite, was behind it. So it took quite a while to find a signal but we managed it in the end. Mick and I both had sat finder apps on our phones but even they pointed to random spots in the sky.

We popped down to reception to check in, and enquire about a €20 loyalty drinks voucher that we should have been given. The shop at reception was open so we did get some eggs there and we also got bread from the bar, as we used up the entire drinks voucher. €20 doesn't go very far on beer in France.

  

Day One or Day Three

France 2012, Day one, Getting there

Day one, Sep 1st

This year's trip to France was as last year's, with Siblu holidays but unlike last year, we paid in full, instead of using Tesco vouchers. This holiday was in fact booked before last September's visit to France.

We would be be staying for three nights at Domaine de Litteau near St Lo in Normandy, eleven nights further south at Les Charmettes near Royan in Charente-Maritime then back up to Domaine de Litteau, for the last three nights.   Last minute Mick and Bren decided they were free for the 18 days, so I added them to the holiday, free of charge, including the ferry.

Up early for the drive down to Portsmouth for the 14:45 ferry to Caen (the ferry terminal is actually in Ouistreham). Mick and Bren arrived at about 05:30 and we left at around six, with a very tightly packed car.

We arrived at the Brittany Ferries terminal in Portsmouth, very early after an uneventful 300 mile journey (except for more toilet stops than usual, I must be getting old) and were about fourth in the queue. By now it was lunch time so we had the food we had prepared the previous night as we waited for the check-in to open.

Once on the ferry and out on deck in the sun, there were lots of sights to see as the ferry leaved port. Plenty of photo opportunities, with naval vessels, new and old, including Victory and Warrior, also old and new buildings.

It was very dark when we arrived in Ouistreham and I do not remember ever having driven on the right hand side of the road. in the dark before. I did not like it, it was very disorienting and even though I knew the roads and route I struggled. So it was slower than usual for the 40 mile drive to the site.

At the site we parked at reception, collected the paperwork and keys from the late arrivals box and went straight into the bar. Only had the one Leffe to relax though and then set off to find the mobile.

Unloaded the car had a couple more beers (bought on the ferry) and went to bed.

Day Two