May/June ’23 Trip Roundup

Something about driving north through France towards a ferry booking in early July, and the facts that I’d done quite alot of moving on in 5 weeks, and had paid £10 extra for a changeable ‘flexi’ ticket, brought me to the conclusion that I was happy to finish the trip slightly earlier than planned, and the other places I had envisaged would keep.

So I set out to cover the ground from Bordeaux to Le Havre, with a stopover near Le Mans over two days, having successfully managed to change the booking. Although the region between Tours and this city was at the end of many hours of driving, still I was able to look at the passing landscapes and towns with somewhat fresh eyes, and realise that this region around the river Sarthe was also beautiful. So where isn’t in France?

I did have one moment of absolute horror in an otherwise fantastic uneventful road trip, when all of a sudden my van lost all power. I was able to coast onto the hard-shoulder – still available in France! – on a quiet motorway, and to huge relief re-start the motor immediately. The journey continued in the same uneventful way, and the next day all the way home to north England?? Whether my knee had somehow managed to turn the key in the the ignition to off, I don’t know. But that van has been stupendous and I continue to love it. It needs and deserves two new front tyres immediately upon return.

The campsite I had selected from the Park4Night app, Le Vieux Moulin, was like staying in a lovely garden, only a few kilometres from Le Mans, and in a future tour, I won’t hesitate to stay here again, and recommend.

The next day I opted to drive across country again on non-toll roads up to Honfleur, which is only a few kilometres from Le Havre. I stayed in Honfleur at the end of my 4 months travel back in 2019, and I’d forgotten how lovely a place it is. Likewise for the hinterland of this part of Normandy.

It was great weather, a flat sea and as we sailed past the city, Le Havre looked again to be an attractive place for a future visit. On the list now with the Marais Poitevin, Chatellailon sur Plage, and L’Ile Noirmoutier.

Off the ferry and straight up the A34 from Portsmouth and then onto the motorways became more and more like driving through France and Spain, a result only of rising to the challenge of travelling through the early hours. Thanks to a rest in the 6-hour sailing, and tuning into Heart 70s for the totality, I was actually able to enjoy the journey. When do I have 5 hours of uninterrupted singing-along bliss. What a decade of classics for this 70s girl.

In summary, I continue to be so thankful for my good health, for the material blessings of this vehicle and my bike and other kit, and for this time and money freedom to experience other cultures and landscapes, and meet so many interesting people along the way. And to have all this, knowing that I have a wonderful family, set of friends and home to return to each time.

Looking forward only a few weeks now, who knows how I (and my campervan) will incorporate the momentous change of the arrival of a new next generation family member.