France

27
Sep
2021

More ‘non plain sailing’

I spent 3 nights with my old friend Carole and her constant companion Ted on a lovely site ‘L’Olivier in Junas, near the historic small town of Sommieres between Nimes & Montpellier. The good is of course the company and the location, and the fantastic 3m-wide voie verte which runs on an old railway line from Nimes. Sommieres is well worth a visit, and it was fun to happen upon market day on Saturday, 3 km brisk ride on the flat from Junas

However after a 3rd night being dive-bombed by mozzies, this after spending 2 hours before bed with lights on, zapping them, with the essential piece of kit to the left, desperately keeping all net screens in place, hardly wanting to risk opening the back doors to pack stuff up to my garage, enough was enough, time to move on.

I was feeling confident driving. I had this time decided on the route from the map in the old-fashioned way, and it worked a treat, going anti-clockwise on what seemed like a ring-road round Montpellier, to end up on the best road heading to a familiar destination. So on I mused about all the miles and routes I’d covered over the years with very few mishaps. In fact the only damage I caused to Monte 1 or 2 was causing the back door bike rack to be slightly bent on the latter as I reversed onto a pitch and against a tree very momentarily, no reversing camera, at Lake Como, Camping Lazy Sheep – I do like to recall the site’s name :). Actually just checked as I do like to be accurate – it’s ‘Golden Sheep’, only slightly less amusing to me., but lovely campsite.

Despite these driving feats, I had decided to downsize by 1 metre to Blue at 6m for the obvious benefits, not least the maneouvering, so it is with annoyance and a wry smile as I record here that I have caused damage to a wing-mirror and bodywork trying to get the van onto a campsite with very narrow approach road, the side wall of which I unfortunately caught by accident.

The glass of the essential (driving on the right) passenger wing mirror is holding together under sellotape, and the electronic movement controls are still working. The outside housing though has also been affected so this is being held in position with duct tape. I am determined to get it back to the UK for a spare part/fix, having failed to id the required mirror in a Halfords equivalent, and then being subjected to unbelievable sexist service which belongs out of the ark at Poitiers Citroen main dealer, to order the mirror for the sum of 105eu!!

Well-earned cup of tea later, read of my thriller, I beheld what I’ve driven down here for:

Yes it’s Marseillan Plage again – mediterranean sea at 23-24deg – just to make a certain individual very jealous. Good weather forecast until the end of the week, when I’ll start making my way north.

Posted by admin in Equipment, France, The Bad
19
Sep
2021

Two wheel ascent to the Causse

For yesterday’s activity, from across the valley I could see the road ascending to the top above Florac, so I decided that this would be a good test of new trusty. We managed to do it – about 4.5km of ascent of approx 500m upto around 1000m – using mostly the 2nd level of power and for the last stretch only the first level of power, low gear and moving between 6 – 7 mph 😀. Don’t forget the weight of the bike plus locks, about 24kg, as well as mine (not revealing)!. I used only around half the battery for that. What a fantastic bike.

The road was good, but I still have to feel the fear of heights and do it anyway. Worth the views and the challenge though and to see the difference in landscape on the plateau and looking to the east into the Cevennes, where the high green upland pastures can be seen. So beautiful and varied. As a french couple from Brittany I chatted to at a brief stop said – we are spoilt in France.

  • The road can just be made out across the valley
  • Road up – doesn’t quite do it justice!
  • Nearly there – looking back to campsite
  • Star of the show 🙂
  • Up on a ‘Causse’

After 3 days stay at this lovely campsite, am off to the other side of the Cevennes – Courry & Mum’s house – for a few days re-visiting the Ardeche area.

Posted by admin in Equipment, France
18
Sep
2021

On Robert Louis Stevenson’s Chemin but with bike not donkey

  • The limestone upland (causse) can be seen rising up above Florac
  • Idyllic setting for a fish farm, water eventually surfacing from the plateau above
  • Part of the ‘chemin’

Have spent the last two nights on a lovely 2-star campsite in Bedoues-Cocures, a village a couple of kms or so outside of Florac in the Gorges du Tarn/Cevennes region. My pitch is almost on the river bank, in a landscape of beautiful forested steep gorges, clear water rivers, historic villages and striking upland limestone plateaus called ‘Les Causses’.

This area is also mountainous – Florac is at about 500m above sea level. The mountains Lozere and Aigoual are over 1500m.

My ride into Florac yesterday took me completely unexpectedly on a small part of the above. If the weather is going to hold, I may decide to attempt to take my bike – or rather with confidence that it will take me -up a gorge ascent road to the plateau above.

Posted by admin in France
16
Sep
2021

Pandemic & Brexit – Travel in France

Current French Covid requirements for entry

  1. Proof of vaccination or recent recovery from covid

I used the French ‘Tousanticovid’ app (from Google Playstore) which is like our NHS App.  This will scan the NHS Vacc or Test QR code and load the details into the app.  I scanned the paper printout of the vacc certificate from the NHS App.

The French ‘legal declaration form’ I downloaded from the French gov website linked to from our gov site travelling abroad pages; this is a form you just tick boxes in and sign to confirm that you haven’t been in contact with anyone with covid in the last period of time – think it’s 2 weeks

In the Caen port my vacc pass (I handed them the paper version) was scrutinised and compared to my passport; others travelling via Eurotunnel were simply waved through on saying they were vaccinated – I think the same for the ferry at Calais.  The border guard stamped my passport, so assume the clock is now ticking down from 180 days for this period of travel in the Schengen area.

I have put a ‘GB’ sticker on the back and done the headlight beam thing.

Re Critair sticker – I got this for my previous van but forgot for this one so will ensure I don’t drive through any cities that require it.

Proof of destination in EU and return journey to UK

I was not asked for either of these and neither were my three other relatives/friends as part of their respective journeys. As of yet I haven’t organised for any tests for returning to the UK.

My sister bought a test from the UK and brought it with her for her return journey and got it certified via video that she was the one doing it, for inputting to the Passenger Locator Form, which she said took ages to do.

Taking food into France (EU)

Despite understanding that dairy, meat, fruit and veg from the UK are not allowed into the EU, consequently giving away the contents of my fridge after the festival, but keeping my hidden UHT carton, I needn’t have bothered as no interest was shown on either side of the channel.  The same has been reported by my sister crossing by ferry from Dover.

Round & about

Mask wearing is required indoors and even requested in tourist outdoor spots like the villages on L’Il de Re.  People are compliant re indoors certainly, and 2/3 compliant outdoors when it’s requested via a sign.

Showing the vacc pass is straightforward via the French app and is scanned in every restaurant/café I’ve been into, otherwise no entry.

Infection rates in France in the area I’ve been visiting are lower than the UK and dropping, and the vacc numbers are going up.  It has become a requirement now for all health & social care workers, plus other civil servants to have at least one vacc dose.  Hospital staff suspensions due to vacc refusal have been reported today via radio news.

I have not felt concerned about Covid at all, probably due to being outdoors, levels of mask wearing, and requirement to show vacc pass.

Apart from the very obvious lack of other British vehicles and the sound of English in comparison to previous years, as well as the above, everything else is as before, and people have been very friendly. There are lots of French mhome/vans on the road, also Dutch & German, although there might be less of these – difficult to tell given where I’ve been since Il de Re.

Posted by admin in France, Musings, Places
14
Sep
2021

Thelma & Louise go Place in the Sun

LOOKING FOR A NEEDLE …….. FRANCE IS BIG

It didn’t take long for my sister Sandie & I to be reminded of the above! She had decided also to come to France in her van (we like to think of ourselves as T & L, but I’m never quite sure which one I am) and join me in exploring around Poitiers as a potential area for buying some kind of cheap (relatively, and therefore in need of some renovation) property, before driving over to L’Il de Re to spend a few days cycling and enjoying the seaside.

I stayed a couple of days at the beautiful house of my friends about 6km from Chatellerault visiting Richlieu and then cycling over to the village of Ingrandes only 9 km away where purely by coincidence Sandie had booked a campsite Le Petit Trianon .

We spent one day driving to Chauvigny and round and about before moving to the municipal site at Thouars just south of the Loire, then considering other small towns between there and Parthenay including Saint Loup and Airvault. It’s quite difficult to be able to assess a property’s location without making a formal booking to view with an estate agent. Meagre clues plus alot of time spent on Google Earth did deliver the location of 2 listed properties, despite one having two ‘near to’ about 30kms apart in the description!!

The main criteria include of course budget, but also somewhat rural less than 10km proximity to a village/town with some life including eg boulangerie and preferably still active train station.

The roads are fantastic, but ground has to be covered and it certainly takes longer than looking at a list of properties in a town location.

The objectives of this part of the trip crystallized for me into a validation of this area of France as a potential for actually living here for a time. The next stage of the project I think would need to be putting my house up for rent and then either getting a seasonal pitch or renting somewhere here and getting my car down, so that the property search can have the more prolonged focus & effort it needs.

Thelma & Louise decided to go separate ways for a couple of days as I stayed at the campsite at St Benoit – very nice little town within cycling distance of Poitiers – and enjoyed my afternoon spent exploring the historic centre of Poitiers,, which is a key site for Alienor (Eleanor) of Aquitaine, mother of Richard The Lionheart and King John – yes of our Robin Hood fame. S went to Il de Re as planned and as the forecast for the weekend was fantastic I decided to follow her there, for our 3rd visit over the years since the first when my eldest was a baby – 1990!!

Once again the whole island was as lovely as a film set tbh. Busy enough given it’s now low season, but temperatures upto 28 degrees, although cool and pleasant in the pine trees, not to mention the sea itself which we indeed went in.

ST BENOIT

POITIERS

Town Hall
Cathedrale of Saint Pierre
The new next to the old

L’IL DE RE

St Martin de Re
La Flotte I think
Beach of Gros Jonc
Sandie in her mode de marine 🙂

Next stop over to Gueret in the centre via Chatellerault again.

Posted by admin in France, Places
09
Sep
2021

Something new & French shores once more

Twinwood Festival

A first for me and van attending a music festival which more than exceeded my hopes. It didn’t pour down for the whole time, so the van was never at risk of getting mud-bound. It was all the better to be able to share the enjoyment with my daughter and son-in-law, and we had alot of fun, not least some jive for beginner lessons.

The range of music from the decades from 1930s upto the 70s – rockabilly, swing, soul, gypsy jazz, Frankie Valli tribute act, and more, was fantastic. Lots of people dressing up – here’s me doing a token bit, and below a snippet of the music and dance on offer. Highly recommend if you like music which puts a smile on your face, gets your feet moving, and encourages you to sing along. The musicianship from all the bands was excellent, and they were really pleased to be performing following their Covid lockdowns.

Portsmouth – Caen – Chatellerault

From the festival near Bedford, it was a smooth drive down to Portsmouth, and the ferry crossing found a calm sea. It was great to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law who had by chance booked onto the same crossing and, better still, enjoy their commodore class cabin for a rest after traipsing literally miles over the last few days.   

Fallout from Brexit meant that I waited about 45 mins after leaving the ferry for the French border control to check my passport and Covid vaccination certificate.  They didn’t check, and therefore confiscate, the remaining dairy produce in my fridge, so the next morning cup of tea did not have to resort to the hidden UHT carton.  By the time I got through the border it was about 10:30pm, then I had a drive to the stopover. Amazing achievement – I had made it into France!

This was a free aire about 20 miles south off the coast in the hamlet of Grainville-Langannerie outside the Mairie.  What a brilliant place – one other van there, and straightaway Blue felt at home, away from England’s current lack of provision, if not in some quarters disapproval.

But the next morning and checks prior to setting off revealed that the hissing of air sound I thought I heard while waiting at Portsmouth harbour, and didn’t check for a variety of reasons, had obviously been caused by my passenger rear tyre, which was pretty well flat!!! Tbh, if I had checked it I don’t know what I would have done at that point.

Google again sorted me out producing a tyre place 12 miles down the still empty main road, so drove gingerly there, and was of course delighted that they could sort me out. Good service as I’d experienced with the same problem 2 years ago on the way to Brittany in Monte2.

I was on my way again, via long, straight, non-toll non-busy, non-roadwork-hindered roads, to the house of friends from way back now living in France a few miles from Chatellerault.  Drove all day in effect mostly at 55 mph, but lots of slowing as the roads I took, whilst direct, still went through many small towns.  Blue sky, rising temperatures, taking note of the countryside in the departments of the Orne, Sarthe, and into the Deux Sevres (part of the Loire valley and plains) and arriving in the Vienne.

Posted by admin in Events, France