And Finally...

This year was different than before and we've yet to fully sort out our reactions. Although we had an agenda of places we wanted to see, not everything went to plan and looking back we did quite a bit of "messing about". We've learned that travelling on our own for longer periods doesn't really suit us although this year we noticed a distinct lack of Brits in Morocco, which has itself changed, probably for the better. We learned that the King allocated a sum of money to each region to develop tourism and it was quite easy to see where this was being spent - never seen road sweepers before!

The weather has also been different this year, not only in Morocco but in Spain, France and even the UK, quite unsettled and causing us to change our plans at short notice, which probably has affected the way we're looking back. As mentioned before, and although we're not ruling it out, it's unlikely we'll be returning to Morocco for a couple of years - Terry's mum is getting on a bit now and we're reluctant to handicap ourselves in a fast return if it were needed. We still love the country, however, and would strongly encourage people to give it a try.

But, as ole blue-eyes sings, it's very nice to go travelling, but it's so nice to come home, even if we're looking at 17 loads of washing,  a 2ft tall lawn, a long list of jobs on Bertie and many more things that need doing. But we're already making plans, subject to other considerations - Peterborough Show in a couple of weeks and then hopefully Italy in mid-May for 6 weeks.

Look out for our next blog - The Italian Job

Saturday 1 April 2017

Final day and an early start so the 6.30 alarm found us already moving on a still quite dark and cool morning. We'd serviced the van last night to save time and also had just a simple breakfast although in fact we had plenty of time.

Round to the Eurotunnel terminal and first into Pet Control to get Jamie cleared then on to check-in where we were allocated a slightly earlier, 35 mins, train which is nice. From there things got a bit slow because additional security checks were supposed to be in force although we didn't see much evidence of them; maybe just a bit more thorough on passports etc. However progress was steady and in the end we only had to wait about 10 mins in the holding carpark before getting onto the train, which left 5 mins early. Not as smooth a crossing as usual but on time and we arrived in Folkestone to overcast skies and much busier roads than we've been used to.

So thereafter just the usual slog up the motorways but at least there were no holdups; even the Dartford Toll was running well, if a little slow and we made good time up to Terrys mum at Navenby with just one quick comfort stop. Lunch and a chat for a couple of hours then back onto the A1. We were surprised that the Leeming to Scotch Corner roadworks hadn't yet been finished, but no holdups and we arrived home at 6.15.

After such an early start and the longest days drive of the trip, not much was going to be done tonight. Get one car going, put the van on the drive and round to the chippy for supper. Apart from the overnight essentials and the foodstuffs, we'll leave the rest of the unloading and unpacking until tomorrow.

Friday 31 March 2017

The last day of our winter break started warm and sunny. We're just having a lazy, time-killing, day today waiting for our Chunnel booking tomiorrow. We could have called Eurotunnel and brought it forward, we got Jamie “done” on Wednesday so it would have been okay, but it would certainly have cost us a supplement and would also have upset Mum's arrangements – can't have that!

We had sort of planned to take Jamie down to the beach but after breakfast it started to cloud over with a strong hint of precipitation so we thought we'd wait it out and did a few chores round the van. It improved quickly and suddenly after a late lunch though so we headed off into the village and down onto, as the tide had come in, a very narrow stretch of sand. However, unlike last year, it was almost deserted so we let Jamie off his lead for a good run around until the cool wind got a bit much and we headed back to Bertie for hot chocolate. It's amazing how the temperature dropped today when yesterday was almost sweltering!

The aire, from almost emptying, filled up again and was full by teatime. After tea we serviced the van to save time in the morning and are aiming for an early night – it'll be quite an early start (for us) and with the drive home will be a long day.

Thursday 30 March 2017

Le Crotoy to Wissant - 61 miles

Warm sunny morning and with no rush just took our time with breakfast and usual chores. A full service here because our intended stop for the next 2 nights has no water supply. Away by 11.15 up the D940, our usual route, heading for the Auchan hypermarket at Boulogne where we refilled the fuel tank. We also called in at Leroy-Merlin, a DIY store, for a couple of bits towards the repairs list and finally across to the main store for last minute shopping; there's always something!

Lunch on the carpark then a short trip up the motorway and across to the aire de camping cars at Wissant which is where we'll stay now until our chunnel crossing early Saturday morning. It's a pleasant town and has a nice beach for Jamie to run on if the tide's out 'cos it's not very wide.

Quite busy on the aire with a few Brits, mostly heading home. For some reason it's also popular with Belgians, no idea why, but they're a friendly enough nation.

Finally got Radio 2 on the van radio.

Wednesday 29 March 2017

Le Crotoy to Rue to Le Crotoy - 8 miles

A calm greyish morning, not particularly cold with the sun doing it's best to break through the high haze. Our plan today is to get Jamie's Pet Passport stamped ready for the return Chunnel on Saturday so after a lazy breakfast tootled off to Rue where there is a vetinerary clinic just as you enter the town. They were happy to see to us straight away and Jamie was as good as gold with Monsieur Martin, although he wouldn't take the tablet and the vet had to resort to the usual push-it-down-his-throat-and-make-him-swallow routine which he accepted without fuss. With the very important paperwork completed, 10 minutes and €35 (it's a ripoff but no alternative) later we were done.

A quick call into Lidl across the road for a baguette then return to the aire at Le Crotoy. Coffee then a nice hours walk round the town which is actually much bigger than it appears, although today it was mostly closed, just the cafes, bars and restaurants open for tourist business. A breeze off the sea kept the temperature down although in shelter it was becoming quite warm. Return to Bertie for lunch.

We decided on another night here because it is very pleasant and has all facilities. It also is a good jumping off point for the last leg of the French section up to Wissant prior to our return to the UK. So a quiet relaxation afternoon and evening, walking and playing with Jamie as well as reading, knitting, puzzles and Bren's latest occupation, colouring books. We've also made a list, currently 16 items long, of things that need fixing on Bertie before our next trip, some big some small but all require doing!

Tuesday 28 March 2017

VilleDomer to Le Crotoy - 240 miles

A light rain shower or two during the night persisted into the day as we went through our usual routine, again a little later than planned. As our stay had been free we decided to support the local commerce and bought a baguette at the nearby shop for the princely sum of 80 cents!

Then back onto the N10 and todays run took in Chartres, Dreux, Evereux, Rouen, Abbeville then onto Le Crotoy, our planned destination for tonight. Apart from short sections through smaller towns it was all on motorway-class roads so we kept up a good average speed although the fuel consumption suffers a little. We refuelled early on in the day, our first in France, and noted a wide variety of prices – we went off-route a short distance to use LeClerc, the big supermarket chain, where we've found the cheapest in the past and so it was today.

With the weather gradually improving we stopped in Lidl's carpark in Dreux for lunch then pushed on. Because of our later start and also not getting as far as we wanted yesterday, it looked like being quite late (for us) at Le Crotoy so as it was on our route anyway we called at the aire in Pont de L'Arche, where we stopped outbound, but by 4,00 pm it was already full, though not all were motorhomes and the guardian didn't seem bothered about doing anything about it. So we decided to carry on.

In the end it was just on 18.00 when we arrived at Le Crotoy to find a busy aire but with still plenty of room so found ourselves a nice enough pitch and settled in with the late afternoon sun keeping things pleasantly warm. Le Crotoy was once a fishing village on the Baie de Somme but is now very much tourist orientated although in a simple way. St Valerie-sur-Somme on the other side of the bay is more into it and a nice mini-train ride will take you there; we enjoyed it last year.

However our main reason for coming here is that there is a very convenient and reasonable vet in Rue, the next town about 5/10 minutes away, and we'll be taking Jamie there tomorrow for his worming tablet and his Pet Passport to be signed, ready for the Chunnel crossing on Saturday. Subject to that we may come back here or continue further north. We'll see.

Monday 27 March 2017

Bignac to Villdomer - 151 miles

Our bodyclocks haven't quite caught up with the change to summer time so we were a bit later surfacing than perhaps we'd wanted. Doesn't matter it's a bright sunny day again although quite cold overnight. Usual chores out of the way and we headed back to the N10, or D910 as it is here now, en route for Poitiers and Tours. We prefer this type of road; it's quite fast even though it passes through various small towns and villages, which makes it more interesting and really is not much slower than we would be travelling anyway.

A nice steady cruise then to Poitiers where we stopped at an Auchan at Futurescope, just north of the city, for a bit of shopping, lunch and refill with LPG. We were going to refuel but it wasn't really needed just yet and would have involved us going round the carpark again to get back into the fuel station, so we didn't bother.

Roundabout Art

Mid-afternoon, still enjoying a pleasant ride in the sunshine, we checked our progress and saw that Tours was a good point to end our travelling day so Bren found an aire just north that seemed okay. Put it into the satnav and found Villedomer just off the main road and a very nice little aire almost in the village with all facilities, including free electric if we needed it. Unusually it also had two electric vehicle recharging points.

We joined one Brit van and later a French van came in too – it's supposed to hold 15 vehicles but no chance the way some people park........... Never mind, we're tucked into a corner out of the way. An explore later discovered a small supermarket 50m away and a typical French country village, complete with chiming church clock. This'll do us nicely for one night.