Back in France - Normandy

Tuesday 30 April 2013

It was with great excitement that we went to bed last night, We have had a really busy time in the UK and we are really ready to set off again on our travels. We have booked an early ferry 07.30hrs so had made all the preparations ready for a quick escape. 

We awoke this morning (05.30hrs) to the sound of the dawn chorus in full throw. It was made all the lovelier by the hammering of a woodpecker in the distance. It’s so rare to hear these days and was such a treat. We lay there for a while waking up and readying ourselves for the day ahead. 

Once up we ad already decided that we were going to wait till we were at Dover Eastern docks and in the queue to board before we breakfasted and had a cup of tea. By 06.10hrs we were in the queue behind and old Tesco van with all the stickers ripped off enjoying a nice mug of tea and a bowl of Kellogg's best Special K. 7am and we were on the ship and sitting in one of the many cafe’s planning our destination for the day and night.

We arrived at Calais 10.00hrs local time and before we knew it we were off the ship and on the Motorway to Dunkerque. We managed to depart from the ship really quickly simply because we were one of approx 20 or so lorries and a couple of Motorhomes on board. It was as quiet a trip (less the bad weather) as our return journey to the UK. How they make it all pay we have no idea. 

Anyway it was a great crossing, and even more to be driving on the right side of the road for the Motorhome. It really makes a big difference and Kev adapted really quickly to driving on the other side of the road. It was also great to be back on European roads they are so smooth and quiet they are a joy to drive on.

At 11.00hrs we arrived in Dunkerque and parked Bertie in a large mostly empty car park only a few meters from the beach. We had a lovely sunny day and enjoyed the walk along the sea front for a good mile and a half. It is still out of season here and it was lovely and quiet as we happily walked along. The beaches are fantastic, soft white sand and immaculately kept.  On the beach taking advantage of the good easterly wind we saw a man in his sleek black swept back ‘Landyacht’ whizzing too and fro. Both he and his machine looked very cool indeed and we wondered if we could get one on the top of Bertie? 

We ended up at the ‘Memorial Du Souvenir’ which is a museum to commemorate Operation Dynamo and the evacuation on the British and French soldiers from the beaches of Dunkerque. It holds an impressive display of military equipment and arms, film shows and maps showing the placements of troops etc. 

At first sight the museum looks a modest affair as it is located in the fortifications that were built in 1874 to reinforce France’s coastal defense. Bastian 32 served as the headquarters for the French and Allied forces during the the Battle of Dunkerque and operation Dynamo.  Despite the place looking like the bricked in arches under a railway bridges at the back of Back Street Basin (Brum) it was of course wholly appropriate and we had a very interesting couple of hours walking around. 

As we returned to Bertie, had a quick look around the town which had been completely destroyed by the bombing in the second world war and had to be rebuilt from scratch. We arrived back at the van for lunch at 14.00hrs. After lunch we both felt a bit tired and decided to make straight for our camping place for the night. We stayed at a small but very pleasant Aire half way between Calais and Dunkerque called Gravelines. Bertie faced the tidal river and we sat and watched it rise as we consumed a most deserved G&T.

Nothing coming this way....

....and nothing coming this way...

After catapult practice it's off for a bit of basketball!

Wednesday 1 May (Bank Holiday in France)

It might be the the excitement of being away but we were awake early today and ready to go by 8am. As it was Mayday Bank Holiday the roads were very quiet and it turned out to be a really good day for putting on a few kilometers. By 10.00 we were at our first destination -Montreuil-Sur-Mer. The name would normally give away its location but in this case no, the town is now stranded 13km inland, owing to the silting up of the River Canche. We drove right into the centre of the town and parked up in the main square. From here we had a great position to go exploring.

The town is surrounded by ancient walls that in places are incredibly high. We took a walk along the top of the wall and then made our way onto the cobble stoned roads and beautiful old buildings that lined the streets. Apparently the town was the setting for much of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. We saw plenty of spring flowers growing in the town squares and under the carefully polled trees. It was a shame that it was a Bank Holiday as most of the shops were closed, still, we did manage to get a large baguette for lunch. 

Returning to Bertie we had a cup of tea and made our way on to our final destination for the day, Fecamp. The drive to Fecamp was simply fantastic, perfect roads, smooth, empty and very picturesque. You have to pinch yourself sometimes to believe you are driving in such perfect conditions. It’s a driver’s dream and a joy to drive.

Fecamp is situated just over halfway from Dieppe to Le Havre. Arriving at 14.30 we found the free Aire that is situated on the quay side overlooking a small inner marina and a row of shops and businesses 100m over the other side. The harbour leads down to a tidal lock and into a larger dock area. Fecamp is a serious working fishing town and the large fishing boats are moored alongside the harbour wall. It is also famous for the Benedictine Distillery which is situated in the back streets behind the harbour.

After the mandatory cuppa we ventured off to have a look at the seaside promenade. The sea views and cliffs are spectacular, the promenade was full of locals taking their families out to enjoy the holiday and the lovely weather. It was delightful to see the children playing on the stone beach and hearing the muffled sound of squealed joy. We walked the full length of the prom and back through the back streets which quite frankly were not that inspiring and unsurprisingly were mostly deserted of people.

Back at Bertie we took the rest of the day off. Tomorrow we are staying a further day to do some catching up and sorting.