European exploits

Mid morning we loaded Dora and headed to Folkestone.

Across the Derbyshire Dales to Chesterfield.

And the motorway all the way.

Eventually arrived at overnight stopover Black Horse Farm bear Folkestone

Parked up and wandered to the local for a pint.

Up bright and early to cross the Channel

And half an hour later we arrived in Calais.

Gentle drive along the coast to St Valery Sur Somme.

Lovely afternoon wandering around the village.

Then parked up in the Aire for the evening. Moving south tomorrow.

Leisurely drive along the coast towards out next stop Honfleur.

First a bit of lunch at St Valery en Creux.

Surprised to find dedicated motor home park along the sea front.

Pleasant little coastal town.

After a refreshing lunch time to continue onto Honfleur.

Pont de Normandie was our preferred crossing of the Seine just South of Le Havre and certainly was more spectacular than expected.

Approach was a bit hairy to say the least but as I went into freeze mode when face to face with a French lorry driver Kevin calmly slotted into the traffic.

And so onto Honfleur, where another surprise awaited, the extremely popular Aire by the harbour.

And leaving Kevin in Dora time to explore Honfleur.

And purchase a few treats

I should take more care with transporting Tarte Citron- but still tasted great.

And another day begins

Good Morning Honfleur

Lovely view from Dora. The bread man arrived at 9 to provide fresh bread and pastries from the back of his van. So 5 Euros we had a lovely breakfast of croissants and coffee for Kevin.

First stop Benuville, Pegasus Bridge Memorial

Then a drive to Ouistreham to drive along the coast of the D Day landing beaches.

Stopped off for a cup of tea on the road the Lion sur Mer. Free parking but not overnight. Fair enough as a residential area. Lovely sandy beach just west of Ouistreham.

And then we came upon the memorial above Arromanches .

Those who follow the log will pick out our beloved Dora with her door open.

Large car park and camping car area 6 Euros to park but well worth it just to look in awe at the beaches and contemplate what our relatives and our allies actually did so the likes of me can live this amazing free lifestyle.

The sculptures in the memorial garden were something special.

And then to our campsite. Found last night on pitch up website and in my acsi book.

Beautiful heated pool and just me ….. wake me up !!!!

Absolute gem of a site. Camping Reine de Mathilde

Pool, bar, what more couldI want. At 17Euro a night for a pitch EHU showers washing machine and swimming pool am well impressed.

And now we have EHU and WiFi so lets watch Netflix.

Good Morning Camping Reine de Mathilde.

Fresh croissants and baguette delivered. A perfect start to the day.

A gentle drive across Normandy today.

A bit of shopping for basics we English require – milk, wine, wine, beer, cider (as in Normandy) steak hache for Kevin and fish for me. We have been rather decadent and now craved fruit so raided the plum and apricot section of Carrefour, Périers.

And then onto our next stop.

We saw the Mont St Michel from afar – awe inspiring. How must the pilgrims have felt all those years ago. It seems every village in the local area has a church resembling a cathedral.

And so we decided to stay at Genêts.

Being Sunday opens at 3. But the site is lovely.

I strolled down to the local nature reserve to take photos of the abbey in the bay.

Then back to the site

A swim in the Normandy sunshine

All to myself!!!!

Then dinner chez Dora. Steak hache for Kevin and a gorgeous fish kebab and salad for me.

And a new day begins

Morning view from my little attic bedroom.

And today the weather forecast is not so good so we decided to get some miles under our belts on the way to see our very good, old friend Ed, who has kindly invited us to his home in Lignac.

So heading towards Le Mans we discovered Jublains a small ullage with a very long history.