Bordeaux, Biarittz and Nutters!

14th September

Well our last night was a fun night with Sue and Ray, or Donald and Jacqueline from Benidorm in Neil's mind!
They were great hosts and laid on some nibbles too for us. It amazes me how kind people have been when we don't even know them and they welcome us into their little spaces with open arms.

Monday morning we had a 4 hour drive to our next site near Bordeaux  and so far we have avoided the toll roads and the journey has been quite easy on the French roads so far. We stocked up with food at Aldi and Super U on the way down as we are never sure if there is a good supermarket close to the site.

Our next site is a Yelloh Village, they are a french owned company with mainly french sites and one in Lagos Portugal where we will be staying in October. The resort is set in a forest of pine trees with a huge beach and view of the ocean at the bottom of this 350 pitch site. 

It is a popular site because it is next to Europes Largest Sand Dune (Grand Dune Du Pyla)  which is a big tourist attraction and popular with thrill seekers for Parasailing. 

We have been so lucky with our pitch as there are only 4 pitches that are frontline seaview and only 8 pitches that are situated out of the pine trees which looks quite dark and not a lot of sun gets through. Bessie has a panoramic view and it is stunning, and you can see for miles!

Bessie down the bottom!

Site Pool

Our first morning here we went for a walk along the beach and up the massive dunes, saw a world war two bunker in the sea and more jellyfish!

  We are situated down on the front of the site and of course everyone else staying on the site wants to come down and look at the view, thats fine. But some here think they can pitch where they like, now bearing in mind the 8 pitches down the front are full they still think they can come down and get in somewhere! One of them decides to park right on the front where there is no pitch in the walkway that is for guests to view over the cliff and stay the night! A lady with drawn on eyebrows knocked on Bessies door and asked if she could look inside her, I didn't mind that.

 Another couple of lads decide to pick up the bench thats for people to view from and take it back to their tent! Another couple have strung up a rope between two trees and are trying to walk along it in high winds! 

This is a lovely site but its strange! Another motorhome came in and parked on someone elses pitch just because there was a space? The nextdoor neighbour has hung out his washing on the path leading down to the beach when he has the same fence outside his pitch?? I don't know if its a british thing but we don't like anyone else on our pitch, we mark our boundary and that is our space but that doesn't happen here people walk where they like and will have a peer in at Bessie! If it wasn't so windy I would be getting the windbreak out and marking my pitch out! Can you tell I didn't get much sleep last night! We had 60 mile an hour winds and Neil snoring in-between so I am a happy bunny this morning.

A new pitch was created!

The Neighbours Pants!

Hippie Caravan!

The washing and shower facilities are good plenty of hot water if you look up whilst having a shower you can see the pine trees as they are covered but you access them from outside. If  too many people are showering then you get a shot of cold water to wake you up but the strangest thing is 

if you need the toilet you have to get your toilet roll, seat cover and soap from the wall outside before you go in!

A few days in to this site and it is growing on me as there is always something going on, we have met  2 lovely english couples and were invited in for an obligatory glass of wine again on a walk down to the site shop, which of course you can't refuse. Last night about 10pm we were just about to close up for the night and a Paraglider landed from out of the dark right in front of Bessie,  I wish I had my camera to hand it was amazing he could land in pitch black with a cliff edge one side and pitched motorhomes the other!

I think this must be heaven for paragliders, there must of been 20 of them flying out yesterday one looked like a giant fly and they fly right over Bessie! 

Bessie and her view.

A cooler day and a few rainstorms later the forecast is sun for a few days so we climbed the Dune today, one word to describe it.....Invigorating!

Woohoo!

The Dune rises above the forest on the right.

Neil on his way to the top!

Some mad woman!

Gin O'clock!

Bessies view at sunset

Chilling in the Sunset.

Yesterday we biked about 5 kilometres past the Dune and into the next resort of Le Moullieau, our campsite had a cycle path most of the way to it. The resort was mainly large expensive holiday homes all closed up until you got to the centre there was a lot of men dressed up in Navy blazers and coloured chinos, orange yellow green etc! There turned out to be a high society wedding about to start at the top of the hill so we followed the crowd in our shorts and flip flops and had a little look.

The Dune!

Can you see the person walking along the top?

21st September.

Today we head south again to Biarritz, we said goodbye to our lovely Irish neighbours. They are keen paragliders and are spending 2 weeks in their converted motorhome, they live in Tipperary, Southern Ireland they are both in their 60s but an inspirational couple with all they do. Back home he does kite surfing and mountain biking and they are a lot fitter than Neil and I but a great couple! I am partial to the Irish accent!

We needed to stock up with provisions and Diesel so stopped again halfway to replenish the liquid supplies too! I found 2 boxes of red wine (merlot) for €9 each, on the box it says 24 glasses! I was recommended this wine and had a tasting with a fellow motorhomer so I know its a good one!

Neil likes the Desporados and they are a lot cheaper than the UK so Bessie is now full up again!

Our next site along the coast is in a resort called Bidart,  it is a few kilometres from Biarritz called www.pavilion-royal.com Bessie has been lucky again and we have another Seaview pitch with the Pyrenees in the background, another stunning view. This is the last booked site on our list, many have said you don't need to book sites this time of year which is true but if I hadn't booked these sites we would not have got these frontline pitches. This morning when we left our last pitch the German couple pitched behind us saw we were getting ready to leave and moved his chairs and table onto our pitch before we had left! Neil asked him politely to move his things until we had gone!!

The view from the site in Biarritz

Looking up at Bessie.

Neil cooling off after a long drive.

So far Washing clothes on the sites machines have been around €5 a load and around €3 to dry clothes I have been doing a wash and dry once a week and hand washing some bits in my Scrubba! Wifi varies on some sites the more North of France the wifi was included with the pitch price but most of the sites charge extra on an hourly basis €4 an hour if you just want to check emails etc. Or a cheaper way if you are staying 5 or more days is to buy a weeks worth at €15-€19 euros, seems a lot but when you can catch up with free uk. t.v online, write my blog and send emails etc it is worth it to us.

Oh by the way Neil said the longer he is in France the more school french he is remembering. He asked for Pomme Tits the other day instead of Pomme Frittes!...chips! Well done Neil!

24th September

After a rough night of strong winds and rain the sun did shine late morning. We decided to hop on the bus into Biarritz 3km away. Biarritz centre is centred around the Grand Plage and a rugged coastline.

The very old elegant buildings stand proud amongst the more ugly modern blocks of apartments.

 Expensive boutiques, chocolat shops and restaurants line every street you can see. We treated ourselves to a 3 course lunch special of tomato and mozzarella, hake fishcakes daulphinause potatoes and a mixed berry panna cotta for dessert. A lot of the french restaurants offer a lunchtime menu for a set price all in which is better value.

City Stop and Wedding Belles!

Our first City stop was to Nantes,  the campsite is only 2km from the centre with a cycle route and trams into the city.  The site Nantescamping.com is a large modern site with large spacious pitches and lots of trees.
There were a few English here but most are just visiting the city like us so lots coming and going.
The city has a large cathedral and I managed to get Neil to go in!

Nantes reminds me of a quiter version of Barcelona with the old tall stone buildings with the wrought iron Juliet balconies and cafes and restaurants everywhere you look. I think we were in the minority wearing shorts though, everyone else was dressed in wintery clothes and boots! The locals must feel the cold, it was 23 degrees! We definitely felt like tourists!

We stopped off for a well deserved coffee then a wander around the cobbled streets lined with shops as far as the eye could see.

The 15th century Loire Chateaux is a stunning site with the moat and its Original drawbridge and an added bonus it is all free to walk around apart from the museum.

Think Neil wants to play!

The most amazing site of all in Nantes is Les Machines de Lile! This Grand walking 12 metre high  Elephant made of steel carries 50 passengers at a time and sprays water out of its trunk to surprise its audience. There is also a 25 metre working carousel depicting strange marine creatures made of steel which apparently is dedicated to the sea, another weird and wonderful sight!

We have decided to leave a day early from the City as tomorrow is supposed to be hot and we have seen the sights we had planned to see so we are onwards to where we are happiest, by the sea. We stopped on-route for a break and had to try some french cuisine!

Our next site is 150mtrs from the sea and next to a small town called Chatelailllon Plage,  our camp site is called www.camping-port-punay.com. The pitches are quite spacious again but the ground is very dry and not as many trees but I did ask for a sunny pitch! We are also next to a stream  and the Mozzies have taken a liking to Neil, they usually do! We have noticed the roads leading to the pitches on this site have hi-de-hi tannoy's I wonder if we get an early morning call "Morning Campers!"
The toilet block is quite strange too, some of the pitches overlook a row of toilets with the doors opening onto the road and pitches opposite. Some of the french toilets have seats on them but most don't, they are usually mixed shower blocks and sometimes you can walk straight past the open mens toilets to see the mens urinals! Not a pretty site! A couple of the toilets are a basin with two raised feet and i presume you just stand either side and fire away!?

I remember going to Athens when I was little and needing the toilet and the public toilet was a hole in the floor some things don't change!

Our Pitch

We saw this run down house on the beachfront and wondered if it could be our next refurbishment project??  It was the only house that was looking sorry for itself the frontline row  but what a lovely setting.

The huge beach is sandy we would have had a swim but after a stroll last night and seeing a half metre jelly fish by the rocks we decided not to risk it.  We biked along the promenade this morning, Neil looking like a loaded mule but there wasn't a soul on the beach? It was mid-day and 25 degrees?

The resort was busy with people having lunch and then the afternoon came and the beach was packed?! Are we missing something?

We stopped at an ice-cream parlour and the flavours on offer were amazing! Neil had Lemon meringue and i had Pistachio Violet! I am already planning my next flavour for tomorrow!

 

                                                        The beach in the mornings!

We passed this lady on our bikes yesterday thinking she was pushing her grandchild,  she stopped at a restaurant pulled down the mesh cover and got her dog out of the pram! It was a special pram for dogs! So cute.

I had a Melon ice-cream today and Neil had the lemon meringue again we also couldn't pass the patisserie without buying a dessert for dinner later!

I had the strawberry slice!

Saturday 12th September

Today is a special occasion, our friends Andrea and Paul are getting married in Scotland. We will be raising a toast to you both at 3.30!  Congratulations Mr and Mrs Webb and hope you have a wonderful day!

We had a thunderstorm in the night but the ground is so dry you wouldn't be able to tell we had rain overnight. We are going to have a chilled day go for a swim then catching up with washing and cleaning Bessie.

This site is quiet compared to the last one, noone seems to dare talk to each other, the couple next door who are english don't speak to anyone and don't talk to each other either, opposite there is an older english couple and she just gives out orders to her husband and argues she wears a little apron and has a hotpot going outside and poor hubby can't seem to do anything right! Not that we are people watching or anything. Thankfully there is a fun english couple down the end of the road and we have been invited up for aperitif"s  tomorrow evening bearing in mind they have a full box of wine out plus g&ts they have already offered us and told us not to bring any drink so should be a good night!

You know i said I thought I had seen it all with what people bring, well this couple have a lampshade on their ceiling light in the awning and 2 microwaves, it does make me smile! I thought we had brought alot1 Every home comfort possible I think I have now seen but we will see!

                                                       Bessie glowing in the Dark.

Living With Bessie.

The obvious difference when you drive in France is the quality of their roads, no potholes and how quiet they are compared to the UK! The french seem to be very organised and cater for Motorhomes everywhere you go and you can travel for miles without seeing another vehicle. There are stopovers called Aires where you can park overnight sometimes a little longer,  you pay minimal fee and you can dump your waste water and top up with fresh water some even have electric hook ups.  There are also unmanned fuel stations where you can top up with diesel (gazoil) and clean your Motorhome too!
There are lots of German, Dutch and of course French motorhomes on the roads we haven't seen many English plates so far, I bet they are all in Spain!
Neil and i had our first tiff yesterday, a little bit of cabin fever i think as we argued over where we were going to sit on the beach!  I said i would like to walk along a bit and get away from people but Neil wanted to just plonk himself down anywhere, trouble is he was right really as there were only about 6 people on the beach! We had half an hour of not talking to each other and looking in opposite directions both thinking I'm not going to give in but we soon made up, we can't fall out for long really I've got another 8 months with him and if thats all we have to argue about we must be lucky people!

Our Bessie.
I thought i would show you a little more of Bessie. A lot of Motorhomes on the forum i follow say you rarely keep the first Motorhome you buy because as you live in them your requirements change and the layout you originally thought would work, doesn't work out. We have only been living in Bessie for a month now and the only thing i would probably change is the kitchen. There is limited workspace although you do get used to it, the full size fridge/freezer is an essential. There is plenty of cupboard space and the cooker is good with one electric ring and 3 gas rings so if we are on electric hook up which is every site on this trip i will try and use the electric ring and Neils griddle to save on our gas. The oven and grill are gas so i am using those.

Bessie Kitchen

The 'end' bathroom  which runs the whole width of the MH is why we chose Bessie and it is proving to be worth the choice. A lot of the bathrooms in Motorhomes are fitted on the side and so space is tight, i like to be able to move around and not feel cramped when having a shower etc, I love Bessies shower!

Bessie Bathroom

The fixed side bed with its Duvalay mattress is one of the comfiest beds i have slept in! And if spending long periods of time in a Motorhome like we are this also is an essential!  I wouldn't change anything in the bedroom there are plenty of cupboards and a wardrobe with a little dressing table.

Bessies cosy Bed!

The awning doubles your living space and to us is another essential especially the inflatable ones that take 2 mins to blow up with just a foot pump! The French seem fascinated by our awning the question we always are asked is what if you get a puncture? The awning is made up of individual chambers that you can shut off and replace if you do get a puncture. I don't think this will help abroad as i wouldn't know if or where we could get a replacement. I suppose worst case we could get a new part sent out to the campsite from the UK either that or i bribe a friend to bring one out to us for free bed and board for a few days! Hopefully we won't get a puncture!

5th September
We have had a few nice days at Les Embruns Le Pouldu on the coast, there are more english people here now than when we first arrived most stop and have a chat which is nice and swap tips. Our new neighbours Keith and Janet are from Darlington we had a few glasses of wine with them last night and we are going out for Moules and Frites later,  apparently this is the place to have mussels so got to have some!
We did a 20km bike ride to Clohars-Carnoet but all the villages are so quiet here and not much around them apart from a church and a couple of Boulangeries and Patisseries but as we munched on a fresh pizza and a chocolate brownie, a wedding party arrived at the town hall which was nice to see! The villages excitement for the day the wedding music in the town hall was broadcast around the village through speakers! Not sure why they did this as we were the only one in the village but it must be tradition.

6th September
Yesterday we were sitting around the camp when we heard a loud bang! An English Motorhomer had just come in and was looking for his pitch but just as he passed us he  smashed into a tree!  The branch of the tree was just sticking out and his top left corner smashed into it! It is your worst nightmare when you are so far from home, everyone got up and looked because it was such a loud bang. I hope it hasn't done too much damage, I think lots of Gaffer tape will be needed! That was another reason why we didn't opt for a high top this is usually where a second bed is for larger motorhomes and the front of the cab is then much higher than the back and can be hard to judge the height.
Last night we had a lovely meal with Janice, Keith, Robyn and Alf our English neighbours on the site, at a local restaurant. The Moules Marinere were really good but Janice had a twist with her mussels and opted for the mussels cooked in Vodka and lemon and wow were they good! We finished off with a crepe flambe with Grand Marnier so as usual a little alcohol was consumed!

Today is our last full day at Les Embruns, tomorrow we move south to a site near the city of Nantes.  I hope we find a large supermarket to stock up, supplies are running low now the little shops here only supply enough for a few days and are limited.

                                             

                       

Our other neighbours who are English but live in France have been cleaning up their caravan for 2 days now and i thought i had seen everything you could bring on a camping holiday but she pulled out a hoover this morning! A full size one! There is only so much you can hoover in a small caravan isn't there?  I have a dustpan and brush and a little hand held hoover for the hard to reach places but a hoover has to go on my list of unusual things to bring!
It is a sunny morning and Neil has offered to make scrambled eggs on toast so i will do the washing up, hope he doesn't mess my kitchen up.

7th September
Today we say goodbye to lots of lovely people on Les Embruns especially Janice and Keith. Most of the English love to chat and invite you over. It took me 3 hours to do the laundry yesterday because i stopped off to have a few glasses of wine along the way!
Onwards to the city of Nantes ,Tom Tom found us a Supermarket that you could do your laundry whilst you shop called a Lavamat!  What a great idea, there was even a big machine for your duvets!
Bessie is now stocked up with food and drink and looking forward to City life for a few days.