ONE WOMAN, ONE MOTORHOME, ONE FRENCH ADVENTURE

The night before I was due to get the ferry over to France I booked the https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/south-east-england/kent/black-horse-farm-club-campsite/  campsite, so that I did not have far to drive the following morning to make my crossing. The campsite managers were so welcoming and let me stay in an area of the site that is specifically for people heading off to get ferries, so that they are not worried about disturbing other campers if it is a particularly early start. All the facilities at the site were excellent and clean. They gave me a printout of the best ways to get to the Port of Dover, which was very helpful.

As I drove into the port I was nervous. I had to concentrate hard to work out which lane I was in. Thankfully it was all relatively easy and I joined the queue to board the boat.  

I drove onto the ferry without any problem, parked up and headed for the Club lounge. It's worth paying the extra to get a nice meal, drinks and lovely surroundings. When the time came to go back to our vehicles I suddenly realised that I had not noted what deck I was on. I felt so stressed because I did not have a clue where my motorhome, Dora the Explora, was on the boat. I headed down a flight of stairs and  I heard lots of dogs barking, I remembered seeing dogs in a car when I was heading up to the decks. So I popped my head around the entrance, to my delight I spotted Dora in the distance. It taught me a lesson, to always take a photo of the deck number before rushing upstairs.

Once in the motorhome I was panicking that my sat nav would not work. I found the French Maps setting on my Garmin and tentatively drove off the boat. I kept telling myself over and over again in my head "keep right, keep right", Somehow I ended up in the lorry lane, if that is the worst that happened I am happy with that. Soon I found myself driving on the right had side of the road. My heart was beating in my chest. It was not too busy, I kept at a steady speed, around fifty miles an hour, to give myself time to think. As I approached my exit junction I knew was going to have to navigate my first roundabout and I was beyond scared

 I just kept saying to myself "keep right, keep right" over and over again in my head. I was amazed with just how easy it was, all those sleepless nights and worrying for nothing. The rest of the drive to the campsite was very enjoyable, along the windy country roads, past golden fields and blue skies.

I only had to drive about 25 kilometres to my first campsite, that I had selected from the Alan Rogers Guides. https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-la-bien-assise-nord-pas-de-calais

                                                  

I got a warm welcome, despite my feeble attempt at speaking my school girl French. They showed me to my pitch. Which was surrounded by lovely trees and green grass.

 I went for 

a wander to explore. The shower facilities were spotless. There was a great swimming pool and cafe area. I booked a table at the restaurant for later that night. It took me ten minutes to walk into the nearby Village, which is steeped in history and fascinating to look around. Well worth checking out.

Later that evening I sat outside the restaurant, which is near the Chateau in the grounds of the site. 

The food was delicious. I devoured the steak and chips. And reflected on the fact that I was finally in France in my motorhome. 

The following day I excitedly got myself a baguette from the shop on the site. I sat outside my motorhome in the sunshine to enjoy my French breakfast of berries, French bread , butter, apricot jam and a pot of coffee. It was Heaven. 

An hour later I hopped on my ebike and cycled to  https://www.st-joseph-village.com/   St Joseph Village, think French Beamish Open Air Museum - France of yesterday. Mixture of weird and charming. (closed Mondays and Fridays)

The roads are prefect for cycling along. I had plenty of opportunity to take in the beauty of my surroundings, singing to myself as I peddled furiously.

On Day 3 I went to the shop to get my first French Croissant, only to be told that I should have ordered it the night before. There were no spare ones, so I left empty handed. I ate the half of yesterday's baguette I had leftover. I had just struck lucky the day before, they had a couple of spare baguettes.

 Time to move on. I drove 100km to my next site  https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-le-champ-neuf-picardy 

I felt a lot better about driving, until I realised that I had forgotten to select the route with no Tolls. Needless to say approaching the Toll booth I got myself all worked up. When I jumped out and ran around to the machine, I could not fathom out what to do but a very patient French women responded when I pressed the help button and she talked me through what I had to do.

When it came to exiting the motorway I was no better, I could not fathom how much I had to pay and where to insert the money. Once again someone on the other end of the help button talked me through what I had to do. I did not do It any better on the way back either.

I have since learnt that there are easy fit toll tags for automatic toll payments, that will make life far easier in future. I did not let it dent my confidence too much.I loved driving around the little villages. I  stopped at a roadside fruit and veg stall to do a bit of shopping. The quality of the produce on offer was fabulous. 

Driving through some areas of the Somme, where so many young men lost their lives, was quite emotional. It made me reflect and think about the tragic loss of life in the war. 

I had decided to spent three nights at Champ Neuf, to give me plenty of time to explore the area.

 I remembered to pre-order my croissants, I was not going to get caught out a second time with no breakfast bread order. I loved my French breakfasts.

The swimming pool was very lively with families enjoying their holidays. I had my first Moules Marinière in the restaurant, which was delicious. I cycled for miles exploring nearby beaches and wonderful cycle routes in the area. It is so beautiful and peaceful. I visited Cayeux-Sur-Mer, about a twenty minutes drive from the campsite, an attractive coastal town with pretty beach huts and a broadwalk.

I loved cycling from the campsite to Le Crotoy, which is on the Bay of the Somme.

 It is a lively town with a good selection of shops and cafes, and a beach. 

 At low tide there is a vast expanse of beach, almost as far as the eye can see.

I was entertained for ages, watching the coastguards chasing along frantically calling out and blowing their whistles, to stop people wandering out further, as the tide was coming in rather swiftly. Some were even bought back to shore in boats because they had misjudged just how far they had walked out and how quickly the tide came in and they got caught out.

The third site I chose from www.alanrogers.com was my favourite. I stayed at     https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-le-marqueval-normandy It is close to the seaside town of Hautot-Sur-Mer. 

My pitch was next to one of the lakes, a lovely quiet spot. The showers and toilets were spotless. The shop was well stocked with things you may need. I ordered my bread and croissants. There were pop up veg and fruit stalls and food and pizza vans, during my time there. It was great to see all the families enjoying the good sized swimming poole. Locals joined with holiday makers to play Boules, which is a fascinating pastime.

 I loved cycling the 1.2km to Pourville beach.

 The spectacular imposing white cliffs and stoney sandy beach are beautiful. There are a few places to eat overlooking the sea. You can also wander along the beach and not see a soul, which is what I love to do. One of the best places to watch the sunset is about a mile out of the town, up the winding road towards Dieppe. You can admire the view of Pourville and the beach, as well as taking in the sunset.

I cycled about half an hour to Dieppe, to check out the imposing clifftop castle. https://www.dieppetourisme.com/bouger/visiter/chateux-et-monuments/chateau-de-dieppe/ 

I was grateful for my electric bike, as the route was very hilly, but it was well worth the effort. The castle was founded in 118 by King Henry ll of England and has undergone various changes throughout the years. You get a good panoramic view of the town and coast from the Medieval fortress.

The highlight of my trip was a visit to https://www.dieppetourisme.com/bouger/visiter/chateux-et-monuments/chateau-de-miromesnil/  which boasts a long Beechgrove and hidden chapel. 

The guided tour was in French and English. I was relieved they also handed out folders in English. The famous French author Guy de Maupassant was born there. You can even stay the night in the 16th century building because they have some B&B rooms. I could have spent days exploring the wonderful gardens.

I drove back to Calais and stayed the night again at https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-la-bien-assise-nord-pas-de-calais before getting the ferry home from Calais.

I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday in France and wish that I had faced my fear of driving on the wrong side of the road years earlier. I feel that it has opened up a whole new world for me with my motorhome in my 60s. 

I know I usually say as a Retirement Rebel, I go with the flow and have no plan, but using the  www.alanrogers.com  guides and website this time, gave me more confidence and made things so much easier for me, when I was scared of going abroad. So I will definitely be using them again as I explore more of Europe. As for my insurance and European breakdown cover with Red Pennant,  https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/insurance/overseas-holiday-insurance/  I am pleased to say that I did not need to use it but it was good to know that I had comprehensive cover should I have needed it. I will be using that in the future.

 As well as booking my ferry crossings again with https://www.caravanclub.co.uk

Do not let your self doubts and fears stop you from discovering some amazing places abroad. I cannot wait for my next trip