Index for this trip HERE

54 days away, 2850 miles, 32€ (£28.50) per day

If we use one word for this trip, it is “hot”!  Despite going to the Sahara earlier this year, plus many days away, this is the first trip we’ve been hitting 35-40’C in the shade for a large part of the middle and end of the trip.  Bit of a change from when we arrived in the Alps in July as we had to have the heating on and the top of the mountain was bitter!

The mountain biking, and Valloire, was superb – really 10/10.  We could have had more practice and time there and when we left we still had runs to try and were not bored.  We only left as we were under timescales to get back to UK for a contract that was subsequently delayed!  DOH!

Our trip to the rest of France was aiming to take us to new places.  We did see loads of nice and interesting things, but we have to say there are far too many people and motorhomers about.  Not as many as we expected in some places, but in others there was no quiet place to hide – just loads of big white vans.  I think our preference for the future is to go just off peak season.

We are still very keen to visit the Normandy beaches and to learn more about the wars and how they made Europe the way it is; and we’re also keen to see some of the vineyards – but these will be left for future visits.

On this trip we’ve probably had more time on the beach chilling than any other which has been a surprise – as well as the cause of the main injury of our trips so far (my toe!). 

France does have some very good and special places, and we do like a lot of the place and we still have a lot to see. We will return to some of our favourite places again, but it is probably fair to say we’ve still not fallen in love with France as a whole.  Far too much “samey” bits around, and a lot of low quality and boring bits, and it does become tedious looking at town after town of badly rendered blockwork in disrepair with 50+ year old paint/adverts…  Needs a bit of a refresh!

That said, we’ve spent more time in France in 2011 than anywhere else and we have had a very good time – mainly down to Valloire and the boarding and biking Alps as well as some good beach time.

Due to it being busier than normal, we’ve become glad we’re small and grey.  There are far too many big white vans in France in the summer with horrendous driving standards (we’ve almost been hit when parked a couple of times) – and the hygiene around aires makes us glad we disinfect everything before we start!  Though I did smirk after a guy rinsed his loo cassette on the “fresh” tap, then his wife filled up her water bottles from the tap a minute or so later without cleaning it. 

Its hard to give an overall mark for the trip, as the biking was superb, a couple of the beaches and environment were great, but there were chunks of non-excitement inbetween.  Probably 7/10 overall, but 9.5/10 and 10/10 in places.

Index for this trip HERE

After 8 weeks and almost into September, we are fortunately still blessed with pretty good weather.  On leaving La Rochelle we headed on the coastal roads through some reasonably generic tourist towns until we got to Les Sables-d’Olonne.  Les Sables appears to be a better quality tourist resort than most, with a lovely front and beach area, big and nice marina, and loads of little beaches and coves on the outskirts.  The sort of place you’d go on a nice package deal for a week I think.

Then from there we headed to my parents favourite place in France – Noirmoutier-en-l’Île.  The island itself is a cross between East Anglia (both Fens and Norfolk beaches); Denmark (Hirtshalls fishermans houses); and a bit of Holland thrown in.  A nice quiet beach with boats is on one side behind the campsite, and there is a large river-harbour area which is very tidal – as we found when we tried to leave the island only to find the tide had closed the road so we had to detour over the bridge.

For the night we tucked in the free aire at Bourgneuf-en-Retz (a somewhere-nowhere place) just to ensure we had all our water and waste sorted till we got back to UK.

Continuing homeward, we went via St-Nazaire where there is a WW2 submarine base and a sub you can look around.  Very interesting indeed, but it lacked surrounding exhibits, like films, more history etc – as it was it was a 30m tour of the sub and then kicked out…  Shame.  St-Nazaire was pleasant enough but unless we missed it, it wasn’t special enough to be enthralling.  We then headed to Batz-sur-Mer for the night and tucked ourselves away.  The little town was pleasant and the beach a mix of sand and rock – probably the last beach we’ll see on this trip before Calais….

Home mode has definitely set in now, and with sooooo much to do back in UK our minds aren’t really on the present.  Annoying but happens every time.

We headed to Caen for the evening stopping at Avranches for lunch and a look around, and it was a pleasant place.  Caen was busy but had a very warm and energetic feel to it – nice castle in the middle and a nice quay in the town – must add to our “must revisit” list. We over-nighted at the large memorial which we’ll save for our Normandy/Brittany future tour.

We did a final supermarket shop, and 25+ bottles of wine and 100 bottles of beer – and the van shows its amazing storage again – it all vanished!  Smugglers dream!  Not that we ever would of course – that isn’t how we finance our trips. Well not all of them.

Then our journey towards Calais continued avoiding much of the motorways, and the drive was rather good.  For the first time in a while the small towns and villages we drove through were interesting, as well as some of the views of castles, lakes and the like.  A lot of the views were British-ish and you could be mistaken for being back in the UK. 

For our final night we stayed in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage which we’ve heard about but never visited.  It had the feeling of being plush, pleasant and posh – in fact a very reasonable place.  We were going to have our last meal out but we weren’t that hungry and nothing took our fancy, so we had a simple savoury crepe on the sea front instead!  I know how to treat women well!! 

Finally, our last blat to Calais drawing an end to our 9th major trip – 54 days in France.

For trip costs and summary click HERE

Index for this trip HERE

On leaving Rocamadour we had a nice chat with our “neighbours” – and her English was only slight better than our French, but it was actually rather good to mutually cock up both languages yet still have a conversation! 

We headed to Sarlat-la-Canéda which was overly familiar – think my parents must’ve taken us there when we visited them.  A rather pleasant, but touristy medieval place – and yep – seen too many now to take too much notice.  Opting to dawdle along the river roads, there were some pretty and interesting villages, more medieval hill-top constructions, and we ultimately stayed at a reasonable aire in the pleasant Lalinde.

When we left, we had to check the day as it felt like a Sunday.  Not much open and not many around, so probably some public holiday though the lady I tried to speak to in the only open cake shop had no idea what I was on about.  Heading to the Atlantic coast was probably the most boring drive of the trip so far with very little of interest to us.  There were a fair few vineyards but our wine trips will be in the future (with someone who knows what they are doing hopefully!).   At Lake Cazaux we headed to a great location tipped to us by some friends, but sadly due to it being August (and there being loads of big white vans) overnighting was banned.  So we headed to Biscarrosse-Plage where we spent the afternoon with one of Mels b’day presents – a bodyboard.  The Atlantic surf was superb and Mel was acting her age again (teenager obviously), and apart from me getting whiplash from a big wave smacking the board in my face, it was rather good fun.

Our good luck continued in the morning as at 8:30am we heard a big bang but saw nothing, and only when we left our wild-camping spot did we see that a car had come off the road and t-boned a parked car, pushing it into the one next to it, and then into the one next to that.  All about 20m from where we were hiding.  Oops.

We then headed further south to near Léon through a national park to a place we stayed for a few days buried in a quiet pine forest with a nice (but dangerous) beach.  The waves and tow were immense and we’d not have gone in if there were not lifeguards every 10m or so in the bathing area.  The waves were so big you actually had to look “up” and you could see the underneath of people just before you got belted by the wave.  Superb fun, though Mel ended up with a bum-rash after being thrown on the beach and dragged backwards by the tow; and I got a injured toe from being thrown up and against Mel  which resulted in having to go to the first aid room – and me having  a black toe and a limp for a while

Biking was either boring along tarmac paths, or impossible down deep sand trails, so we opted to have more of a chilling time knowing the UK chaos would be coming soon. 

When we left we sorted the van water and noticed one of the tyres was a little flat and the compressor didn’t make much difference, so on closer investigation we found a huge screw in it.  Bugger.  Its quite a pain to change the wheel so we limped to Euromaster and they fixed the puncture there and then – though relieved me of €22 for the pleasure.  The delay put us off course and slightly later than expected and the route north was just choc-a-block with hundreds of holiday makers trying to get home.  Bordeaux is a huge bottle neck for this so we gave up and headed to Lège-Cap-Ferret for the afternoon and evening and planned to clear Bordeaux in the early morning.  To be fair, this part of France has some lovely beaches and the area best treated as a holiday destination due to the many like tourist-style towns, rather than picturesque villages.

There is a huge beach at Lège-Cap-Ferret with a massive car park under pine trees with a few people wild camping (some literally in tents), but the sea was far too rough to go in and the sky black – so we just chilled and watched the thunderstorms and watched the tenters get soaked.

On the drive to La Rochelle we had hoped to find somewhere interesting to stop see, but apart from vineyards nothing looked exciting enough so we actually made it all the way to La Rochelle.  There probably are good finds along the route but you’d really need to go hunting which would be very slow going, and as the “home bug” has started to set in we’re currently not inclined.

La Rochelle is a big and busy town, loads of shopping and millions of eateries, with a huge marina and old town area.  Hundreds of Motorhomes about which should hopefully all vanish in the next day or so, and with it the crowds that shared the town with us.  Well worth a visit.

So week 7 is over and unless anything major happens we’ll be back in the UK next week.  We suffer from the same problem each trip – as soon as we head towards home the brain starts thinking about the things we need to do, and also about our next adventures which will be house hunting and a backpacking trip to Asia.  This does mean the heart goes out of the current trip and we never seem to get the most enjoyment out of the last week.  Next time we’ll go anti-clockwise!

We do have some plans to try and stall us from getting to Calais too quick – not least there would be a 25€ summer surcharge if we get there too quick!

 Click HERE to go to week 8

Index for this trip HERE

As the weather was again clear and warm, we decided to head to the cost again for a few days, so we went to the sandy beaches of Cap d’Agde to chill out and get some rays.  There was some more excitement than normal on the beach with a guy who appeared to have a heart attack getting CPR from the lifeguards, and a girl who got sucked into a boat propeller…  Apart from that, a lovely fun place to visit.

Following from there, we headed to Lac du Salagou – a lovely big lake with red rock outcrops and sand, with permitted and busy wild camping all around.  Many “busy” spots but also a few secluded ones – it really was a lovely setting.  Loads of running and mountain bike routes too – we had an energetic time running, cycling and swimming – though decided cycling uphill isn’t as much fun as going down! 

Annoyingly, we were working our schedule based on a weeks’ job I have in New York, and only just been told it is delayed until October.  DOH!  If we’d known we’d have had more time in the Alps biking. Bit of a shame, but leaving as we did may well have saved a broken bone!  Amazing how work gets in the way, even for us.

Alas, an early morning lake swim made up for everything, even Mels birthday, and then we headed avoiding all motorways on some interesting and deadly quiet roads, via Milau for another view of the viaduct, up to the d’Olts little villages (e.g. Saint-Geniez-d’Olt) – where we thought we may stay, but instead headed to Rodez which seemed a bit of a busier choice for Mels b’day.

Rodez aire is okay, but the town did look a little past its best with many closed down shops but the restaurants were busy.  Our choice was made when there was a sudden (and much needed) thunderstorm so the closest restaurant turned out to be rather good and despite the photo, Mel wasn’t drunk!   By the time we left the storm had gone and we got back dry before heading for a long walk around the lake in the morning.

We took the scenic drive to Cahors where we’ve just overnighted before.  This time we had more time to explore the medieval town which was interesting, and also the impressive Pont Valentré (fortified bridge).  Ironically, after all the effort I went to fixing the hot water, it was so hot we actually wanted and had a cold shower!  We stayed overnight ready for the (apparently good) Saturday market, but it was quite small though Mel did buy some undies. 

The tourist info reminded us of the caves at Gauffre de Padirac – an ancient limestone cave and underwater river, where one of the caves has collapsed leaving an impressive crater.  We’ve seen numerous caves before, and though it was somewhat rushed and the lighting not great, the actual caves, the 500m river punt, and the limestone formations were impressive.  From there we hit Rocamadour – anther ancient medieval town perched on a cliff face, and to be fair is quite a “wow” sight when you get up close.  A few oldie shops and a good walk finished off the day and the week.

Week 6 leaves Mel a little older, and us sort of heading in a homeward direction as slow as we can.

For week 7 click HERE

Index for this trip HERE

After exploring L2A and not really feeling chilled there, the weather turned to heavy rain which made the decision to leave for us.  We decided to head for Gap for no other reason than the route would take us via roads and places we’ve never been and we’re pleased we did.  Whilst wet and no great towns or villages en route, the views in places were stunning, valleys, waterfalls, over two Cols, tight and windy roads and really spectacular panoramic views.  Gap was just that – filling a gap.  We had planned to stay there, but a wet Sunday doesn’t really do any place justice, so we dawdled (swam?) on till we got to Aspres-sur-Buëch where there was a quiet area to chill for the night.  It was so wet even the fields of sunflowers hung their heads in shame.

The morning however saw the clouds clear and the sun and blue sky return  showing how changeable conditions can be, and we headed off on slow roads (D993/93)heading west through beautiful  countryside and interesting hill formations.  We stopped at Die which was a pretty and busy town, then through Rompon.  So I guess, if you are going to Die soon, best way to get there is through Romp-on   We spend the night in Aubenas at the bottom of a reasonably interesting Hilltop town.

We had planned a fun trip to the Ardeche region, and had planned to make a base in Vallon-Pont-d’Arc for a few days.  But blimey – the place was chaos and full of other tourists – something we seldom see going out of season.  The town looked our sort of fun town, but with almost nowhere to park, nowhere to wildcamp, and heaving and crammed campsites being €40 we opted to disappointingly leave.  On the way out though we found the kayak/canoe companies and booked on a 4 hour canoe trip down the Ardeche through Pont d’Arc (the biggest natural arc in Europe).  Beautiful scenery and a lot of fun down through a few rapids and over dams, and we actually worked well together in a 2-man boat.  But the river was swarming with loads of other boats and swimmers and was M25 esque!  It took around an hour for the minibus to drive the 3-4km back to their base.  Remind us to only go out of season in the future!

Afterwards we took the very impressive D290 to Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche – not as tight as the Gorges de Verdon, but a stunning drive with loads of viewing points along the way.  Very impressive.

We appear now to have run out of realistic unique routes in this part of France, so after a detour to Uzès (which had a very very busy market, loads of top quality buskers, and far too many people) we had to reuse old routes.  As the sun was out we headed to La Grande-Motte where you can still park 20m from the beach and enjoyed a chilled beach and swim and a long walk, but whilst showering in the van we noticed a peeping tom in the dunes watching Mel clean the shower without much on.  Bit of a perv – and surely there was more variety of flesh on the beach?

We had another day window shopping in the chaotic and bustling Montpelier before heading to Sete for the evening where we ventured out for a rather good fishie meal pretty much straight from the boat.  I had a shell-fish platter for starters which I was supposed to share with Mel, but she didn’t like the idea of ripping sea-snails out of their shells….  She did have her first Oyster though – and it may be her last… (You have to read the last bit in the Peperami advert style…).  Surprisingly neither of us were ill overnight and it turned into a reasonable evening. 

The next day we headed to the coast but far too busy for us at the weekend (bank holiday weekend at that) so we headed to Carcassonne the impressive walled medieval city which was crammed packed with tourists, and then down to the new town that wasn’t really stunning.  Finally, for the night we headed to Homps where we found a lovely area next to a lake so we were able to indulge in an evening swim – the sort of evening and location where campervan come into their own…

So much so in fact we decided to say another day and just chill out in the sun, reading and making ongoing plans.  It was so hot I’m pleased we fitted the extra fridge fan as even in 35’C+ the freezer keeps our stash of Magum ice creams frozen solid.  Not that they last long mind…

Fortunately for us there was a thunderstorm in the evening that cleared everyone out leaving us the place nice and quiet for just us!

We’ve decided we like places with enough people to make an atmosphere, but not so many that it is too busy.  I know, we’re fussy!!! 

So we’re ending week 5, chilled in one piece, and dreading the next few weeks as from here we’ll be heading closer to home which always puts you in “home mode”  – hopefully we can stem this for as long as possible.

To go to week 6, click HERE

Index for this trip HERE

We awoke at the start of our 4th week to glorious sunshine, so we were out bright and early on the trails.  They opened up another lift, so we took that up and played on trails that we hadn’t tried before, as well as improving on one of the difficult blues.  A top-of-the-mountain puncture was no problem as we now carry spare inner tubes!  Due to a pro race we opted to have the afternoon off and had a shower.

Well I say we had a shower, but the van hot water is playing up.  This meant Mel had to have a “kettle shower” whist I fiddled, and though it started working again its knackered to what I believe to be a flame-sensor fault.   So the next morning I spoke to the technical support people and they sent  parts out to Valloire, and then I guess it’ll be fun and games getting the boiler out and taken apart…  All fun!  Its this sort of maintenance I think we all forget – the equipment on Motorhomes takes endless abuse on bumpy roads and in effect is designed for the leisure market – not the use we’ve given it. 

We’re still improving on the blue runs, but I have attempted a downhill red which was very interesting indeed.  40% fun and easy; 40% very challenging, 10% thinking I was going to crash, and 10% walking.  Bit tougher than expected and probably close to our bikes limits – though currently beyond mine!

After late nights, BBQ and camp fire with our new friends, we decided we are too knackered to push ourselves, so opted for a restful day next to the river in our chairs soaking up the sun and eating ice cream!   We deserve it!

The glorious weather continued, so after another early start (and puncture repair) we headed off into the hills again – so hot at the top it is hard to believe it was almost freezing up there less than a week ago.  We decided to take on a 10km red run which we did and rode most of it with very few walks, but we must’ve taken a wrong turn towards the end as we ended up near Valmeinier on the other side of the mountain.  This meant a long uphill climb on the road to the Col de Telegraph where we got a few bemused looks from the road cyclists clearly not expecting to see mountain bikes on their patch. 

After that we split when I did a challenging red and we met up half way and continued down.  The red was more challenging than expected, as I’d locked my suspension for the road climb and forgot to release it, and my rear brakes burnt out and left me with no rear brakes…  Not sure why they’ve worn out in 2 weeks but there was no braking material left on them at all! Reasonably quick fix and didn’t spoil a very challenging and successful day.

Our good weather continued for the next few days, and great biking followed – both of us now doing a few reds (though walking in the odd place).  Not many incidents, but Mel did a great “superman” impression when entering a bog and went flying.  Fortunately, I guess, she had a very soft landing in a pile of fresh cow sh*t!  She did smell a little but otherwise unharmed.  The bikes were both better after their service and even more brake pads!  We have even played in the Valmeinier hills too, but these were too easy for us now which shows how much we’ve improved.

Whilst waiting for the boiler spares I took the boiler apart and out in preparation, and the burner is badly rusted and should probably be replaced…  But in the end the spares arrived and I managed to get it back together again and it works – hurrah!  Elsewhere on this site I’ve got a “how to” guide if it happens to anyone else.

Finally, after a last ride (where I had two big falls pushing a bit too hard!), we decided to call it a day at Valloire and move on.  We are actually quite sad – Valloire has been a superb location for both our 2 months snowboarding and our 3 weeks biking.  We feel quite at home there, its small, friendly, and big enough – we highly recommend it, and of course the annual pass is an absolute bargain! 

On leaving we headed over the Col de Galibier with some stunning views, across to Les Deux Alpes where we had a week skiing years ago.  This reminded us how good (and cheap) Valloire is – L2A just felt very busy, very commercial, and not at all homely.

Thus we ended week 4, knackered after a great time in Valloire, but pleased to be in one piece!

To go to week 5 click HERE

Index for this trip HERE

We started week 3 counting bruises on Mel, but apart from the multi-colouring she was fine.  We opted for a day off biking and instead went on a good walk to one of the little mountain villages, passed a gorge and waterfall we didn’t know existed, and just enjoyed some spectacular scenery.  The next day the weather was superb so we went out for a good ride on a blue we’ve never ridden before.  Superb riding, single tracks, curved banks, until….

…Mel had a screaming fall on a tight wet downhill bit.  We think she got her position wrong and in a panic went over bars bruising herself and pulling some muscles, and she broke the front brake.  Oops.  We got down and got the bike fixed but Mel is a little sore and will need a day or two of rest.  Guess there is a reason most people doing this are half our age and have even more crash gear than us.  As well as being more competent and having bikes worth 10x more than ours.  Think we’ve been outclassed somewhat!

The following day Mel was okay to walk (with a limp) – so we just did another walk in the hills.  The Alpine views really are very pretty!  We followed another bike trial so that when we ride it we know what to expect.  Sadly, this one started with a long ascent!  The day ended drinking us dry of beer with a young English couple who actually know what they are doing! 

With the weather still a bit pants, we worked out why Mel was getting hurt, and it turns out she has never learned to fall off a bike!  Not being a bloke, all she has previously done is road riding to-from places, and never really “played” with a bike.  So she has never had any silly accidents. So we spent a damp morning teaching Mel how to fall off (not that she needed much practice at that bit), but fall off in such a way the bike doesn’t cause you damage. 

After yet more naff weather, we decided to fill up with LPG.  Only problem was the “nearby” garage was only accessible via the motorway toll (which wasn’t what the road looked like on the maps), so we went to a plan B garage and they no longer sold LPG.  Then we found the motorway LPG was only accessible one way, so had to drive way past it, get on the toll, get LPG, drive miles to the next junction only to return the start!  50 miles for a tank of LPG!  Ah well, at least we’re full and I guess the batteries benefitted from the charge.  We also managed to get out on the bikes and hit a blue run, Mels 20+ bruise count wasn’t increased and we did okay.   We settled with more beers with our new young English friends (who must hate drinking with people who could be their parents!)

Then, at last, we awoke to a superb warm sunny day with clear skies.  So we got ready and were cycling to the lift when I had to wait at a roundabout to give way to a van.  Some blind French woman then decided to reverse out of a space and hit me and drove over the bike.  Needless to say I used some strong French words, and despite the urge to put her head under the wheel and drive over her, I thought I was quite diplomatic.  I was fine (jumped clear), and the bike had a lucky escape – the wheel axle popped off the frame so the frame wasn’t damaged and amazingly the wheel wasn’t warped, and all that was needed was for the shop to fix the derailleur and adjust things back.  Very lucky – and the blind bint paid the bill.

That didn’t ruin the day – the cycling was excellent and we both did bits of runs we hadn’t done before, and we even rode the entire run that scared us senseless a week or so previous.  Not in any style, but safe and controlled.  Mel fell a couple of times but her falling training paid off as she cleared the bike both times.  And I fell off the edge of a narrow run and “vanished” with a few rolly-pollies down a very steep bank.  No bruises (or screaming!) – but overall a very good fun and testing day.  We finished off with yet more beers with our new found friends only to be scared how small a world it is.  When in France a few years previously they met a guy saying he was going to take a trip to South Africa, and bizarely we met the same guy in Morocco who had just completed the trip earlier this year.  What is even more bizarre is he only got mentioned only because there was a 4×4 motorhome nearby. 

We ended week 3 in Valloire having had an eventful but very rewarding week, loads of walking and some real improvement of our riding ability.  The weather has even taken a turn for the better which should make next week even more fun!

Click HERE to go to week 4

Index for this trip HERE

After a couple of great hot days at Chanez the weather turned overnight to a massive storm.  Which would have been fine if we remembered we left the skylight open, but with the blackout blind we didn’t noticed till the blind became full of water and poured it over Mel.  Bugger.

So we opted to leave and headed up to Valloire hoping to get above the clouds, but instead we were in them so had to do the pass in thick fog.  We were going to come in from the opposite direction to see the Col de Galibier but the weather didn’t encourage it so we’ll go that way when we leave.  We were very much looking forward to coming “home” to Valloire, but the weather was pants and the temperature freezing – it seemed colder than when we were here snowboarding!  And of course, in July we don’t have our thermals…

The following day the weather was much better and we did a little “green” run on the bikes which was fine, but blimey – its a lot harder than we ever thought, and cycling up hill is a leg burner!  Not sure how much we can cope with!  We did take our bikes up on the lift but the second lift (to the downhill greens) was closed, so we tried a downhill blue.

Well, I say tried, but I actually mean we went about 20 meters down it and started soiling our underwear.  It was mental!  We decided we’d live another day and walked back to the top and got the lift down.  Something tells me its easier to watch people go down the runs than it is doing them – the margin of error is so small compared to snowboarding, and if you cock up a corner the drop onto gravel/trees/air has more dire results than a pile of snow.

Our plans to ride in the morning were dashed when it was raining and there was a river outside our door, and the top of the mountain was invisible through cloud.  Once the cloud cleared we saw there was fresh snow! Amazing – all that time we wanted snow when we were here snowboarding, and then it comes in July.  Typical!  A day of reading, cards, and household chores hoping the following day will be better…

Which it was!  Well in the afternoon at least.  We opted to go for a long walk, so took the cable car up and then walked down a run which was partly blue and partly “track” – and it made our legs ache!  We thought it was bikable though, so after lunch we had a couple of goes down it (6km each) and did okay and improved our technique.  Aha!

The next day the second higher lift was open and we took that and it was blinking freezing!  Probably literally.  We did however do 2 green runs, one a 10km one which we did fine but pushed our muscles a bit, but it was well within our ability.  So in the afternoon we decided to walk the blue run that scared us senseless a few days earlier….  Within 20m from the start we both fell over – me doing a few rolly-pollies!  Yep – it was a bit steep and slippery.  After the first 200m though it looked okay, and we also found a way to join it after the daunting 200m. 

We then followed another run and sort of got lost and ended up miles away, but the route was all single track which looked awesome and apart from a couple of drops looked quite rideable…  However, our bodies were aching, in Mels worlds, “Like we’ve just run a Marathon”.  And that hurt…

Still, we’ve got 5L of good wine, and after a few glasses we finished it off in our favourite restaurant where the waitress (qui a un bon derrière) was superb in allowing us to practice our French – and we did okay. 

The following day was Tour de France day, so the road was closed and there was a big build up which is quite a spectacle.  Load of promotional vehicles throwing out freebies – Mel tried to get all the freebies she could but failed badly on the sweet front.  Fortunately we were storing some German bikers gear and they “paid” us in Haribos that they got!  The riders were split over a few minutes so saw loads, but don’t think we got on TV…  Mel really enjoyed it – she was in her element eyeing up blokes in tight shorts that left little to her imagination! 

Our last day for week 2 started wet (again).  Bl**dy French weather!  We took a drive to Valmeinier but that was cold and wet – more typical of November than July.  The low cloud ruined views and the bike lifts were shut.  We found out they are only open for a day and a bit a week and our passes aren’t valid on them.  Bit annoying.  We’ve also found out a couple of the runs in Valloire are closed for the season as they upgrade some ski runs for the next season.

We managed to get out for a few runs in the afternoon, Mel taking her first “screaming fall” with instant bruising.  But apart from that it was a good (and cold/wet) muddy ride so we gave the bikes a good clean at the bike wash and retired back to the van.  Thank goodness for decent heating and a decent hot shower in the van!

So after a week back in Valloire, we’re having fun but slightly disappointed.  The weather is pretty bad and not what we expected, and there isn’t a buzzing atmosphere as its a lot quieter than over winter.  (Though saying that, there are far too many big white campervans everywhere!  We don’t count ourselves of course…)  We also have quickly learned we’re not and never going to be a biking expert!  So we’ll stay and enjoy what we have and hope the weather improves….

Click HERE to go to week 3

Index for this trip HERE

At last, our ninth major trip is underway!  We’ve actually been away for almost 3 weeks in the UK before we left for this trip but due to some consulting work leaving to Europe was delayed.  But as I write this, we’re now in Europe, in Tournai in Belgium for our first stop.

Its unreal really how things change – once you get into France and out of Calais, the traffic frees, the roads are better and everything is instantly chilled.  We used to take the p*** out of Belgium roads as when you crossed from France to Belgium they started getting rough. But now, the UK roads are so bad that even Belgium feels smooth!

Our route to the alps is via roads we’ve never used just so we see different places.  Our first stop in Tournai in Belgium shows why – as it was a random and unknown stop simply because there was an aire (which has great facilities) and close to Calais (90m).  But really the town (city?) is very impressive – a UNESCO cathedral, pretty river, buzzing square and a bizarre park where they had free range chickens… 

Of course, the first things to check are:  Is Belgium beer good (answer = yes – though I was the only person with pint glass in the town square) – and does the free 3G work on the Kindle:  Yes!  I can now get free email via 3G in Europe!  What a bargain.

After a great nights sleep, we headed to Charleville-Mézières which is another town a few hours away where we planned to meet some friends who are on their way home (haha!).  A lovely free camping area meant we could have a good BBQ overlooking the Marina as well as explore the quite charming town which had a fairly impressive square and side streets.  Lovely to catch up and swap good locations, and good to have a BBQ as sharing one with veggie Mel isn’t quite the same…

Our “new route” continued as we headed via Montmary to see the citadel (okay to walk around but not the best example) and old town (not worth stopping for) to an aire at Dieue-sur-Meuse next to a little canal.  Great spot, with free water and electric hookup and a picnic bench for tea!  Just starting to chill – takes a while to get out of UK mode…

Overnight the weather turned to typical British, so our friends who are just going back to UK have taken the weather with them!  This is a shame as Dieue-sur-Meuse has a load of mountain bike routes leading from it of all colours.  Instead of getting the bikes muddy we opted for a morning run which almost killed us! 

On leaving we went to an aire in Thaon-les-Vosges where there was a promise of a party and fireworks – but the weather seemed to put a damper on things and the fireworks weren’t exactly London standards, so we made the most of the time trying to remember our French!  The following day we headed to the old city of Besançon which has a lovely old feel to it, but due to it being a bank holiday (Bastille day?) – it was pretty much closed up.  We weren’t sure if there were any city celebrations so opted to stay the night just in case…

After tea we ventured into the once quiet old town only to find the place packed.  There was some sort of (very boring) ceremony that was reminiscent of either a Carry-On film or a Monty-Python film – where everytime someone tried to speak there was a bit of canned music.  Quite weird and even the locals ebbed away.  Afterwards there was a procession of army and emergency vehicles which seemed to be getting an annual “thank you” from the crowds.

When it got dark there was indeed a huge firework display and pretty much everyone had carrier bag fulls of bangers and fireworks that were being thrown far too close to people. Reminding me of one of my early business ventures selling French fireworks at school.  Amazingly we saw no kids with fingers missing.  Guess Bastille Day is the French Bonfire night.  Clever how they are all staggered to allow the firework companies a smooth revenue stream…

We’ve decided there is a tough line between “chilling out” and “wasting time” – as we’re both itching to get to the mountains and get the bikes off, but we are enjoying chilling and reading – already we’ve read more than the previous month.  So when does chilling out reading become wasting time…. Hmmm…..

With that thought in mind, we headed towards our Alps target of Valloire and as we were deliberately taking the slower and more interesting roads, we got tired before Chambery and aimed toward Chanez on the edge of Lac du Bourget.  There was an aire, but loads of area near the canal for staying the night.  Chanez looked an interesting and pretty little town and there were some mountain bike routes, so we opted for a cycle day!  Hurrah – bikes off the back and we went off into the hills…  Not a long ride (though my speedo seemed to think so – b****y eBay tat!), but it was very hilly and our legs burned and we’re glad we’ve got good brakes!!  We’re sure we could smell the pads burning when we eventually got to back to camp.  Such a pretty location!

We decided to have another day in Chanez so in the morning we went for a longer and flatter ride.  Pretty much half way, at the furthest point, I got a puncture.  Being fully prepared, I did have a repair kit and tools but they were left at the van!  DOH!  Fortunately the phone GPS and maps were superb so we were able to walk to a road and then I took Mels bike back to get the van.

So a flat end to a lovely week – and we are looking forward to heading to Valloire shortly

Click HERE to go to week 2

(See HERE for our other GPS download index page)

Thanks to Zebedee on Motorhome Facts Forum who gave me this data (and said it was okay to use!)

These databases contact the GPS POIs for the French Municipal campsites.  These can be bargains as they are run locally, and these may well be cheaper than ACSI type sites.  The name is included which should allow you a quick google.  These will be perfect for our French cycling trip too!

There are over 2,200 points and the density can be seen below:-

I’ve converted the data to the following formats for free download

For simplicity, all downloads been moved to a single page.  Click HERE to get the free downloads

Hope these are useful!  Other GPS databases (for Aires etc) are listed HERE