The Big Trip To France

Having secured our six-month Visa for France, albeit a month later than we ideally wanted, we wasted no time in booking a Dover to Calais Ferry with DFDS (refusing to use P&O after their appalling firing and rehiring antics of last year).

We wanted to make the journey to France as frictionless as possible so we decided to book an early crossing (hopefully avoiding any delays) and spend the day beforehand in Canterbury which is then just a short hop to the ferry terminal.  Canterbury Council have been quite savvy and have created one of the only motorhome Aires in the UK welcoming income from those travelling in motorhomes rather than spurning them.  The Aire is at the Park and Ride just outside town and costs £8 per night.  There are toilets and a free shuttle bus which runs regularly into the town centre.

We hadn’t been to Canterbury for over 10 years and it is a beautiful town so were quite happy to spend some time there.  It would have been nice to visit the Cathedral but at a cost of £15 per person and having been there before we gave that one a miss and instead spent our money on a boat trip, a Roman museum and dinner.

All in all we had a lovely day.  The boat trip was fun and we had a good history lesson to boot, while the Roman museum was a little disappointing but then we were comparing it to the sites and museums from our recent trip to Turkey which is difficult to live up to. 

The next morning we were up early for our 9am ferry (which we were told needed to be checked in for 2 hours before). The drive from Canterbury to Dover is very straightforward and the sign posting to the ferry is also very good. We flew through customs and arrived early enough to be redirected to the 7.40am ferry which was leaving in half and hour (so much for 2 hour early check-in but good for us as there was obviously much less waiting around).

The ferry was pretty quiet and there was plenty of space to relax during the hour and a half crossing.  Having always crossed using the Eurotunnel I have to say this was a much more relaxing way to travel, albeit slightly longer. 

We drove off the ferry into France with the freedom to explore for the next six months!

The first thing we did was head West to find the campsite that we needed to pre-book for our visa application and to find some sunshine as Calais was as grey and dull as Dover.  Fortunately about 100km West we found blue skies and our very nice campsite in Sotteville-Sur-Mer, called Les Pommiers, where we found ourselves a lovely grassy spot.   

Having made pretty good time and with the sun shining, we whipped out the bikes and cycled to the beach and the village (where almost everything was shut… argh, we forgot about the French long lunches).  However just a few kms further is the beautiful (and bigger) village of Veules des Roses, which, according to the campsite owner, has been awarded the title of prettiest village in France.   With a title like that it is of course a little more touristy and therefore most of the shops and bars were open for business.  Agreeing that this is, very possibly, the most beautiful village in France we decided to stay in the area a little longer, but for this evening we cycled back to the campsite, set out our chairs and cracked open a very nice bottle of red to accompany the Saucisson we had just bought.  We also tried our hand at our own version of Petanque having no idea of the actual rules.

The next morning we moved to the Aire in Veules des Roses which is just above the village and, at €11 a night including the use of toilets, showers and(very nice) swimming pool of the campsite next door, we though this was a bargain compared with UK prices. 

Heading off on our bikes once again we free-wheeled down the hill (not so much fun for me coming back up later on, especially after a few beers, although Sarah found it very amusing as she whizzed past me on her E-bike) before walking the length of the river (at just over 1km it is apparently the shortest river which flows to the sea in France), which starts in watercress fields and as billed ends between big chalky cliffs of the sea.

The coast of this part of Normandy is a lot like Dorset with big white cliffs cut with arches and stacks. The skies have been cloudless and blue but it has also been extremely windy. 

We also visited the town of Valery en Caux by bike, which was about 9km away. This is a town with a big harbour between huge white cliffs where the high winds were whipping the waves up over the seafront.

Saying a fond farewell to Veules des Roses the following day we set out for the small seaside town of Etretat about 45km further West where there is an Aire about 800m from the town centre, next door to the municipal campsite.  This is a good place to stop as with its tiny streets you wouldn’t want to try and negotiate this town in a bigger vehicle.

This is a real sea-side resort and hitting it at the weekend was probably a mistake as it was teeming with tourists making it very difficult to cycle around, however there are bicycle racks in the small car park on the seafront so we left our bikes there and explored on foot (even better as this provides a free hand for an ice-cream).  The beach here is shingle with an arch at both ends in the white cliffs. The Aire we stayed in was completely full over night with over 30 motorhomes which is making us wonder what July and August will bring!

It seems like bringing bikes was a great idea and means we can nip around towns from where we park very easy without having to move the Beastlet, although it is a touch annoying when Sarah cruises past me on her new folding e-bike, the Pedibal Navigata Cite, which I have to say is very good.

Another 40k along the coast (we really aren’t moving far each day, there is just too much to see) and over the impressive Pont de Normandie bridge is the port town of Honfleur.

This has one of the biggest Aires in France with space for over 150 motorhomes.  Despite its size it retains its own charm as it overlooks the waterfront, so if you manage to get a waterfront spot (as we did) its not a bad place to park up for the night.  It is only €12 a night with electricity and water and is located about 500m from the town.

Honfleur is a beautiful medieval town of timber-framed buildings built around the harbour. Its back streets are full of original buildings and narrow cobbled streets. It would be easy to lose yourself for hours wandering the streets and would make a fantastic weekend trip away by ferry to Dieppe, to indulge in its many culinary delights with restaurants and confectionary shops on every corner.

Not wanting to miss out on the culinary delights ourselves, we of course enjoyed an evening meal of freshly caught seafood at a small harbour-side bistro while watching the world go by.

On our wanderings around Honfleur we stumbled across Naturospace which is a hothouse filled with butterflies. We decided to pop in and it was lovely with tropical birds and lots of butterflies in a steamy tropical garden.

After Etratat and Honfleur we wanted to get off the beaten track a little and away from the crowds so we headed a few km’s inland to the picturesque village of Beuvron de Auge (which could also be the prettiest village in France!). The Aire in this little village has two separate parts, a larger gravel section and a smaller leafy section with parking on grass.  Naturally we chose the latter and walked all of 200 metres into the village for a little exploration and few drinks at the local bar in the evening sunshine.

Our first week in France has flown by but we have managed to end the week at our best Aire yet, right on the river front (River Orne), in the little town of Pont d’Ouilly and, at only €9.25 a night with electricity, it is an absolute bargain.

This has been a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle and sit out some really hot weather as the temperature rises, with some swimming and kayaking. The River is teaming with life and we have seen plenty of fish, kingfishers and Coypu (a rodent like a smaller version of a Capybara).

On our way to Pont d’Ouilly we made a couple of stops, firstly at the gorgeous Le Jardins du Pays d’Auge where you can wander around a selection of small gardens each with its own theme. I particularly liked the devil’s garden with its collection of toxic plants and the water gardens with loudly mating bullfrogs but there was much more to explore as well as a Creperie for a break from the heat.

We also visited the restored Chateau de Vendeuvre, which is a stunning country house set in some well-maintained gardens.

On one side is the garden of surprises where a number of water features are triggered by sensors and the other side is the seashell grotto with a series of small follies.