It started with a social media post from DFDS ferries with an offer on the Newhaven- Dieppe route. And I thought nah, it’ll be too expensive with the van. I looked anyway and it came in at £177. I booked it almost immediately. I did a small amount of research – driving to Newhaven is about the same distance and time as driving to Dover … Continue reading Octobre en Normandie 🇨🇵

Mrs Wildax’s advice was to get to Galway early, as you literally have to queue to get a pitch.  I had followed her recommendation as frankly by this time I was fed up with trying to find decent and reasonably priced places to stay.  Ireland was hard work in the planning department. We got up at the crack of dawn to be off Achill by … Continue reading Galway and Dublin 🇮🇪

Having enjoyed the A2 route around the coast on the way to Bushmills, we decided to continue along the same route taking the coast as far as Londonderry, and in fact most of the route was signposted as the Causeway Coastal Route. We needed supplies so braved the roadworks in the centre of Londonderry to head to the supermarket and whilst we were there we … Continue reading Going West 🇮🇪

There’s only so much fun you can have in the forest before you feel the need to move on, especially when there’s whiskey to be tasted! I had booked us in with Neil at Craig House C&CC site a  mere spit from the Giant’s Causeway on the north coast and just outside of Bushmills village – home of the world famous distillery, but we couldn’t … Continue reading The North of the North

A jaunt to Ireland for us this summer, rather than mainland Europe in a bid to save some wedge, ha! I booked us on with Stena Line, after our very pleasant crossing to Nederlands at Easter.  We were due to head out from Holyhead to Dublin, on a 9am crossing arriving 12.15, no cabins or extras this time, except for a brekkie pre-paid in the … Continue reading Away to Ireland 🇮🇪

Rectory Farm Brit Stop: first time on a Brit Stop despite paying for it for 2 years! 2.5 hours drive from home, to break up the trip to Devon, and worth a recommendation. We arrived just after 8pm and had the choice of the tarmac car park in front of the shop and cafe or grassed overflow areas.  We picked the level tarmac for ease … Continue reading Bank Holiday Half Century Fun

For the final 2 nights of our Nederlands trip, we are booked in at Strandcamping Zuidduinen near Leiden. I paid just under 115€ for 2 nights, which is steep. Best campsite of the week, though, quality service and installations and gorgeous weather, which always helps. The campsite is an ecocamping, in the heart of the sand dunes, right next to the beach. We were pre-warned … Continue reading Nederlands at Easter IV Zuidduinen and The Corpus Experience

Europarcs Het Amsterdamse Bos, comfort large pitch with electric, water, Wi-Fi at the waters edge, €121.89 for 3 nights, so just over 40€ per night. Site was pretty empty when we arrived, 3 staff on reception and still couldn’t give us the correct code for the barrier. Very tranquil, with a picnic bench on a pontoon at the edge of our spot. We headed straight … Continue reading Nederlands at Easter III Amsterdam Forest and Keukenhof Gardens

After a frankly dense and bottomless sleep on the field of Berk, we awoke to sunshine and the desire for a cruisy day to readjust after our travels thus far. We scrambled a heap of eggs and snaffled them in the sunshine and I checked in with Natassja and Margret at the office as requested. Natassja informed me that the following day, our scheduled departure … Continue reading Nederlands at Easter II Brielle and Gouda

First van trip in ruddy aaaages! Way back, on the 4th of January, I saw an ad for 20% off sailings with Stena if you booked by the end of Jan and took the sailing before (I think) August. I had a look, as you do, and priced up a trip from Harwich to Hook of Holland with the van. It was surprisingly economical, so … Continue reading Nederlands at Easter Part 1