Before I get into things properly, it is pertinent to note that this trip is both the longest number of days we have spent consecutively in the van, and also the hottest location we have visited. The trip was planned a few months in advance and on reflection, and especially following the recent meandering in the Nederlands, we should have made the stopovers 2 nighters … Continue reading Fun in Fontvieille

We left Montreuil reasonably early, for what we knew would be a long drive, and with some tolls to shell out for.So we stocked up at the supermarket on the way out of town.H was enthralled by the Poissonnerie counterNeed any liquids?The temperature rose steadily and by the time we stopped for lunch, a bit of sun shade action was necessary.We had intended to go … Continue reading To Beaune and Beyond

So the day finally arrived and we left at the crack of dawn for another race to Dover. As you can see above, at the start of the trip we had already done just under 15,500 miles and it took us almost a round 5 hours to get to the port. It was showing signs of a sunny day when we left home… but not … Continue reading Le Grand Départ

So this weekend marks 12 months of van ownership, and to celebrate we are out camping of course. This weekend’s caper is at The Lodge near York, small but pretty perfectly formed and £15 with EHU. It took a bit of finding, but Mrs Woman had given me some instruction over the phone and after only one wrong turn, we found the field, or rather … Continue reading Campervanniversary

We left Brielle on Thursday morning about half eleven, returning the John key to Margret for 20€ and foolishly leaving behind the doormat. We stopped at the supermarket on the way out of town. It was shut. No sign of opening any time soon, so, perplexed, we moved on to the self service station just out of town. It was card only, but didn’t take … Continue reading Road trip – Fourth leg – Brielle to Belgium and home

Having previously been impressed with the squiggly nature of the Dutch coastline we, or at least I, was looking forward to today’s drive. The weather was a bit pants, but being a driving day it wasn’t so much of an issue. We discovered that a lot of the roads ran along fortifications to keep the blessed water out and when we got to Vroewenpolder at … Continue reading Road trip – third leg Zoutelande to Brielle

We left Zuydcoote beach after a reasonably leisurely morning and after stocking up on Gina, Knackis, goats cheese and crusty bread, headed for Belgium. We were only a few ks off the frontier, and it was so underwhelming I missed a photo opportunity. Belgium seemed to be an interminable road running alongside a tram track, parallel to the beach but on the inland side of … Continue reading Road trip – Second Leg – Zuydcoote via Belgium to Zoutelande

So this is the kick off, scenic Dartford crossing – I remembered to pay for it this time! and a reasonably brisk jog to Dover. We made it just within the 90 min window for check in and queued up in the sunshine. Pasties and other snack food had been purchased en route. Mine clearly was battered about a bit too much on the journey … Continue reading Road trip – First leg -Home to Zuydcoote.

In December we had the bright idea of a trip to Nederlands. The ferry from Hull would be long and pricey with the van, but a drive from Dunkerque would fall into acceptable parameters and the good old DFDS ferry was much more pocket friendly and thus it was decided – road trip – France, Belgium, Netherlands and back. Despite having made this decision, very … Continue reading 3 countries in 1 week – some statistics

The first draft of Easter plans, involved heading over to Northern Ireland, a spot we haven’t previously been to, but upon inwestigation of maritime transport we realised we’d have a lengthy journey, potentially through South West Scotland, which, similarly remains unknown to us. Looking into this further, the idea of Dark Skies Forest Parks, and, more specifically CS campsite behind a pub, kind of sold … Continue reading Sunny Scotland