Jacqui & Neil PM
Dropped pin Near La Jonquera, Girona, Spain https://maps.app.goo.gl/jfNKDXmhHrQkEphZ6
Lots of French all having difficulty with social distancing little or no sanitisation. Check outs busy.
Dud get the whisky etc which was the purpose but poor selection otherwise.
Will be our last visit.
59 today ☹️, bit flat and a long drive ahead. Jacqui used the inverter to do her hair, which worked well so that was nice. Decided to crack on had tea and left. We emptied but decided not to fill up saving to 2€.
Stopped around midday for coffee and a cheese toasty using the grill.
Looked for petrol finding it eventually, also did a shop for a few fresh bits. Temperature is rising and hit 20c.
We drove round Mont de Marsan and the onto Pau and on through, did consider the cave at Gan but couldn’t find it. Instead headed to Aire at Rebenacq, a small village in the D934 which if you are very brave will take you to Spain.
Nice Bastide built in 1347, with a bar and a pizza van, coffee and beer in one ordered 2 pizzas at the other. One pizza had potatoes ??, actually not bad.
Slept very well after watching Liverpool beat Arsenal and partaking of the 30 year old whisky I bought myself for my birthday.
Site has ehu, water waste etc.. although ehu has gone off????
Left camping car park after emptying and filling, site facilities very good.
Had the weather been better we would have stayed awhile longer for a walk or bike ride. Decided to crack on to Espana.
Journey was grey, wet and overcast. Stopped for coffee and a biscuit or 2. The stop was at a farm cave outlet with a cafe restaurant, provided great parking and an Aire with free ehu. Nothing else there.
Have stopped for the night at a free Aire Pont a Brac, free emptying ehu and water 2€.
Left Long aire early sadly reception still closed and no signs if life so free stop, about what it is worth.
Stopped to purchase a couple of croissants, then stopped at a Autoroute Aire for breakfast. Decided to head to Neufchatel en Bray supermarket as virtually on the way, French social distancing non existent not impressed at all. Lelcerc and Lidl.
Cracked onto Giverny arrived about 13:35 had a quick snack and then headed to the Giverny Impressionist Musee, they had an exhibition of American Impressionism the Hudson River school. Educational and interesting but some crap amongst some great art.
Decided to stop the night and move on tomorrow, the aire is free, behind the coach park, no facilities.
Left Oxford about 10:30, had a great journey down to the M20, when we encountered Operation Stack.
It added a good 45 minutes to the journey from J7 to J8. When you are directed off at J8 you are met by 3 lanes going to 2 lanes then some police holding up laminated sheets waving madly at lorry drivers, whilst taking the 2 lanes to one lane for 99% of the traffic on a roundabout. Absolutely bloody useless idiots who thought it up.
Caught the 15:50 train which we were booked onto. Virtually empty but still left late. No questions or passport check by the French, just waved through.
Arrived a little late, but set off for Long Aire (expensive choice 10€ for nothing).
First issue was that our phones and the mifi did not connect properly to internet they worked fine, but no data. So turned on an old phone with a EE PAYG SIM and googled APN settings. Changed for Lebara and Superdrug and hey presto they worked brilliantly.
Whilst we stopped on the A16 Aire the heavens opened but it gave us the time to sort out the APN settings.
Arrived at Long 20:20, chosen as we had not been before at the moment at 10.20€ to park we won’t both returning. Mind not paid yet! Tried but reception closed and although they saw me they did not come out so I obeyed the sign to not knock.
Lasagne, wine and Gangs of London and a glass of ice….bliss.
@park4night : http://park4night.com/lieu/472/Situated next to a gypsie site which may deter some visitors.Camp site next door offers a little more security and only €6-20 without electricity and the same again with.We opted for without.Nice village with a few shops,mainly hairdressers,and a couple of bars well within walking distance#prettyPhoto
Nice Aire, service post ehu water available at cost via card. WC and waste empty available, strong flush on WC close the lid!!
Small town few shops bit of road noise but not too intrusive.
Nice church and fortified walls.
@park4night : http://park4night.com/lieu/8896/Motorhome terminal with very quiet parking, edge of a stream and shops nearby, perfect I recommend. there is no payment card and empty and free water in 2016#prettyPhoto
Very narrow access road from village there are passing places but, water not drinkable cost 6€
@park4night : http://park4night.com/lieu/62590/Quiet private parking for about 10 mobile, 800m outside the village. First entrance and then in the direction of Pailhes, or second local access direction Complexe Sportive. Narrow but passable.#prettyPhoto
We took off for a tour of the Frankia factory and doc’d the journey using Polarsteps app.
Moved on from Versailles, it started raining so good decision, due to the road works and tarmac lorries the main route out was blocked so we turned right expecting to reach Ave de Versailles and turn up to the palace and out to the main road away from Paris. The Sat nav told us to go right towards Paris, it was a interesting route and we skirted the periphic.
Cracked avoiding tolls so a tedious drive but much better eventually reached Chartres and the N10 a good road and easy enough stopped just before tours for lunch and then decided to stop after tours at a shop for fuel and some bread.
An intermarche at Ste. Maure de Touraine provided fuel, whisky and bread. Checked out Campercontact and found a few on the route one very nearby, so headed off as we took the route it began to ring a few bells as we turned in realised we had been before Le Bois Chaudron. 2years ago with Geza, for the vet, Geza was ill all night and the next day we ended going to the vet in Gace.
4euro for the night no electric and no rubbish bins, but pleasant and a convenient stop it seems as we have used it twice.
Good nights sleep.