And we're off - Day 1

Jackie in control

Having taken Ted to the  weighbridge, (not the Weighbridge, that was to come later) I was allowed to stock up on tins, yes I know there are shops in France, yes I know we should embrace all that is French, but having paid over €2 for a jar of butter beans while skiing last year, when a tin is 35p in Aldi and sometimes just craving a spicy Indian or Chinese I have spices, beans and (for Brian) custard powder aplenty!

First campsite near Dover. Not very busy!

I met Abi at the caravan storage place so I could leave the car, and she could take me home, having been the first to see Big Ted, as she took us to collect him, she wanted to be the last to see him, loaded to the gunnels. She seemed quite surprised there is still floor visible in the garage.... Tea and cake before putting in the last few irritating bits that don’t have an obvious home, cleaning the solar panel and windscreen, and no, I still haven’t been through the books on the shelf, but the pub is open for food, so off to the Weighbridge for me, B and mum.

The entrance onto the Dover campsite

The whole point in a home on wheels is to not have to drive long distances, so how come the journey to Dover was nearly 4 hours? I suppose a little of that was a detour to put our first load of LPG into the refillable bottles, they didn’t really need doing, but we wanted our first time to be in England. I drove the easy motorway leaving B with the M25 and on, but even so, it still didn’t seem as painful a journey as the one to Bury St Edmunds. Little site outside Dover (Location: Fir Tree Farm campsite 51deg 11'28.5N 2deg 18'10.3E) with chats with the owners, both other guests and the little old cat asleep in the sun, (really reminded me of Frodo cat). 

Jackie meets the 18 year old cat at the campsite

We took a quick walk to the top of the nearby hill to see the sea before an easy dinner. Thai curry, with the rice cooked in the Thermal cooker, I realised I’d seen Dave Oldacres cook rice like that when we stayed with them, about 5 years ago, bring it to the boil and wrap it in tea towels, so bring it to the boil and put it in a big vacuum flask, worked a treat, as it did with potatoes tonight. Leave for slightly longer than if constantly boiling, but saves on fuel and on filling Ted with steam, two pluses then.

A walk up the hill to see the sea. Yes, it is there in the distance

On the ferry and ready to go!

After waking early, I persuaded B we were just going, now, stop messing about. Paid off though, turned up at the check in for the ferry to be asked if we wanted the earlier one, in 25 mins, rather than our booked one in an hour and a quarter? Oh yes, thank you very much.

The Channel was like a mill pond, and I spoke to the people in the Frankia van parked next door but one on the ferry. Reading my Frankia Facebook page we should expect to drive for weeks, and kilometres without seeing another one, so it was a bit of a surprise. Disembarkation was fine, sadly route finding not so, we ended up heading towards Calais City Centre.... not our plan. 

Sailing past the white cliffs of Dover (didn't see any bluebirds over them)

We followed some lorries who also didn’t know where they were going, but who cut back across the floppy barriers we didn’t want to knock down, as a result we somehow ended up over a bridge with a 3.5 tonne weight limit, and couldn’t therefore retrace our steps. Doris eventually sorted herself out and got us onto the correct road for what was then an easy drive, only stopping at the first, and only supermarket we saw to stock up on wine, our favourite from the Alps at €2.30 not the €2.75 we’d been expecting, hurrah.

Arriving at La Fontaine des Clercs campsite at Montreuil-sur-Mer

Arrived at the old fortified town of Montreuil-sur-Mer, 13 km from the sea, followed Doris only to be pointed down a very narrow, windy road, we were expecting narrow, reviews of the site had mentioned this, however this was not the road name we were expecting, so I ran down for a look, was helped by some lovely people, bearing in mind what little French I have is pushed out of my head by what little Spanish I have under moments of pressure. The lovely lady finally convinced me that the rubbish lorry came down here, so we would be fine. I ran back to Brian to walk in front of Ted, only to find the lovely lady and her small son, waiting and watching! It was fine, it really was, but we don’t want that every day!

Big Ted parked next to the other UK motorhome

Arrived at the site (Location: La Fontaine des Clercs campsite 50deg 28'06.8N 2deg 45'41.2E), and had just pulled onto the flattest remaining spot, when a couple walked down remarking on how undulating the site was, they were left with the second flattest remaining pitch, next to us. They were very nice, have been doing this on and off for 13 years, so made some helpful comments, including showing us their WiFi booster, an older model of the one we have, but this was his best tip! In conversation discovered they came from a little town south of Birmingham, near Redditch, Rowney Green, which happens to be 2.5 miles from the little town of Alvechurch.... small world! We had a two cat stretch of the legs before deciding if we walked much further we might have nothing to do tomorrow, so came back for shower and dinner. Tomorrow after hopefully a good nights sleep, we explore.

Groups of kayaks on the river Canche near our campsite

One of the cobbled streets inside the walled town (more on that in the next blog)

On the battlements of the walled town

Cat number 1 in Montreuil-sur Mer. I didn't get a photo of cat number 2 as he was lying in the middle of the road in the evening sun!