Zig Zag Video...

This is us coming down one of the crazy sections of the A75


Click this link if the video fails to load... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv68EX7usA8

Day 4 Beziers to Vilanova Spain (300’ish miles)

Today was all about getting to Spain which involved spending most of the day on the A9.  Before we left the overnight stop, we had a wander around to make sure that our first impressions were fair.   It took all of 18 seconds to determine that, in fact, the place was minging.  It looked like a summer caravan park kept open for stragglers like us and as we were the only ones on-site, we got a clear sense of being in the way and not wanted.   Once again, there was no water facility nor drain down facility.  The hose pipe assembly I had packed wasn't long enough to reach the tap so we had another morning of pouring freezing water over our hands and feet.   I REALLY wished I had bought that portable container and depth charge pump now.  Before leaving, we had to pay for the 'services' provided.   Given the lack of water, drain down and hot showers, plus the entire lack of any form of entertainment like a bar, we were hugely surprised when asked to cough up a whopping 30 Euros.   What?  How much?  Still, you can't put a price on peace of mind.

 

We trudged along and up and down a series of hills for a couple of hours until we reached the border.  The roads were far busier than the last few days and the winds were very high.  We stopped off at Catalan and drained down.  Whilst there, I remembered being told how good a stop this place was but how unsafe it would be for an overnight stop.   I later found out exactly how unsafe it was when I met a couple who had stopped over there the night before and found themselves on the wrong end of a gassing and forced robbery.   Everything they had was stolen and they didn't hear a thing.  Even their jewellery was removed from them.  Fortunately, they were unharmed, but their Christmas is now well and truly crackered.   That 30 Euros suddenly felt cheap and thank God I took the advice I received from the website about stopping at these places.

 

Crossing the border was underwhelming but nevertheless an event to remember because it at least meant we were now in Spain.   Shortly after this, we topped over a thousand miles in total on the road since we left home and at that precise moment that is when we also met our first traffic jam. I couldn't help but observe how well behaved the traffic throughout France had been whereas in Spain, it is very much like the 3 Musketeers; all for one and one for all.  A bit worrying really given the dimensions and lack of flexibility in the white whale.

 

I had planned to tour Barcelona, but chose to abandon that idea when we got stuck amongst 10,000 Dartagnions without a sword with which to defend ourselves.   The most troubling bit of driving so far for sure.  Maybe if I hadn't had four children in the van with me, I might have persevered.   As it was, I continued onto Vilanova towards a campsite I had pre-programmed into the Tom Tom using the long/latitude from their website.  I hadn't done this before, so was looking forward to seeing how it performed.   With 10 kilometres to go, I saw a huge sign telling us our site was next left and then 1km on the right.  When we reached the gates, the Tom Tom suddenly displayed the 'finish line' but with the planned route coming in from a different direction.   If we had stuck with the Tom Tom, we would have still made it, but we would have had to travel 10km further.  One of the drawbacks of only having the major roads installed I guess.

 

Both Mrs. F and I are surprised at how well the children are behaving, not because they are naughty per se, but because whilst this van is well equipped and superbly designed, it is nevertheless still a very small place for two adults and four children to occupy 22 hours a day.   I thought it would be difficult for all of us to go to bed and get up at the same time, but somehow it has worked remarkably well.  In fact, odd as it may sound, it doesn't feel like I have spent much time with the children at all.   I seem to have always been up front and they seem always to be down the back.  Today they didn't want the bed put away at the back today so spent most of the time laying down and chilling out.

 

The site at Villanova is massive.  It has the biggest swimming pool I have ever seen, a huge supermarket, lovely restaurant and fantastic saunas and spa.   And it was cheaper than the last site we were on.  For all the wrong reasons though, it still reminds us a bit of Els Belles from the Carry on Abroad film.   It even had a hairy bloke playing a harpsichord in the bar which I assume is a bit, er authentic, isn't it?

 

Having spent 7 hours driving (on and off), the kids were excited at about 9pm when some decent music arrived on their radio.   The volume was cranked up a bit but to our embarrassment, within 2 minutes there was knock at the door.  "Can you turn it down" was the clear message from the very droll woman standing there in her dressing gown.  I could see where she was coming from, it was bloody ten to nine after all.

 

Anyway, that hasn't stopped us thinking that we want to stay here another night.  This van is just so good for us and the place is so full of things to do that we would probably be daft to rush to the olds.   Having missed Barcelona, we might as well stop off here and at least have a couple of hours on the beach n'est pas?

 

We are really enjoying our Christmas trip, but if there is one thing missing so far, it's, well, Christmas.  It just doesn't feel Christmasey enough really.  We put the relevant CD on today, but it still didn't do it for me.  Maybe it's because the sun keeps shining…

 

 

 

 

Day 3 – Clermont Ferrand to Beziers 245 miles

After a first night spent qualifying for an Olympic medal in shivering, night two was spent sweating it out like a druggy denied his weed. To everyone’s discomfort, I haven’t quite mastered the heater yet and so have made our snore time either too cold or too hot. Hopefully I’ll get it just right tonight. On the first night I set the heater to number 9 on 1000 watts. On day two, I set it to number 9 on 2000 watts. Tonight I think I’ll try number 6 on 2000 watts and if that doesn’t work, I’ll delegate the task to Mrs. F and blame her. It doesn’t help keep travelling south because the temperature is changing to become more mild.

Today was spent mostly on the A75, after we managed to find it that is. With six of us in the overheated van, there was a lot of condensation. Not just at the front, but also at the back. Somehow the Tom Tom got very damp and as a result, it wouldn’t work at all this morning. Panick ensued. ‘Told you so’s were ringing in my ears. This meant having to ask the martian voice of the AutoRoute 2007 to navigate which it probably did quite well but we couldn’t hear its instructions for laughter. The way it announces its instructions is hilarious and sometimes the instructions are so long winded that you have missed the turning before you’ve actually been told to take it. It is clear therefore that the Tom Tom is way ahead in the ‘do this, do that’ category but the AutoRoute is nevertheless very handy for telling you exactly where you are when you need to know. It’s also better at planning a route etc.
I have to say that today’s journey was one of the most amazing I have made in a road vehicle. The scenery, the wildlife, the roads and the general excitement of the changing views was just fantastic. For the first time, it actually felt like we were on holiday and really started enjoying ourselves. We stopped off at a service area sat on a mountain region more than 1000 meters above sea level. It was so cold that the air was frozen, as were all of the trees and plants. We stopped initially purely for the novelty value with the snow etc but fortunately there was a grey water disposal area which enabled me to empty the tank as I should have done two days before. Whoops. It was obviously very full because it came gushing out and took at least 5 minutes to empty.

What goes up must come down and thank god. We went up and down more times today than a whore’s drawers! There must have been 50 high bridges or viaducts, some of which were very scary for someone like me who suffers from ‘I must jump off’ syndrome. The highlight however was the Millau Bridge. This construction spanning some 2500 kilometres at 800 metres high is just amazing as you approach it. Going over it is less exciting actually because part of its design is to reduce the windspeed by having deflectors on each side. This has the effect of blocking any view. A bit of a shame really, but still massively impressive. We did record the crossing or we did think we had recorded the crossing but, in fact, managed to do the pause/record confusion thing and didn’t get a single frame.

After the bridge came the trauma of finding another secure place to stay tonight. Mrs. F frowned into those books for well over an hour before announcing our destination. I pumped that into the Tom Tom (which had suddenly started working again) and we arrived at about 4 pm. Despite the book’s assurances, it was closed. I found someone nearby and in my best Franglaise managed to be redirected to another place. When I say ‘managed to’, what I mean is that I had no idea where I was going at all. I didn’t fess up to this of course but just kept driving and staring at the street signs for inspiration whilst Mrs. F frowned even harder into the Aires book. This is set to become a part of the routine and is, so far, the only aspect our trip to be causing some stress. We don’t want to wild camp yet there are few places to stay in that are open this time of year. I am beginning to regret not planning all of our stops as thoroughly as our first.

Fortunately, I spotted a tourist office just off the main road who directed us to a place nearby. We got there at 4.59 just a minute before it closed. Phew. Yet another close shave and a real worry for a time. This place is called Vias near Beziers and it looks like the whole area only really caters for the high season. We are the only one on site which has 16 amp hook up and showers. The whole area looks like a set from Scooby Doo where the baddy men spring out from behind unused roller coasters or run around the empty go-kart tracks.

At the tourist office eariler, I managed to hack their wireless network and connect to the internet. Other than when my 3g phone worked earlier today, that is the first internet access I have had on this trip which is a surprise. The 16 year old is getting withdrawal symptoms so I might just park up outside the tourist office for an hour or so in the morning to let him stoke up a bit.

We used the local Supermarchet to by ingredients for our dinner and cooked another cracking selection for everyone. One again, having two seating areas really added value to our experience which, overall, has made us feelreally mpressed with our choice of van.

Tomorrow we are heading to Barcelona where we hope to park up and have a decent wander. We think we already have somewhere to stay and hope its open so we can avoid that sinking panic we have had for the last two evenings…

Day 2 Eaux Pisseaux to Cyrat (Near Clermont Ferrand) – 330 miles

The farm was the perfect place for us to initiate our overseas overnight experience.  Quiet and almost empty.   The night was very peaceful and everyone had a good night's sleep other than the 16 year old who 'had the worst night's sleep in the world ever and couldn't manage to get up for the breakfast we had ordered.   A simple but nice breakfast with very hot coffee which was welcome against the thick frost.

 

The dunny was easily emptied into the chemical room and the grey water fell out straight into the pit as I drove over it.   Unfortunately, there was no water and as I had previously put too many tablets in the tank and made even the tea taste and smell like bleach, I had ordered Mrs.F to empty the water tank so we could start again.   Won't do that again.  We had to wait until the end of the day until we could even flush the loo.  I wasn't surprised that the pitches didn't have water; the place was minus 5 after all.  However, I was very surprised that there was nowhere at all on site to top up the tank.  I asked the lady who coiffed something that sounded like 'hat on day are Vienna'.  I hung around a bit and got rid of the condensation (there was a lot), cleaned the windows and mirrors outside and also cleaned the reversing camera.   Eventually I gave up waiting for whatever might have happened and set off, slightly dissappointed that the showers weren't available either.

 

We headed for Chablis and stopped there for a while.  Parking was a bit of a trauma but we risked leaving the van poking about a bit and wandered off to buy some cheese and wine.   Then we went to Clamecy and whilst on the way to refuelling (again) nearly had a massive prang.  Our system of 'clear left' let us down which meant I ended up pulling straight out into the path of a very cross French man.   How he missed us is anyone's guess, but thankfully he did.  The refuel stop here was a bit of a challenge.  I tried to pay at the pump but eventually had to rely on Mrs. F trying at a booth with a very bored French attendant.  There appears to be a conflict between the French and UK chip and pin systems, but after 5 minutes, it sorted itsef out.

 

After Clamecy we followed the N151 towards Nevers and straight on to Clemont Ferrand.  On the way we bought a map and some French Jaffa Cakes and tried very hard to find a place to stay for the night.   With the 3 books we have, we thought it would be easy, but, it wasn't.  In fact, we are really struggling to understand how these books work.   I can (just about) work out whre we have been, but I can't work out where we need to go to next.  Mrs. F found an entry in the Aires de Service book which she thought might be near where we need to be.   She was right and, what's more, it was open.  We put the village's name in the Tom Tom and when we got there followed the signs to Camping.   Fortunately we got here just before it closed and just before it got dark.  Again, we had the problem with re-filling the water, but this time, we were able to ferry water from the toilet block using a large bucket and pour it into the tank with the use of a converted juice bottle for a funnel although, at 600metres above sea level the air and therefore my hands caused a bit of a chill.   I wish I had invested in that pump now.

 

The van is, so far, proving to be perfect for us.  Having two areas (kitchen/lounge) means everyone can have their own space albeit a little one.   This afternoon, for example, we were able to have a movie show on the lappy at the back with all the blackouts closed whilst me and Mrs.F were able to have a chat and complain about the site books on our own up front.

 

The roads have so far been as empty as we could have hoped.  Most of the time, the roads have been very interesting, taking us through small villages and, other times taking us through wide open countryside.   I am now ignoring the Autoroute for directions sticking only to the TomTom mostly because of the conflicts they create but also because I only have the main roads of Europe installed on the TomTom which means I am less likely to be taken down an unsuitable road like I was last week in the UK.

 

The site we are on in Ceyrat is very good and the showers very warm.  It's high up in the mountains so the views are spectacular although we don't like the look of that snow...

Day One Medway to Eaux Pisseaux (341 miles)

In a remarkable flurry of achievement, we all managed to board the van and leave home just 15 minutes later than planned this morning, unlike the pasta pan and our collection of soft drinks which didn't leave home at all.   Hopefully, they are the only things we left behind.

 

At the Port, we struggled just a tad to find the right lane to get into for check-in.  The Luton at the front hid the signs a bit.   Queuing up for the Ferry at Dover without the engine running forced us to crank up the gas heating.  It was freezing.   The crossing itself was without incident and luckily, we were one of the first off at Calais.  From what we could tell, there wasn't another Caravan Car on the boat and, in fact, it wasn't until this afternoon until we saw another one.

 

 SatNav led us straight onto the coldest, foggiest and probably most expensive motorway in the whole of France.  It was probably also the quietest which was worth the money (31 Euros).  I was grateful that my first right hand lane experience was on a relatively quiet, flat road and before very long it was familiar and comfortable to me.   I even mastered the art of overtaking lorries at speed in which the 'wash' from the lorry in front first of all pushes your front end to the left and then it sucks you back in making for a kind of slew effect.

 

Our first destination was Reims.  We got there ok but then got lost in the city even though we have been there before and even though we had two electronic navigation guides (TomTom 510 and AutoRoute 2007) to help us.   It turns out that these two compete with each other leaving the driver and the co pilot confused and arguing.  This happened several times today which means buying a real feel paper map is a must tomorrow.   The map is especially needy because I have no concept of where I need to go through to get to where I need to go.  This means guessing at exits after toll booths for example gambling on heading in the direction of say Troyes or Metz.  Sat Nav isn't clear enough to help there.

 

When we first stopped for fuel, the pump didn't work for ages.  I had a mild panick when I started to wonder what French for Diesel was.   Der. When I went in to pay what seems like a 60% of UK prices, the driver before me handed in his passport before the pump was switched on for him. I wonder if that is normal or if I was just in a dodgy place?

 

After losing patience with each other one time too many, I ran into a tourist shop and asked the way to Piper Heidseck.   It was only round the corner and Mrs. F drove us there after moving the van out of the way of the car park entrance I was blocking.  She found it ok and wants to do some of the driving tomorrow.   We went on the tour of the caves and it was nice to avoid the queues and for the children to see how champagne was made.  A couple of samples and small purchases in the shop and we were soon on our way to Epernay.  We were now behind schedule so set off to our first scheduled stop at La Ferme de Hautes Freres in Eaux Pisseaux which we hoped to get to before it was dark.   We didn't, of course, but we did still get here relatively pain free.  From what we can tell in the dark, it looks like a nice place and is very, very rural.

 

Hooking up the leccy was a joy.  I was expecting an assembly of connectors to get any power into the van, but instead, it worked straight up on just one lead.   The power says 16 amps too although we managed to trip it out within 10 minutes of cooking.  The battery in the smoke alarm was ripped out within 5 minutes of course to avoid the skwarking it made just on a boiling pan of vegetables.   Our first dinner was a great success courtesy of Mrs. F's meticulous planning and also the high spec of the van's equipment.  The kids ate in the back room and we had the kitchen table to ourselves hidden by the very useful curtain.

 

After dinner, me and Mrs. F did something we haven't done together for ages and it took about 20 minutes including tidying up afterwards.   I haven't done the dishes for years and now I know why.

 

Act one of the bedroom conversion performance has just begun so it looks like an early night for all of us.  Tomorrow, we plan to go to Clermont Ferrand via Chablis.  We still don't know where we are staying and for the life of me, I can't work out how to use that bleeding Aires book….

Merry Christmas (part 1)

For the umpteenth time in my reasonably short life, I was pleased to see that the ratio between wrapping and unwrapping Christmas presents remains stable at about 30 to 1. Within a flash, our first Christmas sprang into life this morning. The stack of presents was unwrapped in exactly one thirtieth of the time it took us to wrap them up and the normal debris of the festive season was soon all over the place. I received the anticipated 'Andy' presents; tyre paint, emergency puncture repair etc but I also became the proud owner of some plastic fish. Hmmm. Apparently, that's what I asked for. Hmmm.

Anyway, preparations for our trip are well advanced and well in hand now with just a few final bits and pieces to load. The route has been loaded onto the Lappy as have several films. We are sticking resolutely to our travel plan for the first day (staying at a booked site near Auxerre) and will work out from there where we will stay next. I don't think we will be too adventurous so will not try to avoid the toll roads. The extra expense will probably be worth the peace of mind.

We are now turning our minds to getting the house ready for being empty for the next two weeks. Max (the dog) has gone to the kennels and Mr. Wilks (the cat) will be looked after by our neighbours in return for the loan of a set of cutlery, ten plates and the use of Mrs. F's immaculately pre-cleaned fridge and cooker. I wouldn't be surprised if this is Mr. Wilks' last Christmas actually. Mr. Wilks is named after a 'Fat Cat' director I used to work with. He's very old and very fat and has started doing odd things old fat cats normally do in their twilight moments. The central heating is still on the blink but we'll have to get that sorted when we get back. I'm not sure I want to leave the Christmas lights to come on outside whilst we are away. They resemble the Griswolds and are powered by a series of plugs, extension leads and timer switches. All very dodgy really.

Mrs. F realised for the first time this morning that as we came in below the weight limit of the van that she has the capacity to add more luxuries. Suddenly, the inventory has increased to the extent expected of a travelling superstar. I have had to remind her that the weight limit is a maximum, not a target.

As we are off at 5.30 in the morning, this will be our last update until we get to France. I've checked the travel situation at the Port and it seems the problems of the last few weeks have been resolved. The French strikers either got what they wanted or got bored of striking. Either way, I don't care. The ferry is due to run on time so that is one less worry. The weather looks like it will be kind to us too. The 5 day forecast on our route shows light winds and mild temperatures. There is a small chance of a shower as we approach Spain, but I'll settle for that.

Fingers crossed that when I submit my next update that I will be in a similarly jolly mood.