Looking for the sun and finding it! This year we have been so lucky. Having found the sun in France we decided to call it a lucky day and head for home. Actually, we looked at the weather forecast and decided if we were heading home we would rather do it in the sunshine. As the end of September approached, we thought a gentle amble home was better than a frantic dash before of the rain. Being purely practical it is always better, we think, to unpack the van and get the washing and cleaning done in the dry. We decided to do the journey home mid week and then hopefully tackle the M25 and A ..read more

 We were toying with the idea of trying Ile d'Re again. All the sites we tried appeared to be full and generally very busy. New plan, North on Oleron! Ile D'Oleron is a much bigger island than the Ile de Re, busy but not completely rammed and the campsites seemed quieter. We headed North to Saint Denis Oleron ( there should have been a clue in the name!) Camping Les Lauriers. This site had a good write up in both Camper Contact and Searchforsites. After a busy hours drive up to the top of the island, we found it. Loads of French wrinklies on the roads in campers and the odd caravan, no Br ..read more

 We had decided to make our next stop on the Ile De Re. However a bit of research and a few searches online, threw up the information that most of the sites were full and the Ile De Re was packed. Time for a rethink. We decided to give the Ile D'Oleron a go. A lot bigger, less crowded, more campsites and not quite as popular with holiday makers, but plenty and sea and sand. It sounded good. A bit more communication with Google, Camper Contact and Searchforsites and we came up with a site. Huttopia Oleron des Pins. Sounded good, an eco friendly site in the south of the island near the vill ..read more

 Continuing our little ramble around France we headed for our next stop Camping Venise Vert near Coulon. Situated in the Marais Poitevin ( Green Venice), a large nature reserve that lies between Niort and the Atlantic Ocean. The area covers over 100, 000 hectares of land and is the second largest National Park in France. Coulon is one of the "Character Villages" of France. A very French holiday area in the heart of the Marais Poitevin with numerous windy rivers and streams running through it. A great draw for canoes, paddle boards and fisher folks. Our campsite was about a 20 minute walk ..read more

 Set off for the next stop after Guines near Calais on a dull, dry, morning. Minor excursion via Guines to find the new Aldi supermarket in the village. What we hadn't realised was it was market day.  Den stoically waved  through manically parked French cars, to find the road closed, due to a market. Eventually we weaved our way amongst the "one way" and "no entry" signs and gave up on shopping! Aldi would have to wait. Just outside Guines and heading for the motorway, we encountered the dreaded "route barre" signs, no diversion signs to be seen. Without Madam SatNag's help, we ..read more

 This year we have decided to do a little French Tour as a shorter alternative to our planned Greek trip.  An easy drive to Folkstone found us boarding Le Shuttle on a beautifully hot day. The camp site we were aiming for was Bien Assise just outside Calais. Not a site we would normally stay on but we were meeting our son and family for a couple of days. At 50.40E a night, slightly more expensive than the last time we stayed. We had last been here around 30 years ago, surprisingly not many changes. The same swimming pool, bar and toilet block.  Restaurant here.  The si ..read more

 Time for our annual pilgrimage, back to Leeds. Krystal all set to visit her birth place and be checked over.  The 2023 Habitation Check. We always go back to the Vantage factory for this as we get such terrific service from Vantage. Not too much on the list for this year, no majors! We have just had two new tyres, a service and an MOT, so all is well on the Fiat front.......we  hope! Time for Vantage to do its bit. Usually we go up to Leeds on a Sunday, stay at the Turnpike ( Premier Inn ) in Knottingly and take Krystal up to the factory on a Monday morning. For the last t ..read more

  We have just returned from a lovely two month stay in Portugal. A month at Touristcampo in Lagos and a month at Camping Ria Formosa near Tavira. If you want a review of both these sites look back at previous blog posts 2022 and 2023. On one of the stops travelling up through France at Only camp Tours, we bumped into a lovely couple who had the same marque van as our Krystal. Of course we had to stop for a chat, this was only the second "Vantage " we had met on this trip. Only Camp Tours incidentally is very handy stopping place on the way North or South. Easy access and open all year ..read more

 Turistcampo is beautifully placed for bus trips. The bus stop is right outside the site Sagres in one direction and Lagos in the other. Basically two different bus lines in this part of Portugal, a local bus service Onda and a coach service Vamus. The two services overlap but the bus tickets are not interchangeable. Both bus services operate and have stops outside the campsite and timetables are readily available from reception or online. The buses are not too frequent and are heavily used by tourists, back packers, locals and school kids. Early morning 7am to 10am are most fre ..read more

 Time for the great escape from a cold Spring to a warmer Spring ....we hope!! This year we have decided to go back to Portugal for an early Spring/Summer break. We have booked two long breaks one for 3 weeks at Turistcampo near Lagos and 4 weeks at Rio Formosa near Tavira, both on The Algarve.  Being creatures of habit and liking an easy life we plumped once again for the Western route, via Rouen, Bordeaux and across Spain into Portugal. A relatively easy route with 5 stops on the way, though lots of driving. We do use the tolls in France, expensive but much faster and usually ..read more