Monty The Motorhome

White Water CC Site

2015-10-18T20:26:00.001+01:00

Having finished work early, we set off on a sunny Friday to White Water CC site at Stockton on Tees. We arrived to a warm welcome from the friendly wardens. The majority of the pitches are grass and we were loaned some anti-slip mats to put our wheels/ramps on in case it rained. The campsite was almost full so we picked one of the few plots left which was near a caravan storage area. The site was (as all CC sites are) maintained to a high standard, clean and tidy. It has a large shower/toilet block and also a games room. We pitched up and sat out enjoying the sunshine, marvelling at how warm it was for the beginning of October.
On Friday tea time there is a fish and chip van in the visitor’s car park. We didn’t partake but it was very popular - we even saw someone pull up who wasn’t from the site but had made a special trip for his tea! Near the entrance of the site there is a Premier Inn with a Beefeater restaurant so we headed there for our tea. We enjoyed a lovely meal and then headed out for a little wander. Behind the Beefeater is a nature reserve and in front of the Beefeater, at the bottom of a grassy bank is a man made, white water rafting site. We had a brief look then headed back to Monty, ready to explore properly the next day.

The next morning was quite foggy. Every day had started like this recently and had then burned off into a hot, sunny day so we had high hopes. At the Beefeater last night we had noticed that they did breakfast so we headed over. There is a continental buffet (croissants, muffins, cereals , toast etc) or for a little extra you can have the full English cooked to order (unlimited) and visit the buffet if you still have room! Having thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast we walked down to the white water raft centre. This is a man made course using tides from the nearby River Tees.

You can walk all the way round the course and cross a bridge to walk round the middle. Quite a few people of all ages were on the course, practising their rolls and battling the rapids. Apparently it is sometimes used for rescue training and also for films/dramas - all the action without the risks. It is a really clever set up with Archimedes screws the size of buses which also generate power.

We turned to look at the nearby River Tees and there were 4 seals in there! It is a popular place for them to come and feed when the salmon are migrating upstream.

There are steps to help the salmon up and this area was so popular that they had to put anti seal bars on the steps to stop them sitting on the steps and eating them all. We also saw a kingfisher whose colours in real life were fabulous - even more vivid with the naked eye than in pictures. We walked along the river towards Stockton-on-Tees where there were ducks and swans to feed. They are building a Go Ape or similar climbing frame here by the river. We also walked in the other direction towards Middlesbrough on a path along the river. Sadly the fog showed no sign of lifting and it was a much chillier day. We then had a walk into the nature reserve. We only saw a moor hen but apparently early in the morning you can sometimes see deer. Later that evening we had a walk again around the rapids although it was much calmer now as the rapids had been switched off and the ducks and swans had ventured onto the water. The next morning, as I was handing our toilet and barrier key in a chap was asking if he could extend his stay - how I wished we could too but sadly it was back to work for us.

Operation Normandy - Wed 22nd April - Day 11

2015-04-22T18:33:00.003+01:00

Today we pack up and leave Ypres and head to our last night stop before catching the ferry back to England.

But before we head to Bruges we had a few more places to visit. The first stop was to Hill 62 and Sanctuary Wood. A short drive of some 2-3km to the east of Ypres. Allow plenty of time to look around as there is a lot to see and take in. The museum is owned by the grandson of the farmer who founded and owned the site since before World War 1.

A section of the original wood and the trenches in it were cleared of debris and casualties after the war but the farmer left a section of a British trench system as he found it. This site is now one of the few places on the Ypres Salient battlefields where an original trench layout can be seen in some semblance of what it might have looked like. Elsewhere the trenches were filled in and ploughed over by returning farmers leaving only the occasional chalky outline of what had once been there. Housed on the site in two buildings he has a large collection of weapons, uniforms, shells, photos and posters. Some of which was found on the site.

Our next destination was to Bedford House Cemetery, located approximately 2-3km to the South of Ypres. Bedford House cemetery is one of the Ypres Salient's largest cemeteries. While most of the burials relate to the 1914-18 war there are also graves dating from the Second World War. The cemetery was established in the grounds of the destroyed Rosendal Chateau. The chateau's moats remain in place and the drive leading to the chateau is intact today leading instead to the cemetery. The ruins of the chateau can distinctly be viewed in the cemetery.. There are 5,139 Commonwealth casualties from the First World War buried in the site of Bedford House Cemetery. Of these casualties 2,194 are identified burials. Special memorials commemorate those Servicemen who are believed to be buried here but their marked graves were destroyed and could not be found. There are also two German servicemen buried here.
Also 69 British servicemen of the British Expeditionary Force who fell in the vicinity here in May 1940 during the Second World War are also buried in this cemetery site.

During the First World War the chateau was used by local British Field Ambulances and Dressing Stations. At an early stage burials were effected in the grounds. In January 1917 the chateau was adopted by 55 Brigade as its headquarters until it was severely damaged by German 8-inch shells (with 500 gas shells falling in one day during the Third Battle of Ypres).

From here our next destination was the aire at Bruges (info here). Not cheap but so handy for getting in to the city. Located to the South of Bruges, with one section having good views of the river and marina. Electric included and this time when we went the motorhome services were free.

We headed on into the city through the park. It was still very busy with horse and carriages transporting tourists around the sights and the boats on the canals were packed with more tourists. We had done these last year when we were here. This time we browsed more of what Bruges had to offer in the shops.

Then on to the main square to find somewhere to eat from the many restaurants that surround the main square. It was cold but we opted to eat outside under a gas heater, so as to watch the world go by.

Operation Normandy - Tue 21st April - Day 10

2015-04-21T11:36:00.000+01:00

Woke up to another lovely day. Seeing as we were in Belgium we decided to have Belgian waffles for breakfast. We weren’t disappointed. We opted for a hot chocolate to go with our waffles. A large hot glass of milk arrived along with Belgian chocolate pellets. It was then up to you as to how many of the chocolate pellets you added to your milk to make it as weak or strong as you like. It was lovely.

After breakfast we headed to the Flanders Field Museum in the Ypres Cloth Hall in the market square. The museum depicts the WW1 battle in the region. Entry to the museum costs just 9€ per adult and is worth every penny. On entry to the museum you receive a “Poppy Bracelet”. The bracelet contains a microchip which activates your chosen language. It also activates the personal story of four individuals as you make your way around the exhibitions.

We had lunch outside at one of the many restaurants in the market square. Afterwards we browsed some of the small shops and chocolatiers. Then off for a walk along the city walls.

Later we headed to the Menin Gate to watch again the daily ritual of the Last Post. This has been performed every evening since 1928 at 8 o'clock sharp.

Read our blog from last year (Blog) and watch the videos of the ceremony.

Operation Normandy - Mon 20th April - Day 9

2015-04-20T21:11:00.000+01:00

Our destination today was Ypres, some 120km drive. En route we would stop at a few World War 1 points of interest that we didn't get to when here in April 2014 (blog).

Our first point of interest (Map) was the Island of Ireland Peace Tower on the outskirts of Mesen. Approaching from the south on the N365, the tower rises up. Dedicated to the those soldiers of Ireland who died, were wounded or missing in World War 1. The 33metre high tower is lit up by the sun only on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the time that Armistice was declared. A bronze plaque in the park reads "From the crest of this ridge, which was the scene of terrific carnage in the First World War on which we have built a peace park and Round Tower to commemorate the thousands of young men from all parts of Ireland who fought a common enemy, defended democracy and the rights of all nations, whose graves are in shockingly uncountable numbers and those who have no graves, we condemn war and the futility of war. We repudiate and denounce violence, aggression, intimidation, threats and unfriendly behaviour."
More info on the memorial can be found here.

Next on our agenda was the Messiness Ridge British Cemetery, 2 minutes drive away, and can be seen from the Peace tower cemetery.
More info on this memorial can be found here and info on the battle here.
Our younger daughter who had been on a history trip to various World War 1 sites a few years back recommended that we visted a German cemetery to see the difference to Commonwealth cemetries. So our next destination was Langemark cemetery (map) approximatley 30 minutes drive or 21km away.

It was near here that the Germans first used poison gas on the 22nd of April 1915 (officially the Battle of Gravenstafel Ridge). Despite deploring this awful atrocity, the Allies did not take too long to employ this weapon themselves, at Loos just five months later.

As we pulled up and parked we had noticed several white flags on poles placed in the fields on either side of the road and cemetry.
The sign at the entrance to the cemetery reads :-

"The soldiers' graves are the greatest preachers
of peace. (Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate).
This military cemetery for war dead of the First World War was laid out by the Volksbund back in the 1930s. Even back then, the construction of this site was funded by grants from Germany, just as today the Volksbund is reliant on the donations of its members and friends in order to maintain
this special commemorative site. Young people from
throughout Europe help on international youth camps, where they maintain the site and build bridges of understanding.
In the 22-days-battle of the Yser and Ypres, the 4th Army fought on the German side. For the most part, it was made up of poorly trained volunteers: students, school pupils and apprentices. The front got bogged down here on lath November 1914 until the end of the war in 1918. There were countless losses on both sides. In Germany, the site soon became known as the student cemetery. After the war, the official Belgian burial service transferred the German war dead from the Langemark region and reburied them on land on the northern exit out of the town where the cemetery was laid out. At the time, the war cemetery was home to some 10,143 war dead cluing 6,313 victims identifiable by name. Between 1956 and 1958, the Belgian burial service closed countless cemeteries and transferred more than 30,000 other German war dead to Langemark. Today, 44,304 victims lie here. After 1970, the Volksbund renovated the grave signs (slabs) of the individual graves.
In 1984, the Volksbund redesigned the communal grave containing the more than 24,000 formerly unknown soldiers. In addition, they attached plaques to the wall around the cemetery, bearing the names of the 12,000 dead resting in peace here and whose names had been determined over the past 60 years.
The dead of this cemetery admonish to peace."

During World War 2, the site was visited by Adolf Hitler, which was witnesed by a local man from Wytschaete, south of Ypres, a young boy at the time, he recalled a convoy of big black cars and lots of German officers in their grey uniforms driving near his family's farmhouse. He hid in the wood owned by his family and watched Adolf Hitler walking nearby with his entourage of officers. In the First World War Hitler had served with the Bavarian Reserve-Infantry-Regiment 16 and had been in action south of Ypres in the area of Wytschaete on the Messines Ridge.
Adolf Hitler spent two days visiting the Ypres Salient battlefields. His tour included the town of Ypres and Langemark military cemetery.
Also at the entrance were the old canisters used to hold the gas.

On entering the cemetery you walk along a pathway from the car park through a specially designed tunnel which is intended as a place to spend a few moments of reflection on entering and leaving the cemetery. There are five automated computer screens showing archive film from the Great War.

Outside you’ll see a sign post with various place names - these are relevant to gas attacks - the same type of gas that the Germans first used in the great war.

From there you walk down a tree lined avenue to the entrance to the cemetery.

Inside the entrance building there are the names of hundreds of those known to be buried in the cemetery but not in identifiable graves.

These are carved on oak panels in a room on one side of the entrance building. The other side of the entrance building contains a room with maps carved into the oak panelling, a Visitors' Book and information about the work of the German war graves agency.

From here you the enter the main part of the cemetery. The first thing to strike you is how different the cemetery is to the Commonwealth ones. In front of you is a mass grave containing some 24,000 unkown German soldiers. In contrast to the white headstones of the Commonwealth graves, everything here is very grey and dull. Oaks were planted as a canopy which also makes the site feel overcast. Around the rest of the site there are stones, laid flat, marking the graves of known soldiers, some containing up to 12 people.

The area over to the right towards the carpark has the actual bunker/trench system the Germans used.

When we had entered the cemetery we had been rather fortunate to talk to a Belgium researcher who was a mine of information on the cemetery. He informed us that hardly any Germans ever visited the cemetery, but mainly British and Commonwealth, along with Belgian and French. He made the visit a truly fantastic experience as with out much research we would not have known about some of the facts. He pointed out that the white flags we had seen were the markers as to the German postions on the 22nd April 1915, prior to the horrendous gas attack.

From here we made our way to Ypres (map) where we had booked two nights on the camping car site at Jeugdstadion (website).

We have been before to the site last year (see blog), but then we had stayed on the touristic places, but to be honest we prefer the camping car section. Cost for two nights was €34 including electric. Free wifi which can be a bit hit & miss is included and there is a small toilet block. You can also make use of the larger toilet and shower block. There are also the usual services for motorhomes. The site is accessed by a card system. If the office isn’t open there is a room next door where you either enter your booking info or make a reservation. You are issued with a key card which will let you in to which ever part you have paid for. Unfortunately the automated booking system didn’t work for us as someone had missed a space in our booking info so we had to wait 40 minutes for reception to open at 3pm.
We had a quick snack and headed off on a short walk in to Ypres via the Menin Gate. The campsite is well located just a short walk from the Menin Gate and the town.

We then watched the nightly ceremony at the Menin Gate.

Operation Normandy - Sun 19th April - Day 8

2015-04-19T15:28:00.002+01:00

Today we are moving 180km on to our next destination, a place that we had briefly stopped at overnight on our last French adventure in July 2014 ( 👀 Read the blog here). 2 1/2hrs later we arrived at Montreal-sur-Mer (Website).

The upper town is surrounded by ramparts dating back to the the 13th century which you are able to walk all the way around and see some fabulous panoramic views.

The aire is located just in front of the ramparts and is very handy for the town centre, just 5 mins walk away. The town offers many bars and eateries, small supermarket and the usual bakers, butchers, chocolatier etc.

The aire is free and has the usual “borne”motorhome service point costing 2€. There is also a toilet which is free to use. The location offers no views other than the back of a building, a boules clubhouse and area and looks towards houses, as this is basically a car park with motorhome parking.

Parked up, we then set off to walk around the ramparts, something we had missed when we first visited last year. The views are amazing. All this walking and fresh air had made us hungry. We had already picked our place in advance. A bar/restaurant we had eaten at last time we had visited. But sadly that had now closed since, so we wandered around the large square browsing the other eating places and decided on Le Caveau (Website), a very busy place, but we managed to grab the last table for two outside. Service, food and drink was excellent. A great place to sit and watch the world go by.

Operation Normandy - Sat 18th April - Day 7

2015-04-18T13:49:00.001+01:00

We decided to have a day of rest, especially as this aire was so
relaxing next to the the river. We had a stroll round the small town, which has a couple of bakeries, chemist, corner shop, hair salons, bar, restaurant and a pizza takeaway.
Then we just had a lazy day back on the aire, resting and watching the boats passing by. This is one aire we most definitely would come back to if in the area.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Fri 17th April - Day 6

2015-04-17T20:42:00.000+01:00

We left Mont saint Michel just after 9am in loveley sunshine. Our next destination was to visit a a well know Chateau in the Loire valley. Chateau Chenoceau spans the Cher river. Dating back to the 11th century the current chateau was used during the first world war as a hospital and during the secord world war as an escape route from the Nazi occupied zone to the free zone on the other side of the river. As we got closer and closer the temperature dropped and the blue skies turned to grey. We arrived at lunchtime, a carpark to the right for cars and to the left buses and motorhomes. According to the signs in the motorhome section we where not allowed to stay overnight. There is an aire next to this parking area which has no facilities but is free. The only downside is the main line track next to it! We decided to park in the main parking area and decide later depending on time as to whether we stayed or moved on. The Chateau is amazing and well worth visiting. You must look around inside as well, unfortunately a large group had arrived which made it difficult to take your time looking round.

It was about 3.30pm after we had finished our visit and the weather was getting worse. According to the forecast we where due more cold and rain. We decided we would rather head back up to the coast as the weather was warmer and better. As we had been unable to get on to an aire we had wanted to visit we thought we would try and get there for the night. 4 hrs later after another long drive mainly on motorways and tolls - which made for a shorter and quicker route we arrived at the lovely aire at La Mailleraye-sur-Seine. There were a few spaces left, one of which was at the waters edge. Heaven. We quickly got set up and headed over the road to the Bistro for a well earned meal. Then a good nights sleep.

Operation Normandy - Thu 16th April - Day 5

2015-04-16T15:49:00.000+01:00

Well yet another glorious day has dawned. We rise at 8 and have breakfast then off we head to the famous Mont Saint-Michel. We decide to walk the 2.5km from the site at Camping aux Pomierre to Mont Saint Michel. Just cross the road and then follow the flat footpath/cycle path along the river/causeway to the car park terminal at Mont Saint-Michel where you hop on the free shuttle bus that leaves every 20 minutes to the gates of the Mont.

Mont Saint-Michel is a rocky tidal island located some 600metres off the north western coast of France at the mouth of the river Couesnon. Used in the 6th century as a stronghold and then later on in the 8th century the monastery was built. According to legend the Archangel Michael appeared to the then Bishop of Avranches, Saint Aubert, and requested him to build the monastery. It has had a chequered history and was even a prison for a time. In 1874 the Mont was finally listed a historic monument.

Last time we were here it was really busy so we purposely made our visit early morning to beat the crowds. It was lovely to stroll through the narrow alleys rather than shuffle through the crowds. There are plenty of shops and places to eat, hotels and even a post office. Your legs get plenty of exercise as you climb up the steps to the ramparts and the Abbey.

A lot of renovation was going on at the time of our last visit and it was nice to see all the construction had been completed. The scaffolding is now down and the new cause way has been completed. Major engineering works have been undertaken to return the Mont to its island status. It was in danger of being surrounded by salt marshes instead of water. If nothing had been done, by 2040 sand would have built up once and for all around the Mont Saint-Michel.

A new dam has been using the combined forces of tide and river water. We got off the shuttle at the midway stop on our return to see the dam. (There are also shops, hotels and restaurants here). This will push the sediment out to the sea by tidal waters and the Couesnon. The Mont will regain its maritime dimension for many years to come.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Wed 15th April - Day 4

2015-04-15T18:31:00.000+01:00

After a good nights sleep and a breakfast of coffee and croissants we were ready for our next day of exploring. The sun was up and the temperatures again were around 25c. We had been lucky so far with the weather as Normandy and Brittany have a reputation for rain. Yet in so many years of coming over here we have hardly had any rain. I’m just hoping I haven’t tempted fate by saying this! We set off on foot into Sainte mere Eglise, a 5minute walk from the lovely Sainte Mere Eglise municipal campsite.

Sainte Mere-Eglise stood in a pivotal location on route N13, between Cherbourg and Caen. This route was crucial as the Germans would have most likely used it for any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches. Its capture fell to the 82nd Airborne. Unfortunately, sections of two planeloads of parachutists (2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 505th Parachute Infantry) were dropped directly over the village. To make the descent even worse, a farmhouse had caught fire either from tracers or the preceding aerial bombardment and illuminated the entire surrounding sky - making perfect targets out of the descending paratroopers. The paratroopers were easy targets, one of them, John Steele was hit in the foot by a burst of flak. He could not control his parachute which at about 1am caught in one of the pinnacles of the church tower, causing the cables on his parachute to stretch to their full length, he tried in vain to loosen his parachute leaving him hanging on the side of the church to witness the carnage. The wounded paratrooper hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner. Steele later escaped from the Germans and rejoined his division. He was one of only a few non-casualties. His action in Sainte-Mere-Eglise was told in the movie “The Longest Day”.
Many were killed on their way down, at least two were drawn into the fire itself, and many more were killed by the Germans after becoming entangled in trees and roofs. The few who did make it alive to the ground were almost immediately taken prisoner. After the initial excitement, curiously, the Germans went back to bed after the immediate threat subsided.

The commander of 3rd Battalion, 505th, had landed one mile west of the village and quickly began gathering stray men. Within an hour, he had managed to round up around 180 men and began heading straight into the village. As mentioned above, after all the immediate paratroopers were either killed or captured, and the fire had been put out, the German garrison went back to bed. They entered the town unhindered and were shown the German billets by a local Frenchman whom they came across. 30 Germans were captured and about 10 were killed - while others fled to the nearby woods. By 6 am they had secured the village and thus, cut off German communication and the main route between Cherbourg and the rest of the German Army.
You can read about John’s story and the history of the invasion at the excellent airbourne museum in the town centre, just opposite the church where John had been entangled.

Entry to the museum costs 8euros per adult. We arrived just after it opened at 9am and we found this to be the best times as it was quiet and you could easily look around with out the hustle and bustle of coach groups.

There are 4 buildings on site including the shop. Each one is full of memorabilia and plenty of information. Outside there are various pieces of equipment as well. The C47 building houses an actual C47 from the airdrop and tells the story of that day. Also features film footage telling the story of life under the occupation of the Nazi’s. The WACO building tells the story of the gliders used in the landings and has one on display along with various displays and photos. The final building or the Neptune display lets you experience a night jump through sounds and footage etc. All well worth seeing and experiencing. Again allow plenty of time to look around and see the film footages and displays.

Lunchtime we headed to one of the street side cafes that are on the square. We sat and enjoyed the view of the square and then headed off to look round the square at the gift shops.

Our next stop after lunch was to head Utah beach and the museum.
Utah beach lies in a more sparsely populated area of Normandy than the other beaches, and although the actual landing area is relatively small, the beach continues north for many miles.
Utah Beach is a short drive from St Mere Eglise, and the road between them is dotted with many places of interest to WW2 enthusiasts.

Although gradually fading themselves into memory, a belt of beach obstacles can be seen at low tide. Along the dunes you can also see the remains of many bunkers, large and small.

The best visitor attraction on Utah Beach is the Utah Beach Museum at La Madeleine. This museum is built on a bunker, and has many interesting exhibits. There is a car park and good disabled access. We opted to park on the side of the road where quite a few other vehicles were parked. Just down from the museum is a campsite and over the road a tourist shop and restaurant.To the side of the museum is a memorial to those who fell on the day. The museum stands on the very beach where the Americans landed and recounts the story of that day, from preparation to the successful landings on D-day. On display is one of only 6 B26 bombers. Different exhibits in chronological order tell the events from the German defences and occupation of the area to the planning and strategy of the allies and the events of liberation. These are shown in many displays and memorabilia, photos and footage of events.

Entrance to the museum again is 8euros and yet again worth every cent. Afterwards we went out on the beach, very beautiful now but not so on the day. The only action the beach now sees appears to be the tractors going up and down with the fishermen tending to their pots or the windsurfers and beach goers.

We now decided to head to our next destination, approx 1hr 45mins away, one which we visited only briefly last year when we stayed in Brittany and had passed on our way from the Eurotunnel. Mont saint Michel. This time we decided not to pay the exorbitant price for the car park of 25euros which has no facilities for camping other than a parking space. We decided that we would either opt for the aire in the town of Beauvoir or possibly the campsite of Aux Pommiers which is just up the road. Cost wise the aire charged 12.50euro (4.50 euro for service point) or with our asci card discount we could stay at Camping Aux Pommiers for 16euros. We opted for the campsite. Again a friendly greeting and very good English spoken. The site was quite busy, where as the aire seemed fairly quiet. Camping aux Pommiers was well kept with a clean, modern toilet block. Spacious pitches with hedges to separate the plots. There was also a covered swimming pool. Orders for bread and croissants could be placed to collect in the morning. Very fresh and cheap!

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Tue 14th April - Day 3

2015-04-14T19:20:00.000+01:00

We woke up to another glorious day, already bright sunshine and warm. I popped out early to the boulangerie, that was just round the corner from the site. For 2 croissants, 2 pain au chocolate, a french stick and 2 pain au raisin I paid 6euro! Wow. No- we didn’t have all that for breakfast. They were for tomorrow as well.

After breakfast we bid fond farewell to Arromanches and headed on to our next destination Longues-sur-Mer battery. Situated on the cliffs between Arromanches and Port en Bessin overlooking the D-Day Normandy Landing beaches.

2 views looking towards Arromanches – see the remnants of the mulberry harbour

We missed the turning to the road leading to the site as the sign seemed to point further on, but a friendly postman pointed us in the right direction. There are two parking areas, one for cars and one for coaches, which is where we parked Monty. There is a tourist information office and a toilet at the site. It was busy but parking was fine.

The battery was constructed by the German army and completed in April 1944 near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy. It was part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications. It consisted of four 155-mm navy guns, a command post, shelters for personnel and ammunition, and several defensive machine-gun emplacements. The naval guns taken from a decommissioned destroyer, each protected by a large concrete casemate, with a range of eight miles were in a position to threaten either the Americans landing on OMAHA Beach or the British Landing on GOLD Beach. On the night before the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, the battery was subjected to a barrage comprising approximately 1,500 tons of bombs, although much of this landed on a nearby village. Despite numerous allied air raids on that night , the battery was still operational on the morning of D-Day. It was disabled later that day by bombardments from allied battle ships at sea, and on the 7th of June, the battery surrendered to British soldiers from the Devonshire Regiment.

The battery is unique as it still retains the guns just as they were when captured in Operation Overlord on 7th June. The guns are in good condition given their age and their exposure to the coastal elements. Being here and seeing the guns gives you a real sense of what the brave men who stormed the beaches on D Day were up against, and evidence of the air and naval bombardments can be seen everywhere. The casemates show many signs of the attack they sustained on D-Day.

We then headed on to the American cemetery. En-route the main road was closed with some diversion signs, but they ceased after we turned off and on to some very narrow roads. The satnav at this point also decided to have a hissy fit. We drove on and after what seemed ages the satnav fired back up. While this was happening we had a small following of cars who all thought we must know where we where going! Poor fools – we had no idea. We came to a fork in the road with no diversion sign to indicate which way we should go. Unsure we pulled over. Of the following vehicles 3 took the left fork and 5 plus another motorhome headed on the other route - all having paused hesitantly as both routes were single country roads. We also took the right fork and finally arrived at the cemetery. We pulled into the parking area which has plenty of parking for cars, motorhomes and coaches. The site is laid out very typically of an American park, with landscaping, impressive toilet block and the main reception area. We were surprised to find on entering the reception area to be greeted by American security staff. You have to go through a metal detector and bags are scanned like airport security. Inside there is a theatre telling the story and several areas with information and more film footage.

The cemetery is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach . It covers 172 acres and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. If you have ever watched the 1998 “Saving Private Ryan” the opening scenes are from the cemetery. The Private Ryan story is based upon the story of the Niland Brothers, two of whom are buried in the cemetery. Also buried here is Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt and a Medal of Honour recipient.

Again a very moving place, and very much like the Commonwealth grave cemeteries. Allow plenty of time to look around the exhibits in the reception and outside to take in the surroundings. It was such a bright, calm day and standing in the cemetery looking out to sea it was hard to comprehend the death and suffering that had happened here.

We noticed near the entrance to the Cemetery a new museum that had recently opened called the Overlord Museum. The founder of the museum was 15years old when observed the D-day landings. As the battle moved passed his home he explored the wrecks of vehicles and tanks that littered the countryside in 1944. In 1947 he started a timber yard on the family farm. He used various military equipment to run his mill. This started and led to his love of collecting and desire to create a museum. Unfortunately he passed away in 2011 before the museum was opened.

Plenty of parking at the side of the museum. Entry is 7.50euros per person. Excellent museum with lots of great exhibits and displays, but my only criticism was the info written on the glass displays was white which was very hard to read/see in the lighting. Also some of the pictures could do with information on. Other than that I recommend this place as a must see. Allow at least 1.5hours to look around.

We then headed on to our next historic place of D-Day, Pointe du Hoc. The highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east. The German army fortified the area with concrete casements and gun pits as part of the Atlantic wall defences. On D-Day the United States Army Ranger Assault Group assaulted and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the 100ft cliffs. The assault force was carried in ten landing craft with another two carrying supplies and four DUKW amphibious trucks carrying the 100 ft ladders. Within a mile of the shore, German mortars and machine guns fired on the craft. With approximately half the force it started out with, the Rangers fired grapnels and ropes up the cliffs from the landing craft . The Rangers scaled the cliffs as the Allied destroyers provided them with fire support and ensured that the German defenders above could not fire down on the assaulting troops. Unfortunately the cliffs proved to be higher than the ladders could reach. Upon reaching the fortifications, most of the Rangers learned for the first time that the main objective of the assault, the artillery battery, had been removed. The Rangers regrouped at the top of the cliffs, and a small patrol went off in search of the guns. Two different patrols found five of the six guns nearby (the sixth was being fixed elsewhere) and destroyed their firing mechanisms. Altogether, Pointe-du-Hoc got hit by more than ten kilotons of high explosives, the equivalent of the explosive power of the atomic bomb used at Hiroshima.

Arriving at the site you have plenty of choice of parking although some areas have height barriers. The information centre has a small cinema displaying the actions of that day in June. Also a small information section and toilets. Outside as you walk to the point, you pass some more information boards. Walking around you can see the point and enormity of the attack and and the many bomb holes. It resembles moon craters. Looking out from the point you can see the tactical advantage the site had with its splendid views of the bay of Normandy.

On our return to Monty, we decided to try another municipal camp site this time located at Sainte mere Eglise. There is an aire in Sainte Mere Eglise, which originally was located on the square by the church. This has now moved as they have redeveloped the area. The aire is located now just outside of town (grid ref 49.407471, -1.311952) off the new road from slip road off the north bound N13. The municipal site (Camping St Mere Eglise) is located some 5 minutes walk to the east of the town square, church and museum etc. Again we were warmly welcomed by the receptionist, who also spoke very good English. Price for a 24hour stay, yes 24hours from arrival, not depart by 11am which is more common, was just 15euros. We again had plenty of choice of pitches, all large and most had electric. There is a toilet block with full amenities, which again was very clean. It is a unisex block but ladies did have the option of 2 wash cubicles in a room next to the toilets and showers. There also seemed to be a large field for tents. Next to the entrance to the site there is a motorhome service point for those not wanting to use the camp site and its facilities. Not sure if the aire had a service point and we forgot to check.

After we had parked and hooked up we went for a quick look in the town ready for tomorrows adventure and to collect some supplies. We headed back to relax in the late afternoon sun after an exhausting day of looking round the various museums and memorials.

Sainte Mere-Eglise stands in a pivotal location between Cherbourg and Caen whose capture fell to the 82nd Airborne, route N13, which the Germans would have most likely used on any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches.

Tomorrow we will look around the museum and the town.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Mon 13th Apr - Day 2 “Ham & Jam”

2015-04-14T13:00:00.000+01:00

Part 1 of a 2 part blog.

We were woken early (5am) by the bins being noisily emptied! A chap parked over in the Marina part of the aire said they were woken even earlier at 4am by the fish market. As we were getting ready to leave a toilet attendant came and put the toilet back in working order. We left Fecamp and the Aire at 9 in the morning and headed for our next objective, visit the Pegasus bridge and also the first liberated cafe in France, Cafe Gondree.

The Allies assigned codenames to the various operations involved in the invasion. Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day). A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than three million allied troops were in France by the end of August.

So on the night of 5 June 1944, a force of 181 men, led by Major John Howard, took off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in Dorset, southern England in six Horsa gliders to capture Pegasus Bridge, and also "Horsa Bridge", a few hundred yards to the east, over the Orne River. The object of this action was to prevent German armour from crossing the bridges and attacking the eastern flank of the landings at Sword Beach.

The bridge was captured after a fierce ten minute fire fight, the action all over by 0026, a full six hours before the
beach landings.

So, just 90 minutes after taking off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in England, Major Howard was able to send the code words "Ham and Jam", indicating that both bridges had been captured. In this early action of D-Day, the first house on French soil was liberated, and the first British soldier of the Normandy Invasion was killed in action, Lieutenant Den Brotheridge.

The Caen Canal bridge was renamed Pegasus Bridge after the emblem of the British airborne forces, while the River Orne bridge became Horsa Bridge. The road across them is now the "Esplanade Major John Howard". Since the end of the war, Pegasus Bridge and the adjacent Café Gondree have become a place where British veterans of the conflict visiting Normandy congregate. In 1994 when Pegasus Bridge was replaced by a new structure, the original bridge was added to the displays at the Pegasus Museum in Benouville.

We parked Monty in the car park just in front of the museum. While we were there it was busy with 3 coaches and a few cars and another motorhome, but there was still space. I think there is more parking further up the road. The museum is well laid out with lots of information, displays, equipment and artefacts. Allow yourself plenty of time to look around as there is quite a lot of information. Entry per person was 7euros and was well worth every cent. Memorial Pegasus website.

After looking round the inside of the museum we headed outside where you’ll see the original bridge, along with a Horsa glider, a centaur tank named Vidette, from the landings on Sword Beach, and other various military pieces.

Then we walked to the replacement bridge over the canal, a larger version of the original. To the left of the bridge is a the area where the 3 gliders landed, marked by 3 stone pillars. Amazing to think of the accuracy of the pilots in landing so close in the dark without the use of modern navigation aids.

Then we crossed over the bridge to Cafe Gondree. The café was taken by the 7th Battalion to serve as their Headquarters and Regimental Aid Post. Georges Gondree disappeared into the garden to dig up no fewer than ninety-eight bottles of champagne that he had buried in June 1940, and very soon the scene was one of great celebration as free drinks were handed out to all and sundry. Upon hearing of this, Major Howard ordered all of his men to report sick at the Aid Post so that they could get their share of the drink. Georges continued to serve complimentary drinks to the 7th Battalion, the Coup de Main force and the arriving Commandos throughout the day. The kind hospitality offered to the British soldiers by the Gondrée Family continues to this day. Ever since, when veterans have returned to Normandy to mark the anniversary of the battle, no man of the 6th Airborne Division has had to pay for a drink at the café.

Georges Gondrée died on the 5th April 1969, Thérèse on the 2nd July 1984. A most distinguished couple, they were held in the highest regard by French civilians and British veterans. The ownership of the café and its close links with the British Airborne Forces have been maintained by their family.

Lunchtime, so we decided to head off to our next destination some 40 minutes away.

More info in part 2 of day 2’s blog.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Mon 13th April - Day 2 Arromanches

2015-04-13T20:00:00.001+01:00

Part 2 of 2

(Part 1 of 2 here)

Our next destination was Arromanches and Gold beach. In particular the 360 museum and the musee du debarquement.

At the centre of the Gold Beach landing zone, Arromanches was spared the brunt of the fighting on D-Day so the installation and operation of the port could proceed as quickly as possible without damaging the beach and destroying surrounding lines of communication. The port was commissioned on 14 June 1944.
This location was one of two sites chosen to establish the necessary port facilities to unload quantities of supplies and troops needed for the invasion during June 1944, the other was built further West at Omaha Beach. The British built huge floating concrete caissons which, after being towed from England, then had to be assembled to form walls and piers forming and defining the artificial port called the Mulberry harbour. These comprised of pontoons linked to the land by floating roadways. One of these ports was assembled at Arromanches and even today sections of the Mulberry harbour still remain with huge concrete blocks sitting on the sand and more can be seen further out at sea.

We left Ranville and the Pegasus bridge in sunshine and temperatures of 22c. However, on reaching the coast a sea fret had come in and reduced the temperature to 15c. Pulling in to the car park next to the 360 museum you are now charged 6euros for parking a motorhome, and they don’t allow overnight parking anymore. There was plenty of parking and space for motorhomes of various sizes. We had hoped to have lunch in the van with a view over the cliff to the beach and out to sea but had to settle with a very foggy view.

Lunch eaten we headed off to the 360 museum. This museum was small but again worth every cent charge of 5euros per person to get in. The film was about to start and with a large group about to enter we went in to the cinema and missed the few exhibits outside. We thought we would come back out on this side but you exit in to the shop. The cinema projects in High Definition on 9 screens in a circle, hence 360, telling the story of the Battle of Normandy thanks to archive images they have gathered from around the world. You are put into the shoes of a soldier landing on the beaches during D-Day, be it by plane or boat. This film is a tribute to all who were involved during this invasion and battle for the liberation of Europe. The film is very dramatic with loud music and sounds which stirs up your emotions. The best viewing is from either the middle of the room or by viewing twice and being at opposite sides of the room. We were on one side and even though some of the pictures seem to be repeated on the screen you do instinctively move your head around to try and capture all the detail.

After the film is over you enter in to the very well stocked shop which then leads you back outside on to the cliff tops overlooking Arromanches. Had it not been for a heavy sea fret it would give you the most magnificent views of the D-Day beaches.

The area is renowned for the two artificial Mulberry harbours that were built by the Allied forces after D-Day. Mulberry "B" was the harbour assembled on Gold Beach at Arromanches for use by the British and Canadian invasion forces. It was finally decommissioned 6 months after D-Day as allied forces were able to use the recently captured port of Antwerp to offload troops and supplies.

So from here you can either walk or as we did catch a little road train that takes you down the very steep hill to the other museum, musee du debarquement. Motorhomes aren’t allowed near the beach front where the next museum is located. On the way down you pass a Sherman tank standing guard overlooking the town and the beach.

We then went in to the next museum, which was heaving with numerous coach parties. Entry is 7.90euros per person. The museum is packed with information and visual displays but it was a bit hard to see some it due to the amount of people. I would advise trying to find out when the quieter times to visit are. There is an excellent model display and info on the Mulberry Harbour.

Outside we wandered around the shops and restaurants along the front. We went down on to the beach and walked along.

We caught the train back up to the cliff top and back to Monty where we decided that we should try the Municipal campsite in Arromanches.

The Municipal site, Camping Muncipal Arromanches des bain, is located just 5-10minute walk from the shops, sea front and musee du debarquement. Beware though as there is a height limit of 3.3metres at the entrance to the site.

Reception was very friendly and welcoming and English was spoken. It was quiet as the site had only opened for the season on the 1st of April. Cost for 2 of us for the night with electric was 18euros. Toilet block was very clean, pitches and surrounding appeared well maintained. There is an aire that backs on to the campsite which is free, but this was full and parking seemed very tight next to each other.

Also a basketball/football court backs on to the aire and we noticed some noise from the court, but would have been more so on the aire. The aire was obviously a well used place as we noticed when dining in the 6 Juin restaurant/Brasserie a non ending stream of campers going to the aire, from 5pm to 7pm. We later went for a walk along the front as the sea fret was clearing to reveal through the mist the remains of the mulberry harbour.

When we got back there were 4 motorhomes, a caravan and a tent pitched up. We had a peaceful nights sleep, ready for our next days busy schedule.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Sunday 12th April - Day 1

2015-04-13T20:00:00.000+01:00

We woke up and then breakfasted at the buffet again. There was another good spread with full English & continental. Completely stuffed we packed our overnight things up and waited for the announcement that we could return to the car deck. As the ferry wasn’t overly busy we were soon off, through passport control and heading through Belgium into France.

Approach to Le Blockhaus.

Our first port of call was Le Blockhaus d’Eperlecques which is a huge Nazi concrete bunker near Watten and St Omer. There was a good sized car park so parking was easy. The Blockhaus also referred to as the “Watten bunker” was built in 1943 by NAZI Germany. 200,000 tons of concrete and 20,000 tons of steel were required to build the facility. The workforce consisted of a mixture of German specialists and forcibly conscripted Frenchmen, they were supplemented by Belgian, Dutch, French, Polish, Czech and Soviet prisoners of war and civilian conscripts, who were used as slave labour.

Designed to hold 100 V-2 ballistic missiles and capable of launching 36 per day! The V-2 rocket was one of several innovative long-range weapons developed by the Germans after the failure of the Luftwaffe to strike a decisive blow against Britain. It was a revolutionary weapon – the world's first operational SRBM – that had been developed in a secret programme begun in 1936. The 12.5-ton missile, standing 14 metres (46 ft) high on its launch pad, was fuelled primarily by liquid oxygen (LOX) and methyl alcohol.

It was never completed thanks in part as a result of the repeated bombing by the British and United States air forces as part of Operation Crossbow against the German V-weapons programme. The attacks caused substantial damage and rendered the bunker unusable for its original purpose. Part of the bunker was subsequently completed for use as a liquid oxygen factory. It was captured by Allied forces at the start of September 1944, though its true purpose was not discovered by the Allies until after the war. V-2s were instead launched from mobile batteries which were far less vulnerable to aerial attacks. Today, the bunker is preserved as part of a privately owned museum that presents the history of the site and the German V-weapons programme.. It was very impressive and almost looked like something out of a sci-fi movie – the villain’s lair (which indeed it was!) Despite being bombed it’s amazing how strong the structure still is. Moving inside the building itself was amazing. It was hard to comprehend the scale and size as we looked up & up. Moving back outside there was also the ramp that launched the V-1 rockets. My dad used to fly alongside the v-1 and using the wing of his Mustang tip the wing of the V-1 to push it off course and into a dive and on other occasions shoot them down, a safer alternative. This museum cost 10 Euros each and was well worth the money.

Next we headed to La Coupole some 9 miles south-southeast from the less developed Blockhaus d'Eperlecques V-2 launch installation in the same area.

It was again built by Nazi Germany between 1943 and 1944 to serve as a launch base for V-2 rockets directed against London and southern England, and is the earliest known precursor to modern underground missile silos still in existence. Constructed in the side of a disused chalk quarry, the most prominent feature of the complex is an immense concrete dome, to which its modern name refers. It was built above a network of tunnels housing storage areas, launch facilities and crew quarters. Again this facility was designed to store a large stockpile of V-2s, warheads and fuel and was intended to launch V-2s on an industrial scale. Dozens of missiles a day were to be fuelled, prepared and launched in rapid sequence against London and southern England. Repeated heavy bombing by Allied forces during Operation Crossbow, the Germans were unable to complete the construction works and the complex never entered service. It was captured by the Allies in September 1944, partially demolished on the orders of Winston Churchill to prevent its reuse as a military base, and then abandoned. It remained derelict until the mid-1990s. In 1997 it opened to the public for the first time, as a museum. Exhibits in the tunnels and under the dome tell the story of the German occupation of France during World War II, the V-weapons and the history of space exploration.

Again entrance fee was 10euros but we didn’t opt for the extra 7.5euro per adult for the planetarium section. Again parking the motorhome was easy as there was a good sized car park and not many cars there. Staff in both places we visited also spoke good English and info was in English as well.

Time now was about 4pm, so our next decision was where to stop for the night. After looking in our Vicarious Book, All the Aires France ( I also use on my android tablet, Motorhome Parking, Aires and Park4Night apps) I had intended on stopping at an aire in Montreuil sur mer some 30/40 minutes down the road. We decided that we should try and get some miles in and be nearer to our next point of interest. So we opted to drive for some 3 hours and get to an aire that we had seen at La Mailleraye sur Seine. We arrived at 7pm to find that a fete was on and the main access road to the aire was closed due to the festival. A couple of minor roads also led to the aire but looked tight for getting down. There was a campsite just nearby but we decided to travel on to Fecamp and the free aire. After a further 30 minute drive, we arrived both very tired and hungry. We ended up parking Monty in the main part of the aire, a car park to be quite honest as the 10 bay section was full in front of the harbour. Well there were spaces but some of the foreign motorhomes had naughtily parked taking two bays. There were some bays to the side of the dedicated motorhome parking section but we decided not to risk parking there in case we got told off for not using the dedicated spaces. The aire seemed pretty full by 9pm. There was a toilet on the aire but it had been blocked by paper and was out of action. We spotted just round the corner a McDonalds, as we were tired and just wanted a quick meal we decided our first nights meal was a McDonalds!

Approach to Aire @ Fecamp.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy - Sat 11th April – Ferry crossing

2015-04-12T16:26:00.000+01:00

We arrived nice and early at Hull ferry port. We were sailing on P&O Pride of York, Hull to Zeebrugge. After booking in we went through security. We must look dodgy as we always get checked! After a little wait boarding commenced. It was an easy drive on board. We had expected it to be busy as it was the weekend but the ferry seemed quite quiet. We collected our keys and went to our room which was very clean and equipped with TV, kettle and fridge. The bathroom was also nice with White Company toiletries, fluffy towels and robes. After checking out the room we enjoyed a complimentary glass of champagne in the Brasserie.

There are two restaurants on board, a buffet and the Brasserie. We opted to eat in the buffet restaurant and headed there as it opened. There was plenty to choose from inc soups, salads, roast dinner, curries, ribs, burgers, chips and desserts as well. We enjoyed our meal as we set sail. After tea we went up on deck as we headed out to sea. We had a really good nights sleep with a really smooth crossing.

www.montythemotorhome.com

Operation Normandy – D-Day Invasion Trip

2015-02-01T17:29:00.000+00:00

Planning by General Monty the Motorhome

Monty’s invasion of Normandy plans are revealed.

Embarkation from Hull via P & O ferries.

Disembark at Zeebrugge.

From Zeebrugge push on towards St Omer to the first of our two objectives. Visiting WW2 sites of interest.

Our next objective is to head on towards Caen. With an overnight stop en route.

The next objective is to visit the Pegasus bridge and also the first liberated cafe in France, Cafe Gondree

On the night of 5 June 1944, a force of 181 men, led by Major John Howard, took off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in Dorset, southern England in six Horsa gliders to capture Pegasus Bridge, and also "Horsa Bridge", a few hundred yards to the east, over the Orne River. The object of this action was to prevent German armour from crossing the bridges and attacking the eastern flank of the landings at Sword Beach.

The gliders were towed across the Channel by Halifax Bombers. With perfect navigation and piloting skill, the gliders landed on time and on target within few yards of each other. Major Howard’s glider landed within a few feet of the canal bridge. The bridge was captured after a fierce ten minute fire fight, the action all over by 0026, a full six hours before the
beach landings.

Then on to the D Day beaches and museums.

Also calling in at Bayeux to visit the Bayeux Tapestry.

Visiting :-

Sword beach

First Allied troops to land: 3rd British Division, led by 8th Infantry Brigade Group. More info here

Juno Beach

First Allied troops to land: 3rd Canadian Division, led by 7th and 8th Brigades, and 6th Armoured Regiment. More info on here

The Juno beach centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer

Musee du debarquement at Arromanches

Gold beach

First Allied troops to land: 50th (Northumbrian) Division, led by 69th and 231st Brigades, 8th Armoured Brigade. More info on here

Longues-sur-Mer battery

Cimetière américain de Normandie

Omaha beach

First Allied troops to land: 16th Regimental Combat Team (US 1st Division) and 116th Regimental Combat Team (29th Division), 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions. More info on here

Pointe du Hoc

Sainte-Mère-Eglise

The town's main claim to fame is that it played a significant part in the World War II Normandy landings because this village stood right in the middle of route N13, which the Germans would have most likely used on any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches. In the early morning of 6 June 1944 mixed units of the U.S. 82nd Airborne and U.S. 101st Airborne Divisions occupied the town in Operation Boston, giving it the claim to be one of the first towns liberated in the invasion.

Musée du Débarquement Utah Beach

First Allied troops to land: US 4th Infantry Division, led by 8th Regimental Combat Team. More info here.

Then we divert from our WW2 history and head down to Mont St Michel, which we only quickly stopped at on our last trip to Brittany last year.

From Mont Saint-Michel we then head for some Chateaux visits. This depends on what time we have in hand and to which ones we visit.

Our list includes :-

Château d'Azay-le-Rideau

Château Royal d'Amboise

Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chambord

Châteaudun Castle

Then we need to push on to Ypres.

But en-route we may call in at Château-Thierry.

We are booked in at Camping Jeugdstadion in Ypres so we can re -visit the Menin Gate. Again if time we will also visit some of the WW1 sites we saw when here last year or ones we didn’t get to.

Then we head to Bruges for possibly one night again depending on time. We fancy another look round this fantastic city.

Then we head back to Blighty. Via our landing ship waiting for us at Zeebrugge.

All this in 12 days…..

Christmas trip

2014-12-23T16:30:00.000+00:00

Monday 15th December, 2015.

Thought we would have a last trip of the year away. We decided to go to Edinburgh and see the Christmas market and get in any last minute presents. Also we thought we would have another trip to the zoo to see our favourites - the panda’s.

We set off bright and early on Monday the 15th of December. First stop put some fuel in. Oh dear for some reason while filling, the pump didn't recognise that the tank was now full and instead of cutting off spurted diesel out of the neck, how it didn't cover me I don't know but my hands and keys had a not so lovely coating of diesel! After cleaning up we set off. Taking the A1 all the way up then heading around Edinburgh on the east side via Leith and the West Granton Road. Last time we went in via the west side. Traffic was heavier but nothing too bad.

We arrived about 1pm to a very warm welcome from the wardens at the Caravan Club site at Edinburgh. Half the site was closed and while there we saw about 15 pitches in use. This was all going to change next week as they said they were nearly full for Christmas and New Year.

Weather wise we had been lucky. Cold but bright and breezy on the way up compared to the previous days when it had been raining and very windy. In fact we only had bad weather on one day and during the nights.

Tuesday or Zoo day

We booked a taxi to take us to the Zoo for 9am opening. We didn’t fancy getting up early and bus hopping so took the easy option.

We arrived at the zoo. We were lucky again with the weather, very cold but dry. We found it a great time to go as the animals had just had breakfast. Plus it was very quiet so ideal for quietly observing. We had booked a slot for the Panda viewing but as it was so quiet they said we could just keep calling back to see the Pandas in their indoor enclosures . Some of the animals had been moved so they could update various enclosures.

No they haven't had a baby, its Peter one of our Pandas.

Looking for lunch!

We had lunch in the cafeteria which was very tasty and reasonably priced.

We stayed till about 3pm then decided to catch the bus in to the city. The Christmas Market looked fabulous – all lit up at dusk. It was really well laid out and not too busy so you could actually get to look at all the stalls. There were plenty of food and drink stalls also and the air was full of tempting aromas of mulled wine and Bratwurst. There were rides and ice skating if you needed a break from shopping.

Wednesday

We headed back in to the city but to be honest we were fairly tired and aching from all the walking yesterday. Not only is the zoo hilly but so is Edinburgh. We set off to catch the bus but when we got to the campsite reception the minibus (luxurious people carrier) was there. So rather than walk to the bus stop we got on and booked for picking up at 5pm. The minibus dropped us at the bottom end of Queen street and also picks up from there.

We looked around the Xmas market again and then headed up towards the shops on the Royal Mile. We didn’t go round the castle as we have visited before. Also by now the muscles where complaining and it was only midday. We decided to head back in to the city to get some lunch then head back to Monty for a rest.

Thursday

Rain today and cold plus quite blustery so we decided to stay in and catch up on “24”

Friday

Early start as we were leaving Edinburgh and heading back down to York and stopping a few nights at the Rowntree caravan club site. For our return journey we reversed our route and had a non eventful trip except for the first 10 minutes when no water was coming through to clear the wind screen. 10 minutes later I realised I was pushing the info button on the stick and not the washer button. OMG!!

After turning off the A1 and on to the A59 we noticed that the rivers were high and joked that I should have rung and checked the site was still open with it being right next to the river.

On arrival we noticed the river Ouse was indeed very high, in fact the highest we have seen it. Again a very friendly welcome at reception who were all in Christmas spirit. One of the wardens carried out his chores dressed in a Father Christmas suit! We had to leave a mobile number as the site was on flood warning till midnight in case of need to evacuate! Thankfully this never happened. We popped in to to York and another Christmas market was set up, but on a lot smaller scale to the Edinburgh market. We noticed how busy York was compared to Edinburgh and put it down to the fact that because Edinburgh is so big it seems quieter.

That night we decided on our favourite choice of meal while at York, an Indian takeaway from Lal Quila on Bishopthorpe Road. Located out the back gate of the club site.

Saturday

We walked back in to York to look around for any last minute gift ideas. As we came back to the site we admired the many lights, trees and decorations that some of the caravans and motorhomes had brought for their Christmas stay.

Sunday

Leaving day to return home and get ready for the Christmas festivities.

Friday 19th September – Southport

2014-09-19T18:16:00.000+01:00

We awoke to blue, sunny skies which was fantastic as the promised Indian Summer hadn’t reached us at home and we had spent the last few days waking up to fog that refused to shift throughout the day. Here it was hot, hot, hot! Time to dig out sun cream, hats and sunglasses again – Hooray! We breakfasted then set off for a walk.Lots of units were departing making room for the 98 that were expected to arrive today. We crossed the sand dunes and the road and walked along the esplanade towards the pier.

Although it was quiet, preparations were in evidence ready for the air show. Barricades and security were closing roads and only letting vehicles through that were setting up. Fast food vans were in a row on the beach and a large area of the beach was barricaded off. in the distance it looked as if a tractor was preparing a landing strip on the beach.

There is a Pleasure Land with some rides for children and Ocean Plaza which is a shopping centre with restaurants, fast food and a cinema nearby. We headed up the stairs from the Esplanade. The pier was closed in preparation for the Air show (tickets to view from there are £60 a head) but we could still walk the opposite way towards town. It appears that usually there is a tram that runs back and forth along here.

This is a nice area with a couple of cafes, a large children’s play area and a boating lake with swan paddle boats alongside real swans and ducks. Heading into town there are amusements, gift shops and typical seaside shops and then the main shops seem to be down a long straight road. The weather was too nice to be wasted looking at the shops so we did a quick food shop and then headed back to the site. A queue had formed along the road of caravans and campers waiting to check in at 12 o’clock.

Taking advantage of the good weather, out came the Cadac and we used the Skottle to make a delicious chicken and noodle stir fry. Whilst we were eating we could hear an airplane practising manoeuvres along the beach. We got chatting to a couple who are regular visitors to the area and the show and they directed us to a board in the dunes with information on Southport beach airfield history. The dunes that we were standing in had previously been an airstrip! In 1910 aviator Claude Grahame-White arrived unexpectedly at Southport, landing his biplane on the beach. This led to an airstrip being made and by 1919 pleasure and scheduled flights flew from a sand strip near the Birkdale Palace Hotel. In the 30’s there was also a flying school. In the 70’s the airstrip was moved seaward to allow the building of the coastal road but mud patches plagued subsequent pleasure flight operators until in 2001 the Civil Aviation Authority declassified it.

The couple also told us that the crater in the sand dunes that had a small puddle in, was usually a large pond full of local wildlife and newts. Obviously the weather here had been good all summer. Fingers crossed it lasts for a few more days for the show as we were told that last year’s poor weather had resulted in Sunday being cancelled.

At about 4.30 we could hear a helicopter so we climbed onto the sand dune and watched 2 helicopters practising. They were amazing! If this was just a taster then tomorrow was going to be fabulous.

Thursday 18th September – off to Southport

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With our wedding anniversary approaching and having half empty nest feelings (one daughter headed off to university) we were really looking forward to our Southport Airshow weekend. We had decided to make it a long weekend so having finished work early, we set off in Monty at 2.30. After a 2 hour drive on the A59 we arrived. First impressions driving through were very favourable. Lots of shops and eating places to choose from. We were staying at the Caravan Club Southport Site and were warmly welcomed by friendly wardens. There were only 3 pitches left to choose from which made life easier. Are we the only ones that find choosing a pitch difficult when given too many to choose from? We sometimes drive round twice to decide! If the weather is poor we site closer to the toilet block so it’s only a short dash in the rain. If the weather is sunny we find ourselves wondering which pitch is the best to catch the evening sun… Anyway pitch easily chosen, we quickly set up. It is quite a large site 190 + pitches. As with all Caravan Club sites the facilities are modern and clean with 2 toilet blocks. There are lots of cute rabbits here. The site is situated on the Esplanade. You cross the road, climb through the sand dunes and then you can see the sea although the tide is very far out. It was really warm and sunny so we sat out for a while, had tea, watched a film and then had a good nights sleep.

Thirsk Race Day– 29th/31st August

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We finished work early and headed off to Thirsk at lunchtime. It was race day and when the races are on the Caravan Club site is used for race goers parking.

Whilst this is happening caravans and motorhomes move up the lane on to a rally field.

This has a superb view across the race course and is only 10-15 feet away from the track. After parking up we walked to Tesco and bought a picnic lunch to enjoy in the motorhome. (Both Tesco and Lidl are very close to the site).

The races started at 2 pm and although most of them were on the other side, 2 of them started from right in front of us! For horse lovers there was also an opportunity to see the horses being walked to and from the races. The last race was at 6pm and at 7pm Graham the warden cycled up to tell us that we could all now move back onto the site. In organised single file we headed down the lane and onto our pitches. It is amazing how quickly the wardens transform the site back from car park to spick and span pitches again. This site is always very clean and tidy thanks to the hardworking wardens who are also very helpful and friendly.

After setting up we headed into Thirsk (10 minutes walk) and ate at Weatherspoons. We were lucky to get a table as it was still quite busy with the folks who had enjoyed an afternoon at the races. We had a nice meal and it was quite dark as we walked back. The nights are really starting to draw in! There are lots of pubs to choose from in Thirsk and plenty of takeaways – we counted 3 Chinese, 2 Indian and 2 fish & chip shops which is very impressive for a small market town.

It rained in the night but we woke up to a sunny day although it was quite blustery. After breakfast we walked back into town. There is a small market on Saturdays. Near the clock tower there is a really good fruit & veg shop. After making our purchases in town we went back to the site.

We unhooked from the electric and set off on a little trip up the A19 to Mount Grace Priory which was a 20 minute drive away. After leaving the dual carriageway the approach road was just a single track with a few passing places so we were relieved that we didn’t meet anything.

This is an English Heritage/ National Trust property so we got in free on our card otherwise the entrance fee is £5.60 per person. It is a 14th century Carthusian priory ruin and manor house. The Carthusians were a vegetarian and silent order of monks. Each monk lived in a “cell” and received their meals through a hole in the wall. The ruins of the priory still clearly show the layout.One of the “cells” has been reconstructed and furnished to show what life was like for them.

Their cells were actually a very spacious 2 up 2 down arrangement complete with their own garden to work in. I could comfortably live there but would struggle with the vow of silence! The priory had a very clever water system and you can still see the drainage and latrine channels. It was very peaceful here. There are picnic tables if you wish to bring a picnic. The priory is home to stoats but we didn’t see them.

The manor house has an exhibition and lots of information about the priory and also 2 rooms are decorated in the arts and crafts style. To the front of the manor house is a nice garden to wander through with a pond.

After an enjoyable and interesting afternoon we drove back to Thirsk and had a relaxing evening.

The next morning, the wind had dropped and it was a warm, sunny day (why is the best weather always when you have to go home?) and after a pleasant morning we set off for home.

Thirsk Caravan Club Site link

Day 12 – Back in Blighty – 31st July 2014

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We left Montreil–Sur–Mer and headed back to the Chunnel. We checked in and cleared passport control, followed our assigned lane and went to the parking area. The board advised us that there “had been an incident and trains were delayed”. Had a quick mooch round the terminal which had a Burger King, shops and Duty Free. The “incident” was quickly resolved and we were called to embark and departed on time. The journey back under the Channel seemed quicker than ever. Soon we were back on home ground.

We had decided to break our journey (extend our holiday) with a trip to Duxford Imperial War Museum. We arrived at lunchtime and parked easily (didn’t see any allocated motorhome spaces but as the car park was not too busy we took 2 spaces).

This museum is definitely worth a visit and has something for everyone. It is a former RAF station. The historic buildings on the site have been preserved and new modern buildings added to house this extensive collection.

The first building you enter is vast and has a huge collection of aircraft including a Lancaster, Spitfire and Vulcan Bomber – many cleverly suspended from the ceiling. It also has an interactive gallery which the kids love. Concorde is here and you can go inside this and other aircraft throughout the museum. There is also an Airborne Assault exhibition in this building.

Duxford IWM 1

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We then went outside. We were lucky it was another sunny day. (If visiting on a rainy day, pack your poncho as the buildings have quite a walk in between). We were able to watch as airplanes took off and landed on this runway. You can also take pleasure flights in vintage aircraft. There are also more aeroplanes outside that you can go into and have a look at the cockpit and interiors.

We enjoyed looking around the other 6 buildings which housed aircraft and exhibitions featuring Air & Sea, Battle of Britain, Land Warfare & American Air Museum. In the Land Warfare museum we saw the original Montys!

The orignal Monty the Motorhome, uses by Field Marshal Montgomery.

These were the “Montgomery Caravans” used by Field Marshal Montgomery, 3 vehicles which were used for his office, map room and bedroom. His bedroom vehicle even had a little bath! There was also a tank called Monty.

Ideally you would spend a whole day here as there is so much to see. Having had a wonderful afternoon we made our purchases from the extensive gift shop and headed off towards Grafham Water Caravan Club Site.

A little while into the journey the sky darkened and as we arrived at the site the rain was torrential! We made a dash for the site office and booked in. It is a pretty little site with a separate tent field. It also has an outside heated swimming pool! By now we were very hungry and sadly the mobile fish and chip van wasn’t due until the following evening. We had passed an Indian restaurant on the way to the site and as the thunderstorm had now passed we decided to set off on foot. It was about a 3/4 mile walk to the Cinnamon restaurant - Website - which was in the nearby village (it looked as if it used be the village pub). The staff were really welcoming and we had arrived on “Special Banquet Night”. This is every Thursday - 1 Starter, 1 Main Dish, 1 Side Dish, Any Rice or Any Nan all for £12.50 per person. The food was fabulous and really good sized portions. Totally stuffed we walked back to the site and despite the odd rumble of distant thunder, the rain held off and we settled down for the night.

It had been a wonderful holiday and despite stretching it with an extra night down south, it had now come to an end.

Day 11 – Wednesday 30th July – Mont St Michel

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Aargh! Getting up at 6.30 was a bit of a killer. We ate our breakfast, came off the ramps and sadly left Al Kleguer. (Having made a quick detour for a photo in front of Saint Anne’s beach).

Having seen Mont Saint-Michel briefly on our journey we had decided to visit there on our way back. The beginning of the journey was a little overcast but by the time we were approaching Mont Saint-Michel it had turned into another lovely, hot, sunny day.

Approach to Mont Saint-Michel aire and parking area

Mont Saint-Michel is an abbey and a surrounding town built on a rock in the sea. It is so impressive to see. Originally it was just a tomb on a hill where Christians went to live in solitude and poverty. Legend has it that one night in 708, Bishop Aubert was visited by Saint Michael who ordered him to make the Mont into a shrine to him. Later it became a Benedictine abbey. Pilgrims began to flock there and taverns and hostelries formed in the village at the foot of the abbey. There is too much history to list here so skip forward over a thousand years during which time it had also been a prison. In 1874 the Mont was listed as an historic monument. It was then carefully restored to its original purpose as a spiritual centre.

Major engineering works are now underway to return the Mont to its island status. Vehicles no longer have access to the causeway. A barrier directs everyone into huge car parks. We were then directed to 8 which is for motorhomes. You took a ticket as you pulled through the barriers. This parking costs 20 euros and 60 centimes but it was for 24 hours so served as an aire if we had had the time to stay longer. You were then advised to take your ticket with you to pay at the machines at the end.

If you have a dog with you (or if you would just prefer to walk) there is a footbridge which takes about 40 mins. We joined the queue for the shuttle bus . The queue moved quickly. The shuttle buses were very modern. They had a drivers cab at each end so there was no need to turn around – the driver just walked to the other end and we were off!

After disembarking we walked in and up the main street. It is quite narrow and was very busy.

There were shops and restaurants on either side and even a hotel. It was fabulous! The history was palpable. We made our way up an climbed the steps towards the Abbey and enjoyed the view from the North Tower. Sadly we didn’t have time to go inside the Abbey. We bought a few souvenirs and made our way back down.

We resolved to go back (at a time out of season so hopefully less busy) and spend much more time there. We took the Shuttle bus back to the car park.

A couple of people in front of us were having trouble paying with a credit card. We paid with cash and had no trouble. With the ticket now validated we exited the car park and set off again.

We were headed to Montreuil Sur Mer to break the journey and stay on a free overnight aire in the town. After approximately another 5 hours of driving we arrived in Montreuil Sur Mer. The aire was signed and was a car park just off a residential street behind a bowling club. It had a service point with water, waste water disposal and even electric (2 euros for a 50 min charge). There were two other motorhomes already there. It had a toilet and urinals.

Approach to Montreuil Sur Mer aire

Look around at the aire

The toilet was fairly clean and modern. When you were in there there was a button to press which locked the door, kept the internal light on and illuminated the occupied light on outside. After washing your hands, you pressed the button to exit and the toilet automatically flushed.

We made the short walk into town. It had a central square with a fountain and statue. A large mobile theatre tent had been set up in the square. This was for performances of Les Miserables although it wasn’t showing on the night we were there (probably just as well as the aire was to be used as car parking for it). It was a nice, pretty town with various restaurants, cafes and bars around the square. We chose to eat outside at Le Bistrot.

The food was excellent – yummy french onion soup to start, followed by lamb for madame and pork medallions for monsieur. It was tasty, authentic french cuisine with decent portions and the staff were friendly too.

After eating we went back to Monty to find another two motorhomes had arrived. We settled down for an early night.

Day 10 - Tuesday 29th July - Our Last day

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After yesterdays showers we were back to blue skies and blazing sunshine. We got up a little earlier than we had become accustomed to and after a quick breakfast, headed into town. Today was market day! It was much bigger than we had expected. All the traffic had been stopped entering the town and the whole length of the high street, the centre of town and a few side streets as well were covered with stalls. It was a really nice, bustling market. At the top of the market there were food stalls – fruit & veg, meats, seafood, breads, meats, colourful spices as well as ready to eat stalls with paella, noodles and hog roast.

Market day in St Pol de Leon

After our market visit we headed to the creperie by the beach. We decided to try the gallettes (savoury pancakes) and followed this with a sweet crepe.

Our time at Al Kleguer was drawing to a close and we were due to leave in the morning. We spent time in the pool and then went down to the beach for the last time.

Whilst the tide was out I decided to walk as far out as possible.

Panorama – Looking at St Annes Plage from out in the bay after the tide had gone out. Where I am stood is under water when the tide is in!

To the left is St Annes Plage, in the middle is Ar Kleguer and to the right is La Greve du Man bay.

Roscoff port, just a short distance away. Brittany ferry in the harbour.

Video 360 of the bay while the tide is out

That night’s entertainment was a disco in the bar – mainly attended by the youngsters at the camp. We packed away the gazebo and organized everything inside Monty ready for our travels in the morning. Then despite the disco we headed to bed for an early night.

Day 9 - Monday 28th July - Showery day

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Another cooler cloudy day. Still 20 degrees but that feels cool after the baking hot days we had enjoyed. Another load of washing in the on site laundry and after looking at the ominous grey clouds we made use of the tumble dryer as well.

We sat and had breakfast outside but soon found ourselves trapped under the gazebo by a heavy shower.

Unfortunately the showers continued throughout the day.

We managed another barbecue when the weather dried up in the evening accompanied by chips as it was also frites night again on site.

At 8.45 a band played in the on site bar – they were quite good!

Day 8 - Sunday 27th July

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Slightly cooler and cloudier today but still hot when the sun was in full force. Used the site laundry and when this was all hung out to dry, headed for the pool again.

Chilled by the pool and on the pitch for the day and then got ready to go out to tea at the Chalet Restaurant again. This time we were seated inside. We had another lovely meal – I really recommend the chicken in a mushroom sauce and then we finished off with more crepes.

Later that evening a mobile pizza van arrived. It had a wood burning pizza oven and smelt delicious! Pizzas ranged in price from 10 –15 euros. We didn’t partake as we had eaten out earlier but it was another good service to have visit the site and did a good trade all evening.

Day 7 - Saturday 26th July – a lazy day

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Another sunny day. Enjoyed bread and croissants from the shop for breakfast again.

We headed into town to pop to the supermarket again. It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday. After carrying the shopping back and feeling very warm it was lovely to be able to cool off in the pool. We had another lazy day by the pool and motorhome then enjoyed another barbecue.

This was rounded off by crepes from the mobile creperie that had arrived for the evening. These were delicious and really cheap – 1 euro for sugar crepes and 3 euros for a rum and banana one (with a mighty slug of rum!). There was also a mobile cheese and olive vendor there.