The wobbly woman

Camping in the vineyard.

Well, we stayed in the vineyard, and it was a really strange experience. We were made welcome, and shown to the spot above, where we could spend the night. It was very peaceful, and the sun was in and out, so we sat in it for a while, but it felt like a very long afternoon. We went into the wine cellar to taste the wine, and I found that very interesting. After buying some, we settled down for a very quiet night in! It was a cheap way of doing things - no charge. Just 37 euros for wine and honey! What suckers!

When we arrived at the village of La Rosiers the next day, it seemed so lively after our night in the country! We sat outside a bar in warm, hazy sunshine (and traffic fumes) watching all the locals having their aperitifs and buying bread. The next day, Monday, there was a nice market, and we had a lovely wander.

Today, however, it is gloomy and damp. The only answer to that is to hire a bike! Yes, I have ridden a bike for the first time in years! I hope you kids are proud of me! At first I wobbled about the campsite for a bit, but then I went off into the countryside. The last time I did that I was a teenager. If it wasn't for the pain in my legs, I could almost imagine myself 12 years old again. OK, not really. But I did enjoy it, and now I feel I can hire one on future holidays when there is an opportunity for some cycling along nice cycle paths.

The wobbly woman rides again.

We have decided to leave tomorrow, and head for Chartres to look at the cathedral. We are also doing another France Passion night, this time on a farm. I wonder how much it will cost us? But this will probably be the last blog of the holiday.

So thanks for following our rather boring ramblings. Off for another wobbly ride on the bike now. Take care everyone.

Rivers and chateaux

Le Chateau de Montsoreau

Well it is near the end of the holiday and we are slowing making our way back to Calais. We are spending the last week in the Loire valley; the land of rivers and chateaux. The village of Montsoreau is about 12 km east of Saumur and we are camped right on the edge of the great Loire river itself. The river is literally 10m from where I am writing this. There are actually two rivers here. Just on the other side of the village the Vienne joins the Loire. The village is very pretty and built from the very white, soft stone of the area which which I think they call tofa. The whole south bank of the river has troglodyte houses dug out of the cliff side. I have a lazy routine of walking to the cafe in the village after breakfast, buying a french paper and sit reading it with a grand creme. Not a bad life!

The Chateau de Montsoreau was an excellent visit. The displays explaining the castle and the way of life in the middle ages and the renaissance on the Loire are really well done with lots of son et lumiere. The Chateau is the setting of an Alexander Dumas novel, "Chateau de la Dame de Montsoreau". I found it in a book shop in Saumur and it is in two volumes and I don't think it is my type of book.

A street in Montsoreau

Yesterday, we took the local bus to Saumur and it is a beautiful little town. Of course it has its own chateau which we didn't bother with. We wandered around and drank coffee and then wandered some more. As the local bus didn't run very often we had to do some more wandering and drink more coffee and eat icecreams. All very tiring!

The Chateau in Saumur

We are moving on Saturday morning and we are going to try and stay in a vineyard. There is a camping scheme called "French Passion" and for a small annual fee you can stay free of charge on farms and vineyards listed in the book. There are no electricity points or facilities, but you can only stay one night before moving on. We have picked out a wine place on the other side of the river not very far from here and we are going to give it a try on Saturday night. Although there is no charge, you are expeceted to buy some of their produce. I wanted to chose a farm where we could buy some eggs and butter, but Chris insisted on the vineyard. Oh well! After that, we have another camp site further west along the river before heading for Calais.

Goodbye to all that.

Well, we have been in La Venise Verte for a week, which is a good long stay for us. It has been very pleasant, and we've been very lazy in keeping with the laid back atmosphere of the place. Yesterday we went on an intriguing walk, which turned out to be longer than anticipated, due to one of Tony's famous short - cuts. But it was a happy accident, because where we ended up was very quiet, and lonely. At one point, a deer popped out, but when it saw us, it retreated. It was fleeting but special. Sadly, we also saw a buzzard attacking a moorhen. We were really close to it, and frightened it away. No doubt it went back to finish the job when we had gone. The place was full of wildflowers, with the most lovely scents. As you know, Tony saw an otter! I am very jealous. There are also lots of fat Koypu here (a bit like beavers). Koypu pate is a local delicacy!

Are you sure this is a short - cut?

We also went to what was billed as a circus, but we got there late, and so we must have missed the clowns. We watched musicians acting silly, but playing well actually. The square was full of French families enjoying food, drinks and plenty of fun. It was a beautiful evening, too. Very enjoyable.

Hamming it up.

But now, sadly it's goodbye to all that! We are heading for the Loire vally, to stay in a vineyard, and a couple of villages that sound nice. Hopefully we will find WiFi. Until we do, au revoir.

Hayfever and sun stroke

The market in front of the church in Coulon

We are in Le Marais Poitevin next to village called Coulon, which is just south west of Niort. The country side is fascinating. It is flat and marshy and crisscrossed by canals - hundreds of them. The camp site is right next to the main river which runs through the marais - Le Sevre. There are flat bottom boats everywhere (like punts) and well into the last century they were the main means of transport. We saw two women and a child crossing the Le Sevre to their house and my photographer managed to get a picture of them.

Ferry across Le Sevre

We are not supposed to be here; well not yet. We set off from Concarneau to drive to La Rochelle. When we were nearly there, Chris looked up the directions to the campsite and said that it doesn't open to the end of June! Bad planning Dolan. Our next choice was closed when we got there because of the very bad storm last spring which killed so many people on the coast here. So we fast forwarded some plans and arrived late in the evening in the village of Coulon.

The area is known as La Venise Verte; and it is very green and full of wildlife. I saw an otter on my evening walk last night! The site is about 2km from the village. Our late morning walk tends to be the same. A stroll beside the river into the village; buy a paper and head for the cafe. Then pop into the church for some reflection and decide what to do with the rest of day. Normally, we will walk for an hour or so before returning to the van for a little rest and perhaps a nap. It's a dog's life, but we don't complain.

Thursday - There is wifi on the site and we have just read in the Guardian of the terrible shootings in Cumbria. It is unbelievable. It was also front page news in the French paper this morning. We went for a long walk along the banks of Le Sevre and had a picnic lunch. It was very hot and when we got back Chris felt ill with too much sun and I had a touch of my childhood malady - hayfever!

La blogger at work

Friday - another very hot day and so we are staying at the site in the shade. I walked into the village on my own to get a paper and have a coffee. I also bought a euro millions lottery ticket for tonight. You never know! There is some entertainment on in the village tonight. It's advertised as a circus, but there is no big tent or anything. They were setting up in a little square by the river this morning; so we will walk in tonight and see what's happening.

I think that this blog is long enough, and I will leave tonight's entertainment and further adventures until the next one. I have also included some more photos at Tom's request.

A Soft Day

When we got up this morning, it was raining with a very fine drizzle, and we decided that the Irish would call it a soft day. Later, when we were eating our picnic in Concarneau under glowering, cloudy skies, a lovely Irish couple from the campsite came to talk to us. They were saying what a lovely day it was, you know the way the Irish do when it stops raining for a bit. I thought it was ironic.

As it turned out, it really was a nice soft day, as the rain kept off, and the sun came out briefly in the afternoon for our walk along the coast road.

We took a walk down memory lane today, in both an imaginative and a real sense. The lane was the main street in old Concarneau, which we last visited as a family many years ago. You can get the picture - "On, there's the creperie where we ate with the kids", and so on. The Museum of Fishing was still there, which Michael in particular enjoyed at the time. There was also a Celtic band playing in the courtyard, adding to the atmosphere.

Thankfully it was quiet today, and so you could see the beauty of the old buildings, if you looked up from the souvenir shops, that is.

When we were sitting having coffee and ice cream this afternoon, we were saying how lucky we are to be back here again. And although it was still a soft day, rather than a sunny one, we both agreed that it's not a bad life!

As a postscript I want to tell you about a motorhome at the campsite. Our North American friends will not be amazed, as they are accustomed to huge rigs. However, there is a big van here, and when they open a door at the back, a ramp comes down, and out comes a lovely little soft top Mini. Tony says he wants one (van and mini) when he wins the lottery.

Off to La Rochelle tomorrow. Will post another blog soon.

Campers in Quimper

We planned to spend a few days in Camaret-sur-Mer on the Crozon peninsula. It was a short drive of about 50 odd miles from Landeda. When we got to the camp site we just had the feeling that is was not for us. We knew that it was a 2km walk along the cliff tops to Camaret, but the campsite just didn't feel right. I knew that there was a municipal site in the town itself and so we went there. We had to wait until 5 o'clock for the reception to open, but it was a nice sunny day. So between drinks, ice creams and walks around the harbour we pleasantly filled in the afternoon.

The next morning we set off for Quimper; stopping in the main street just to buy bread. The camp site here at Quimper is good and there is a bus stop practically outside the gate. The bus takes us to right into the town centre. Quimper is the beautiful historic town that we remember from over twenty years ago. The kids were young and we hired a static caravan not far away on the coast. We have found a little cafe with free wi fi; it's called le C.Com.

The weather is still good. No rain! The heat of last week has gone and when the sun disappears and the wind blows, it can be chilly.

When we got to the city centre yesterday there was chaos because there was a big demonstration. It was happening all over France - a day of strikes protesting about the government's proposal to raise the retirement age. Sadly that is inevitable everywhere, but you have to admire the French. They just don't meekly accept. They get out on the streets in huge numbers. Long live the revolution!

We are staying here until Sunday and then moving down the coast only a short distance to Concarneau. After that we have nothing planned. We are almost halfway through the trip and we will have to start thinking soon of planning the return trip to Calais.

Take care until we find the next wi fi cafe.

Two go to Mystery Island

Sunday.

We have been reminiscing about the Famous Five. What started us off was that we went on a lovely walk along the coastal path yesterday, and we came upon this beautiful, secluded beach. It was like a little cove, with white sand and green sea, and it was almost empty. You could almost hear Timmy the dog running on the sand, and barking with excitement. Neither of us could believe it. When I was a child, I dreamed of finding such places, and now I have.

Then this morning I went for walk while Tony read the Observer online, and I realised I could walk to a nearby island as the tide was out. I had to scramble over rocks, but as George in Famous Five was my heroine, I faced the difficulties bravely. It was gorgeous. There were lots of wild flowers, and the colours of the sea were fantastic. I'm taking Tony to see it tomorrow, but Uncle Quentin mustn't know (not sure about Aunt Fanny either)!

Monday.

Actually we went to the island yesterday evening, and we had a jolly good time. It was very still and peaceful.

We are moving on tomorrow, and who knows what adventures we may find! But we have really enjoyed it here. It is very unspoiled, and beautiful. The campsite is good, too. We have walked, been to a one-woman concert, relaxed and played Famous Five. What more could you ask for?

The concert on Friday night was excellent and really different. The muscian was a young woman called Gwenaelle. She sang, played the accordion and the guitar. We were hoping for more traditional Breton music, but she was good. The audience was almost all French and German. Some got up during the concert and danced! She was particularly good on some Edith Piaf songs.

After five nights here, we are moving on from this idyllic spot tomorrow morning and heading south a little to Camaret-sur Mer on the Presqu'ile de Crozon. It is just south of Brest. We don't know how long we will stay there. We have stayed here for longer than we thought we would, but the beautiful weather has helped.

We will be in touch again as soon as we find some more wi fi.

Take care.

PS. For the younger generation, The Famous Five Adventures were childrens' books by Enid Blyton and they came out in the 1950's. Yes, I know we need to get a life!

Tourist traps and cold streets

We stayed six nights in Carteret and we really enjoyed it. We loved our long walk on the beach and were getting too used to sitting in the Bar du Port each evening with the computer. Chris is relaxed and was drinking Baileys and ice again. A bit like old times.

The drive south down the Cherbourg Peninsula was lovely. Normandy is like the English countryside used to be. There were beautiful wild flowers everywhere; in the hedgerows and fields. There were lovely little orchards with the fruit trees in bloom and, of course, lots of cows grazing in fields behind big old fashioned hedgerows.

The drive to Le Mont St Michel didn't take long and we were there just after lunch. The campsite left us with just a 2km walk along the causeway to the abbey. It was very interesting but extremely touristy. It was good to see it though; one of the iconic images of France. Later in the evening we went back to try and get some photographs oh the Mont in the sunset. I carried the tripod for Chris and we stayed for ages taking hundreds of shots. Most were a little disappointing but Chris got some good ones. My favourite is above of Chris at her tripod hard at work as the sun has almost gone. (As usual, I tried hard but Tony got the best shot!)

We set off the next morning for St. Malo. The municipal campsite there was handy for walking into the old city; the citadelle. It is on a separate island and is contained within its ancient walls. Although it gives the impression of being old, it was almost all carefully reconstructed at the end of the war. Eighty per cent of the old city was destroyed by the good old RAF in August 1944. Oh well, anyone can make a mistake! The streets were very narrow and dark, and it was really quite cold. But then we found Charly's Bar, and we returned to it a few times to drink coffee in a nice sunny spot. We also had the best ice cream ever while we were there. It was enormous, and full of caramel and nuts. Yummy!

We enjoyed two days there and then today we have travelled to Finistere; right up in the north west tip of Brittany. We are staying in a lovely site by the beach just outside the village of Landeda. Although we are quite isolated here, we have wi-fi on each pitch. I can look at the Guardian and get Lancashire's cricket score and Chris can exchange her photographs on Flicker. The weather is good; we have only had a small rain shower in nearly two weeks. I think we may be here for a few days.

We will update the blog in a day or so, while we are still here in Landeda.

Catching up in Carteret.

Well, here we are in Normandy, sitting in the Bar Du Port in Carteret. ( Peter, there is wi fi inBar du Port now - so bring your netbook) On our second night in France we stayed at a small place next to the beach, called Merville. It was bleak and cold. Sorry, but Tony christened it Walney. You get the idea! Anyway, we were relieved to arrive in Carteret in the sun. We were pleasantly surprised by the pretty campsite, but I don't think the owner was too pleasantly surprised by us, as for the first two days we kept blowing the 3 amp electricity. Don't worry, Peter, she doesn't know we are related!
As I say, the weather is sunny but there is a cold wind. Consequently I keep wearing my hat with sunglasses - not a pretty sight. Tony is calling me Dorothy Holmes. On Wednesday we went up to the lighthouse and spotted the gorgeous, empty beach, Plage De Cap. We walked down to it, and planned a nice long day there. So yesterday we took our lunch and went for a walk down the beach. Tony fell asleep in the sun. I must say, we missed the soggy egg sanwiches, crunchy with sand, and warm pop that we both felt was a must for a beach picnic.

We sat on the beach looking at Jersey just 6km away - so close. We texted Mary. There are no ferries at all at the moment because the tides are all wrong - out all day.
Today we are having a day of catching up with washing, Wi-Fi, coffee drinking and generally relaxing.
Love to all family and friends. We will be in touch again soon.

The Dolans escape Tory Britain

We are setting off to France next Sunday 9th May for a six week trip and we are going to try and do the travel blog again for family and friends. We are heading for Brittany in our new van (see photo above) and we are really looking forward to getting away.

The old Swift Sundance was a great van, but after five years we thought it was time to trade it in. The new Swift Bolero is very similar but a bit posher. It will be interesting to to see how it goes.

We have a tunnel crossing at 18.20 next Sunday evening and will spend the night near Calais. Then we set off for Brittany, but en route we are going to spend some time in Carteret on the Cotentin peninsula, south of Cherbourg. It is a small fishing port where Peter worked a number of years ago. He worked there in the bar while he was polishing up his french for university and now he returns every summer. It sounds like a great place and so we intend to spend a few days there.

We will have another couple of stops before reaching the north west coast in Finistere where we hope to stay for awhile. After that, we will follow the coast south and end up - I don't know where. Brittany is beautiful, but it can rain and if the weather is really bad we have a plan B - drive south until we find sunshine.

We will try to keep in touch with texts, facebook and this blog. It really depends on how much free wi-fi we can find.

Take care.