25th – 27th June 2011

Left Calw and followed the road that runs along the river down to Wildberg, it is very scenic and twisty! It really does follow the river and winds its way along with some very sharp hairpin bends. We soon saw signs for the campsite which took us down a narrow single lane road, luckily we only met one car coming the other way, which didn’t have to reverse far.The camp’s pitches are not that large so we took a place on the hard standing, not far from everything and it has the sun in the afternoon. It is in a very lovely spot, alongside the river in the bottom of the wooded valley.

Sunday (26^th) the locals close the road from Wildberg to a town about 35k further south, to all motorised vehicles from 8am to 8pm. So we joined the hordes of locals and set off on the bikes towards Nagold. The road was busy with cyclists and roller bladders of all ages, families with youngsters as well as some serious cyclists. Roller blades are obviously very popular here as lots of people again of every age were out on them and boy can they move!

As you reached a town you came across food and drink stalls and in Nagold, where we stopped for a drink they had a band playing and kids’ activities, as well as stalls showing local activities like gliding. Steve you and Mark would love it here, there is a gliding club/school just down the road and it’s meant to be a good area for it. Given the number of birds of prey you see circling around I can see why! We continued on for a few more kilometres before stopping for lunch in a small town. We had some fun ordering our red sausage in rolls (plus the obligatory beers) and were clearly an amusement to the locals serving us! The food was very really good as were the beers and it was fun relaxing watching the locals go by. It seemed everyone was out, some serious, some on blades for the first time! Occasionally someone sitting in the food hall would recognise someone passing and shout out causing some chaos as they tried to stop and come over! Each junction had either a policeman or fireman on it to let the cars cross the road, but given that this is the main road connecting the towns and villages we were surprised they closed it off. No one seemed to be bothered and everyone was clearly enjoying the day and making the most of it, it was really great to be able to cycle along the road without having to worry about the cars etc. they obviously start them young here as there were lots of youngsters out about who could only just ride.

On the way back, the road was busier which made it interesting at times, but the atmosphere was great, everyone was having a good time. When we reached Nagold we decided to stop for a break and sat at a restaurant in the square, eating fantastic ice creams! The place was packed and great for people watching!

We returned to the van, slightly tired but having had a great day, it’s a shame we don’t do this sort of thing back home but I guess not enough of the population are into cycling etc.  



Monday we’re spending doing a few jobs and then cycling into Wildberg.

24th june 2011

Left the stellplatz in Filderstadt and set off for Calw on the Nagold river, the book said it took 30 motorhomes but on arrival there were only four places and one of those was already taken by a large motorhome. We had just decided to park next to it when another van arrived, so we quickly moved into the pitch. Within half an hour the fourth place had gone and other vans were still arriving!

After a coffee Lynn and I walked into the town and spent the afternoon wandering the streets lined with wonderful old buildings, typically German, five or six stories high with decorated wood and plaster fronts. Even the new ones kept the same style. The town was having a lot of building work done, with one street been totally dug up, but it was a very attractive town with the river running through it. One of their most famous sons (Hermann Hesse) was a nobel prize winning poet & author and has a statue on one of the bridges and a museum in the town. During the war he helped a lot of Jews escape the Nazis and was an outspoken opponent of that regime.

As we walked around we saw adverts for lots of concerts etc including one where the lead act was Suzi  Quatro and backing her up was Sweet, I kid you not!

We sat in the town square at a strube  and ordered two beers, only to be brought two half litre jugs! Lynn pretended to be shocked at the quantity, but as we sat in the sun admiring the buildings, her glass went down the same as mine. However, she is now sitting opposite me (back at the van) fast asleep!

23rd June 2011

Spent the morning giving Bella a much needed clean, she had got very dirty and we hadn’t been able to give her a wash for a while.

In the afternoon we took Sarah to the airport for her flight home, it seems strange seeing her go and no one coming the other way. Now it’s just Lynn and I we’re going to have to talk to each other!

22nd June 2011

Caught the train into Stuttgart, about 30 mins and a family ticket was only 14 euros! Having bought a route map we walked around the historical buildings only getting lost a couple of times! Stuttgart started off as a humble stud farm, before becoming the royal capital of Wurttemberg. This has given it two impressive palaces, the old one resembling a castle with a wonderful courtyard and the newer one (the Neues Schloss) built in 1746 being much grander. King Wilhelm I resided here and has an impressive statue in a square near the palaces, with him sitting astride his charger. On either side of him are obelisk pillars with dates and place names, mostly French, which we wondered were towns he had conquered? If so he was very good at it.

The locals obviously like shopping as the town centre is one huge shopping complex, dotted with wonderful old buildings. The local men also like their beer as we saw a few sleeping it off lying on the grass in the park!



On the way home it began to rain and then tipped it down, mixed with a little thunder and lightning. When we left this morning it was clear blue skies and very hot, so we’d not brought any waterproof jackets! We are learning that the weather here can change very quickly!

20th & 21st June 2011

Checked out and used the aire facilities to empty and refill Bella. Easily found our way back onto the dual carriageway and out of Freidburg. Set off towards the hills and the forests, before long we were winding our way up them through some stunning scenery, hairpin bends that were over 180 degrees and high bridges were exciting as we entered the Black Forest. At one point just passed Tittisee, we saw two ski jumps on a hill, they looked very high and scary even at this distance.

Came off the motorway and found the Stellplatz on the outskirts of Rottwiel, only 5 euros per night, 8 hrs electricity one euro, Lynn found my attempts to ask for a pitch in German hilarious, as did the young guy in the office! After lunch the drizzle stopped, so we walked into town and did a quick shop at Lidle, before hunting a cash machine. Most wanted to charge 5 or 6 euros, which for a prepaid card sort of defeats the object, so we moved on. We eventually found one in a small bank in the pretty town centre which was full of traditionally decorated buildings, old churches and pedestrian areas. 

21^st June 2011

A quick run down the motorway took us to a town Filderstadt on the outskirts of Stuttgart and a stellplatz in a large carpark. No other motorhomes here as yet but there are a couple of caravans that look lived in as well as an old coach conversion. Only 5 euros for the night, which is just as well as we filled up today and it was 1.47 a litre, the most expensive yet. Had a walk into the town centre and easily found the train station, which we can use to go into the city tomorrow and take Sarah to the airport on Thursday. Had lunch in town before returning to the van and enjoying some sun!

19th June 2011

Woke up a little late after a rainy night had kept us awake, to find Sarah already up and having laid the table for breakfast complete with card wishing me happy father’s day, a complete surprise! The weather cleared a little so we walked back into town and began our tour of the old part. The place was very quiet, most shops were shut, only the restaurants were open. The old town was lovely, very Germanic old buildings some dating back to the 1300s, including the square with the cathedral (under renovation), cardinal’s palais and a very impressive merchant’s house, small back streets, some with a small canal running through them and a lot of art galleries, bars and restaurants. The town has a university and the campus is right on the edge of the old town, a great place to be! Sarah treated us to lunch back at the same café, this time it was very busy mostly with students eating breakfast! Afterwards we continued our walk, where we bought some delicious looking cakes for later, before making our way back to the van.

By the time we got back the sun had come out and Lynn and I sat outside having a coffee and enjoyed some sun. Internet ok but skype was very poor, no real signal at all.

18th June 2011

Left Cernay and joined the motorway, it wasn’t long before we had crossed the Rhine and the canal next to it and had entered Germany-not that you’d know as the sign was disappointingly small! A quick stop at a services to buy a more detailed map book and we were soon leaving the motorway on the outskirts of Freidburg, the gateway to the Black Forest. The satnav was working well and the signage for the “Stellplatz” was easy to follow, so we quickly found it. It was fairly busy but we found a parking place which was big enough and easy to get out of. The Stellplatz are like the French aires, just parking areas with water and waste disposal. This one had a small reception where we paid for two nights, 8 euro’s a night and were given an electric meter to record what we use, you pay for it when you leave.

After a coffee we walked into town, about 10 – 15 mins, and had lunch at a café. The town is covered with tram tracks and has a major railway station, so getting about would be easy but the trams are fairly quiet, so you have to be careful as they go through the pedestrianized part as well! Found a tourist info where we obtained a map/walk around the old town which we will use tomorrow. Outside was a square with the town hall on one side and a grand old church covering two others, in the centre was a fountain. Every street seems to have a deep water gutter about a foot wide & deep going down it, sometimes in the middle sometimes on one side, I bet that’s fun after a couple of beers! As we came out of the info shop there was a wedding reception being held in the square, bride, groom and guests all drinking bubbly and eating snacks whilst mixing with the shoppers! I’m not even going to ask Em!

On the way back Lynn walked into a hairdressers called “ Killer hair” and had her hair done, wash, cut and blow dry all for 13 euros, Germany does seem a little cheaper than France. Now she can say she has had her hair done in each country!

16th – 17th June 2011

Said our goodbyes to Claire and set off in the direction of Dole, mostly on really good A roads, along rivers and canals, through valleys and great looking towns. We stopped for lunch overlooking the river, this is a really picturesque area. Had to take the toll road for a short distance around a city and got hit for 11.40 euros, when we only did 2 to 3 miles on the toll section the rest is meant to be free! Looking forward to Germany and no more tolls!

After a little searching we found the municipal campsite in Cernay just northwest of Mulhouse and close to the German border. The town is famous for its storks, which come into the campsite and forage around for nesting materials. We’ve never been so close to one before, they are quite large and seem to be looking down their beaks at you! After a lovely hot sunny day, we are now getting some rain, hopefully it will clear by morning!

Friday was a sunny day, so we walked into the town centre which was very clean and tidy and had a large church in its centre. There was a local market set up so we had a look but didn’t buy anything, some of the clothes were great if you wanted to look like Gypsy Rose Lee! No comments please Lisa! Sarah and I did suggest buying some just for the first day back at school! Stopped off at the local supermarket and bought a few things, the local wine was expensive, most around the 9-12 euro mark!

After lunch we got the bikes down and set off along a cycle route to the nearby town of Thann, just a few kilometres away. As we got nearer we were cycling past vines set onto the steep hillside to our right, it was so steep everything must have to be done by hand! The town was picturesque, set each side of the river and with lots of old buildings. The look and feel of the place was more German than French, especially with some of the locals talking German! There were war memorials commemorating those lost in both world wars, it was interesting to note that most of the surnames were the same for both wars. One also had a plaque, I think explaining how when the Nazis invaded France, thousands of Alsace men went off and fought on their side against the Allies. Sarah believes those that survived the war, were killed when they returned home. It made me wonder who the locals considered themselves to be nowadays?

We stopped at a bar overlooking the river and had a glass of local wine sitting in the sun, it’s a hard life! The wine wasn’t cheap but it was very very good!

13 – 15th June 2011

Left the camp in good time and stopped at the Carrefour just up the road which was open despite it being a Bank Holiday. This made it easier for us as we couldn’t get into the Carrefour car park so parked by a DIY store which was closed. Stocked up again and treated ourselves to a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape as it’s not far from here. Made our way further north towards Dole through some lovely countryside and found the campsite right by a river in the middle of farming country.

All the pitches by the river were taken or too small, ok for tents or small caravans but not for Bella. So we took a pitch on the other side looking out over the fields these pitches were nice and large and there were only a couple of vans using them. When we booked in the woman in reception was English and recognised Bicknacre, it turned out she has cousins who live there and whose son is the same age as Emma and were part of the same group of friends, small world!

Tuesday we spent around the camp doing some chores and enjoying the sun! Wednesday we picked up a cycle route from reception and set off on the bikes. This time we only did 25k but it was very hilly! It took us through some local villages and the second biggest deciduous forest in France! It seems a big deal for the locals! Returned having had a good day out but hot and tired, so we stopped at the camp restaurant for an ice cream then dumped the bikes back at the van before hitting the pool, very refreshing! In the evening we went back to the restaurant for a meal and sat on the veranda looking out at the river splashing over a weir, a really great spot!

10 - 12th June 2011

Had a good run northwards to our next camp by a lake in Comoranche sur Saone, and whilst the pitches were smaller and mostly occupied, the camp owned the lake so we could at least get to it. As Monday is a bank holiday the camp was very busy with lots of French holidaymakers as well as tourers like ourselves.

Over the next couple of days we cycled to the nearest town with a supermarket where we did some shopping and explored a little of the area on the way back. The river Rhone runs through here and there are lots of streams and canals with small rowing boats on it and water lilies, very picturesque. Then Sunday we followed a cycle route off a map from the camp and spent the day cycling around the local villages, which were very pretty and well kept. Outside these were some wonderful old buildings and farm houses, it seems very prosperous and farming here is still obviously very profitable! Whilst having lunch sitting by the entrance to the local château we saw a convoy of Ferrari’s go past, at least 12 or more, very impressive. Equally impressive was the local tandem cycling club that past us, around twenty or more couples all on tandems wearing their professional cycling gear and having a good chat as they cruised along!

We returned to the camp around 5pm, fairly tired having covered 35k a lot of which was on tracks through woods or across fields, so we felt pretty chuffed with ourselves! The routes could have taken us almost to Switzerland, if we’d been so inclined, they really do put the effort and money into providing well marked cycle routes here.

9th June 2011

Whilst packing up I had a chat with our French neighbours who spoke very good English and had taken their granddaughter to London in April, they love England and Ireland and have been over numerous times.

A fairly easy journey along the Rhone to our next camp at Chateauxneuf sur Isere. The land along the river is very industrial but has wonderful views and nice countryside further inland.

A good site with very clean and modern facilities and huge pitches! A lovely pool area but the pool was freezing! Went out on the bikes in the afternoon, it was nice cycling through the orchards full of apples etc but not much else around. There is a lake but you can’t get to it as it is fenced off as it has a hotel near it. The camp has good wifi, free from the bar, as well as incredible views, so we spent some time there updating photos for the blog and planning our route for tomorrow.

8th June 2011

A cloudy start to the day as we set off, not a huge run to our next campsite at St Thome, which was set in the hills not that far from the Rhone river which we are more or less following northwards. The site was down a narrow lane but once on it there was no problem getting to our pitch overlooking a stream and the hillside, very picturesque.

In the afternoon we went for a stroll along the local lanes amongst the vineyards, a nice area but you’d need a car if you were staying here any length of time.

7th June 2011

A lovely sunny day again so we took plenty of water and set off to explore Avignon, it is full of posh hotels, shops & restaurants, you need plenty of money around here! The walks were well marked and took us around the historic sites including up some ramparts to the gardens at the back of the papal palace, the views were fantastic. The Palace was built to remind the European Kings of the day that the Pope was above them, they certainly chose a perfect site and the Palace is impressive. Nowadays it has a university and is well known for its art and culture with international festivals in the summer, it certainly had an arty feel to it! We had a great day wandering around and will look forward to returning.

6th June 2011

A fairly short run to Avignon, which we approached along the river so had a great view of it. Our campsite was literally just over the bridge and opposite the Palace, fantastic views and walks along the river. Booked in and were given a pitch only to find it already occupied, so we took the next one which had more sun! Incredibly this camp is one of the cheapest ones we have stayed on, the facilities may be a bit used but given its location it is still surprising.

After lunch we walked into Avignon and spent the afternoon wandering around its streets, it is huge especially when you consider it is still within the old walls. Found a tourist info office and picked up a map with coloured walks on it for tomorrow. Had a really good local beer in a bar overlooking a main street and people watched, there were a few interesting characters!

5th June 2011

Yesterday we had a day around the camp, sorting out Bella ready to leave, before heading to the pool to have a last swim and sunbathe here. The storms predicted for Sunday came early and we were kept up most of the night with thunder and lightning which set off the alarm! As well as incredible rain we had hail stones that sounded like they were going to come through the roof!

After such a bad night we decided not to drive all the way to Avignon and so stopped at a Aire in Pelissane, just outside Salon-de-Provence. It’s a nice small typically French town with parking for five motorhomes, although when we came back from a walk around the town, four French vans were parked in the waste area as well as three of us in the parking bays!

1st - 3rd (pt 2)

Thursday we headed east along the coast through some wonderful little towns with great bays and more lovely villas in the hills and on the rocky coast itself. We drove through Cannes and on to Nice where we parked the car and walked along the promenade. The beach front hotels were impressive, it had a slight art deco feel about it. Stopped at a typical south of France bar restaurant right on the beach for a drink, but whilst we were there the sun came out and it was so great sitting there we stayed for lunch! The colour of the water was a fantastic turquoise, but as Carol and Chris found out it was very cold! The views were great and we were really enjoying them until an older French guy decided to get changed just outside the bars private beach, as Carol said ooh lala!

After wandering around some more we went back to the car and continued on along the coast to Monaco. It was great driving into it and as we worked our way round towards the harbour we found the roads used for the F1 race were all open and still had the barriers, billboards etc up! Instant loss of 30 yrs Chris and I were boys again! We stopped on the starting grid, pole position of course and burned off the car to our left, this called for manual gears and flappy paddles! We were able to do the whole circuit including the hairpin bends and the famous tunnel, where we chased a black Mercedes sports car, which Chris nominated as Vettel and proceeded to offer suitable advice including famous lines from an old TV show, Mr Mannering! It was incredible to be able to drive around the track and experience going around the narrow roads, hairpin bends and out of the tunnel before going past the big yachts in the marina. Everything is so close, to do it at their speeds is bordering on madness.

We parked up by the marina and walked around part of the track, stopping for photos, before walking down the pit lane which was still had the road markings for the pit stops. Lynn spotted what we think was Kobiashi’s and was very excited! Having exhausted ourselves we had a look around the marina at the fantastic yachts before stopping for a drink in a bar right on the track. Here we watched the flashy sports cars being driven past, in some cases by boys who don’t look old enough to drive let alone have cars like that!

When we had recovered we returned to the car and set off back down the coast just as the sun was setting, the views were great. It took a while to get back to the camp stopping to pick up a take-away on route, so we didn’t get in until well after 10pm, another full day!

Before we knew it, it was Friday and time for Chris and Carol to leave. It has been, as usual great fun and we have certainly seen the Cote de Azur. Thanks for coming out to see us guys it was a great few days and we look forward to seeing you and the video clips when we get home!

1st – 3rd June 2011 (part 1)

Wow what a few days! Carol & Chris flew out and joined us on Tuesday arriving late afternoon. They had booked a hire car and were really lucky getting a nice new Picasso, which had lots of gadgets, like an electric hand break and flappy paddle gearbox! But as the hire car rep explained “It’s Simples!” hey guys!!!!!

Wednesday we decided to head south along the coast to St Tropez, passing loads of lovely bays and fabulous villas in the hills. With superb navigation from Chris we easily found St Tropez and a car park. I think we had expected more high rise apartments but it really has managed to keep its old charm, with lots of lovely alleys and arches leading to the sea. Carol made straight for the marina and the yachts, on the way Chris and I tried to pick up a souvenir! (photo to follow)

The marina was busy with boats coming and going and was filled with beautiful sailing and motor yachts,  but moored down the side were four huge motor yachts, three registered in George Town. They were very showy, Chris spotted one which even had its ladders designed by Armani, you can tell a man who mixes in those sort of circles!

We walked round to the cafes and had a coffee watching the comings and goings on the posh yachts, it was great people watching. Afterwards we wandered around the town and then made our way back to the car and set off down the coast again. This time we drove up through the hills and past the gates leading to the villas set up there. Chris took great delight in winding Sarah up about the drop and hairpin bends! We stopped off in Cavalaire sur Mer a nice beach resort town and had a drink in a bar Carol thought was inspired by the Flintstones!

On our way back we stopped at a local restaurant (good spot Carol) and had a really great meal, despite the waitress not speaking any English and our tourist French! It began with a tomato/ olive and tuna paste with French bread, then a large salad after which it was Salmon or Veal in a wonderful pepper sauce. Deserts were ice cream, some couldn’t resist ordering three different flavours which was fun, or a chocolate flan with chocolate ice cream. All washed down with a good local rose, brilliant!

We got back to the camp just after 10pm but managed a drink and a few hands of cards…………….. ok ok the girls won! Well if you play long enough it was bound to happen at some point, plus they had “Card sharp” Sarah. We also discovered Carol likes “Limoncino” a creamy lemon liquor, which goes down very easily!

30th May 2011

We have spent the past couple of days relaxing around the camp or going down to St Argulf and spending the day swimming, sunbathing and snorking in one of its bays. Generally returning to the camp late afternoon for a quick dip in the pool to cool off after the cycle ride back, plus Sarah isn’t too keen on swimming in the sea, she much prefers the pool!

This morning Lynn and I had rode into St Agulf and along the coast where we found a sandy beach area and some more wonderful bays, some with great villas overlooking the water and with private access to the bays. We decided this would be a nice place to live!

Looking forward to Carol & Chris joining us, not long now!

27th May 2011

Got up early and set off on the bikes to cycle to St Raphael, we had worked out a route which was mostly on cycle tracks and by leaving at 9am it was a little cooler. The route was fairly flat and we only had to walk once we were in St Rafael and the cycle route finished. Found the station fairly easily and managed to find a bike stand to secure the bikes. The station was large and modern, and reasonably busy, but as we walked round to the ticket booths a very helpful clerk at a reserved booth asked us where we were going and motioned us to come over. We had forgotten it was the Monaco F1 this coming weekend and they had extra booths set up. The clerk found the cheapest return tickets for the three of to Monaco, 35 euros for a family ticket for Lynn and I, then a separate one for Sarah at 25 euros. Considering the distance we didn’t think this was bad. The trains were modern and on time with a great route along the coast. Some of the bays were wonderful, just what you’d expect from the south of France, lovely villas around the bay and up into the hillside. We went through Cannes and changed at Nice, only having to wait a few minutes. The yachts got bigger and bigger and the hillside villas more and more impressive.

We arrived in Monaco in a huge modern station that seems to stretch across half of Monaco and has several floors to it as well. The place was buzzing with F1 stands and the noise of the F1 cars screaming round the track, no matter where you were it sounded like they were coming down the road behind you. As it was practice day, it wasn’t as crowded as the weekend will be, so we could walk around easier. Lots of F1 supporters proudly wearing their passes around their necks and lots of men wearing the rich banker uniform, stripy shirt, tight casual trousers and loafers. We did see Sir Jackie Stewart striding purposely down towards the track advising the group of men following on the way it should be done! He was wearing his traditional green tartan trousers and hat, you certainly couldn’t miss him!

After lunch (4 euros for a can of coke!) we found a spot on the road to the Palace from which you could see the tunnel the drivers use to walk to the pit lane, as well as a couple of bends at the entrance to the pit lane. We recognised Button, Hamilton, Alonso & Massa but were too far away to identify the others. Still it was great to see them scream round the bends! We wandered around trying to get to the famous Casino, but all the roads seemed closed off due to the F1 route. We did get glimpses of the cars wizzing past and Lynn saw Kobiashi (her driver in the sweep stake!). At one point we came round a corner to enter a square with trees and bushes etc, as well as two very old and expensive looking hotels situated opposite each other. The doormen were in very smart uniforms and were constantly running about taking and fetching the guests cars and what cars they were! Ferraris, Porsche, Bently’s all very expensive looking with personalised registrations. Outside one was a top of the range Audi sports car and it looked ordinary! Coming and going were a number of older men who had obviously brought their young, slim and very attractive nieces to see the grand prix, who said family values have disappeared! Obviously age and waist line diminish proportionately with each million you have in your bank account.

We sat in the small park at the rear of the casino (closest we could get) and had a cooling ice cream whilst watching the glitz and glamour, before wandering back to the train station checking a couple of estate agents on route. Forget the UK Lotto it would have to be the Euro millions! We could see why it is the playground for the rich but with the high rise apartments etc,  if we had the money we would choose one of the towns along the coast with the fantastic bays.

26th May 2011

Decided to cycle into St Argulf and catch the bus to St Raphael to check out the trains and go along the coast to Cannes or Nice. Cycled into town no problem and locked up the bikes, before finding some shade to wait for the bus. We waited and waited well past the buses due time, finally we gave up and walked up to the tourist info, who wasn’t a  great deal of help I have to say, spoke good English but didn’t understand any of the timetables any more than we did! It seems they have a winter timetable (only two buses a day!) a summer one (one every 30 mins) and another one which is when they feel like it! It seems like the idea of a bus to St Raphael wasn’t going to run, we may get there sometime but wouldn’t be able to get back! The place is busy with lots of holiday makers around but it seems they still look at this time of year as out of season?

So we gave up on that idea for today and decided to head to the water. As it was so hot we bought a parasol so we would have some shade and a couple of large filled baguettes for lunch.

Found a spot on the pebble beach and set up camp. The views were picturesque and the water was cool and refreshing, but getting in and out was interesting as the beach was scolding and the pebbles  sharp! Must get some swimming shoes! Had a great afternoon swimming and sun bathing, this is definitely the life! Sarah a little surprised at the number of topless women on the beach, I obviously hadn’t noticed!

25th May 2011

After a leisurely breakfast, Lynn and I set off on the bikes to explore the local town St Argulf which is on the coast and about 15 – 20 mins away by bike. There are cycle lanes most of the way from right outside the camp and it’s not too hilly. When we arrived in the town we found it’s square covered in a huge market selling just about everything. Lots of restaurants and beach shops surrounding it giving it a nice feel. We intend to use the bus to get to St Raphael where the main line train station is, so we checked out the buses and found the bus stop which had somewhere to leave our bikes. Feeling pleased with ourselves we headed down a side road and found a small bay with a pebble beach. The water looked very inviting but would have to wait.

We returned to the camp and Sarah, then spent the afternoon around the large pool which is heated. It is very quiet here so there was no problem finding sun lounger and parasol! At times we were the only ones in the pool.