It took 3 long days to drive back from La Grande Motte to Calais, and another with the ferry and 4 hour drive from Dover. We were truly buffeted for most of Sunday as we made our way up the Rhone valley, into the teeth of the Mistral. On reflection we should have gone via the Clermont Ferrand autoroute – cheaper and less windy – but we wanted to go back via Champagne, so that was our penance!
We stayed north of Macon in a small campsite near a leisure lake. Pretty and full of mozzies! We sat nervously outside covered in Deet spray, wearing anti-mozzie anklets with an electronic ultrasonic device switched on and a citronella candle for good measure! It was a relief when we agreed to give up, go inside and watch a DVD.
The next day we stopped in Les Riceys to pick up a few cases of champagne – a tradition started by myself and my parents about 12 years ago when we discovered a lovely small producer there, Morel Pere et Fils, and fell for their version and the lovely couple who run it. Every year since we have turned up in a fully loaded estate car after the show we do in Geneva, and somehow shoehorned several cases into spaces we didn’t know existed, Madame and Monsieur looking on with a mixture of amusement and respect.
This time we rolled into their rather small parking area about a month later than usual and filled it with Horatio. Madame and Monsieur were as lovely as ever and once again amused by us – this time we had space! Or so they thought. Actually we were so loaded by then the cases had to be parked on the floor by the sofa and we daren’t buy too many!
I had a nice chat with Madame about the weather. I have never talked so much before about the weather in France – they now get why the English never shut up about it – after a year of too much wind and rain and not enough sun. The champagne grape harvest is a month late this year as a result.
Before the visit we had stopped for ze lunch at Le Magny, a Logis hotel in Les Riceys, and it was a lovely day so we were able to eat outside on a very pretty terrace in front of the hotel. Truly fabulous food again – its been a great trip for enjoying good food and wine, though our waistlines are paying testament to it now and it’s a good job it has to stop for a while!
We pushed on that afternoon and made it to the valley around Epernay. We attempted to stop at an aire on a canal, but were way too late and it was full. One of the other campers came over and said there was a sign to go to the aire in Mutigny if that one was full – just a couple of km away. Off we set, to find that most of the 2km were uphill on a winding single track road through the vineyards. We were rewarded with an empty aire with lovely views across the region, and a protest leak of coolant from Horatio (luckily minor and a one off).
We were joined by a French couple who experienced a more major leak as their entire fresh water tank emptied itself all over the aire. We tried to help them diagnose the problem, and it seems our suggestions helped as they tracked down a small tap they had forgotten about over the winter and closed it! That’s what happens – if you have a problem, another owner will always try to help you, and it feels good if you manage to be of real assistance.
The next day we went down an even narrower road to get out of Mutigny and headed for a site near Calais. We stayed off the autoroute for much of the day as the Routes Nationales are very good in the area. We went to a site in the same group as the one we had used near Sommieres. Not our best decision. It was a nice site, well looked after, but no privacy and very expensive, especially as we had encroached into July. We had decided to use the on-site restaurant which was similarly expensive and disappointing. Note to self: more research required to find good stopping point near Calais for future.
It threw it down that night and the next morning. We caught an earlier ferry and sailed into thick fog, so continued accompanied by the foghorn sounding every 5 minutes. Eventually it parted to show us the white cliffs and we were back in Blighty once more. 5 hours later we were home. Note to self: check out other crossings from Poole and Portsmouth to see if we can avoid the flog to and from Dover another time – Please!
Now its Saturday and the sun is beating down on us at the start of a predicted 2 week heatwave! We are in the garden enjoying the overgrown plants, water feature switched on and The Beast’s gazebo has been erected to give more shade.
Now that truly was unexpected.
The view from the aire at Mutigny
Slumming it in Champagne!
Location of our last outdoor meal in France – this time!