Blog 4.2 - Newhaven and Beyond

Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th September 2023

It was a relatively painless (by English motorway standards) run down to Newhaven. Well, actually, Seaford. We had stacks of time to kill so opted to park for a few hours quite near where we did prior to last Autumn's foray. It was pleasantly warm, and good to see lots of people making the most of the kind weather on the beach.

Admin rustled up a quick butter chicken with rice, and we ate contentedly on a bench looking out over the Channel. Lovely.

A long-ish walk followed, and then it was time to drive the short hop to the ferry port, making it there well in time, but still being made to sit in the van on the dockside until virtually departure time.

Having eventually made it on board following a particularly shambolic and directionless loading (must do better DFDS; I recall it being a bit more slick last year) we eventually found the reception area (no directions anywhere...) and picked up our cabin key.

The cabin was totally fine, although we made the schoolboy/girl error of not taking our decent pillows on board; the supplied ones are always awful.

I didn't fight Admin's decision to just bed down straight away. We'd eaten, and were both knackered, so we just flopped.

It seemed like about two minutes later that a scratchy voice informed us over the cabin's speaker that the shop would be open for twenty minutes, although it turned out to be about 5am, so virtually time to get up anyway. About three hours sleep? Maybe, but probably a fair bit less.

We quickly washed and scrambled to the van, tired and bleary-eyed, and were eventually spat out onto French soil, or concrete, in the darkness, with just a glimmer of light on the horizon.

We finished up in a free aire overlooking the Picardy city of Beauvais, making good time in the cool of early morning - but, boy, was it warm by the time we parked?

It's a pleasant enough aire. All grass, and a bit slopey, but nothing the new, higher, levelling ramps couldn't correct, and having got there early we had the pick of the pitches and found one right at the end overlooking the viewpoint and the city below.

From the viewpoint. St. Pierre to the rear, and the buttressed St. Etienne in front of it.

Beauvais looked rather attractive as far as we could tell, so we tackled the 108 step concrete staircase which zigs and zags down to the approach road and river/rail bridge (fortunately we didn't indulge too much in town, otherwise the return climb might have been rather more fraught.

The city did prove to be rather alluring, with a compact yet well commercially-stocked centre, focussed around a large square bordered by the city hall on one end, and plenty of eateries and drinkeries. One of the plus points, though, is an extensive area of sequenced fountains which attract the kids (and older types) to splash around. While we didn't do that, it was still lovely and cool to sit by, even if mildly chlorine-scented.

Not far from the square is the magnificent Cathedral of St. Pierre, the frontage of which is quite likely the tallest of any church I've stood next to. In no way do photos do it justice even if it's currently slightly blighted by exterior and interior restoration works.

The windows are pretty impressive too.

There's a lot of timber in various areas inside though, propping and generally shoring-up. Hopefully that work will be undertaken before too long.

Wednesday 6th September

After an early-ish night, and a pretty good one, catching up with some much-needed sleep, we headed eastwards (or so we thought, but the satnavs both had different ideas). Somehow, both Admin's Google Maps, and the onboard one had reverted from their 'avoid Tolls' setting, and pointed us into a no-escape toll-motorway approach road.

Bugger.

It's not so much the cost - a mere 2.5 Euros as it turned out - but the fact that they had dumped us on the peage motorway heading south to Paris. Uh oh.

It took a while to get off too, and when we did it meant a convoluted route through twisty country roads was required costing us about an hour, and quite a drop of diesel I shouldn't wonder.

I'd wanted to press on a bit nearer to Alsace, but Admin insisted we stop earlier and relax a bit more. And she was quite right, too, as usual (I won't go into the right/left disparity issues...).

So, we came to a halt in a village, Damery, in the Champagne region.

Grapes everywhere. No idea who the statue represents, but he stood very tall over a wine village we'd just passed through.

Once again, she'd come up trumps with a free aire, with a view over a park. Nice.

We didn't move. Just topped the van up with water, ourselves with spaghetti, and kicked back with the Kindles under a Horse Chestnut tree until well after dark.

Bliss.

Thursday 7th September

On to Alsace. Well, not quite, but getting there.

We headed off through the famed Champagne producing town of Epernay - and it's clear to see where the area's prosperity stemmed from.

The bubbly stuff is in evidence everywhere, with lesser-known appellations featured on lesser building frontages, right up to the heavyweights like Moet & Chandon (on Avenue de Champagne, of course). And, as I said, the vines are almost literally everywhere, carpeting the surrounding countryside, as are the tractors and trailers and itinerant workers descending on the neighbourhood in their vans and caravans in good time for the picking season.

I'm no expert, but it looks like they'll be very busy.

150 miles later we arrived in Lunéville, just east of Nancy, and a little shy of Alsace still.

Our pitch for the night (or two) is at the Camping-Car Park Aire just a short stroll through the beautifully-kept grounds of the Chateau from the town centre.

This C-CP Aire, unusually, has toilet and shower facilities, and also permits tents and caravans during the main season. Mohos and campervans get to use it all year round, although the sanitary facilities close at the end of the main season (end of September). That's no hardship though.

Walking into town was no hardship either, with the park and chateau providing an engaging walkway almost all the way.

The town centre is quite small and not overly stocked with shopping, cafés or bars, but has the usual large square - right in the middle of which was a van purporting to sell Italian ice cream. Well, it was still 34 degrees at well past 5pm so we thought 'why not' - and quickly changed our minds to 'why'. It was awful. Tasteless and icy, as if it had been re-frozen several times. Yuk.

The 1664 (non- alcoholic, natch) we had a few yards away in the shade outside a small bar, was much better, and a lot cheaper than the rip-off Heineken we'd had at Beauvais, so not all was lost.

Back 'home' for more cold drinks, followed by stir-fry under the awning, and we've firmed-up the resolve to stay a second night.

Friday 8th September

It's been rather hot in the daytime since our arrival in France, and it doesn't look like cooling down until well into next week - if then.

So, it was nice to sit outside in the cool morning air for breakfast.

It's been in the thirties Celsius every day so far and doesn't look like abating any time soon.

That, though, if far preferable to the crappy weather we had in March and April not too far east of here.

I just wish the nearby Leclerc supermarket we just walked to sold bags of ice! It did sell lots of cold drinks, mind, so we loaded up on those. I certainly needed one after lugging those and various grub items back.

We spent the rest of the evening, feet up, reading, and listening to the hordes of gnat-like small two-strokes being thrashed around the area.

Saturday 9th September - From Lorraine to Alsace

Starting reasonably early, having completed the chores and stowed the awning and furniture, we soon crossed into the Moselle Department, and thence into Alsace proper.

You instantly know that due to the change in geography to undulating forestry and lots of -hofs, -heims, -burgs, -dorfs, mühles and so on. You're easily swayed into thinking you're in Germany - while still in France.

We called at a Lidl at one of the few French-sounding towns on our way to the aire at Soufflenheim, ostensibly to see if they had some of our favoured lemon beer which is made in Alsace. They hadn't. Bum.

And so we reached Soufflenheim, not so far from the Rhein and on the Alsace Wine Road

Once again, we're on a Camping-Car Park aire, but this one if far removed from the last one. Here, no doubt due to the more 'touristy' nature of the area (which I accept), we're paying the same amount for a pitch on a small fenced-off section of bus station and car park, behind the Fire Station, whereas for the previous two nights we had the comparative luxury of a full- facility campsite with big pitches.

Don't think they've used the fire engine for a while. There's stuff growing on it.

Like I say, it's more of a tourist area, but I do wonder if C-CP need to take a slightly more pragmatic view of their pricing structures.

The village is absolutely full of potteries. I think we've found the Stoke on Trent of eastern France.

Only one of many, many potteries

Admin. Happy with bier

However, it's still way cheaper than the average commercial campsite, and has the basic facilities we like to have, so no complaints really - if no thanks!.

Sunday 10th September - South to Obernai

With the alarm set for seven, and following a poor night's kip, not helped by the van that parked right up against us at gone 10pm and then proceeded to yawp and clatter until well past midnight. Then the were the bells... oh the bells! I think Quasimodo was on his holibobs but still wanted to keep up with his practicing. Every fifteen minutes all bleddy night long, and big bongy bells at that. Gah.

Anyway, we did everything we needed to and headed south skirting Strasbourg city centre (too big!) and on to Obernai (just right...).

This is a huge free aire with lots of space to nestle wherever you wish.

And we were all set to stay a night when Admin noticed signs saying that it would be closed from 6pm due to some kind of festival.

That keeps happening to us!

Ah well; we took the opportunity to look around Obernai, which is rather ravishing, if hot, like everywhere else - and sip a coffee and buy a few tat souvenirs.

It's very much worth a visit, but quite busy on a Sunday, although parking (a lot of it free) appears to be no problem.

Moving on then, at about 2pm, we tried our luck at another, rural, park-up near Barr.

This is a rough-surfaced small car park, among heavy forestry, up a narrow lane, and adjacent to a viewpoint, from which you can see for literally miles.

We just about managed to insinuate ourselves into a patch that hadn't been taken up by the cars of the revellers on the viewpoint - all of whom were having a whale of a time eating and dancing to what seemed to be North African or middle eastern music. They were boisterous, yet happy and absolutely set on having a good time without bothering anyone else.

Come nightfall, off they all drifted, and I'd say not a drop of alcohol had been downed, yet they had obviously had a great day.

We were left in splendid isolation (well, almost: there was one other old moho left at the other end but we never caught sight of the occupier) to while away the rest of the evening not even being disturbed by the odd passing vehicle. There were none!

Miles covered so far: 678