Tour de France 2013

29th June 2013. It was with a great sense of excitement and noticeably less anxiety than on our first trip in March that we set off for the Eurotunnel. Our plan was to spend 2 weeks in France with the aim of seeing 2 stages of the Tour De France, one in the Pyrenees on the 7th July and the stage in Tours on the 10th July.  We would spend the first week working our way slowly down to the south of France and had decided to spend the first night near Mont St Michel as it was on my list of 'must see' places however as we approached Rouen we came to a standstill and could see miles of stationary traffic ahead. We were adjacent to a slip road and as we were reluctant to waste too much time and without the benefit of knowing the cause of the delay we decided to take it. This was the beauty of motorhoming, just being able to change our plans to fit the moment. We headed south and came to a beautiful little village called Nonancourt. There was a free Aire next to a park so we decided to stop for the night and explore.

 The village was very pretty with some beautiful Tudor buildings and  flower displays decorating the lovely little bridges where the river forked in to 2 and flowed through the heart of the village. There was a medieval festival with a firework display being advertised for that night  in the park next to us so after we had explored the area we decided to head back and have dinner so that we could go and watch the show. The medieval re-enactment proved popular with the locals and every seat was taken with many more standing.

 We were enjoying the display but fatigue was starting to kick in after all the travelling so we decided to head back and relax with a glass of wine while we waited to watch the fireworks from the comfort of our motorhome. As the first firework illuminated the sky I fell in to a deep sleep and managed to miss the entire display in spite of the fact that the loud explosions were almost overhead.                                          

30th June 2013. Our next planned stop was Longeville Sur Mer as Glynn loves the sea and was keen to be as close to the coast as possible. We set off with Glynn still teasing me about sleeping through the noise of the firework display and after an uneventful journey through some lovely countryside we arrived at our chosen campsite late afternoon.

 It was only 5 minutes to the beach through a small woodland opposite the camp so we headed to the beach and were delighted to find a beautiful wide expanse of sand. Both the campsite and the surrounding area were lovely so we decided to spend 3 days here. We spent the next 2 mornings cycling to La Tranche sur Mer and Jard sur Mer, exploring the local farmer's market and visiting the nearby beaches and in the afternoons we lay by the pool and relaxed as our excitement gradually mounted at the thought of seeing the upcoming stage of the Tour in the Pyrenees.

3rd July 2013. In order to ensure we reached the Pyrenees by the 6th July we knew we would need to start heading further south so we set off bright and early after making a mental note to return to the area another day. We drove through some beautiful scenic countryside and eventually arrived at our next destination which was a lovely little campsite just outside Sarlat la Canéda in an area called Proissans. We booked for 2 nights and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun ready for what we knew was going to be a testing ride the following day.

4th July 2013. The area around Sarlat is hilly and unfortunately for us the campsite was on high ground which meant an easy ride out but a much more taxing return. We cycled in to Sarlat and were delighted to discover a myriad of walkways and alleys flanked by beautiful medieval architecture.  Many of the buildings had long since been converted in to shops and galleries but the exteriors retained all the beauty of a bygone age.

 It was a delight to wander the streets admiring not only the buildings but the variety of shops and galleries both modern and antique offering everything from touristy souvenirs to local produce. After a café stop for coffee and cake we set off again to explore the surrounding area. We cycled to Cháteau  de Puymartin which involved some very hilly terrain. At one point we were going down such a steep hill that I was exceeding 30mph with my brakes on which was pretty scary. Unfortunately for every steep hill going down you know there is going to be an equally steep climb the other side and so it was that I was soon struggling up a steep incline barely reaching 8mph trying to keep Glynn within my sights and questioning my insane decision to choose cycling as my leisure activity of choice!! In spite of the challenging terrain we had an amazing day's cycling and eventually arrived back at the campsite feeling tired but exhilarated.

5th July 2013. After a leisurely breakfast sitting out in the sun we packed up and headed for Toulouse. We had chosen a campsite that was easily reached from the motorway and would give us easy access to the city centre via a cycle path along the edge of the Canal de Garonne. The site was a bit of a disappointment with stony gravelled bays and a lot of residential units. The only plus side was the amazing toilet/shower block which was one of the best of the trip so far. We went for a walk to explore the local area and discovered a gypsy camp next door and the whole area was scruffy and uninviting.  We decided to head back and wiled away the afternoon chatting to some fellow campers and relaxing in the sun before settling down to watch a DVD and have an early night.

6th July 2013. We set off bright and early and cycled in to Toulouse. I can't say it inspired us to want to visit

 again but to be fair we had limited time to explore so there was probably a lot more of interest that we didn't get to see. We are not really a fan of big cities other than for the architecture and we did see a few buildings that warranted getting the camera out.  We agreed that we would probably come back on a future visit when we had more time to explore and decided to cycle back to the campsite. With mounting excitement we packed up and set off for the Pyrenees. The scenery en route was amazing with beautiful valleys that stretched out as far as the eye could see and the snow capped peaks of the Pyrenees visible on the horizon. Our plan was to

park as close as possible to the Col de Mente but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men! We passed through some beautiful villages as we neared the foot of the mountains and when we reached Saint-Béat we took the D44 towards Boutx. The road started to climb more steeply and as the gradient increased so our speed decreased. Glynn dropped down to 4th gear and then 3rd gear. We made it just past Boutx but by then we were down to 2nd gear. Now you know it's time to pull over when a cyclist overtakes you!! Just kidding, although I am not convinced that a cyclist wouldn't have overtaken us if there had been one on the road at that time. With the engine temperature rising and a very real fear of the clutch burning out we decided to pull over on the side of the road. We admitted defeat and accepted that this was as high as we were going to get in the Pyrenees. There was a wide area suitable for parking so we levelled the motorhome on the ramps before making dinner. We sat outside enjoying the last rays of the sun, watching with envy as a variety of motorhomes sailed past with apparent ease, waving and pipping their horns at us.

7th July 2013. We were woken at 5am by the sound of car horns and people shouting and cheering as they drove past, probably heading to the very spot we had hoped to reach. We gave up any hope of getting more sleep and decided to embrace the atmosphere. We were so excited at the thought of actually being in a position to watch the Tour de France in the flesh as opposed to on the television.

We sat outside and watched the

changing shadows as the sun rose over the mountains. It was incredibly beautiful. Much to our surprise there were 4 other motorhomes parked alongside us that had arrived during the night. After breakfast we wandered up the road to see if there was a more suitable place to watch the race as we knew the cyclists would come past our current position at such high speed we would be lucky to get any decent photos. Luckily for us there was a double bend just half a mile further on which would hopefully help to slow them down a tiny bit. There was a safety barrier right on the second bend which would afford us some protection so we decided to go back and get our chairs and a packed lunch.

Prior to the actual race a caravan of advertising vehicles shower freebies on the waiting crowd and build up the excitement levels to fever pitch. The caravan took about an hour and a half to pass and during this time we were inundated with gifts from baseball caps and keyrings to cake bars and sweets being thrown from the passing vehicles. Then the race itself appeared and our excitement was immeasurable. I had my camera on rapid fire but sadly at the crucial moment it froze which meant I missed getting a lot of the pictures I had hoped for. However my disappointment was somewhat alleviated when I later checked my camera card and I had a picture of Chris Froome as he passed.

Even with the double bend the race passed us at an incredible speed  and all too soon the last cyclist had passed and the caravan of support vehicles appeared. Once the last vehicle had passed we gathered our bags of goodies (minus all the ones we had eaten!) and headed back to the motorhome. Once we had loaded everything we set of for Biarritz which was the next destination on our agenda. We arrived late afternoon at a lovely Aire adjacent to a fabulous beach at Anglet just north of Biarritz and we were lucky to get a space just as another vehicle was leaving. After a brief exploration of the beach we chilled with a salad and a glass of wine while we checked the photos of the race. It had been an incredible day and we were delighted to be able to cross that one of our bucket list. Unsurprisingly we were shattered after our early awakening and the excitement of the day so it was no surprise when we opted for an early night.

8th July 2013. We decided to spend the morning chilling and headed to the beach for a spot of sunbathing. It was a beautiful sunny day and we lay on the beach and read our books. At lunchtime we headed back for a bite to eat and then with some reluctance we decided we should leave as we had planned on spending the night on a vineyard near Blanquefort and we were keen to avoid rush hour traffic around Bordeaux.

 With only a minor delay around the ring-road because of roadworks we soon arrived at the vineyard which was set in the grounds of a château. We were delighted to accept the host's invitation to a wine tasting at their shop selling lots of local produce and we spent a very pleasant hour and a few euros trying their own wines and we wandered back to our motorhome clutching our purchases which included some very nice wine as well as a locally produced paté. We had discovered the vineyard in the France Passion book which meant, as members, we could stay for free. The area for motorhomes was in a beautiful setting adjacent to the vineyard and the horse paddocks and we spent a wonderful evening relaxing in the setting sun enjoying a glass of the local wine.

9th July 2013.   We awoke later than normal, a good sign of how relaxed we were. It was a beautiful sunny morning so we sat outside to eat our breakfast while we discussed our plans for the day. We were going to stop in Tours for the next 3 nights and we were spoilt for choice with campsites so decided to pick one that looked a nice cycle ride to the centre for the race. We set off after breakfast and had a nice easy journey to Tours. It was a beautiful hot day and we were keen to get to our destination so we could relax and sunbathe. We found a lovely little campsite with a nice pool and paid for 1 night initially. Thank god we did as it turned out to have the dirtiest shower facilities we had ever seen. Even wearing flip flops in the shower I still felt uncomfortable. On the plus side it was still a gorgeous sunny day and we laid by the pool reading for the afternoon  before walking to the local supermarket for more supplies. It transpired that the road from the campsite to the centre was not considered particularly safe for cyclists so even without the terrible state of the shower block we still would have left the next day!

10th July 2013. We set off early for the short journey to our next chosen stop and it turned out to be a lovely site with excellent facilities. It was an easy cycle friendly route to the race area so once we had parked up we decided to cycle in to Tours to check out where we would need to go the following day. After a lovely ride in to the centre to check out the location of the race finish we went back to the camp to catch some of that days racing on the television in the bar. It was a beautiful sunny day and we sat in the sun with a cold beer to watch the end of the race joined by some fellow cyclists of varying nationalities united by our mutual love of cycling.

11th July 2013. We set off bright and early, keen to get a good spot in which to watch the end of the race. When we got to the finish line it was only around 10am so there were still several hours to go but already there were thousands of people everywhere. It was apparent that we would not be getting a space anywhere near the finish line so we followed the route out and after only 400 yards there was a sharp bend leading to the home straight which would afford me a fantastic opportunity for photographs.  We hung our Union Jack from the railings and settled down to enjoy the day.

Chris Boardman was being filmed by a man on a Segway while he gave a narrative about the cycling and he was getting frustrated by the crowd spoiling the filming by shouting comments. They went backwards and forwards about a dozen times before it was finally "in the can".  There was a steady stream of people arriving all day and it wasn't long before the crowds were becoming 2 or 3 deep trying to get a good spot to view the race.

 As with the other stages the caravan of advertising vehicles came past showering the crowd with freebies and everyone was trying to grab everything they could. We were lucky that we had been inundated with gifts when we'd chosen the lovely secluded area in the Pyrenees. I had chosen my spot for this race carefully and I was rewarded with some fantastic pictures as the race finally arrived at the last bend before the finish line.

After the race had finished we went over to where the race vehicles were parked and I managed to get  pictures of Dave Brailsford and Mark Cavendish. The atmosphere throughout the day had been amazing and we'd had another really special day. We cycled back to the campsite with some fellow cyclists and spent the rest of the evening enjoying the last of the sunshine with a glass of wine and a pasta salad. 

12th July 2013. We decided against cycling back in to Tours to watch the start of that day's race and thought we would get a head start on the day by heading to Chartres before the traffic got too heavy.  We parked up about a mile away from the centre and cycled in. We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours exploring the centre and enjoyed a lovely lunch before heading back to the motorhome. 

Chartres Cathedral

Our next planned stop was Dieppe so we set off as Glynn didn't want to negotiate Rouen in rush-hour traffic. The campsite for the penultimate night of this holiday was nice and clean but way too overcrowded for our taste and we almost felt squashed in like sardines. We decided against getting our bikes out again and instead opted for a quick walk over to the nearby supermarket to stock up on a few more supplies before spending a quiet evening reading. The proximity of fellow campers meant that it was also quite noisy and we were woken on and off until almost 2am by a noisy group of campers. 

13th July 2013. We decided to leave early as we wanted to cross over to Belgium briefly for some duty free goods before spending our last night on a lovely Aire at Grand Fort Philippe. The Aire was on the edge

of the river looking out to sea and it was a beautiful location. We cycled round to Houplines and followed the river down the other side to the beautiful sandy beach. There were a lot of people everywhere and there appeared to have been some kind of event that was now coming to an end and there was a real party atmosphere. After exploring we stopped at a boulangerie and bought 2 of the biggest cream cakes to take back with us. We spent a lovely evening sat on the river edge looking out to sea reminiscing over our holiday and cementing our plans to make this a reality for us every day rather than just for 2 weeks on holiday. It seemed a fitting end to our holiday when there was a big firework display from across the river and it reminded us of how our holiday had started that first night in Nonacourt when the medieval display had been followed by fireworks. At least I managed to stay awake to see them this time!! 

14th July 2013. We were awoken at 5.30am by lots of noise outside and looked out to discover that we had parked right next to where the Sunday boot sale sets up. It was soon obvious we were not going to get any more sleep so with good humour we decided to get up and have breakfast. After a brief examination of the goods for sale we quickly decided that there was nothing even remotely of interest to buy and we set off to a nearby service area to dump our grey water and toilet waste before heading to the Eurotunnel. Glynn noticed that our brakes didn't seem as effective and when he checked the brake fluid was low. After topping it up and watching it drain away in front of our eyes it was clear there was a problem. We phoned our recovery service for advice only to discover that as we hadn't phoned them before travelling to give the exact dates we would be abroad that we weren't covered outside the UK!! It was with some trepidation that we took a slow and steady drive to the tunnel. We managed to get an earlier train and it was with great relief that we arrived back in the UK. Glynn decided to carry on driving and would see how the brakes seemed as they were clearly working but just didn't feel right. Traffic was light and it was an easy journey back so it was with great relief that we arrived home and parked on the drive. We had enjoyed an amazing holiday and we considered ourselves very lucky that the problem with the brakes hadn't occurred when we were trying to climb the Pyrenees as that could have put a real damper on the holiday. We had also learnt a valuable lesson about making sure we read the small print on all policies in future!! Our first job the next day would be to get the motorhome booked in for a service!! It later transpired that the problem was something to do with the rear brake regulator thingy (too technical for me!!) and the motorhome was soon fixed and back on the road.

Tour of Flanders 2013

28th March 2013. Our first trip abroad (and also our first proper trip in the motorhome) was 10 days in Europe. Our plan was to watch the Tour of Flanders at Oudenaarde before heading of to Luxembourg and then France to watch the Paris-Roubaix race. It was with equal measures of anxiety and excitement that we headed off to the Eurotunnel. Glynn had never really driven anything bigger than a car and he had never driven abroad so it wasn't a particularly relaxing way to start the holiday.  We arrived at Folkestone and were quickly put at ease by how simple the process was. All too soon we arrived in France and our anxiety increased as we drove carefully up the road with me whispering "hug the kerb" every few minutes to remind Glynn to drive on the right. The sat nav was programmed to take us straight to our first planned stop at de Haan and after filling up with diesel at Calais we headed off at a steady 60mph. There was little conversation as Glynn concentrated fiercely on the drive with the occasional whisper from me about hugging the kerb. His shoulders were up around his ears and he was clearly keen to get to our first destination so he could breathe a sigh of relief.
We arrived safely and after levelling the MH we took a stroll to the beautiful sandy beach which was a 10 minute walk away. it is fair to say that the weather had done little to improve following the snow that had been falling on and off for weeks and it was barely above freezing.  

The beautiful beach at De Haan

We headed back to the MH and settled down to watch a DVD with a nice glass of Merlot and a bowl of warming chilli.

29th March 2013. We awoke feeling refreshed and more relaxed the following morning (probably helped by the bottle of wine we had shared the night before) and were soon ready to set off again. Our plan was to spend 3 nights in Geraardsbergen to explore the area and to watch the Tour of Flanders on the famous cobbles at Oude Kwaremont. With the occasional reminder from me to hug the kerb we set off with Glynn’s shoulders appearing somewhat lower than they had the day before (I could see his ears today)!! 

En route we had a short stop at Bruge

Bruge

 and Ooidonk Castle. We parked at a carpark about 3 kms from Bruge and after donning several layers of thermal clothing we cycled to the Centre to explore before stopping at a lovely pavement café for coffee. We then headed back to the motorhome and drove towards Deinze and Ooidonk Castle for another brief stop.

Ooidonk Castle

Ooidonk Castle is stunning and we took some lovely photos. We arrived at our chosen campsite late afternoon and as the temperatures continued to struggle to get above freezing we opted for just a brief cycle ride around the area before testing the shower facilities on site. It was a big relief to discover a beautifully heated shower block and we were soon thawed out and warm again. We then made a nice hot curry and settled down to watch a DVD with a nice bottle of wine.

30th March 2013. We awoke to sub zero temperatures again, the coldest March in decades,

A windmill near Geraardsbergen

but it was lovely and dry and after breakfast we drove to Ronse. We donned our thermal cycling gear again before exploring the area and decided to ride a cobbled hill in Ronse that would be part of the race the following day. There were lots of other cyclists doing the Tour of Flanders sportive and there was a great atmosphere. I was still recovering from a bad chest infection and was on my second course of antibiotics so I was struggling for breath as we neared a bend on the steep hill. I eventually had to stop and decided to push my bike to the top.

Just as I got off and rounded the bend there was a photographer taking pictures of the cyclists riding the cobbles. As he took a picture of me I burst out laughing and he grinned back. I was briefly tempted to try and explain that I was unwell but decided against it and carried on pushing my bike up the hill. I often wonder if that photo was ever published anywhere.


31st March 2013. We woke up to find ice on the inside of the windows this morning. There were little icicles in the mouthwash and the washing up liquid and cooking oil had turned cloudy. We quickly lit the fire and jumped back in to bed until it had warmed up enough that we weren’t blowing smoke clouds every time we breathed out. After breakfast we drove into Ronse again and parked the motorhome in a big free car park right on the edge of the town centre. There were free courtesy buses running to various points on the course so we jumped on a bus and headed for Oude Kwaremont. We spent a fantastic day on the cobbled hill with lots of other Brits and people from all nationalities. The atmosphere was amazing and in spite of all the beer being consumed there was no trouble and everyone was very friendly. It was so cold my kneecaps were dancing a tango and my toes went dead but it was an amazing day watching the cycling. 

The incredible sight as the riders climbed to the top of Oude Kwaremont

The end of a fantastic day and ready for a nice hot meal and a glass of wine!

1st April 2013. The day dawned bright and clear but still below freezing although it was forecast to get as high as 6 degrees. We’d soon be in shorts and T-shirts!! Tonight we planned to stop at a campsite not far from Liege so we set off towards Brussels first to explore the Centre. It was a bank holiday Monday so much less traffic than a working day and we were impressed that we were able to drive the motorhome right in to the centre of town and park in a side road free of charge.

 

Brussels

I couldn't imagine doing that in an English city. We took some lovely photos of the buildings in the main square and the famous peeing boy fountain before treating ourselves to waffles and cream from a street vendor and then coffee in McDonalds so we could take advantage of the free wi-fi. 

We bought some boxes of Belgian chocolates before heading

Liege

off for a brief exploration of Liege and again we were able to park right in the centre of town. We then completed the short distance to Aywaille and to a stunning campsite on the edge of a river with a mountain backdrop. After sorting the problem of no earth on the electric hook-up we headed in to the bar for a couple of Belgian beers before dinner. 

The view from our motorhome

2nd April 2013. We awoke to a cold but sunny day and decided to explore the town on foot after making use of the very excellent shower facilities. We visited the local hardware store to buy a small bin and stocked up on supplies at one of the supermarkets. The Liege-Baston-Liege race passes by the campsite so we plan on returning next year to watch it when we will have more time to explore the area. With our fully stocked fridge we then set off for Vianden in Luxembourg. 

The scenery en route to Vianden was  absolutely breathtaking, made all the preettier by small pockets of snow that remained as a reminder of the recent heavy snowfalls which had yet to fully melt away in the spring sunshine. It was very hilly with hairpin bends, although nothing too tight for the motorhome to handle. As Glynn slowed down to navigate the bends I was hanging out of the window, camera in hand, snapping away at the picturesque views.   

With prices so much lower in Luxembourg we stopped at the petrol station just as you pass the border and filled up with fuel and bought a nice bottle of brandy for just over €7 before heading off to our next overnight stop.

 As with our last stop this campsite was also set on the edge of a river in a valley overlooked by an imposing castle set in the hillside. Not to be fazed by the hilly terrain we had lunch and then donned our thermal cycling gear before setting off to explore the area. With a great deal of effort and a couple of "photo stops" to catch my breath we managed to cycle up to the castle which afforded stunning views over the valley below.

We spotted a chairlift rising from the town to the top of the hillside and I persuaded Glynn that this would be an amazing opportunity to get some more pictures. We cycled back down to the town (much faster than we had gone up) and locked up our bikes before buying tickets for the chairlift. Glynn indicated that he wasn't too comfortable with the thought of the chairlift but I didn't realise he was serious until we were halfway up the hillside. We were passing over the castle with me happily snapping away and he went as white as a sheet. His knuckles were even whiter as he gripped the bar for dear life and asked me, through gritted teeth, to stop making the seat swing with my movements.

 He was relieved to alight from the chairlift at the top and took a few moments to recover his equilibrium before admitting he was terrified of heights. He was adamant he was not going to be able to take the ride back down which posed a problem for me as it was the ride down, facing out over the magnificent valley, that would offer me the greatest photo opportunities. After a lengthy time reassuring Glynn that the chairlift was totally safe and pointing out that it was a very long walk down he very bravely agreed that he would accompany me back down in the chairlift, albeit with his eyes closed most of the way!!

I was able to take some stunning photos of the valley as it stretched out below and we could see our motorhome in the distance parked on the edge of the river. Doing my best to minimise any movements I made I happily snapped away while Glynn prayed for the comforting reassurance of solid ground beneath his feet.

Our motorhome can be spotted in the distance

I was immensely proud of how brave he was in light of the very real fear he had of heights and admitted to him that I too, in spite of my excitement at the stunning views, had found the ride down quite scary. We headed to the nearest cafe for some strong coffee before cycling back to the campsite for a lovely dinner washed down with some much needed, and well deserved, brandy and lemonade.

3rd April 2013. We set off after breakfast to head for Revin in France making the most of the cheap diesel by filling up the tank before we crossed in to France. We had learnt of a lovely 85km cycle path called the Trans-Ardennes greenway that ran from Givet near the Belgian Border to Charleville-Mézières following the course of the River Meuse on the old towpath. Owing to the lack of time on this trip we would only have time to do half of it so we opted to stay in Revin as the centre point of the route and we would then decide whether to follow the route North or South once we were there. When we arrived in Revin it was dull and overcast giving the town a gloomy appearance that didn't immediately excite us. After booking in at the Municipal campsite we got our thermals on once more and cycled off to explore the town. Just outside the camp was a very good Tourist Info and they gave us a map of the Trans-Ardennes cycle path and a map of Revin. After stopping in a local bar for a small beer we headed to the nearest Boulangerie so that I could test my french by ordering some pastries and french bread. Luckily for us the lady understood when I ordered 2 tarte aux pommes and we headed back to the motorhome to eat them!!

4th April 2013. We awoke to find the dull and overcast weather from yesterday had been replaced by a beautiful but cold sunny spring morning. The previous day Glynn had noticed that I must have damaged my rear tyre when we rode the cobbles in Ronse as I had a small hole in the side wall of the tyre and the inner tube was desperately trying to make a break for freedom! He had managed a crude repair by sticking a puncture repair patch on both the inside and the outside of the tyre. We made ourselves a substantial packed lunch before setting off. My plan was to ride at least 100kms today as Glynn kept teasing me that I wasn't part of the 100km club like him. He had cycled 108 kms in Majorca when we had gone on our first cycling holiday the year before. I had been in a different group that had only done 85kms so he took every opportunity to tease me about this. The patches on the tyre appeared to have stuck well but it was slightly worrying in case it failed when we were a long way from the camp as I didn't fancy walking 50kms!

 We decided to head North towards Givet and set off. The first lovely village we came to was Fumay and we decided that we should try and source a spare tyre just in case. The cycle shop had shut down so we carried on to Haybes and asked in the Tourist Info if there was anywhere we could get a tyre. A man was called over who made a phone call before advising us that a tyre would arrive in approximately 30 minutes and we should go off and have a coffee. 

We headed off to a local hotel and enjoyed a nice coffee and at the allotted time we returned to the town square to wait. In no time at all a white van pulled up and were duly offered a tyre for which we were charged €20. Given the quality of the tyre it wasn't cheap but who were we to complain when they had gone to such effort for us. It was worth it for the peace of mind as I really didn't fancy a long walk home if the current repair failed. We set off again and cycled through some beautiful villages along the route, stopping to take photos along the way. Glynn decided to carry the new tyre and  would 

only stop to change it if needed. We arrived in Givet around lunchtime and sat on a park bench looking out over the river to eat our lunch. We had a brief exploration of the town but were conscious that we had a long ride back so we stopped for a nice strong coffee before heading back towards Revin. The weather was kind to us and remained cold but sunny all day. The cycle path was not challenging in any way other than the distance, 

being almost flat the entire length with only the occasional slight hill thrown in for variety. After spending a wonderful day enjoying the scenery and the exercise we arrived back on the outskirts of Revin. We were both starting to feel the efforts of our exertion as the wind had increased but when I checked my Garmin cycle computer it showed we had only done 86kms. I was so close to achieving my 100km target that I told Glynn I was going to carry on past Revin for 7kms before heading back to the camp. He clearly wasn't too impressed with my idea but was reluctant to allow me 

to carry on without him in spite of my protestations that I would be fine.We set off again following the river through the town with Glynn like a small boy on a Sunday outing asking "are we nearly there yet?". It was with a great sigh of relief that my Garmin clocked up 93kms and we could then turn back. It was at this point that Glynn managed to pick up a puncture!! He was adamant that it would only take him a minute to change the inner tube and told me to carry on and he would catch me up. The change in direction resulted in a full on head wind which was around the same time that I realised just how much energy it took to cycle 100kms. At a slightly embarrassing pace of only around 15kms per hour I ploughed on and 40 minutes later I arrived back at the camp. Guessing Glynn would be only 5 minutes away I put the kettle on and heaved a sigh of relief as I collapsed on the chair, absolutely ecstatic that I had done it.  When Glynn hadn't arrived 30 minutes later I rode back along the river a short way to see if I could spot him but then realised I had a puncture. Feeling slightly anxious I returned to make another cuppa and it was with great relief that I eventually spotted Glynn walking towards the camp over an hour after I had got home.  It was with a less than happy demeanour that he informed me that he had checked his tyre before putting the new inner tube in but had missed a tack in the side wall so had immediately  punctured the new tube. He had then tried to use one of my tubes but as his wheel took Presta valves and mine took Shrader it wouldn't fit. As a result he had walked the 7kms home and was shattered. It probably wasn't the best timing when I pointed out that he hadn't actually cycled 100kms whereas I had!!

5th April 2013. Hardly surprisingly we had gone to bed straight after dinner the night before and had slept soundly. We awoke feeling refreshed and ready to cycle another 100kms, actually that is a complete lie, we had no desire to get back on the bikes yet and were quite happy that we needed to leave after breakfast to head over to Houplines for our final 2 nights before we had to head back home.  We programmed the sat nav and followed it's instructions out of the village which directed us on to a single lane bridge that was controlled by traffic lights. We happily sat waiting for the lights to turn green when I looked up and noticed the 2.5 metre height barrier!! There was very little room to manoeuvre so Glynn's attempt to turn the motorhome around involved slightly more than a 3 point turn. This was carried out with lots of 'encouragement'  from the cars behind us who waved and gesticulated as they hung out of their car windows, honking their horns. I pointed out the height barrier and tried to explain in my very limited French that our vehicle was too tall for the bridge but it did little to alleviate their animated accompaniment to Glynn's attempt to turn around. It was with some relief that we were finally facing the opposite direction and able to drive off. It was with great satisfaction that I noticed the lights had turned red again and I grinned as I 'waved' goodbye. After a straightforward journey which included navigating the ring road around Lille we arrived at our next and final campsite for this trip. We had picked it for it's proximity to Roubaix as we planned on watching part of the Paris-Roubaix race on Sunday before heading to the Eurotunnel and home. This was our least favourite stopover on this trip as the campsite appeared to be predominantly long stayers and static caravans and there was a group of teenagers wandering around, one of whom had a quad bike. As we had already paid we decided to stay but hoped we wouldn't live to regret it. After a relaxing couple of hours catching up on emails, checking out motorhome sat navs on the internet and having a leisurely lunch we decided to cycle in to town and explore. Yes, you read correctly, in spite of the mammoth ride the day before we were already donning our thermals again!! We enjoyed a leisurely exploration of the local area before spending the evening planning our ride for the next day while we ate dinner and enjoyed a glass of wine.

6th April 2013. For our penultimate day we had planned a fantastic ride to Ypres in Belgium passing several of the war cemeteries en route.

It was an incredibly moving day and one of the highlights of our holiday. The cemeteries were amazing and Ypres was stunning. We enjoyed our last full day exploring the beautiful buildings and monuments and sat in Market Square to eat our packed lunch. We then spent a little time reading some of the 54,000 names recorded on the walls of the Menin Gate memorial and it was incredibly humbling and really quite emotional.

Menin Gate Memorial

We enjoyed a fast paced ride back to Houplines, pushing ourselves hard to counteract the cold weather that was already dropping back below freezing after a half-hearted attempt to rise above it. When we arrived back at the campsite we enjoyed a nice bowl of hot curry before settling down to watch a DVD snuggled up under our lovely warm duvet to fend of the cold.

Market Square, Ypres

7^th April 2013. Our last day!! We had originally planned to catch part of the Paris-Roubaix race before heading home however Glynn had noticed that the temperature gauge in the motorhome had been wildly fluctuating over recent days. We were fairly confident that the engine wasn't actually overheating as we had read on the Motorhome Fun forum about this issue however Glynn was reluctant to do any more miles than necessary and Roubaix was in the opposite direction to Calais. We decided that we had many more years in which to watch the race and opted to spend our last few hours in Dunkirk instead.

We found a lovely big car park close to the harbour which had enough space for the motorhome and headed off to explore. We enjoyed our last few hours on foot exploring the town and then had a walk along the beautiful beach before it was time to head to Calais.

The beautiful beach at Dunkirk

The holiday was ending very much like it had started, standing on a beautiful beach on a cold but sunny day. With a quick stop at a wine hypermarket to stock up on some of the bargain French wines we headed for the Eurotunnel and home. Considering we were motorhome virgins we had coped extremely well without any great mishaps and we declared our holiday a resounding success. We were already counting the days to our next trip, 2 weeks in July for the 2013 Tour De France.