September 2014

1st September 2014. Today started foggy with the peaks of the mountains obscured from view.

Far bank of the Mosel lined with vineyards

We decided we would cycle to Bernkastel Kues and set off before the sun had chance to melt the fog away. The route mainly followed the path of the river but occasionally steered us through a vineyard or a local village, twisting and turning through side streets before returning to the river. It was a very pleasant ride through some stunning scenery with little change in the gradient making it a very easy ride. The sun didn't take long to burn away the fog and we soon had to stop to remove our jackets.

Bernkastel Kues

Bernkastel Kues was an unexpected delight with some very pretty half-timbered buildings and lots of flowers decorating the town. After exploring the town we stopped at a café that had the most appealing range of cakes you could imagine. We both selected a suitably calorific piece of gateau, Glynn opting for Black Forest while I opted for a raspberry cream concoction. After sating our hunger we set off again, heading for the other side of the river. We decided to put some effort in to the return journey with the aim of getting back in an hour. We followed the river for a short way before the route took us back on the other bank and we stepped up the pace realising it was going to be tight to make it back in an hour. We got back to the village in exactly 60 minutes but Glynn said it didn't count as it took us a further 2 minutes to reach the Aire. We had cycled 52kms which meant we were only 203kms short of our target. An afternoon of sunbathing and reading was on the agenda!!

3rd September 2014. Yesterday we spent the day relaxing before moving on again and ended up driving through Trier in rush hour after a detour took us almost in to the centre of town.

Fog slowly rising above the vineyards

We decided it didn't appeal to us to cycle in to the town and instead opted to head in to Luxembourg this morning, a day or two ahead of schedule. After taking advantage of the incredibly cheap fuel (€1.18 per ltr) and brandy (€7.99 per ltr) at a garage just inside the border we found a lovely campsite on the edge of Luxembourg City and spent the rest of the morning sitting out enjoying the sun.

Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg

After lunch we cycled in to the City which was only 10kms following the cycle path, an easy ride until we reached the City which is set on top of a very steep hill. After exploring the city centre, some of it on foot as the gradients were too steep for us, we decided to head back via the road (mainly because we couldn't remember where the cycle route was). After a healthy 22kms we arrived back and were soon chilling in the loungers enjoying the last of the day's sun.

5th September 2014. Today we headed in to Belgium and stopped at a lovely little village called Han-sur-Lesse. We cycled to Rochefort via the road which was incredibly hilly and felt a bit dangerous with huge logging trucks flying past a bit too close for comfort. We decided to head back via an old train line which was now tarmaced and a designated cycle path. Just like our first day in Germany the signs left a bit to be desired and we ended up way past our town before we eventually found our way back on to the road. The last few kilometres were tough, not helped by a detour I took to get us off the main road which turned into a gravel path with lots of loose stones. I was cycling way too fast on a steep downhill when my front wheel hit a ditch and I nearly went flying.

oh good, a game of football!!

 I managed to regain control luckily but it was a scary moment and I wisely decided to ride a bit slower on the downhills. In spite of the fact it had only been 8kms to Rochefort we ended up cycling 32kms by the time we found our way back. Definitely time for a well deserved glass of wine! Glynn was delighted to discover a local football match taking place on a pitch behind the Aire so he spent an enjoyable hour or so watching the game.

6th September 2014. Today we decided to head back to France. Belgian motorways are the worst I have ever come across. The road surface was so poor that Herman shook like he was having a fit. The crockery and cutlery were bouncing up and down like a Mexican wave and I fully expected to find all the cutlery in the wrong trays when we reached our destination.

Arc de Triomphe

It was a relief to get back to France, not least because I hadn't been able to pick up a FON network in Belgium so we'd not had any wifi and I was keen to check out a campsite that did coach trips to Paris. I hadn't planned on visiting Paris but suddenly decided it might be nice as we would be able to enjoy the city without having to drive anywhere near it in Herman. We stopped at a lovely little town called Bertry which was in the middle of a fun run event. Crowds of people lined the streets cheering the runners on.

La Madeleine

It was the first time I had seen a town where the entire centre was wired for sound with speakers up high on every lamp post. Accordion music and French singers could be heard all over the town centre so there was no escaping it! It wasn't so bad for me as I used to play in an accordion band when I was a teenager so I like the sound but poor Glynn looked less than impressed at the choice of music. I must admit that after trying several French radio stations on this trip we have given up and been listening to my IPod when we are travelling as the music is not to our taste.

Paris Opera

We headed back and as I was able to pick up a good FON network from the Aire we sent messages to family and friends before playing Rummikub. Glynn put up a valiant battle but I eventually won 2-1 taking the total to 19-7.

8th September 2014. Yesterday we drove to Berny-Rivière where there is a very large campsite with indoor and outdoor pools, 3 lakes for fishing and various other amenities to keep you amused. We were here purely for the convenience of the coach trip to Paris which was €21 each and so it was to the sound of my alarm clock that we got up at 6.45am to make sure we got on the coach on time.

Notre Dame

After a 90 minute journey we were dropped off near the Arc de Triomphe, free to explore until the return trip at 6.45pm. We wandered up the Champs Elysées and stopped for coffee while we planned where to go. We decided to get a hop on/hop off bus for €29 each (a bit expensive I thought but well worth it!!) and stay on it for the full circuit before then deciding which stops we wanted to explore further. We were lucky to get the back seats on the top floor of the open topped bus which gave us unrestricted views of the monuments as we drove past. The complete circuit took two and half hours and it was incredible.

Guess where we are!!

I don't know why I had never thought to visit Paris before but for me it was on a par with Rome and Florence, two of my favourite cities. My camera barely got time to rest there was so much to photograph. After completing the circuit we stayed on the bus until it reached Trocadero again. We sat by the fountains looking across at the Eiffel Tower while we ate our packed lunch and then wandered across the bridge to get a closer look. The weather was glorious and after admiring the

Stunning mural on the Grand Palais

Tower we went for a stroll along the Seine before heading back to the Champs Elysées to look at some of the shops and visit the Arc de Triomphe. It had been a fantastic day, one of the highlights of the trip, and all too soon it was time to head back to the coach. 

9th September 2014. This morning we drove to Beauvais as we are now working our way towards the Normandy coast to start heading towards Calais and home in 10 days.

Well that was a lot quicker than usual!!

We did a short ride of 7kms exploring the area and Glynn noticed his front tyre was a bit low on pressure. A tell-tale green blob of gel showed that he'd had another puncture but the new inner tube had sealed itself and Glynn was delighted that all he had to do was pump it up rather than patch the tube. After dinner we played Rummikub and much to Glynn's delight he beat me 3-0 making the score 19-10. Annoyingly he has pinched my trick of holding back from laying all his sets too soon making it harder to get out.

10th September 2014. This morning we drove to La Mailleraye sur Seine and the Aire was right on the bank of the river with fantastic views.

The Abbey at Jumiéges

 After lunch we cycled along the river edge to Heurteaville where there was a free ferry to the other side of the river. We took the ferry which took less than 5 minutes and headed off to see the ruins of the old Abbey at Jumiéges. We stopped for a beer in the town and an old guy started chatting non stop to us. We eventually got chance to explain we didn't understand much French and after acknowledging what we'd said he carried on, albeit at a slightly slower speed. The gist of the conversation was that he'd had cataracts and hadn't been able to see for a very long time but had now been operated on, he'd lost a lot of weight and he had 3 dogs although I couldn't swear to that being the correct translation. He finished his beer, jumped on his moped and weaved his way up the road. I am unsure whether this was because of the beer or impaired vision!!

11th September 2014. Bad hair day!! Having gone so long without a trim my hair is a disaster at the back because it is normally cut short and has grown so much it has lost its shape. I have been trying to hang on until I get home but I decided to bite the bullet and see what the local hairdresser could do. After all I was going to have to start using them unless I planned on flying my hairdresser out to wherever we are every 6 weeks!!

Lovely Aire beside the Seine

 The lady spoke no English so a customer who spoke a little bit of English helped translate. Have you ever tried explaining in sign language that you don't need the whole wash and blow dry package because once she has cut my hair it will not curl properly until I go home and wash it again as using a brush or comb makes my fair frizzy. It was like a game of charades!! I then tried to explain that my hair is much longer when wet and she was not to take more than a millimetre or two off my fringe or it would spring up when dry exposing my forehead. Trust me when I say that it is not a good look on me when my fringe is halfway up my forehead.

Traffic on the river!

I gathered the interpretation was going well until I realised they thought I wanted the hairdresser to come to the Motorhome to cut my hair. How on earth they came to that conclusion I don't know. At this point I should have backed out the door and made my excuses but unfortunately I didn't, a decision I later came to regret! It was obvious that things had got lost in translation when the first thing she did was wash my hair. The trim took an hour as she stopped halfway through washing it when a couple came in to have a chat, she then had to stop twice while cutting my hair to answer the phone and take bookings and finally a couple came in with a box of dresses for sale so she stopped to look through them, holding them up against herself and looking in the mirror.

Glynn loving the donkeys along the cycle path

I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't near lunch time as I wouldn't have been surprised if she had left me there half trimmed and gone off on a 2 hour lunch break that seems to be the norm in France. When she held up a heated curling brush and indicated she'd like her to use it I quickly declined so she dried my hair with a hairdryer. I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies as at least my fringe wasn't too short but that is where my gratitude ends!! She had trimmed the back of my hair but carried on too far round cutting off a lot of the longer hair from the sides so I felt like I was left with 2 little strips of hair at the sides. Telling a hairdresser you do not like what they have done is incredibly hard but even more so with the language barrier so I did what most of us probably do and smiled, saying "trés bon". I paid the €26.50 fee (no tip) and made a sharp exit. I hurried back to Herman so I could wash my frizzy hair to see what I could do with it. When I had done it Glynn said it looked nice but bless him he always thinks I look nice. There is only one thing for it, Glynn will have to learn how to trim the back of my hair as that's the only bit that needs to be done regularly!! I can't print his answer to my suggestion but suffice to say I am working on him!! 

What do you mean I'm not a chicken!!

There were 3 resident chickens and a duck at the Aire. The duck appeared to have an identity crisis as while the chickens spent all day wandering from van to van hoping for scraps the duck followed behind copying everything they did. It was really funny to watch.

As if the day hasn't been exciting enough with my trip to the hairdresser Glynn decided to up the ante!! We have a nice routine, I cook and he clears up afterwards. Today he was happily washing up and had put the kettle on to make a cup of tea.

You need a new tea towel dear!!

The next thing I know there are flames shooting up from the tea towel which the daft bugger had placed next to the gas hob. Glynn reacted quickly and threw it out of the door before trying to stamp on it to put out the flames, not easy in bare feet! He had done a similar thing a few weeks ago but spotted his mistake just as the tea towel was starting to scorch, this time the tea towel was a definite write off!! In spite of my jokes in previous posts about upping the wine intake to counteract our weight loss from all the cycling we actually make a point of not drinking on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays as it would be too easy to slip in the habit of drinking every day. Rules are made to be broken and I decided that in spite of it being a Thursday it was definitely wine o'clock. 

13th September 2014. Today was a special day, my son jumped out of a plane at 13,000 feet to raise money for his mate Scott who needs a heart operation.

Lisa will you marry me? yes or no

In some ways it was a relief I was not at home to see it as I'm sure it would have scared me to death. To make the day even more special Darryl had a little surprise up his sleeve which he was able to carry out with the help of his friends. When he landed he dropped on to one knee and proposed to his lovely girlfriend Lisa. His mates all had placards which read "Lisa will you marry me, yes or no" and were jumping up and down in excitement.

She said yes!!!

Luckily she said yes or that would have been pretty embarrassing!! Unbeknownst to Lisa they had snuck in our house after they had left that morning and had decorated it in the theme of Las Vegas which is where they plan on getting married. They had a wonderful Vegas themed party that evening to celebrate. Guess I had better start looking for a hat!! 

16th September 2014. 2000kms!!! We have spent the last few days gradually working our way along the Normandy coast, stopping overnight at Fecamp, Veulettes sur Mer, Dieppe and Le Tréport. The weather has been fantastic and we have had some lovely cycle rides along the coast roads. The coastline is mainly cliffs and each town sits low, nestled at the base of the cliff edge which means a steep drop in to the towns and a tough climb out the other side. Glynn has had 2 further punctures, the only sign being the tell tale blob of green gel where the hole has sealed itself. He is delighted that all he had to do is check his tyre pressure rather than repairing inner tubes. We were just 35kms short of reaching 2000kms so we cycled in to town and cheated slightly by taking the Funicular up to the cliff edge.

Spectacular view from the top

We had discovered the Funicular the day before, it's free of charge and takes you up through the cliff face to the top where there are spectacular views looking down on the harbour. We got off at the top and headed along the coast road. It was a tough ride with lots of steep hills that really tested my lungs. You would think that after cycling nearly 2000kms I would be fit but my lungs felt like I had just smoked 20 cigarettes every time we climbed a steep hill. I was determined not to get off and push and to be fair I think it would have been just as hard to do that as it was to cycle up them. We dropped down at high speed into the beautiful coastal towns and climbed slowly out the other side. When we got back I checked my Garmin and our total was 1998kms. After lunch we cycled back in to town to pick up a wifi network so I could check my emails. We left our bikes at the seafront and did some window shopping before climbing up to the higher part of town. I picked up a FON network so we sat on some steps while I checked for messages. Glynn suddenly jumped up and was rubbing his head. "I think a bird has just shit on my head" he said. Trying not to laugh too loudly I confirmed that there was a tell-tale line of bird shit down his back so he had guessed correctly. We walked back to get the bikes, me chuckling to myself and Glynn with an indignant look on his face! When we got back to the Aire we had totalled 2002kms. We were both chuffed to bits and celebrated with a cuppa as it was a Tuesday so therefore an alcohol free day. 

17th September 2014. Today we drove to a lovely Aire at Berck.

The seals

It was just off a huge sandy beach, a welcome change from the stony beaches of the last few towns we had visited. Glynn declared it a bike free day so after lunch we strolled down to the beach and walked out to the edge of a rocky promenade. It was a beautiful hot sunny day with a clear blue sky. The tide was out and there were several sandbanks. The sea was a gorgeous colour and I took a few photographs before I noticed the collection of large grey objects on a nearby sandbank. It was a seal colony. They lay basking in the sunshine, occasionally lifting their heads to look around before resuming their sunbathing. After admiring the seals and taking a few photos we carried on our walk along the beach and arrived back at the Aire 2 hours later.

Beautiful beach at Berck

A lot of people seemed to be heading towards the beach so after a coffee break we walked back too. As the tide was coming in a few of the seals had lost their dry resting place as it was reclaimed by the sea and they were now swimming just off the shore. Alongside lots of other spectators we watched the seals as they swam around, diving below the surface before popping their heads out of the water and looking around. It was a great way to end a fantastic day and we headed back to cook dinner and crack open a nice bottle of wine. 

18th September 2014. We decided to head to Gravelines for our last 2 nights as the location was excellent for a early start to the Eurotunnel. Glynn filled up with diesel en-route and (luckily) we decided to stop at Boulogne. I commented that I could smell diesel and when I looked I realised the fuel cap was missing. "Where's the fuel cap Glynn?" "Ooops" he replied. We abandoned our plans to see Boulogne and headed back to the petrol station, thankfully it was only about 6 miles!! The fuel cap was still by the pump and we were soon heading back in the right direction, Glynn looking sheepish while I practised my best look of disdain. A quick stop at Calais for essential supplies (wine!!) and we were soon parked up at the lovely Aire at Gravelines facing the marina. We sat outside and chilled in the sun for the rest of the day.

19th September 2014. Our last day of this trip and what a great day it was. Good weather, good food, good company and good wine!! We went for a ride before lunch and when we returned we got chatting to a lovely couple, Jane and Pete, who were also travelling back to the UK the next day. After lunch we cycled to the beach, one of the biggest expanses of sand I have seen. The tide was out and we walked along the jetty for half an hour before we reached the sea. In spite of it being a lovely warm sunny day there was a fog rolling in, obscuring the sun and turning it cooler. We then decided a beer would go down nicely and headed back. We bumped in to Jane & Pete and the 4 of us headed to a bar where we enjoyed a lovely hour chatting about the places we had all been and swapping information about good Aires to stay on.

We don't often eat what I call junk food but Glynn decided he wanted to end our trip with a pizza dinner so I made some garlic bread (with more garlic than is good for you if you are expecting company later!!)and we enjoyed a lovely big pizza and lots of garlic buttered baguette. Jane and Pete had gone out to a restaurant but joined us when they got back and we enjoyed a very relaxed last evening with more information swapping and, unsurprisingly, some nice French wine. It transpired that they were going to be at Lincoln motorhome show the following weekend which is where we would be too so we arranged to meet up again.

20th September 2014. We were up bright and early as we were booked on the 9.50am train. We had been warned the check in was slower than normal because of extra security checks so we allowed plenty of time and all too soon we were back in the UK. Glynn was a bit worried he would forget to drive on the left after so long away but I reminded him every now and again to hug the kerb and we arrived home unscathed. Darryl and Lisa were having a cocktail party and had asked me to cook one of my giant paellas so our first night back was spent drinking cocktails, eating paella and having a great time catching up with all the news, not least of which was hearing about Darryl's parachute jump and subsequent proposal.

The last four and half months have been amazing. A lot of people were shocked when we first announced our plan to give up work and tour Europe in a motorhome. Everyone has been very supportive and full of encouragement, commenting on how brave they thought we were and wishing they could do it too. I must say that so far it has exceeded our expectations. I can't put in to words how incredible it feels each day exploring new areas, meeting new people and just feeling so chilled out. The cycling has been brilliant and our total distance was 2012 kms. We will spend the next 8 weeks in the UK to give us time to get Herman mot'd and serviced, apply for our Indian visas and catch up with all our family and friends. Most importantly we will be buying Glynn new tyres for his bike in the hope it will minimise the number of punctures he gets!! We will spend 3 months in Goa from 18th November to 18th February and when we return our plan is to head down to Southern Spain initially. Where we go from there who knows, it will depend on the weather mainly and what recommendations we get from fellow travellers. All we know is that it is very exciting and we have absolutely no regrets about giving up work and grabbing this opportunity. I won't write blog posts while we are in Goa as we will be just be chilling and reading mainly, as well as continuing to learn to speak French and Spanish using my Duolingo app (Google it if you don't know what it is, it's brilliant!!). I will however use the time to update the financial tab with a breakdown of what it cost us during this trip and show a price comparison of the supermarkets in France. We also plan on doing some research while we are away on places to visit so it is all very exciting. It has been really lovely to receive messages through my blog from people we have never met, some just to say how much they have enjoyed the blog whilst others have been inspired by what we are doing and are now making their own plans. It feels incredible to think that something I have written has the potential to inspire others to change their course. If you have any questions on anything we have done or plan on doing please feel free to message me through the link on the blog and I will happily answer your questions if I can.  

The Seine flowing through Paris

Eiffel tower

Bernkastel Kues

Luxembourg

Kite festival at Dieppe

Fecamp beach

Misty sunrise over the Seine at La Mailleraye

The Porta Nigra, Trier

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.