4th
September. After much discussion and map browsing over the last 2
weeks we have decided to head towards the Alsace region in France to
test out the new motorhome. Time permitting I would love to carry on
a bit further and cross over in to Germany to Lake Constance but I
have a feeling we will run out of time and will have to add this to
our long list of “must visit” places. Although our ferry crossing
isn't until 6am tomorrow we set off after lunch to head for Dover a
day early as part of the M20 motorway is closed whilst they remove a
damaged bridge and we were concerned in case this impacted on traffic
on the M2. We had an uneventful journey as it turned out and decided
to go straight to the port to see if we could get an earlier
crossing. Well it clearly isn't as easy to change your ferry time
like it is with the Eurotunnel. They were more than happy to let us
on an earlier ferry but the additional fee was far greater than we
had paid for our return tickets initially. We politely declined and
headed for a pub just outside Dover where it is free to park for the
night. We decided a nice bit of pub grub was on the cards so headed
to the bar to see what was on offer. Just our luck that the landlady
was on her own because her barmaid had called in sick so the kitchen
was closed. Oh well a quick beer and then it was back to the
motorhome to cook dinner and then an early night!!
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| Stenay |
5th
September. As we had been advised the day before that we could get on
the 6am ferry instead of the 8am ferry at no extra cost we awoke at
4.30am to the sound of the alarm clock! Stumbling groggily from our
bed we downed a quick cuppa before heading straight to the terminal.
After a quick and easy check-in we parked up and had breakfast while
we waited to board. I must admit I hadn't been looking forward to the
ferry crossing after the ease and speed of the Eurotunnel but as it
turned out it wasn't too bad.
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| The Aire at Stenay |
Boarding was smooth and easy and the 2
hour crossing didn't drag too much whilst we topped up our caffeine
levels and watched the news on the TV in the cafeteria. We were
expecting some delays at Dunkirk as it was the day of a big planned
demo by lorry drivers over the issues at Calais with the migrants. A
rolling roadblock was going to be leaving Dunkirk to head to Calais
and although we saw a very high police presence and several lorries
parked at the side of a road we were completely unaffected and made
good time as we headed towards Stenay for our first planned stopover.
The Aire at Stenay was in a lovely quiet area just on the edge of the village and adjacent to the River Meuse and the Canal de l'Est. We decided to stretch our legs after the long drive so we explored the village on foot before heading round to the mooring area to view the boats and barges. It was a very scenic area and the Aire is definitely one we would return to. It was now time to chill with dinner, red wine and an early night after our rude awakening at 4.30am.
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| The view from the Aire at Charmes |
6th September. Today our destination was Charmes as we had researched the area and there was an Aire right on the bank of the canal with a cycle path to Epinal. The Aire was very popular and it was easy to see why as it was right on the edge of town with all possible amenities close by but set right on the edge of the canal with a tree lined bank and cycle path on the other side. After a quick bike ride to Tourist Info for a bike map and a brief stop at Lidl for some groceries we sat on the edge of the canal and watched our French neighbour fishing for his supper. Watching his wife skin and gut the live fish with such speed and ease was both disturbing and fascinating in equal measures.
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| The cycle path to Epinal |
7th September. We awoke to a gorgeous sunny day and as it was 27 kms to Epinal we set off soon after breakfast. The cycle path was in really good condition making for a very pleasant ride as we passed along the edge of several villages en route. There was very little in the way of traffic on the river and even less traffic on the cycle path so we virtually had the path to ourselves. The Moselle follows the same line as the Canal de l'Est so several times we got glimpses of the river through the trees as it flowed closer to the canal path. There is a point just before Epinal where the canal branches off in to two, the south branch and the Epinal branch. Unfortunately for us it wasn't signposted so we carried on, not realising that the path we were on was actually bypassing Epinal. Luckily we realised before we had gone too far and after asking a local for directions we left the canal path and took the road in to town.
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| Epinal |
Our 27km ride had actually become 35kms by the time we reached the centre so we decided it was definitely time for a well earned break. The Moselle passes right through the centre of town so we found a bench facing the river and sat enjoying the view while we ate the packed lunch we had brought with us. Lunch consumed it was time to find Tourist Info and a coffee shop, not necessarily in that order!! As we wandered along we couldn't see any signs for Tourist Info so we asked a passing police car. The policeman started to try and give us directions and then said "follow me, i'll take you there". We didn't even have time to don our helmets and cycle gloves before he was off. Riding one handed while we tried to do up our helmets was fun! Luckily we stopped at a red light which gave us time to finish buckling up and getting our gloves on. After crossing the river he indicated the location of Tourist Info and we waved our thanks as he drove off. What a lovely policeman. Clutching our tourist map from TI we headed off in search of caffeine and sat outside a little street cafe enjoying our café au lait. After a brief exploration of the town we found the cycle path that would take us back and set off. After a really pleasant ride totalling 64kms we decided to spend the afternoon chilling by the canal edge reading and relaxing.
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| Strasbourg Cathedral |
9th September. We spent yesterday exploring the cycle path in the opposite direction but when the path came to an end just 7kms from the Aire we headed back and spent a lovely afternoon relaxing by the canal in the sun. This morning we set off for the 2 hour drive to Kehl, just across the German border. We were keen to explore Strasbourg but didn't like the look of the Aire there so we decided to head to a Stellplatz in Kehl so we could then cycle in to Strasbourg. The location was perfect and after a quick lunch we donned our cycling gear and were soon crossing back over the border in to France. What can I say about Strasbourg except it was stunning and we spent a lovely afternoon exploring the city centre and admiring the beautiful buildings. We got a bit lost on the many cycle paths that emanate out from the centre trying to get back to Germany and we must have spent an hour cycling around, laughing each time we realised we were back on a path we had previously been on.
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| Strasbourg |
Eventually we stopped to ask a local for help as Glynn was in danger of losing his sense of humour and we were soon on the correct path. After a nice 30km ride, most of which was probably done trying to find our way home, the rest of the day involved nothing more stressful than watching the time trial of the Vuelta a España and enjoying a nice glass of red wine with our dinner.
10th September. What an amazing day we had today. We drove to Chatenois in the morning, a beautiful village with a lovely free Aire in a region of outstanding beauty surrounded by vineyards, forests and mountains.
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| Half-timbered houses in Chatenois |
When I had been researching the trip prior to leaving home I had read about Haut Koenigsbourg, a medieval castle located in the Vosges mountains and a tough but scenic cycle ride from Chatenois. With an equal mixture of nerves (me) and excitement (Glynn) we set off, passing first through Chatenois and Kintzheim with their beautiful half-timbered houses synonymous with the Alsace region. My aim was to make it to the top without stopping and I must admit to some trepidation when I looked up and nearly got whiplash as I spied the castle set way up on top of the mountain. It looked completely unachievable from the base of the climb but in reality was much easier as the road weaved backwards and forwards reducing the gradient of the climb.
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| Chateau de Haut Koenigsbourg |
Don't get me wrong, it was certainly not a walk in the park and I could feel my face turning beetroot red from the heat and exertion but an hour and eight minutes after leaving Chatenois (yes I was counting!!) we reached the summit, 757 metres above sea level. Annoyingly a young couple arrived on their bikes shortly after us looking annoyingly fresh whereas I was still beetroot red and had wet hair plastered to my head. I consoled myself with the fact that they were on carbon road bikes whereas we were on hybrids and they were young enough to be my children! Glynn went to order 2 coffees from the cafe while I stood admiring the view which was incredible.
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| Is that Chatenois down there? |
I could make out two miniature looking villages far below and guessed one of them might be Chatenois. After coffee and a packed lunch we admired the castle and took some photographs before beginning the descent. Our speed quickly escalated to over 30mph and trying to take hairpin bends when you're descending that fast is not my idea of fun so I had both brakes on trying to reduce my speed. It gives you a new-found respect for pro cyclists who descend at far greater speeds than I would ever want to experience. In stark contrast to the 68 minute climb we were back in Chatenois just 10 short minutes later. It had been an awesome ride and I was keen to explore more of the area so after a quick coffee break we set off again and after cycling along some lovely flat roads with views of mountains all around we discovered a lovely tarmaced cycle path to a little village called Haute. We enjoyed a great ride through the pretty countryside before returning to relax for the rest of the day. We had cycled 40kms in total so now it was time to chill.
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| Eguisheim |
11th September. This morning we drove to Eguisheim, ranked one of the most beautiful villages in France. There is a winery on the edge of the village that invites motorhomers to park up for free and even supplies free electricity!! For obvious reasons it was very popular so we were glad we had arrived early and got a place to park. We then went to enjoy some wine tasting and although we prefer red wine and the Alsace is a white wine region we enjoyed an hour trying their various wines and learning all about them. With some wine purchased we then set off for a walk around the village. It was easy to see why it is ranked one of the most beautiful villages in France and I nearly flattened my camera battery I took so many photos. When we got back there was an English van parked next to us and when they returned from their exploration of the village we got talking and they introduced themselves as Val and John.
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| Eguisheim |
During the course of the conversation it turned out that they lived just 15 miles from us, what a small world. We got on as if we had known each other for years and apart from disappearing in to our respective motorhomes to cook dinner we sat outside chatting and drinking wine until almost midnight with barely a pause in the conversation as we swapped information on all things motorhoming. Now I know those of you that know me will be saying that I always talk a lot but even Glynn didn't shut up all night!
12th September. We travelled just 15kms this morning to park up at Kayserberg, a favourite stop of ours from a previous tour of the area 2 years ago. It is a beautiful medieval village full of half-timbered houses and surrounded by vineyards and forested hills.
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| Cycle route through the vineyards |
There are excellent cycle paths that lead through the vineyards and it really is a stunning area. We ventured out for a ride but the heat was intense so we settled for a gentle 20 km ride visiting Riquewihr, Bennwihr and Ammerschwir before spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Val and John joined us at Kayserberg as they were slowly heading north to attend a quilting fayre later in the week. We introduced them to the delights of the card game Phase 10 and after a hilarious evening Val won.
