Sunday 18 June 2017

Up early to see the hang glider people already getting airborne - although thankfully they took off the other way so very little noise. Breakfast then round to Eurotunnel, get Jamie's Pet Passport checked, then we were allocated a slightly earlier train which meant we only stopped at the Customs and Police checkpoints before getting onto the train. In fact it was so quiet they amalgamated two departures - obviously not a popular time!

Usual smooth crossing and then out onto a reasonably quiet M20 for the long haul home in nice sunny weather, occasionally using the aircon to help keep the dog cool. Won't go into any detail, suffice it to say we enjoyed lunch with Mum at Navenby trhen an uneventful, fast run up the A1, home by about 7.20pm.

Bertie has now been cleaned and washed and put away; we've a few jobs to see to but for the moment we'll get sorted at home first.

IN SUMMARY

We're a bit disappointed that it was too hot to do what we'd planned, which kind of left us a bit "at sea" and not sure what we wanted to do. The very hot weather didn't help so it was probably inevitable we came home early. But we did see lots of new places and generally enjoyed the trip. We'll probably try again next year, but travel a little earlier.

Saturday 17 June 2017

Le Touquet to Hardinghen (via Wissant) - 40 miles

Jamie got Terry up at 5.30 wanting to go out, probably the tablet yesterday, but then wouldn't settle until he was curled up in Terry's lap, then promptly went to sleep! It was thus a bit later start than usual but we're in no rush today, and it was already turning out to be another scorcher.

Away by 11.30 ish we made our way steadily up the coast to the Auchan just outside Boulogne for a few cases of beer for our stash plus a baguette then topped off the fuel tank, although we struggled to get 10 litres in. Still it means we should get home without having to refuel again.

After that we headed for our usual overnight stop at Wissant but, not really to our surprise as it is Saturday, it was full at 1.30 pm.The next nearest was backtracking a little to Tardinghen where we found a farm aire with lots of room and already a lot of vans parked up – it's actually a really nice place to stay for the weekend. Awning and chairs out, a late lunch then relax quietly for the afternoon.

It turns out that the farm also hosts a powered hang-glider club and we were entertained for a couple of hours, although Jamie went nuts and eventually we had to take him inside to calm down. He was the same at Interlaken where we saw hang gliders jumping off the mountain and landing quite close to us; obviously he thinks they are giant birds.

It's now just on 9.00 pm and still very warm; we're packing everything away now and waiting for someone to come and collect the fees as we're planning to leave quite early in the morning. We're planning to call in at Mums in Navenby for lunch but then head straight for home so the final posting will be from home and maybe a day or two.

Where We Stayed

Ferme de l'Horlage, Tardinghen N50º51.771' E01º38.995'

40 unmarked pitches well spread out on firm grass. Service point and 6 hookups, extra cost. Local brewery and brasserie nearby (not checked). Farm also hosts a powered hang-glider club so occasionally some light aircraft noise.

€6.00

Friday 16 June 2017

Le Crotoy to Le Touqet - 28 miles

We've decided to head home so after breakfast and a mini-service (queue for the service point) we drove the few kilometres north to Rue and the vet we've used before for Jamies Pet Passport stamp. Again, happily, they could see us straightaway and a friendly young English speaking male vet administered a worming tablet, not without some fuss as Jamie decided he didn't want to swallow it. However, take it he did (although we're probably going to have more fun next time) so we paid the lady their €35.30 then crossed over the road for a baguette from Lidl.

Whilst there we telephoned Eurotunnel who changed our booking to Sunday morning (we have to wait at least 24 hrs after the treatment) with, for a change, no extra charge.We knew the fare was less than we had originally paid, but, though they'll charge any extra, they don't do refunds..... So we carried on up the coast with no real idea of where to stop then thought the equestrian centre aire at Le Touquet might be nice.

Quite a large open space with only a few vans on it, although it was still before lunchtime, we had a brief chat with a Brit who turned out to be a Funster and had also just arrived. Then we finished off the van service, found a nice semi-shaded spot and settled down for an al fresco lunch. Afterwards Bren, who hadn't slept very well, stretched out for a nap while Terry sat in the sun until the breeze got a little too cool. In fact, despite the brilliant sunshine, the breeze was keeping the temperature down and it wasn't long before he retired inside. Think we chose the wrong place to park – again!

Latish tea and a quick phone call to Mum, sad news another elderly relative has passed away – seems to happen every time we go on a long trip. Quite a few motorhomes arrived during the afternoon and evening but there is still stacks of room. Why, then, do the French insist on parking just a few feet away?

Where We Stayed

Parc Internationale du Canche, Bvd du Canche, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage N50º31.585' E01º35.907'

100+ spaces on hardstanding, some shaded. Service point (€2). Beach 400m, town 800m. Adjacent to National Equestrian Centre, so may not be available during events. Alternative closer to town adjacent to the marina but smaller, more expensive and usually fills up early.

€10 – pay at machine, cards/cash

Thursday 15 June 2017

Chateaudun to Le Crotoy - 192 miles

As soon as the sun touched the van it warmed up very quickly to what promised to be another scorcher. After breakfast a chat with a Brit couple who came in last night and turned out to be on their first ever motorhome trip – we'd had a brief chat last night when they couldn't get their wifi to work. Eventually got under way about 11.20 after dumping the toilet and waste water and, as we have now decided to head for home, joined our familiar route around Chartres, Dreux and Evreux.

Called in at Pont de l'Arche aire for a lunch stop then on to Rouen and up the motorway to Abbeville – this section is toll free and the countryside is not very interesting so we made the most of it. Interestingly, although it was still bright sunshine, a strong breeze had got up out of the west which started to cool things down. We had decided to head for Le Crotoy, a place we've stayed several times with plenty of parking so should be okay, even late in the afternoon. It is also close to Rue and the vet we've used a couple of times for Jamie's Pet Passport. A quick side trip to St Valerie for fuel as we were getting low, then to Le Crotoy.

All the usual pitches round the edges were taken but there were only a few vans forming a new line in the middle so we joined on the end, next to another Brit couple. Obligatory chat of course; they'd just crossed from UK and were heading south. The wind was kicking the dust up so quickly retired inside for welcome refreshment. Our usual late tea before an hour or so reading, blogging etc.

We've more or less decided to head home so tomorrow we'll get the Pet Passport sorted then call Eurotunnel to change our booking. After that we'll see.

Where We Stayed

Aire de Bassin, Ave. des Ecluses, Le Crotoy N50º13.094' E01º37.992'

90+ on unmarked hardstanding. Service point (€2). Shops etc 100m. Market Friday.

€7 /24hrs pay at machine

Wednesday 14 June 2017

Lere to Chateauden - 95 miles

Up early with a poorly doggy but it was already very warm and sultry so an early start was a good thing. Breakfast, service and say bye bye to the neighbours, Brit and Dutch couples before heading north again towards Orleans, looking for a supermarket. Gien was the next biggish town along the way and had an Auchan so we turned in there for a fairly large restock – including two very nice cakes meant for our afternoon tea!

Chateauneuf-sur-Loire

Once it was all packed away we continued and decided Chateauneuf-sur-Loire looked nice with an aire apparently on the riverside. Well it wasn't but we found some very acceptable parking which was and had lunch. Perusing the maps it looked like our old friend Chateaudun was about the right distance so programmed TomTom whilst Bren tried to keep us by the river, rather than using the main road. Eventually we had to abandon this idea, having already breached several 3.5 tonne weight limit restrictions (we're nearly 4t) so let the satnav direct us. Turned us almost back the way we had come before joining a very busy by-pass around the city but then safely onto the much quieter road to Chateaudun.

Approaching from a different direction, we ended up creeping through the very narrow streets of the town centre, but managed, and arrived at the aire just on 4.00 pm, with 4 out of 7 spaces left. By 4.10 pm it was full; this happens quite regulary which is why we plan to get parked up by 4.00 pm.

Squeezed in with a couple of other Brits it was now very hot and humid so all we could do was relax – Jamie doesn't like this one bit and keeps asking to go out. Well tough luck puppy!

Where We Stayed

Aire de Camping Car, (beneath chateau walls) N48º04.303' E01º19.453'

7 hardstanding bays adjacent to river/canoe school. Service point €2 for water. Toilet.

Town centre up several hundred steps opposite or steepish road around chateau walls.

Free

Tuesday 13 June 2017

A reasonable start to a pleasant day, bright but not too hot and as we were finishing breakfast a Brit van pulled in with Moroccan paintings so went and had a mooch and a chat. Two hours later we decided that it was too late to go anywhere else today so we would stay here at Lėrė. The day got progressively warmer, not uncomfortably so, but we both caught the sun, just by being out in it. So a day doing what we've come away to do, relax.

We'll move on further north west tomorrow, no particular destination in mind. Forecast is for very warm again so we'll bear that in mind too.

Monday 12 June 2017

Autun to Lere

A cloudy and much cooler start to the day, just nice for driving, and we got away promptly for a change. Bren navigated us back around Autun and onto the road for Nevers, our plan to join the River Loire there then sort of follow it downstream for a while and see where we end up.

Paused at Nevers to refill the LPG, first station we've seen in France strangely enough, then tried to follow the river. According to the map there is a road but we seemed unable to find it, finally using the non-toll motorway for a junction or two before trying again. This time the road was blocked and the diversion had a low bridge on a narrow road in a town centre we were unwilling to risk, so went back to the motorway, found a rest area and had lunch. Clouds now cleared and it's warming up.

Cosne-Cours sur Loire

River Loire from Chateau Sancerre

A perusal of the books showed us a good number of aires as far as Orleans so we once again left the motorway heading for Sancerre. A bit of faffing around found us heading for the Chateau Sancerre, famous for it's wines, but not on the road we wanted so a bit more backtracking and we found ourselves following the Canal Lateral de la Loire, a quiet waterway paralleling the river itself.

Now in brilliant warm sunshine we started considering our nightstop and although it was still only mid-afternoon we thought we'd stop early to ensure we got a space somewhere. The small town/village of Lėrė had what looked like a nice aire so we called in to find 2 spaces left (out of 4) just 100m from the town centre. We settled into a pitch that was perfect for us – on the end with the door over a nice grassy area, facing slightly uphill (the van usually has a nose down stance) and overlooking the canal. Chairs out, cold drinks and relax in the sunshine.

Later we took Jamie for a walk around the town, very pretty but not a lot going on and only one of everything; pharmacy, boulangerie, bank, la Poste, florist, hairdresser, restaurant, the usual impressive church and of course the mairie (local government building, every village & town has one). And none of it open! So back to Bertie for a quick chat with the (Dutch) neighbours and a cuppa then a late tea.

It's a lot cooler in the evening though still very comfortable. We'll check the weather forecast before deciding what to do next.


Where We Stayed
Aire de Camping Car, Rue du Champ de Noyers, Lere  N47 28.485'  E2 52.486'
4 hardstanding bays overlooking canal moorings. Water, waste disposal and 1 electric point. Local commerce 100m. Large grass area behind marked "P" with no restrictions but apparently unused.
Free.

Sunday 11 June 2017

Bacon and eggs for breakfast as it's Sunday but not a lot else done; as forecast it was somewhat warmer than yesterday so apart from occasional sojourns to walk Jamie, we didn't move. As I write at just past 9.00 pm, it's still around 30º.

Jamie is becoming a bit of a problem, jumping up and barking at the least provocation, not helped by the public footpath on the other side of the hedge we're parked against. We've had to resort to keeping him inside to avoid annoying the neighbours which doesn't go down well. But we're moving on tomorrow so when we pitch up we must try and avoid having passers by too close.

Saturday 10 June 2017

Up earlyish as we wanted to go into town for the market and have a looksee before it got too warm so after breakfast collected a few bits for the dog in a backpack and set off – the receptionist said it was 5 mins but that was only to the edge and the centre was nearer 20mins. No bother we're not rushing and we wandered into a fairly typical French town, finding the town hall easily enough and plenty of shops – but of the market no sign. We knew we were in the right place at the right time, one of the info booklets we'd been given confirmed it, but it looked like it had been cancelled.

Impressive Hotel de Ville

University

 So we bought a baguette then paused for a while at a cafe for a cold drink before heading back in the direction of the site, taking a detour to view another of the Roman remains, this time the Temple of Janus. Not a lot of information available and nothing to confirm it was anything religious, the name having been given to it long after the Romans had left.

Temple de Janus

Back at Bertie we had lunch then settled down to an afternoon of, well, nothing really. The temperature was now around 30ºC in the shade and the sun too hot to sit out in it. Thankfully with the awning out we encouraged a light breeze so we were quite comfortable. Later ice creams then a very late tea when it had cooled down somewhat.

Forecast is for warmer tomorrow. Hmmmm.

Friday 9 June 2017

Rain overnight but dry by getting up time although still mostly cloudy. Morning spent on domestic chores, two loads of washing plus a full service and cleanup. Very few people left on the site so it's quiet – later a couple of (separate) Brit vans arrived and we had a chat.

A lazy afternoon sat outside enjoying increasing amounts of warm sunshine which was drying the washing nicely so by teatime all was done.

The forecast is for further improvements tomorrow and hot on Sunday although the humidity is nothing like as high as Italy so hopefully it'll be nice.

Thursday 8 June 2017

Bourg-en-Bresse to Autun - 86 miles

Awoke to another lovely day and took our time getting ready. No facilities here, but then it's cost us nothing either so took the time to give Jamie a proper run in the park before getting on our way. We have no particular destination in mind, just head north-west and see what we find, so first place of note, Challons-sur-Saone. On the way there we stopped at Tournus for fuel and a bit of shopping as well as an early lunch before passing through an attractive but busy town on one of Frances larger rivers.

From there it looked like Autun had a selection of aires and campsites either there or around so followed our noses and ended up on a good, though not main, road which took us through the lovely Bourgogne (Burgundy) countryside with acres and acres of vinyards and dozens of vintners inviting passersby to a “degustation” (sampling). Not being wine people we resisted.

Solar generator

Along the way we often spot unusual sights, usually as “roundabout art”, and the contraption above caught our attention. Lucky enough to be driving slowly past it, we identified it as a solar generator, the panels opening like a circular fan and the whole thing powered to track the sun. Solar energy is starting to become a big thing in France and we've seen buildings with roofs totally covered in panels. However we wouldn't have thought this example was particularly efficient.

On the way to Autin, we thought we'd have a look at the aire but on approaching noted it was full however the book told us of another which we discovered, mostly by chance, with plenty of room so stopped for a cold drink and make some plans. It was now very warm and we'd been using the aircon for a while so we thought we'd take a break for a few days and found an ACSI campsite just on the edge of town which looked nice and turned out to be almost empty. The office was closed but a sign on the door said settle yourselves wherever you like and come back at 5.30 pm, so after a wander round we chose an enclosed pitch in a corner that provided some shade but also good sunshine as well. Given Jamie's current fractious behaviour we thought an enclosed pitch would help to keep him quiet. The only drawback, as we found later, is that it is close to the road but we'll see what it's like overnight; when reception opened the very friendly young lady told us we could move later if we wanted although it doesn't seem much quieter elsewhere. We booked in for 4 nights, get some laundry done and maybe have an explore.

Seems Autin was a Roman town, known as Augustodunum, and there are numerous Roman buildings and remains to see – a couple of which we've already spotted. Reception gave us several informative leaflets.

Largest known surviving Roman amphitheatre

Porte Saint-Andre

Where We Stayed

Camping de la Porte d'Arroux, rue du Traité d'Anvers, Autun N46 57'53” E4 17'34”

79 level pitches on grass, some enclosed by hedges, others open with varying shade. All usual facilities, m/h service point. Shop for basics in reception. Some road noise. Roman town 500m.

ACSI (No. 1962) €15 per night otherwise starting from €17.10.

Wednesday 7 June 2017

Yvoire to Bourg-en-Bresse - 94 miles

We know we said we'd get up early, but 6.30 am? That's when a roadsweeper decided to start work right outside our door, so we got up, got dressed and got away, no breakfast. We've done it before, just a matter of looking out for somewhere to park for an hour. Unfortunately we were just a little too close to Geneva and we found ourselves caught up in the morning rush hour, but this actually turned out to be fine because we then had time to look at the city as we wandered straight through the middle! But we did have a target – Bren had found a service point t'other side of the city so we set TomTom and enjoyed the passing scenery.

Geneva is a very modern city, though it does have an old quarter, which we had to by-pass, and appears to be in Switzerland; although we didn't see any border France/Switzerland, we did “cross back” into France as we departed. TomTom took us out into the country and to the little village of Thoire where we found one parking bay next to a working service point and a nice little picnic area, none of which appeared to have been used for ages. No bother, that'll do us so got the kettle on and “started the day” again, now in glorious warm sunshine.

Memorial to the Marquis - French Resistance

That over with and the van serviced, we set off with the town/city of Bourg-en-Bresse in mind where we noted two aires in our book, with others close by. Staying off the toll autoroute we enjoyed a lovely drive through the forests and valleys of the Haute Savoie before making a sharp descent into the town. Following TomTom, we suddenly found ourselves faced with a 2.5m bridge (we're 3m!), our destination on the other side. It took us a while to extract ourselves, going round and round a carpark a couple of times before Bren worked out an exit, taking us through an industrial estate, round some back roads and then safely to the aire – which was full!

Well, the marked motorhome bays were, but it was an unrestricted carpark for the old monastery, which happened to be closed, so there was plenty of room and we settled into an ordinary bay, joining several others doing the same. Almost immediately we were approached by an English lady, who turned out to be a Funster too, and who hadn't met any English for ages, so a bit chat was called for while her husband was playing round the city on his motorbike. Then, it being that time, we had lunch and settled in to a nice quiet afternoon, enjoying the now hot sunshine, relaxing after our very early start.

We'll probably only stay one night here and have sort of agreed that we'll take a gentle slow run sort of north, stopping off wherever we feel like it.

Oh yes, as we ought by now to be in range, tried to put up the satellite dish, only to have it fail and jam again, fortunately in the down position with the dish over the centre of the roof where it isn't in the way of anything. Got the ladders out and had a quick look but it's going to have to wait until we get home now. We never watch TV anyway.

Where We Stayed

Blvd. De Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse N46º11.906' E5º14.297' (All the Aires South P282)

5 marked bays in unrestricted carpark. No facilities, town short distance. Adjacent to small park and old monastery. Service point outside closed campsite N46º12.531' E5º14.416'

Free

Tuesday 6 June 2017

Interlaken to Yvoire - 121 miles

 Although we weren't aware of rain during the night it was still wet when we got up. No rush, just took our time and after the usual we're on our way around 11.30 am. The weather wasn't looking very good, and indeed we had not been going long when we suffered heavy showers which lasted on and off for most of the day.

Just for the scenery we headed along the north side of Lake Thun, then skirted back to pick up the road heading for Geneva via the south side of Lac Leman. Despoite the weather there was plenty to see and as it wasn't busy we enjoyed a pleasant drive through forests and mountains, over a couple of low passes before descending towards Lac Leman ( also known as Lake Geneva).

Look at that cloud formation, looks like a mountain!

Chateau Aigle

Paused for a big shop at an Aldi then lunch in their carpark, something that is becoming a bit of a habit for us, before setting off again in pouring rain. Eventually though we started catching glimpses of blue sky ahead of us and finally broke out into bright sunshine, which was causing the roads to steam, as we approached the eastern end of Lac Leman. Crossing into France we started looking for somewhere to stop overnight and investigated an aire, which was tiny and full then a couple of campsites of which there were quite a few, but strangely all appeared to be closed.

Our Campercontact database threw up a motorhome parking spot at the village of Yvoire, which is supposed to be one of the “Beau Villages” of France. Obviously a tourist attraction there were several huge carparks, one of which was designated to accept motorhomes so we pulled in, only finding out later that you paid by the hour and it isn't cheap. But it was now after 6.00 pm so we resolved to stay and have an early start in the morning. At least it's got nice views of the lake and surrounding countryside – and the aircraft on final approach to Geneva International Airport. Still we're used to aircraft noise........

Where We Stayed

Parking “Pre-Ponce”, D25, Yvoire. N46º21.394' E6º22.506'

Large car park on hardstanding with large overflow area on grass. Signed. No facilities. (No. 225 in current All the Aires France South). Historic Village adjacent. Some aircraft noise.

€1.20 per hour vehicles over 2.2m height (sensor on barrier)

Monday 5 June 2017

A thoroughly miserable day with rain on and off since we arrived yesterday afternoon. We had thought about getting the bus into Interlaken itself but didn't fancy getting soaked so after a cleanup session we just chilled out with our various pastimes. In between the showers Jamie got walked too.

It's not the best site we've stayed on but we think it's the most expensive! Move on tomorrow, can't stand being ripped off and the weather forecast isn't brilliant either.

Sunday 4 June 2017

Chiggiagno to Interlaken - 109 miles

Rained most of the night but it wasn't cold, just nice and comfortable. A no-rush start as it's Sunday and bacon & eggs time so we were away quite late but as always we're in no rush. First task was to refuel which we accomplished without problem a mile up the road, then set off for the St Gothard Pass.

Despite it's fame, it really is nothing we haven't seen before and is actually, well on the southern side, an excellent road given that there are a number of easy hairpin bends. Topped out at 6918' amsl, thankfully the clouds having cleared giving us nice views of the surrounding mountains. Bit of snow at the top of course too. The run down was in somewhat misty conditions with rain showers and the road not so good – quite narrow in places and much tighter bends but we managed.

St Gothard pass, looking south

Snow on the top

Statue to someone or other at the top

Approaching Interlaken

Purposely staying off the motorway we headed for our planned destination, Interlaken, but the Sustenpass was closed meaning a long diversion towards Lucerne. Realising that using ordinary roads was really only lengthening our distance and time, the scenery was still the same, we elected to drop onto the motorway. Then as it was lunchtime we paused at a service area, managing to get some Swiss currency from a bancomat – stupid machines, who uses £100 notes?

From then on a steady run until TomTom brought us to Camping Alpenblick just outside Interlaken. Unfortunately, although an ACSI site, it was very busy and they only had a few of the more expensive pitches left; we did consider moving on but it was now quite late in the day so we decided to book in for 2 nights and were given a reasonable pitch on the edge of the site. Once again it seemed that there were many “permanent” caravans and not many touring pitches, not our idea of a campsite at all and we're not impressed with the servicing facilities although the showers etc. were fine. However we did get Tourist Passes which, among other things, give free local bus transport which we may well use.

Initially warm and bright enough to sit outside, it became cooler with the threat of more rain so we returned inside for tea and a discussion of where do we go from here. Given we've had to abandon our original plans, deciding on replacements is difficult and although we don't want to waste the effort of getting here, thoughts are beginning of returning home. Once again we'll sleep on it.

Addendum. Chatting to another Brit couple we've just heard of the latest terrorist atrocity in London; worrying.

Where We Stayed

Camping Alpenblick, Seestrasse 130, Unterseen, Interlaken N46º40'47” E7º49'4”

100 pitches on mixed grass/hardstanding (many occupied by permanent units). Electricity points at hand but few water taps. Waste disposal and m/h service point. Bar, restaurant and basics shop on site. Free Tourist Pass for local buses etc.

ACSI €19 (plus local taxes made it approx €29). We paid €43 per night.

Saturday 3 June 2017

Sartriana to Chiggiogna - 88 miles

Joined by an Italian motorhome during the night (bet he didn't put any money into the machine!) and awoke to yet another hot sunny morn. Away a little earlier than usual as we couldn't do a full service and programmed TomTom to take us to Como.

Big mistake! Very quickly we were in a very narrow lane going down a steep hill and could see a turn ahead into another narrow road with an overhang on the corner. And of course we had two cars behind us and two coming up at us! Oh !#”$#! The two coming up managed to clear into a couple of spaces, enough for us to squeeze past and then contemplate turning around in those spaces. But a nice guy on the corner beckoned us on and watched out as we carefully negotiated the corner, only to find the road narrowing even further. He seemed to think we'd be okay and as it turned out we had at least ¼ inch to spare on each mirror............

So the satnav got ignored at the next turn, which was a shame as although we ended up in the same place we managed to hit heavy traffic in a town centre which we could have avoided. What are you supposed to do? We decided to follow the road signs with Bren carefully monitoring on Autoroute and the rest of the days navigation brought no further headaches. Choosing to ignore the motorway, of course, meant we travelled through town and village centres but we prefer it that way and see much more.

Into Como and to the Swiss border where we stopped to buy a road toll pass – the Swiss charge to use all their roads but we couldn't use a normal car one as we're too big, so we needed the commercial pass. It actually worked out cheaper though! Then back onto the road heading for Lugano which we could actually have avoided but are glad we didn't as it is a lovely town and we managed to do a tour taking in the best parts. From here on it was ordinary country road but with super scenery as we headed towards the St Gothard Pass, pausing for lunch at an Aldi supermarket.

After lunch we began to realise that on our present timing we would hit the pass late in the afternoon and also, because it was clouding over, the top would probably be very misty. Now we could have just jumped onto the motorway and used the tunnel at no extra cost, but going over the top was something we wanted to do. Meanwhile we also started looking for fuel as tomorrow is Sunday; unfortunately the only garages open were unattended 24hr places and would not take our credit cards. Not an immediate problem but we didn't succeed before our overnight stop, spotted from our Campercontact database, a small campsite in the village of Chiggiogna. Very pleasant, although a tad expensive, and we settled in, thinking how quiet it was - but it wasn't long before it rapidly filled with other units until it is now almost full.

With the sky having clouded over and being at 2300ft amsl, it was now much cooler and very comfortable at 25º, much to Jamies' relief, not to mention both Bren and Terry! However we did have a smattering of rain late afternoon and as I write at 10.30 pm there is a pitter patter on the roof.

Where We Stayed

Campeggia Gottardo, via Fusnego 23, Chiggiogna N46º28.222' E8º48.966'

Around 30 unmarked pitches on firm grass with good electrical hookup. Very small toilet/shower block with waste disposal etc facilities. Rooms also available. Restaurant & bar. Basic food supplies at reception. Free fast WiFi

S.Fr36 (£30) per night, 2 persons + electric.

Friday 2 June 2017

Treporti to Sartirani - 194 miles

Early start to another hot one and having got most things sorted last night it didn't take long for us to get under way after a little bit of shopping for bread etc. Today is actually National Day in Italy and is a public holiday; we were fully aware of this and thought it might be a better today to travel. Well.....

Needing to refuel we stopped at the first garage that had diesel for less than €1.32, 'cos that's the best price we saw on our way in. Fuel is quite expensive in Italy, on a par with the UK and, especially on the autostrada, often more expensive. Once clear of Jesolo, we found our road quiet and fast, but not so in the other direction! The queue was back as far as the autostrada – over 40km! Talk about Bank Holiday Monday on the M5! Our hearts went out to the poor service bus driver caught in it; we reckon it would take him at least 2 hours to get to his destination.

But luckily everything was okay heading west so we settled into a nice steady cruise with the aircon going and enjoying the scenery. Continental motorways are so much more interesting than the UK. We noticed more queues eastbound at the exits to major places – it seemed that all Italy was on the road, determined to enjoy their long weekend.

Stopped just after mid-day (early start) to give Jamie a run and also have a bite of lunch. All the service areas were full of trucks, obviously not allowed to operate on public holidays, but we squeezed in for an hour. Still absolutely red hot, we carried on with Como in mind as a destination. However we realised that it, too, would probably be heaving so mid-afternoon we started looking for an out-of-the-way sosta and almost immediately found one at Sartirana, a quiet little village about 30km short of Como. TomTom seemed to be a little uncertain at first, once trying to direct us up a farm track, but eventually settled down and led us there.

A six-van parking area, adjacent to what appears to be a small park, there was nobody else there, although it was probably a bit early (writing this at 5.00pm so there could be more later). Got ourselves into a shady corner, found the electricity hookup and, joy of joys, it was man enough to allow us to use our habitation air-conditioning. Typical, after 2 weeks of campsites, it's a sosta with proper hookup.

We'll probably have a walk later when it cools down, there seems to be a lake a little way down the lane. This is quite acceptable for a one night stay en route to Switzerland where we'll carry on to tomorrow.

Where We Stayed

Marked sosta at via Papa Giovanni Paolo1, Sartirana, Merate. N45º42'47.729” E9º25'7.133”

6 place sosta on hardstanding with water, waste & toilet disposal and electric hookup (16amp)

€15 (coins) for 24 hrs. Max 72 hr stay.

Thursday 1 June 2017

Awoke to another hot and humid day and it took us ages to get going. After breakfast we gave a lot of thought to the situation and came to the conclusion that it was a waste of time travelling any further to places where we would just be sitting in the van. It's not really fair to Jamie, it's too hot to give him the exercise he wants and he's fractious until the evening cool. Also we can't leave him in the van unattended as the temperature quickly climbs.So we've decided to shelve our plans for Italy for now and head north, initially into Switzerland, a country we've not yet visited, and then to wherever our whim takes us.

With temperatures again in the mid-30's we resorted to sitting in the shade for the rest of the day then after tea we packed everything away, ready for an early start again, cooling off with showers. 

Sorry Italy but we weren't expecting such high temperatures which are apparently unusual this early in the season. Maybe next year and much earlier.

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Toscolano to Treporti

An early start to try and avoid the heat of the day; not much chance really because it heated up very quickly. Never mind, finished packing up then a proper service at the service point before paying our bill and getting under way.

Planning last night revealed that using the motorways would save us 60 km and 2 ½ hrs so no question, motorways it is with TomTom doing the honours. We continued a lovely run down the lake then onto the main roads, looking for a supermarket. It wasn't long before we spotted signs for Auchan so parked up and spent a quick half hour stocking up on necessities as well as the usual non-essentials. Conscious that we'd left Jamie in the van with no shade, albeit all the vents were wide open and we'd managed to encourage a breeze, we kept it as short as we could before getting back on the road with the air-con going full blast.

Shortly after we joined the very busy A4 autostrada (toll road) heading past Verona and Vicenze towards Venice, and other places beginning with V. We took a break at one of the frequent service areas for lunch then continued, having decided to head for Punta Sabbioni which is on a spit of land across the lagoon from Venice. Our reasoning was that there were few campsites close enough to the city but, being part of the Lido di Jesolo izmuth there were dozens to choose from and hopefully we could find somewhere suitable.

Came off the toll road at the Venice exit, €11 we thought quite reasonable for over 100 km of motorway, and followed the satnav and signposts with backup from Autoroute on the netbook. But the temperature was still well into the 30's and we started to have doubts; Jamie was definitely unhappy in the heat and we felt that it would also be far too hot to wander round Venice. Had we made a mistake in coming at this time of the year?

Never mind, at the moment we needed somewhere for at least tonight so continued to Punto Sabbioni, checking out the campsites and heading for a sosta, the Italian equivalent of the French aire de camping car. The road eventually came to an end and we decided to try for an ACSI site, noting there were only a couple available who would take dogs. Not now being too concerned about our proximity to Punto Sabbioni and the water buses to Venice, we selected Scarpiland at Treporti and found a nice shady site, close to the beach. We checked in for two nights (minimum stay) and settled into a nice pitch to review our plans.

After tea we took Jamie onto the beach, much revived now that it was cool and much fresher than of late. Not sure now what we're going to do – it's pointless continuing our planned trip if it's going to be too hot to visit the places we want to see and we certainly can't leave Jamie in the van whilst we do so.

We'll sleep on it.

We stayed at

Scarpiland, Via Poerio, Treporti      N45º27'19” E12º29'20”

204 shaded pitches (at least 50% are chalets) on firm sand with water and electricity, all other facilities close by. A bit tight for units over 7.5m. although a few "super" pitches available. Shops, bars, restaurant & entertainment on site. Sandy beach 200m. Some aircraft noise. Agency for tickets to Venice. 

€17 per night (ACSI). 

Monday/Tuesday 29/30 May 2017

The continued sweltering weather means we have stayed put in the shade - as well as mid-30's temperatures it is very humid, unlike what we experienced in Morocco, which was dry heat.

As such we haven't bothered with reporting a load of nothing, although we have decided to move on on Wednesday to Venice. A load of washing to get up-to-date and pack almost everything away on Tuesday evening ready for an, hopefully, early start to try and avoid the heat.