Following a road trip with Manda the previous year where we discovered a couple of chateaux we’d never visited before I thought it would be nice to revisit them with Paul. And, once they knew where we were off to, the Joneses decided to join us for the adventure. Everything was all set, campsites booked, ferry booked and paid for and travel insurance in place; albeit at the last moment when I remembered! As PJ seems to have a problem with driving through the night I had decided that we would leave around teatime so that we would reach Ashford for ten o’clock, where I had planned to stop on the 24 hour Tescos car-park for the night ready for a quick get away to catch the early morning ferry. However, as usual, things didn’t go to plan. Paul came in from Kate’s saying that he and PJ had been discussing the trip to Dover and had decided that they would prefer to set off late and drive through the night! We were just putting the last few bits and pieces into the camper when Kate phoned to say we’d have to delay the trip even further as, whilst they were packing their car the tailgate had fallen on PJ’s head and he was feeling all dizzy. In the end we set off around midnight and headed off down the A1 hoping to make good time. Which we did for twenty minutes, until the Clumber Park junction where we found the A1 had been closed for the night and we were diverted onto the A614 towards Nottingham. Flipping typical! So off we went, dutifully following the diversion signs; until they disappeared completely. By now I was in full whinge mode, bloody highways department closing the road and making us even later. A few miles further on we came to a signpost for Nottingham and I commented to Paul that I thought we’d missed a sign which would have taken us back towards the A1 so when we came to the next roundabout I told him to head towards Newark. And, as we turned off I spotted another couple of caravans behind PJ and Kate. I reckon the diversion sign we should have spotted had been moved since, surely, four of us couldn’t have made the same mistake! On we went until, thankfully, we came to a bit of road I knew, which took us back to the A1 at the Newark junction. Paul reckoned that we’d only lost about twenty minutes. After that we did have a good trip down with only one stop at Cambridge; where there are some nice services; and PJ managing to stay awake all the way to Dover. We arrived at the ferry terminal with minutes to spare and were almost straight on to the ferry. PJ and Kate were amongst the first on so they found us a nice pog to sit and have our picnic breakfast.
Once in France our first priority was to find a nice Aire where Paul and PJ could have a rest after their night drive. We found a very nice one called Les Deux Caps where we stayed for a couple of hours whilst everyone had a sleep and I do have to say that the kids were quite well behaved as well. Around lunchtime the Aire started to get busy so we had a quick bite to eat and continued on our way. We were heading towards our first campsite just outside Rouen in a little town called Louviers. The campsite was basic, but what do you expect for €14 a night? We were shown to our pitches which were adequate, the Joneses caravan just fit lengthways, and set up camp whilst the kids explored the site. The toilets were behind a partition in what was still a working barn, but they were clean and the showers were good. The Office/shop was small and there was a basic play area tucked away near the entrance. The pool was nice but not heated so we found it was best to swim in the late afternoon after the water had been warmed by the sun. During our four night stay Harvey learnt to ride his bike and from then on there was no stopping him. Thankfully the site was very quiet as the two boys spent most evenings racing around on their bikes. Shawna, being a teenage girl, soon found the free WiFi and spent most of the time up by the barn keeping in touch with her cronies.
Our first day was spent, as usual, by popping into the nearest town, Louviers, to scout out the shops; we found a Lidl and the local cheap shop, a bit like a French version of B&M, which sold just about everything, including a whole section which wouldn’t come amiss in Pulse and Cocktails! And all on public display where the kids could see it and ask awkward questions. After doing a bit of shopping in Lidl we returned to the site to relax and have our first barbecue. Well, Paul and I had to show off our new fan assisted one, and PJ and Kate had to try out their new Cadac. And at least this time we were firing them up at a reasonable time!
The following couple days were spent exploring the area, starting with Rouen, a place we have driven through on numerous occasions en route to elsewhere but have wanted to visit for many years. We had bit of a hassle parking the car when we got into the one way system and had to go round a couple of times. We did the tourist bit by visiting the Cathedral; where we found a rather sweet lion and the Shrine of Saint Rita; and the eponymous clock on the Rue Du Gros Horloge. Being a medieval town, Rouen has some very interesting little corners and some interesting shop signs but as the day had turned dull with a chilly wind we didn’t spend much time exploring them.
Our last full day was spent looking round Louviers, starting with the church, which had some very cute gargoyles, one of them definitely a boy, before buying some lunch, which we ate sitting by the river. Back at the site we spent our last afternoon around the pool before starting to pack up ready for the next leg of our journey.
The day dawned warm and sunny and we finished packing up after breakfast. We left the site just before lunchtime; which is bloody good for us; and headed back down into Louviers where we were sent round yet another diversion due to half the roads in Louviers being dug up. This diversion took us down a narrow lane with a very sharp right hand turn at the end to get onto the main road. And it was here that disaster struck! As PJ turned out of the lane one of the caravan wheels clipped the high kerb. We had just pulled into the petrol station to fill up and as PJ pulled up at the side of the road to wait for us we heard a loud bang. I looked out of the camper and noticed that their caravan had a flat tyre. PJ was cussing, Kate was stressing and threatening to sell the caravan as soon as they got home and the kids were objecting to having to stay in the car. So, once we had filled up and paid we pulled the camper in front of Kate and PJ and joined them at the side of the road surveying the damage. Whilst Kate vowed never to return to Louviers ever again Paul and PJ set about changing the wheel, which involved PJ lying in the middle of the road with the lunchtime traffic whizzing past as he swapped wheels over. Eventually it was done and we were once again on our way. Fortunately we didn’t have too far to go to get to Azay Le Rideau, arriving at teatime. I had booked a couple of riverside pitches but in the end we were a row back but were more able to pitch up how we liked. As soon as they could Rowan and Harvey were off on their bikes.
We now had several gloriously hot and sunny days which we spent exploring all the chateaux in the area. We wandered around Azay, which has always been one of Paul and my favourites. And it was interesting to see how much Kate remembered from when she was small. It was whilst we were sitting on the grass outside that I realised that, off and on, I had been coming to Azay for over 40 years! And for 36 with Paul!! And it hasn’t really changed that much.
We visited gothic Langeais, where Rowan and Harvey got to dress up and, for once, I got to climb up the battlements. We also found a tree house and a play area. As we went through the inevitable gift shop Kate spotted the best likeness of Paul we’ve ever seen (apart from Sancho Panza) so we had to buy him.
Then came Clos Luce, which I really wanted to show the kids because I think Leonardo Da Vinci is cool. Mind you It didn’t look like we were going to see anything when we first arrived in Amboise. We had decided to go in the camper so we followed the signs to the camper parking area, only to find the it was a tiny car-park with enough spaces for about a dozen campers and several of those spaces were filled with small cars! So off we went in search of more parking. And wouldn’t you know it? We had arrived on market day! So most of the car-parks were closed off. round and round we went and angrier and angrier I got. We followed a sign that pointed to more parking over the river, only to find that campers were not allowed. So back we went and Paul said we’d have one last look before heading back to Azay. Fortunately the market was beginning to wind down and we managed to squeeze into a spot. Then, of course, we had to walk through Amboise and up the hill to Clos Luce where we then had to queue, yes queue, to get in. After wandering round the house and looking at all the models of Leonardo’s inventions we exited into the gardens where we found the cafe and decided to have crepes and drinks under the welcome shade of a parasol before taking a tour of the park. Rowan and Harvey each had a go at firing the gun and getting in the tank as well as having a good play on the playground before we headed on to Amboise Chateau where Kate wished the floor would swallow her up when Harvey knocked a protective barrier down when he tried to sit on it. After that the guide lady seemed to follow us everywhere until we went back outside where we ended our day eating ice cream and watching Shawna, Rowan and Harvey play on the lawn.
After the last few days sightseeing we decided to have a day taking it easy around the campsite and go to the Azay Son et Lumière that evening. By now it was the middle of the holiday and people were getting a little impatient with each other. Shawna was arguing with everyone and, me being me kept taking her side. In the end we marched off to the swimming pool only to find we were an hour too early. And being stubborn, rather than go back to the site we wandered along the path down the other side of the little stream which ran along the edge of the campsite. And, rather than go past our pitch where we would be seen, we turned round and went and sat on a patch of grass grumbling as we waited for the pool to open. Once in the pool we kept hoping that Kate and the boys would turn up so we could all make our peace and get on with the holiday, but she never came. We got out of the pool as the pool attendants closed some of it off and organised some pool games for the kids. We had been laid in the sun for quite a while and were just getting ready to go back to the campsite when Kate finally arrived. Shawna went over to tell her where we were but she just got in the pool with the boys. We waited a while but in the end decided to head back as we were getting chilly. Things didn’t get much better when we went into Azay that evening. We decided to call into a cafe for coffee and ice cream for the kids but, as my mood was already bad, it didn’t bode well for the waiter who appeared to be ignoring us. After what seemed like ages I jumped up from the table, said I was not going to sit and watch whilst he served everyone else in the place, including those who had come in after us and stormed off. We ended up in the cafe/restaurant on the corner where we decided to have dinner. Which improved my mood no end. Kate decided against the Andouillettes as the waitress couldn’t really describe what they were and played safe with steak. Paul, PJ and I ordered a sort of mixed grill which consisted of a platter of raw meats. Which we just looked at in disgust before Paul muttered something about French cuisine and started to eat. Then the waiter brought out three hot stones on which you were supposed to cook your meat. Of course everyone had to tease poor old Paul before tucking in. After dinner it was time for the Son et Lumière that I had thoroughly enjoyed last year. However, this year it was a sorry affair indeed. OK it was very pretty walking up the staircase lit by lots of battery operated candles not flickering in the soft breeze of the evening, But the rest of the tour was barely more than the daytime tour but with hundreds of the battery operated candles lighting your way. Gone was the musical dining table of last year, no little mime performance, no MAGIC! All in all very disappointing and certainly not worth paying full price. I’m only glad we’d had a discount ticket. It was the cherry on the cake at the end of a bad day. But at least we were all talking again. Oh famous last words!
We had a lovely day at Chateau Villandry with its gorgeous gardens. Here we decided to follow the woodland walk and whilst the “grown ups” stuck to the lower pathways, Shawna and I took to the higher ground coming out at a folly which looked down to the spot where the others had stopped for a rest. Rowan and Harvey decided that they would take a short cut up through the shrubbery to get to us. Lots of photos were taken before I realised, when checking through the, that I had forgotten to put the memory card back in the camera after downloading yesterdays photos to the iPad. so we had to make do with using our phone cameras for the rest of the day. As we continued to wander through the gardens Paul and I lost the Joneses who had taken a slightly different route around the garden. We met up again outside the gift shop and headed off to the cafe for a well earned if expensive drink. On the way back to the campsite we called off at the supermarket where we found some andouillettes, which turned out to be some sort of sausage. So Paul and PJ decided to buy some to try on the barbecue that night. They were rank. They smelt of poo. I didn’t attempt to taste any but Paul and PJ nearly threw up they were that bad!
I will not say much about the following day except to say it was a bad one which ended up with some of us having a not very enjoyable time at the fortress in Chinon, which wasn’t really that interesting anyway.
By now we were nearing the end of the holiday and there were still a couple of places I wanted to revisit after last year. So, after a bit of bridge building over breakfast, our next trip took in the abbey at Fontrevaude, which is now one of my favourite places. Aside from a long interest in the Plantagenets and that mural of the ascension of Jesus, (you have to see it to appreciate it) it is one of the most peaceful places I know. And even Paul said he was glad I’d taken him to see it. We had a very enjoyable afternoon wandering around the grounds before driving the short distance to Brézé where everyone enjoyed wandering around in the caves below the chateau. I knew they would.
And before we knew, our last day was upon us. And it was raining. The weather had finally broken. Never mind, we would still make the most of it. When we had first visited the chateau at Azay we’d been given discount vouchers for several of the chateaux, which we’d been using, and there was a voucher for a little chateau that I hadn’t discovered last year, Chateau Du Rivau. I had looked it up and it seemed like a quirky place to visit. And it was. We started off having lunch in the restaurant, a bit pricey for what it is, before we did the tour. By the time we’d finished lunch the heavens had opened. We sheltered for a while under the barn before making a mad dash across the courtyard and into the chateau. There isn’t much inside, but what is there is fun and quirky from the real deer heads to fake ones. I especially liked the ducks with spectacles. Then, as the rain seemed to be easing off we set off for a stroll round the gardens, which are what the place is famous for, spotting Rapunzels hair dangling from the tower, a gnome village in the woods, a maze, some giant legs and many things we ended up missing when the heavy rain came again. By the time we’d made our way back to the courtyard we were all soaked through. I’d like to revisit this chateau in better weather. And on the way home Paul, PJ and Kate wanted to call in at the hypermarket in Chinon, so Me and the kids had to drip our way round after them. As we drove through Azay we stopped at the restaurant on the corner and booked a table for that evening as it was our last night and we didn’t want to have to cook and clear up. Back at the campsite all our good intentions of packing up that night went out the window. We couldn’t put the awnings down anyway as it was still raining. So we contented ourselves with getting ready to go out. And this time Paul didn’t eat his meat raw!
Packing up the next day was the usual disorganised affair but at least the sun was shining again so the awnings had dried out. We set off around one o’clock heading back up to Calais where we hoped to spend a few hours in that nice Aire or on the ferry terminal car-park before catching the early morning ferry home. But, once again, the best laid plans and all that. We completely missed the Aire; probably because you can’t get to it if you’re going towards Calais; and arrived at the terminal to find the parking area had changed and caravans and campers couldn’t get in. We decided it wasn’t worth risking going back to find the Aire since we didn’t know how far we’d then have to go in the wrong direction before we could turn around so we joined the queue for passport control hoping we’d be allowed to wait on the dockside until morning. But oooh nooo! We had to fork out another £60 each to get on the next ferry which wasn’t due for another hour and a half. So there we were, yet again, on the dockside, making pizza, hot dogs and cups of tea. We even had other travellers asking if they could fill up their kettles so they could have a brew up as well. We landed in Dover in the early hours with everybody absolutely shattered from a long and tiring day. After taking a wrong turn which saw us heading towards Canterbury we managed to get back to the motorway where we got as far as the Maidstone Services before we had to stop. We pulled in to find the camper and caravan stopover park was full so we ended up in the coach park around the back where we settled down for the night. The next morning we awake to torrential rain and a howling gale which made the first part of our journey home very unenjoyable, particularly as there were some very stupid drivers on the road. As it turned out we were driving through the tail end of some hurricane or other.
Footnote: I found out what andouillettes are. A speciality of Troyes in France, they are sausages made by taking a pigs colon and stuffing it with it’s chopped up intestines. Which is why they smell and taste of poo! So now you know to avoid them at all costs. And it’s no wonder the waitress didn’t know how to describe them!