Day 93 – to PAARC Rives de l’Aa, Gravelines

It was a good stopover at Bertrix, but not far down the road, as I discovered this morning, was Han-sur-Lesse which looked better.. for next time. It has a really good aire by the river, hiking and biking tracks around dumpling-type hills, lots of forest, a scenic river, and a cave system that attracts enthusiasts from far around.

That was where I went this morning, having put together an 8 kilometre circuit last night. The humid weather blew away with the wind during the night, and the day was fine, fresh and clear, at just 4C this morning.

Three hours driving got me to the Channel, and the aire that I usually use before the Tunnel, at Gravelines. I stocked up with Belgian beer for the next few weeks, and fuel, and settled for a lazy evening. We are on the 4 am train.

This is the The PAARC Rives de l’Aa, constructed only 10 years ago as a water sports centre. It features a purpose built rowing pool more than two kilometres Longlist as well as other associated pools for canoeing and kayaking. I was last here at the end of November on a wet and windy night when only a brief time outdoors was attractive, but tonight we were out for an hour or so.

There are quite a few other vans and motorhomes here, but there’s plenty of space, and it’s away from big roads, so relatively quiet.

So another course approaches its conclusion. I’ve a 4 am Eurotunnel crossing that gives me a chance of beating the rush-hour traffic around London, and almost around Birmingham as well.

Each time I’m away in the van I feel more rushed than the last, and need more time. I find the 90 day restriction due to entering a Schengen area, now that Britain is no longer a part of it, increasingly difficult to deal with.

A change in life is due. Looking back the chapters in my mocked-up memoir break into 5-7 year chunks; the Wirral years, the Gap years, the London years, the Lytham years, the New Zealand years, the Chile years, and most recently, the Lake District years.

Now it’s time for the next chapter.

I’ve given my month’s notice on the cottage in Bampton. It’s well situated, but I’ve seen plenty of those hills for now. The problem with the party house rental nextdoor is one me and the neighbours have battled with for 18 months now, and we are not winning. It is not one I want to go back to. Though this is only a very small part of my decision, it has given me the kick in the pants I needed to get moving.

On 22nd June Roja and I will head north, about as far north as is possible in Britain, to serve the rest of my 90 days, and to spend summer in the Shetland Islands. We will head back to Europe as soon as we can. I await a date for the bionic hip, that could be anytime from late this year, to way into next.

I’ve various cunning plans to overcome the Schengen restrictions.

The van will be home for the length of this project, or chapter, which I guess could be anytime from 2 to 5 years.

I will take my writing more seriously. The dog and I will be on a mission to find Europe’s wild places, especially in mountainous regions. We want to experience the climate, the culture, the environment, the history. In the cases where these areas are losing population we want to understand why.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with the blog yet, but it will continue, maybe not if the same form. More on that in the next few weeks, in the meantime I’ve a few tweaks to make to the van, some boxes to fill, and a few bits of administration to get to get through.