Safe Return Doubtful

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…

Day 92 – to Bertrix, Belgium A good reason to be in Ban-de-Sapt is to visit the Fontenelle Cemetery which contains the bodies of 1384 who were killed in the Great War. French battalions set up camp on the hill, which is at 600 metres altitude and has a wide…

Day 91 – to Ban-de-Sapt (Vosges) There was thunder rain most of the night. I find the steady drumming on the roof of the van pleasant and welcome, especially after a warm and humid day. I had chatted to an older couple from Thirsk last night, sat outside their motorhome…

Day 90 – to Mesnay With senses dulled by a midnight Jamesons I gave Roja his breakfast, which he ignored, and lay reading Simenon and listening to the World Service in the pleasant morning temperature. We both stirred though when horses began to pass. It was the route of the…

Day 89 – at Treffort The old laundry here at Treffort is a good stopover place. I occasionally use sites like searchforsites and park4night but only when desperate. They tend to attract motorhomes and so need to be accessible to them. Also, if there is a good place it soon…

Day 88 – to Treffort- (& Day 87 – Pierreclos) I failed to identify yesterday as Ascension Day, to my undoing. It falls on a Thursday, so the associated Friday makes it one of the major holiday weekends in France. I realised late in the afternoon, as I was on…

Day 86 – to Chalmazel-Jeansagnière May 17, 86 days away and by some way, this is the coldest it’s been. For just over two weeks now, there’s been rain every day. I came north from the Pyrenees a couple of days earlier than I had planned to, hoping to catch…

Day 85 – to Job The unseasonable weather shows no sign of change. Up in the forest at 1300 metres this morning it was 2C with a heavy drizzle. It was a peaceful stopover though, except for dawn when a couple of birds wanted to play on the van roof.…

Day 84 – to forest at the south of Lake Pavin The mountains as one looks to the south from Col de Serre, are the remnants of r Volcanoes of Cantal, the largest stratovolcano or conical volcano of Europe, which was formed from 13 million years ago and last erupted…