1. Sep, 2022

1. Sep, 2022

THURSDAY 01-09-22

Well we had a very peaceful night last night, in fact The Chef managed ten hours! When we arrived here yesterday evening I thought we'd get the fuel before parking up. It was €1.96 a litre which seemed rather steep, but with it being a supermarket we assumed it would be a fair price.

After we scrubbed up this morning we went in to E Leclerc's supermarket for a few bits before getting back on the road. Imagine the look on our faces when we looked up at the price of fuel at the filling station to see that overnight it had been reduced by four cents a litre. Even so, it was by no means a bargain because further down the motorway we found not one, but two 'Total' filling stations selling diesel for €1.75 a litre, so we'd been robbed. It's a good thing Rosina and I don't play the stock market.

Today has been a nice steady day. I feel a bit of a tart for allowing so long to get to Switzerland. Some years ago The Chef and I drove to the campsite at Lauterbrunnen for a two week stay in a holiday home at the campsite. The car hadn't moved an inch during those two weeks because we could go everywhere by rain. Anyhow, I'd allowed two days for the return journey. Needless to say, when we hit the German autobahns' we were away, to the extent that we just kept going to Calais and arrived there exactly 24 hours too early for our ferry. Fortunately they let us on without additional payment and when we arrived at Dover I just kept heading home. Door-to-door was something like 738 miles. I knew I'd done it and vowed I would never do it again, so maybe that's why I 'm being a bit cautious this time. We could cover the necessary mileage (this time we're staying within France to get there) in two good days of motoring, but we're not doing that, and I have to say, it's been far more relaxing doing it thus, though, as I say, I feel a tart for doing it.

As there is no pressure on us we can keep the speed down to about 100kph, which is about 65mph which is plenty fast enough really.

Lunch was at about 12:30 after we'd pulled in to a picnic and rest area. I have to say (yet again) our European cousins put us to shame when it comes to providing facilities for motorists. There are either picnic/rest areas, often with a toilet block, or a fuel & rest facility, or what I describe as a Truckstop which has fuel, parking, a shop, and adequate parking for HGV's overnight, regularly spaced along motorways, and all porovided without any time restrictions.

It was getting very warm by then and we had intended to stay there longer, but with the lack of shade we decided to move on.

Further on we came across a rest area which advertised a motorhome dump station, so off we went, up to the dump station and got rid of the grey water we were carrying, then through the fuel filling area and back on to the motorway - job jobbed.

Rather than arrive at our next overnight location too early we decided to pull off at a picnic rest area with trees and hopefully shade to while away a few hours. Luck was with us, and we came across a perfect location where we were able to get our folding chairs out and put them in the shade of a tree. It also had a toilet block which enabled us to get rid of our black waste as well.

We were able to enjoy three or four hours of relaxation under the shade of a tree which was so much better than sitting in a supermarket car park frying in the sun.

Soon after 18:00 it became very busy as HGV's were coming off the road for half hour breaks or an all night stay. I figured it was time to move on, and so we did.

About twenty-five miles down the road we arrived at our overnight stop, which is another E Leclerc supermarket car park (N48.297452° E133242°) where we've enjoyed our evening meal with the potential for another peaceful night.

Tomorrow we shall head for the Swiss border, where we'll need to decide if we cross and arrive a day early, requiring us to find a campsite for the night, or to stay put and head in to Switzerland first thing Saturday morning and make for our campsite at Lauterbrunnen.

31. Aug, 2022

31. Aug, 2022

WEDNESDAY 31-08-22

I think at last we may have cracked the best time to cross the Channel. After the final preparations we set off soon after lunch. It was a nice steady ride down to the Shuttle terminal near Folkestone, though the southbound M11 was very busy indeed.

At the three-hundred metre sign before the terminal exit we found ourselves pulling up behind a line of HGV's parked in the inside lane which is a very dangerous place to be. Thankfully a number of cars and motorhomes pulled up behind us which was fortunate as they gave us a safety buffer. We sat there for what seemed like ages with the queue not moving at all. A few vehicles behind us gave up and pulled out of the line and moved off. I said to The Chef if we could remember if it was one or two lanes slipping off at the junction we could try our luck at the front of the line and see if that was moving. In the end we decided to take a chance, and just as well we did. That nearside lane turned out to be a line of HGV's queueing to board (having cleared Border Control and customs). Thankfully the lane for non-cargo was moving freely and we were soon booking in at the automated kiosk. We did feel sorry for the poor HGV drivers in that long queue.

When we moved off towards the parking area we saw that of the ten HGV booking in kiosks only four were open, the other six had the dreaded red cross above them, so I guess today was another day the French just couldn't be bothered to get out of bed and come and man them all.

Having had a substantial lunch we decided to have a nice filled roll and a non-alcoholic beer whilst we sat waiting to board. This would be enough to see us through the evening.

Our 18:20 crossing was just perfect and we arrived just before eight o'clock having lost an hour entering France. We were soon on the motorway heading for a E Leclerc supermarket (N50.714141° E2.108954°) near Lumbres where we are spending the night.

We've both had haircuts before the trip. I had mine just a few days ago, subjecting my head to the whims of my hairdresser Blind Brian, assisted as usual by his guide dog, Rsniffer, which is a strange name for a dog, but there you go. Every time he cuts my hair it's different. The Chef tends to cut her own these days and makes a pretty good job of it I have to say, given that she can't see most of it in a mirror. She's tried most of the hairdressers in town but invariably comes back dissatisfied, taking herself off to the bathroom with scissors and comb in hand upon her return. Maybe when we get back she'll try the new German hairdresser in town, Herr Brusch.

Sadly Mikhail Gorbachev has just died aged 91 which is a great shame. This last leader of the Soviet Union forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with western powers to remove the iron curtain that had divided Europe since the Second World War, and brought about the re unification of Germany. When pro-democracy protests swept across the soviet bloc nations of communist Eastern Europe in 1989, he refrained from using force - unlike previous Kremlin leaders who had  sent tanks to crush uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. Apparently he was very sad that his life's work spent building a peaceful and trusting relationship with The West, had all been destroyed by the short-ars*d lunatic Vladimir Putin, so RIP Mikhail.

In the morning we will be popping in to the supermarket for a fresh baguette and some bits of shopping before returning to the motorway heading towards Switzerland, though we won't be in any great hurry as we have plenty of time to complete the journey by Saturday.