Set off at 8.45 in the evening as we were all ready and getting “twitchy”, we were booked on the 5am ferry; it was dark and rained most of the way. We arrived at Dover at 01.15 and got onto the 02.30am sailing, we arrived in Calais at 03.45 – 04.45 European time, it was still wet and windy. We set off for an Aire at Hondschoote and arrived there about 05.20, it was just a small, rough car park but there was a point for water etc and we parked by that. We managed a couple of hours sleep before being woken by very noisy traffic it was however a slightly nicer day, no rain, we got breakfast and had a little look round only to find that we had not been on the Aire at all, just around the corner, away from the road, was a large, nicely marked out Aire – empty, we wondered why we had been getting odd looks from people in the house across the road.
>
Home to Dover 259 miles Calais to Hondschoote 150 miles
Stellplatz free
View Larger Map
Tuesday 2nd
We set off at 0930 local time and after calling for fuel went to Huy in Belgium, we arrived at 12.30. The Aire was by the River Meuse which was very busy with lots of huge barges; it was by the road and under a railway bridge but the view was super. We took a walk around the town, there was a lovely church being restored, it was black with centuries of grime but where it had been cleaned it looked like new, there was a town square with a church with a tower full of bells that played tunes on the quarter hour. We walked back and saw a sign on the bridge saying that the Americans had liberated the city in Sept 1944; we had noticed holes in the bridge that looked like war damage, we also saw rats along the river bank.
Hondschoote to Huy 150 miles
Stellplatz free
Fuel 75€
View Larger Map
Wednesday 3rd
It was a very noisy night being so close to the road, heavy traffic started very early in the morning, there were one or two heavy showers, when I looked out in the early hours the town and bridges were lit up very prettily. We had breakfast and started off at 0920. As we entered Germany it started to rain, we were driving through forested hills, mainly pine. We arrived at Punderich at 1220, just as we’d set up it started to rain and didn’t stop all afternoon. The site was on the banks of the Mosel and we were right on the edge, a lovely spot with vine terraces climbing up the far bank, swans on the water and varied craft using the river.
Thursday 4th
Woke up to a better day, no rain and quite bright. After breakfast we cycled along the river to Zell (Mosel), a picturesque town along the river bank dominated by a large vineyard “Swartz Katz”; there was a very high foot bridge over the river. We left the bikes and had a look round, there were many wine sellers. We then carried on a bit further and stopped alongside a vineyard where there was a bench and had our lunch. We watched what we are sure were eagles soaring over the hilltop. Back to the van, very sore bums!! Walked up to the site owner’s bar and had a drink and then walked along the other way to look at the Stelleplatz which was very big and level on a grassy field. The whole of the walk was bordered by fruit trees, apples, pears and walnuts on one side and vines on the other. We wandered up into the village which was very pretty and like something out of another century, higgledy piggledy half timbered buildings in a warren of narrow streets. Back for tea then R tried without success to set up satellite TV, we seem doomed as far as that is concerned. Game of cards before bed.
Huy to Punderich 133 miles
Site fees 42.5€
View Larger Map
Friday 5th
Woke up to another sunny morning. Packed up and set off about 10.40, got to Cochem at 11.40, parking was on main road so decide to have a look round and move on. Walked into town which was very busy, lots of shops. Had lunch of schnittzle and chips, bought some wine then back to van. Drove as far a Koblenz looking for sites, most seemed to be on other side of river! Stopped at one that was not open and a stelleplatz that had no facilities. Called at Lidl for a few things then decided to go to Boppard, we looked for a site and put it in Gertie Garmin, we went over a winding road took us over hills, at one point a weasel ran across the road in front of us. We ended up at the stelleplatz that had no facilities so we went back to site that had been closed, Camping Burgen, and booked in. Set up and R tried again to set up TV with no luck. Got tea and then we had quite a storm. Game of cards before bed.
Fuel 74.74€
Saturday 6th
Terrific storm last night, thunder and lightening directly overhead for a couple of hours, also quite noisy with trains. Dry but breezy, overcast morning. Went and paid for an hour of internet use 8€ and sent a few emails. Weather not too god so didn’t go anywhere. Watched a film after tea.
Sunday 7th
Sunny and warm when we got up but by the time we’d had breakfast clouded over. We went for a bike ride as far as a lock on the river, watched a couple of barges go through then bought a fresh trout from a fishery. Rode through a village and up into the hills for a while where there was a gathering of bikers then back and BBQ’d the trout which was lovely. After lunch the site manager put the TV on for the Grande Prix so Rich was able to watch that. Shower and early night
Punderich to Burgen 82 miles
Site fees 54€
http://www.camping-burgen.de/
View Larger Map
Mon 8th
Set off for Boppard, not long after we set off we saw about half a dozen vintage Rolls Royces on the road We found ourselves on a narrow twisting road with a 2.5 ton limit, thought it best to turn round, saw a dead red squirrel. In Boppard we found a parking place for Motorhomes but only for daytime not overnight. Walked round and had a look at which river trip we wanted. Had lunch in the square then back to a site we’d passed 5 km away. We had to wait until 3pm until it opened, we were beginning to realise that all sites closed from 1 to 3. It was a nice site, right on river Rhine. Lovely afternoon so sat in the sun, R managed to get the TV working!! Wyn rang to say that he would not now be going to Arnhem. Got talking to a couple from Glossop who were travelling on a motorbike and camping in a tent so they came round for a drink and it was midnight before we got to bed but interesting to have some company.
Tue 9th
Very misty morning but cleared by the time we’d had breakfast. Cycled to Boppard, 5Km. Posted some cards parked bikes in square and booked for a trip on river. While waiting for trip to go had a drink and bought a present to take to S & D when we go to Australia. Trip was fantastic, down to Koblenz and up the Mosel we went through one of the huge locks to Winningen where we stopped for an hour, had a walk round then stopped at a café, the wine was served in glasses like Jan had asked us to look out for so we asked could we buy on, ended up buying 3, 2 for us. By the time the food came we only had 15 mins till boat left, we ate as much as we could then I ran on and Rich followed, we were last on boat! And it was the nicest meal we’d had! The sun shone and it was lovely and warm all day. Back to Boppard and biked back to site. Sat out for a while as it was so warm, game of cards then bed.
www.campingpark-sonneneck.de
Burgen to Boppard 32 miles
Site fees 32.5€
Wed 10th
Up early and went into Boppard again, parked and walked into town where there was a market, a yearly onion market we’d been told but it seemed to be a lot of flower bulbs, daffs, amaryllis, cyclamen etc. There were a lot of stalls selling knives, also a lot of kitchen implements, leather bags, belts and braces and lots of stalls selling dental implements? Plus the usual market type stalls. Carried on for Rudesheim but nowhere to park so carried on, we found a supermarket where we called for a few things then thought we’d go to Hochheim, where we’d been told Hock comes from, (it’s not called Hock in Germany), it was quite a large town an the outskirts on Mainz, we stopped to have a bit of lunch then carried on. Most of the journey was through industrial cities and towns. We ended up on a Stellplatz at Westhofen near Worms on a vineyard. Very quiet and peaceful, there was electricity and nice clean toilets, as well as vines they also seemed to grow cereal as well as keeping deer and chickens. The owner was very friendly and told us a free bottle of wine came with the fee of 5euros, we bought 4, well 3. He had a lovely Dalmatian dog, a year old but very well behaved; he said he trained it every day. He told us a bit about his winery, they were picking the early grapes which aren’t much good and go for the supermarket wine, later they will pick the better, riper grapes for his own wines, they have parcels of land in different places for the different soil type’s thus different grapes, when we told him we were visiting Wyn in Gutersloh he said he didn’t realise that the British Army was still stationed in Germany. The chops I bought at the supermarket were awful so our meal was not very nice, but it was a lovely calm evening so we sat outside for a card game.
Boppard to Westhofen 84 miles
Site fees 5€ (20 inc 4 bottles wine)
View Larger Map
Thurs 11th
Woke to a lovely clear, sunny morning, slept quite late as it was so quiet, we did hear the tractors going out about 6am but went back to sleep. After breakfast we settled up and it came to 20€, think he made the figure up out of his head! Still it was a lovely peaceful site and we’d got 4 bottles of wine. We set off and the route was mostly through towns and cities, Worms, Mainz, Manheim and Pforzheimer, didn’t exactly get lost but had a couple of slip ups but Garmin got us sorted, quite a tiring drive. When we got to the site at Bad Liebenzell, it was a most complicated system of paying, for one night it was a set price either with or without electric, for more than one night you had to pay tax and also for the amount of electricity you used, it seemed to be working out quite expensive so we decided to just stay the one night then push on tomorrow. We sat outside for a while then had tea and sat out again, it was very close and humid and there were lots of gnats about. The site was clean and well run and very prettily sited amongst trees but it would not be easy to get about on the bikes because of the hilly nature of the surrounding countryside.
Westhofen to Bad Leibenzell 97 miles
Site fees 20.14€
View Larger Map
Fri 12th
Grey morning, set off at 9.10, called for fuel. As we left the site we realised it was not as isolated as we’d thought, we’d come in the back way, there were 2 supermarkets and a pretty town very close. As we drove along the motorway it started to rain and was quite heavy for quite a while, it cleared a bit later on. As we came off the motorway we saw a kite very closely, probably a black kite. We arrived at Titisee at 11.20 but not at the site, we found ourselves on a Stellplatz, when we didn’t particularly want one! Took us almost an hour to find the site by which time it was raining again. Booked in and as we were setting up we saw a squirrel in the tree right next to the van, very dark with black tail, then a bit later on we saw a crested tit in the tree. R tried to get the satellite TV working but no luck, it was a miserable damp afternoon so stayed in and read. The site was big and terraced up the hillside off the lake.
Fuel 56€
Sat 13th
Seemed to have rained quite heavily most of the night, still raining when we got up. I went to reception and paid for internet 5€ for 5 hrs, good value I think. Rich spent most of morning getting TV to work standing out in the rain, he seemed to gather a few chums around him to help but he had success!! So he was able to watch Grand Prix practice. The rain stopped but it was still very damp and a heavy mist came down. Watched a bit of TV shower and bed.
Sun 14th
Stopped raining in the night and sun came out, still a bit cool though. Cycled into town, very pretty and touristy. Back to van R watched GP I read, short walk around site, watched a squirrel in tree by rubbish bins.
Mon 15th
Another dry morning but still very cool. Looked at route for next week and decided to leave tomorrow and go into Switzerland. Cycled into Titisee had a walk round and stopped for a drink, it was very warm in the sun and out of the wind I went to the chemist to collect some ointment I had ordered yesterday but it would not be in till 3.45. Went to Chinese Restaurant and had a nice meal then took a trip on lake to fill in time. Cycled back to site.
We went down to the bar on the site and it was very cosy with a lovely log burning fire so we had a drink and a meal.
Bad Leibenzell to Titisee 112 miles
Site fees 68 €
View Larger Map
Tue 16th
Up early and away by 10am, a cool overcast morning again. Set off for Schaffhausen in Switzerland intending to go to a site at Langweisen for a couple of nights, they accept camping cheques so as we have some left to use thought that was what we would do. Arrived at Schaffhausen at 11.00 and walked down to the Reinfalls, the largest waterfalls in Europe. It was very impressive and we had a good look round from various viewpoints, it was cool but not as cold as it had been.
When we were back at van it was only 1pm so Rich suggested we head back for the Rhine as the only reason we’d come to Switzerland was to say we’d been there and to see the falls. Set off and arrived at a stelleplatz near the railway station at Calw at 3.15. Walked into the town which was very pretty, bought a couple of things at a euro shop and then called at a supermarket for a bit of food and drink before getting tea and settling in for night.
Titisee to Schaffhausen 46 miles
Schaffhausen to Calw 103 total 149 miles
Stellplatz free
View Larger Map
Wed 17th
Quite a noisy night, although the trains did not run through the night there was quite a lot of road noise and the Post Office nearby. Quite a bright morning but still cool. Set off at 10.15 and it was motorway most of the way, it turned quite sunny as the morning progressed. We stopped at the Hockenhiem Ring at 11.30 and had a walk round as Rich wanted to look at the circuit. There didn’t seem any way to get close then we saw a stairway leading up to some doors so went up it, at the top the doors were not locked then there was another set which we pushed open and we were in the grandstand, couldn’t have had a better view, took a photo and Rich took some video then thought we’d better go as we were not sure if we should be there. We called at a café and had the meal of the day which was soup and salad and potato pancakes (rossti) it was very nice and good value for 5.50 € . Left at 1.00pm and set off for Westhofen, again mostly motorway, found the stelleplatz at the winery again at about 2.15. Sunny but not warm enough to sit out so lazy afternoon.
Calw to Hochenhiem 67 miles Hochenhiem to Westhofen 47 miles total 114 miles
Fuel 63 €
Site fees 5 € + wine
View Larger Map
Thurs 18th
Up and away by 0920, bought a couple of bottles of wine from owner of vineyard, he said they had finished the first picking and were waiting for a bit more sun to ripen the grapes for the better wine, we don’t think he remembered us from last week, it was a very cold morning 6 degrees. Arrived at Sonneneck the site near Boppard at 10.50, booked in and set up. Cycled into Boppard as we needed some cash, wandered around a bit, bought a glass and a decorative elephant and some beer as we left the town we saw a coach from Wrexham and had a few words with the driver we then cycled back to site. Sat outside in sun then BBQd some meat still nice and sunny but cooled off by 6pm. Game of cards before bed. Nice site but toilets awful, free showers.
Westhofen to Boppard 62 miles
Site fees 18€
View Larger Map
Fri 19th
Misty when we woke up but it soon burned off and it was a lovely, sunny morning, although pretty cool. Sat outside for a cup of tea after breakfast, it was warmer out than in and it was very pleasant watching all the river traffic passing by. There were walnut trees all around the site and everyone was picking them up, including Rich. We left at 12.00 and went back to Burgen on the Mosel, it was still nice and sunny so we sat outside and had a bit of lunch then we cycled down to the nearest village where there was a marina, alongside the cycle path there were more walnut trees and Rich got a few more. Back on the site we sat out again in the sun until it cooled off at about 5oclock. Went to café over the road for a meal, schnitzel & chips. Game of cards before bed.
Boppard to Burgen 20 mile
Site fees 18 €
View Larger Map
Sat 20th
Very misty when we woke but it cleared quite quickly and it was a nice sunny morning. Set off at 10.00 and drove along the Mosel again passed through Cochem but decided not to stop. We found a Stellplatz at Ernst behind a vineyard and restaurant. We walked into the village which was very peaceful and looked like every other property was involved in winemakeing, stopped for a glass of wine at a restaurant by the vines and then walked back through the village and stopped at an Italian restaurant for lunch, pizza for me French onion soup very nice but after having another glass of wine (large) we went back to van and I had a sleep. Went for another walk along the river bank and Rich took his extending handle from the window washer and knocked quite a lot of walnuts off trees! We watched a very large bird in the trees across the river for ages, think it was an eagle. Back to van game of cards and bed.
Burgen to Ernst 17 miles
Site fees 8 €
View Larger Map
Sun 21st
After breakfast walked into village as there was a Walnutfest advertised, there were a few stalls and a band arriving but it didn’t seem ready to start yet. We set of and went to a town, Tries Karden, that we had seen yesterday advertising a Troben Markt, decided to go and see what that was, turned out to be a car boot sale!! After looking round there we went another village, Pommern, where we saw a Winter Hof Fest was advertise, had a walk round that which was a small village version of a wine fest. We then started looking for a Stellplatz for the night, found one at Winningen by a marina, 10€ a night without electric, probably because it was a “yachty” marina. Winningen is the town we visited on the Rhine trip a week or so ago, where we had to leave our meals in case we missed boat back. Walked in to town and had the same meals again which were every bit as good as we remembered but we enjoyed them at our leisure. It had been a grey cool morning but the sun came out later but it was still too cool to sit outside. Had a walk to a site which was across the marina, Rich found more walnuts! Tea then a game of cards before bed
Ernst to Winningen 34 miles
Site fees 10 €
View Larger Map
Mon 22nd
A misty morning again, we set off at 0900 and the sun was burning off the mist until around Bonn where there seemed to be pollution in the air, it was very mixed with sunny spells and even a few spots of rain. Gertie took us the wrong way, probably because Rich had put the wrong destination in!! When we got to Olpe we reset it and found site at Sondern on the shore of Biggesee Reservoir. The site was nice in a lovely wooded area but it was quite cold and grey. We had lunch then took a walk around the site and on the shore of the lake. Saw geese and ducks on the water, many small birds, blue tits, great tits, wagtails and lots of jays. Had a BBQ, R cut his hair. Cards before bed.
Winningen to Sondern 102 miles
Site fees 19.65 €
View Larger Map
Tue 23rd
Rain overnight but not as cold as it had been. Set off for Warstein, scenic route but misty so not much of a view, although we did see a field of deer, we also noticed that the reservoir at Meschede was very low, as had been the lake at Biggesee. We arrived at the Stellplatz just outside the town which was very nice; it all seemed very new a wooden chalet and pond with hard standing for 50 Motorhomes. Had a drink in café which was lovely and warm with log stove then it started to rain so stayed in van. Watched a couple of films.
Sondern to Warstein 46 miles
Site 9 €
View Larger Map
Wed 24th
It stopped raining overnight and was quite bright when we woke up. Set off at 10am and went to the Mohnese Dam. After having a walk round set off for Gutersloh, arrived at 1.20. Parked van then Wyn took us to the NAAFI. When Karen came home from work we went to Mam’s a local “pub” and had a meal.
Warstein to Gutersloh 67miles
View Larger Map
Thurs 25th
Wyn took us to a local “do it yourself” store to get a couple of things, then to an electrical shop where we got some new tapes for camcorder as it had been playing up. In the afternoon we took the dogs for a walk in a lovely beech wood. In the evening we went to the China Garten for a wonderful buffet meal.
Fri 26th
I slept in till 10.45!! Karen came home from work early and we went to Bielefeld and went round Sparrenburg Castle,
there were wonderful views from it as it is built on a high point (Bielefeld Ridge). We had to call at shop to change the camcorder tapes as we had bought the wrong size. In the evening we went to “Greco’s”.
Sat 27th
Wyn & Rich went off to the camp for their “Father & Son’s” day. K & I went to supermarket for groceries, we returned to house for lunch, a cooked chicken we’d bought then we got the train to Beilefeld for an afternoons shopping. The town was very busy and it was a lovely warm, sunny day, we had a good look round the shops, I got a jacket and Karen got a blouse and waistcoat at C & As, Karen also got some boots, we stopped for a hot chocolate then got the train back by the skin of our teeth. W & R got back about the same time as us and had had a great day, Rich got to ride in a Lynx helicopter, drive a Hoskosh, an artic Fuel tanker (huge), and fire on the ranges, a 6mm pistol and an automatic gun. W & R got ready and went to the do in the mess and K & I stayed in, had a Chinese take away and watched TV. The men got in at about 3.30am.
Sun 28th
All up a bit late, another lovely sunny day. K & I went to a garden centre then back to house and got dinner ready, Karen’s friend called round, she had just come back from Iraq and wanted to catch up. Lazy day, lovely roast dinner and early night.
Mon 29th
Got up to see K & W off to work then got ourselves ready and loaded the van and away by 0915, it had rained in the night and was very misty and grey. We rode through mist and a couple of showers but when we got to Hanover it brightened up, the trees alongside the motorway looked beautiful in autumn colours, red, yellow, gold and bronze. We arrived at Wernigerode at 12.50; we booked in and had a bit of lunch then walked into town. It was quite a long walk but worth it as it is a very pretty town, half timbered houses with peaked roofs and shutters painted lots of different colours many had colourful window boxes as well. We walked to the market place and saw a wagon pulled by two large horses; it was going up to the schloss so we had a ride.
It was very steep and quite hard going for the horses, there was a couple on it with us who were German but had lived in Oklahoma for 20 years so he translated a lot of what the driver was telling us. There were spectacular views from the top and we had a look round then walked back down to the town and back to the site, via Aldi. Got tea and it started to rain. Game of cards before bed.
Gutersloh to Wernigerode 167 miles
Fuel 70.1 € Site fee 10 €
View Larger Map
Tue 30th
Up and away by 0940, it was a grey morning and quite misty, it brightened up as the day went on though. We drove through very flat, open countryside and we saw lots of wind farms, we also spotted many birds of prey, kites, buzzards, kestrels, and a field with lots of plovers. There were also lots of gravel pits and cement works. We also encountered numerous road works, sections of motorway coned off and in two of the towns we passed through roads closed, then as we approached our motorway exit that was closed, this made for a very trying drive and then to top it all when we arrived in Colditz we could not get to the site as the road into the town was closed!! We managed, with the help of “Gertie” and a bus driver who did not speak English, to find the site but it appeared to be deserted. We wandered about for a while, tried to make sense of the notices and were just about to give up when a lady arrived, she was the warden and said we could stay for 2 nights even though it was really closed, she told us to leave it where it was, which was in the middle of the road!!!, she was so helpful and friendly that it made up for the awful journey. After lunch it started to rain quite heavily so we decided not to go out. Cooked dinner and had a game of cards before bed.
Wernigerode to Colditz 133 miles
Site fees 25 €
View Larger Map
Wed Oct 1st
It rained heavily in the night and was very windy but it seemed not too bad when we got up. We walked into Colditz through the Tiergarten, a large wooded park, and went to the castle. We asked about a tour in English and were told they would do one in about half an hour, we had a look at the “Escape museum” then went back and waited for the guide, there were three men also wanting an English tour and a group of Germans who were happy to have it in English. The guide was very good and told us the whole story of the escapes and attempted escapes during the war, she also old us a bit about the general history of the castle. Seeing the tunnels, the equipment that the prisoners had made and photographs taken at the time made it all very real and the ingenuity was astounding.
The tour took about 2 hours and after we walked down into the town, found a bank to get some more cash and had a wander around, we found a little café to have some lunch, schnitzel and chips, then we walked back to the van through the woods, saw a black squirrel and a very small frog but very few birds, the weather had been very mixed, trying to rain a couple of times then the sun coming out but it was very blustery all day and later in the afternoon, when we were back in van, it rained again. Cards then bed.
Thurs 2nd
Woke up to a clear morning. Set off at 0925 and arrived in Kassel at 2.30, it was another difficult days driving as we had a couple of diversions again, new motorway nor finished yet. Stopped for fuel, drink and bread on way. Drove through flat, open landscape again, lots of industry, gravel pits, chemical works, pylons and wind farms, we saw lots of birds of prey, at one point we saw about half a dozen buzzards on posts alongside the road, stayed sunny most of the day with just a couple of small showers. We passed a river Thyra which caught my eye because of Dad’s relative; the colours in the trees were spectacular again. When we arrived at the Stellplatz at Kassel it rained for a while, I took a short walk round nearby fields then an early night.
Colditz to Kassel 187 miles
Stelleplatz free
View Larger Map
Fri 3rd
Woke to clear skies but cold. Packed up and left Kassel at 0930, good journey with wonderful colours in trees again, saw 2 dead racoons by roadside (well that’s what we think they were). When we got to Dortmund there were road works and we were held up for about half an hour on single lane traffic, that cleared then when we got to Essen we were held up again for about an hour traffic just crawling in all three lanes there appeared to be no reason for it but it cleared as everyone was exiting at Venlo, we decided it was because it was a German bank holiday and as their shops are closed they were going to the first town over the border to shop. It took us ages to find the site we seemed to go round in circles, after asking 3 times we finally arrived at 2.45, another very difficult days driving, we booked in and set up. I went for a swim in the super pool which was like a hot bath then we had dinner. It had been bright and sunny most of the day but we had a couple of showers after we arrived, it cleared up again in the evening but it was quite chilly.
Kassel to Sevenum 187 miles
Site fees 2 camping cheques plus 14 € for private facilities and 3.80 € tax.
Fuel 73 €
View Larger Map
Sat 4th
We woke to a bright, sunny morning but it was quite chilly, I had a bit of a lie in and Rich cooked himself a fried breakfast. We cycled round the site which was huge with over 2000 plots, there were holiday chalets and also what looked like a proper housing estate of bungalows all sited around various ponds, and we decided to ride into the town, Severnum, which was 5ks. The sun was a nice but wind chilly; it was a long straight cycle path alongside the road. We passed lots of fields of maize and half a dozen small fields with goats, sheep, small ponies and even peacocks, geese and chickens, all very neat and tidy.
The town was quite small and at first glance did not seem to have any shops open, we realised though that the plain windows were actually shops, I went into a craft shop and although it just looked like house windows it was a huge shop, we also went into a caravan accessories dealer which had more stuff than we’d seen anywhere. We cycled back to the site, this time the sun had gone in and the wind was against us so it was hard going. Had a sit down then I went for a swim and then we went for a meal in the restaurant, it was not wonderful but ok, mine was chicken covered in chip sticks!! Early night.
Sun 5th
Very windy overnight. Packed up and away for 0940, drove to Ypres, it rained and was very windy all the way, arrived at 1.00 and walked into the town, we visited the Flanders Fields museum which was very moving and was very well presented.
We then decided to visit a WW1 trench that had been discovered whilst building an industrial estate, it took us ages to find and we went round and round in circles and ended up on back roads, we found it eventually and had a look round in the wind and rain which was very atmospheric.
We had decided to go home a day early as the weather had turned so nasty so we headed for the Aire at Hondschoote that we had used on our first night we arrived there at 5.10. We made sure we used the proper parking place this time!
It was a grey damp evening but a bit warmer than it had been.
View Larger Map
Mon 6th
Got away by 08:30 and made our way to Sainsbury’s near Calais, took a trip round Calais town centre first! Stocked up with wine and fuel then headed for the port, took longer than it should have because Gertie had a fit and was taking us completely the wrong way and we ended up nearly in Boulogne before we realised. We arrived at port at 10:50 and got on the 11:00 ferry, had a meal whilst crossing and then the long, hard slog up the British motorways to arrive home about 5:00, or 4oclock as it was now we were back home, it was clear and sunny all the way home. Hondschoote to Sainsbury’s 36 miles
View Larger Map
Fuel 63 €
Sainsbury’s to Port 30 miles
Dover to Home 259 miles
Total mileage 2838
Ferry Price £74.80
Total Fuel price £450
Total Site Fees £295.70
----------------------------------
Total £820.50
