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  1. #141
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    Nov 2009
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    South Wales UK
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Navarette – Castets (Which didn’t work out!)….

    While our original intention was to go back into France via the same route we took coming over, late this afternoon here in Navarette it started raining and as we are somewhat lower that the road we took coming over, we decided to head back on a road that is kept clear as a large number of Trucks use it to go into France as we also have in previous years, so here goes as we set off! …..

    Sunrise as we left this morning while little did we know what sort of day we would be in for….



    Not long and we are onto the Autovia heading for ‘LO-20’….



    As we pass through part of Logrono….





    Then it was through and out into the countryside to see the Sun’s rays coming out of the clouds….



    While the ‘Wind Farm’ was going nuts in the wind!....



    Just after ‘rush hour’ so this section of road was quiet….



    The village was OK but halfway up the hill is the snowline….



    While over on the other hills there is a lot more…..



    While the towns in the valleys are OK….







    Next BIG city is…..







    As we reach the outskirts….





    As we then bear right to turn left and miss the city centre….



    It’s a bit ‘confusing’ over here Mum!.....



    But we get it right and head off around the west side of the city….







    Traffic Island ‘decoration’….



    Coming to the N121A which is the road the Trucks use between Spain & France….



    As we then went up and ran into this!…..



    That’s a Snowplough!....



    That was SNOWFLAKES hitting the windscreen!.....



    Which was verified by the dashboard outside temperature display and Snowflake, the wobbly picture was caused by the shock! While the
    Clock is still on UK time even though it's one hour ahead over here....



















    As we came through the long tunnel and out the other side the scenery changed dramatically as there was no snow or rain!…..



    But it didn’t last as around the next bend we ran into the next downpour!....



    Which cleared up…



    As we passed this small but nice waterfall…



    Then the weather improved as we got onto the last few miles before the town of Irun and the Spanish-French Border….



    Border Crossing at Irun and also the French Autoroute first Toll Point….



    While thanks to the amount of traffic this carries the ‘Upgrade’ to provide 3 lanes each way continues…..



    Having driven through Biarritz & Bayonne a number of years ago also with a ‘TinTent’ on the back I find using the Autoroute a lot easier and virtually stress free even though it costs around £10 ($15) for the sections we use….











    As we came off at the exit for Magescq (Junction 11) TomTom took us a different way through the village and a couple of side roads that were a bit like the ‘single track’ in Morocco as we then came out opposite this row of houses…..



    Turning right we then proceeded down the opposite side of the Autoroute to …



    Castets and our next campsite….







    As we make our way through the village and arrive at the campsite, I notice that two boxes outside reception are covered in plastic and taped up, while going up to the door I see a notice that says ‘Camping Ferme’ (Closed!)….

    So after a ‘hunting operation’ through both TomTom and the ACSI Camping Card book we find that there is a campsite north of Bordeaux that is ‘open all year’ which is a rarity for France, so off we go….

    This next picture was of a rather nice looking house as we left Castets….



    As we use the alternative route from the Autoroute to go around one of the Toll Booths which is perfectly legal as it is also used by the local French residents as they also objected to having to pay a large fee for this section, the rain starts again and is quite heavy…



    Then 10 minutes later it stops as we head out of the village of Pissos….



    As we get back on the Autoroute we pass the wood yard where there are tree trunks from the very bad storm of a few years ago that ripped up literally thousands of pine trees……



    As we then head towards Merignac which is the airport at Bordeaux….



    Must say that at the time of day we were on the road there was a lot of traffic…



    Not long after thankfully we arrive at the campsite and check in as we are given a plan of the place …..



    While this is what it looks like…..









    Seems like all the ‘Hard Standing’ has been taken by the ‘Campers’ who have significant ‘problems’ when it’s wet and they are Front Wheel drive only….





    Interestingly and very nice was the fact that the showers have a heated floor, with lots of hot water!.....



    Thinking last night about the trip today we made up a Curry and thanks to Le Chef ‘Flamenco Red’ who provided the power which via an Inverter and Slow Cooker cooked the Curry as we travelled along which made a very nice meal tonight.

    BUT we had to have it with Spaghetti as the brown rice that we have has some rather strange ‘small black’ insects crawling around in it, which is weird as the rice is in an airtight container!



    Re-planned the next few days as we are further north than we thought so have decided to continue to another campsite tomorrow and stay for a couple of days there….

  2. #142
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    Nov 2009
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015

    Bordeaux – Chef Boutonne….

    Hey Ho isn’t it nice to be back in Europe and woken to the sound of Rain pitter pattering away on the roof in the morning with no sign of any blue or broken sky!

    While that is how the day started, the night finished off with an electric fire whose element ‘died’!…..

    Still at least we parked on a pathway which was like ‘hardstanding’ on which we have not sunk!

    So after breakfast and the Bordeaux ‘Rush Hour’ that we hope had subsided we set off for our next stop which will be Chef Boutonne and a new place for us as the owner kindly confirmed in a telephone call last night that they are ‘Open’!

    With the conditions as we got onto the Autoroute being not good the amount of traffic was quite heavy, so maybe the ‘Rush Hour’ was still in progress!....



    As we go over the road bridge over the Dordogne River…..



    As we then murkily passed this building which we think is a hotel….



    OK! Listen to ‘Jane’ in the GPS and ‘Keep Left’ as we are heading for Angouleme….



    Off the Autoroute as it became a ‘Toll Road’ and onto a Route National which is having a new High Speed Railway line built alongside it…..



    Then after a reasonable distance on the Route National (RN 910) we bear right and go under the RN 910 and into one of the smaller villages on GPS Co-ordinates supplied from the 2015 Edition of a Dutch Organisation Called ACSI which provide details of campsites and having found one which is 'Open' I punched the co-ordinates into TomTom so we are heading there….



    This Farmer was taking no chances and had all his hay under cover…..



    As we roll along and through a few of the smaller villages…..











    The road starts to get narrower like the single track roads in Morocco….







    Then it looks like a ‘Farm Track’ with no sign of a campsite and we are in the middle of nowhere!.....



    The next picture was at a cross roads of a ‘piste road’ and a single tarmac road with a field in each corner and no sign of a campsite!....

    It turned out that the ACSI Co-ordinates given in the book are wrong and the campsite is actually 16Km (10Miles) away!



    So we then have to turn around, which was no easy task on a narrow road with waterlogged ground either side, while ‘Flamenco Red’ did not let us down and we got around very well to go back the way we came, but heading now for the village of Chef Boutonne….















    Passing the start of the construction of a ‘Wind Farm’ for which I am very glad we did not meet one of the Humungous Trucks that bring the sections of the Tower or Blades to the site as we would have been totally ‘In the Field’!



    Hey Ho, keep going, not far now…..



    Then we get to…..





    Negotiating as you have to, the narrow streets in the town, which a couple have been made One Way as you would never be able to get two cars passed each other the road is that narrow….









    While we pass the main square on our left….





    It’s not much further to the campsite….



    As we finally make it to the entrance….



    And get parked up on a bit of hard standing as the pitches are very wet and not to be used if at all possible, which is why the ‘Camper’ who came in later is parked in the turning area as all the hard standing sections were in use…..



    The report is of more rain tomorrow although at this moment in time it has stopped, so we will have to wait and see but we plan to stay for 2 nights here…

  3. #143
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Chef Boutonne a couple of hours in the town….

    Well as this morning dried off for a couple of hours we went into Chef Boutonne for a look around which was a bit short as the ‘Overhead Sprinkling System’ started up again which curtailed any walking around, but we have some results!

    The plan for a ‘Nature Trail Walk’ but sadly not today, unless you have webbed feet and a very waterproof cover!…..



    So we just went for a look around the Chateaux which was all locked up anyway…..



    The front…..



    Which looks a bit more imposing than the back….



    With a little story on the notice board about ‘The King, the Hermit & the Saint, which is in English, but around 5% of the population around here are English ….



    While on the lake at the rear of the Chateaux are the fishermen who pay an annual licence fee of €65/Year (£48) ($72) and have to supply their own Umbrellas!



    Which in close up are intricately placed to keep you dry!....



    While across the road to the Chateaux presumably the owner not wishing his inhabitants of the village to feel ‘unclean’ provided a ‘Wash-house’ for their clothes, unless it was for all the clothes that the inhabitants of the Chateaux wore each and every day….



    But I must admit that it was rather cold and miserable to think about doing the washing on a day like today, especially while being sat on the stone blocks, makes the nether regions fairly ‘crinkle’ just thinking about it!....





    As we then moved into the centre of Chef Boutonne, and a fine rain started to come down…..





    On the road again tomorrow and back to an Aires that we used coming down but there is no Internet access either there or in the immediate vicinity so it will be a couple of days before the next update can be posted…..Sorry!

  4. #144
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Chef Boutonne - Bonneval….

    Well after a short taste of R&R we are off again while the weather is supposed to be sunshine & cloud with no rain, but we will have to wait and see!

    As we left the campsite we passed this second ‘Wash-house’ in Chef Boutonne…



    The heading back in to the centre of Chef Boutonne we then found ‘TomTom’ got caught out with the one way system and ‘Jane’ requested a ‘Bear left, then in 300 yards turn left’ via a very tight 90 Degree turn into an also very narrow road which was impossible, so we carried straight on and ended up going across country back to the Route National N10 road…..



















    Coming to a new Railway Bridge for the soon to run Fast French Express (TGV) but not sure where it starts off while I think it terminates in Bordeaux….



    In fact for our route north if we could have got down onto the ‘trackless’ pathway that would have done very nicely to get us way up North!.....



    The back on the road to Poitiers…..











    Looks a bit like a ‘Methane Gas Bag’ attached to the Cow Sheds!.....









    Maybe one of the ‘Triffids’ has escaped again, or it’s a mutation from the War of the Worlds, but the legs looked a bit wobbly!.....



    Approaching ‘Tours’….



    But we then take the Bypass around the city…..



    Through a few more little villages…..







    Then into Vendome….





    Bit late with this picture but the whole of this BIG Sheds roof on one side is Solar Panels…..



    As we then pass a new Prison (Correctional Institution)….



    Then a bit further up the road we come into…..





    As we stopped here on the way down but the weather was not very nice to go wandering around in, because today was much better we parked up on the Aire and set off around the town which is also known as ‘Little Venice’….



    First stop was to see the Ducks on the little waterways, and by stopping to look at them….



    The rest start paddling up to see you as they think and hope that you have food for them!.....



    Off into the centre first…..



    We come to the shop that was being ‘dressed up’ in the Christmas theme, which has now turned to Weddings with a rather fancy wedding cake….



    While back on the waterways we come to the French ‘Wadi’ which are thick metal plates held on large ‘I’ beams of steel which rattle when a car goes over!.....



    While the water that flows underneath the ‘Wadi’ is controlled from these gates and the upper level of water…..







    OK, so how old was this tree?



    Seems the town is twinned with Allendorfer Platz in Germany….

























    Then it was time to head back from our evening meal before it got dark as we are off again tomorrow on our last full day in France and up to Montreuil….

  5. #145
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Bonneval – Montreuil sur Mer….

    Well after that rather nice day yesterday we paid the price last night and this morning.
    It was extremely cold last night as the 2 ‘Camping Cars’ (One either side of us) seemed to have their ‘Heaters’ which I think run on Diesel Fuel, running all night, whereas we settle for a thick duvet and a nice Hot Water bottle! Eeee that makes yer toes curl!
    But ‘Flamenco Red’ was not so fortunate and the windscreen was white in the morning!....



    Then it was off through a few more little villages……









    As we came to the outskirts of the town of Dreux…..



    With its high rise flats…..



    And Green LARGE Plantpots on the traffic island…..



    Then back into the smaller villages….

















    As it seems the Vikings have been in this area which is a bit far inland…..





    As we then see the ‘Escaped Cows’…..



    But they are quite safe as they are really ‘plastic’ and not real…..



    Then approaching the city of Rouen, which is not my favourite place to get through as I think the road system leaves a lot to be desired for both layout and signs for directions, we see that the graffiti artists have been working in the railway sidings……



    While the engine on the right hand side of the next picture was badly damaged by fire which being in the front line paints a good picture to would be passengers!......



    Rouen Cathedral and centre……



    As we then start to make our way out of the city….



    While getting clear you pass through this tunnel…..



    As you then pass through a few more villages…..









    Finally coming to the left hand turn for Montreuil…..





    Then it’s up the main street with a right turn into the road for the Aires…..



    Early start tomorrow as we head for Le Manche and the train under the water and back to the UK, so we wandered into town for a nice Pizza , then back to the ‘TinTent’ for our final night in France and this tour…..

  6. #146
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    Nov 2009
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    Overland to Morocco.
    Winter 2014-2015


    Montreuil sur Mer - Home to South Wales….

    Rise and shine at 05:00hrs (Which is 04:00hrs in the UK) then after a warm drink even though the temperature last night was quite mild you need a warm drink to kick off the day with, then it was set everything up for the final leg of this tour.

    So to the strains of Status Quo and ‘Rolling Home’ along with a dark picture as Sunrise had not yet happened we hit the road ‘With a full tank of Gas!’ heading to the next stop and Le Manche…..



    After just over an hour we are nearly there as daylight creeps over the horizon…..



    Maybe for the last time I have ‘Jane’ in TomTom bending my ear saying ‘Take the exit’! (Must see at some point if she gets ‘MAD’ if I miss it and carry on!) as we head onto the road to ‘Check In’…..



    While there in front is the ‘Check In’ after which is the Douane for both French & UK along with the Border Control and I must say that on this occasion the security checks were more thorough…..





    As we make our way around one of the Motorways this ‘Thing’ passes us that looks like it had just climbed out of a waterlogged swamp which was not impossible with all the rainwater lying around…..



    Then as all the road we were on was the same as our last trip except there were a few more traffic cones and speed restrictions due to work being carried out supposedly to ‘improve’ and make this a ‘Smart Motorway’ I settled for the sign that told us we had to pay a toll to get back into the land in which we live!
    How kind!



    Then it was ‘Up & Over’ the Second Severn Crossing…..





    The having paid our £6.50 to get through the barrier we see the best bit…..



    So all it leaves me to say is

    ‘Thank you’ for joining us on this tour, we hope you have enjoyed coming along, but now ‘The Fat Lady is Singing’ cos it’s the end…….

    While for those who like a few statistics here goes…..

    Total Mileage: 7263Miles (11688Km)
    Gazole used: 1187Ltr (261UK Gallons) (313US Gallons)
    Our Budget was £5.6K for everything over 107 Days while we actually spent 58% of that.
    Total Pictures taken is something over 3,000 (I lost count when Photobucket told me to make a new ‘folder’!)

    While once again the reliability, comfort and safety of ‘Flamenco Red’ was excellent, so as we are now back home it’s time for some TLC, as well as on the ‘TinTent’…..

    Cheers till next time!!

  7. #147
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
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    Thank you very much for your work in giving us the trip in photos. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am sad that it is done.

    Looking forward to what you have up your sleeve next.

  8. #148
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    Quote Originally Posted by ssicarman View Post
    Thank you very much for your work in giving us the trip in photos. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am sad that it is done.

    Looking forward to what you have up your sleeve next.
    Hi ssicarman!

    You are more than welcome.

    While we are also a bit sad it is over, it was very nice to come home to the 4 walls and roof.

    Up my sleeve next and already planned is a return to Scandinavia and looking at their weather I am rather glad there is still plenty of 'Meat' on those Nokian Tyres that I had fitted to Flamenco Red, while the tyres on the 'TinTent' will be replaced, hopefully this week if the overhead watering can stays off for long enough to let me get the darn wheels off!

  9. #149
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Bella Coma BC Canada
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    93

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    what a trip thanks for the great pictures
    just a few questions
    Is the Flamenco Red a diesel automatic? what size engine?
    What Camera did you folks use?

    thanks for letting me sit in the kids seat in the back
    cheers
    Hank

  10. #150
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    Nov 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Da Tow'd View Post
    what a trip thanks for the great pictures
    just a few questions
    Is the Flamenco Red a diesel automatic? what size engine?
    What Camera did you folks use?

    thanks for letting me sit in the kids seat in the back
    cheers
    Hank
    Hi Hank!

    Our pleasure, glad you enjoyed the ride and didn't need any Valium as it seems a few folks did!

    'Flamenco Red' is a Diesel ('Oil Burner') Manual 'Cog Box' of 6 speeds & a 2.4Ltr engine.

    While my good lady used a Panasonic 3CCD Video Camera that also takes good still pictures, I used (When I wasn't driving!) a Pentax Optio W90.

    We hope you enjoyed the seat in the back which was actually a full size version as no kids can come with us as they might get a bit squeamish with the roads we travel over!

    Best wishes

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