2018 anniversary trip 200 / 100 max miles per day for 22 days

[Lenny HB]

A belated :-

 

[DavidG58]

Bit of a catch up, the gorge du Verdon is a beautifully remote place, with which comes limited internet, nowhere near enough to upload camera taken photos

So Thursday night A + R joined us at the Vielle Ferme camp site, but we decided camp site life wasn't for us we wanted scenery, so next morning settled up

€76 for 2 nights, €30 for us on first night, €46 for second due to 2 more people and an extra car

They even charge for water at the service point the only way to get free water is to use the site taps with no connections, so watering cans, so we headed back to Castelanne knowing the aire barrier was up so free refill there, although I did let the camp site have our black waste, seemed only right

Ordered bread on camp site, which was actually fairly priced 3 x rustique pain €3.90

First stop off site was for fuel as light was well back on again and we now have no reserve , no problem, I had checked on my own wifi (due to site charges ) and found an LPG option nearby, so full of diesel inc 10 litres back in can €100 exactly, then LPG 26 litres, €17 not bad for 10 nights with only one being above zero, although 4 nights on hook up

bit budget busting, but €16 charged back to A + R, but 2 days budget blown on site and fuel

But we are now back at Castelanne actually back in the very same spot we parked the other night but now with A + R, I then went with them for a drive round the gorge Bev very happily staying behind

First stop which actually gave us the best views of the lot, about 1000' up from where we parked the MH, the road does have a 3,5T limit so Bev would not have been happy for us to be up there, although the road would easily take it, some of the edges are not well protected and its a seriously long way down, a few shots taken on the journey round

First one of Bev from about 3km away back at MH

I love the big scenery, but do have issues with heights, it certainly makes bits of me tingle, my girls call it FFF, not sure what the male equivalent is but FPF maybe

 

[icantremember]

Love the photos David

 

[Debs]

Deleted: I've just found the thread that answered my Q's

 

[funflair]

It Is indeed quite spectacular David I think you would appreciate it even more if you went all the way round on a bike,

Looks like I was a bit lighter in those days

Martin

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[DavidG58]

Morning all absolutely beautiful day here full blue sky and sunny but -3C

Reopened the Alde debate again, we are on Gerry’s private aire in Cadtelanne and opted for electrics but weren’t sure how many amps, so set Alde to 2kw but left gas option on as well. Set overnight thermostat to 14C which barely ran but was when I just got up to let Lola out

We have a plume of steam from the Alde vent which says to me it is working off the gas maybe as well as electric? Although I have just had another thought, one of the second level controls on ours automatically detects amps available, no idea how, I might have set that to only use electric if 16A that might account for using 22 litres of gas in 10 days with 4 of them on electric

Will revisit that setting and maybe turn gas option off to see what happens

 

[icantremember]

Will revisit that setting and maybe turn gas option off to see what happens

I expect yours is the same, but on our Alde system we can set "priority" to either gas or electric .. If set to electric, it should only call on gas if electric not capable of getting to set temperature.

 

[DavidG58]

I did of course mean the private aire that Gerry used, I don’t think he owns it

We are just off to the town aire to refill and take a ‘stroll’ to Dave and Jacs church that looks serious effort but will try , without Lola though

While I think about it Phil @Scout these are less needed now but for first time this trip we did, a 2 pin adaptor to 16A

 

[DavidG58]

This is the Castelanne town centre aire normally charged at 6.50 euro but barrier open apparently as winter, toilets locked but tap and dump open, we didn’t actually stay but have parked and used facilities

Just off for our walk now 6C lovely day for a walk \ climb

 

[lorger]

I did of course mean the private aire that Gerry used, I don’t think he owns it

We are just off to the town aire to refill and take a ‘stroll’ to Dave and Jacs church that looks serious effort but will try , without Lola though

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While I think about it Phil @Scout these are less needed now but for first time this trip we did, a 2 pin adaptor to 16A

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I wouldn't mind owning it David, glad you found it and although it's basic I thought it was good value for money and the guy in the museum is a lovely fella.
We walked up to the church and really enjoyed it, they leave it open so you can visit inside you might even see our name on the visitor book

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[DavidG58]

only done about 30 miles today, loved almost all of them

drove into Castelanne and climbed the rock to the church, this now needs to become a funsters must do (with proof) sign the church book (proven for Gerry and Lorraine) or photo a la Brewery Dave et moi

then we drove to Everaux,another lovely drive on a new road

this village in the distance looks like a hindu temple or similar

this little beauty, a crested tit right next to where we stopped for lunch

the arrival at Everaux tried very hard to take us down a very bad road option, anybody else coming here to the aire, follow signs to the station car park not the route on camper contact

luckily after crossing the bridge I didn't take the left turn for the car park, which although the right direction was totally inappropriate for MH's

tomorrow we are going to have another go at lunch in Eze

 

[Carol]

David really enjoying your photos, what spectacular scenery.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Well done for making it up to the church, it looked a long way from the aire at the bottom. It was 40° when we parked there backed up to the river.

 

[Lenny HB]

Looks like you are having a great trip and good weather for the time of year.

You have let us Funsters down today -
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You haven't broken anything .

 

[DavidG58]

Well done for making it up to the church, it looked a long way from the aire at the bottom. It was 40° when we parked there backed up to the river.

It’s 165m higher than the aire in a 1km walk although it did seem a lot longer with virtually every pace involving a rough stone step up / down, took about 60 minutes up and 30 back down

Totally agree with you on temperature though, it was 13C for us and we could have done it in T shirts

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[DavidG58]

Little update on Everaux, the aire is listed in CAmper Contact but there are no signs at all when you get here, it is right beside the railway and is the station car park but we only saw three trains yesterday from 5 when we arrived and all the station lights went out st 10

It is nearly 8 on Monday morning still not been a train yet today

We walked across road to the old town which TT did its best to get me to turn through a 6 ft wide 12 ft high arch where traffic is prohibited just before CC route guidance via the app did it’s best to get us stuck the other side of the road

We had a budget bending 2 rounds of drinks for 36 euros, I think if we came back here we would use car park as that and overnight elsewhere although it had been safe and quiet enough

 

[funflair]

Hi @DavidG58 do you mean Entrevaux?

Martin

 

[DavidG58]

Hi @DavidG58 do you mean Entrevaux?

Martin

I do indeed sorry, I think it sounds like a piece of meat so no idea how I mixed that up

 

[Langtoftlad]

Loving your trip so far

 

[funflair]

I do indeed sorry, I think it sounds like a piece of meat so no idea how I mixed that up

Hi David, Thanks I just spent 30 minutes trying to find it, you are seriously taking us down memory lane, OR should that be memory valley, we cycled down the Var through Entrevaux and then up and over the Col de Turini and eventually ended up at the harbour front in Monte Carlo fantastic trip.

Martin

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[Taran_Las]

Loving your trip so far

Me too​

 

[gus-lopez]

Yes ,even though I rarely comment am loving the scenery & photos you are posting.

 

[DavidG58]

On our way to Eze, where we went about 30 years ago last, at home we have a collection of miniature houses bought as a momento of the visit / holiday, in Eze we found a shop selling everything from one house to little villages made up of individual pieces, we deliberated for ages and nearly bought a whole (small) village but ended up buying just one piece

Looking out of the MH this morning I said to Bev, look at that house on the hillside what do you think?

Like me she said the one we bought in Eze

It will probably be nothing like, but is classically French particularly in the hilly bits that we like

 

[DavidG58]

We made it to Eze but what a nightmare just parking, no MH signs everywhere but we got lucky with a meter space, actually 2 spaces but we bought 2 tickets

Then we all wandered into the old town in search of our bar with a view

We found the only place it could have been to find it is now named Chateau Eze with prices to match

Meals were 50 euros main course with starters and sweets 25 each, decided we were not hungry enough for that kind of bill, but I agreed to buy a beer each

Walked through bar area to the much bigger than I recall balcony sat and waited for service reviewing prices 20 Euro for a 33 cl beer decided it was worth it for the moment, but got fed up waiting, took a photo

As we left a bemused looking girl who we then realised we had seen her having a smoke outside, asked something and got Bevs best French telling we had waited 10 minutes and were going somewhere else

I was at least 80 Euro better off but no beer

 

[funflair]

We made it to Eze but what a nightmare just parking, no MH signs everywhere but we got lucky with a meter space, actually 2 spaces but we bought 2 tickets

View attachment 214159

View attachment 214160

Then we all wandered into the old town in search of our bar with a view

View attachment 214163

View attachment 214164

We found the only place it could have been to find it is now named Chateau Eze with prices to match

Meals were 50 euros main course with starters and sweets 25 each, decided we were not hungry enough for that kind of bill, but I agreed to buy a beer each

Walked through bar area to the much bigger than I recall balcony sat and waited for service reviewing prices 20 Euro for a 33 cl beer decided it was worth it for the moment, but got fed up waiting, took a photo

View attachment 214174

View attachment 214175

As we left a bemused looking girl who we then realised we had seen her having a smoke outside, asked something and got Bevs best French telling we had waited 10 minutes and were going somewhere else

I was at least 80 Euro better off but no beer

Well done David, I am reading this to Jen and she says "and he got at us for buying coffee in Honfleur" I said "hang in we haven't got the the end of the story yet" I like a happy ending.

Martin

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[BreweryDave]

Bit late, just caught up, but here’s my evidence of the climb up Mt.Everest at Castellane I was parked second from the left.

 

[DavidG58]

You had already posted photographic proof Dave but I did also look for your names in the church visitors book and couldn’t see them

 

[BreweryDave]

You had already posted photographic proof Dave but I did also look for your names in the church visitors book and couldn’t see them

Errrrr, that was FB

And as for the church, not sure if I went in, would probably immediately be struck by lightening...........I tend to avoid them

 

[DavidG58]

morning all just couple more posts of the 'sort of aire' at Entrevaux

After Eze yesterday we went in search of an aire to dump and if possible refill, one was shown on the other side of the river on the main road in from Nice, not brilliant reviews, but we really only wanted to dump anyway, we managed to take a wrong road out of Nice which then made it a 30 mile trip instead of about 8 but no problem as dumping was quite critical with 4 on board

Eventually got to it, a very small area behind large kerbs right beside the road, but chocka full, must have been 8/9 inside and not even a chance to get our nose in to look and nowhere to pull up, so drove past having taken the massive detour back to our agreed rendezvous at Le Clerc. what should have been about 45 miles in the day was now nearer to 100

Went into the super marche and headed for Flunch, but too late in the day, every thing looked dry or grey, or dry and grey so we passed on that, next door was a very expensive pay by piece Asian self service restaurant, looked like a decent plate would have cost €30

So good old McD's got the vote, quick scoff and back to MH to review where to overnight and have some cheese, bread and wine

By the time we got outside it was dark and raining so agreed that right where we was good enough, a couple of other MH's were parked in same area, although I think 2 might live there, as we realised later along with a few cars and vans with make do blackout devices of cardboard and plastic that appeared over the windows. It was far from my first choice but would do, although about 10 as the shop closed a row broke out raised voices quite close and we could see one of them had a knife, but it all calmed down and we decided to stay and get to bed as A + R were off at 05:00 for a 6:30 flight and straight to work for Annie

In daylight it was more obvious a lot of people seem to live in vehicles and as we drove away we noticed a few groups of vehicles that presumably housed similar, they could have been French, were not black but more likely eastern Europeans by looks alone, we also had beggars at every set of lights today, but not threatening at all just walking up the lines of cars with a begging cup

A + R left on time, we got a couple of hours more sleep and have moved on, still very much now needing to dump and refill, this area is not going to be on our must come back quickly areas, there are hardly any aires, masses of no MH signs, so heading for Frejus and beyond for tonight, just stopped for coffee and a break, the area does have one lovely feature close to Cannes is a village claiming to be home to Mimosa, a lovely early blooming yellow flowered tree and there are loads everywhere just coming into flower

had a very odd and mildly scary event in Cannes, we were in a very tight right turn lane when a van suddenly changed lanes from a left turn lane into ours, forcing me up a very high kerb (offside rear wheels only) which came down with a crash, further up road we ended up alongside him at traffic lights, Bev gave him a glare, him and passenger gave us a lot of single finger salutes, we then realised we needed to be in the lane he was but were now a few car lengths ahead both lanes queuing, a van very kindly let us in. Then we heard a bang, banger type noise, I immediately presumed we had a rear tyre blowout following the kerb collision, Bev says she thought she saw a fire cracker. I stop and check, there is no flat tyre we now presume the van driver or passenger threw a fire cracker at us but at least they drove on past us and it didn't develop further

We are now back on back roads with much less traffic and loving it again, but the Riviera can do without us, although I am just thinking my refusal to pay tolls is getting a bit much, as we pulled off a free section of motorway a sign said Frejus 14mns, it is only 20 miles but has taken us an hour on windy A roads but cross country

Just trying to spot an aire other side of Frejus have found a service point aire at les Arcs, once sorted there we can also shop as it is a Super U, then find a pretty overnight option where we might feel more welcome

 

[Riverbankannie]

Not sure whether to like above post, sounds a bit of a nightmare to me.
Nice pictures though. Hope you have a less eventful day today.
I’ll put a like in for the photos

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