Like many others, we have opted to look for some winter warmth in Portugal and Spain this winter. Last January we drove through frozen France before entering Spain and heading to Denia. There we spent the whole of February in Denia.
Lovely as it was, we have decided this year that our main destination will be Portugal, though depending on the weather, we may end up in Spain again possibly even Denia. The site there is over subscribed and spaces are at a premium. Our position there last year got little sun and we got a bit fed up of it being not quite warm enough. So, this year, we have abandoned the idea of Denia but things could change!
Our drive down from York to Newhaven was as boring as ever but no real holdups. We arrived at Newhaven in the dark, the last hour or so being the least pleasant. After a reasonable night’s sleep, we boarded the 11 a.m. ferry for Dieppe. The boat was only about a quarter full but there were a few motorhomes, though no Funsters that I could spot. The Bailey Approach in front of us in the queue was our neighbour last night.
The Seven Sisters fast disappearing as seen from the ferry
We were the last through French customs but as there were so few vehicles, the delay was minimal. We drove one hour to Yvetôt where we spent the night on a free aire. The service borne was unfortunately turned off.
Then a supposed 3.5 hour drive to Pellouailles Les Vigns which took 5.5 hours. The black water drain was too disgusting to use (why put narrow bars across a toilet drain?) and the fresh water was turned off. But the night was cold( -4°) but peaceful and there is nice boulanger across the road. Also in the small village is a honey shop where we bought some lovely honey, sold by the apiarist who was keen to let us taste his products and his prices were pretty reasonable.
Another long day on French motorways to spend a night at a campsite so we could shower, empty the cassette and fill up with fresh water. We wouldn’t normally spend so much time on boring motorways but it is soo cold, we really wanted to head south asap. We appreciate we miss out a lot of interesting France doing this. The absence of traffic is one bonus driving in frozen France.
At Camping Main Blanc, Saint Christoly de Blaye, just north of Bordeaux we spent a lovely evening before hot showers in a sanitaire block heated with a wood-burning stove. It was lovely and warm and after the hot shower, I ran the 20 yards back to the van with just a towel around my waist in sub-zero temperatures. The van is filthy after the drive down through sleet and icy roads. I’ll clean it when I can.
One of the pleasures of these trips is meeting other Funsters. We arrived at Urrugne on the Spanish border today and checking in just after us at Camping Larouletta was LeonC . It was lovely to meet Sally and Leon and they too are staying here for a couple of days to rest a while, after long drives from Caen. They are also heading to Portugal and like us, have not yet finalised their destination. It was 16° here this afternoon which made a nice change from the grey and very cold weather in France.
The sun at Urrugne made a welcome change to dreary, frozen France.
Haven’t taken many photos as there hasn’t been much of interest so far.
Lovely as it was, we have decided this year that our main destination will be Portugal, though depending on the weather, we may end up in Spain again possibly even Denia. The site there is over subscribed and spaces are at a premium. Our position there last year got little sun and we got a bit fed up of it being not quite warm enough. So, this year, we have abandoned the idea of Denia but things could change!
Our drive down from York to Newhaven was as boring as ever but no real holdups. We arrived at Newhaven in the dark, the last hour or so being the least pleasant. After a reasonable night’s sleep, we boarded the 11 a.m. ferry for Dieppe. The boat was only about a quarter full but there were a few motorhomes, though no Funsters that I could spot. The Bailey Approach in front of us in the queue was our neighbour last night.
The Seven Sisters fast disappearing as seen from the ferry
We were the last through French customs but as there were so few vehicles, the delay was minimal. We drove one hour to Yvetôt where we spent the night on a free aire. The service borne was unfortunately turned off.
Then a supposed 3.5 hour drive to Pellouailles Les Vigns which took 5.5 hours. The black water drain was too disgusting to use (why put narrow bars across a toilet drain?) and the fresh water was turned off. But the night was cold( -4°) but peaceful and there is nice boulanger across the road. Also in the small village is a honey shop where we bought some lovely honey, sold by the apiarist who was keen to let us taste his products and his prices were pretty reasonable.
Another long day on French motorways to spend a night at a campsite so we could shower, empty the cassette and fill up with fresh water. We wouldn’t normally spend so much time on boring motorways but it is soo cold, we really wanted to head south asap. We appreciate we miss out a lot of interesting France doing this. The absence of traffic is one bonus driving in frozen France.
At Camping Main Blanc, Saint Christoly de Blaye, just north of Bordeaux we spent a lovely evening before hot showers in a sanitaire block heated with a wood-burning stove. It was lovely and warm and after the hot shower, I ran the 20 yards back to the van with just a towel around my waist in sub-zero temperatures. The van is filthy after the drive down through sleet and icy roads. I’ll clean it when I can.
One of the pleasures of these trips is meeting other Funsters. We arrived at Urrugne on the Spanish border today and checking in just after us at Camping Larouletta was LeonC . It was lovely to meet Sally and Leon and they too are staying here for a couple of days to rest a while, after long drives from Caen. They are also heading to Portugal and like us, have not yet finalised their destination. It was 16° here this afternoon which made a nice change from the grey and very cold weather in France.
The sun at Urrugne made a welcome change to dreary, frozen France.
Haven’t taken many photos as there hasn’t been much of interest so far.
Last edited:
Bob.
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