Two Go to Provence

[Lenny HB]

Mrs DBK has used shredded Brussels sprouts in a stir-fry, treating them as baby cabbages. I doubt this would work with tinned ones though.

 

[Lenny HB]

Charlie will post something on his blog soon along the lines of One Dog goes to Provence which added to our two makes up the three of us.

I think Charlie will have suffocated with you two eating tinned sprouts.

 

[DBK]

Fine dining chez PVC tonight although the Super U beefburger lacked flavour. We may need to spend more next time!

We wanted to buy some small salad potatoes but couldn't find any so we bought a box of frozen microwave chips instead. We don't have a microwave but they were fine heated in the conventional oven.

Parked next to us is a Magellan 540 which is a remarkably compact French PVC. In just 5.4m they squeeze in a transverse double bed, toilet/shower cubicle, dining area and kitchen. There's probably a wardrobe opposite the loo as well but the photos I found online didn't show that area. If you can fit on the bed it has the advantage it will just about fit in a car parking space. A 2CV of PVCs!

I couldn't find a banana so dog added for scale.

 

[Figaro]

Has it got a mini satellite dish or is that attached to a motorhome behind ?

 

[DBK]

Has it got a mini satellite dish or is that attached to a motorhome behind ?

Yes it does and it is a mini one too. Not cheap, there are different models but prices for a new one start at €70K but then new Murvis are around £70K these days.

I perhaps should say the above prices are for the whole PVC not the satellite dish.

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[f6c]

Late caching up with your adventure Enjoy.

 

[nicholsong]

DBK Have a nice trip. Such a pity I am not in Toulouse (Balma) anymore. But just in case ... I will take pics of the campsite we have here in Valence d'Agen (82400)and will make a complete description on the devoted forum.
I've been of no use last year indeed when you broke down. I was so busy with all sorts of problems! Hopefully nothing wrong will happen this time.
Just a little check..... : Bonjour Monsieur, où comptez vous vous arrêter en cours de route? Avez vous déjà planifié tous vos arrêts? (Of course, usually I say TU, not VOUS, but wanted to test you a bit!) Tut tut tut, no google translation please!!!

Amicalement
Frankie

Frankie, what is Tut, tut, tut in French please?

 

[nicholsong]

John

I like your expression '2CV of PCVs'

 

[yodeli]

Frankie, what is Tut, tut, tut in French please?

It comes from the sound we make to imitate a car horn. Of course it doesn't sound exactly like your "u" We usually say tuuuuuuuuuuuut when it's an "angry" horn. Here it's a bit of a warning, something like "hep hep don't do this!"

 

[Dart]

DBK, regarding salad potatoes, the French red variety "Cherie" are usually good although they do need peeling & chopping. They have a yellow, waxy flesh, hold their shape well and keep ok without sprouting.

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[DBK]

These trips usually start with a photo from the ferry queue in Plymouth. For a change this one is ending with a shot of us waiting for the ferry in Roscoff. The Armorique is already here and just visible in the distance in the shot below although we won't be allowed to board until after lunch.

We left the aire at Cléder on Wednesday morning but after a couple of kilometres an amber "Check engine" warning light came on and the engine seemed to lack power and was running a little roughly.

Fast forwarding a bit and after my OBD reader reported a short circuit on injector number 2 we are returning home today. The engine is now running perfectly and the warning light is no longer coming on but I'm not risking breaking down again. Something is not right. A set of Fiat injectors is likely to be over £1K and after a bit of reading this may not be the issue. It could be the loom or something electronic. By getting us back home I can get it looked at by a garage I know and after it has been repaired we could well return to France next month. If this had happened in the depths of France we might have been tempted to carry on but happening within touching distance of Roscoff it was pretty clear getting an early ferry was the best choice.

Rearranging the ferry was done online and was a painless process. I mentioned at the start of this Thread I had booked both legs of the crossing as singles, not a return, this gives you the flexibility to change the return leg which you can't with a return ticket.

We stayed at the CCP aire a couple of kilometres west of Roscoff which has some large beaches and a small protected reserve nearby which has several concrete bunkers from WW2.

A visit to the vet was arranged in Pol de Leon, Clinique Kerzouvet, which I recommend. It is within walking distance of the large gravel car park by the Super U. Charlie had his worming tablet and a rabies vaccination with a 3 year validity. There was a one year vaccination available but the vet offered the 3 year jab which also includes cover for "other diseases" but this needs a second jab in a month. I'll talk to Charlie's usual vet about this later.

And that's about it. We are not too upset, driving on fearing a major breakdown at any time would not have been enjoyable. We will regroup and return as they say.

 

[Figaro]

Ah no, sorry to hear that news especially after your problems last year.
Hoping it's an easy fix and not too painful on the wallet

Regarding booking separate crossings, I'd not heard before about the flexibility that offers, is that with BF ?
Do you pay a premium for doing it that way?
I guess it worked in your favour this time

 

[MichaelT]

Oh no not again, sorry to hear this hope you get it sorted.

 

[Stoosal]

Sorry to hear that. Right decision. Hoping it’s a minor issue, can be resolved and you can set off again soon.

 

[chaser]

Sorry to hear that again, but there was something a while ago about a cable that was too short , hope it's that and you will be on your way again.
After our experience last year and getting over the initial stress we found that french garages are nothing to be afraid of , we are very happy with our repair, the gearbox is better now than it ever was.

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[Just smiffy]

 

[carolyn]

How very disappointing but I don’t blame you. Last year turned into a bit of a nightmare. I hope your local garage finds a specific problem rather than it being one of those wretched mystery intermittent things.

 

[Grianan]

Sorry to hear this. Fingers crossed it is straightforward and your garage can fix it so you can return next month …

 

[scousebird]

Sorry to hear you're having to go home. I hope it's a simple fix and you're back on the French roads soon.

 

[gus-lopez]

. A set of Fiat injectors is likely to be over £1K and after a bit of reading this may not be the issue

Common problem John & same on peugeot & Citroën's. Usually the wiring connections to the injector are so tight that they pull & allow damp in & develop a misfire. as you have found they can 'heal' themselves. Often just removing & cleaning is enough but the correct fix , as happened to a friend when he was here, is that they fit 4 new extended injector plugs & solder them on ,so lengthening the wiring.It should have been a mandatory recall as it went on for about 15 years.

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[bellabee]

Very disappointing for you, but the right decision.
I hope it's an easy fix and you'll be able to get away again soon.

 

[royandsharont]

So sorry to read about your dilemma, good decision I think, I would have done the same.

I appreciate your comments about not being able to amend a return homeward booking but surely that cannot be true. You must be able to amend it, even if there are restrictions such as by phone only and paying a fee.

I forgot to do two tickets this time over but would be sadly disappointed if I needed to return home earlier than booked and couldn’t do it at all. Can you please clarify DBK

 

[carolyn]

So sorry to read about your dilemma, good decision I think, I would have done the same.

I appreciate your comments about not being able to amend a return homeward booking but surely that cannot be true. You must be able to amend it, even if there are restrictions such as by phone only and paying a fee.

I forgot to do two tickets this time over but would be sadly disappointed if I needed to return home earlier than booked and couldn’t do it at all. Can you please clarify DBK

If you book 2 singles on a flexi return you can change your booking right up to 4 hours before the time of the crossing for free online. This is handy if it’s a weekend or late evening. Obviously the crossing itself may well have gone up so you may have to pay more.

You can of course phone but that may or may not be a palaver and it will cost more.

Flexi tickets are sometimes on offer. We bought ours for the summer at the same price as the standard fare.

 

[lorger]

Sorry to hear of your issues, hopefully as gus-lopez says it’s an easy fix and you get back out soon.

 

[KASPAR]

So sad to read this. Thank you for taking the time to take us with you, particularly under the circumstances

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[suavecarve]

Will Banon still be on the agenda for 19th next month ?

 

[f6c]

What a Bugger in France and Straight back Home

 

[MichaelT]

So sorry to read about your dilemma, good decision I think, I would have done the same.

I appreciate your comments about not being able to amend a return homeward booking but surely that cannot be true. You must be able to amend it, even if there are restrictions such as by phone only and paying a fee.

I forgot to do two tickets this time over but would be sadly disappointed if I needed to return home earlier than booked and couldn’t do it at all. Can you please clarify DBK

Tunnel charges us 50 quid to change our return hence them.not getting any more of our business along with the hassle you get

 

[DBK]

Ah no, sorry to hear that news especially after your problems last year.
Hoping it's an easy fix and not too painful on the wallet

Regarding booking separate crossings, I'd not heard before about the flexibility that offers, is that with BF ?
Do you pay a premium for doing it that way?
I guess it worked in your favour this time

Two singles are the same price as a return.

 

[DBK]

So sorry to read about your dilemma, good decision I think, I would have done the same.

I appreciate your comments about not being able to amend a return homeward booking but surely that cannot be true. You must be able to amend it, even if there are restrictions such as by phone only and paying a fee.

I forgot to do two tickets this time over but would be sadly disappointed if I needed to return home earlier than booked and couldn’t do it at all. Can you please clarify DBK

I'm only going by what I've read on the Brittany Ferries passenger group on FB but I confess I've not had to amend a return crossing up until now.

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