We’re off again! This time heading south through France and down towards Spain with no real plan or timeline. Just see how far we get before we have to turn around.
We were rudely awoken by our alarm, diligently set for 4am, for a 5am departure. It was tipping it down with rain as we bundled the last of our bits in our Van, got The Pup settled and headed down the lane in the pitch darkness. A bit of a shock not having a glowing dawn breaking over the hills, but it is September. We jumped onto the M6 and headed south, the motorway heavy with traffic even at this hour of the morning. The rain was incessant – easing off, then a deluge – not easy in the dark. Lorries threw up spray and it was hard work. Dawn finally broke and with the rain petering out, we pulled into Norton Canes services for a Costa breakfast and a welcomed cup of coffee.
Suitably refreshed, we hit the road again. The satnav wanted to take us around the M25 anti-clockwise to avoid a perceived 45 minute delay. Checking other apps, we defied her wisdom and headed to the Dartford Crossing (after all I had already paid the £3.50 toll!) and had a pleasant and uninterrupted journey to the Bridge. We picked up the M20 and before we knew it, we were at Le Shuttle at Ashford and the sun had come out. Fabulous.
We had to self check in which involved me hanging out of the passenger window and pressing buttons which seemed quite obstinate. It wasn’t easy, but it finally worked. The couple before us, almost ended up in divorce, as they spent ages trying to find booking references on their phone and then trying to get the machine to recognise them – they were so long that a driver behind us got out to find out what was causing the hold-up. But, finally, they had success, the traffic light went green and the barrier let them through!
We had to go to Pet Reception first to get The Pup authorised which went smoothly. A couple appeared with four dogs in tow and asked them if they had taken out a small mortgage to take them abroad. There is no Pet Passport per se – just a 9 page cluster of paper which costs well over £100 and is one use only. Yep, every time you go abroad, you have to visit your vet to fill out the Animal Health Certificate and each time it costs over £100. It’s probably cheaper than kennels, but still eye watering.
We feasted on a Burger King (and wished we hadn’t) and hung around. Our 3.15 train was pushed back to 3.46 (some technical hitch earlier – last time, they had lost trains………don’t ask). We crossed our fingers and hoped that we wouldn’t be seriously delayed after our slot came up with “more information in 23 minutes” on the information board, but we got called to go to Border Control which was glacial (passport control for both British and French) and finally we headed down the ramp and boarded Le Shuttle! We’ve just upgraded to a bigger campervan and are a touch precious about it at the moment – the train crew get the vehicles really up close and personal (we must almost kiss bumpers) which is quite disconcerting. We just hoped the guy in front is good on hill starts and doesn’t roll back………..
We took the chance to get a quick 40 winks in as the train gently rocked us through the Channel Tunnel and feeling a bit more refreshed, we hit the French roads to the village of Gandspette for our first campsite. We had spent our final night there on our Polish trip and decided to return as it was only 40 minutes from Calais and is a very nice campsite. Set in woodland with a small chateau, it has a swimming pool, tennis courts and a little bar/restaurant with chickens just sauntering around. Really sweet. We checked in and found our pitch, spending many minutes trying to get the Van onto blocks to get it level. The blocks kept sliding as we reversed onto them so we gave up and headed off for a well earned and celebratory pint. Only later, did our addled brains landed on the idea of actually driving onto them…….doh.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/overseas/france/hauts-de-france/le-camping-chateau-du-gandspette
We enjoyed our beer and ordered some food. It definitely isn’t Michelin starred and mainly leans towards to carnivores, but being a veggie I managed to get an aubergine crumble and frites ordered. It was adequate and filled a hole. The Pup munched on the Bonio biscuit the reception guy gave her.
We wandered back to The Van as the night drew in and settled in – think we will be spending a week wondering where we have put stuff and possibly be doing a spot of re-arranging as we figure out our new campervan. Overall it all went rather smoothly today and it’s nice to be back on the road. We will sleep well tonight once we’ve shoved The Pup off our bed………..
Sorry, no photos today. The M6 and M25 aren’t particularly photogenic and Le Shuttle isn’t much better. I am the official co-pilot and after 7 hours plus of travelling and dealing with Le Shuttle, my main concern was getting us to the campsite safely and without incident (apart from the unexpected toll). Tomorrow will be more interesting, I promise.
apathtosomewhere 