Our Trip around France and Germany in Eth our Elddis motorhome
We left home at 4.30pm on Wednesday the 22nd of September and made our way up to Aldershot to meet Nigel, a chap
I had been corresponding with on a motorhome web site. We had both been to the National Sea Training School at Gravesend in Kent,but
not at the same time as I am older than Nigel and was there about seven years earlier. But we still had plenty to talk about.
We met the family and had something to eat then eventually settled down for the night outside the flat. I must say it was comfy, warm and quiet.
Thursday 23rd. We got up around 7.30 had a coffee and said our goodbyes and headed for Dover and our midday sailing to Dunkerque.
The M25 was much quieter than
I expected it to be as was the M20 and we arrived at Dover at just after 10.30am. we sailed on time and arrived at Dunkerque at 3pm
local time (Europe being 1 hour ahead of Britain.)
Our first camping site was at Éperlecques called Le Chateau Ganspette. We had not booked ahead and when we arrived there were no
actual hard pitches so they told us to pitch up by the Chateau on a private drive. There had been heavy rain and the grass pitches could not be used,
also because of
strike action of some kind, some ferries were late or not running so there were a lot more British people at the site, hence no room at the inn.
So we parked it on the drive, removed the bikes and cycled to see a Second World War Blockhouse and V2 (Doodlebug) launch site and museum about a mile away.
Wow! What a place, amazing but horrible at the same time. The amount of work involved was truly awesome as was the damage done by the Tallboy bombs of the
Royal Air Force.
We returned and we were exploring the site when the heavens opened so we took shelter with the bikes in the wash house where we met a couple from Wales who were
on their way home after a month away. After chatting for a while the rain eased off and we made our way back to the camper for dinner, dominoes and bed at 9 ish.
V2 (Doodlebug) launch site near Éperlecques Link to Blockhouse
http://www.v2rocket.com/start/deployment/watten.html
Friday 24th. Next morning we were up around 7 am, showered, had breakfast then headed towards Montherme almost on the Belgian border in the
Ardennes.
We stopped at a Carrefour for fuel and supplies, and also stopped for coffee several times en route as it was quite a boring drive through the flat landscape of
Northern France.
(it makes Salisbury Plain look like someone's back garden) The further South and East we went the more interesting the countryside became. We arrived at Montherme
around 3.30pm and took a walk around the town. We found the aire (motorhome stop over) but the facilities were out of order.
Walking down by the river we noticed that there were motorhomes parked alongside so we retrieved ours from the carpark and joined them.
We later crossed the bridge and explored a little on the other side of the river and found a restaurant called La Franco Belge.
On the menu we saw that they did wild boar and as it was my birthday it was my choice. We had a set menu with a wild boar pate and ham starter,
a wild boar main course, champagne sorbet, a plum tart and coffee, delicious. All for 22 euros each.
Link to the Restaurant http://fr.federal-hotel.com/
hotel_le-franco-belge-montherme_10459.htm
In and around Montherme
V2 (Doodlebug) launch site near Éperlecques Link to Blockhouse
http://www.v2rocket.com/start/deployment/watten.html
Friday 24th. Next morning we were up around 7 am, showered, had breakfast then headed towards Montherme almost on the Belgian border in the
Ardennes.
We stopped at a Carrefour for fuel and supplies, and also stopped for coffee several times en route as it was quite a boring drive through the flat landscape of
Northern France.
(it makes Salisbury Plain look like someone's back garden) The further South and East we went the more interesting the countryside became. We arrived at Montherme
around 3.30pm and took a walk around the town. We found the aire (motorhome stop over) but the facilities were out of order.
Walking down by the river we noticed that there were motorhomes parked alongside so we retrieved ours from the carpark and joined them.
We later crossed the bridge and explored a little on the other side of the river and found a restaurant called La Franco Belge.
On the menu we saw that they did wild boar and as it was my birthday it was my choice. We had a set menu with a wild boar pate and ham starter,
a wild boar main course, champagne sorbet, a plum tart and coffee, delicious. All for 22 euros each.
Link to the Restaurant http://fr.federal-hotel.com/
hotel_le-franco-belge-montherme_10459.htm
In and around Montherme