Tuesday 15th July - Boulogne sur mer to Calais via Cap Griz Nez, Ambleteuse, Wimereux and a field

After the vets in Boulogne we head directly off as we can exit on the useful side of town. We want to go and have a look at Cap Griz nez and check out Wimereux and hopefully find some rugged wild camping. All of this turns out to be a complete bust. Cap Griz Nez, grey, dull, inaccessible, full of anoraks and cross people. Wimereux, full. Ambleteuse, think it was there anyway where some woman wanted to charge us €10 for the pleasure of parking in her field, extra for the shower and you have to ask for the key. Cheaper in bloody Cannes. Wild camping is looking likely but then all the spots are either taken or too risky. We decide to bail completely and head to Calais and get a campsite. Now, this may not sound like the most tempting option to you, but trust us, this campsite was ace. Private access directly to the beach, no frills, no fuss, cheap as chips and about 2 seconds from the tunnel thing. We stay. For three nights. And we are happy. The weather is scorching, the beach is fabulous, we are safe, sunbaked, and relaxed.

Even though we are in Calais it doesn’t feel like the end of the journey, it just feels like the trip. So….. it is with rather a bump and an abrupt shock that we realise that is the end. That our last days of the trip are gone and we have to go. Just like that it’s finished. But…. It's never over. Until the next time, another Van another year. Au revoir nos amis x

Sunday 13th July - Le Touquet to Boulogne sur Mer

The day indeed dawns promisingly and off we zoom! We’ve also got our tunnel tickets booked so we’ve decided to scout out a vet in Boulogne to sort out the bowzers. We arrive safe and sound and the aire is all the photos promised and more. It’s perched on the cliffs and the town is ten minutes away downhill with the sea to the right stretching far away.

The view from the van window is amazing:

We have once again managed to nab ourselves one of the top spots, full sunshine all day, next to the cliff path but behind a fence so no gawpers and a strategic lamppost that stops people getting too close. This is actually proved by one poor soul reversing into it and nearly squishing his bike rack. Fortunately no harm down apart from red face and cross wife. The sun us blazing, everyone is happy. We take a stroll over the cliffs and discover an old German(?) position hewn into the cliffs, it’s like a cliff fort, it’s got jetties, landing points, wide steps driven from the cliff, a maze of rooms and an infrastructure still apparent today. How very depressing that the endeavour was undertaken presumably with the assumption that the war would be long enough to warrant the effort.  Unfortunately no photos, ah well, shall just have to return J

We take a wander into town to go and explore the old town, unfortunately we must have zigged when we should have zagged so although we get a good look from a distance sadly it is not meant to be. The sun us still delightfully hot, but not ideal when you’re lost and the dgs are melting. We stop for a beer in the shadow of a beautiful church and feel better about life. A stranger gives Moo a biscuit, everybody happy again. We didn’t take in the Nausicaa for the simple reason that like Le Touquet, the place is packed. It’s market madness, throngs of people everywhere, hot and bothered, we retreat to the beach. The beach is jaw dropping, miles and miles of golden sands, totally empty, but blink and you’ll miss it. The tide comes in so fast!! And you wouldn’t credit how enormous the beach could be when you see it fully in, how can it ebb and flow so far and fast? It must have caught out many ignorant sailors in its time.

After the beach we head back to the van , even the dogs are snoozing gently. That is until a fierce yapping from across the way disturbs everyone. The camper van opposite-ish us has dogs and evidently its time for walkies. This van proceeds to go into labour and a very short time later, like Gaia, has produced 8 dogs. 8. We think. Maybe 7. But still. REALLY? ARE YOU MAD??????

Is it 7 or 8?

At no point is Norm ever allowed to know that they exist.

Anyway, after a few beautiful days here it is time to be gone, we have a little bit of exploring left to do and only a few days to do it in. We finally manage to find the old town when we make it to the Vet. We park right next to it!! Yay, we are cultured.

Friday 11th July - Mametz to Le Touquet, Berck, Fort Mahon, Baie de la somme and Le Crotoy.

We make a beeline south-ish to a campsite at Le Crotoy where we hope the weather will be better. We are so anxious to zoom away from the weather that we break our cardinal rule and don’t stop to get another bottle of gas, booze, fags, food, water or anything really. Major error, especially as it is a Saturday. Do we never learn??? We drive through Berck whose population more than live up to the name of their town, nuff said, we pootle down towards le Crotoy and it seems to be a general theme in this neck of the woods, what is wrong with the people around here???? We find one nice town called Rue (ironic when you consider the rest of our day) and we detour for supplies. On to Le Crotoy and our campsite. It turns out to be rubbish. We get as far as trying to park Valerie on a hopelessly inadequately sized pitch and just bail. If people don’t have the right facilities then they should explain to you on the phone when you ask them specifically if they do. GRRR. We go in search of Aires, this too turns out to be catastrophic. Nasty aire, Spartan, cliquey, unsheltered, dunes to the front with no view, brick wall/housing to the side and a roundabout to start. Nice. We park up briefly to let the poor dogs out for a blast on the beach – after all we were reliably informed that this is one of the most beautiful beaches/nature reserves in the world. They lied. We leave.

Sometimes you just have to go with what you know so we hare it back up the coast, past Rue, past Berck, past Fort Mahon etc etc all the way to Le Touquet, where we limp into the campsite on our last legs. Amazingly they recognise us and without further ado we are ensconced and collapsed. La vie est belle again. Phew.

We pass a couple of very pleasurable weekend in Le Touquet, despite the fact that peak season is more definitely upon us. The place is packed. Turns out Norm isn’t very good around this amount of people and noise, it makes town a bit difficult. We manage a meal out though, in a back street restaurant that we suspect may be an undiscovered gem. Can’t remember the name though – maybe all people have this problem hence it’s anonymity. Still, the weather is holding fair and the beach is glorious. Miles of sand for the dogs to tank about on cos everybody else is at the (dogs forbidden) end watching all the cool kite surfer types. We feel very un Point Break sure in our knowledge that Moo would eat their boards and Norm would eat their kites. (note to self, MUST get Norm on the body board thingy!).

There is a big fireworks display and music on the beach on the Sunday, but the weather is overcast and cool and it doesn’t start until 11pm; we are cosied up in bed by 10pm and glad of it. Have we turned into humbugs? Tomorrow we are off to stay in what looks like a really beautiful aire in Boulogne. Fingers crossed the sun shows his face again…. 

Mametz continued, for a while!!!

So,  in fact  we end up staying for nearly 3 weeks!! Yes people, it really is that good here. We pass our days lazing in the sun, fishing the mill pond and getting to know everybody on site.

Some fish (spot Norm’s head):

Without exception they prove to be charming wonderful people and abundant in their generosity with their Pastis. A fine example of this is one night when we have had an early collapse, we are in fact in bed by 9pm..next thing you know there’s a knock on the door and we are extended an invitation to go round the neighbours for a quick drink. 7 hours later, yes seven, having been plied liberally with booze and stellar company and obviously repaying their hospitality with a visit to the bar after hours and a loud rendition of the Marseillaise we finally make it to bed. We love you J

A few days later the weather closes in unremittingly and even we are confined to barracks by the severity of the rain and cold. It’s grim and everything smells of wet dog. We have also received news from home. Through a sad combination of factors we decide that Angleterre will be our destination in a week (via few other places, our last fling with la France). Our feelings our borne out by Fred’s beautiful tree that overhangs the millpond which suffers a gigantic collapse in the night; even ancient wood nymphs feel the burden of the weather. With heavy hearts we bid our farewell to Fred who sends us on our way with Ch’Ti baseball caps (it’s a beer) and hugs enorme. We will miss you all sooooooooo much!!! Au revoir.. a bientot. Xx