Jonoush go forth

Monday 16th June Jard sur mer to Piriac sur mer via St Marc sur mer

We do an early zoom and our intentions are to head to St Marc sur mer and hole up for the evening and perhaps go and have a look around the naval museum and submarines in St Nazaire (next door) the following morning. We arrive at St Marc and the aire is wonderful, plenty of space, no snotty welcoming committee and the beach is just over the road and utterly utterly beautiful. We do a quick recce and decide that this will do thank you very much!!

The dogs are being oddly very well behaved and we spend a wonderful afternoon on the beach – despite our favourite spot being nicked from under our noses!! As the tide goes out, more and more pristine sand is revealed, it’s very Cornish around here and reminiscent of the north coast. As you know we are very law abiding people, so we obviously paid extremely close attention to the fact that no dogs were allowed on the beach. Again. Happily this results in no dogs being on the beach and Norm and Moo, in absentia of course, had a fabulous time off the lead and generally tearing about. All ten of us on this glorious plage had an empty and sunny time of it. However, we’re out of booze and low on food, the dogs have been cooped up all day (ahem) so we decide to forsake the charms of the beach and the lure of the subs and make a move. We earmark a place that looks like a mere hop and a skip down the road, but that might offer up a bit more in the way of supplies. Hop and a skip it is not. We get caught in rush hour and have a total ‘mare extricating ourselves from the area surrounding St Nazaire. Our final destination is Piriac sur Mer, we cruise through some impossibly pretty and historic places en route, but they’re not pretty or historic enough to tempt us. Piriac centre is a disaster, the aires here are packed full (selfish camper van types, put your awning down and move over!!); our magic aire book has left us with one option and the blurb reads “always busy”… our hearts sinking we press on to our final option. Upon arrival we find plenty of space, a very apathetic welcoming committee (selfish camper van types, move your bicycles out of the way of the entrance please) and we park up in record time and collapse.

We take the dogs for a walk on the beach; dogs off the lead are of course allowed (ahem) and we meet two sprightly locals. Everywhere we stop we find seems better than the last, how much better can it get??! The locals we meet are totally unfazed by the dogs and we are regaled with stories of how Monsiuer learned to swim on this very beach and how he has kayaked pretty much around the world! They are 70ish years old and don’t look a day over 50. With baited breath we await a demonstration of sprightliness and sea prowess, fortunately the dogs take it upon themselves to create a distraction.

When we return to the aire we are greeted with british voices, perhaps an unconventional greeting of: “are you good??”.. what to say… “never if we can help it?”.. mrs mischievous brit lets us off the hook and we retreat to the van to fall asleep to the sounds of the sea and a peaceful, beautiful aire, little piece of paradise again, we consider ourselves very fortunate.

Sunday 15th June Chez Gendron to Jard sur Mer

With regret we leave Chez Gendron, it’s been a much needed recuperative stop after hammering the roads, but there is more hammering yet to be done. We’ve been in this neck of the woods before so we decide to just zoom on Northwards and try and find some coastal action again. We arrive in Jard sur mer, which at 6€ a night we think is a bit steep, but we settle in (and pay) nonetheless.

The aire is right beside the beach, but as has been a bit of a theme recently the ‘welcoming committee’ are out in force and there is much staring and looks of disapproval for no apparent reason. Signs say that you can’t get your table and chairs out and you’re not allowed on the beach, we - being exemplary citizens – of course obey them to the letter.

The Beach is much like the Jurassic coast, very unique in the rock formations and the weird flat, shelving stone that is revealed when the tide goes out. We wander down the road to the harbour area and have a really good mess about on the beach with the dogs (they’re allowed on that bit) we get a bit of an audience to their antics and decide to retreat to the anonymity of a bar. Quick glass of wine overlooking the boats and watching the world go by and then we wind our way to the van, not via the beach, and we certainly don’t’ sit down in our chairs when we get back. The dogs love it ;)

Friday 13th to Sunday 15th June Toulouse to Chez Gendron

Today dawns and another scorcher is on the way, despite being gone by about 7.30am the air is already hot and laden with the promise of extreme heat to come. Zoom! As is sometimes the way the aires we had picked out were rubbish so we sail on past and just keep on trucking. It’s no great shakes as the more miles today means hopefully more time to doss around on the Brittany coast with a bit of time in hand.

We resort to scouting out some French passions but it’s one of those days when life just doesn’t want you to stop. Everyone seems to be enjoying national rude day and we decide to head back to somewhere we’ve been before. It is against our rules in that it’s a campsite, but when we stayed here last time it was so beautiful and so cheap that we decide to treat ourselves. After the journey we’ve had today the thought of jumping in a pool and supping a few in the campsite bar is just too tempting. Hello Chez Gendron.

Alexander and Aletta, the wonderful young Dutch couple who run this place are still here and still doing a fabulous job. We park up and get set up in record time, despite interference from a couple of the geese who wander over to say hello. We take the dogs for a good stretch in the woods and Norm sees his first ponies and horses up close and personal for the first time (cue MAJOR barking), but after a long tramp through some vineyards everyone has calmed down. They collapse and we reward ourselves with a few beers and an early night.

We decide to allow ourselves another night here, the weather is still too fabulous and we are in urgent need of being in the pool… a lot. It’s impossibly quiet here, the only disturbances being the incredulous woops of delight as the Netherlands paste the opposition in the footie and the occasional bit of Radio Le Mans, we couldn’t’ really be more relaxed, once again thank you Chez Gendron, we hope Helios gets better soon, best of luck J

Thursday 12th June Marseillan Plage to Toulouse and French Passion

We manage to extricate ourselves from Beziers, no easy feat believe us!

We have earmarked a French passion or two just north of Toulouse and make excellent time zooming up there, we are trying to get a wriggle on as it seems the weather is set for an absolute scorcher. We try our first French passion and nearly run over the family cat in the drive way and then are greeted by Lola the Labrador, much barking (on our side) ensues. Although the lady seems lovely there is no shade and we’re not convinced the barking will ever stop and Lola shows no signs of any inclination to move. Carefully avoiding the cat we make our apologies and leave. French passion number two turns out to be perfect. Lovely old rambling farm house with scattered antiquities and masses of shady trees to park under around the back. This turns out to be a very good thing indeed as it just gets hotter and hotter and the wind drops completely. The sun seems to be stuck in the sky at noon o’clock and at 8pm in the evening it’s still gotta be over 30 degrees. At one point we contemplate sleeping outside under the van, but reluctantly think this might be a bit extreme. We do our best to turn in early – difficult when 10pm looks and feels like early afternoon. Still, we get some shut eye in the end and set ourselves a major early start for tomorrow to avoid the heat and get some serious miles under our belt.

Wednesday 5th June – Thursday 12th June Marseillan Plage

We zoom all the way to Marseillan Plage and arrive back with a feeling of familiarity, sometimes it’s nice to know what to expect. The campsite is busier than expected and the pitch that we had mentally reserved from our last visit was unavailable. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise as we find ourselves a far better one and get ourselves installed pronto. We get Valerie all set up, awning out and everything and giver her a proper once over to impress the parents when they arrive tomorrow. We revisit the beach and everyone has a good old tank about, happy days.

The Parents arrive the next day via Marseillan Ville which apparently is utterly gorgeous. Travellers beware, if you’re trying to get to Marseillan plage from anywhere ever just get a cab. Oh and never ever try to hire a car around here. We won’t bore you with the completely tortuous details, just please take heed and don’t do it.

Jon’s parents treat us to dinner and there are more birthday celebrations, we are joined at the weekend by Jon’s best man and his family and they too lay on a glorious spread for everyone. We pass such a wonderful time here with family and friends, sunshine, beach, pool, restaurant, bar, soirees and candlelit evenings (and more cognac….eek! Lard’s fault!)

It’s been wonderful. We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone, you made Jon’s birthday so very special, but even without a cause for celebration it was just a lovely simple time with people we care about all together in one place. Thanks all J

Our time here flies past and all too soon it’s time to take the folks to the airport and say goodbye. We are excited about getting on the road, but it’s still a wrench to leave everyone after such a great time. Our next mission is to get back to the North of France as we have some family affairs to take care of. Zooom!! Goodbye the med… we’ll be back.

Monday 26th May – June 4th Collioure

Having made the decision to stay for a week we spend our time wandering the hills and cliffs, exploring the collapsed coast road, attempting more fishing and generally lounging around and enjoying this little slice of heaven. We continue to be welcomed into the bosom of the family even Norm and Moo feel so at home that they have started getting very territorial. Eek. However, the time passes slowly and gently and we are happy. Angels smile on us too in the form of a lovely family from Amsterdam who, upon leaving, donate all their unconsumed food…. Apricot jam, avocados, baby courgettes, pasta, rice, olive oil, yummies and everything, thank you lovely people J

With it being Jon’s 40^th birthday on the horizon Noush prepares a surprise meal in conjunction with Elie, our kindred soul of the family. As suspected she goes far and above the call of duty and we are plied with a bottle of rose champagne, a chocolate cake of pure devilry and muchos Cognac on the house. Naughty Elie, we love her! Her daughter even makes us friendship bracelets and we have got the champagne cork, inscribed with the date as a memento of the evening. People’s generosity is sometimes just overwhelming, we’re not ashamed to admit to a few tears.

The next morning, somewhat worse for wear (what 40^th Birthday dinner?) we make our way a bit blearily to the bar to say thank you. While nursing our coffee and a multivitamin fruit juice number, Dimitri (Elie’s husband, we think?) appears and offers a medicinal 10.30am Cognac to Jon!! Wethinks he may have needed one himself after the celebrations last night! Tempting, but no…it really was fun tho. Noush remembers that Elie is supposed to be giving her a cookery lesson in the arts of proper Aioli and Moules Gratinee Catalan style. This is postponed until the evening a cause de la maximum shab.

Unfortunately today is our last day here and tomorrow sees us back on the road, back to Marseillan plage to meet with friends and family, so with great reluctance we pay up and a represented with an unfeasibly cheap bill, this really is the best campsite on the planet.

The following morning dawns, Norm and Moo make a complete spectacle of themselves - almost as if they are kicking up a fuss that we are leaving. We go and say goodbye to Elie, there are more tears and we get underway sharpish before Noush decides she’s never leaving! Thank you very much Elie, Les Amandiers and just life generally for letting us “tombee dans” such a refuge.

Sunday 25th May Argeles sur Mer to Collioure

After a sketchy start to the day our luck changes! We have scampered off to Collioure up the road. We park up in a lovely spot in the aire there, but then realise that the tariff in the aire book does not match the actual tariff. You get an hour free but then it’s €15 for 24hrs rather than the 10€ advertised. We have a conflab and a look at the acsi book and realise there is a campsite just around the corner, walking distance to collioure, private beach that is about the same price. We decide to go there instead. Despite only being in the aire for 40mins we get ransomed for the full €15. Much aggrieved and cross we leave anyway. Stupid aire, don’t go there people. Instead go the campsite Les Amandiers. Initial slightly scary narrow access resolves itself into one of the best campsites ever in the world ever. It’s French Mother’s day today and with this being a family run campsite there’re generations of women all about to sit down for lunch. Despite this they greet us like friends, get us settled in and even put the Grand Prix on in the background for our pleasure. By the end of lunch Nonna is braiding Noush’s hair and children are hanging off Moo’s fur and capering about with Norm.

The family are lovely, the campsite is down to earth and peaceful. The Beach is a five minute walk, crystal sea, fishing, Collioure a twenty minute walk, free wifi, great bar, possibly the best food in the restaurant in the form of homemade Catalan specialities (and a large free bowl of cherries from their orchard after lunch), excellent little shop, bread and croissants in the morning, excellent sanitary block (even got a doggy shower!), sun, shade, just perfect. We resolve to stay put for a week and just enjoy it. Why leave paradise when you’ve found it? As a sign from the Gods Noush even manages to catch her own first ever fish. We are indeed being smiled upon J

Moo and Norm mooching on old fortifications