Over the last couple of decades we've done two kinds of long haul. The first, every four or five years we've managed to go somewhere far away, if not exactly exotic then at least to a distant continent - North America (x3), Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand. The last trip was to New Zealand in 2018, so we are due another one. Other things however, demand money and attention, like the roof of our house and our car, which is a 12 years old diesel, increasingly regarded by our offspring as a major contributor to climate change, like beefburgers or fracking. So I can't see us continent hopping any time soon.
The second sort of long haul we do is by road, usually at the end of each of our extended moho trips. We wander our way to some distant spot, usually as far south as possible, somewhere by the Med, then after a couple of months begin to meander back. A week or so before our return ferry date we conclude we need to scoot homewards quickly. This too feels like a long haul, the present one can be summarised in two words - very wet.
For once I am lost for words, so I thought I would steal Gill's who keeps a handwritten account of our travels in a page per day diary. It is more succinct, to the point and of more practical use than my ramblings.
Tuesday, April 5th. Meze - Issoire.
am. Blue sky, warmish, packed up and drove through narrow streets, one way. Tried to buy diesel - ended up at Carrefour - Intermarché no good. Called into Lidl for bread, then up motorway.
Some snow on the high Causse. Lunch in Aire. Then to Breuil, aire closed, onto Issoire, last place, v. busy.
Wednesday, April 6th. Issoire - Gien
am. cloudy and cool. Packed-up and set off for motorway north of Issoire. Drove to Clermont then on N7 to Moulins and Nevers. So many lorries.
Found campsite in Giens next to Loire & what looks like a nice town & chateau.
Rain & cloudy - v. cool. Can see Auchun from camping.
Thursday, April 7th. Gien - Arcis sur l'Aube
am. rain and cold. Packed-up & drove to Auchun then autoroute to Troyes. Lunch in an aire.
After Troyes, N road to Arcis, v. low on fuel, filled-up at Arcis. Camping-car-park Aire on road north of town.
Rain stopped, some road noise.
Friday, April 8th. Arcis sur l'Aube - Nouvion-en-Thiérache.
am. Grey, rain and cold. Packed-up and drove to Chalon E. leClerc hypermarket Then mway round Reims, and D road to Laon - diversion on ring road, sleet, heavy and horrible on road.
Got to Aire, 2 other vans, OK.
Saturday, April 9th. Nouvion-en-Thieache Bavay/Hon Hergies
am. cold, dry, cloudy. Packed-up and drove towards Bavay, parked in Aire, one other van. Texted Jackie at 11:30, who drove us to her house.
After lunch went for walk then collected van and parked it in village car park next to cemetery. Walked back to van at 11:30pm.
Sunday, April 10th. Hon Hergies
am. sunny but chilly. Walked back to Jackie's house. Walked to Mairie as Jackie needed to vote in presidential election. After lunch J. drove us to Mons to see flat.
Walked around Mons and went to café in square.
In evening curry - v good. 8pm watched election results, Macron topped poll in 1st round. Walked back to van around 11:00pm.
Monday, April 11th. Hon Hergies - Bergues
am. Sunny and nearly warm! Walked to Jackie's house to say bye, then set off for Lille at 11:30. Needed service point to empty Thetford, found service point at Esquelberg, aire almost full - 1 place left. After we had finished at the service point people from other vans came out and stared at us with folded arms, it felt intimidating so we left. Shopped at nearby Lidl.
Went on to aire in Bergues. Took late afternoon walk into town via ramparts. Quiet night.
Tuesday, Apr 12th. Bergues - Canterbury
am. sunny not cold. Packed-up and drove to ferry port at Loon Plage. Boat at 12:00, arr. early at 10:30.
Five checks for boarding, DFDS, French immigration, police check inside and outside van, UK Border Force, French customs including 2nd search of van.
On boat loads of lorries, few tourists. Flat calm, crossing OK. 3 out of service P&O ferries parked in Dover. Followed Ukrainian car - woman with kids and lots of stuff. Sobering sight.
Wednesday April 13th. Canterbury - Buxton
Back to Pete's usual ramblings - A2 busy going south, not so bad going north. Total traffic chaos throughout Kent caused by reduced ferry services from Dover due to the P&O debacle and Easter holidays traffic. Big queues at Dartford, heavy traffic from there to Leicester, caravan/moho parking at Toddington services packed with HGVs, after the empty roads of Spain and France it's all a bit wearing.
It's interesting at what point you start to feel a sense of homecoming, crossing the Trent and the Derbyshire county border on the A50 certainly signals the beginning of home territory; the A515 north from Ashbourne is a little alarming at times due to how narrow it is, and the way quarry lorries hurtle towards you, but the bare hills and big sky, the dry stone walls and dour farmhouses definitely signal home. Then here we are, rattling about in the house after weeks of living in a box.
The trip began normally but became increasingly challenging. A journey of two halves, Late January to the end of February followed the usual winter escape pattern, maybe a little cooler than usual, but still plenty of sunny days. March and early April have been a different story, a series of tricky situations to manage. Firstly covid, ten days of feeling really quite ill while trying to self-isolate as best as we could, moving from one areas auto-caravanas to another every few days. Our plan for a week or more of R&R at Camping Los Escullos went awry when the Sahara dust storm struck, sending us scurrying back the way we came to Seville. Then homewards along Spain's northern coast, which was sunnier than the south, but chilly. The journey back through France was wintry at times, a tardy spring across Europe generally. The end result of all the dashing about was 4850 miles on the trip counter, perhaps 500 miles more than we would usually clock up on other winter escapes.
We both feel a bit exhausted, unsure if the fatigue is an after effect of Covid or due to the journey itself, not just its length, but the fact that circumstances meant that we ended up overnighting in aires more often than using campsites in the latter part of the trip. In the final fortnight we only spent three nights in a campsite. You do save money, but it does mean you can't settle down and relax. Perhaps next winter we will use the long sea crossing both ways, the additional cost partially offset by driving fewer miles and so ameliorating the increasing cost of diesel and toll charges on the French motorways.
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