The French Adventure

[Naughty Cal]

A much cooler day today and we had some rain which cooled it down further.

 

We are a commercial aire which at €16 is the most expensive we have visited but it is like a UK campsite and fully serviced.

 

We have a lovely view of tomorrow's destination. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stilllearning]

42 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

A much cooler day today and we had some rain which cooled it down further.

 

We are a commercial aire which at €16 is the most expensive we have visited but it is like a UK campsite and fully serviced.

 

We have a lovely view of tomorrow's destination. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain?

We haven't seen any for about 3 weeks!

How are you going to get over to Mont St Michel?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

A much cooler day today and we had some rain which cooled it down further.

 

We are a commercial aire which at €16 is the most expensive we have visited but it is like a UK campsite and fully serviced.

 

We have a lovely view of tomorrow's destination. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somewhere else we havent been to for many years. We actually managed to lose one of the kids amongst the throng....

 

It's definitely worth a visit though.

[Naughty Cal]

24 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

Rain?

We haven't seen any for about 3 weeks!

How are you going to get over to Mont St Michel?

There is a car park about 1km further down the road from here which allows overnight motorhome parking. That leaves a 1.5km walk to the Mount.

 

A lot cooler tomorrow so the dog will manage that just fine.

 

An expensive stopover, €23 for a car park!, but we want to do it so will do just this once.

 

More rain forecast for tomorrow which is fine by us 😀

[Stilllearning]

1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

There is a car park about 1km further down the road from here which allows overnight motorhome parking. That leaves a 1.5km walk to the Mount.

 

A lot cooler tomorrow so the dog will manage that just fine.

 

An expensive stopover, €23 for a car park!, but we want to do it so will do just this once.

 

More rain forecast for tomorrow which is fine by us 😀

That will be a novelty for us, as we drive to Ouistreham tomorrow. Have a great day.

[Naughty Cal]

It warmed up again yesterday after the rain so we had seafood alfresco again for dinner. We will miss the amazing seafood here. 

 

 

Wasn't long after that the sun started setting so we took the dog for a walk before retiring into the van.

 

 

 

It is much fresher and cooler this morning. I have had to put trousers on for the first time in over a week 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Naughty Cal]

Utah Beach 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Utah Beach 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love that area, the US military cemetery further east at Colleville sur Mer is definitely worth a visit. As are the British cemeteries at Bayeux.

 

But I guess you are headed West?

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by M_JG

[Naughty Cal]

3 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Love that area, the US military cemetery further east at Colleville sur Mer is definitely worth a visit. As are the British cemeteries at Bayeux.

 

But I guess you are headed West?

 

 

No heading East tomorrow. We are going to Bayeux after we have taken the dog to the vets on the way.

 

Sadly running out of time over here now.

 

We have not seen everything we wanted too due to the heat but it has been a brilliant learning trip. We have thoroughly enjoyed it. If sorting the dog goes smoothly we will be happy.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Naughty Cal said:

No heading East tomorrow. We are going to Bayeux after we have taken the dog to the vets on the way.

 

Sadly running out of time over here now.

 

We have not seen everything we wanted too due to the heat but it has been a brilliant learning trip. We have thoroughly enjoyed it. If sorting the dog goes smoothly we will be happy.

 

Its normally very straight forward, the vets in popular tourist areas are well versed in what needs doing.

 

That said check, and check again that the Vet enters the correct info. in the correct sections on the AHC. We once had a french vet enter the worming treatment batch number in the section for date and time of the adminitration, this being quite an important piece of info.

 

This was just after pet passports became invalid and AHC's came in.

 

Eurotunnel confirmed that had I not insisted she ammend it and endorse the ammendment we would have had to have it done again and wait for transit back to the UK.

[Naughty Cal]

22 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Its normally very straight forward, the vets in popular tourist areas are well versed in what needs doing.

 

That said check, and check again that the Vet enters the correct info. in the correct sections on the AHC. We once had a french vet enter the worming treatment batch number in the section for date and time of the adminitration, this being quite an important piece of info.

 

This was just after pet passports became invalid and AHC's came in.

 

Eurotunnel confirmed that had I not insisted she ammend it and endorse the ammendment we would have had to have it done again and wait for transit back to the UK.

Thank you. Will do that.

 

Mind you had to do the same coming. Our vet missed an important stamp on the form 🙄

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Thank you. Will do that.

 

Mind you had to do the same coming. Our vet missed an important stamp on the form 🙄

 

Given what the UK vets charge you would think they would get it right.

 

Ours charges £125 for a AHC.

 

Ever seen a poor vet? No me niether.

[Naughty Cal]

8 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Given what the UK vets charge you would think they would get it right.

 

Ours charges £125 for a AHC.

 

Ever seen a poor vet? No me niether.

Ours was £200!

 

We had an issue with his vaccination record which needed sorting at the same time so we stuck with using our vet. (Two microchip numbers on the record as he had one fall out!)

 

Now that is sorted next time we are using the click and collect service at the vets at Folkestone which is currently £90. A decent saving on ten pieces of paper 😕

[Naughty Cal]

A visit to the beautiful town of Bayeux this morning. 

 

 

 

 

Before doubling back to the free aire at Isigny-sur-Mer for the evening ready for Sydneys appointment at the vets first thing tomorrow morning. 

 

 

 

 

[Hudds Lad]

1 minute ago, Naughty Cal said:

A visit to the beautiful town of Bayeux this morning. 

 

 

 

 

Before doubling back to the free aire at Isigny-sur-Mer for the evening ready for Sydneys appointment at the vets first thing tomorrow morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

I hear they do a good tapestry  

[Naughty Cal]

12 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

 

I hear they do a good tapestry  

Apparently so. Although we didn't go to see it due to the dog 🙄

[Naughty Cal]

We had a lovely quiet night at Isigny-sur-Mer last night.

 

 

 

The vets appointment went very smoothly this morning.  Don't even think Syd realised he had been too a vets!

 

We are now just having a stock up shop and will refill with diesel while we are here before heading just down the road to Le Treport our destination for tonight.

[Naughty Cal]

We had a longer day's driving yesterday and a last food and fuel stop. So it wasn't helpful when the three aires at our supposed destination were all full.

 

Found another half an hour down the road on a nature reserve at La Molliere, which didn't seem great value at €10 when compared to some others we had stayed on. Still it was somewhere quiet and safe to spend the night.

 

 

[Higgs]

What foodstuffs can be taken to the EU? My brother, who goes regularly (to France), says they don't bother much, but I'll be going on a day when they will - sods law. 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Higgs

[Naughty Cal]

1 hour ago, Higgs said:

What foodstuffs can be taken to the EU? My brother, who goes regularly (to France), says they don't bother much, but I'll be going on a day when they will - sods law. 

 

 

No meat or dairy products. 

 

We were not checked for food. They just checked that our gas was turned off.

 

We did smuggle a couple of bits over. Dog food, some bacon and sausage but to be honest we won't bother next time. The shops are so superior to UK ones here that there isn't really any point. We will just do a stock up shop when we get here.

 

..............

 

Our last night in France tonight and a free aire by the seaside at Wissant to finish off with. 

 

Only a short 15 minute drive to Calais in the morning to catch our train. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Naughty Cal

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

No meat or dairy products. 

 

We were not checked for food. They just checked that our gas was turned off.

 

We did smuggle a couple of bits over. Dog food, some bacon and sausage but to be honest we won't bother next time. The shops are so superior to UK ones here that there isn't really any point. We will just do a stock up shop when we get here.

 

..............

 

Our last night in France tonight and a free aire by the seaside at Wissant to finish off with. 

 

Only a short 15 minute drive to Calais in the morning to catch our train. 

 

 

 

 

 

The only meat products we 'smuggle' into the EU are the dogs Harringtons dog food simply because he is used to it. But yes there is very little reason to try to take anything else over given the quality of stuff over there.

 

We always hit a local supermarket near our destination and stock up there.

 

We have been security checked a few of times but not since we left the EU.

 

They often wipe our steering wheel and door card tops with the drug wipe detection thing, we must look dodgy....

 

[Naughty Cal]

20 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

The only meat products we 'smuggle' into the EU are the dogs Harringtons dog food simply because he is used to it. But yes there is very little reason to try to take anything else over given the quality of stuff over there.

 

We always hit a local supermarket near our destination and stock up there.

 

We have been security checked a few of times but not since we left the EU.

 

They often wipe our steering wheel and door card tops with the drug wipe detection thing, we must look dodgy....

 

We had the drugs swabs last time we went through the tunnel in the mini. Had the car completely stripped and searched at the ferry terminal on the way back 🙄

 

They stopped us to check the gas was turned off this time but straight through otherwise. Probably means we will have a proper search tomorrow morning 🤣

[Naughty Cal]

We are just on the train and sadly on the way back to the UK now.

 

Pet check in and passport control went very smoothly. They checked inside the van and all the lockers but were very swift and efficient and we were on our way in no time and on a train an hour earlier than expected. 

[Higgs]

15 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

We had the drugs swabs last time we went through the tunnel in the mini. Had the car completely stripped and searched at the ferry terminal on the way back 🙄

 

They stopped us to check the gas was turned off this time but straight through otherwise. Probably means we will have a proper search tomorrow morning 🤣

 

Not sure how you could be 100% sure of no drugs contamination. Coins and currency get contaminated, which you have to touch. I imagine a degree of contamination would not raise any eyebrows. 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Higgs

[Naughty Cal]

55 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

Not sure how you could be 100% sure of no drugs contamination. Coins and currency get contaminated, which you have to touch. I imagine a degree of contamination would not raise any eyebrows. 

 

 

No idea. They swabbed the door handles and steering wheel while they were looking in the van but obviously didn't find anything to concern them as we were soon on our way.

 

Weirdly they made us lower the drop down bed. Would have to be a super skinny stowaway to be hidden up there 🙄