Page 8 of BobsJoy Travel Blog Posts


Europe » France » Aquitaine » Le Bugue June 19th 2022

Phew. Still incredibly hot but a couple of degrees cooler than yesterday. Fortunately we don't need to cycle or walk in the full sunshine or even ride the scooter as we would have done on previous trips. Just trying to be sensible and limit the time we are fully exposed to the sun as it really is lethally hot. We first of all visited Limeuil which is just over the bridge across the Dordogne. On a cooler day we might well have walked there but far cooler in Smart Arse. Was amused to instruct a Frenchman, in French, on how to get the car park machine to accept his payment. My French is definitely coming back to be a bit at a time ? We have been to Limeuil before and would have climbed to the ... read more
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Europe » France » Aquitaine » Bergerac June 18th 2022

Today we visited Bergerac. We have stopped off here for an hour when driving past in the motorhome some years ago but never explored properly so a must for a day out today. Stifling hot from the moment we got up and in fact temperature went to at least 42 degrees at one point which is over 100 F. A pleasant drive, 45 minutes or so and once in town we followed signs to a carpark. Delighted to find outselves under cover and pretty close to the historical old centre. Then we explored first of all near the cathedral where there was a market, always lovely for a stroll round. Instead of bunting the norm now in this area seems to be big plastic decorations, brightly coloured, butterflies, flowers. It looks absolutely delightful strung along in ... read more
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Europe » France » Aquitaine » Le Bugue June 17th 2022

All packed up and on the way before 10am. The pittch behind ours had left really early which was handy as it gave us lots of space to manoevre. First of all the trailer onto the moho towbar and then Smart Arse up the trailer's little ramps all ready to follow faithfully behind. We headed due south first of all and the traffic was quite heavy as had to use the major roads to get out of and past La Rochelle but we turned East towards Cognac and the landscape changed to far more interesting than the very flat area immmediately behind the coast. We have surely driven some of this route before as have certainly headed for Angouleme before. Perigeux we thought might be interesting and we couldn't remember being through before but though there ... read more
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Europe » France » Poitou-Charentes » La Rochelle June 16th 2022

After the heat and indeed overheating of yesterday we decided there was only one thing to do to ensure we kept cool. We headed for the Hyper U just 1/2 a mile from the campsite. The campsite was probably all on its own in the countryside once on the edge of a village on the outskirts of La Rochelle. Now it is on the edge of a massive shopping centre. This is not a problem as the campsite is away from the shops and that Hyper U was pretty handy. My plan was to hang about the chiller cabinets for a good part of the day and I think we were in there for at least 2 1/2 hours. Bob doesn't usually like to spend too long on shopping but today even he enjoyed his extended ... read more
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Europe » France » Poitou-Charentes » Deux-Sevres June 15th 2022

Having to think carefully how we spend our time for a day or two. The temperature is soaring, record breaking heat wave for June which is also affecting sourthern England but not much at home. Think Staffordshire might be due a couple of hot days then back to normal grey skies. Decided we really couldn't plan to go anywhere which involves walking any distance at all in the sun so chose a drive to Coulon in Venise Verte, the Poitevin Marais, an area just inland from the Vendee coast with lots of wetlands and canals. We have stayed at Coulon twice before and enjoyed it so an obvious spot to head for. Smart Arse and the Tomtom did not agree. I actually suggested at one point that the Tomtom might be upside down as it was ... read more
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Europe » France » Poitou-Charentes » Ile de Re June 14th 2022

Tried to get fresh bread for breakfast today and failed. There is a boulangerie across the road just outside the campsite. I know there is. I have seen it but today I went out the back gate to the campsite, nearest to us, crossed to the boulangerie and it was a beer shop ! Inexplicable. Actually not quite so when I realised later that the back gate comes out on a slightly different road from the reception main gate. Tomorrow I will go across the toad from that gate instead and we will have Bread, We have stayed on the Il de Re on quite a few occasions though not this trip but decided a day trip visit would be lovely and it was. Very easy drive to the Pont de Re from the campsite and ... read more
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Europe » France » Poitou-Charentes » La Rochelle June 13th 2022

Very pleased with this campsite and especially our pitch as, as it gets hotter, the shade provided by a couple of big tall trees is keeping us reasonably comfortable. Forecast for the next few days is to get hotter and even hotter until we probably spontaneously combust. Hopefully a storm will come along before that happens ?. Decided for first time to use campsite showers rather than the excellent ones in the van mainly because there is no grey waste emptying grid on the campsite And the water supply is a little far to want to carry too much water to fill the tank. As it happens the showers are super so good decision. No idea why there is no grey waste or motorhome service point. Campsite is so well set up it seems an odd ... read more
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Europe » France » Poitou-Charentes » La Rochelle June 12th 2022

Packed up the motorhome and manoevred it round so we could attach the trailer onto the back and then load the Smart Car on that. Slowest part is attaching the straps round each wheel but now we have good set of straps again we did that with more confidence. Another gorgeous day when we woke and the forecast is for pretty amazingly hot for at least the next week. We did pass under a rain cloud a few miles further south but nothing much and the sky soon turned bright blue again. This area of the country is very flat. Green or golden fields and now plenty of vineyards and not much opportunity for photos which need height when taken on the move. We have driven along the route before. I could tell this as I ... read more
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Europe » France » Centre » Chinon June 11th 2022

An absolutely excellent idea to visit Chinon, too delightful a town to be missed and really surprised that we have managed to miss it out up to now, given the many weeks, months even we have spent in France over the years. The sky was cornflower blue when we woke and stayed that way all day. Summer has arrived with a vengeance. No hesitation risking suntop on a day like this. We took the road north of the Loire to Saumur, the way we came back yesterday so we got a good view across the river to the castle and then a little further along crossed the Loire and came to the River Vienne which Chinon sits on. The drive was about an hour but so pleasant and such lovely weather. We had to cross the ... read more
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Europe » France » Pays-de-la-Loire » Angers June 10th 2022

Summer has arrived. Suddenly and without warning. Went out in a t-shirt as very cloudy and forecast said that was what we were getting. Came back at the endof the day with a very positive tan having spent the best part of the day in full sunshine under a glorious blue sky. After the last month in England feeling positively chilly this warmth is absolutely wonderful. The day was pretty wonderful too. We had decided to visit Saumur, somewhere we have been a couple of times before, including stopping on the campsite on the island in the middle of the Loire. Bob chose a very scenic route so that we could just wander along and explore as not been this end of the Loire itself before. Super idea. Our campsite is a couple of miles North ... read more
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