Well here we are in lovely Switzerland! At the moment we are having a lazy day, catching up on a bit of reading, napping and blogging. Half the reason for this is because our feet are quite sore and the other half is due to the weather. We have rain and thunder today so it’s quite nice being wrapped up in the van while watching the rain hit the glaciers above us. We are currently staying near a little village called Randa which is about 15 minutes drive away from Zermatt Village. We have spent the last couple of days doing [View Full Entry]

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After our dramatic change of plans, we spent two days driving North towards the French Alps. This trip saw us stopping at the Verdon Gorges for a swim in the coldest water I have ever been in. It was almost glacial but felt fantastic after sitting in the van all morning. Even though it was a long drive, as soon as we left the coast behind, we also left the traffic and felt instantly more relaxed. Our overnight stop was a lake somewhere before the start of the Alps. It appeared over the hill and was the most amazing shade of [View Full Entry]

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After the Gorges du Tarn we headed west towards Provence. The motorway drive was really quite boring so the ipods were out on this stretch. Our stop off point was the Pont du Gard which is an ancient Roman aquaduct. We learnt about it in Classics at school so it was quite good to see it for real. Funnily enough, it appears to be the teen hangout. There was a rock band playing and there were loads of teenagers sun bathing and jumping off the cliffs into the river. We were so hot that we swam in the first part of [View Full Entry]

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The trip out of the Pyrenees was a real test for Brian. Some super steep hills and mountain passes took us on a mission of a drive over the French border into Spain, through Andorra and back into France again. Andorra wasn’t exactly a highlight - boiling hot and congested. We filled up with cheap petrol, looked at a few shops and ate lunch in a car park! Not the best scenic tour of the country but I’m sure it is much prettier in winter when everything is covered in a thick blanket of snow. The ski runs looked awesome! Our [View Full Entry]

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Before: After our French Centre Parcs experience we headed off on our most boring drive yet. Down the coast to San Sebastian in Spain. We travelled on the incredibly dull motorway most of the way. By mid morning the temperature was well into the thirties again. By the afternoon we crossed over into Spain and found our way into San Sebastian. We quickly learnt two important things. 1. San Sebastian is a very sexy city. Full of sexy young things in nice clothes, wandering about the city centre and parading on the beach. The streets are full of sexy cars. Lots [View Full Entry]

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My eyes scan the big red pin board marked ‘Le Activities’ “Oh my God! Chris! Cancel the pedal boating, the tennis and the mini golf! It’s nearly 8:30. The barrel rolling demonstration is about to begin!” How exactly did we get here? Surrounded by children, ice creams and camp staff in red uniforms? Are we in… a French version of Hi-De-Hi… or… worse…. Centre Parcs?! After our drive out of the Dordogne Valley, we headed for Bordeaux hoping for some sophisticated wine tasting and a few romantic bike rides through the vines. We wa [View Full Entry]

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The drive out of the Loire took us through some serious agricultural land. Miles and miles of crops and villages the landscape had a golden glow due to the wheat and sunflowers. The last 50 kilometres of the drive was our favourite as the road headed into the hills and passed through hill top fortifications and walled villages. Once again, surprisingly quiet roads that were a pleasure to drive. We have decided to stay inland and visit the Dordogne Valley instead of heading back out to the coast. Yes, of course, the Dordogne Valley is listed in our book ‘1001 Natural [View Full Entry]

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Ahh the Loire Valley! Finally here we are amongst the vines! That makes us sound a bit like raging alcoholics but we were both looking forward to relaxing for a few days in the valley. The Loire Valley is absolutely lovely, certainly my favourite area in France so far. There are miles of vineyards, fruit trees, sunflowers and beautiful little villages all lining the Loire River. Surprisingly enough, very few tourists. The traffic hasn't been a problem, even moving at Brian speed. French roads are amazing - traveling through rural France in a van is just so easy. We stayed the [View Full Entry]

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Brian-Not-Sexy-But-Good has done a great job of looking after us so far. We made it without incident to Dover and boarded our ferry to Calais. Packing proved to be a bit stressful but so far the only things we know we have forgotten is fly spray and our reef walking shoes. Not too bad! By the time we reached the coast, the sun was shining and our shoulders dropped as all thoughts of the end of the school year and contracts began to melt away. I am writing this from our camp-site, perched on a hill overlooking the sea. We are [View Full Entry]

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A few photos of our recent camping trip to the New Forest in Hampshire. The weather was good so we headed for a small campsite in the forest called Matley Wood. It has no facilities except for running water so only campers with a chemical toilet can set up there. Thanks to this, there were plenty of pitches available and we had a bit of room to stretch out. Best of all, the site is a starting point for some beautiful easy bike and walking trails. We put our bikes to good use by spending the afternoon peddling through the forest. [View Full Entry]

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