Drive to the Camargue - Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

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Really bad storm in the night. First of all we woke up soaked because it was so very hot. We opened all the windows to their maximum and went back to sleep only to be woken by the sound of torrential rain on the roof (when it rains in a ‘tin-roof’ motorhome it sounds like ball bearings !). We got up and shut the windows again and the roof vents and went back to sleep. Really rather a funny night as our sleep was alternately disturbed by the noise of the rain, flashes of lightening and violent cracks of thunder.

Felt a little sorry for the campers on either side who were in tents and very wet tents they were too.

When we woke for the last time, awakened by lightening so bright I thought Bob had switched the lights on, it was happily the very end of the storm and once the rain had stopped dropping from the trees it became quite a nice sunny day again.

We left a little later than our norm, as we waited for everything to dry off a little. Our drive was not too long so we didn’t need to rush. We stopped at Carrefour for fuel and got on our way up through the hills above the coast and looking down to the spectacular coastline east of Cassis. Main aim was to avoid the centre of Marseilles which Bob managed to do and we set off west through the industrial very flat region round Marseilles until we got to the Camargue. We crossed the Little Rhone on a ferry, Bac de Bacarin, which we used before in 2007 but the ferry is now bigger and more accessible than the little one we crossed on then.

Our destination was a campsite at Saintes Maries de la Mer. We have stayed here before, on the aire in the town centre, but have opted this time for the comfort, and swimming pool, of a proper campsite.

I checked it out first as the ACSI website reviews did not rate it well but it is absolutely fine and the pool lovely. It also has direct access to the beach which is beautiful talcum powder fine sand. A shame it is just too far to walk into town from the campsite but tomorrow we will use the scooter to go hunting for Flamingoes and White Horses so can get to town quite easily on that. Today we contented ourselves with a stroll along the beach and a swim in the pool.

Went a little chilly this evening as a result of the cloud cover but due to return to full sun tomorrow.



There is another aire here too, 100 metres from the campsite and with far more spacious parking that the one in town but believe it cost €10 or €12 which is a lot when you consider we only pay €16 for this campsite with full facilities. Campsite wins for me every time.

Campsite is Le Clos du Rhone, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

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