France 66 - the end of the line is nigh Bah humbug says Sion - it's home time

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Well Suzy is not quite in Forges les Eaux but that's the nearest place I can find to Neufchatel en Bray . So it will have to do.

We set out fairly lateish in the morning from Amboise. We were not travelling far today. Some days you feel like eating the miles up but today heading for the Channel Tunnel there didn't seem that much urgency about our travel. It feels very different setting out knowing you have a whole holiday ahead of you. Coming back there is a sense of sadness knowing it's all over. All that's left are the last few miles to the tunnel and the long drive home. The pile of mail on the doorstep, the dust all over the house, Suzy to be cleaned and scrubbed up, the same old view out of the windows and work. Not much to look forward to then.

We passed through pretty village after pretty village before whoomph - the motorway was upon us. Nothing exciting then for miles. Just the same old boring roadsides - fine on the way down to our destination when there is a sense of urgency about the whole thing. Wanting to get there means you don't mind mile after mile of nothingness. Coming back - oh dear it does drag on somewhat. Snoopy decided to go dead on us along the way. The lights showed she was working and that the battery on it was charging however reality was that it was most definately not charging up. So a quick change to Sally Sat Nav who wanted to take us right into Paris and the peripherique. No way Jose.

Luckily with a clue where we wanted to go we managed to find our way around Rouen without too much mishap. A few miles out of our way as I misread the names of the road as I double checked the map. It was a easier finding our way round on the way down than it was on the way back. Why I have no idea.

Our stop for the night was Camping Sainte-Claire at Neufchatel en Bray which is strangely twinned with the small town of Whitchurch in Shropshire. A market town close to where I used to live. It looked a nice town with church and shops, a lovely campsite and even better had we known a brand spanking new aire with space for about 8 motorhomes. We called in at the local Aldi for provision stock up and then passed a large Le Clerc supermarket. How I wished I had waited as I love Monsieur Le Clerc as I call him. That must be my favourite french supermarket .

Our campsite was next door to the aire which seemed a bit daft in a way as you feared for the trade on the campsite however Madame and Monsieur were lovely, they had WiFi at 3 euros all round the campsite, a restuarant with a fairly comprehensive menu, clean and tidy showers and a small shop where you could pick up bread and croissants the next morning. There were a few hardstandings but these were taken by people staying more than one night. For those of us passing through and there were many of us it was grass which proved a little slippy to get off the next morning after a dampish night. The cost for the pitch 12 euros.

We walked to the aire and all pitches were hardstanding. There were three motorhomes on there and they paid 12 euros and could pay at a machine another 3 euro for use of next doors WiFi. There were signs advertising the restuarant on the campsite but you could not use the showers. Perhaps a hint for the campsite - charge the aire stayers a few euros to use your showers.

We slept well apart from being awoken early by the 6 oclock church bells. There seemed a curfew on bells thankfully through the night. At 7 the clock donged seven times and then it went on and on calling the village population to church i imagine. After this quiet until 8 oclock. A lovely campsite all in all. No complaints at all. Before we left we watched the resident population of ducks with their babies wandering around the campsite quacking as they waddled along.

Our last journey was to head towards Calais. We joined our last peage on the motorway. It was goodbye to them for another six months or so. A visit to the local Auchan supermarket to stock up on wine and petrol which was the cheapest of the trip at 1 euro 33 cents a litre . And then on to Guines for our last overnight stay. We had spoken to a guy a few weeks ago who told us that La Bien Assize where we had planned to stay had closed for the winter. However we checked our ACSI book and it said that they were indeed open and wouldnt close until the 29th September. When we arrived we checked in and were told to park anywhere we could find and report back with our plot number. Cost 16 euros per night with ACSI. Reception is always friendly and the girl who served us was the same one who greeted us the first time we used this site 12 months ago. Perfect English with a perfect English accent. Not French then. We parked up and plugged in and made the cup of tea. The swimming pool was open although I didnt use it this time, the site was heaving, the restuarant open and our booking made and only one shower block open. In that block there were 3 showers of which only 2 worked. The site does open over the winter but only provides hard standing for 5 vehicles so you stand little chance of getting in. And all the facilities close down.

The campsite is set in the woodlands around the Chateau and in its grounds are the usual mix of glamping tents, Eurocamp tentings, grass standings for caravans and motorhomes, the Auberge du Columbier a rather high class looking hotel and La ferme Gourmande the restuarant. There is also a bar area, ping pong tables, an epicerie, aire de jeux, tennis courts and mini golf. Sion thought that he might have enjoyed a game of golf with his best friend Woolly. Woolly could bring along the clubs. He had to make do with a night in on his own whilst we tried out the restaurant again.

You do worry going back to a restuarant. Will it disappoint this time? Well no I have to report that it did not disappoint. We thought we would be the first in at 6.30 but by the time we got there there were already two elderly couples partway through their meal. As the night wore on more and more came in and by the time we left the restuarant was heaving. There is a good choice on the menu. A la carte if you want it or the set menus. The cheapest at 19 euros 90 each. We chose this one as the food suited . The dearer the menu and it went up next to 28 euros approximately included frogs legs. At 38 euros it was frogs legs and snails. OK the cheap one is fine. We ordered just a glass a wine tonight and water and this was brought with a smile and an entree. It was something like colslaw texture with salmon on the top. I enjoyed it but Glenn not keen on fish gave me his. There was a choice of three starters - I can only remember two of them - Glenn ordered Tomato and Basil Soup with crudites. His verdict very tasty 10/10 good so far. I chose a thick meat terrine with dressed lettuce, gherkins, radish and a course mustard. The terrine was delicious spread on crusty bread and although I am not keen on mustard nor gherkins I had to eat them and enjoyed them. 10/10 for me too. On to the choice for the main course. Either a beef stew dish or pork cooked with apples two ways. We both chose the pork dish and when it arrived was a huge chop cooked to perfection. It did not need cutting. It just slipped of the bone. The apples two ways were a bit confusing as we found stewed type apples on top and the gravy tasted of apple but we found no trace of any other type of apple. A half jacket potato had been scraped out and the potato mashed and returned to the skins and the veg accompaniment was cauliflower. It too was mashed and extremely nice. 8 and a half out of 10 for Glenn but a bit more for me 9 . Still good though. Our final courses were ice cream with hot chocolate sauce, kiwi fruit, redcurrants grapes and chantilly cream for Glenn and a selection of local cheeses all soft for me. No crackers though. I had to make do with the grapes and the raisons on the plate and a bit of bread left from the main course. Finished off with two espressos.

To round the evening off we watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a film I had brought along to watch on a rainy miserable night of which we had none.

Tomorrow an early rise. 3.15 to get sorted, cleared away and breakfasted. The train booked for 5.29 so we need to be at the terminal for 4.45 at the latest. Two house viewings booked for tomorrow and an overnight stay at Poolsbrook Caravan Park. Three more viewings Saturday and then it is home for us.

I am already making plans for October - go to Erddig Hall again at Wrexham. A haunt of my dad in his youth when he used to climb the high walls and scrump apples. Plas Newydd on Anglesey before it closes for the season. The list goes on and on and on .................

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Photos

Calais
One of the drills that drilled the Channel Tunnel

Calais
Another reminder of the Channel Tunnel building

Calais
Vauban woz here

Eurotunnel
At 4.45 in the morning and guess what the trains been cancelled