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Brittany—Dordogne—Germany |
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The summer of 2013 had been hot and sunny. We hoped that it would continue just a while longer as we headed off towards Brittany to meet up with our fellow Carthago owners. After crossing Dover—Calais we turned westwards through Normandy to our first night stop at Honfleur. Sadly, the weather had let us down and it was raining steadily when we arrived to find a very crowded aire on the quayside. No obvious spaces so we parked ourselves right in the middle. There was a steady stream of arrivals and we were amazed just how many motorhomes you can fit into a small area. No fire precautions here—if you had room to open your cabin door then that was far enough away from your neighbour! If you left say 3 metres between you and the next motorhome then a Frenchman would consider that ample space to squeeze in between you. At Honfleur we met up with Ken and Georgina Hudson with their Carthago M Liner. Later in the evening the weather improved and we wandered across the quays to the town centre for dinner. If you have not visited Honfleur then please do. You will not be disappointed. (below) Desnée’s rather lovely photo of Honfleur harbour when the rain had departed. |
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We were off the next day, westwards again to Mont St. Michel. Another popular tourist attraction. At one time you could park overnight right underneath Le Mont but all is changing and a new, modern aire has been constructed slightly inland. There is a 24/7 shuttle bus service to take you to and from Le Mont and the only other way of getting there is by horse drawn cart or on foot. The reason for all this change is that the causeway is responsible for the silting up of the bay because it restricts the tidal flow around Le Mont. Work is in hand to build a new causeway, which is partly a bridge, which will allow the tides to circulate freely and keep the bay clear of silting. Allegedly, if no action had been taken Le Mont would have been joined to the mainland in about 40 years. |
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(above left) Priscilla and the Hudsons at the new aire at Le Mont St Michel (above right) the new shuttle buses. They can be driven from either end so no need to turn around! (below) Le Mont St Michel on a hot and sunny afternoon |
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Westward again and south to our Carthago Gathering at Sarzeau, in Brittany. We arrived to find that nearly everyone else had already arrived. Surprisingly, the French campsites almost go into shutdown mode as soon as the children go back to school and so we virtually had the ‘Le Lodge Presqu’ile de Rhuys’ campsite to ourselves. There were 17 Carthagos (34 people). It was good to meet up with everyone again and this was the first Gathering that we had attended where we were not the organisers. It was very relaxing not having to feel responsible. John and Gill Davies, who have taken over the co-ordinators role, did a grand job arranging a most enjoyable weekend.
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Just a few snaps of our outings. One day Desnée and George cycled 17+ miles to Port Navalo and back. It was very pleasant cycling along dedicated cycle routes but a bit frustrating that most of the others had electric power assist bikes! Desnée is studying the brochures for her powered machine! |
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After enjoying some very good company we turned back eastwards and to the city of Nantes. We had always been fascinated by the Musée des Machines which is located in the disused dockyard area. We wanted to ride the giant elephant! The campsite, right in the heart of Nantes was a very pleasant surprise. It is located in parkland and beautifully maintained. From the campsite it was about 200m walk to the tram which took you right into the heart of the city—and to the dockyards. Unfortunately, it was a wet and windy day and had suddenly turned cold. But the upside was that there was no queuing to ride the Great Elephant! |
