Europe Motorhome Tour 2020 – We’re Off Again!
Setting off from the UK on September 2nd, 2020 we are back on the road again, crossing the Chunnel (Channel Tunel) into France.
We are currently overlooking Lake Annecy from our campsite Le Panoramic, up on the hills above the lake (GPS N45.8428, E 6.14129).
Our European motorhome tour 2020 has started well. Our plan is to explore a little bit of France, mostly around the Mont Blanc area, and then cross into Italy, where we intend to stay for most of September and October. If time and COVID allow it, we will possibly continue our tour into Sardinia towards the end of October, returning to the South of France sometime in November.
Our home-on-wheels has been in storage since October 2019, following our return home from a three months Summer tour around Norway (see blog posts under motorhome travels), visiting the Far North, and enjoying the midnight sun above the Arctic Circle. It was our plan to travel to Europe again during the Spring 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic has kept us hunkering down at our bricks and mortar home in England, and just like it was for the rest of the world population, traveling was far from our minds.
Recently we have started getting itchy feet again and missing our travels by motorhome. Our decision to travel abroad again has not been taken lightly and we have spent a lot of time discussing how it could work for us. In a COVID-19 world, motorhome traveling has in fact become very popular, so much so that motorhome sales have hit an all times high. Being self-contained makes our home-on-wheels the perfect way of traveling and at the same time minimizing the risks of coronavirus infection.
Apart from a short trip to North Devon in early August 2020, Big Bill (our motorhome, named after Brian’s late father) has stayed gathering dust and bird poo at a nearby storage place. Our recent trip to Devon was intended to get us back on the saddle, ensuring Big Bill was up to the job of taking us into the continent. We also wanted to test out the newest member of our crew ” Little Bill” (our new scooter).
We spent 4 nights at Bay View Farmers Camping site near Ilfracombe and Woolacombe, in North Devon where our friends and fellow motorhome travelers, Mark and Marion joined us for the last 2 nights of our stay.
Enjoying a glass of wine and a barbeque with our friends and fellow motorhome owners Mark and Marion.
We had a great time exploring the area and just chilling out with our friends. The trip to Devon reassured us that we still love motorhome traveling and that we feel safe to explore further afield.
Crossing the “Chunnel” into France
Living in the South of England made our journey to Dover/Folkstone very easy, within 3 hours of leaving home we arrived at the Channel Tunnel boarding area, an hour earlier than our booked crossing, but they just waved us through.
Crossing could not have been any easier since we did not even have to leave our van. After showing our passports at the British border control, we had to show it again at the French border control just few meters ahead and then we were ready to depart. Driving into the huge Euro-tunnel train compartment felt like being eaten by a monster, but we soon settled in for the 30 minutes crossing and ate our sandwiches. It is always a little nerve wrecking to think that we are actually on a tunnel travelling many miles under the seabed, but for mental health’s sake we just blocked this image out of our heads.
Getting to Annecy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
We chose to travel on the toll roads for a faster route into Annecy. The toll roads are very good ( at a price, off course), but I don’t think we will be using them very often, since it can get expensive and we do actually prefer going through the small towns and villages, enjoying the countryside.
For our first night on French soil we stayed at a small parking area just North of Reims.
On arrival at Annecy, the first motorhome campsite we chose was fully booked. Since we don’t usually like to book ahead, we missed out on staying at a place that was well recommended and right on the lake. But never mind, the next place we checked out had lots of spaces and although it was not by Lake Annecy as we would have liked, it was up on the hills with fabulous lake and mountain views…perfect.
Not a bad view from our home-on-wheels at Camping Panoramic in Sevrier, very near Annecy.
Exploring around Annecy
Over the years we have heard people raving about this region around Lake Annecy and we can now appreciate why that is the case. Situated in an idyllic location at the shores of a crystal clear, turquoise lake and surrounded by some lofty mountains, Annecy is enchanting.
The medieval heart of the town is surrounded by a network of canals, it even reminded us a little bit of Amsterdam. The shabby-chic buildings are decorated with window boxes of colourful flowers. The old town is pedestrians only.
Palais de l’Île – the town’s most famous and photographed building.
A gem of a place with a perfectly preserved “Vieille Ville” (aka the old town). It has the River Fier (the shortest river in France) flowing through it, creating little islands linked by cute arched bridges, draped in flowers.
Right at the heart of Annecy’s old town is the Palais de l’Île – the town’s most famous and photographed building. It sits on a triangular island that lies between two forks of the river. It looks like a miniature fairy-tale castle but it has actually been used as a mint, a courthouse and a prison over the years.
The network of canals reminded us of Amsterdam.
Pretty Annecy.
We wandered around the narrow streets past quirky shops, patisseries and some very tempting “gelateria”. There are also plenty of cafés and restaurants, most of which have tables lined up along the canals.
Lovers Bridge at the end of a tree lined park.
Lakeside beach.
The whole area is very geared up for the various outdoor activities and certainly a heaven for cycling. with a fantastic cycle path, called “Voie Vert” that circles the whole lake. There are also sandy beaches with wooden platforms and pontoons. The beaches often have grass areas for picnics. all around the lake, where locals and tourists congregate
To get a good feel for the area and the best views over the lake, we went up Col de la Forclaz on the very first morning of our stay in this region. “Little Bill” (our scooter) did us proud taking us up the narrow and twisty road over the Col without any problems.
Hanglider just about to take off.
Views from Col de la Forclaz.
The Col is a mecca for cyclists, paragliders and hanggliders. We spent some time at the top sipping coffee at a little café and watching them jumping off the mountain. I think Brian was quite tempted to have a go himself and certainly the conditions could not have been more perfect.
We stayed four nights in Annecy, using our scooter to explore the area, circumnavegating the whole lake, stopping at some of the small villages such as cute Talloires and exploring the old town of Annecy itself.
During our stay we realized that our fridge was not working very well when being powered by LPG . It works perfectly when we are hooked up to electricity, but it keeps disconnecting itself when we don’t have a hook up, such as if we decide to do “wild-camping”. Brian tried to get it fixed to no avail, we also tried to find a place that could fix it for us, but with the recent pandemic events they are all booked up for the next few weeks with a backlog of jobs.
Therefore we made a decision to continue with our travels and we might try to get it fixed in Italy, where we are heading next, or we might just continue to use places that will give us electricity hook up, either way we are carrying on as planned.
Annecy has been the perfect start to our motorhome tour 2020, we are now in the groove of travelling again and we will take one day at the time. With COVID-19 still very much an issue worldwide, we are not taking anything for granted.
Our next stop is Charmonix, where we are planning to stay for 3 or 4 nights.
Wow, Wow, Wow, you must be really pleased to be back on the road again. We can’t wait and will be following in your footsteps shortly (well 26th Sept actually). Look forward to continuing to read your excellent posts, Best wishes Dave & Lesley
Dave and Lesley, how lovely to hear from you guys. Sounds like we might be meeting on the road again? Where are you guys heading to? We are heading to Italy next, but can’t take anything for granted, we are keeping on eye on any changes re: COVID. But it does feel good to be travelling again by motorhome.
Enjoy your trip!!
Darlene, thank you so much. We are really enjoying it so far, fingers crossed it will be a good trip. How is your new book coming along? Keep well 🙂
Glad to see you are on your travels again, have a great time
Thank you guys, I have enjoyed following your travels in Croatia. I guess you are busy planning the next travel adventure? Keep well.
Gilda, i am so glad you are back on the road again. The first stop was amazing and yes, it does look a bit like Amsterdam. Crossing my fingers that you will get the fridge fixed asap. That must cause quite a disruption of plans. You are so lucky to have an RV right now. Seems like the only way to go. Are you hauling a scooter? I don’t think I’ve heard you mention it before. Looking forward to your next stop.
Suzanne, thank you 🙂 we are really happy to be on the road again. Motorhome travelling is definitely the way to go at the moment, we feel quite safe and we are keeping away from crowds and more risky places. The fridge issue has got us down a little, since it means we can’t do “wild camping”/boondocking. But at least the fridge does work well when using electricity. We have just bought the scooter for this trip, it is a good addition and we can keep it inside our motorhome garage. It is small but gets us to places without the need to use public transport. I will pop over to your blog later today to see what you have been up to 🙂
Thrilled for you. Safe travels. We had to cancel four trips this year.
Peggy, such a shame you had to cancel your travels. It has been a hard year for everyone and certainly the travel industry has suffered a lot. I hope you are exploring closer to home? You live in such a beautiful country.
Glad to see you back on the road with Big and little Bill. Annecy looks so pretty and full of character. Europe is full of hidden treasures. Enjoy!
Val, thank you! Annecy is such a lovely place with lots to do for everyone. A hidden treasure indeed. We had a relaxing time there, apart from our fridge giving us trouble 🙁 But we are carrying on and fingers crossed all will be well.
Great to see you back on the road if you can Passy is lovey. Great Aire and view
David, thank you. We arrived in Charmonix yesterday and we are staying at Camping Les Arolles near the town centre. Are you guys still in France? We will be heading to Italy next.
take care and enjoy!
Andy, thank you so much. So far it has been great, but fingers crossed we can keep travelling.
We are so excited to hear more about your motorhome adventures! What a perfect way to explore the world in these COVID times. We also did some RV-ing a few years back and really see this in our future as well. Love your photos of Annecy – it’s everything one can imagine a little historic French town to be. Happy trails to you both!
Thank you guys, we are very excited to be on the road again, Annecy has been a very good start. We are finding that our home-on-wheels is a good way to travel, particularly now during COVID times. You have done some RV-ing, so you know how easy it is to be self-contained and independent. We also love the flexibility. I hope you are also enjoying some travels in Colombia?
Yay! I’m so happy for you both to be back on the road again in Big Bill. And, a good idea to travel with a scooter to make exploring easier. I’d never heard of Annecy. What a beautiful old town! And the Palais de l’Île sure is picturesque. The water color of the river and the lake is mind-blowing. You certainly are making me miss life on the road! Soon… 🙂
Liesbet, we are so happy to be on the road again, we missed Big Bill. We are not taking anything for granted and just taking one day at the time. We hear of COVID cases increasing again in many places, so we will see how it goes. Annecy was a good start of our adventure and yes, Little Bill has been a good addition to the family. I hope you are progressing well with your memoir? Keep well 🙂
Great you’re on the road again! I’ve just done 4,000 miles through 10 countries and felt as safe, if not safer, from Covid in my Moho. You can see my route on lucyslogbook.com! Enjoy your travels!!
Lucy, well done 4000 miles and 10 countries…wow. I agree that motorhome travelling feels very safe, since it is easy to self isolate and be self contained. I will pop over to your site later on to check it out. Keep travelling and stay well 🙂
Exciting times! Annecy is a place I always wanted to visit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ugly photo of it. Wishing you safe and happy travels.
Jo, you would love all the incredible walks around this area. The lake is one of the cleanest in Europe, it is definitely a very photogenic area. Thank you for your good wishes Jo 🙂
How awesome. Good for you guys. Enjoy!
Thank you so much guys, so far it has all be great. In times of COVID we can’t take anything for granted, but travelling by motorhome does feel quite safe right now.
What gorgeous photos Gilda! Annecy and Chamonix have been on my wish list for ages – always love lakes and mountains! I’ve friends who went to Annecy and raved about it – it looks idyllic. Hope your trip goes well – as you say travelling in a self contained motor home is probably a very good idea at present. Take care 🙂
Rosemay, thank you! We loved Annecy, it is very fairy-tale like and the lake is just gorgeous. There is lots to see and do in these area. I hope you will make to both Annecy and Chamonix sometime in the near future, you will love it for sure. Having our home-on-wheels has been a great way of traveling at the moment. Take care 🙂
Yes would love to go there Gilda some day! Travel will be some way off for us though apart from within Western Australia as our borders remained closed. Enjoy your European sojourn and I’ll travel virtually through your photos! 🙂
Thank you so much Rosemay, I really appreciate you coming with us virtually 🙂
Happy trails to you! Funny, the first picture l saw was the one with the canals and for a minute l thought you were in Amsterdam too..haha! Very peaceful places, perfect for social distancing. Glad you guys haven’t had a hard time getting sorted travel wise. I hope that you get the fridge fixed in Italy. Thank goodness it’s not something too major and you can still have it work when hooked up to electricity. It’s awesome to have your home on wheels is it not? We have some friends thinking of doing the same here. Travel safe!
Thank you so much Kemkem, it feels good to be on the road again. As far as COVID goes, it feels safe to be travelling by motorhome. I think your friends would not regret it if they decide to get a motorhome, it is a very comfortable way of travelling and gives great flexibility. We have contacted some places in Italy re: getting the fridge fixed, but we have not heard from them yet, so fingers crossed. Keep well 🙂
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable journey Gilda. Having a motor home seems like an ideal way to travel in the time of COVID. Living where you do is a real advantage in accessibility to other countries. Thankfully we have a large country to explore but not all of it is even open to inter-provincial travel. Good luck with the fridge repairs and best wishes on your journey.
Thank you so much Sue. We do feel very grateful to be able to travel by motorhome in times of COVID. It really does feel very safe, but also we are being very careful and following all the rules. Social distance has not usually been a problem and we are managing to keep away from crowds. It is shoulder season, so a perfect time to travel in Europe. It is great to have the accessibility of so many different countries and cultures. Our intention is to stay mostly in Italy, but we are not taking anything for granted and we will be keeping an eye on the COVID situation. Thank you for your good wishes 🙂
I bet it feels good to be on the road again. It’s been a long wait, hasn’t it! Enjoy and have fun. You sure did have a fantastic view camping at Sevrier.