Our First Motorhome Tour Of Europe Finally Begins
Many years of planning and talking about a tour of Europe in a motorhome has brought us to this exact moment when with a mixture of excitement and apprehension we are finally on our way.
It is a short distance between our home in Bournemouth and the ferry port of Poole, with light traffic for a Monday morning, albeit quite early – we arrive and board the Brittany Ferry without a hitch.
The crossing with Brittany Ferry from Poole to Cherbourg along the cold waters of the English Channel also known as Canal De La Mancha took us about four hours of a reasonably pleasant crossing.
The sun was shining and the sea was calm enough for a smooth crossing. Although keen to avoid getting seasick we decided it would be best to take some anti-sickness tablets. Just as well we did take medication since the ferry soon started rolling a little from side to side with the large sea swell.
Feeling hungry we even managed to eat a good breakfast on board.
Arriving in France we were some of the first to drive off the ferry, passing through immigration was very fast and efficient, we showed our passports to a border guard and were soon waved off with a lovely “Bon Voyage”…merci beaucoup, we certainly will.
Brian has driven many times in France before, therefore he was not worried about driving on the right, rather than the left as we do in the UK, but in any case, we were both grateful for the very light traffic, good roads and great weather conditions.
The road rules are not that different from the UK, but the speed limits and distance signs are all in km ( same as in Brazil…making me feel at home here). Like in the UK the motorway signs are blue, but watch out for a sign that says “peage” since that means you are going to need your wallet…it is a road you have to pay to use. We did encounter a couple of junctions that would lead into a toll road, but our Satnav did behave itself and kept us on the right track, away from toll roads.
We enjoyed going through the lovely French countryside, passing small towns and villages. On our journey we encountered very well dual carriageway roads, some motorways (free ones) and endless roundabouts, the French appear to love their roundabouts even more so than the British.
Eventually, after just over four hours on the road, we rolled into the paid Aire at the small town of Beauvoir, our final destination for the next two nights. We quickly got parked up and settled in our motorhome pitch. We noticed that our neighbours were mostly French, there were about four other vans already parked up on the site, but they were all spread out at a good distance from our van.
Our motorhome parked up at the AIRE in Beauvoir basking under the French sunshine
The Beauvoir Aire ( N 48.59429 W 1.51206) cost us 13.50 EURO per night inclusive of all usual services and an electric 16 AMP hook up. It had spacious, levelled pitches for our Motorhome and it was only 3 km from Mont Saint Michelle. There was an easy walking/cycling path to follow to the Mount. Not bad for the first night on French soil.
A beautiful sunny day welcomed us the next day, following a great night’s sleep in our motorhome. Our French neighbours stopped by for a chat whilst we were getting our bicycles ready for the short cycle to the Mount. My French language skills are not very good, although Brian’s a lot better than mine, we did manage to have a good chat with the lady who spoke excellent English, her husband on the other hand spoke to us in French only as if we could understand every word he said…we just smiled reassuringly, encouraging him to give us lots of tips and places to see nearby.
Mont Saint Michele
Like a fairy cake floating above the golden sands of the vast beach along the Norman coast, Mt. Saint Michel has fascinated people for centuries.
We rode our bikes all the way to the foot of the Mount…not allowed during high season.
It has a long history that dates back to 708. In the 13th Century, an Abbey was built on top of the pyramidal-shaped Mount, an incredible feat of engineering planned and executed with great precision by medieval builders who succeeded in perching two blocks of 3-storey buildings on a steep rocky slope.
The Abbey church was built on top of the rock, eight metres above sea level, on a platform eight metres long, an astounding effort considering the topography of this area.
Building of the Abbey had to combine the constraints of a difficult site topography with the needs of monastic life.
The statue of Saint Michel sits atop the belfry, it was made in 1897 by the sculptor Emmanuel Fremiet commissioned by the Architect Victor Petitgrand.
The cloister provided communication between the various buildings, it was also a place of prayer and meditation. The galleries have been constructed to make them light in weight. Large windows at the front (see where people are standing at the front) provided great views over the bay.
The entrance fee for the Abbey was 10 Euro each, totally worth it in my opinion. There is a lot to explore and the views from the top are amazing. It is a long way up with lots of steps to the top, but your efforts are rewarded eventually. We took our time to explore it all. I can imagine during the high season this place will be crammed full of tourists, perhaps making this experience not as beautiful and peaceful as we had. We were lucky to see it on such a great, lovely sunny day and with just a few other visitors to contend with. We did need to wrap up warm though since it was a little chilly at the top and inside the monastery.
Mt. Saint Michel has been listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO since 1979. It has been a place of pilgrimage, an impenetrable stronghold during the Hundred Years War, and it has also been used as a prison. The Mount is now a symbol of French national identity and one of the most popular visiting sites in France.
Brian and I have visited it many years ago back in the early nineties, we loved it then and we love it even more now that we have managed to explore it in more detail. We even managed to have a meal at the Mount, to celebrate Brian’s birthday. We sat by a window looking over the bay admiring the views and the fast-moving sea tide below.
Fabulous views across the bay
After our exploring we cycled back on the easy level path by the water back to our Aire where we stayed for a second night. We left just after 9 am the next morning bound for the Loire Valley.
Easy cycling path
Life feels great right now, so far we are enjoying the fluidity of life in our van and the ability to move on to the next place with such ease. The sunny weather has made it easier for us, something that we had not expected to find in the depths of winter in the North West of France. The day’s temperature has been in the double digits, although soon after the sunsets the temperatures plummet down to just 1 to 2 degrees C with morning frost on the campsite’s grass. But Inside our van, we are very warm indeed and we have managed to sleep very well. So onwards and forwards to the Loire.
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Wow what an adventure you are having. I can feel your delight at your new found freedom. I am impressed with the reasonable costs to stay at the camps. Keep on rolling and rocking Traveller no longer Interrupted. The photos are amazing!
Val, it is great to no longer be a “traveller interrupted”, I am the happiest when I am on the road travelling. I just hope the novelty of travelling every day will not wear off 🙂 Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
Gorgeous! What an amazing way to kick off the adventure! I keep imagining what it must have felt like on the ferry and knowing you were off! It’s thrilling just hearing you describe it. The fact that you can ride your bike too is a really nice extra. I wish you many more adventures 🙂
Kemkem, Brian and I felt like two kids in a sweet shop. We can’t believe it has been almost one month since we set off 🙂
Sounds an excellent start to your adventures Gilda! I visited Mont St Michel a long time ago now (I was 17 and on an exchange visit to a French family in Normandy). It was August so very crowded. Would be lovely to visit at such a peaceful time – it looks idyllic in your photos 🙂
Rosemary, I first visited in 1990 and like your visit it was very crowded. It was a different experience this time around, much more enjoyable. It must have been great as a 17 year old to be on an exchange visit to France? How long did you stay for?
Yes it was good fun Gilda! I was there for just over 3 weeks. It was bit scary at first as there was a mix up with the families and I was placed with a non English speaking one and their daughter was learning German!. They lived quite a way out of the town so I couldn’t see my English friends quite as much as I’d hoped. We did do some great outings with the family though including to Mont St Michel and also (a huge treat) up to Paris for the day. It also did wonders for my French – a bit rusty now though!
Rosemary, such a great opportunity for you as a young girl. The total immersion for sure would have done wonders for you French. Now you just need to keep practicing and visiting France regularly 🙂
Yes I know Gilda – would be so good if I could keep up the practice. I did get a chance to use my French in the French speaking part of Switzerland a couple of years ago and was pleased that it did start to come back again and I can still read and understand a reasonable amount of French. However I’ve been learning German for the past 7 years (once a week at night classes) and I find that my brain defaults to German if I try and speak French now – it’s weird as if your mind knows you’re speaking in a foreign language so calls up the one you’ve been using most recently! I started to learn German as we’d been travelling in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and I wanted to be able to speak and understand it more (I did do a couple of years at school but practically learnt nothing back then!). We’re hoping to go to the Rhine area for a few days in May as we’ll be over in the UK visiting family and plan to do a side trip to Europe. I guess my French practice will have to wait a while! Hope you’re having a wonderful time on your trip 🙂
What a beautiful and memorable first stop on your new motorhome journey. You must have been so excited to finally start off on your adventure. I looks so scenic and convenient to be able to bike to the Mount, especially on a brilliant off-season day. I visited in the summer of 1984, and remember the vast tidal flats that you mention. I would love to see it again some day. Happy travels!
Joe, we are so happy to be finally living our dream. Mount St Michel was great in the low season. If you visit again do avoid the summer season, it gets too crowded. We are now in Spain 🙂
Congrats on beginning your adventure! Looks like you’re off to a great start and I love the fact that you’ve been exploring by bike too. I went to Mont Saint Michele on a school trip but forgot/didn’t appreciate how beautiful it is!
Amy, thank you 🙂 We are super happy. The MOHO is comfy and our bicycles have been quite handy and fun to use. Sorry I missed your comment, for some reason sometimes I don’t get and email letting me know about it 🙂 Thanks for your comment
I have an online friend who owns a B&B near Cornwall (I believe) and from her garden she has a stunning view of Mount St. Michel across the water. I’ve always thought it would be fascinating to see.
Patti, we did visit the Mount St. Michel in Cornwall, England few years ago, it is gorgeous, your friend is a lucky person. But there is also Mount St. Michel in Normandy, France…very confusing I know 🙂 The French “Le Mont St. Michel” was our first stop on our recently started motorhome tour. We were so lucky to be visiting it during the low season, since it can be very crowded in the Summer 🙂
And … you’re on your way! How excited you must be to see all your work and planning finally coming to fruition.It look like traveling with your home is going to be a blast and taking advantage of traveling during the low season with (much) fewer people as well as ease in finding a place to stay definitely sounds like the way to go. Mont Saint Michele looks magical and I love your photo of the “castle” at the end of the road. P.S. Your comment about the roundabouts made me laugh. I’m thinking the Portuguese love them too!
Anita, finally our plan has come together. After years of dreaming and planning, we are super happy. When we set off mid February we did wonder about travelling Europe in the winter, but the weather gods have smiled on us :)Thank you for your lovely comment and support 🙂