16 Friday Aug 2019
Posted in Sites
Tags
#motorhomes, @motorhmenews, Calais, chrismacgowan, Christopher Macgowan, France, montreuil-sur-mer, motorhome, motorhomenews
Montreuil sur Mer is about an hour from Calais and is an attractive small town with plenty of bars and bistros and a town rampart you can walk most of the way round. For me, the killer app however is the aire which is no more than two hundred metres from the town square.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
06 Sunday Aug 2017
Enjoying time in Nice.
A recent survey revealed Nice to be the city most French citizens would love to live in if they had the choice and I can see why.
A tad hot for us Brits. 34 degrees C slows me down and results in more bars being visited when of course I am here primarily for the culture……
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
17 Sunday Apr 2016
Posted in Sites
Tags
airvault, camping de courte vallee, Christopher Macgowan, France, motorhome, motorhomenews, motrhome
Have recently returned from the Loire where I stayed at an excellent site south of Saumur. Camping de Courte Vallée, 8 Rue de Courte Vallée, 79600 AIRVAULT, France.
The site is run by an English couple and has a very strong English feel about it – and is about 400 miles from Calais. You could stay there for a few days or use as a transit site on your way south or back home. I enjoyed it.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
15 Sunday Nov 2015
Posted in Travel, Uncategorized
I am reproducing this statement as a personal and a-political mark of respect for those who lost their lives and are injured and to underline what many of us feel – we will continue to live our lives as usual and will refuse to be intimidated:
The UK and all other EU Heads of State or Government and the leaders of the EU institutions have issued a joint statement on the terrorist attacks in Paris.
The European Union is deeply shocked and in mourning after the terrorist attacks in Paris. It is an attack against us all. We will face this threat together with all necessary means and ruthless determination.
France is a great and strong nation. Its values of liberty, equality and fraternity inspired and inspire the European Union. Today we stand united with the French people and the Government of France. This shameful act of terrorism will only achieve the opposite of its purpose, which was to divide, frighten, and sow hatred.
Good is stronger than evil. Everything that can be done at European level to make France safe will be done. We will do what is necessary to defeat extremism, terrorism and hatred.
We Europeans will all remember November 13th 2015 as a European day of mourning. All Europeans are invited to join in one minute of silence in memory of the victims at noon on Monday, November 16th.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
22 Saturday Aug 2015
Posted in This and That
The French tour is now over. I love these big landscapes so special to France.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
14 Friday Aug 2015
Am spending some time in France and am right now at the amazing KonTiki site on the beach outside St Tropez. It’s a stunning site with brilliant facilities but, above all, it’s the location of course. It is also a mini United Nations with people from all over the place holidaying and enjoying the 30 degrees C and constant sunshine.
Faye has managed to join me for some of the time. She works full time and for a company that seems not to understand either time zones or holidays. Consequently WiFi and electricity are a bit of a must but I am not altogether certain when AutoSleeper installed a weather proof outside three pin socket they had envisaged it was for keeping Faye’s MacBookAir fully operational at all times.
Faye has now flown home and I will be wandering through places like Macon and Beaune on an educational visit to improve my knowledge of French wine. (OK I realise that sounds a bit thin.)
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
28 Saturday Feb 2015
Posted in Travel
Coming through Calais today on my way home it was an absolute delight not to encounter loads of people in nearby fuel stations and on the roads into the port trying to jump into my motorhome or attach themselves beneath it. Not one.
I know the UK government has offered some financial assistance to the town of Calais to deal with what was becoming an intolerable problem and it seems to be working. The makeshift camps have gone to the relief of Calais residents and I felt very much more relaxed going through the port.
My motorhome was pulled to one side and examined by the UK Border Agency – the officer told me it was his dream to own a motorhome himself one day so we had a brief exchange of ideas on fixed beds and shower room sizes while he completed the search but I did sense that whilst vigilance is called for, some of the pressure is off. When I arrived in France earlier in the week I noticed a five mile queue of trucks waiting to get into the port by a slightly different route and I suspect this too is all part of the effort to reduce the number of people attempting to get into the UK unlawfully.
Life is definitely getting more complicated for us all because not only are we trying to eliminate illegal arrivals we are also trying to limit the numbers leaving the UK to join terrorist outfits mainly in Syria. I concluded that in comparison to the weighty issues the Border Agency staff are dealing with in Calais my brief visit to Montreuil and Vimy was distinctly mundane. And long may that continue.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
02 Saturday Aug 2014
Posted in This and That, Travel
Always so good to be driving in France. So much user friendly information for motorhome drivers.
Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews
06 Friday Jul 2012
Posted in Sites
Tags
Camping, Camping Les Mouettes, campsite, chrismacgowan, Christopher Macgowan, Criel sur Mer, France, Le Treport, motorhomenews, Normandy
Camping Les Mouettes is a great spot for a stay. Firstly it is terraced on the side of a hill so you get a great sea view and secondly it has first class newly installed unisex facilities. Pitches are grass and a decent size – the only thing missing was a motorhome service point but, as you know, these are available in almost every village anyway so it is not a problem. In fact we called in at an aire on our way to Le Treport the next day and gave the motorhome a bit of an overhaul.
We are enjoying a delightful tour from Calais to Le Mont St-Michel in fine weather.
Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews
