Family reunion on the Cote D'Azur

After a quiet few days touring Provence we have now come down to Antibes on the Cote D'Azur and it has been lovely to meet up with Lucy and Chaz who have just flown over for a few days. On leaving Anduze we made our way to Chateauneuf du Pape, stopping off on the way to visit the magnificent Pont du Gard. This Roman aqueduct is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a superbly preserved monument to the amazing architectural skills of the Romans. It has a large and very well organised visitor centre with a cinema where we were able to watch a short film explaining the history - Ted was even allowed into the cinema!
One night at the site near Chateauneuf du Pape was enough for us as we were very hot, though we did enjoy a morning walk around the beautiful village before moving on to  Digne les Bains where it was quieter and cooler. After a couple of nights there we headed down to the much busier coast and had a night at Cagnes sur Mer before heading for Antibes itself where we were due to meet up with Lucy and Chaz.
Campsites in Antibes are few and far between because most were completely destroyed by disastrous floods in October 2015. However, we have managed to find one which is back up and running if only at about 25% of its former capacity. Apparently a British woman died here in the flood when a 1.25 metre 'tsunami' caused by heavy rain inland, not the sea, swept through the site virtually without warning. It is such a shame to see what once must have been an amazing holiday centre struggling to get back on its feet.

The day of our reunion arrived but Frank was feeling very unwell, we assumed because of the heat until Lyn spotted the tell-tale signs on his left leg of a recurrence of cellulitis. This meant we had to get antibiotics urgently so a trip to the local medical centre was quickly arranged (campsite staff were most helpful) and hopefully within a couple of days he will be on the road to recovery.
Fortunately he was well enough by the evening to make the short train trip to Juan les Pins for the meet up. It was lovely to see Lucy (and Charles!) after so long and we had a very enjoyable evening and meal in the busy resort.
After a day or two with them we will be heading home and have booked our crossing from Calais for Wednesday 28th June, though we have a long way to drive before then and must include a stop-off at a vet to get Ted treated for tapeworm if he is to be allowed back into the UK.

Budgie smuggling in Provence

After a night spent listening to the crashing breakers just yards from our van on the Atlantic coast at St. Jean de Luz we moved inland on our way to rendezvous with Lucy and Charles on the Côte d'Azur next week. We spent a night near Lourdes, then moved to Foix before spending a couple of nights on a riverside site in an old cherry orchard at St. Pons de Thomieres.
French swimming pools do not allow men to wear shorts so not having packed any Speedos ('budgie smugglers') Frank has been unable to cool off  these last few very warm (35degs) afternoons in campsite pools. Our last two sites have, however, offered beautiful 'wild swimming' in adjacent rivers and yesterday we even managed to coax (throw) Ted into the water for his first ever swim. He didn't like it at all but he did manage a few yards of doggie paddle and it did cool him down!
Eventually Frank decided he really must go into the pool and Lyn suggested he use her bikini bottoms for a bit of budgie smuggling! Without going into too much detail I can report that the experiment was a success and, though there is photographic evidence, it is not for public consumption!
We are now on our 31st campsite, have travelled about 4300 miles, gone through (approximate figures) four bottles of gin, 10 litres of red wine, three bottles of rose and numerous beers. Not too many ice creams, though!

Now in Provence and planning a slow week before making our way down to the nearby (ish) Côte d'Azur. Where have the last six and a half weeks gone?

It's a dog's life.

Hello everybody, it's Ted.
I have finally managed to get my paws on the iPad with a decent wifi signal while Lyn and Frank are in the supermarket buying more red wine and gin so I thought I'd update you and tell you what's really going on.
We are now on a campsite near Lourdes having been back in France since yesterday. We spent last night on what those two thought was a great campsite just outside a swish French resort callled St.Jean de Luz, near Biarritz. They thought it was a great idea to drag me the 2 miles or so into the town in the heat of the afternoon sun so they could wander round looking at the sights, take some more photographs and sit in yet another square having yet another beer while I curled up under the table pretending to be happy when in fact I  am just permanently knackered with all this heat! OK so our pitch was literally beachside and the crashing of the waves provided a pleasant enough backdrop but to be honest it's all getting a bit tedious now.
I'm fed a diet of dried food with the odd bone in the evening and an occasional drink of water while those two have their beer, wine, gin and tonics etc and Lyn cooks up some wonderful dish or other every night. Or worse still they drag me to some cafe or bar and feed me little bits of bread or something while they indulge themselves.
They do some strange things I can tell you. On our last night in Spain Lyn woke up and asked Frank what time it was. Half asleep and unable to see his watch properly he told her the wrong time. Guess what she did then? Only went and had a shower! When she got back, unable to work out why it wasn't light, the two numpties realised it was still only 4.40 in the morning!! Unbelievable! Another disturbed night for yours truly. I knew what time it was. I never need a wee till 8am!

Anyway, I suppose it could be worse. At least there haven't been any bloody cats on the last two or three campsites. I wouldn't mind  if there were if Lyn and Frank would let me chase them but they won't.....I tell you what, I'd give one of those Spanish/French cats something to think about if I did get one. It seems weeks now since I nearly had that one that ran up a tree.
From what I can gather from listening to their conversations we're heading for Provence next and then going to meet up with my old mates, Lucy and Chaz on the Côte d'Azur in a couple of weeks. I can't wait, to be honest. I love Luce and Chaz and I'm so bored with these two now with their constant photographs and 'Ooh isn't it lovely?' and 'Oh aren't we lucky to be here?'
Well I'd better go and lie down in the back of the van pretending I'm asleep before they come back.
Just remember everybody, whatever those two might have you believe...it's a dog's life here in the sunshine.

Last two days in Spain.

Well having been reunited with our precious van it has been good to get back on the road and we have been thoroughly impressed with this stretch of the Northern Spanish coast. After leaving Gaivota where we had, on reflection, a very good week we headed for Ribadasella via a stop in the picturesque fishing village of Cudillero. After reaching Ribadasella in mid afternoon we set up and then walked the mile or so into the lovely town. Spanish towns in early evening all seem to be buzzing, with many families out and about, children playing etc. Unfortunately on this occasion everybody's fun was spoilt by a spectacular thunderstorm which we sat out under the canopy of a street side cafe.
After a quiet night we woke to the chaotic election news from home before moving on again. Another long trip, this time to Zumaia, close to the French border, was punctuated by stops at two coastal villages of repute, Comillas and Santillana. Both were very pretty; Comillas more of a working town (it was market day) and Santillana a little more set up for the tourist but memorable for its pretty cobbled streets and interesting shops. We also had lunch in an authentic Spanish outdoor restaurant.
We are now on a new campsite just outside the town of Zumaia and intending to cross the border into France tomorrow.
Two observations: Spain seems to have a huge graffiti problem and ugly daubings are everywhere, defacing almost every available flat surface at the roadside (a shame) but it also seems to have managed to keep its small railways open, especially here in the North and it is good to see local people making use of the service even in rural areas.

An enforced mini break

We have been enjoying our enforced mini break by the seaside at Gaivota (near Barreiros on the north Spanish coast) since the van breakdown last Thursday. There're definitely worse places to be stuck! The lovely beach is across the road, we have been accommodated in pleasant lodges (one for two nights then a second for four more), the site staff have been very helpful and we have managed to  get the van repair sorted out.
This has not been without complications, though. The local garage could not do the necessary repair so the van has been taken to Lugo, some 60 miles away. We had to go about 75 miles by taxi to get a rental car at A Coruna airport last Saturday and then yesterday (Monday 5th June) we had to drive to Lugo to arrange for the van repair. It looks like Frank was right and the problem is a damaged drive shaft plus the van managed to pick up a puncture during the recovery. We are looking at a bill of around £700 but recovery, extra accommodation costs, taxi and hire car are all covered by insurance.
We've actually had a good few days since getting the rental car and visited Lugo and a pleasant local town called Ribadeo. While in Lugo we also took the chance to walk the circuit of the city's Roman walls - apparently the most perfectly preserved in the world! Worth seeing, we thought, though the rest of the city was unremarkable.

The coast around here is very reminiscent of Cornish surfer territory but at this time of year very quiet. The weather has been good apart from one rainy and windy night and, all in all, it has been a perfectly good experience if at times a little difficult. News from home of terrorist attacks, Manchester's show of solidarity, electioneering and Diane Abbott's clumsy tv interviews has been worrying and interesting in equal measure.
We hope to get the van back tomorrow after another drive to Lugo, where we can also drop off the rental car, and to be back on the road by Thursday morning.

And we're off......the road!

Well after a  lovely three days on the North Portuguese coast we've had a bit of a disaster! We had a pleasant rest at Ancora, including a couple of excellent 'beach days' but decided to head back into Spain this morning (Thursday 1st June) and were almost at our chosen camp site on the coast near Foz when the van suddenly broke down!
In many ways we were lucky. We were off the motorway and at a junction which had a large, safe area where we could pull up. This was just as well as the poor old van would simply not move at all despite starting ok - the engagement of first gear produced no movement just severe juddering. I'm thinking it might be a driveshaft or gearbox problem. Two police officers were actually at the side of the road and gave us some help but it took several phone calls to our insurance people and a wait of about 90 minutes before a breakdown truck arrived. Then we did get lucky. One of the attendant mechanics spoke English, having spent some time as a waiter in London, and our friends from Tenbury Wells were already at the campsite which was only four miles away. They ascertained that the site could offer us accommodation in one of its lodges. So the breakdown truck ferried us to the campsite where we unloaded the necessary stuff from the van to enable us to set up temporary home in a wooden lodge, then they took the van off to the nearest VW garage (15km away) where it is to be assessed.
Consequently we are cosily settled but van less! We can stay here for a couple of days and our insurance will cover the costs of accommodation and recovery - we just have to hope that the repair will be reasonably straightforward. And it was all going so well!

A varied few days in Portugal

We have had a great few days in Portugal and had quite a variety of experiences. After a couple of nights on the coast at Figueira da Foz, between Lisbon and Porto, where we enjoyed some great beach walks (and dune scrambles!) we headed inland to Lamego, one of the country's most historic cities in the Douro valley.
Our campsite there was unique. It was in the grounds of a country house, high above the city, with great views. When we were given our allocated pitch, virtually alongside the old hotel which occupies the centre of the 'estate' we were a little bemused but the friendly owner insisted we would be fine. And we were! Despite the proximity of other vans we had our own private portico and stone staircase to use and spent a peaceful night.
During the previous afternoon (Sunday) we walked down the huge 600 step staircase into the city. The stairs are topped by a magnificent shrine dedicated to Our Lady Of Remedies and the wide stairs  are separated by terraces, religious mosaics and fountains at various points. A genuinely memorable experience.
The city was thronged with locals and had a festival feel. We visited a couple of churches and the beautiful cathedral (it is the seat of the diocese of Northern Portugal) and in the afternoon sunshine it was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours. Even the 600 steps back up weren't too bad.
From Lamego we headed to Braga via a stop on the banks of the Douro, right in the middle of Portugal's wine/port  producing area at Peso de Regua. Here we strolled, drank coffee, watched the luxurious river cruise ships and bought some local wine.
On reaching Braga we found the municipal camp site overlooking one of the city's two huge football stadia and set up camp with a view to walking into the city. However, our plans changed when we were pestered by a loose chihuahua which belonged to a family in a nearby caravan. We soon realised that the camp appeared to be populated mainly by English travellers (some even had washing machines outside their caravans!). Without wishing to appear judgmental we decided to move on when a second loose dog appeared and we decided that a peaceful stopover was unlikely! Also the weather had taken a turn for the worse and in heavy rain the whole scenario seemed unattractive.
We packed up and headed for the coast at Praia de Ancora, about an hour away. This is well north of Porto and quite close to the Spanish border which we will soon be crossing once again.

With the sun coming out our spirits lifted as the SatNav took us down a narrow cobbled street towards our second campsite of the day. As we arrived we noticed the couple from Tenbury Wells whom we met a few days ago were there as were a Dutch couple whom we had seen on two previous occasions. Our change of mind turned out to be a very good one!
The riverside garden site turned out to be beautiful, peaceful and ideally situated a ten minute walk from an absolutely superb beach with breaking waves, surprisingly warm water and wide open spaces.
So here we are...and might be for a while!!