Category Archives: Out and About

we had a fantastic camping holiday in france! we had sun, we had calm skies, we had no midges, we had wine, scenery, cheese and just a great time. reminded me what camping should be about! the campsite was lovely, nicely kept, clean toilets, and a lovely pool. it had wifi, but we didn’t take laptops.

our crossing not to damaged by the channel tunnel fire, as we had booked ferries, gone down the night before to stay in a premier in for an early start – i really did need to have a relaxing holiday, as various work based events had me at breaking point by friday. [much chilled now!]. calais is really a much superior port to dover. a breeze to pass through, and those lovely french roads without carparking obligatory! it has been quite a while since i have been in rural france, and i was desolated to find that the traditional french jalopy seems to have finally demised in the interim – you know the one! tiny and seeming to run on thin air, held together with a wing and a prayer!

shopped at leclerc, tent up and dinner done. ahh, relaxxxxxx.

next day was a lazyday, pootling around, doing some crafty kits, swimming in the pool etc etc. we went to jumieges abbey the following day and spent quite a while there, as loads of ground to run around in as well, and girls loved it. poor bb had a major hurt on the way there, and my favourite trousers were liberally splashed in her blood. luckilly her knee didn’t need the steri strips. both girls rather nicely said their pleases and thankyous in french, and even asked for an icecream in french – so i was v pleased!!

fancying a trip to the coast, we went to etretat – deviating to a leclerc on the way to buy a few essentials and taking forever. blustery day, and the girls didn’t get changed into sunsuits etc, as weren’t going to get wet. despite me promising them that they would, they were adamant, so they got entirely and utterly soaked, and wore the sunsuits afterwards to go home in! we amassed a huge pebble collection with competetive acquisition between the 2 of them.

[btw, bb still up, and blogging v difficult whilst being used as a climbing frame]

the next lovely day trip was to chateau gaillard at les andeleys. i say day trip but we are being quite french, and leaving at late morning, arriving in time for lunch picnic! lots of book reading, crafts, playing in park and cycling going on before we adults actually up enough to go out. i slept badly so did something to neck – well, i assume that was the case – so traveled with blanket round my neck in lieu of a scarf, feeling slightly stupid at all the tolls! we loved the views and the castle and discussed richard lion heart and eleanor of aquitaine and crusades etc, helped by to people dressed as saracen and crusader knights having a mock battle. this obviously delighted our girls!

next day should have been a jaunt to rouen, but my neck thing magnified, and seemed migrainous so i gave into copious drugs and fell asleep for most of the day. chris and the girls mouched around the town, asking for icecreams in french again, and generally being happy.

so rouen was the last full day, and we took a scenic route along the seine – very lovely, and managed to find a carpark in the centre, only going into a buslane accidentally once! we went in the cathedral – sb v keen on cathedrals, discussed all the saints and little chapels, saw a tomb of richard lion heart, discussed why it was written in latin, heard a  organist and then a violist practice for the evening concert = lovely acoustics! moved to a mooch around the town, lunch in a square in the sun and then a bit of shopping. we went in the musee des beaux-artes, [sb choice] sb particularly taken by the modernists. we did have a look at different techniques and a stop by the impressionists, but the later work she liked best. on the walk back we had a stop by a carousel, and both girls practiced their french happily.

last day – sob! we managed to leave the campsite by 11, and only the washkit seems to have gone missing! we drove to sangatte and played happily on its sandy beach  – pretty much all to ourselves – before catching the ferry home. this time the girls changed into their wetsuits, so did get drenched, but didn’t have to cross the english channel with no sensible clothes! perfect end of holiday day really

we had a fab time, just wonderful. ready to repeat next year!

we went on a camping holiday last week to arran. we booked a lovely campsite in lochranza, ferry crossings etc and went with good spirit, despite the weather forecast.

we actually did have a lot of fun, but had to work hard for it! we pitched the tent in rain – well, it rained as soon as the outer was up and was very ratty making! it was late when we got their after a long day of travelling. the night was considerably windy, but the tent was rock solid. [tho i did stay awake to make sure!] the next day the weather was ‘variable’ so we went shopping for staples, played a bit on the beach, and me and the girls played mini golf. it then soaked it down! BB hated midges, and SB and i got eaten alive. oh, and the pressurising bit on the stove stopped working, so we had to swap to emergency gas cannisters! the night was again incredibly blustery, but i slept.
the following day [tues] was pretty much solid rain to start with, so we played games in the tent to start with, and then did some craft kits – must add craft kits to camping list! – and got the girls jollied along [though mummy not so impressed!] and then decided to drive around the coast and stop whenever and wherever it wasn’t torrential rain. luckilly there was a glimmer of improvement, so SB and i played on the beach and found stones. it started to tip it down, but we were well wrapped up. back to the car for hot choc, and then drove some more to find a cafe for lunch. suitably restored and in a light drizzle only, we went for a walk to kings caves. we enjoyed the walk so much and did lots of investigating that we never actually got to said cave [which is a shame], but we were all happy. the midges descended – 6 o clockbeing midge o clock and we ran back to the car and had a restaurant meal to inject further cheer into the day.

wed was glorious and sunny – hooray! we cycled to a nearbye castle to explore, spent time playing on the beach and then cycled back for lunch. had we cycled a bit further we would have found a cafe, never mind! we then drove to a lovely pebble beach, where there were lots of rockpools and crystal clear water, and we saw lots of wildlife. unfortunately when we were investigating anemones, BB was investigating the flotation of crocs, so there was a mad dash to save one from drifting to kintyre! this was def A Good Day! i didn’t sleep well from this moment onwards as taking max piriton and anti itch creams for the total body rash of bites! SB tried to swallow a tablet as we hadn’t got the syrup, but she hasn’t developed the technique yet. oh, and we think we might have seen an eagle!
thurs another day of variable weather – mostly drizzle, some heavy and some just midge. we did some art and craft in the tent and then went to the heritage museum. this was rather fab, and we actually spent the whole day there. it had a nice cafe, and also a weaving and spinning workshop. BB was less enthusiastic, but fell asleep for most of the afternoon. SB keen for chris to make her a weaving frame to do more, as she quickly got into it. she also wants a spinning wheel for christmas – not quite so sure about that one, but will perhaps see about a drop spindle if she fancies it instead!

fri , not quite so variable! in fact it was quite sunny in parts!! so we went to a beach with sand – actually it was quite nippy at this point, but both girls got stuck right into making sandcastles and were happy. we moved onto a cafe for lunch and then we had decided that we really really wanted to see the stone circles, so did a walk to those. weather stayed fine, and girls had a good walk. lots of conversations about this that and everything and lots of smiling. fantastic! SB singing her ‘show’ songs continually, so even BB and I know most of the words now.

sat was time to go. we packed up everything but the shell whilst it rained, and the girls were helpful and lovely. we treated ourselves to lunch at the cafe, hoping the rain would ease, but instead it turned from moderate drizzle to really rather wetting! chris, me and SB were soaked. by the end- after we had convinced sb that although she was v helpful, we didn’t want to her to be wet and miserable,  chris and i were in a state of giggles at how awful it was, and the fact that our reactalite glasses were convinced it was sunny – so we were wet and looking at things in extra gloom!

so we went for retail therapy, and visited the cheesery – yummy peppercorn cheese amongst others, and arran aromatics – various rellies presents bought! oh, and another cafe for cake! a final beach visit and then the ferry
home was in stages, we spent a night at the premier inn in carlisle – and were inpressed with it and the service there. and we stopped off sunday lunch at jax and co, for something to eat and a good natter.

overall impression – regret for the holiday we didn’t get. arran was lovely, we had identified walks and cycles to do, but the weather was against it. die hards might have still gone ahead, but lets face it, SB and BB would have been really miserable, and we would have been moved from borderline miserable to outright!! so we did crafts and made of it what we could. SB never wants to return to scotland, as she and i still v midgy.