It has been a long time since we spent any kind of time in France and had the chance to stop at some of its beautiful towns and villages as well as taking the time to enjoy some of the local producers who open their doors to motorhomes staying over for a night or two….so we have been a little bit like children in a sweet shop these last ten days, making the most of every day!

We crossed over on the tunnel on Tuesday (16th April) and opted to stay the first night on a free Aire by the sports field just outside of Bergues town walls. Bergues is only 10km south of Dunkerque, far enough from Calais to not worry about anyone trying to jump in the garage thinking that we were on our way back to the UK, but close enough to not have to think should the shuttle get delayed. The town is pretty enough for a stop over but you wouldn’t go out of your way to visit, it has everything that you need in terms of bakeries, supermarkets, cafes, bars and restaurants and the Aire was easy to access and very tranquil overnight…even a really lovely off road route for my morning run!

Moving on in the morning though – still with the end destination in mind – we had decided to get some miles behind us and travel South into the Champagne region where Steve and Debs had recommended a lovely small producer (Philippe Hautem, Vaudemange) where they had stayed and bought from previously.

We had a little walk around the village which doesn’t have anything else in it apart from another 5 or 6 small champagne producers, then headed back to meet Philippe’s wife who took us and a German couple, also staying in a motorhome, through the different champagnes they make.

The husband and wife team set up the champagne house from scratch 40 years ago and now run it with their two sons. Over the years they have evolved and developed the process and the different types of champagne they produce, even this year they are introducing two new varieties… one of which is 100% Pinot Noir.

Neither Keith nor I are massive champagne fans simply because we feel there are many wines that are a far better value for money for our taste buds, however it is possibly fair to say that we have just tried too many of the ‘cheaper’ brands as in contrast to our experience, the champagne was delicious, fresh and light. We tried 6 different varieties in total, including one rose and were lucky enough to try some of their ‘aged ‘Old Vines’ champagne from 2012 which they don’t produce each year but when they do it only provides about 300-400 bottles…. this is the kind of ‘free’ stop over that ends up being quite expensive…but we would definately repeat it!!

After a lovely quiet night and a morning hilly run up through the vineyards, we set off towards Troyes (pronounced Trois…as we have now been told!), where we found a lovely Aire a mile outside the center (15 euros p/n inc elec.)

When Keith was looking at the aire he happened to see that there was a restaurant – Bistro DuPont 500m away that had reasonably good reviews which got me looking at options nearby… and it turns out that the restaurant he found was a Michelin Bib Gourmand with several nice looking set menus – which the french do so well, so we thought it would be rude not to try – especially as they could adapt one of their menus to a difficult pescatarian!

The food was excellent – everything from Beluga Lentils with Foie Gras and Smoked Salmon for starters, scallops and a beautiful fish dish for mains, through to a deliciously light cheese eclair….. and those desserts were to die for – unsurprisingly, the restaurant was full on Friday lunchtime.

Troyes itself was a really pretty city with lots of beautiful old buildings – some still part way through the process of renovation so a little shabby chic – but in the main lots of interesting architecture, not too big and a lovely French ‘cafe society’ feel.

We walked the streets in all different directions, sampled the coffee shops and also took advantage of being their on Saturday to enjoy the extended market which, as always in France, proved to be excellent with a huge amount of local produce with everything from Raw Milk and unpasturised cheeses to seasonal vegetables and home made breads.

I even managed to see a beaver swimming up the Old Seine when I went out for my morning run on the Saturday – a first ever for me as I haven’t ever seen a beaver in the wild, an amazingly powerful mammmal… who’d have thought they were just large rats! A lovely place and we will definately stop off here again if we are passing this way.

After three nights and leaving our neighbours thinking that we really were ‘The Mad English’ having decided to do some washing and hang it out just as it started to rain….. we moved on again we decided to stop at another little France Passion vineyard en route – Domain Dury in Bourgogne – just south of Beune, this time to try some Burgundy Whites and Reds.

We arrived and the sun was shining – which before long turned into hail storms as typically is the case in April, but they went as quick as they came and the sun soon came out again and let us go for a ‘dry’ walk which was good. In contrast to some of the other vineyards we have stayed at, this one didn’t offer a tasting but instead had two large fridges full of bottles of wine for people to buy on an honesty basis.

Being a Sunday and with only one other campervan accompanying us by 6pm we expected to pretty much have the place to ourselves… but alas as the rain started again another three motorhomes turned up… appears to be a very popular place – we have only tried one bottle so far which was a Bourgogne Pinot Nnoir and it is fair to say that its flavour enhanced by breathing a little. We are looking forward to trying the other wines we bought, including a Grand Cru over the coming weeks as this looks like a place to come back to.

Switching wine for food, we moved to another France Passion place – Auberge Grand Ronjan, Cormoz, where although they were closed on Mondays, we had asked if we could stay the Monday night as well as Tuesday to get see a little bit more of the area and they were happy to accommodate..

It is a little bit more complicated being pescatarian in France especially when you want to go to off grid restaurants which are a little bit more ‘authentic’ and generally only serve up what is local and in season. I did however call ahead and the conversation made me smile as I tried to explain that I didn’t eat meat, but did eat pretty much anything else including fish and shellfish… therefore in French terms apparently I am Vegetarian….. and, in that case I would also eat Frogs Legs and Snails…no? therefore, loads of options!

Thankfully they were able to do a salad without lardons – which apparantly would also be vegetarian no? and a fish in beurre blanc…. Keith made the most of local and seasonal specialities – Frogs legs and Bresse chicken…it was ok, but we won’t be running back. I know it is supposed to be frog leg season as such but these were pretty small – perhaps he should go for toad next time… The Bresse Chicken however was lovely but as is the case in France, don’t expect to get any vegetables.

It was a really tranquil location and a pretty area so despite the food not being quite up to standard, we had a nice cycle ride and a couple of lovely walks through the rolling hills.

Obviously as we are limited by how much wine we can bring into Europe from the UK now – only 4 Litres per person – we decided to get just one more France Passion ‘fix’ in before we head over to Italy and there are no surprises for this one being another Vineyard – Domaine Aime Bernard et Fils – Silans on the Rhone.

The photos don’t do it justice – it was a truly stunning and tranquil location to stay overnight. Perched on the side of the vineyard sloping down towards the Rhone with the backdrop of the snow peaked mountains. We arrived at lunch time and had a beautiful walk in the afternoon before the rain came, passing beehives and vines whilst enjoying the beautiful turquoise Rhone twisting nearby. Then later headed over to do a ‘degustacion’ – tasting for those who aren’t in the know – of their wines – beautiful fresh, crisp whites and an interesting red ‘Mondeuse’ that neither of us had heard of before…. another six bottles for the road!

Another beautiful, peaceful night with just the bird song and amazing views to wake up to – it’s places like this that make you really appreaciate being in a motorhome and having the ability to travel and meet small producers who are passionate about their products.

Despite eating out a little more this last week and a half we have also had time to play with some new recipes again
– Pashwari naan – a lovely nutty, sweet change to the naan bread
– Pesto lasagne – truly deliciously rich and indulgent
– WIld garlic cheese scones – taking my normal cheese scone recipe and adding a little bit of seasonal flavour (approx 75g of Wild Garlic)

And finally the map. We had planned to travel a little more quickly but as always the enjoyment should be in the journey as well as the final destination and it is always easy to get distracted in France as there are so many beautiful places to visit…. one more stop in France – and then it’s over to Italy… I promise!

Trying to escape the sodden fields of Berkshire we headed East to explore a little of Kent, the garden county apparently and oddly, somewhere we pass through alot to go to the continent but rarely stop and haven’t ever explored.

First stop was Canterbury, somewhere I haven’t ever been to and Keith has only ever visited as part of hockey tours… so how much he actually saw, or perhaps remembers, is another thing. We booked the Canterbury Camping and Caravan Club site as it was only about a mile outside the center and had hard standing which is still key with amount of rain we have had, despite it apparently being Spring.

I think, we were possibly a little harsh on our judgement having only recently been to Winchester and being pretty impressed, as we found Canterbury a little tired and without a huge amount of appeal. Many of the shops were empty and the town felt a little ‘soul-less’ which was a shame but it was good to see all the same … and some of the architecture is beautiful, including the cathedral.

We had already planned a little gastronomic excursion whilst staying in Canterbury…. well the pub booking actually came before the campsite as we had wanted to visit ‘The Sportsman’ which is in Saltwater for a while now, just not made it.

This time however, we were lucky enough to have a dry day and decided to take the bikes and ride out for lunch …. a bit of a long ride, but it was beautiful and very tranquil. Lunch was exceptional – both service and food…. we will definately be doing a little bit of a detour to come again in the future. Not that we need an excuse but we do feel the need to come back and explore Whitstable as it looked lovely on our brief pitstop en-route!

Moving on, we headed to a CL (Lydden Farm CL £20pn) that I had found, nicely positioned between Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. I was a little concerned in so far as there wasn’t any hard standing and a couple of the comments mentioned access was tight… but the owner assured me that the fields were ‘well drained’ and access would be fine so we set off confidently, well semi-confidently at least…

To be fair, it was only the first 20m of the last 300m and although the hedges had just been cut, which was a huge benefit, the farmer had caught one of them which had pulled a large, solid branch out making access a little squeeze. We made it through with just a little tickle down the sides and thankfully and once settled, Keith went back to check out the branch and found a way to secure the troublesome branch back into the hedge, making it slightly easier for my exit! The field was chalk under the grass and well drained so despite the huge quantities of rain we didn’t sink.

Margate had a small but lovely old town which was quite eclectic and lovely large sandy beaches but as much as I love a 2p machine, there were slightly too many amusement arcades and rock shops for us unfortunately. Ramsgate, again had lovely beaches but not a huge amount else, although to be fair to it – we did visit on a wet and windy Sunday so most things were closed and looking a little grey.

Broadstairs, however, and the walk along the promenade from Ramsgate to Broadstairs was lovely. It is a beautiful small town which used to be a fishing village and evolved into a holiday destination in Victorian times, hence much of the architecture is of that era. A lovely circular walk on a slightly grim day enabling us to learn more about some of the Kent seaside towns.

The final destination of our trip to Kent was Little Norword Farm CL (£22 p/n) which is just outside Sittingbourne and close to the Isle of Sheppey, a beautifully prepared site. We were welcomed by the father as the owners were away, accompanied by two boxes of beautifully fresh eggs…. what could be better!

We headed out for on the first afternoon to have a little walk and made a round trip through some local villages, taking in the views of the sea before arriving back at the motorhome – a pretty area. The second day we decided to head into Sittingbourne to have a look around and decided that next time, we would probably skip the town itself unless we needed something specific… it was even a bit of a struggle to find a coffee shop!

And then finally, as we were so close to the Isle of Sheppey it would have been rude not to go and have a look, so we jumped on the bikes and cycled across to the other side of the Island to where the Nature Reserve is. Unfortunately, it was slightly more built up than we expected and the roads were busier with traffic so, although we did make it to far the far tip – Leysdown on Sea – stopped for a coffee on the seafront by the amusement arcades, we didn’t stay long before turning around and heading back again…. a good 42km round trip. We are glad we did it – and perhaps it would be better during ‘holiday season’ – but I don’t think we will be coming all the way over here again soon.

Following only three days back at the farm we did a quick trip across to the Cotswolds to Moreton on the Marsh where we had found a nice little place just outside the town to stay for three nights. (Pebbly Barn CL £20 p/n)

A perfect location to explore if you like walking – who would have known there was a ‘Four Shires Corner’ ? But also to catch up with Pete and Liz who live locally, and we also had a last minute surprise coffee with Matt and Jonathan who were also passing through the area… this is one we will definately be coming back to.

Although we have had a few meals out, we have also been cooking a little more and experimenting with a recipe book that we had put in a cupboard and forgotten about – thank you Ian, one of the Bosh Boys’ books has some great recipes in it.

– Cheesy Mac and Greens – a great one pot cheesy pasta dish with whatever greens you have in the fridge
– Goan Fish and Prawn Curry – quick and easy and full of flavour
– Onion Rice – real depth of flavour with a lovely twist
– Saag Aloo – a Bosh alternative which although slightly more complicated, full of flavour and deliciosness
– Rogan Bosh – a really quick, tasty dish
– Falafel Wraps – yes, we have been trying out another new recipe and this time wrapping them up in tortillas

…and finally just as we are embarking on our next trip the map of where we went in March…