Homeward Bound

 

Wedesday 2nd July 2025

We left Luneray mid morning and went into Dieppe where there is a very large Auchan supermarket and shopping arcade.

So the day was mostly spent looking around the shops then we had some rain in the afternoon that kept us inside Ed for a couple of hours.

Our ferry is at 6pm so we headed to the port at about 4.30 to join the queue and seemed to be one of the last to arrive.

It was a slow process getting loaded, but we made it eventually

The ferry is certainly a lot more hassle than the Euro Tunnel.

Anyway it was a smooth crossing and soon the white cliffs of Blighty came into view and we had a good view of the Seven Sisters at Birling Gap before docking at Newhaven.

We docked on time at 9pm UK time but it took about 40 minutes to get off the ferry.

I wanted to get north of London on the M23 and M25 during the quiet evening traffic.

I'd pinned a possible place near Oxford to overnight if I felt tired, or just a rest stop if I felt able to carry on. It was about 2 hours from Newhaven.

When we got there around midnight it was the skankiest place you could imagine, I didn't even stop for a cuppa tea, and I think we'd have been murdered in our sleep if we'd decided to overnight there.

So we re-joined the motorway and stopped at the next services for a rest.

Refreshed with caffine, I decided to carry on to home, and arrived there about 0230, tired but home.

It was a good trip, I enjoyed Normandy and Brittany immensely and it was a pleasure to drive around. The beaches are un-matched and the scenery beautiful.

Luneray

 

Tuesday 1st July 2025

We hung around at La Palmeraie this morning making the most of the electric hook up to use the air conditioning and we needed it !

It was another really hot day and Louis wouldn't walk for more than 20 yards before flopping down to say that's enough, I took that as a refusal and thought to myself how sensible he is.

It was too hot to do anything, so we did just that, nothing 

After lunch we disconnected our umbilical cord linking us to coolness and set the sat nav for Veules Les Roses on the channel coast in the hope it might be cooler there.

It was indeed much cooler with a stiff sea breeze.

The parking was on top of the cliffs so no beach action unfortunately, without a steep climb down which I didn't feel we were up to today.

There was a proper mist on the channel though, visibility was very poor.

It's hard to tell where the sea ends and the sky begins !

Our parking for tonight is in Luneray about 20 minutes from Dieppe and is another camping car park, with electric, so air conditioner in use again tonight.

It's warmer here than earlier on the coast, but not as hot as La Palmeraie on the Seine thankfully.

It's not a scenic aire, just a carpark but clean and functional with electric and water services, so it'll do us for our last night in France.

The temperature has dropped by late afternoon quite a rew degrees and the forecast says a chance of rain tomorrow, so much more comfortable conditions here 

Appointment with the vet

Monday 30th June 2025

Phew it ain't arf hot today, it looks like this extreme weather heatwave has finally caught up with us today.

We left Falaise late morning and set the sat nav for Bourg Auchard near Rouen where the friendly vet is located.

The worming treatment went down well with the help of a little pate and the rabies vaccine was topped up and pet pasport stamped, so all good for return to the UK on Wednesday.

We just had to find somewhere for tonight and I've got a great place in mind.

It's called La Palmeraie and is on the banks of the Seine.

I usually stay at La Mailleraye sur Seine motorhome Aire when passing through this area but there is no electric hook ups there unfortunately.

I came across this place a couple of years ago whilst on a cycle ride.

It's a lovely campsite / Aire and good value at 16 euro with electric, 12 euro without.

But we definately need the cooling power of the air con today, so it's well worth it 🥵 

We're parked up amongst the palm trees overlooking the Seine watching the hugh barges and cruisers silently glide past.

La Palmeraie - one of the cleanest, best laid out and loveliest
aires I've been on and Sylvie the owner is very friendly and welcoming 

La Palmeraie Chapel

 

A lazy day in Falaise

 

Sunday 29th June 2025

I like this town, it has lots of history and interesting buildings so I decided we'd stay for another night.

So some more exploring was done, we walked to the old historic village laundry which has recently been refurbished to how it was, with a few 21st Centuary tourist additions such as landscaping and planting.

It's main use now seems to be a cooling dip venue for the local dogs
who enjoy going in for a splash around

They've clearly spent a lot of money doing this but annoyingly much of the planting has been done with vine weed obviously growing in the pot alongside the plant they wanted.

Now in the soil the vine weed is growing rampant and will soon take over the whole beds I'm sure.

I pulled some strands out, but I know from experience how difficult it is to get rid of, in fact almost impossible once it's got established.

The statue in the square opposite the Marie is local boy William the Conqurer on his steed ready to battle the British.

Falaise town square

This is the translation of the inscription on the historic twin towered fountain I photographed below yesterday

I didn't expect to see one of these wandering around Falaise

Tomorrow Louis has an appointment at the vets near Rouen for his worming treatment and this time a rabies vaccine, to keep his protection up to date.

We'll look for a campsite near Rouen and then head towards Dieppe on Tuesday for the ferry the following day

Putanges-le-Lac and Falaise

 

Saturday 28th June 2025

Today we set off across country for only about 80 km, north east direction towards Dieppe.

Being Saturday, I'd expected we'd come across a little village or town with a Saturday street market.

Sadly not, I don't know what's happened to France and their markets ?

Anyway we stumbled across Putanges-le-Lac

No market on today, but never the less an attractive little town and a choice of three boulangerie I could see from our parking in the central square, so lunch is sorted.

Putanges-le-Lac

Putanges-le-Lac war memorial

Putanges-le-Lac WWll battles took the lives of ten 

British soldiers remembered here

We had a wander, then set off for tonights destination, Falaise, famous for being the birth place of William the Conqueror.

It was also the scene of a pivotal battle for Normandy in WWll 1944.

It's an attractive little town with lots of history and interesting buildings 

Falaise river valley

Falaise Chateau

 Falaise church, without a steeple !

I had a walk up to the castle earlier, past the Museum and Maries office where weddings were being registered, and up to the medieval castle.

We're on a brand new motorhome Aire nestled in the valley between the castle and the river.

I think the construction of the Aire is part of a wider scheme to revitalise the river valley area.

Some of the river flows through a 1960's concrete culvert which is very unattractive, but by the Aire it's been naturalized is much more appealing.

I had a walk up to the last remaining gate into the historic town called Porte des Cordeliers through which William the Conqurer lead his army to invade England and become the first Norman King of England from 1066 until his death in 1087.

Porte des Cordeliers.

Porte des Cordeliers.

Porte des Cordeliers river basin which I think is in line for refurbishment / naturalisation and removal of the rubble dumped. It should look stunning when completed

Opposite this is a river basin presently filled with what looks like builders dumped rubble.

It'll be interesting to come back in a year or two and see what they've done with it as I'm sure it'll be in the improvement scheme.

The plan for the river

Most of the Chateau is free of charge to wander around the grounds and it's worth doing as there are some great views.

Part of the Chateau was refurbished recently to give visitors a appreciation of what it was like in medieval times with interactive displays etc. I didn't bother with that bit, thinking it was probably aimed at the kids.

Anyway I had Louis with me so couldn't go in.

We seem to be in a cycle at the moment of cool cloudy mornings, then the sun comes out after lunch and the temperatures rise considerbly.

It's not too extreme, probably high 20's, maybe up to 30c but all in all very pleasant.