From Home to Thieu

  

Today has been quite a long drive by my standards and quite tiring.

We left home at 0500 and after stopping for breakfast at Cobham services and we arrived at our destination of Thieu in the Hainaut region of Belgium at about 1500 and after 375 miles of driving.

The journey was mostly uneventful except for two incidents, someone in a caravan waving frantically at me and pointing to the roof, our roof as they went past ! 

I was at a loss to know what they were pointing at or trying to alert me to. After some consideration I decided that if there was something loose I'd be able to hear it flapping and if it was something like a roof light I'd be able to hear it blowing.

I decided to stick my head in the sand and carry on. Only when we got to Cobham did I realise one of the roof lights was slightly open and probably flapping ! 

Doh, another lesson learnt. Some have lost their roof lights on motorways when they forget to close them and the wind gets underneath !

I was still very surprised we couldn't hear it when driving though.

The other event on the M40 was a bird strike, not just any bird but a kestral I think.

I didn't get a good look but I'm pretty sure it was.

It just came out of some trees at 90' to the motorway and struck the top of the van, nothing I could do to avoid it.

It really bothered me that I'd just killed a such beautiful bird of prey. 

Ah well, on the upside, I suppose some local field mice prey will have enjoyed a better day than they expected as a result of the premature demise of their hunter.

The tunnel crossing was quick and without any delay, straight on the train as soon as we got there and an on time departure. 

We're parked up this evening on the dedicated motorhome Aire (GPS 50.47133 4.09005) in the village of Thieu, adjacent to the Canal du Central in the Hainaut region of Belgium, close to Mons.

Thieu is famous as having the second highest boatlift in the world.

It was constructed in the 1990's along with a new stretch of canal next to the old canal where there is a smaller boat lift that works on a balance system – one side lifts and the other drops.

The village of Thieu which surrounded the old boat lift had 250 houses and the town hall demolished back in 1990`s to make way for the new canal, which takes boats up to the new big lift.

There are no services here, just convenient safe free parking. 

Fortunately we not in need of any services as we have plenty of water on board and the sun is doing a good job of helping the solar panels charge the batteries.

After tea I went for a walk up to see the boat lifts and below are some photographs.

There is some great cycling around here on the tow paths.

Oh yes, I spoke to two people within 10 minutes of arriving here, I Belgium and a Dutch man. Each separately said " Ahh, you English, you here in Europe while you still can eh?  while they still let you come"

Bloody hell, can`t escape Brexit anywhere !

The Ramp onto the Channel Tunnel

Driving onto the Train

On the Train

Canal du Central at Thieu Motorhome Aire

Thieu Motorhome Aire

Thieu Motorhome Aire

Canal du Central at Thieu Motorhome Aire

Canal du Central at Thieu Old Boat Lift

Canal du Central 

Canal du Central New canal on the left and old canal on the right

Canal du Central at Thieu New Boat Lift

Canal du Central at Thieu New Boat Lift

Canal du Central and Thieu Village

Another shot of the Old Boat Lift

Our route from Calais

Back on the road again …

Last week an alert arrived on my phone courtesy of our all knowing masters at Google. It was to inform me that on this very day last year we were enjoying the spectacular sights of Venice, and they even included some photos to remind me.

After a few minutes reliving those un-forgetable sights, sounds and smells I was pleased to realise we would soon be back on the road again with different set of destinations to visit and explore.

Hopefully they will be just as memorable and enjoyable as last year.

We don`t have quite as much time for this trip, six weeks as opposed to last years twelve weeks. But I still hope we can pack in some interesting places along the way.

The plan is to drive from Calais down through Belgium, arrive into Luxembourg with empty fuel tanks to cram as much cheap diesel in as possible, then into Germany travelling east through Bavaria. 

We`ll then head for Vienna for a waltz and a whirl around the beautiful Austrian capital.

From there we will head south to the clear warm Adriatic waters of Croatia that I enjoyed so much last year.

Messing around in the sea in my Kayak with Louis on board and swimming were definitely one of the highlights last year which I hope to repeat.

I was amazed by Louis reaction to the kayak, he can be a bit excitable and I was half expecting him to be leaping around like a nutter.

Not a bit of it though, each time he just went straight off to sleep and seeming to enjoy the rocking motion, while I did all the work paddling of course !

Just the occasional glance around for reassurance and he was happy as a pig in muck.

We`ll probably explore places we didn`t go to last year and maybe do a bit of island hopping.

But as always, the plan may change as we go along and the mood takes us. 

Or we`re just tempted by places we find on the route, so watch this space !

I`ve done some research on the Blogger.com help forum and couldn`t really resolve either of the two issues I`ve had with this blog.

The first one is the comments people leave, some seem to come through to me yet others don`t. So if I don`t acknowledge you it`s not because I`m ignoring you, I probably just didn`t receive it.

The second problem was getting the map to load to show the latest pin drop. 

You may still have to drag it across.

So, Ed has been packed and polished and is all ready for off tomorrow.

We`re booked on a 1020 Channel Tunnel crossing so it`ll be an early start for us.

happy memories from last year

happy memories from last year

more happy memories from last year

 

 Ed the motorhome is displaying new graphics this year, thank you Lauren.

See you on the other side of the water, or La Manche as the French like to call the English Channel.

Lake Vyrnwy

Saturday 20th April

Today we vacated our peaceful parking spot at Fairbourne Point. We shared our spot with a number of fellow motorhomes last night, all here to enjoy the scenery.

Since we are wilding, or parking up with no services, there is a limit to how long we can last without services. Normally we would just book a night on a campsite and get sorted there, but as it's an beautifully warm and sunny Easter bank holiday I'm assuming that all campsites are fully booked up. I've not actually tried to get in anywhere, but Sues not feeling too good so we're heading in the direction of home.

First stop though is to be at Lake Vyrnwy where there are some waterfalls I've read about and I want to visit.

The route TomTom took us was through Llanymawddwy. I must admit to not checking before we left but the route was not really suitable for a motorhome ! Single track, sheer drops, extremely steep. Need I say more. 

But oh so stunning scenery.

I'll try and attach a dashcam video to reveal the full horrors. Needless to say I wasn't very popular, but hayho, what's new ?

Anyway we reached Lake Vyrnwy and Louis and I took a walk up to the waterfalls, it was well worth the effort, not quite Niagara but still worth seeing, with some lovely Welsh scenery on the way up looking at it`s best in the Spring sunshine.

With weather like this, who needs to go abroad ?

This dashcam video is of our journey to Lake Vyrnwy via Llanmawddwy, along a not entirely suitable mountain road.
It was very scenic but steep with sheer drops to make for a butt clenching journey.
The most challenging bit was when I met cars coming the other way.
I pulled over to allow them past, but the road was very steep and it took plenty of revs to get moving again and I think the clutch lit up a little more than I would have liked.
There was a bit of a burning smell in the cab afterwards but no long term damage done, hopefully.
I should confess to spoting a 2 Tonne limit sign, (we`re 3.8 Tonne) but turning around looked too difficult and I thought it`d only be a warning for a small stone bridge or something, nothing to stress over, ah well, it all ended without harm.

Sunny days

Friday 19th April

Today we awoke to bright sunshine as had been promised by the weather forecasters all week. What they hadn't told us about was the strong wind blowing. But I guess that's just a west Wales thing ? It always seems windy here.

After getting ourselves sorted out, we walked the short distance to the point of land facing Barmouth where there is a little ferry boat crosses the Mawddach Estuary to Barmouth Harbour. £2 each sees us safely transported across the fast moving tidal river and into the harbour.

Barmouth is a typical seaside town with lots of attractions for children and plenty of pubs for the grown ups. We had a wander around the shops and Caffe latte in a beachfront cafe.

The beach is lovely with soft golden sand, perfect for sand castles !

I remember coming here years ago when Lauren was small and we bought a kite to fly off a beach seller. So it must have been windy then too !

Later, we crossed back to Fairbourne Point and spent the afternoon relaxing in the warm sunshine and watching the comings and goings at the boat launching slipway directly in front of where we're parked, it's quite comical watching people trying to launch boats ! Especially the townies who are just here for a holiday, all the gear / no idea some of them.

An evening walk along the beach followed by sitting on the sand dunes watching the sun set below the sea was a perfect end to the day.

There was a full moon which I tried and mostly failed to get a photo of.

A short escape to Fairbourne Point

Thursday 18th April

With the promise from the met office of an Easter bank holiday heatwave, when does that ever happen ? I decided to book an extra days annual leave to tag onto the Easter holiday and make a long weekend somewhere.

Discussions were had, I fancied Snowdonia, Sue fancied Cardiff.

It actually looks like a really interesting city to visit for a weekend, lots to do and see but the campsite was full and alternative parking options looked uncertain, particularly as it's a bank holiday weekend. 

Also the prospect of navigating the M5 and M4 made me queezey at the thought of the queue's.

A compromise was decided upon and we (I) settled on a nice parking spot at Fairbourne Point near Barmouth, Wales.
It`s not a campsite, just parking next to the beach and with a ferry into Barmouth.
Best of all it`s free so a cheap get-away, just the sort I like.
The only downside is no services but fortunately we`re self sufficient so it shouldn`t be a problem.

It's on the opposite side of the Mawddach estuary from Barmouth and is a lovely spot with views over the estuary and over to Cadet Idris and Snowdon beyond, and best of all it's completely free !

Nearby is the walking and cycle trail that leads to Dolgallu which has spectacular views. Lauren and I cycled it a couple of years ago and it is stunning, I`d definately recommend it.

Ed was loaded up for his first proper outing of the year and off we set.

We arrived about 1130 and whilst it's warm and sunny, it's also a little hazy with must over the hills limiting the view.

After lunch Louis and I had a lovely long walk along the sandy beach and spent the rest of the day admiring the scenery.

A little ferry boat operates a taxi service across the river to Barmouth, do that's the plan for tomorrow.
I think I could sit here watching the tide go in and out for ever, I never get bored of it !

The weather forecast is excellent for the next few days so I hope it proves to be accurate.

First trip of the year

With amazing Spring like weather, in the last week of February, it was too much of a temptation to not go for a weekend away. 
We`ve enjoyed temperatures nudging 20c for the last few days which is quite amazing considering the awful weather we had this time last year.
So I decided to give Ed a first shake down trip of the year to make sure everything is working as it should be. Which it was thankfully.
Colemere in Shropshire was selected as the destination. This is a very peaceful spot I`ve been to before. There`s not a lot there except free parking, a wildlife sanctury and mere to walk around and also the Shropshire Union Canal with good walks. 
Ellesmere is accessible by the canal and there are some interesting shops and pubs there.

So after an enjoyable walk in the afternoon, it was back to Ed for tea and watching England get beaten by Wales in the rugby.

Another walk in the morning along the canal and Louis was a happy doggie.
It was a little misty and very cold this morning but the sun soon made an appearance and warmed things up considerably.

Wild Snowdrops

Shropshire Union Canal

Colemere

Shropshire Union Canal

My peaceful parking spot

More Wild Snowdrops