One Eventful Holiday Abroad

I have for some time wanted to put pen to paper or finger to key and tell the story of one holiday we had a few years ago, which when I think about it I can’t understand why we are still camping albeit in a Caravan now.

Some years ago 2003 we decided to move from a Tent to a Folding Camper after looking at pretty much every camper manufactured we agreed on a Raclet Solena. 

The day of our first long trip arrived, setting out at the crack of sparrows we were on our way. 

Three miles down the road and on the A1(M) the first of our adventure started, we got a puncture on one of the tyres on the Solena, luckily I had opted to include a spare wheel when I purchased it. 

On our way again, we boarded the ferry and arrive in France, our first stop Caen.  As we approached our campsite ‘BANG’ we had been hit by a car on the motorway.  Luckily there was only cosmetic damage to the Solena which is more than can be said for the French Lady’s Picasso. 

Arrived at the site and set up, then to the Bar for some much needed refreshment.  The following day we visited the Bayeux Tapestry, on our return we found a sparrow had decided to have a look round our new purchase and left various messages everywhere, who knew such a little thing could hold so many messages. We spent most of the next hour with damp cloth in hand. 

Our next stop was a site in Poitiers we started to pack up and before hitching to the car I tried to unlock the hitch only to find I was left with the top part of the key in my hand and the rest still in the lock, sometime later and a lot of ‘I don’t believe it’ we were on our way. 

We arrived at Poitiers to a most picturesque site with lake, what a lovely place to spend a few days we thought; they told us our pitch number and set up only to find we were under a tree dropping red berries which soon got trampled into the Solena, we spent most of that day with a damp cloth in hand. The following day we left! 

Our next stop was near Brantome in the Dordogne on the way I noticed a rear bulb had blown in the Solena which we changed, arriving at the site we set up and laughed at the things that had gone wrong and how nothing else could possibly happen, needless to say I didn’t have to wait long.   On a visit to Brantome the car started to make a “ boomp, boomp, boomp” noise on inspection my new car tyre had developed a carbuncle which I thought was a thing of the past. I also found out that France does not have the equivalent to Kwik Fit particularly on a Sunday.  Monday I set off to find a tyre distributer with directions from the camp site owner arriving at the said distributer I was confronted with as sign ‘Pneus Supplies’ I did wonder if I had taken a wrong turning. 

We were very touched, though by an elderly couple, who on hearing of our tyre trouble asked us if we were okay for money for the rest of our holiday as they were very willing to help us out. Restored our faith in campers – although we did resolve to try and look a bit smarter while on holiday in future as we are in our fifties !!!! 

New tyre bought we had one more night until we set off for Spain, the day and night were hot and humid so we rolled up all the windows and retired to bed only to be woken by a fine mist of rain coming through the window mesh.  I was up and out in the rain zipping the windows down when the first of many thunder claps started, the last one I saw before running inside was lighting hitting a small tree about 25m from where I was standing. 

On our way again, Spain here we come and we both agreed that surly nothing else could happen on this holiday, wrong again although this one was self-inflicted.  Before the days of Satnav we used things called maps which was my wife’s domain, we were heading towards what we thought was the motorway as I had seen a sign which said ‘España Bis’ no need for the map I said we can just follow the signs, we will be there in no time.  I now know Bis in France is the scenic route, it took sometime before we found the motorway and my wife had stopped hysterically laughing. 

We eventually arrived in Spain the rest of our holiday when without a hitch, nearly………