Post It from Camping Le Bilos, Salles, Gironde, France. Friday 2nd September, 2016.

I was really in two minds about writing stories this time for various reasons but mainly the additional difficulty I have experienced in reducing photographs in size to upload to the Club’s web site with the small allowed size and also the often difficult internet access on our journey. However after a forum chum said they were looking forward to reading our ‘Post It’ stories I decided to give it a go and see how I get on. So this first one is being written from well down in Spain and sometime after the events.

This tour started much closer to home in East Yorkshire as we were able to catch the North Sea Ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge on Tuesday 30^th August. This was a first for us with the motorhome and was only made possible after the sad loss of our travelling companion, Smokee, who passed away in January. This is the third time away without him and he is very much missed I can tell you.

The journey south followed a not uncommon route for us stopping off at Pont de L’Arche, Saint Cyr and was largely uneventful except for the unusually hot weather. It started at 29º C at Rouen and climbed higher every day. The only new thing to occur was as we crossed the Belgium/France border along the A16. All the traffic was closed down into a single lane and I was dreading that this was going to be a huge delay due to the problems at Calais port but in the end it was the French security services who were taking all vehicles off th motorway at their first junction, around a roundabout heavily manned by Police and Army personnel, and allowed back onto the motorway again. A short delay but glad to see the reasons why after the past years events in France and Belgium.

This campsite just off the A63 was one I had found in the Caravan Club Touring France book Sharon had bought me some years previously. We have often stopped off at Bordeaux at Camping du Lac but since it has left the ACSI scheme I did not take kindly to paying the 30.50€ for the night to camp there. This site was just south of the city and even had a Carrefour supermarket close by for cheap fuel.

It was situated in a wood and run by the family who owned it. The facilities were pretty basic but clean and plenty of hot water and it was an open all year site. No internet unfortunately and only 6 amps of electricity, allegedly, but very peaceful. The temperature was 33º C as we arrived early afternoon just after it had re-opened for the day so we parked under a large old tree. I cannot recall the type now and I miss translated the plaque accompanying it which I am now sure said such trees can grow to a ripe old age of 500–1000 years. I recall seeing a much larger tree of this sort last year in the centre of Navajas in Spain and only later thought this tree could not be that old, silly me. Sorry Joan for misleading you, never believe all I say!

The next morning we had to forego our electric after breakfast to help caravanner who was using the same bollard tripped the fuses, which were not accessible, and I could not raise the owners to switch it back on again. We did the kind thing and allowed them to use our electric and put our fridge on gas once we had made the porridge in our microwave. Not my fault at all but is seemed to be me that was trying the hardest to get it back on again.

We shall certainly stop off here again as it was so easy to access, had cheap fuel and groceries on hand and open all year.

Regards, Roy