Tuesday 11 September 2012

France thanks to the 4th emergency services!

Here we are then, back on the road and nicely settled on a beach on the coast of Brittany just south of Vannes. The sun has been out to play every day since we arrived and today has been a balmy 24 degrees all day....in other words it’s no fun at all!
But let me tell you, things could have been very different. We left Aberystwyth on Sunday last and for the first 2 miles everything was going well. We then stopped at a petrol station just outside Aber to get some milk and the last Sunday Papers for a couple of months, seeing as English newspapers cost an arm and a leg outside the UK. I got back in the Trundle, turned the key and.....nothing*!”&? Seemed like a flat battery for some reason. As we were not far from Capel Bangor, and as Brian had made the mistake of coming for the weekend to see us off, we phoned him. Fang and I call him our 4th emergency service as he always seems to be around when we need him and always seems to fix whatever we need fixing. Neil on the other hand saw the writing on the wall years ago and left Macclesfield as soon as he had a reliable car. So Brian arrived, gave us a leg up with the jump leads, and off we went into the Welsh hills, next stop Dover.....err, well no not exactly.
Next stop was Abergavenny for some fuel. Got back in the Trundle, turned the key and .......nothing*!”&?. So here we are in the middle of a busy petrol station on a Sunday morning and going nowhere until two burly Welsh front row forwards came out of the shop and said “We’ll just shove you out of the way over there mate OK” but in a Welsh accent, and it wasn’t really a question. Two seconds later we were off the forecourt and they were marching back to the shop dusting off their hands. Bear in mind the Trundle is 3.5 tons when fully loaded....scary huh!
Anyway as we were too far from Aberystwyth to call the 4th emergence service so we called the AA. Stuart arrived at 12:10 in a rush saying that the spare parts shop down the road was only open until 12:30 on a Sunday so if we needed anything we needed to get a shift on. Well we did need something, another starter motor! We have had two fitted in the last year so this is an ongoing problem. However, Stuart is convinced this is what we need, so he phones his mate at the spare parts to see if they have the right starter motor in stock. The answer is yes they think so but Stuart needs to come down and have a look at it. Off we go leaving Fang to guard the Trundle. At the spare parts shop Stuart discovers that it’s not the right sort.....disaster.....well no not exactly because Gwyllum, the guy in the parts shop, has already phoned his mate in another branch over the mountain who says he thinks he has the model starter motor we need. By now it’s 12:25 and we have no chance of getting over the mountain to collect the part before they close.....disaster again....no still not, because Gwyllum and Llewellyn have already had a chat, and Llewellyn has said that he is just about to close up and if we can meet him half way he will give us the part! Llewellyn and Stuart have a chat and agree a meeting place on top of the mountain and off we go. We collect the part from Llewellyn, charge back down the mountain, Stuart swaps the starter motors over quicker than I can change my socks and I turn the key......nothing!”&?.....disaster....no still not because by this time Stuart is taking things personally and he is going to get us on to Dover and on that ferry come hell or high water. After a lot of head scratching and mumbling Stuart finds the solution and lo and behold gets us back on the road!
Now let me recap.....we break down just at the right time on a Sunday and in a place where the AA guy knows there is a spare parts store open. Gwyllum in the spare parts shop goes out of his way to find us the right part. Llewellyn eats into his Sunday and goes out of his way to get the part to us and Stuart decides that he is going to get the job done come what may. It is times like these that restore your faith in human nature. As long as there are Stuart’s, Gwyllum’s and Llewellyn’s in this world we are going to be OK.  
So, against all the odds we arrive in Calais on Monday morning. The sky is blue the sun is shining and all is well in our little world.
Our first stop of note is a little town called Falaise in Normandy. We only chose this as a convenient overnight stop on the way to Brittany, but on walking round the town we discovered that it was the birth place of William the Conquer of the 1066 fame.  The castle itself is nothing to shout about as most of it has now been restored and looks a bit well.....restored. However, as it’s such an important part of our history it’s nice to know that it’s being looked after, even if only as a reminder from the French that they can come over and batter us anytime they are in the mood! The town was almost completely bombed to the ground during the Second World War so there is not much in the town that hasn’t been rebuilt; however a few bits and pieces thankfully somehow managed to survive the allied onslaught.

Medieval gate house at Falaise


The church at Falaise

Leaving Falaise we headed off ‘ southish’ into Brittany, and a little town called Dinan. Now this is a medieval wonder land and is one of those places where you are just happy strolling around. Dinan is full of character, history and charm on every corner, visit if you get the chance.....I will let the photos do the talking....
Church spire at Dinan

One of the many magnificent old buildings in Dinan

These are apparently the best preserved medieval walls in Europe

One of the beautiful stained glass windows in a church in Dinan

The wibbly-wobbly house in Dinan
 
It's like steppimg back in time


Another majestic old building

The port at Dinan

We spent a couple of days soaking up the medieval charms of Dinan but sadly had to move on as we were working our way south and out of Brittany. We have managed to find our fair share of delightful overnight stops here is a flavour......

Fang just loves to forage for her breakfast....blackberries

One of the more unusual overnight stops

We stayed just off the beach

I am considering how to cook the very large fish I have just caught, unfortunately you can't see the very large fish as it is hidden behind the very large rocks

 
Days end on our beach
It’s now Sunday 9th September and we are staying on a campsite; a delightful place with a beautiful lake in the middle. Believe it or not it’s owned by an English couple from Bollington, just outside Macclesfield!
So there we are dear friends and family, you are now up to date, tomorrow we are off to see Mick & Denise, who as you will all know by now live in a chateaux somewhere in France. For now bon neuit