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 9^th 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

France here we come

Bonjour dear family and friends, the Cainfenton Trundle Bus is on the move again. On the 3^rd September we leave for Calais and a 2 month sojourn through France. We are aiming to spend a good deal of time in the Dordogne, but as always the plans are fluid and we will go where the wind takes us, or where Fang decides we are going, which is much the same thing since the doc put her on this new medication.

Since last we blogged, during our Spanish/Portuguese virgin outing, we have been on a 2 month trundle through Italy. The trip took in the Northern Lakes, Venice, through stunning Tuscany to Florence, Pisa and then onto Pompei. On the way we happened upon a natural spring where the Italians have been taking the waters since Roman times. We joined the locals languishing in the hot sulphur waterfalls, and emerged a couple of hours later chilled out to our core but stinking of rotten eggs! In fact I can still clear the fresh produce aisle in Sainsbury’s six months later. After a three day visit in magnificent Pompei, we drove on south along the beautiful Amalfi coast. 

We then turned north again and followed the western coast up through Italy, the Italian Riviera, Monaco, the French Riviera and then turned inland. To complete our trip we stopped off again to visit Fang’s cousin Denise and husband Mick, who if you remember from our last blog (April 2011 ‘And on We Go’), live in a chateaux somewhere in France.

So there we are dear family and friends, you are now up to date with the Cainfenton Trundle Bus adventures. We didn’t blog in Italy but will be doing so during the next couple of months in France. Stand by for the usual diet of photos, fun, fantasy and even perhaps, some real life adventures.

We now consider ourselves experienced motorhomers and set off into the French sunset with less trepidation than last year......for now, au revoir mes amis.

A couple of vids to follow our last blog.

From the Lands End of Europe

We have just been to Cabo de St Vincente, the most south westerly tip, the ‘Lands End’ of Europe, and also the southwest tip of Portugal.

A view down the coast from 'Lands End' Europe

These guys are fishing off 'Lands End' for squid.....it must be about 150 feet down the cliff face to the sea!



That's some fishing line you got there Mr.

Over the past 2 weeks we have zig zaged our way down Portugal from coast to mountains to forest and back to coast. This period of our trip has been more about the coastal views and the inland countryside than historic monuments and churches.  Portugal is and feels like a very safe place to be, so we have been doing a lot of wild camping and just spending time enjoying what the country and Mother Nature has to offer.

We spent 3 days camped by a Barragem, which simply translates to dam. Portugal, in an effort to produce enough irrigation for its inland farming, vineyards and orchards has dammed literally hundreds of rivers to produce these reservoirs, called Barragem. It is often possible to get right to the water’s edge and camp, and often, if you can seek out a nice quiet Barragem, to be there entirely by yourselves.  We were lucky enough to find one such spot for our camp. We passed the 3 days and nights just watching and listening to the wild life spend the day around us. The only reason we left was because we were running low on supplies and fresh water.....ironic since we were camped on a reservoir!



Camping at the Barragem



Anyway the next stop was the supermarket to stock up. Now here’s a thing. We are making the shopping list and Fang, who loves her tuna for lunch, had managed to find a pack of 4 cans of tuna which are just the right size for a Fang lunch. They were also on special in the supermarket which is another thing Fang loves. She bought these in Spain and so has the Spanish/English dictionary out, ( we now have a French/English, Spanish/English & Portuguese/English dictionary on board), with one of the cans of tuna trying to work out what sort she needs to look for in a Portuguese supermarket. The next thing there is a screech from Fang and   ‘you must be kidding’ or words to that effect but with more words......she has discovered in her translation that the cans of tuna are not really Fang size, but apparently just the right size for a daily portion for kittens.......oh yes, Fang has been on cat food for lunch. Tuna is no longer on the lunch menu, and whenever I mention it, which I do a lot, she goes green, and I don’t mean sorting her plastics from her paper either. Since then I have had to put a tray of kitty litter in the corner of the Trundle Bus and leave the window open at night so that she can get back in. On the up side I no longer worry about mice, although fur balls are becoming a fractious issue.

We spent our first night in Portugal at a town called Braga. Just outside the town is a place called Bom Jesus do Monte. Here we climbed the extraordinary baroque staircase Escadaria dos Bom Jesus. The climb up is made of a variety of staircases dating from different periods of the 18^th century. The lowest is lined with 12 chapels representing the Stations of the Cross. Each chapel has lifelike terracotta statues depicting the story of the crucifixion.  Next the Escadaria dos Cinco Sentidos (Stairway of the Five Senses) feature fountains on each level with water gurgling from eyes, ears, nose and mouth of different statues. The highest is Escadaria das Virtudes (Stairway of the Three Virtues) with chapels and fountains on each level representing Faith, Hope and Charity. Climbing the stairways is a goal for thousands of pilgrims each year.



The amazing alter in the church at the top of the stairway

On our way south we kept passing loads of people walking along the road. We assumed that they must be on some sort of sponsored walk for charity, but there were literally hundreds of them strung out along the highway for miles and miles. The organisers even had periodic tent stations set up on the side of the road with food & water and medical assistance to help them on their way. It was not until we stopped at a town called Fatima, to have a look at its very impressive cathedral, that we got the story. On the 13^th of May 1917, three children from Fatima – Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta- claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin ‘more brilliant than the sun’. Only 10 year old Lucia could hear what she said, including her request that the children return on the 13^th of each month for the next 6 months. Word spread and by the 13^th of October some 70,000 devotees had gathered at the cathedral. Lucia asked the Virgin for a sign and just at that moment rainy skies opened and thousands of pilgrims reported seeing the sun turn into a whirling disc of colours that seemed to shoot rays down to the very earth. Since then on the 13^th of each month from May to October thousands of pilgrims from all over Portugal, and indeed the world, descend by foot on the cathedral in Fatima. We just happened to be going along the road to Fatima the 9^th May...how’s that for timing?  

The cathedral at Fatima

As I write we are again camped on an absolutely beautiful beach in the middle of one of the national parks, surrounded yet again, by cool surfing dudes and dudettes.

Days end at our beach

A week or so ago we met with some English Brothers (The Fraternity of the Brotherhood of Motor Homers known as ‘Brothers’) who gave us some fantastic spots for wild camping.

One of the tips they gave us was to spend the night at a place that has a spring water font. Here we managed to fill our tank with fresh spring water, and do some washing in the washing house with washing boards used by women in the village and still in use to this day, we washed our clothes the  way it has been done for centuries on this very spot.

Fang making like a local girl

For the last few days we have been working our way back north along the coast just going from beach to beach. I had my first dip in the invigorating Atlantic Ocean the other day. We decided to go down to the beach this particular afternoon as it was 28 degrees in the shade and about 40 degrees in the Trundle. As soon as we hit the beach I dash off into the ocean waves while the Fang selects a spot to plant our things......the next thing I see is my sun hat floating past me on its way to America. After performing a mid ocean rescue on my  headgear I turn back towards the beach......don’t ask me how, but Fang has managed to find a spot on the beach, put all our belongings down and then get half of them swept away on the incoming tide, all in a matter of minutes. There she is scrambling about the beach pulling everything out of the water and back onto dry sand. Meanwhile, the sun bathers are all sitting up and scratching their heads in Portuguese and trying to work out how this mad woman thought it would be a good idea to camp on the water’s edge on an incoming tide on a surfer’s beach with 6 foot waves crashing in from the Atlantic Ocean. In order to retain some dignity I got out of the water, put on my soaking sun hat, and wandered back up the beach past Fang tutting in Portuguese about mad tourists.

Now talking of mad tourists, here’s a thing. About a week ago Fang needed a post office to get some stamps. We are travelling along and pass through this very pretty fishing village. I say to her ‘This is nice, how about we find a parking spot and have a wander around to find a post office’ ‘Good idea’ says she. On the way into town I had noticed that there was a big car park so off we go to find it, which we did. However, its market day and the car park is chokers with cars and market stalls and none of the spaces are big enough for the Trundle. So I am following this one way system around the car park trying to find my way out, when instead I find myself right in the middle of the market at a dead end blocked in by a market stall selling, among other things, dried figs. I have to say, I did hear some shouting going on but thought it was the stall holders shouting out their wares, not shouting at me to get my ruddy motor home out of their market. So, here we are in the middle of this market closely surrounded by market stalls and the only way out is to reverse. Now let me tell you something about motor homing, everything is very nice and calm until you  send your partner to the back of the van with the instructions ‘just make sure I don’t hit anything’. Well........Fang is in the back of the van shouting out instructions in Fangees. The baker, the butcher, the lady selling vegetables and the one selling local pottery.....especially the one selling local pottery, are all outside shouting out instructions in Portuguese, and I sweating like a Portuguese pig on market day wondering if my insurance covers destroying markets in fishing villages in Portugal.  Somehow, and this is another mystery, I managed to wend my way backwards put of the market without doing any damage, and we beat a hasty retreat down the road leaving a bunch of market traders, arms akimbo, and shaking their heads in Portuguese.

Some more extraordinary pictures of storks making use of a gantry on a busy motorway!

And on telegraph poles

We are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of Brian, Molly and Ella on Friday, who are going to spend a week with us in the sun.

More adventures, more mishaps and more fun to follow shortly dear family and friends, until then we bid you adeus from delightful sunny Portugal.

And over another border

Oh yes we are still here on the road and still having the time of our lives. Since the last time we blogged (I have decided that’s a verb but not sure if it is) we stayed in a city called Leon in the Central North West of Spain. Not really much to report here as neither of us thought much of the place....we are becoming pretty fussy about how a town or city stacks up to a couple of bench marks that we have set, and I am afraid that Leon does not score very high on the ohhhh &  ahhhh scale at all. However, the one notable event in Leon was that we gave the Trundle Bus a wash and shampoo at  a local garage in one of those jet spray places. We managed to find out how to operate the thing from a woman in the next washing bay, or at least Fang did. So we start off by putting the 1 EUR in the slot for a shampoo and jet spray, I am holding the jet spray gun thing and Fang is putting the money in.....’Ok to start’ she shouts, ‘Yes go for it’ I shout back. Now here’s a thing, what I didn’t realise is that the Spanish version jet spray gun thing just starts off on its own accord without one having to press the lever, with the result that I gave the Fang a good spray down before starting on the Trundle. Luckily I managed to get things back under control before the shampoo started coming through, so I didn’t waste any of the soap on her. The rest of the task was left entirely to me as Fang was flying round the garage forecourt like a Spanish headless chicken shouting obscenities. The local office workers looking out of their windows, were so impressed with the display, that they immediately declared the rest of the day a fiesta.  The 27^th of April is now officially designated Fiesta de Pollo Chirrido.......The Festival of the Screeching Chicken. Talking of the impression Fang has left on Spain, here she is with her Spanish boyfriend. 

The next stop was Lugo. Now here is a city worth visiting. It has the best preserved Roman wall in Europe. The wall is 2.5 km long, 15 m high, surrounds the whole city and includes some of the original Roman entry gates which are still in use today. As you can see from the photos it is possible to walk along the whole wall, which is something the locals do as their daily exercise and to see and be seen.....we of course just had to join in. There was something very exciting about walking on the same the walls Roman soldiers did all those centuries ago.....what chance is there of anything we build today lasting 1000 years?.



Cathedral at Lugo




The Roman Wall at Lugo

 

Locals walking the wall



Got to dry the washing somewhere eh?

Just outside Lugo is a place called Castro de Villadonga, a prehistoric settlement which has been excavated on a hill top. You can see from the pictures that the settlement is very clearly marked out with the remnants of the buildings. The museum at the site has some absolutely incredible finds of not just ordinary household items of the day, but the most beautifully crafted jewellery. After thousands of years this stuff looks as though it is sitting in a jeweller’s window in the high street of today.



The settlement at Viladonga

 

On our way out of Lugo we are driving down a busy road and come across an old bell tower right on the busy street. Up on top of the tower Fang spots this incredible site of two Storks. There were four nests in the tower and we think there was a chick in each nest.

Our next expedition was to head for the beautiful rugged North West coast. The Rias Atlas, as it is known, is a feast of dramatic scenery. Driving through forests will lead you suddenly to views of sheer sea cliffs, wide open sandy beaches or medieval fishing villages. At every turn in the road there is a breathtaking vista. This is truly a stunning part of the world. One of the’ must sees’ of this coast is Cabo Ortegal. This is the most north westerly point of Spain and where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bay of Biscay.....the pictures say it all.

 As we were travelling along this wonderful coast line we spotted a nice white sandy beach that we could get the Trundle down to. This visit turned into a 3 day wild camp and we would still be there if we could. For those of you unfamiliar with the term ‘wild camp’, it has nothing to do with brown bears, tigers, lions, jungles or even getting annoyed, it simply means parking up without permission! The beach is a surfer’s spot and we spent 3 days chilling with the surf dudes and just hanging out man, and catching waves, if know what I mean man.....except in Spanish. We spent the days walking the cliff tops or sitting on the beautiful white sand and then went to sleep at night with just the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach.  For two of the nights there was just us on our private beach.....anyway this was a very special time for us and we have named the place Sublime Bay, which it truly is.



The back dots in the seea are the surfer dudes

 


The white and blue dot is the Fang dude

 

The rest of our adventure through the Rias Atlas is best shown with pictures.

Our last visit in Spain was to Santiago de Compostela, the destination for the pilgrims following the Comino de Santiago (the Way of St James). It is said that the bones of the apostle St James are held at the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. The pilgrims walk from the French side of the Pyrenees on a 50 day hike!  This is the same path that the pilgrims have used for the last 900 years.

We arrived at the cathedral just as they were holding the daily mass for the pilgrims. The singing of the mass was led by a nun whose voice I can only describe as angelic. Sitting in the cathedral full of pilgrims, who had completed such an onerous and challenging journey to be there, was a very humbling experience....another very special time.

 Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela



Back on the road and heading for the mountains

From Santiago de Compostela we have trevelled south again and arrived at our first campsite in Portugal, our third country! News of Portugal, the Portuguese, sights, sounds and no doubt other adventures will follow shortly. Until then dear family and friends we bid you adeus.

One final note......this is for Evie & Matilda.....this is Jimmy and Jemima who followed Nini and Grandpops all round the shops one day until we bought them an ice cream, and then they went home. XXXXXXX