We managed to get up in good time, got ready, and went downstairs for breakfast. It was good, though continental. The pancakes were very nice. All of the things were packed up again, and we checked out and headed for the car again. The lime tree had made all sorts of mess on the car. Yuck. Paul had texted to let us know that the shops would be shut when we arrived, and to buy supplies on the way if we wanted them. The Auchan across the road was closed, so we agreed to stop en route.
It was easy to get back on the motorway, and we continued our journey through some interesting logging operations, where they were watering piles of logs. Hmm. We made a stop or two in the morning - I think Vicki got an ice cream here - she had a newspaper up in the window to keep the sun off - it was properly warm now.
We ate and ran for lunch - sandwiches/baguettes, and I got some tarte citron for afters. By now, there was barely any traffic on the road. There was an unexplained traffic jam around the Bordeaux exit, but that was it.
As we neared Hendaye, the landscape changed. It went from being flat, rural land to hilly and populated. The road works also started. The exit was a small one, and we drove through some villagey places before descending a hill and seeing the ocean. How lovely! The road followed the coast for about ten minutes, and then our home for the next week was on the left. We arrived just after 2pm.
I was immediately struck by how well kept the campsite was. It was very green, with bushes for privacy. Paul had given them our plates, and so the barrier let us in. We drove to the vans that we knew were ours (Vicki was next door), and gave Paul a call. He came around the corner to give us our keys and to say hi. We joined the Coxons and the Lesters on the Lesters' balcony, and met everyone and had a chat, before going to do the unpacking.
Christian put together his dive kit while I unpacked everything. The vans were small but well designed, and with places for everything. They'd left us a welcome pack with a washing up cloth, one roll of toilet paper, and some floor mopping detergent and a little washing up liquid. We realised that we needed tea towels, more toilet paper, and more washing up liquid.
Christian and I decided to do some exploring down to the beach, which had been billed in the literature as a five minute walk from the campsite. We crossed the road and immediately saw barriers stopping us getting to the cliff. We tried to get around them, but failed, falling back to the road heading downhill looking for another way through. We found another entrance, and followed it to the cliff - the path was pretty rocky. Once there, though, we found we couldn't turn left, as it was blocked again. The path was closed until the end of June. So we went the other way. The path went between fields, and then down fairly steep steps to the sea.
We found an ocean bath, which was fenced off, and lots of rocks and pools. We scrambled down onto the interestingly jagged rocks and had a look in the pools. We saw some shrimps and some crabs, and Christian found some fish. He was walking in the water.
Back on dry land, we walked up past the ocean bath, and I opted to wait at the top of the stairs while Christian had an explore. There was a man filletting something he'd caught on a spear - either a sole or a ray.
Christian came back and we wandered back to the campsite, having a look at the pool on the way. A sign insisted on swimmers for men rather than shorts, and so we didn't go in.
Back at the van, we went up to the shop to buy some supplies - milk, beer, and wine. We then met at the Lester's van and Annie prepared dinner for us as a group - a delicious French-style chicken casserole. It was a fun evening, and I realised that the company for the week was going to be good.
Back at the van, we got ready for bed, and had quite an early one, ready for the next day.
We ate and ran for lunch - sandwiches/baguettes, and I got some tarte citron for afters. By now, there was barely any traffic on the road. There was an unexplained traffic jam around the Bordeaux exit, but that was it.
As we neared Hendaye, the landscape changed. It went from being flat, rural land to hilly and populated. The road works also started. The exit was a small one, and we drove through some villagey places before descending a hill and seeing the ocean. How lovely! The road followed the coast for about ten minutes, and then our home for the next week was on the left. We arrived just after 2pm.
I was immediately struck by how well kept the campsite was. It was very green, with bushes for privacy. Paul had given them our plates, and so the barrier let us in. We drove to the vans that we knew were ours (Vicki was next door), and gave Paul a call. He came around the corner to give us our keys and to say hi. We joined the Coxons and the Lesters on the Lesters' balcony, and met everyone and had a chat, before going to do the unpacking.
Christian put together his dive kit while I unpacked everything. The vans were small but well designed, and with places for everything. They'd left us a welcome pack with a washing up cloth, one roll of toilet paper, and some floor mopping detergent and a little washing up liquid. We realised that we needed tea towels, more toilet paper, and more washing up liquid.
Christian and I decided to do some exploring down to the beach, which had been billed in the literature as a five minute walk from the campsite. We crossed the road and immediately saw barriers stopping us getting to the cliff. We tried to get around them, but failed, falling back to the road heading downhill looking for another way through. We found another entrance, and followed it to the cliff - the path was pretty rocky. Once there, though, we found we couldn't turn left, as it was blocked again. The path was closed until the end of June. So we went the other way. The path went between fields, and then down fairly steep steps to the sea.
Back on dry land, we walked up past the ocean bath, and I opted to wait at the top of the stairs while Christian had an explore. There was a man filletting something he'd caught on a spear - either a sole or a ray.
Christian came back and we wandered back to the campsite, having a look at the pool on the way. A sign insisted on swimmers for men rather than shorts, and so we didn't go in.
Back at the van, we went up to the shop to buy some supplies - milk, beer, and wine. We then met at the Lester's van and Annie prepared dinner for us as a group - a delicious French-style chicken casserole. It was a fun evening, and I realised that the company for the week was going to be good.
Back at the van, we got ready for bed, and had quite an early one, ready for the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment