France 2015

No Surprise this year in that we decided to go camping in France again.  The last couple of years we have camped in progressively larger sites and last year there were over 60 pitches and around 20 camping/cottage-type things to rent.  It felt a bit too big and as the kids like the freedom to roam we searched for a smaller one this year.

We found it in the form of Aux Memes located inland about an hour from Toulouse in one direction and an hour from the Pyrenees in the other.

To get across we booked the tunnel and set off super early (3:00am) on Saturday 25th July to catch our train.  Despite the journey only taking 3.5 hours, we still missed our 8:06am train as the police had stopped all traffic into the port due to 'migrants' trying to storm the tunnel in Calais along with them finding a body on top of a train arriving into Folkestone.  Not the best start but we were quite lucky and managed to arrive in Calais with only just over an hours delay.

The rest of the day wasn't much better as we managed to choose the slowest lane at every toll and got stuck behind every Sunday driver on the road!  Thankfully when we arrived at our hotel near Poitier 14 hours after leaving home, the pool was open, the sun shining and the room
perfect for a one-night stop.

Sunday was polar opposite as the traffic behaved and we made it to the campsite by about 2:00pm.  Handily, the two families of holiday friends we were meeting up with had arrived the previous day and whisked the kids straight off to the pool so we could unpack and pitch the tent.  The pool was lovely when we were done and a welcome barbecue finished the day off nicely.

We stayed at the campsite for 13 nights and I can't believe how quickly they flew by.  Despite being small there was plenty to do at the campsite and nearby.  We went in the pool at least once a day and the kids made a gang of friends to explore with.  The photo shows Toby with his friends Alex and Dylan.

On days when it wasn't too hazy, we could see the mountains from our pitch and we spent a couple of days exploring them.  On the first visit, Steve rode up Col d'Aspin - one of the Tour de France climbs (Steve rode it from Arreau).  The views were pretty amazing at the top and it was an impressive achievement for Steve as he did the 12km climb (and it was ALL uphill) in just over an hour (the photo with the falling down fence is taken from the top).


On the second trip he had hoped to ride another climb - Col du Tourmalet but it was over 30° at the start of the climb so it was a little too hot to contemplate.  Instead we drove up much of the climb and stopped at one of the ski villages (La Mongie) and rode the Pic du Midi cable car that took us to one of the highest points in the mountains.  I can safely say the views couldn't be beaten.  Toby was very taken by the cable car and the girls (Beth's friend Alannah, from home, had popped to the campsite for a few days to visit on their travels) were pretty taken with it all despite the altitude making them sleepy!!  We had hoped to eat in the restaurant or cafe at the top but we left it a bit late and they had run out of child-friendly options.  Instead we snacked while looking at the views and took the opportunity to take lots of photos.


On the way down the mountain we stopped at a lake and the kids couldn't wait long enough to get their cossies on so jumped straight in in their clothes!  The pictures make it look quite dark and cloudy by the lake but it was 32° and very pleasant watching them (though we hung on till we got back to the campsite to take a dip).

Although we spent a lot of time around the campsite, we did have quite a few days out.  The first was to the town of Auch (pronounced Osh) on market day.  We were pleasantly surprised that the market wasn't all tat and there were lots of good stalls with breads, pastries, fruit, veg, honey and even beer.  After mooching round for a bit, we decided to try and make ourselves a little more cultured with a trip to the cathedral.  It didn't look much from the front but inside it was pretty impressive and might have taken an hour or two to explore if not for the slightly less willing members of our party!  They were more interested in a trip to the local hypermarche to see what toys were available with their holiday money.


On one of the days when the weather was 'changeable' one of the dads took on the task of setting and leading a bike route for us.  We went from the campsite and looped around the area, past fields of sunflowers and hay bails.  Unfortunately the weather didn't hold out and we got rather wet and muddy (thanks to a slight detour) though thankfully it wasn't cold.  No one seemed to mind too much especially as we found ourselves at the end of the 10-mile ride in the local village bar with beer, hot chocolate and ice creams!

Apart from the little trips out to get food and look at local markets, the only other day out was to a local water park.  The title is probably a bit grand for what it was but it suited us.  There was a pool with a few slides, a lazy river and a waterfall along with a cafe, play
area and massive sandpits where you could play football or volleyball.  Toby has never been a great one for going swimming and generally prefers to stay on the edge and join in from there.  However, he had no hesitation in 'diving' straight in and spent a couple of hours up and down the slides.


With all the problems at Calais, we were quite relieved not to be going back the same way.  Instead, we left the campsite on Saturday 8th August and drove down through the Pyrenees into Spain and caught the ferry from Santander to Portsmouth.  Santander has some lovely parts and the port is right in the centre so we had time to explore a little before sailing.

The ferry takes a total of about 25 hours and we weren't sure if it would ruin the holiday or make it more relaxed.  It was actually quite enjoyable.  We boarded around 8:00pm and dropped our bags off in the cabin before heading for some food.  We weren't overly enthusiastic about the thought of ferry fodder but were surprised with one of the nicest meals we've had out in a long time.  We all slept pretty well though got confused with the time difference as the ship works on British time from the moment it leaves Spain so we were an hour early for everything!

We were lucky to get cinema tickets to see Minions in the morning so spent an enjoyable hour or so relaxing watching that.  After lunch the kids had their faces painted and balloon shapes made for them (though they lost interest when the disco started).  There was a small outdoor swimming pool onboard that was pretty well used but the kids didn't push us to go in and we didn't mention it either - I was too keen on how the waves smashed against the sides when the ferry was rolling!  It was all well setup and not too laborious though I'm not sure if we'll do it again.

Now we're home again it's time to start hunting for a location for next year; any ideas?!?