12 Sept – Well, we are back in Kaiapoi. Our flight from Heathrow to Christchurch via L.A. and Auckland was long but uneventful. I sat beside an American earthquake engineer on the Auck/Ch leg. Our girls and the grandchildren were waiting at the airport as there was no school because of the earthquake. It was great to see them. Their houses are fine and our house is fine. No damage whatsoever. Those that were unaffected have a slightly guilty feeling and we soon realised the toll it had taken on everyone. The first quake must have been terrifying but the constant after shocks mean that most people’s sleep is disturbed. We met friends at the supermarket on Saturday and they looked stressed and exhausted. We have not visited the effected areas in Kaiapoi yet as they are appealing for people to stay away.

What a great trip we had. Everything went well, including “Lefty”. Here comes the commercial. “Lefty” will be up for sale around this time next year after we have been on another 5 month trip. We can take it back to the firm we bought it from, but we would prefer to sell it privately with all the stuff we have bought, including the bikes. If anyone is thinking of the trip to Europe and GB this could be a good deal. Any time period over 3 months it is better to buy than hire. We would need to stitch up a deal before we leave NZ in April 2011. You will be surprised how cheap that deal might be!
I hope you have enjoyed reading of our adventures. We travelled 15,500kms and by far our biggest expense, excluding the flights, was diesel. We will resume the blog next year.

1 Sept – Drove down the M6. Great watching the huge trucks trying to drag each other off. We passed all the towns where rugby league is played – Wigan and Warrington etc. Parked at the “Park and Ride” outside Chester and bussed into the city. Some lovely wood and plaster buildings all built around the 16th and 17th century. A nice walk around the Dee River. We found our campsite (field) just outside Chester and realized we were actually in Wales.

2 Sept – We drove to the local MacDonald’s to publish the last blog. We continued on skirting Wolverhampton and Birmingham and found our next campsite (another field) close to Stratford upon Avon. Offloaded the bikes and had a great ride along the greenway (fields and cycleway) into the town. All Shakespeare based. We saw his birth place and Anne Hathaway’s cottage.

3 Sept – A short drive thru the Cotswolds to Oxford. We had been here before in 2004. We cycled along the tow paths of the Thames River to the city. It was good to see the colleges in sunshine and warmer weather. We climbed the St Mary’s tower for a great view over the old buildings and colleges. Just heard from the kids and catching up on the news of the earthquakes in Christchurch.

4 Sept – Drove around London on the M25 to Walton on Thames where we camped in a camping ground close to the rail link into London. We cycled to Hampton Court, built by Henry V111. We strolled around the gardens which were very nice.

5 Sept – Skyped the kids to here the earthquake news and then cycled to the station and caught the train into London (1/2 hour). We walked down the South Bank of the Thames passed London Bridge, the Millennium Bridge and the Globe Theatre crossing over at Tower Bridge and stopped for lunch at the Tower of London. We had seen most of London in 2004 but it was good to see the landmarks again. The city was full of bikes as there was a huge sponsored cycle event around the city. The went into St Paul’s Cathedral (missed in 2004) and then caught the tube to Trafalgar Square for a walk up the Mall to Buckingham Palace and back down the Birdcage to Westminster and Big Ben before catching the train and cycling back to “Lefty” exhausted!

6 Sept – We started to clean the “Lefty” and prepare it’s for the 8 months storage. We drove down to Warsash (on the Solent) where Denise (nee Jelley, Val’s cousin) and Ian McGregor now live. We parked up their drive and had a lovely Pub meal with them catching up with the Jelley news. A great night.

7 Sept – Denise and Ian left for work and were kind enough to let us use the washing machine etc to complete the clean up for storage. We drove the 30kms to the storage place which John Sollis had jacked up. It was perfect, and they can even service and MOT “Lefty” before our return next year. John and Jackie picked us up and we spent another great night with them at Petersfield. John is keen to have a Moving Pictures reunion some time in 2012.

8 Sept – With mixed feelings, Jackie drove us to Heathrow for our flight home. I will do one more blog back in Christchurch.

25 August – Spent the morning doing a huge wash before cycling along the Firth of Forth on a cycleway to Musselburgh for bread. A good ride past many bird watchers.
At 3:00pm we caught the bus to Edinburgh for the Military Tattoo. It was pleasantly warm so we wandered around the town up to the Royal Mile and the castle. The Fringe Festival was in full swing and we watched a few of buskers who were very entertaining before have a meal and joining the queues to enter the castle forecourt where the Tattoo is held. The area in front of the castle has scaffolding grandstands erected (they look as if they stay there permanently). Our seats were to one side and near where the bands enter over the draw bridge. It was a great atmosphere. The Tattoo started at 9:00pm when it was just dark. There were many army bands from lots of countries. The NZ Army Band featured prominently. It was all very stirring with great lighting and visual effects projected onto the castle. It finished at 10:45 so we hightailed it back to the bus. (actually caught the second last bus) and arrived back at “Lefty” at 12:15am.

26 August – We drove over the Firth of Forth beside the spectacular rail bridge. It is like a Meccano model. We stopped at St Andrews Golf Courses and were surprised that we could just wander around the place. We walked down the 1st hole on the Old Course, across to the 17th “Road Hole” and back up the 18th. It all seemed much smaller than on TV! We drove around the ring road at Aberdeen and camped in a field on the way to Inverness.

27 August – On the way to Inverness we visited Cawdor Castle. It was very beautiful and is still the Dowager Countess of Cawdor’s home. There was to be an outdoor concert there tonight (unknown band) and tomorrow night (Westlife). It is August Bank Holiday this weekend. We drove thru Inverness and started south to Loch Ness. The road follows the lake and has great views. We camped in yet another field about half way down the lake. We cycled to Urquhart Castle. This is a ruin but enough of it still remains to give a sense of what it must have been like. Unfortunately the skies opened and we got soaked. Everything you visit seems to have an entry fee. If you went to all the attractions you would be broke!! Lots of tents arrived in the field with people setting up in a thick drizzle. It reminded us of Labour weekend in NZ.

28 August – We celebrated our wedding anniversary with a drive down the A82 from Loch Ness to Loch Lomond. What a glorious trip, passed several Lochs, thru high mountain passes (for GB), mountain streams and water falls. We passed Ben Nevis (obscured by mist) and stopped at Ballachulish, a small village where Val’s rallies came from (McColl). We went to the church yard and found plenty of dead rallies. There is even a terrace named after them. The camp at Loch Lomond was right on the lake shore. It certainly is a bonny Loch! We walked to the local pub along the shoreline for dinner. I had Haggis and Cloutie pudding. My granny used the word clout. (cloth). Val had Scottish Salmon.

29 August – Drove thru the outskirts of Glasgow and down the M74 to Carlisle where we left the motorway and wound our way thru the hills and dales of Cumbria and the Lakes District. We are camped at Ravenglass where we will spend 3 nights. We had a quick look at the village and have booked a trip on the small steam train (15” gauge) which runs up the Esk Valley for Tuesday.

30 August – A gloriously sunny lazy day at Ravenglass. After lunch we walked around the village and estuary. The village fronts onto a tidal estuary where three rivers flow out to the Irish Sea.

31 August – Another fine day for our rail trip. We cycled down to the station for the miniature train. The steam engines are ¼ size of the real thing but make all the correct noises and smells. They pull a huge load of carriages on a 15” gauge track. The line was established the end of the 19th century to bring granite down from a quarry up the Esk Valley. It was nearly abandoned until it became a tourist train running about 16 return trips a day. There are 7 steam locos. We bought a 1 way ticket for ourselves and our bikes. The trip up the valley takes about 40 minutes. We had a map which guided us back the 14kms thru lanes and farm tracks. Half way along the cycle route we had lunch and a pint at a lovely country pub. Beautiful, but not spectacular scenery all the way. A great trip!

20 August – We drove up main roads to York where we parked in another field. These camps are called Certified Sites and range from smaller camping grounds with some facilities to just a bare field with perhaps a tap. They arrange in price from 3 – 10 pounds and are ideal for 1 night stops. We chose this camp because there was a cycleway into the middle of York, about 8kms. Part of the route was thru the York Race Course where a meeting was in progress. It also followed the river. York is dominated by a fantastic cathedral. It rivals the Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur for splendour. We walked thru the old streets (called the The Shambles) and also visited the National Railway Museum. There were scores of beautifully restored steam engines and rolling stock. The highlights were the Royal carriages, the Japanese Bullet Train, and the huge streamlined steam engine, Duchess of Hamilton. It is a train buff’s paradise! We rode the 8kms back to “Lefty” in a head wind.

21 August – Up the A1 to Berwick Upon Tweed where my Grandmother and Grandfather came from (mothers side). We parked out of the town and cycled across the Tweed into the town. This is another walled town facing the sea and the Tweed River. We searched thru a church grave yard but could not find any old dead rallies. Probably the wrong brand of church! The people we spoke to had accents just like my old Grannie. Berwick sits on the border of England and Scotland the Tweed River being the border. We camped in another field about 10kms out of town. It was on a rise and had a great view over the farm land. They were harvesting the wheat in the next field.

22 August - We drove inland thru beautiful farm country. It is easy to understand why the people of this area felt at home in Otago. The countryside is very similar. We continued on to narrower and narrower roads eventually ending up on a one lane tar sealed road winding into the hills. The sign “Megget Reservoir” came into view. We were in an area known as “Meggetland”. I am not sure if we are related to this family but the area dates back to James 5th of Scotland, who hunted deer here in 1530. At one stage James 5th hunted and killed a William Cockburn. We drove slowly up the beautiful valley and saw “Meggethead Farm” and the “The Megget Stone” (the stone was not very impressive only 0.84m high. Meggets must have been short in those times too!) As it was a beautiful day we decide to park on the side of the Megget Reservoir for the night. The reservoir was formed by the largest earth dam in GB, in 1983, flooding the valley and is the source of water for Edinburgh. Very spooky thinking that possibly our ancestors may have hunted deer, farmed and lived in this valley 500 years ago.

23 August – Woke to a misty drizzle. It seemed appropriate for this valley as we followed the winding road, passed the Megget Stone, and into the next valley. The trip to Edinburgh was an easy drive thru more villages and farm land. We had booked a camp here as we thought the Edinburgh festival may have been a problem. As we were early and the lady at the camp was grumpy, we found the village of Musselburgh and had a walk around and did some shopping.

24 August – Another drizzly morning. We walked down a lane to the bus which took us into Edinburgh (1/2 hour trip). There crowds everywhere in the city. We caught a “hop on hop off” bus for a tour. A great way of quickly finding all the sights. We walked around the city and up the Royal Mile to the castle. As the Fringe Festival is on at the same time as the International Festival, there was a lot of street theatre and buskers entertaining the crowds. After lunch we toured the castle for about 2 hours. Very interesting and some great views. Edinburgh is full of Dunedin names. (probably the other way around) We will be back in the city later tomorrow as we have tickets for the Tattoo.

14 August – A lazy start to the day with breakfast outside and vehicle checks and laundry. After lunch we set off to Chantilly where there is a great chateau. We went to the little tourist office in the local village (in most villages) and the girl explained that there was a cycleway most of the way. Easier said than done! After some back tracking and asking locals we eventually found our way to the Chantilly and the chateau. It was a great ride (18kms return) thru villages, gardens, and a forest. The chateau was spectacular set entirely on a series of lakes. We arrived back to “Lefty” just as the skies opened and it teemed.

15 August – We left the camp where we had been for 6 nights. It had been a good place to base ourselves to visit Paris and surrounding areas. Steady rain set in which lasted off and on for most of the day. The drive was a mixture of highways and byways to the Picardy Coast and an “Aires” at Le Crotoy at the mouth of the Somme River. The village has a very tidal marina and a pleasant sea frontage. There were many families milling around the restaurants and shops trying to keep out of the chilly wind and drizzle.

16 August – (Our last full day in France) – The weather is even worse. We drove in rain to an “Aires” about 20kms from Calais. The rain stopped so we went for a long walk over Mt D’Hubert to Cape Blanc Nez. There were many German gun emplacements and observation stations set in the cliffs of this Cape as it looks straight into the English Channel. Very interesting. Unfortunately we could not see across the channel to the white cliffs of Dover.

17 August – Left the camp early for the ferry terminal in Calais. We were waved thru the checks and eventually ended up on the earlier ferry. Very easy! A nice smooth crossing. Drove off at the other end into England remembering to stay on the left side of the road. We drove about 100kms to the Epping area and found a private cheap camp at High Ongar. Rode into the village to get some cash.

18 August – A beautiful morning. We drove up the M11 to Cambridge and parked in the “Park and Ride” and caught the bus into the centre of the city. We wandered around the university town. All of the beautiful college buildings are spread around the centre of the town. We had been to Oxford but Cambridge seemed more spectacular. Back to “Lefty” and off up the A11 to Norwich where we are in a camp where we can ride into the city. We walked thru a track to the nearest village for a “Pub” meal. We had been hanging out for a roast. Great!!

19 August – Funny old day! It started great. We cycled into Norwich and walked around the city before meeting Leanne Worrall, Wayne and Sharon’s daughter, for a cup of coffee. It was great to see her again. We rode back to “Lefty” and drove off to Nottingham. On the way we decide to shop and fuel. That’s when things went wrong. I managed to put ½ a tank of petrol into “Lefty”. Not great as it is a diesel. What a fool considering I had managed to translate the various words for Diesel in every other country and slipped up in England!! Fortunately I realised and did not start the motor. The staff arranged for the local garage to come around. They towed us back to their place (just around the corner) where they drained the tank. The whole mistake cost us around 100 pounds! Back on the road much later and into heavy traffic all the way to Nottingham where we are now parked behind a country pub for the night. There is great free internet so we will publish a blog tonight.

3 August – Set off in gloomy conditions to Le Mont St Michel about 50kms away. This is an abbey and town built on a large rock separated from the mainland by a causeway which can go under water on extremely high tides. The queue of cars for the carpark was very long so we stopped on the side of the road and off loaded the bikes for the last 3kms. The sight of the abbey perched on top of the rock is impressive. We joined the queue to go into the abbey. We hired a great audio guide, the best yet, and wandered around the beautiful buildings. There was a mass in progress in the church and so we sat and enjoyed the nuns singing. The rest of the tiny village was extremely busy so we struggled thru the crowd and, as the tide was low, had a great walk around the whole rock. On the way home we found a McDonald’s in the next village and, as we were having problems with the internet at the camp, stopped off and cleared our emails and published the blog.

4 August – Before breakfast we rode back to McDonald’s to skype Claire. Unfortunately it was still closed so we sat in the gutter outside and had a chat. We hoped the day would be fine as we wanted to explore St Malo and hopefully have a swim at the lovely beaches. The morning was overcast so we hung around the camp hoping it would clear. After lunch we rode the bikes the 5kms into St Malo in ever increasing drizzle. We arrived at the old town drenched! The day was warm so we soon dried out. The old town has a wall round it and the seaward side has some nice beaches – but it was too cold to swim. On the ride back the skies opened again and we got drenched for the second time!

5 August – We drove from St Malo to Patrice’s chalet on the farm near Laval where we stayed in the beginning of May. It was great to see the chalet in better weather. We had completed the circle down the Loire Valley, into the Riviera in southern France, around into Spain, up thru Portugal, back into northern Spain, up into the Pyrenees, back into France, up thru Bordeaux and Brittany. The distance was about 10,500kms! What a trip. Sue arrived from Lassey and we had been invited out to their friend’s home for a barbeque. It turned out to be a beautiful French meal in a lovely home. A great night!

6 August – A beautiful day. We drove the 70kms to Sue’s beautiful old home in the square at Lassey Les Chateaux where we parked in the “Aires” 200m away. Very convenient. We had lunch in her lovely courtyard and Val and Sue caught up on the family news. Sue’s three children arrived home; Emma (25) from a holiday in Greece, Jamie (23) from a holiday in Brazil, and Sophie (21) from the chicken factory where she has a holiday job. In the evening we joined about 200 locals for a theatrical tour of the village. This consisted of various small plays, depicting important periods in history, performed around this beautiful village and chateaux.

7 August – Awoke to drizzle which continued most of the day. We had a lazy day at Sue’s and prepared for a family dinner planned for the evening. Patrice arrived from the farm with Sahra (the horse) and gig ready for their trotting holiday. His children, Emiliene, and Sylviere and his girlfriend Celine. 10 of us sat down for another long French meal. After much wine we wandered back to the “Aires” at about 2:25am.

8 August – Back to sunny weather. Sue and Patrice set off for their holiday to le Mont St Michel in the gig with much waving, laughter and tears. Sue’s children with three friends joined Val and I to form two 4 man teams to compete in a treasure hunt to find “L’epee de Lancelot” (Lancelot’s sword). We were given instructions which lead us to 3 chateaux around the area. We rode bikes between locations. At each location we were set medieval tasks of courage, skill, and memory. These were run by locals (70) all in medieval costume. There were about 20 tasks ranging from jousting, archery, horse shoe throwing, a rabbit game and even poetry writing (Val and I were useless at that!!) all set on the theme of Sir Lancelot who had spent time in Lassey. The whole competition lasted 4 hours and was a lot of fun. While they sorted out the winners (not our teams!) we watch a display of horsemanship and ate a barbeque tea. It was great to experience these village festivities. It is hard to imagine any town of 2000 in NZ turning on such an event.

9 August – We drove the 270kms to Paris. Well, not quite Paris but a camp 45kms out near Chantilly. We are booked for 6 nights here so that we have time to see Paris, have our dinner up the Eiffel Tower and river cruise, and visit Versailles. This camp is set in an old sandstone quarry and is much like an NZ camp.

10 August – Set off to drive to a park we had been told about where we could catch the Metro. Decided (foolishly) to avoid the toll road and take a more direct route. We ended up taking about 2 hours to drive the 50 odd kms thru some horrendous road works and intersections. I got honked at more times on this trip than the rest of the holiday so far. Anything I may have said about patient French drivers DOES NOT apply in Paris. There are intersections which are just a huge paved wasteland with roads in every direction. You drive directly to the road you want to exit to with everyone dogging around you as fast as they can. Very scary. Eventually we found the park (underground) and bought a day pass for the Metro. We got off at the Arc de Triumphe in the Champs-Elysees. What a site! We had visited Paris in 2005 for the All Blacks tour but revisiting all the great buildings and monuments was just as good. This time the place is jam packed with tourists. We arrived back to our park, exhausted and drove home via the toll road with less stress. (1 hour).

11 August – A lazy day. We walked back to the village for some supplies. There is a great abbey which we will try and visit. The sun broke out in the afternoon so we spent some time in the camp pool. The internet is really good here so we will skype the kids and publish is blog.

12 August – Set off for our dinner and cruise that Sky TV gave me on my retirement. We drove thru to a fairy-like chateaux at Pierrefonds. We paid for a visit which was OK but all the furniture and fittings had been removed. A bit of a disappointment. Drove into Paris and found the same park easily. We caught the Metro to the Eifffel Tower (3 trains). There were huge crowd waiting for lifts. We found our restaurant office and were quickly up the lift to level 1 and the 58 Restaurant (named because it is 58m from the ground). We had a beautiful meal and wine with a great view over Paris. Down the tower again and back into the crowd for our cruise on the Seine. The cruise boats are huge but, because it was slightly chilly (20 degrees), we found a great seat outside and watched the beautiful buildings of Paris slip by. The lighting was great. The Notre Dame and the Tour Eiffel were the highlights. We walked back to the Metro (11:00pm) and back to our park for the 70km drive back to our camp (1:00am).

13 August – After skyping the kids we set out for a 70km drive around the edge of Paris to the Chateau de Versailles. This is where the Louis’s all lived and where the French Parliament was. Also where they signed the treaty of Versailles at the end of WW1. We found a park and cycled to the Chateau. Again huge queues so get inside the buildings so, as we had seen inside a great Chateau in the Loire (Valencay), we chose just to wander around the gardens and grounds. They were vast and beautiful.

25 July – A lovely drive out of the Bordeaux region to La Rochelle thru vineyards and farmland, mainly wheat and sunflowers. We found the “Aires” in La Rochelle but it was full. We had lunch, and eventually someone left and we got a site. It was just a short cycle into the old town and port. The harbour is guarded by 3 towers. As it was Sunday the streets were closed and there were many stalls mainly selling art, cafes and entertainment. Lots of people just milling around. We had a great wander around the harbour (many yachts) and the old town.

26 July – We drove about 150kms NE to the coastal area of Ile de Noirmoutier, which is an island connected to the mainland by a bridge. 150 kms does not seem far but as you slow down to 50 kmph for every town, about 3kms apart, it can take some time. The choice was either to just enjoy the towns and scenery or pay to travel on a toll road. The “Aires” we planned to stay at was closed so we ended up in a camp (expensive with sandy sloping sites) but there was a nice beach and I had a swim. The water was surprisingly warm. The air temperature is now much cooler, especially at night.

27 July – We drove into Brittany along some free motorways. What a difference. We drove 260kms in the same time as yesterdays 150kms. We stop for lunch at Vannes, easily finding a park. We off loaded the bikes and found the centre of the old town just around the corner. Amazing buildings, many made of huge wooden beams with plaster fill, some at very strange angles and slopes.
Travelled on to our planned “Aires” at Concarneau. We walked to the beach and had a swim and sunbathe. Later we rode our bikes along a path to the port and the town. At the end of the path we found the sign to say that it was for “pedestrians only”.
We sat at a bar and while the sun set, had wine and cheese, and watched the little ferry going back and forward to the old town. This town is on an island.

28 July – Back on motorways to Brest. This is where the Germans had the submarine pens during the war. Fascinating. The city was 80% destroyed during the war and has been rebuilt. A bit boring now.
We drove north to the coast and stayed a lovely “Aires” in a field, very near several beaches, at Portsall. This is a French holiday area with many beautiful homes and holiday baches. One of the main industries here is harvesting seaweed.
They seem to have huge tides as the whole harbour and beaches completely dry out.

29 July – We have decided to stay an extra day here as it is so nice. We walked down to a beach where we sat and had a read. The clouds eventually cleared but the tide was too far out for a swim. We biked to the village for bread at lunch time but all the shops were closed for 2 hours, including the supermarket. (we keep forgetting French hours of business) Back down to the same beach for the afternoon. The tide came in and we had a good swim. We cycled back to the village for dinner. We chose a restaurant overlooking the harbour. What a view! The meal was great. They do a menu for a fixed price at most restaurants. For 17 euro I had a scallop salad (entrée), a great (unknown) fish dish (main), and a tarte aux pomme. (dessert). Really great value!

30 July – A cloudy day. After a shop, we drove thru to a cheap camp near Roscoff. We had a great ride (10kms) thru the lovely villages and around some nice coastal estuaries and beaches.
Some random observations!!
1) Don’t throw away your cork screw wine openers – not a screw top in site here. We are into our second corkscrew!
2) If you are going to a wedding, you tie ribbon and lace around your car radio aerial until it blows or rots away.
3) Most campervans have a huge storage area (garage) under a double bed at the rear. - big enough for bikes and even a motor scooter.
4) Truckies all stop at a café or bar for lunch, parking in any available space.
5) You can park your car anywhere. Best place seems to be over a pedestrian crossing or double parked in a narrow street. “No Parking” lines are particularly popular.
6) Other drivers seem to have infinite patients for this practice.
7) There are more café/bars/restaurants then any other businesses.

31 July – We woke to rain/drizzle which continued until lunchtime. Probably the worst weather we have had so far. Our blood must have really thinned in the south as we now feel cold when it drops below 20 degrees. We had better harden up before we go to Scotland! We are in an “Aires” (with about 30 others) on a nice beach. We went for a great walk along the cliff tops. When we returned to “Lefty” a Boules (petanque) tournament was underway in front of the “Aires”. We watched for a couple of hours. Gosh they are good!! Everyone plays here. A great game as it only requires a dusty gravelled area.

1 August – We drove to St Malo where we had booked 4 nights in a camp, a good thing as the French seem to be taking their holidays and the camp is fully booked.
The day was cloudy again. We rode the 5kms to town. This is another beach/port with an old town surrounded by a wall. As it was Sunday the place was chocka. We will revisit here later when the crowds are less. The internet is playing up again. We had hoped to skype the kids but it is out of the question here.

2 August – In the morning we did domestic duties, laundry etc. The sun broke thru around lunchtime so we headed to the pool and spent a couple of hours in the sun and swimming. This camp is set in the grounds of an old Chateau. We biked to a neighbouring village but it was a bit of a disappointment.

18 July – A beautiful clear hot day. We drove inland from Pamplona gently rising up a series of valleys. This is beautiful farming country (mainly wheat). The Pyrenees were looming getting closer and we could see snow on the higher peaks. We found a camp well up in the mountains. Fortunately it had a great swimming pool as it was a very hot day. We are positioned to cross back into France for the Tour de France.

19 July – Another great day. We drove up a great valley higher into the Pyrenees past stunning alpine villages and ski resorts. We crossed into France at the Col du Pourtalet and down the other side to the road up the Col d’Aubisque. As soon as we were on the road there were campervans parked at every available point to see the Tour de France. We drove to the top of the Col (1709m) where there were a large number of campervans parked in the hotel carpark and adjacent paddock. What a sight. We managed to find a park. Almost the last. This is 28 hours before the tour goes thru!!
There are beautiful views in every direction. There are cows with loud bells, donkeys and horses just wandering around.
We sat for about 3 hours just watching the activities. People were parking where they could on the side of the road, some in campervans and many pitching tents. The Tour comes back thru here in the reverse direction in two days time so many will stay.
There were many amateurs cycling over the Col in both directions. Some were just individuals, but there were also some large organized groups. Everyone co-operates very well. Nobody is organizing it, but people have parked in the minimum of space and left room to exit.
The temperature has dropped and it will be a cool night.

20 July – Lazy start to the day as the “Tour” is not due thru until 3:45pm. We went for a walk up a hill to try and get cell phone coverage. Walked back and realized that many groups were already staking their positions to watch. We sorted out a good spot and Val sat guard while I went back to “Lefty” for chairs, sun umbrella, books and water. We were in position at 10:45am for the “Tour” 5 hours later!!
We just sat and took in the atmosphere. People everywhere, writing on the road, cycling up and down the road, barbequing, and generally having a ball. We did not read our books at all. They were handing out free chalk so Val wrote: “Go Kiwi”, “NZ” and “Kaiapoi NZ” on the road. At one stage we saw two All Black flags riding up the road to the Col. They heard our call and returned later for a chat. A couple from Tauranga. Around 2:30 a large procession of the sponsor’s vehicles went up the road. (le caravanne). It was like a Christmas parade of floats. They were throwing stuff to the crowd – tee shirts, caps, sweets, water, etc. We both ended up with hats and some washing powder!
About and hour later we heard the helicopters and saw the first sign of the cyclists preceded by two motorcycle cops. There was a breakaway group of 5 including Lance Armstrong. We were at a steep part of the road about 150m from the summit. They went passed in a flash!
A chase group came thru about 8 minutes later and the main peloton passed, at a more leisurely pace, 10 minutes after that. It was all over! 10 minutes later the road was open again.
We went back to “Lefty” and had a cup of coffee as the mist arrived before joining the slow parade of campervans descending into the valley. Eventually we drove thru to Lourdes and finding the “Aires” full, ended up in a camping ground.

21 July – We woke to steady drizzle and decide not to pay the 20 odd euros to visit St Bernadette’s Grotto as neither of us needed a cure for anything at this stage. The 230kms drive to St Emilion, about 30kms from Bordeaux right in the heart of the vineyards was thru farm country, mainly corn fields. We had pre-booked this camp months ago as we thought all camps in this area would be full with the “Tour” and the French school holidays. Wrong! The camp is half empty and very expensive. Oh well, you can’t win them all!!
We shopped on our way and exchanged our gas bottle. This has lasted since we left France over 7 weeks ago. Not bad considering we have been away from camps and off power for almost half this time.

22 July – A late start to the day which was cool and cloudy. After some domestic duties we cycled thru the vineyards to St Emilion. This is a beautiful medieval town based on the wine trade from the area. There is a large church in the town which has only it’s spire above ground. The body of the church is underground. (do not know why!) We took a tour on a mini train around some of the Chateaux (vineyards)
Eventually we succumbed to temptation and had a glass of wine (turned into two) and a cheese board watching the end of an exciting stage of the “tour” on TV.
When we returned to our camp, fortified by the wine, we complained about the cost of our stay and we were immediately handed 20 euros.

23 July – Off to Bordeaux. We parked in a school bus park, the locals said it would be OK, and caught the tram into town. Spent a couple of hours walking around the town and found most of the major attractions. Most of the buildings were badly discoloured stone but there were some beautiful churches and public buildings. We had a nice lunch at a café and found the finish line etc for the stage of the “Tour”. We walked to the 350m point and as the barriers were not full sat for a while. As the barriers filled we staked our spot at about 2.45. (Cyclists due at 5.15). The atmosphere and the entertainment were great so the time passed quickly. The whole peloton were basically together as they passed us. The sprinters were on our side of the road and flashed passed so quickly that you could not even identify anyone. They were within a foot of us. We later found out that Julian Dean (the only Kiwi) was leading the charge. The whole thing was over in 15 minutes and we caught the tram back to “Lefty” (which had not been towed or clamped!!)

24 July – We had planned to go back into Bordeaux for the individual time trial but as it was going to take 6 hours just to pass one point we reconsidered and stayed at our camp at St Emilion. We hopped on the bikes and cycled thru the vineyards, chateaux, and villages in this area for about 25kms. Stunningly beautiful!!!
Back to the camp for a leisurely afternoon around the pool.