Summer 2018 - Third Post - France and Benelux

31st August to 3rd September 2018
Albertville

A few days chilling out at a pleasant green campsite on the edge of Albertville, home of the 1992 Winter Olympics. Not really doing much at all apart from avoiding a cool, wet spell of weather for a few days. On leaving,  needed to fill up with GPL, what an effort! Only three places anywhere near Albertville. First place, Geant supermarket - headroom restriction of 2.8m, so I couldn't get to the pump or the cashier! Second place, Total Service Station - no GPL, although listed as such on the official French website. Third place an Elan Service Station - success but closes tomorrow, as it is the end of August, until the skiing takes off in December!! Glad that I don't have an engine that needs GPL!

4th September 2018
Val d'Isere

The weather picked up, so back into the mountains just outside Val d'Isere again, at 2000m, at the foot of the Col de I'seran in the Vanoise National Park. Met up with an elderly couple from Devon. The guy was 84 and his wife was 92, they still go to Spain every winter and Europe in the summer. Optimistically, they bought a new mobile home last Autumn. So hope for us all yet! With all the chasing about for gas earlier in the day there wasn't really enough time to walk up into the mountains.

Val d'Isere - View from the Aire at the foot of the col

Val d'Isere - Looking down on Val d'Isere from the col

Col de l'Iseran - mountain tops and glaciers on the Frano-Italian border above the aire

5th to 7th September 2018
Bramans

Over the Col de l'Iseran (2764m) with stunning views toward the peaks along the Franco-Italian border and the mountain glaciers. Drop down into the Arc valley at the quaint village of Bonneval/Arc and stopped just short of Modane at a campsite for three nights. Walked down the valley to the blocking fortresses built by the Italians in the middle of the nineteenth century (Italy acquired Savoy from France as part of the 1815 Treaty of Vienna, it was returned to France in 1860, when Napoleon III did a deal with Sardinia with respect to Italian unification). Trying to do a circular walk, crossing the river gorge by a high suspension bridge found that the footpath was gone a few kilometres further on by a huge landslip. Had to back track for about five kilometres, before heading back to the camping site.

Col de l'Iseran - Hazy view of some of the Vanoise glaciers and descent to Bonneval/Arc

Bramans - Walking to Fort Victor Emmanuel between Modane and Bramans

Bramans - Campsite

8th to 11th September 2018
Col du Lautaret

Down the Arc valley and then climb up to the Col de Telegraph (1565m) and on to the Col du Galibier (2642m), with a steep climb over the summit of the col rewarded by the splendid sight of the mountains and glaciers of the Ecrin National Park above the Col du Lautaret and La Grave. Stopped in a parking area at the Col du Lautaret (2057m) for a few nights.  Walked around to the Col d'Arsine (my third visit I think - previously in 1991 and 1998) and another day a steep climb up on to the ridge of the Col de Laurichard (2654m).

Col de Galibier - Looking towards the Ecrin National Park peaks and glaciers

Col du Lautaret - Parking spot for three nights

View from a lunchtime stop

Col du Lautaret - Start of the walk to Col d'Arsine, goes in front of the glaciers

Col du Lautaret - View from the ridge of the Col du Laurichard

Col du Lautaret - View from the ridge of the Col du Laurichard

12th and 13th September 2018
Barcelonnette

Dropping down from the Col du Lautaret through Briancon and into the Durance valley there is a noticeable change as the countryside, it becomes drier and the vegetation, especially the pine trees, develops a Mediterranean feel. Over the Col d'Izoard (2360m), through the weird scenery of the Casse Desert, to drop down into the Queyras National Park and along the gorge to Guilestre. Then up again over the Col de Vars (2108m) to drop down into the Ubaye valley and stop off in a parking area above the town of Barcelonnette for a couple of nights.

Barcelonnette

Col de l'Izoard

Col de l'Izoard - Casse Desert

14th September 2018
Colmars-les-Alpes

The Route des Grandes Alpes takes the Col de la Cayolle (2326m). However, to the east is the Col de la Bonette (2860m). claimed to be the highest mountain pass with a paved road over it in Europe. While to the west lies the Col d'Allos (2247m). So a detour of a couple of days was required to pick them all up. God knows why! It's bloody hard driving with some narrow roads, often single track with passing places and long, steep grades. Anyway. headed off for the Col de la Bonette and all the way down the Tinee Valley then west and north to spend the night at Colmars via yet another col.
The top of the Col de la Bonette is actually pretty scary driving, as for some daft reason the road loops up and down a steep ridge which feels very exposed. I think they only built that bit of road to make it the highest pass! There is a short cut-off about 100m lower at the true summit of the col at about 2715m - so you don't have to climb to the top of the ridge to get over the pass!

Col de la Bonette - Scary feels very exposed driving the last leg

Colmar-les-Alpes

15th September 2018
Jausiers

From Colmar crossed back towards Barcelonnette, over the Col d'Allos which has a long, seemingly endless descent,  down into the Ubaye valley. Stopped of for the night at the campsite at Jasiers, nice spot have stayed there a couple of times in the past, only 9.50 euro a night. Wanted to stay a couple of nights, but typically for France, it was the end of the season and the site closed down the next day at lunchtime until next Easter.

Col d'Allos

Jausiers

16th September
St-Martin-Vesubie

Last pass of the triplet. the less frequented, Col de la Cayolle, and down the cloud filled Var valley to eventually, after more ups and downs, including the Col de Couillole (1678m) to lunch by the river at St-Sauveur-sur-Tinee. Past a few Maginot Line forts, over the Col St-Martin (1755m) to stop off at a small aire just out side the picturesque town of St-Martin-Vesubie.

St Martin Vesubie

17th September 2018
Port de  Belgrade

Last day of the route travelling via the Col de Turini (1605m), closed for about an hour for motorbike trials by Michelin, and then the long descent via Sospel to end up on the Mediterranean coast at Menton a few kilometres east of Nice. So all of the route finally done. The last time I tried in about 1990 the car gave up on the Col de Cayolle when an engine mounting gave way and I never got to Menton. Anyone with a week or two in this part of France should do the trip, you can always return towards Geneva along the Route Napoleon, from Grasse to Grenoble (the Hundred Days and all that in 1815).
Driving this part of the coast is a nightmare, have done it a couple of times and it takes hours, so took the autoroute and headed west towards some quieter coastal areas west of the Camargue. Ended up spending the night in a parking area at Port de Belgrade, adjacent to the Rhone-Sete canal.

Col de Turini - part of the long descent towards Sospel and the coast

Sospel

Port de Belgarde - Arrived late at the parking area on the Rhone-Sete Canal

18th September to 11th October 2018
Grau d'Agde

A short morning's run via Montpelier, partly along a new twelve lane section of autoroute, to chill out on the coast at a great little campsite, I have used a couple of times before. It's just outside the, originally Greek town, of Agde with it's medieval fortified cathedral on the Herault, near the coast and only about ten euro a night!

Just beach, chilling and a bit of biking for nearly a month...before heading home. Hard life.

Grau d'Agde - some pleasant riverside restaurants great for lunch 

Agde and the Herault

12th October 2018
La Canourgue

Started the drive home heading through some stunning scenery, on the free autoroute towards Clermont Ferrand, through the Causes and Cevennes to spend the night at the attractive village of La Canourgue, with an interesting medieval centre, a few kilometres north of Millau and the Tarn gorge.

La Canourgue

13th October 2018
Thiers

Weather picked up again bright and sunny with good views of the puys around Clermont Ferrand. Heading north west towards Dijon stopped for the night at Thiers, in a large open parking area at the edge of the town close to the remains of the Roman theatre.

Thiers - Roman Theatre just round the corner from the parking area

14th October 2018
Goncourt

Heading past through low hills and around Dijon ended up at a pleasant aire, on the banks of the Meuse, that I had stayed at about three years before, at Goncourt. It just happened to be the closest place to park up for the night when I had done enough driving!

Aire at Goncourt

15th October 2018
Redagne. Luxembourg

Into the hills again at the edge of the Ardennes, past Metz into Belgium then Luxembourg to stop over at an aire at the edge of Redagne in Luxembourg. Every where spotlessly clean, not litter, smooth and well maintained road pavements and never a pothole in sight. Even free electricity to hook-up to in the parking area. Weather has certainly improved, it was 27C and hot in the afternoon. Not looking forward to getting back to the dreary late Autumn weather in Scotland.

Redagne

16th October 2018
Kelpen-Oler, Limburg, Netherlands

Northwards through Luxembourg and into the Netherlands to encounter the Meuse again, now a huge navigable river, at Maastricht. Headed north towards Eindhoven, there are not so many parking areas for vans in the Netherlands; but it probably has more campsites per capita than France! Stayed at a very neat family run site just a few kilometres of the motorway south of Eindhoven. So flat everywhere!

Kelpen-Oler

17th October 2018

North via Eindhoven and around the west of Amsterdam to the ferry port to catch the overnight ferry to Newcastle and an easy drive up to Edinburgh the next morning. The toll free motorway network in the Netherlands is incredibly busy but a very well maintained with lane and variable speed limit restrictions every where keeping the traffic flowing. Absolutely no problem driving around large cities like Eindhoven or the west of Amsterdam - so different to the M6, M62 and M25 that we have to crawl around Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and London on - that is if the traffic is actually moving!

The car started first time when I got back to where I store the van just outside Edinburgh, I now leave the battery disconnected when I am away.

The sort of large figure of eight through France over about four months added another 4,800 miles to the mileage on the van, now at just under 74,000 miles of which about 50,000 have been added by me since 2014!