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Thursday 1st June
So, after a few days with Ray, we have left for France on a DFDS ferry. Newhaven is one of the small ports that reeks of an age gone by…and almost forgotten. With old, decaying buildings, tired lounges and people who appear to have limited pride in their jobs, we creak onto an old boat up a narrow, rusting gang plank.
French, the ferry workers work slowly. At times, as when eating dinner this is no bad thing. When it's breakfast then it's a bit annoying The queue for breakfast was not long but it was slow and laborious. The server was smilingly flustered dishing out an English style breakfast, including the beans that I detest, at least as a breakfast additive. By the time we sat down is was cool, although just about edible. Coffee was administered from a machine, lacked taste and even caffeine, it seems.
On longer crossings, we now try and book a cabin one with space and comfort. Here we are limited to a 4 berth, with bits pointing out designed to give one a headache. However, after a meagre shower I managed a few hours' kip, making up for those we had missed by rising at 5 am.
The drive to the Loire was about 230 miles or maybe 5 hours if we were to reach our 1st stop, a river side campsite between Tours and Saumur, on the Loire Cycle path and in the Loire wine area.
The drive to Rouen, punctuated by shopping and fuel was easy and simple. Even crossing Rouen proved to be straight forward. Arriving at Maison Brulee before turning south on the autoroute all was well. And then the SatNav showed us in fields. Then more fields. Then nothing seemed to make sense as railway lines seemed capable of extraordinary right hand turns. But no autoroute was to be seen. Thus, this was to be the first of a series of minor mishaps, broken gear to be visited on us the first twenty four hours!
About 8 pm we arrived in Brehemont, the campsite and a grumpy, so says Meryl, assistance let us stop. The site chosen, chairs and table out, we settled into our first meal. Tradition won so we ate prawns with a Picpoul de Pinet, followed by salad and blue cheese with a bottle of Passe-Tout-Grains. Both cheapish and both not worth repeating!!
Sleep was long and easy!
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