Week 7 – 31st August – Sep 6th – through little Belgium to France
Day 41 & 42 – Monday – and a Bank Holiday to boot! The final day of the Great Repositioning Weekend. And to be honest – we could not be more happy with our decision to stick some miles under our belts. Paul suggested that we explore the Ardennes has been a great one.
We both have always believed Belgium to be – I hesitate to say it – a bit flat and boring. Largely because Paul used to make an annual pilgrimage to Amsterdam, driving through Belgium to get there.And yes. That bit is quite flat. Let’s not say boring, because there are some beautiful towns. But driving through Belgium was always a means to an end. And it did Belgium a disservice.
When we were in Maastricht, we picked up a brochure which showed a ski-lift. What? Yep. There are several ski resorts in Belgium. Well pardon my ignorance!
Our drive today took us through Liège, along the banks of the River Meuse. What we saw of it looked beautiful and we stopped on the outskirts to visit a Carrefour. What a joy. There is just nothing like a French supermarket. I feel a bit sorry for the Germans, Their supermarkets are not a patch on French ones. It felt like coming home.
Our journey followed the Meuse most of the way and what a beautiful river it is. Flanked on both sides by the Belgian border,. We crossed into France with a little cheer and pressed on towards Fumay – our destination, where we’d be staying for 2 nights. Smack bang on the side of the Meuse.
It’s a hilly little town, famous for its slate – although the last quarry closed in 1971. The town is enveloped in a meander of the Meuse and used to be a busy inland port for transporting the slate. The Capitainerie (harbourmaster) building still proudly bears its name, although trade has pretty much ceased.
We were overjoyed when we saw the site – it was just steps from the river and is probably my favourite spot on this trip – so far. You pick these places from a tiny picture on your phone and we were so glad we had. It felt like I’d never want to leave!
And we saw our first English folk for weeks – a very nice chap called George (from Derbyshire) who was very chatty. He popped by to look at the gas strut on our van door, as his had broken. He was travelling with his wife – who can never miss an episode of Emmerdale! Bless.
Once Paul had finished work on Tuesday, we grabbed our bikes and set off along the towpath . A lovely, level surface along this beautiful river. We saw some people fishing (Dad & daughter I think?) and they pointed to a fox (renard) on the opposite bank and at the same time, a heron (héron) and had a laugh about it being the same word in English. It was little too complicated to say that Reynard is a literary name for a fox in England, too. He was a bit of a trickster!
We passed a lock and weir and cycled on for a bit, before retracing our steps, this time passing the campsite and riding into town, where there was a very tempting friterie and bar (Cafe du Nord). We succumbed to drinks only, as we had a rather lovely salmon and prawn salad waiting for us at home. What a lovely time we had had though. I loved it in Fumay and would be sad to leave.
Day 43 & 44 – Wednesday/Thursday – we awoke to mist hanging over the river – I think Autumn is really knocking at the door now. Which is just as it should be, I guess, although I am not quite ready for it.
It was time for a lunch-hour move today. To make the transition as smooth and efficient as possible, we agree a time to leave, I do as many of the jobs as is possible prior to that time, so that all Paul pretty much has to do is unhook us from the electricity and drive.
We had a brief struggle with leaving the site, because the keypad (you have an individual code to access and leave the site) and barrier seemed not to be talking to one another. Oh damn – we’d have to stay another night! And then all of a sudden they had patched up their tiff and the barrier raised itself. And we were free!
It was a beautiful drive – very reminiscent of the Great Glen in Scotland (although in slightly better weather than we had when we did that route, back in March!). This really is a lovely bit of France. One that we’ve usually passed staright through on our way South. We are so glad we visited.
Our destination for the next couple of nights was the town of Charleville-Mézières – or two towns, I should say. Charleville and Mézières were originally two separate towns on opposite banks of the Meuse. It’s most famous son is probably the poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854–1891 ) and the stunning Rimbaud Museum is located in an old water mill, which we passed on the way into town.
In common with much of this area of France, links with both World Wars are strong. It was occupied by the German Empire in WW1, serving as the center of the ObersteHeeresleitung (the highest echelon of command of the Imperial German Army) for 26 days and then Occupied by Nazi Germany in WW2.
The town is also famous for its puppetry – indeed it has a school dedicated to the art – the “École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette (ESNAM)” and every other year holds a Puppet Festival. We were a couple of weeks too early for this year’s festival, sadly.
Once again, the Aire de Camping Car is located next to the river, but it is a much more urban spot and lacks the charm of Fumay. It’s very pleasant though, and we will make the most of our stay here via our trusty bikes.
We had parked in a space where we felt that no-one would park next to us, as it was not a properly marked space. All good until some guy turns up and decides that he would make the non-space his. And – annoyingly – there were plenty of other spaces. But the same things happen with boating. Folk are weird!
As we have now booked our return crossing, I needed to sort out the the vet appointment that we must attend before we can return to the UK.
To cut a long story short, dogs (and cats and ferrets) need to be vaccinated for Rabies to leave the UK. We had that done back in March. We then had to apply for an AHC (Animal Health Certificate). This is issued by a vet (an “Official Vet” or OV – not just any vet). I had shopped around and found that PassPets in Havant offered the best value and ease of use and we booked and supplied all the required info in March, and then attended in person with the boys on the day before we came to Europe. We highly recommend them.
They have to have their chips scanned and their rabies documents checked by the OV, before they can be assessed fit to travel and an AHC issued. You must enter the EU within 10 days after an OV issues the certificate., The day of issue being one of the 10 days. It all sounds a bit complex, but if you approach it methodically, it’s not too bad. And a lovely lady called Kathy runs a fantastic, informative Facebook page, which gives all the info you need.
There is a special pet check-in for pets at the Eurotunnel entrance. They check the AHC documentation and – if all is well – issue a travel permit for the dogs. And away you go.
To re-enter the UK, the pets need to receive a tapeworm treatment, administered by a Vet (any vet) at least 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before arriving in the UK. Additionally, the vet must record (time and date) the treatment in the AHC. And then you are free to re-enter.
Of course, all this is carefully checked by the team at the Eurotunnel Pet reception, before you can board the train
Speaking of which, you may remember the long delays we experienced on our day of departure from the UK? Well I submitted a formal complaint. It has taken all this time for them to respond, but I finally got an apology and a free crossing. Result! Sadly it arrived the day AFTER I had booked to return to the UK. Coincidence? Sod’s Law?
I have booked the vet and our overnight accommodation – near Wissant – and I hope all will be well! We will stay at Wissant, which is about 45 minutes from Calais, prior to our passage home.
We had dinner at the local snack bar or “bar resto” – Steak Tartare for Sumps and Steak Haché pour moi! Freshly cooked and administered by a very flamboyant waitress.
Bill has had a gippy tummy the last couple of days and we have done the usual chicken and rice diet plus giving him pro-biotics (Protexin Pro-Kolin) which we always have to hand, but he does not seem to be improving. A visit to the vet it was then. Ker-ching!
But first a cycle ride into town for an explore and dinner. The most stunning spot we found was the Place Ducale, where we also had dinner at a great spot called Garden Ice Cafe and we met and got chatting to some Brits for the first time in ages. It was a delicious meal, which culminated in one of my all time fave desserts (have not had a dessert for weeks!). It’s an ice cream concoction, which you find on almost every menu in France – a “Café liégeois“. They vary in quality but this was a good one, with a little jug of espresso to pour over the coffee ice cream and Creme Chantilly. As the French would say “Je me régale”!
I took a couple of photos of the square – the 17th Century “Place Ducale“, but they do not really do it justice. It was stunning. The video below gives a better flavour of the town. I love French Architecture.
Day 45 – Friday – We had early start on Friday, as we had a earlyish appointment at the vet. I had found one very close by and we found it easily. Neither the vet nor the receptionist spoke English so it was down to me to deal with everything. She was very thorough – told me he had a lot of wind – yeah we know that on account of the smell! No temperature. She provided Loperamide (or Imodium) and Charcoal, which we had to administer orally by means of a syringe, and to continue the light diet. And charged us €90. Not too bad, actually.
Our next stop was groceries and laundry – both located in the same spot – or so we thought. The plan was to start the laundry off and then I’d shop while Paul waited with the boys for the laundry. There are a series of high tech washing machines – often located in supermarket car parks or garage forecourts – we have some in England. They are called Wash Me and they have a choice of small load (9kgs) or large load (20kgs) washers and a 20kg dryer. Perfect for travellers like us and cheaper than a night on a campsite.
Well we drove round and round – no mean feat in a large motorhome – looking for this Wash Me, but it was nowhere to be found. We pulled over and – after more research – I found a google review which basically said that it did not exist. Black mark to me for poor research. So we shopped and then went to the official Wash Me site (that had been my mistake earlier – not going straight to the horse’s mouth) and found one on our planned route – a sleepy little town called Signy L’Abbaye (well it was lunchtime!), where we found some of our favourite French treats – the Apericube. Little, individually-wrapped cubes of flavoured cheese. The perfect aperitif snack. We love ’em.
I digress. We popped the washing in – they even provide the laundry liquids – and within half an hour it was done. You even get a text message to say it’s just about to finish! And then we set off on our merry way to our overnight spot. This is a link to the English site. It cost 12 Euros to do all our washing. We did not dry as I prefer fresh air drying.
Our night spot was in the town of Rethel. And they must have known we were coming because just look at the welcome we got!
It was a newish aire – quite spacious – and we selected our spot to give shade if required and sun if not. Paul popped the boys out for a walk while I quickly flung the washing out to dry. We weren’t really sure if this was allowed so hid the line behind the van – just in case!
We were – honestly – feeling a bit lazy/tired and did not go out and explore that evening, as we usually would. I feel a bit sad retrospectively about that. But we did promise ourselves a visit to the Nécropole Nationale de Rethel the next day. Rethel was in German hands from the early days of the First World War, until 6 November 1918.
Day 46 – Saturday – the next morning, we set off for our first stop – the Rethel Cemetery, which contains the graves of almost 3,000 French soldiers and those of other nationalities, including some Brits. Over 1,000 are buried collectively in the site’s two distinct ossuaries, due to the inability to identify their remains. It’s a sobering thought. And I have to say how wonderfully well kept this and all the sites we encountered in our travels through Picardy and the Somme, are. As is right and proper. Thank you. And the location was spectacular. Very well thought out. We were the only people there and I felt glad to have the privacy to wander round and think my thoughts.
The valley of the Rive Aisne saw three big battles The rugged terrain – featuring steep chalk cliffs, deep valleys, and the Aisne-Oise canal – made the region exceptionally favorable for defense. Driving through the beautiful countryside it was difficult not to imagine what it must have been like for all those poor men – of whatever nationality. I sent my thoughts skywards and hope they found their mark.
We passed/crossed several canals – some looked to be in good fettle – but the Canal des Ardennes (used only for leisure these days) was suffering a bit.
We stopped at one of the sites on the “Chemin des Dames” – scene of some fierce battles in WW1. I’m sure we’ll be back to explore more of the sites some day but, this one was rather more modern and had a couple of tanks on display. It always fascinates me how small they are.
The larger one in the pics below is a French AMX 30 B2 – a post WW2 battle tank, which entered service in the 1960s. The smaller one dates from WW1 and is a French Schneider CA1. It really is as tiny – and as lethal – as it looks.
This area – which we have always zoomed through on our way South – is really rural and lovely but much plundered for gravel, resulting in numerous slightly square lakes, as you can see from the map below. We were staying at the site of an ex gravel pit, kind of molar shaped – although you’d never guess when you’re there – near Ciry-Salsogne.
It was a wonderful spot and we spent the afternoon relaxing on our loungers, reading and watching a family catching crayfish from the lake, which we assumed they later ate? It was quite a spacious site with lots of silver birch trees,and we more or less had our section to ourselves until early evening. I could have stayed for at least a week, it was so lovely.
At the top of the site, near the entrance there were some pines with a plastic collar round thier trunk, leading to a tube that went down into a large clear plastic bag marked DANGER, with a layer of soil on the bottom. It was none other than our old friend the Processionary Caterpillar, which we first encountered during our Spanish trip just before Covid. Horrible things and they can be fatal to dogs.
They nest in pine trees and – when the time is ripe, they leave the trees and go down to the ground. This is when you see them forming their long nose to tail processions as they make their way to find a place in the soil to pupate. They actually touch each other to make a long chain. This is an important feature to remember, because there are other caterpillars which follow each other in lines but do not actually touch.
Anyway back to the trees – very clever people realised that the caterpillars have an uncontrollable urge to go to ground. If their way is barred, but there is a small aperture through which they can continue on their way groundwards, they will enter the aperture and thus the plastic bag. You then wait until the end of the season—typically late May or June, once the procession has completely stopped and the caterpillars have entered the soil in the bag.
Even then there is a need to be cautious as their hairs can still cause you problems. Apparently the safest way to deal with their disposal is to burn them. People who have pine trees in their gardens are actually advised to remove the tree rather than have to deal with this pest. Which is on its way to the UK – so take note!
Day 47 – Sunday – We had a lovely peaceful night and I was quite sad to leave, but we have to be in Le Havre by 17th Sept, so we need to press on. (I’ll explain why at some point)
We made a quick stop at Carrefour in Soissons for petrol and dog food before they closed for the day at 12:30 – a little easier than in Germany! Our route took us through part of the “Zone Rouge” – a succession of areas across northeastern France that were so thoroughly devastated during World War I, that the French government completely isolated them from human use.
The Zone Rouge was defined just after the war as “Completely devastated”. Damage to properties: 100%. Damage to Agriculture: 100%. Impossible to clean. Human life impossible. It sound dramatic and it is. Rather than attempt to immediately clean up the former battlefields, the land was allowed to return to nature.
The “iron harvest” is the annual collection of unexploded ordnance, barbed wire, shrapnel, bullets and other remains of war, by Belgian and French farmers, after ploughing their fields. The harvest generally consists of material from the former western fronts of both World Wars, where it is still found in large quantities. Incredible that the so-called War to End All Wars is still affecting people over 100 years later. There are those that think that the Zone Rouge will never be fully cleared of its unexploded ordnance. “They reckon that they have 300 years work ahead of them before they have cleared the whole battlefield,and they never will.” It’s estimated that 1.5 billion shells were fired at the Western front during WW1. Staggering and food for much thought.
We were staying on a farm that night in a tiny village between two small communes called Oursel-Maison and Francastel. As we drove there, we passed by field after field of ruined crops – all sun-parched. I dread to think how much money and time has been wasted, planting crops that will never come to fruition. A dreadful time for agriculture. There will be big repercussions from this long hot summer. None of them good.
Our night spot was a little tricky to find but we were happy to be there. Very quiet. No shops within easy reach but we’ll survive! And it’s so quiet! It will do nicely to finish the week. I’m sorry this week had a somewhat sombre feel to it, but it’s kind of unavoidable when you are travelling in area which saw so much bloodshed.
Looking ahead, we’ll be pressing on towards Beauvais/Rouen and the Normandy coast. We are certainly getting around and loving every minute of our Grand Tour.
| Period | Miles | Cumulative |
| Week 7 | 278 | 2385 |
so we need to press on.