Category: Uncategorized
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Domaine de Candé to Haute-Vienne’s Cromac
I choose Camping du Lac de Mondon, in Haute-Vienne’s Cromac, from the ACSI book, merely because it’s 14 kilometres from the free A20 motorway. But first we’re stopping off at Domain de Candé in Monts, as the nice young man in Azay-le-Rideau’s tourist office recommended it. Domain de Candé – Monts This is a generous,…
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Loire Valley’s Azay-le-Rideau
The Château A visit to the Azay’s château beside Camping Le Sabot is a must. The limestone glares so much it hurts my eyes. The vine-stuccoed loggia tricks me into thinking I’m in Italy. To be fair, the Renaissance took hold here in the Loire Valley, beauty becoming a goal in itself. Leonardo da Vinci…
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Wicklow’s Clara Vale to Cherbourg
The Local Auction Seán’s mother, Betty, reads in The Wicklow People that there’s an auction in Clara Vale. We take her so that she can catch up with old friends. As we cross the arched stone bridge, SS Patrick and Killian’s white church nestles under an escarpment, roses riot over a cottage door. A man…
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Wicklow’s Glendasan to Glendalough
Glendasan River The textures of schist, shale, pink veined marble are clear in Glendasan River’s waters. The sudden silver of Galena shines from the river bed as I leap across the stepping stones. Water boatmen scud across the water, and circles radiate out from small fish surfacing. St. Kevin’s Way St. Kevin’s Way takes us…
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Sculptures and the Glenmalure Valley
Himself groans as I shout ‘Follow that brown sign.’ But he slings the van up the winding military road, over the purple heather-clad mountain, from Laragh to Glenmalure as if he’s in a Hollywood car chase. Shekina Sculpture Garden The only sign that we may be at the Shekina Sculpture Garden is a granite…
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Wexford to Wicklow
Wexford Wildfowl Reserve We follow the signs to Wexford Wildfowl Reserve down and round a twisting, turning road for an elastic ‘2 kilometres’. The van squeezes under the arched arms of oak, hawthorn and beech. At the North Slob’s harbour, Wexford town stand across the water, a heron flaps by, an egret’s wings are snow…
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County Wexford’s Tagoat
Tagoat – IOAC Camping This is the kind of corporate campsite we’re not too fond of, by the N25 to Rosslare Port, but it’s a gift for families, with high-wires, archery, and kayaking. I decide not to partake of the axe-throwing. Seán glues himself to MAPS.ME, essential for walking when there’s no footpath signs. We…
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Pembrokeshire National Park
West along the M4, first the clouds roll in, then they blanket the sky. By the time we reach the Pembrokeshire National Park, the rain is horizontal, the wind howls. But the hedgerows blaze with hydrangeas, fuchsias, montbretia, ox-eye daisies, purple loosestrife – a far cry from our Sussex garden’s sun-bleached plants. We cross an…
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Fantastic Pub Camperstop – Greywell
Essentials: Our bikes are on the back. The Michelin 1:250,000 scale book maps of France and Italy, and AA Ireland are on board, to prevent the dulcet tones of the lady-in-the-SatNav sending us down goat tracks, which has occurred much too often on our tours. One final essential: much to Seán’s despair, a department store’s…
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All Roads Lead to Italy
Only 4 days to go until we hit the road. I’m immersed in past photographs, trying to decide on the point of entry into Italy. 2. Route into Italy Number 2 – Through Switzerland to Lake Orta This route takes you over the Simplon Pass from Switzerland to Italy’s S33 and on to Lake Orta…
Campervan Therapy 