Our Introduction to the Loire Valley

We planned to leave Normandy on Monday and as we have discovered it is good to start packing up well in advance. So on Sunday we took the awning down, and as the weather was good it didn't take too long. We have it down to a fine art now and it was soon packed into its bag. We had put security locks on the caravan wheels this time so because one had proved a bit tricky to put on Rob decided to take them off that afternoon in case it took a bit of time. Well it did, in fact 22 hours later he finally got it off!!

These are photos of the security lock that Rob was able to take off.
The bolt that it attaches with needs a key but for some reason it wouldn't loosen and after the key started breaking up he decided drastic measures were needed. He would have to drill holes in it to weaken it so he could break it up. Well with the small drill it took ages as it would only work for a short while and then take 2 hours to charge up again. He managed to work the best he could until late in the evening then started again in the morning.

Luckily then someone came to our rescue and lent Rob a larger drill and an angle grinder (with a stone cutting disc and no steel cutting discs). Eventually by Monday afternoon he got it off which was a great relief, all in bits of course so it went straight into the bin. It had  meant that we had to stay another night in Normandy. Anyway we finished packing up and paid for an extra night at Le Clos Castel and were all ready to leave the next morning.

We didn't have to rush as we only had about 5 hours drive ahead of us so we enjoyed the early morning sunrise and set off after breakfast.

 I had studied the map and found out the directions of our next campsite from the internet and with the satnav on as well (I don’t always trust ‘her’ as she sometimes sends us through the middle of a town and when you are towing a 26ft caravan that can be quite serious!!!) we set off. Rob is getting good at driving on the right side of the road now (the wrong side of the road as Rob says) and only needs reminding occasionally which side he needs to be on!!!

We travelled mainly on motorways which were really good and fast, with very little traffic with the only drawback being that they are toll roads. At this stage we are not exactly sure how much it cost altogether as I just put my card into the machine when I worked out what the instructions said! But I know it will probably be in the vicinity of £100 or more!!! The toll fees seem to be very scary because we are classed as a commercial vehicle with 4 axles. Rob says even towing 18 wheelers behind his breakdown rig in South Africa didn't cost as much as just towing a twin axle caravan here. However in the long run it is easier travelling on those roads as you can go from A to B much easier and quicker especially towing a caravan. The weather was good as well, just a bit of fog for a short while so it was a pleasant journey. We stopped at one point for a picnic lunch and for Rob to have a break (I haven’t attempted towing yet, or driving here), the toilets were horrible but the less said about that the better!!!!




Our journey took us from Caen to Le Mans, through Tours and then on to the outskirts of the small village called Obterre. 

We had no problem finding our campsite, Le Comier,

 I’m a good navigator even though I say it myself!!! We were welcomed by the owners, Mike and Cath, and felt at home straight away. The campsite is much nicer than the last place being a bit bigger, we are pitched on grass (the last place was gravel) but it is flat and each pitch has plenty of room, with electricity as well as water on each site. So no long walks with the water barrels!!

The view from our caravan

They don’t have a toilet and shower block at the moment, waiting for planning permission, but because they have small studios for rent they have opened a couple of them up for the use of the campers. So Rob has taken to showering in there while I am quite happy using our caravan shower. We have got free internet which is great and much faster than the last place, so we can keep in touch with the family, look up things to do in the area and have a look at Facebook every now and then and of course I can keep up to date with my blog. We can also watch TV which is nice for a change, we haven’t had a signal for TV with our aerial since we left Flamborough.  Mike, the owner, has Sky set up here so he has lent us a satellite dish and sky box, just the 5 main UK channels and radio but that is fine for us. We had almost watched all the DVDs we had with us so we are enjoying TV once again.

We have been to a couple of places over the last few days but mainly just to do some shopping. The nearest small town, Azay-Le-Feron, has a very small supermarket as well as a nice looking church and small Chateau which we will explore soon. Just along the road from here Rob took a photo of this derelict farmhouse, I don't know whether he fancied buying it!!

I would much prefer this one though!!

We travelled a bit further on Friday to Le Blanc, so we could get some fuel and found a larger supermarket, a Co-Op of all things, obviously new and very quiet which possibly means it is a bit more expensive than some other shops. Anyway we will have a look round on another day, I think there is a Lidle somewhere there as well. After shopping we drove back a different way, sticking to some country roads, stopped at a small place called Belabre for our picnic lunch.

 It took us a while to find somewhere to stop as there don’t seem to be too many picnic areas here like there are in the UK but eventually  we found a place next to a fishing pond and sat there for a while. It was all very quiet and peaceful with just two fishermen enjoying their sport. This area is famous for its Nature Reserve with many small lakes and plenty of different birds, which we drove through on our way back to the caravan. We will certainly explore the area more over the next week or two or three!!!

We have enjoyed relaxing the last couple of days, yesterday in the warm sunshine and today in the caravan as it is a bit rainy and windy but that doesn't worry us. We have plenty of time ahead of us to travel around.