Homeward Bound

We were away by 10:00 this morning on our route northwards, aiming for a lunch stop in St Valerie-sur-Somme, as recommended by the Scots couple we met yesterday. This was our first attempt at parking in a town centre and we had unfortunately passed the entrance to one carpark, before realising it would have been suitable for us. We found a spot on the roadside, which appeared to be allowed at no charge, but checked with one of the locals to be sure.

After lunch we moved on and found directions to the local “aire du camping car” which was not just an overnight stop, but also allowed daytime parking at reasonable cost. The “aire” was spacious with lots of level hardstandings so we parked there for a couple of hours and noted it for future reference. It was a good 15 to 20 minute walk back into St Valerie, which comprises the port area, town centre and medieval town. We didn't have time to see much, but the old town looked very interesting.

Time was getting on, so we decided to speed up the journey to Escalles by using the toll motorway.

Memo to selves: at the payment area, always check which booths have height barriers! We noticed our mistake in good time, but then had to worm our way back into the queue. Despite a longer journey than last time, the toll was a little more, so we have no idea how the charge is calculated.

We are now pitched on our last site, which is only 8 miles from the Channel Tunnel, and overlooks the English Channel. I was a bit dubious about the “barn” which houses the facilities, but, in fact, they are some of the best we have encountered. We have seen no sign of the owner as yet – another couple who arrived just behind us and had been here before said it was the done thing to pitch anywhere and the owner would turn up sometime to collect payment. As has happened several days in a row, the evening has turned out to be the best part of the day.