The Call of Dickie

Sun setting over Western Blackapits

Boscastle is spectacular at all times of the year but especially in summer when the sun shines and the tiny orchids peep out on the cliffs overlooking the harbour. Graham has been out for a few trips on the kayak and we're off fishing this afternoon. Hugo is loving the local cow poo (that's for Simon and Deborah) but has been attacked once by a small terrier which made him a little scared of dogs for a few days. Happily he has now recovered his composure and is back to jumping all over German Shepherds and barking at the postman.

Common or Roman Orchid - not sure which

Pyramid Orchid

Despite the loveliness of Boscastle the pull of Dickie is ever present. We're heading to Shropshire for a few days and Graham will be navigating as I need to get some driving practice in before a week away in July. This could get terrifying for Graham but I shall endeavour to keep all of us on the road.

Boscastle Bound

Weather in Deal slightly less fabulous than Spain and Portugal

Suzi and Scottie from The Dining Club

Hugo's shivering and 'freaked out' expression showed that he was not a massive fan of the Eurotunnel but once we arrived in Deal, a short drive from Folkestone, all was well. His new pal, Welly the Westie, graciously welcomed him into his house (thankfully) and they enjoyed many sniffs, I mean walks, along the seafront. It's exceptionally wonderful to have friends who are not only great fun people but also the owners/chef of Deal's 'number one on Tripadvisor' restaurant, The Dining Club. Loving a bit of fine dining at the end of a six month stint on the continent.

Welly hogging the camera

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If ever there was a bleak, windswept yet atmospheric place to wildcamp it's Dungeness. Graham has been keen to stay here ever since we visited last year on our way to Scandinavia so we headed over after Deal and parked up. The signs instructing people what to do in case of a nuclear disaster were a little offputting (there is a large nuclear plant there), especially when I woke up in the morning to the sound of an alarm which,I was pleased to discover, was a fog horn alerting ships to the fact that you could not see your hand in front of your face. Despite the fog and threat of nuclear fallout it's a great place to stay - we asked the local policemen who drove past every half hour if it was ok to stay and they said it was no problem - good fish and chips at The Britannia Inn as well.

Derek Jarman's house at Dungeness

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That is not a fat stomach - I have something in my pocket

just because he looks cute

I say this is a big one!

'They're weird looking dogs'

Minster woods

Sanding is pants

It was not much of a struggle to leave the fog and rain of Dungeness in the morning and we headed to one of our favorite places, Avebury (via Tichborne) to meet up with our friends Anthony and Donna who are heading to Scotland in their Hymer Helga. Hugo and his new friend Louie enjoyed sniffing the stones and meeting sheep.

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Now we're back in Boscastle which is no hardship as it's such a beautiful place. As soon as we returned the sun came out (obviously happy to see us). Hugo is loving the walks in the woods although he has been attacked (nothing serious) by a couple of nasty dogs which is making him a little nervous. The most exciting thing I'm doing at the moment is preparing a table for painting while Mr Fluffy goes off in his kayak - hmmm.

Canals, Tunnels and Champagne - ish Elegance

canal side wildflowers

atop a Napoleonic canal at Riqueval

Our final few days in France have been spent pootling along the champagne route, strolling along canals, and stumbling on Australian War Memorials. We’ve seen stunning wild flower fields, elegant chateaux, and massive canal boats full of tourists toasting us with champagne. 

maybe we could swap Dickie for this mansion in Champagne

One aire happened to be located atop a canal tunnel built by Napolean’s army in the early 19^th century which was used by the Germans in the First World War along the Hindenburg Line. This is where we found the Australian Memorial for the Fourth Battalion which lost around 10,500 men and left thousands more injured. As we drove around this area it was a poignant site to see the many war graves for so many different nations.

Memorial to Australian 4th Battalion on the Hindenburg Line

The boys enjoy some hot grape action in Mutigny

It’s a little bit sad to be going home after nine and a half thousand miles and 6 months on the road but there are worse places to go than Cornwall and we’re quite looking forward to redecorating, house hunting, and kayaking. And anyway, we’re seeing friends in Deal and Marlborough along the way so the fun is not over yet.

Hugo Has A Say

I think my ears look cute in this

The gray one tries to steal my stick

Well it's about time. The humans have allowed me my own little piece of blog space and I have some great photos of myself to show you.
Since I joined this pair in October last year I've had a smashing time in a move-able house that lets me out at a different sniffing place each time it stops. We've been to 3 different countries and I'm not even two yet.

I'm hoping Hymer will use me in an ad

I was unlucky enough to pick up a flea this week and 'the woman' freaked out, scraping my body with a funny little comb and throwing all our bedding in a very hot wash. She then had the temerity to stick some weird drops on my neck and I can't even reach around to lick it off. Anyway the flea is all gone and I'm trying my hardest to get another one from the grass around these canals.

I smell a rat

Disgruntled in faux Burberry

Rehearsing for 'Oliver'.

'Get behind me Satan!'

Here are some photos I'm considering for my modelling book. They don't know it yet but I'm hoping for a career in TV. Bye for now - maybe they'll let me have a go at this again some time.

Looking windswept

Wood, Walks, But No Wine

Now That's What I Call a Woodpile

I never thought I'd ever hear myself say this but I didn't love the Alscace Wine Route. Maybe it was because we were there on a holiday weekend but it was busy, our British credit cards didn't work in the parking meters (the first we've seen on our trip) and we had no change to stay in Kaysersberg which, when I quickly dashed in to town to try to get change, flashed me back to a strange past life experience (real or imagined) and I forced Graham to get me out of there.

Forest at Etival

Since then we have been travelling up through lovely forested areas and along the canals and the Moselle River on our way to the Champagne region. Now I can't hate that ... can I?

So Far So France

We've stayed in some lovely spots: Etival Clairfontaine with its impressive abbey and forest walks; Thaon Les Vosges; Richardmenil; and today at Ligny-en-Barrois - the last three all along the canal. Graham is in ecstacy about the size of the woodpiles here. It's all I can do to stop him popping a few logs in the back of Dickie.

Hugo has been having a spectacular time and he's asked to do his own blog so that will be next up.

Where's the Dickie

Graham Explains

I notice that Kerriann mentions that having an awning out on our motorhome is ‘naughty’ and thought that a few words of explanation might clarify the position. In France we always stay at the wonderful camping-car aires, i.e. free and legal stopping places for motorhomes. When staying at an aire, it is usually accepted that permission is granted for ‘parking’ and not ‘camping’. Parking means that you are self-contained and do not put tables, chairs and other camping equipment around your van.

Naughty Awning Action

This said, the French have a great aptitude for ignoring the sometimes ridiculous rules. Usually, when over-nighting on an aire we would not wind out Dickie’s awning but on this lovely spacious aire with its big bays it would be silly not to make use of the generous space allocated. In fact we also snuck our satellite dish out so that we could watch live British TV. All the other vans on site were French and all of them were breaking the ‘camping’ rule and we love them for it!

In the 5 months we have been travelling in Europe on this trip we have only stayed 4 or 5 nights in paid campsites – the rest of the time we have parked legally in aires and spent our money in the towns and villages that have kindly provides them. The UK has a lot to learn from the European system – it is also interesting that we have not had to pay to park anywhere since we left the UK apart from one instance in a busy French town where we paid two euros for four hours. How different to our local parking in Cornwall.

It is still 27 degrees at 10.30 at night – we are all hot a sticky.  We might not miss the UKs parking charges but we do miss the cooler evenings.

Chants and Dangles

Never before have I been to a concert of ancient music in a cathedral where the audience starts clapping along to the songs. I should have realised something was up when, after a particularly lovely polyphonic piece, one of the group whipped out his guitar. The group, called Cirnese, is from Corsica and, by the heavens they do mix it up a bit! Stunning vocals, melifluous chanting, and powerful bass notes suddenly switch up into Corsican folk songs and Country and Western. After the initial shock and, being unable to escape as we were in the middle of a pew, we got into it and even enjoyed the sudden eruption of Corsican flags darting heavenwards from the audience as the they swayed and clapped to the popular tunes.

Leather Clad and Loving It

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Fishing in the dunking river

Despite the burning of over 150 people on the site where we slept, Thann proved to be a pretty wine growing town with some lovely scenery. How they manage their vertiginous vine fields is a mystery to me as they seem almost vertical. Apparently they dangle from ropes and used horses or donkeys in the past.

For the love of wine.....