Motorhome Planet - Travel, self-build conversions & more
Self-build & DIY motorhome conversions, motorhome travel stories and motorhome and campervan news
On holiday in France recently I saw this van parked at the side of a mountain road in the Pyrenees: On closer inspection, it's possible to see that his front (drive) wheels are wrapped in a set of snow chains: It's clear from the top photo that the road surface was clear of snow - but … [Read more...]
When browsing the various motorhome forums on the 'net, I see a lot of people who have questions about French motorhome aires (and their equivalents in other European countries). Many people are used to using campsites only in the UK and aren't sure whether try stick to campsites when on the … [Read more...]
Our final stopping point, where we were planning to spend a restful two nights before a long drive up to Calais, was Oradour-sur-Glane, which has a rather excellent aire (sp. Aire de Repos, click here for a video). Situated just to the north-west of Limoges, Oradour is best known as the scene of … [Read more...]
On leaving Najac, we headed off through the Vallee Du Lot on the D662, a scenic route leading to the Quercy town of Cahors. Cahors was given a cracking write up by our faithful Lonely Planet guide, which described it as a "bustling city" with "the feel of a sunbaked Mediterranean town". What … [Read more...]
On leaving Lourdes, our planned route took us up into the Dordogne, on the first leg of our route back to Calais. At this point, I decided to conduct an experiment - I've long been a fan of France's toll motorways and always use them for long drives in France. They save time, fuel and wear and tear, … [Read more...]
After leaving Gavarnie, we needed the trappings of a large town - principally affordable internet access - and headed to Lourdes, as it was on our planned route north and might be interesting to see. I have been to a Catholic pilgrimage destination before (Fatima, in Portugal), but found Lourdes … [Read more...]
The aire at Gavarnie is just north of the town (about 1.5 miles) and is a cracking location. It's also free with all facilities. If you are lucky enough to wake up there on a clear morning then you will be blessed with amazing views in all directions: After breakfast, we went down into … [Read more...]
The next few days were a reminder that the mountains of the Pyrenees are every bit as 'serious' as those of the Alps and have winter weather to match. We'd planned to drive over several of the more scenic passes on the French side of the Pyrenees, naively expecting that they'd all be clear of snow … [Read more...]
On leaving Arcachon, we succumbed to the temptation of seeing Europe's largest sand dune and visited the Dune du Pilat, which is not that far away. It truly is a large sand dune with great views from the top - which is around 114m above sea level and is apparently extending eastwards at a rate of … [Read more...]
After our stay in La Rochelle, the plan was to head gradually down the coast. The first part of this plan entailed us driving towards the town of Royan, from where a ferry can be caught to Pointe de Grave, thus cutting out a tedious stretch of driving further inland. Royan seems a nice place and has … [Read more...]
