Week 5 – France, Luxembourg, Belgium and home.
Day 36 Monday 27th October – Amneville to Luxembourg (27 miles)
Loads more rain last night and first thing and a flood around Bertie making it tricky to sort out the front screen and electric hook up etc.
On the road by about 9:39 am in heavy rain again. Reached Luxembourg and what we thought was the correct park and ride at about 10:20am but something didn’t seem quite right from what I had seen as far as this area was concerned. Quick check on the map confirmed we were in the wrong one although it was just a couple of miles to the correct one. Made it there without too much drama and by the time we had parked up the weather had improved loads.
Caught the number 18 bus which took us into the City centre and proceeded to wander around firstly the more modern shopping area which was full of very high end shops and restaurants but also very lovely. Then down into the older part and very old area down in the sort of valley / gorge that runs through the middle with the main areas of the city up along the top.
A really lovely and interesting city which was very well worth the trip. Back on the bus later in the afternoon to the P&R.
Thought we would wait a while before deciding on a final parking slot to let the commuters leave and see if anyone else in a Van turned up but they didn’t. Felt a bit odd.
Also, a group of mainly elderly people met in the car park, signed into a book of some sort and then just stood and chatted for about 1.5hrs in the cold and dark… Very strange.
Still hadn’t sorted out the parking space and we needed to get up in the ramps as a bit of a slant but then there were some other lads hanging around in their cars and we didn’t really want to bring attention to ourselves so we waited some more! Hopefully it will be okay and a quiet night in the end…. I’ll let you know tomorrow!
Day 36 expenses
- Site fees £0 (£223.56)
- Coffee out etc £16.48 (£203.06)
- Fuel £0 (£587.37)
- LPG £0 (£30.08)
- Groceries £4.97 (£466.18)
- Eating out £0 (£113.37)
- Total £21.45 (£1879.09 – £52.20)
Day 37 Tuesday 28th October (Harry’s 24th birthday 😁) Luxembourg to Mons via Namur, Belgium – 106 miles.
A decent and quiet night after all the strange meetings in the P&R carpark…. Obviously it rained again and the building contractors were back by 7am… Still, it was free, quiet and trouble free in the end. Left about 9:30am and drove through the rain on a boring but easy dual carriageway to Lemur where we stopped in the motorhome designated parking area and then walked into town with only a little bit of drizzle to contend with. Nothing special about the town but it was still very nice and we had pancakes and coffee at a Lloyds Coffee house which were lovely.
We then set off for the hour drive to Mons again Along a dual carriageway which was very busy and the rain was torrential all the way to Mons which didn’t help! Found the site okay and a hard standing pitch by the entrance as most were just quagmires and we would have been stuck until next summer!
The rain actually stopped not long after we arrived so we walked into Mons which was quite a stunning town full of cobbled streets and narrow roads all leading to the very impressive square in the centre. After a bit of a wander we decided to bust the budget even more by having a beer at a place on the edge of the square. Very nice it was too!
Then back to Bertie just as it started to threaten some more rain. Found out we only had two beers left so I went 5 minutes down the road to a small supermarket to get some more. 😁.
Day 37 expenses
- Site fees £11.79 (£235.35)
- Coffee’s out etc (beer in Mons ) £9.59 (£211.65)
- Fuel £0 (£587.37)
- LPG (£30.08)
- Groceries (beer!) £3.92 (£470.10)
- Eating out £32.59 (pancakes) (£145.96)
- Total £57.89 (£1936.98 – £52.35)
Day 38 Wednesday 29th October – Mons to Saint Omer – 97 miles.
A nice quiet night and a decent sleep and we were on our way by about 10am as usual. For once the journey was mostly dry and I had found a new function in the Garmin which gave the option of ‘Road Trip’ which seemed to just take you in A roads rather than the big dual carriageway, although it did also take us through Lille which was a bit of a pain. Has made me think though that using that function and then planning stops at the towns it takes you through is quite a good way to explore.
Arrived in Saint Omer around 3pm and got ourselves set up nice and quickly on a proper tarmac area which made a change. Bit of a slope but easy to pop up into the ramps and all was good.
Popped into Saint Omer to see what it was like. Massive church and really impressive central squares. The shops and side roads were okay but more normal although I think on a warm summer’s weekend evening the main square would be a nice place to have a beer and something to eat.
Day 38 expenses
- Site fees £11.27 (£246.62 – £6.49 ave)
- Coffee out etc. £0 (£211.65)
- Fuel £100.67 (£688.04 – £17.65 ave)
- LPG £0 (£30.08 – 77p ave)
- Groceries £12.15 (£482.25 – £12.37)
- Eating out £0 (£145.96)
- Total £123.99 (£2,060.97 – £54.23 ave)
Day 39 and final day Thursday 30th October – Saint Omer to Home 😊 (168 miles)
A dry sunny morning and a good night’s sleep despite trains rolling by no more than 50 metres away!
Sorted and on the road by 9am and please we were ahead of schedule as there was a road closure which meant a diversion through Calais town. Arrived by 10:20am as planned and on board by 11am for a coffee and pain aux raisin 😊.
Nice sunny crossing and on the way home by 11:45am UK time. As usual a slow journey with issues at Dartford tunnel and then where the M25 meets the M1 but still home by 4:20pm.
All done for another trip and what excellent fun it was! Four countries and about 3,500 miles.
What next? 🤷🏻
Trip expenses over 39 days
- Site fees £246.62 – £6.49 average per day
- Coffee and beers etc out £211.65 – £5.43 ave
- Fuel £688.04 – £17.64 ave
- LPG £30.08 – £0.77 ave
- Groceries £482.25 – £12.36 ave
- Eating out £145.96 – £3.74
- Incidentals (Garage fee, laundry, toilet chemicals, WD40, parking etc – £257.37 – £6.60 ave
- Total £2,060.97 – £52.85 ave
Surprising how a few extra bits and pieces along the way add up…..
Hiking & Wild Camping 