17/01/14 - 31/01/14
2 wks winter camping in the French Alps, http://campinglescale.com/ very easy drive across France to Le Grand-Bornand, 11 days camping, skiing, enjoyment and acclimatising to cold and snowy weather for the Landy and I.
SPOT Tracker link; http://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=328095
Friday 17th; Packed the Landy and on my way to Portsmouth port, 30 mins later got to the port in plenty of time, then spent 2hrs waiting to be loaded because of a delay. Spent the time trying to stay awake, and munching chicken balls from a local Chinese, because I missed lunch.
Saturday 18th;
Sailed 1hr late, found a chair and fell asleep, awoke at 04:30, moved my watch forward, grabbed a luke warm coffee from a machine and went out on deck for a while. A smooth crossing, and after a croissant and a decent cup of tea we docked in Le Havre on time at 08.00hrs.
An easy drive today, it’s about 530mls to campsite, I could boot it and get there very late, what’s the point, so planned a stop in one of the great French motorway service areas 300mls away. So no hurry, cruised at around 55mph all the way there, in hazy but warmish sunshine and the tolls roads seemed cheaper because of my roof rack reconfiguration. I’ll find out tomorrow.
Found the services at about 16:30, built my bed inside the Landy, off for a lovely evening meal and a glass of local wine. And bedded down inside the Landy listening to the rain.
Sunday the 19th;
Awoke at 02:30, felt really alive, mug of tea, put the bed away and hit the toll road again, no hurry again and didn’t want to get to the campsite too early, but I love Annecy and the thought of a sunrise would be nice.
Came off the toll road, and only paid €40, from the South of Paris, brilliant, now I can only assume it’s because the height of the front of the roof rack is about 6ins less than before, anyway, came off and took scenic route into Annecy.
Where I found a bakery, and had croissants and a mug of tea overlooking Lake Annecy and the town of Annecy in an overcast morning dawn.
Pushed on some beautiful French roads all the way into Le Grand Bornand village and immediately liked the place, some beautiful buildings, and it has loads of restaurants, bars, shops, food shops, a market on Wednesdays and a pretty church right in the middle.
Pleased with my find, after a quick drive around, found the campsite L’Escale nearby and pitched the tent, awning etc. And went for a wander into the village, a lovely little place, of course shops full of ski/snow equipment and I suppose full of climbing/walking equipment in the summer months, fantastic.
But at only 1000mtrs not much snow, oh well, back for a Bushpig braai and a glass or 2 before turning in, very pleased I brought the 4 season sleeping bag, not that cold, but inside the bag it felt really toasty.
Monday the 20th;
A lazy sightseeing and shopping day today, just to get my bearings, and check where I get a ski pass and rental ski equipment from, all the information is very well organised both from the campsite who give you loads of info and maps, also a 30% discount from a local ski hire shop and the excellent tourist information centre in the village where you get your ski pass etc from.
The bus to the ski slopes is free and stops just outside the campsite, I’ll rent the gear tomorrow ready for getting a 7 day ski pass on Wednesday. There’s not as much snow as in previous years, visibility is poor sometimes but I’m told the skiing is good on the easier slopes, that’s me then, great.
Tuesday the 21st;
Woke up to snow and poor visibility, showered 2 mugs of tea and wandered around the village, brought a few things and then decided to get a ski pass and rental gear today, no idea why, so just did.
Found the excellent tourist office, paid €200 for an 8 day ski pass, walked to Gerard’s sport shop where you get a 30% discount on skis etc, saved about €30, then spent €40 on some goggles, thankfully my 20yr old ski jacket and salopettes still fitted and although not fashionable did the job.
So with skis, boots and poles gathered, thanked the man and wandered back, and donned the equipment, I forgot how tight ski boots are, after 10mins flapping about got them on and the rest of the gear and wandered to the bus stop just outside the campsite.
5mins up the road, got out and into a cable car, what I saw was stunning, got out, spent another 10mins or so getting boots done up, skis on and away I went, wasn’t really sure where so stuck to the easy routes, just to settle me down. A fantastic 2hrs and only fell once, but the visibility was getting worst, down to about 20m, so back to camp, a quick nap, steak and chips done on the braai and a glass or 2. Then up to the beautifully done wooden chalet campsite bar for another couple of glasses, a nice ending to a great day.
Wednesday the 22nd;
Awoke to clear skies and a sharp frost but no new snow. Didn’t care, showered, mug of tea, porridge, donned the ski gear and off to the slopes.
Got back some 5hrs later, a fantastic day, really enjoyed it! And I didn’t fall over and got some blue runs in, this whole area is just beautiful, maybe for expert skiers look elsewhere , but most of us, this is great, it has black/red runs anyway, which I avoided. Even stopped for a hearty lunch in one of the many cafes that are all over the slopes, that was a mistake, felt bloated but it soon wore off leaving a glorious day whether you ski or not, it really was most enjoyable!
I love the whole skiing thing, always have done, and watching the little kids, great, about 2/3ft high in brightly coloured ski gear whizzing past me in groups behind the instructor showing no fear, that is the age to learn, same goes for anything I suppose.
Late afternoon spent just chillaxing in the sunshine and when it disappeared, lit the Braai and just enjoyed the evening around the fire with local pate, fresh bread and a glass of local vin.
Thursday the 23rd;
A light snowy overcast day today, but the usual, got up, tea, shower, porridge and caught the bus to the slopes, where for the next 5 and half hrs had a great time, poor visibility most of the time, which caught me out once and I ended up eating snow, but another great day, a light lunch but didn’t stop for long, didn’t want to get to warm, because it must have been at least -5C + wind chill factor, but still skiing kept me warm.
Back, showered again, into town for some local food and vin, back to camp and enjoy the evening. Simples!
Friday the 24th – Tuesday the 28th;
5 days really of nice cold nights, one very frosty and a bit more snow, more skiing around 4/5 hrs a day, sometimes lunch at one of the many cafes/restaurants on the slopes, back mid-afternoon for a shower to warm up, a wander around the beautiful village that is Le Grand Bornand, shopping for food and drink or grabbing a bit to eat and a glass of lovely local Savoie fare, some excellent meats, pates, cheeses and of course the wines.
Then back lit a fire in the Bushpig Braai to warm the evening, maybe another glass of vin in the campsites’ excellent bar and restaurant called Pepe’s.
Wednesday the 29th;
Gave the ski rental equipment back yesterday and it only cost €65 for the 8 days with the 30% discount, pleased with that and the excellent service offered from Gerard Sports.
De-camp day today, awning, sides of awning all various bits of camping equipment all taken down, cleared of snow and ice, packed and put away. Also cleared all the snow and ice of the bonnet, roof box, roof rack and tent etc, this took all morning. It’ll just leave the roof tent, sleeping bags and pillows tomorrow.
Then had a good shower, a mug of tea and wandered into town to take some pics, a spot of souvenir shopping and a good look around the local market, which happens every Wednesday and is excellent, stalls full of cheeses, pates, hams, olives, olive oils, wine, seafood, nougat, sweets plus stalls of linen materials, shoes, clothes, toys etc. But the local cheeses, hams, pates and wine is for me some of the best I’ve tasted.
Wandered back to unload the shopping, a freshen up and back into town for the last night, getting dark at about 18:00hrs, so some more pics of the village at night, a glass of one of the many local wines at a bar/restaurant overlooking the lovely square and looked at the menu. Unfortunately then told they don’t serve until 19:00hrs, well I’m hungry now, oh well.
With an excellent restaurant/bar on the campsite, I thought why not, so I wandered back and a lovely glass of local red and then found out they don’t serve food until 19:00hrs, oh well, might as well order a bottle then and wait, then much to the surprise of the waiter, ordered a blue steak, really you’re English and you want a “Blue” steak, yes please. The steak was excellent, one of the best I’ve tasted in a long time, as was the rest of the food, and the wine of course. A lovely evening, excellent food, wine and service, to finish off the trip.
Note: the campsite bar/restaurant overlooks the indoor swimming pool, great when a good looking woman passes, but when a fat bloke in budgie smugglers passed I nearly spilled the wine.
Thursday the 30th;
Up early, put the tent, bags etc away, which took an hour, because of the ice and cold, lovely hot shower (both toilet and shower blocks are heated and water was always hot), excellent mug of tea and check gear for the off, all good, thanked the very helpful and friendly staff and hit the road.
A very long lazy slowish drive today, no hurry, so stuck at 50/55mph all the way even spending a fair amount of time behind lorries being sucked along. The tolls again were cheaper than previous years, I can only think it’s because of my reduced height at the front of my roof rack, €40 to Paris, then a €2.70 and a €3.50 both ticketed as class 1, i.e smaller vehicle size.
And the slow cruising speed effect on mpg, excellent. Normally return 24mpg approx on a run at 60ish mph, but this trip over a measured distance of 368mls a return of 29.79mpg, not bad at all, pleased that a brick shaped, 2.7ton, 300tdi Defender with 202k mls on the clock can achieve such a reasonable return.
A long drive today, I wasn’t tired, just happy to be driving, I was due to stop at some services south of Paris, but I was there late afternoon and just carried on, and stopped at another excellent French services 10hrs after setting off and only 75kms from Le Havre.
Had a lovely meal, made the bed inside the Landy and retired for the night.
Friday the 31st;
Up early, freshen up and a mug of tea and thought can’t be at the port too early, need to be there for about 15:00hrs ish, been to Honfleur quite a few times, so decided to head north on rural roads to Fecamp where I’ve been in the Series, unfortunately couldn’t see much of the area due to the heavy fog, stopped in a lovely village called Yvetot and brought a couple of crossiants, and ate them looking around this lovely small town.
I arrived in partly sunny Fecamp early morning, a quick drive around, spotted a municipal campsite (closed) overlooking the coast, and then drove down the coast road to and through scenic little Yport and into a rather nice busy little place called Etretat, then thought get to Le Havre, check sailing is ok then wander around Le Havre for a bit, and I did.
A nice wander around and a couple of French coffees later, wandered back and emptied the Landy, then repacked the Landy ready to unpack at home quickly, made a mug of tea and relaxed. Then I went to join the queue which wasn’t there for the ferries, so at the front of the queue, there’s a first, oh no someone overtakes me in the docks and cuts me up, then parks in front. Such is life.
After an hour or so, the lane opens to check passports, tickets etc, the driver gets out in front and is frantic, appears to have mislaid his keys, so I overtake him as did another dozen or vehicles behind me and went through to join the one of the lanes for the ferry. What goes around comes around. :)
A windy chilly afternoon to leave Le Havre and it may make for a bumpy crossing but docked on time in Portsmouth at 21:30 and got home without delay at 22:00 in the howling wind and pouring rain, oh well. My first winter camping trip comes to a wet end, but my love for skiing is renewed and I’m so pleased that Le Grand Bornand village and ski area was as stunning as I’d hoped.
1,030 mls approx
L’Escale website
http://www.campinglescale.com/en
Excellent ACSI campsite, but at €30 per night incl electric a bit expensive, but prime location, school holidays the site is very busy as is the whole area, the pitches are a good size and they have flats/chalets on site to rent, the toilet/shower blocks are heated, a nice small indoor heated pool, wifi ok, Pepes restaurant/bar offers excellent service and fare, the camp staff are also excellent, also popular with brits in their tupperware boxes. :)
Le Grand Bornand website
http://en.legrandbornand.com
Excellent tourist and ski info, free maps etc, some really nice local fare shops and the village looks lovely at night with the light on, a pretty little church, free bus service all over from just outside the campsite, the whole ski area is stunning with the slopes, pistes and off pistes kept clean and well cared for, the ski lifts offer a good combination to get around, costs €30 a day, I choose 8 days for €200, the Le Grand Bornand staff on the pistes were friendly and helpful, lovely cafes/restaurants on the slopes.
Driving in France website
http://www.about-france.com/travel.htm
31/01/14 - Breathalyser law current confirmation; it is obligatory in France by law to carry a breathaliser kit, BUT there is no penalty for drivers caught without a breathalyser in their car. So I didn't bother.
Ferry website
http://ldlines.co.uk
Friday 17th; Packed the Landy and on my way to Portsmouth port, 30 mins later got to the port in plenty of time, then spent 2hrs waiting to be loaded because of a delay. Spent the time trying to stay awake, and munching chicken balls from a local Chinese, because I missed lunch.
Saturday 18th;
Sailed 1hr late, found a chair and fell asleep, awoke at 04:30, moved my watch forward, grabbed a luke warm coffee from a machine and went out on deck for a while. A smooth crossing, and after a croissant and a decent cup of tea we docked in Le Havre on time at 08.00hrs.
An easy drive today, it’s about 530mls to campsite, I could boot it and get there very late, what’s the point, so planned a stop in one of the great French motorway service areas 300mls away. So no hurry, cruised at around 55mph all the way there, in hazy but warmish sunshine and the tolls roads seemed cheaper because of my roof rack reconfiguration. I’ll find out tomorrow.
Found the services at about 16:30, built my bed inside the Landy, off for a lovely evening meal and a glass of local wine. And bedded down inside the Landy listening to the rain.
Sunday the 19th;
Awoke at 02:30, felt really alive, mug of tea, put the bed away and hit the toll road again, no hurry again and didn’t want to get to the campsite too early, but I love Annecy and the thought of a sunrise would be nice.
Came off the toll road, and only paid €40, from the South of Paris, brilliant, now I can only assume it’s because the height of the front of the roof rack is about 6ins less than before, anyway, came off and took scenic route into Annecy.
Where I found a bakery, and had croissants and a mug of tea overlooking Lake Annecy and the town of Annecy in an overcast morning dawn.
Pushed on some beautiful French roads all the way into Le Grand Bornand village and immediately liked the place, some beautiful buildings, and it has loads of restaurants, bars, shops, food shops, a market on Wednesdays and a pretty church right in the middle.
Pleased with my find, after a quick drive around, found the campsite L’Escale nearby and pitched the tent, awning etc. And went for a wander into the village, a lovely little place, of course shops full of ski/snow equipment and I suppose full of climbing/walking equipment in the summer months, fantastic.
But at only 1000mtrs not much snow, oh well, back for a Bushpig braai and a glass or 2 before turning in, very pleased I brought the 4 season sleeping bag, not that cold, but inside the bag it felt really toasty.
Monday the 20th;
A lazy sightseeing and shopping day today, just to get my bearings, and check where I get a ski pass and rental ski equipment from, all the information is very well organised both from the campsite who give you loads of info and maps, also a 30% discount from a local ski hire shop and the excellent tourist information centre in the village where you get your ski pass etc from.
The bus to the ski slopes is free and stops just outside the campsite, I’ll rent the gear tomorrow ready for getting a 7 day ski pass on Wednesday. There’s not as much snow as in previous years, visibility is poor sometimes but I’m told the skiing is good on the easier slopes, that’s me then, great.
Tuesday the 21st;
Woke up to snow and poor visibility, showered 2 mugs of tea and wandered around the village, brought a few things and then decided to get a ski pass and rental gear today, no idea why, so just did.
Found the excellent tourist office, paid €200 for an 8 day ski pass, walked to Gerard’s sport shop where you get a 30% discount on skis etc, saved about €30, then spent €40 on some goggles, thankfully my 20yr old ski jacket and salopettes still fitted and although not fashionable did the job.
So with skis, boots and poles gathered, thanked the man and wandered back, and donned the equipment, I forgot how tight ski boots are, after 10mins flapping about got them on and the rest of the gear and wandered to the bus stop just outside the campsite.
5mins up the road, got out and into a cable car, what I saw was stunning, got out, spent another 10mins or so getting boots done up, skis on and away I went, wasn’t really sure where so stuck to the easy routes, just to settle me down. A fantastic 2hrs and only fell once, but the visibility was getting worst, down to about 20m, so back to camp, a quick nap, steak and chips done on the braai and a glass or 2. Then up to the beautifully done wooden chalet campsite bar for another couple of glasses, a nice ending to a great day.
Wednesday the 22nd;
Awoke to clear skies and a sharp frost but no new snow. Didn’t care, showered, mug of tea, porridge, donned the ski gear and off to the slopes.
Got back some 5hrs later, a fantastic day, really enjoyed it! And I didn’t fall over and got some blue runs in, this whole area is just beautiful, maybe for expert skiers look elsewhere , but most of us, this is great, it has black/red runs anyway, which I avoided. Even stopped for a hearty lunch in one of the many cafes that are all over the slopes, that was a mistake, felt bloated but it soon wore off leaving a glorious day whether you ski or not, it really was most enjoyable!
I love the whole skiing thing, always have done, and watching the little kids, great, about 2/3ft high in brightly coloured ski gear whizzing past me in groups behind the instructor showing no fear, that is the age to learn, same goes for anything I suppose.
Late afternoon spent just chillaxing in the sunshine and when it disappeared, lit the Braai and just enjoyed the evening around the fire with local pate, fresh bread and a glass of local vin.
Thursday the 23rd;
A light snowy overcast day today, but the usual, got up, tea, shower, porridge and caught the bus to the slopes, where for the next 5 and half hrs had a great time, poor visibility most of the time, which caught me out once and I ended up eating snow, but another great day, a light lunch but didn’t stop for long, didn’t want to get to warm, because it must have been at least -5C + wind chill factor, but still skiing kept me warm.
Back, showered again, into town for some local food and vin, back to camp and enjoy the evening. Simples!
Friday the 24th – Tuesday the 28th;
5 days really of nice cold nights, one very frosty and a bit more snow, more skiing around 4/5 hrs a day, sometimes lunch at one of the many cafes/restaurants on the slopes, back mid-afternoon for a shower to warm up, a wander around the beautiful village that is Le Grand Bornand, shopping for food and drink or grabbing a bit to eat and a glass of lovely local Savoie fare, some excellent meats, pates, cheeses and of course the wines.
Then back lit a fire in the Bushpig Braai to warm the evening, maybe another glass of vin in the campsites’ excellent bar and restaurant called Pepe’s.
Wednesday the 29th;
Gave the ski rental equipment back yesterday and it only cost €65 for the 8 days with the 30% discount, pleased with that and the excellent service offered from Gerard Sports.
De-camp day today, awning, sides of awning all various bits of camping equipment all taken down, cleared of snow and ice, packed and put away. Also cleared all the snow and ice of the bonnet, roof box, roof rack and tent etc, this took all morning. It’ll just leave the roof tent, sleeping bags and pillows tomorrow.
Then had a good shower, a mug of tea and wandered into town to take some pics, a spot of souvenir shopping and a good look around the local market, which happens every Wednesday and is excellent, stalls full of cheeses, pates, hams, olives, olive oils, wine, seafood, nougat, sweets plus stalls of linen materials, shoes, clothes, toys etc. But the local cheeses, hams, pates and wine is for me some of the best I’ve tasted.
Wandered back to unload the shopping, a freshen up and back into town for the last night, getting dark at about 18:00hrs, so some more pics of the village at night, a glass of one of the many local wines at a bar/restaurant overlooking the lovely square and looked at the menu. Unfortunately then told they don’t serve until 19:00hrs, well I’m hungry now, oh well.
With an excellent restaurant/bar on the campsite, I thought why not, so I wandered back and a lovely glass of local red and then found out they don’t serve food until 19:00hrs, oh well, might as well order a bottle then and wait, then much to the surprise of the waiter, ordered a blue steak, really you’re English and you want a “Blue” steak, yes please. The steak was excellent, one of the best I’ve tasted in a long time, as was the rest of the food, and the wine of course. A lovely evening, excellent food, wine and service, to finish off the trip.
Note: the campsite bar/restaurant overlooks the indoor swimming pool, great when a good looking woman passes, but when a fat bloke in budgie smugglers passed I nearly spilled the wine.
Thursday the 30th;
Up early, put the tent, bags etc away, which took an hour, because of the ice and cold, lovely hot shower (both toilet and shower blocks are heated and water was always hot), excellent mug of tea and check gear for the off, all good, thanked the very helpful and friendly staff and hit the road.
A very long lazy slowish drive today, no hurry, so stuck at 50/55mph all the way even spending a fair amount of time behind lorries being sucked along. The tolls again were cheaper than previous years, I can only think it’s because of my reduced height at the front of my roof rack, €40 to Paris, then a €2.70 and a €3.50 both ticketed as class 1, i.e smaller vehicle size.
And the slow cruising speed effect on mpg, excellent. Normally return 24mpg approx on a run at 60ish mph, but this trip over a measured distance of 368mls a return of 29.79mpg, not bad at all, pleased that a brick shaped, 2.7ton, 300tdi Defender with 202k mls on the clock can achieve such a reasonable return.
A long drive today, I wasn’t tired, just happy to be driving, I was due to stop at some services south of Paris, but I was there late afternoon and just carried on, and stopped at another excellent French services 10hrs after setting off and only 75kms from Le Havre.
Had a lovely meal, made the bed inside the Landy and retired for the night.
Friday the 31st;
Up early, freshen up and a mug of tea and thought can’t be at the port too early, need to be there for about 15:00hrs ish, been to Honfleur quite a few times, so decided to head north on rural roads to Fecamp where I’ve been in the Series, unfortunately couldn’t see much of the area due to the heavy fog, stopped in a lovely village called Yvetot and brought a couple of crossiants, and ate them looking around this lovely small town.
I arrived in partly sunny Fecamp early morning, a quick drive around, spotted a municipal campsite (closed) overlooking the coast, and then drove down the coast road to and through scenic little Yport and into a rather nice busy little place called Etretat, then thought get to Le Havre, check sailing is ok then wander around Le Havre for a bit, and I did.
A nice wander around and a couple of French coffees later, wandered back and emptied the Landy, then repacked the Landy ready to unpack at home quickly, made a mug of tea and relaxed. Then I went to join the queue which wasn’t there for the ferries, so at the front of the queue, there’s a first, oh no someone overtakes me in the docks and cuts me up, then parks in front. Such is life.
After an hour or so, the lane opens to check passports, tickets etc, the driver gets out in front and is frantic, appears to have mislaid his keys, so I overtake him as did another dozen or vehicles behind me and went through to join the one of the lanes for the ferry. What goes around comes around. :)
A windy chilly afternoon to leave Le Havre and it may make for a bumpy crossing but docked on time in Portsmouth at 21:30 and got home without delay at 22:00 in the howling wind and pouring rain, oh well. My first winter camping trip comes to a wet end, but my love for skiing is renewed and I’m so pleased that Le Grand Bornand village and ski area was as stunning as I’d hoped.
1,030 mls approx
L’Escale website
http://www.campinglescale.com/en
Excellent ACSI campsite, but at €30 per night incl electric a bit expensive, but prime location, school holidays the site is very busy as is the whole area, the pitches are a good size and they have flats/chalets on site to rent, the toilet/shower blocks are heated, a nice small indoor heated pool, wifi ok, Pepes restaurant/bar offers excellent service and fare, the camp staff are also excellent, also popular with brits in their tupperware boxes. :)
Le Grand Bornand website
http://en.legrandbornand.com
Excellent tourist and ski info, free maps etc, some really nice local fare shops and the village looks lovely at night with the light on, a pretty little church, free bus service all over from just outside the campsite, the whole ski area is stunning with the slopes, pistes and off pistes kept clean and well cared for, the ski lifts offer a good combination to get around, costs €30 a day, I choose 8 days for €200, the Le Grand Bornand staff on the pistes were friendly and helpful, lovely cafes/restaurants on the slopes.
Driving in France website
http://www.about-france.com/travel.htm
31/01/14 - Breathalyser law current confirmation; it is obligatory in France by law to carry a breathaliser kit, BUT there is no penalty for drivers caught without a breathalyser in their car. So I didn't bother.
Ferry website
http://ldlines.co.uk