The hole, a traditional French Toilette.

Day 4, Jeudi, Audinghen to Long, 5^th May.

The hole, a traditional French toilette.

This morning we made our first departure from france to france. We decided last night over the Vin de Rouge to travel to Abbeville, slightly south and inland on our route to Belgium. It turned out that the campsite we chose was not in Abbeville itself but about 20 kilometres outside in what seemed to be a sleepy and prosperous area. The journey was great at first, Bob’s map reading was second to none. We had a great opportunity to soak up the surroundings when stuck behind a tractor for what seemed to be miles and miles, however, the tractor also made us make a tasty detour via a supermarket where we bought pan for breakfast as the boulangerie on wheels hadn’t shown up this morning, the morning when we really needed it. We enjoyed buttered pan in the carpark of the supermarket, oh, what a life.....

Vincent the Volvo is coping well on the hilly roads, we are trying to avoid expensive tolls on the motorways, it not only saves money but is more scenic and I notice that the amount of poissoneries you pass at the side of the road doesn’t lessen the further inland you drive. The French must really love their poisson. Arriving at Abbeville we realise that we must have gone the wrong way. It is a large town, one I wouldn’t have minded visiting. A mixture of churches and cafes and shutter plagued houses on narrow streets. We stopped and referenced the map. I decided that it was time for Satnav. She was no help and pointed us in opposite direction back to Calais. This caused a tiff as when I studied the map that I had entrusted Bob with I see that our destination is miles away. We surrended to the motorway as not to cause any further argument. From here Bob’s map reading was back! He directed me through many a village and then we followed the signs for the campsite. As we arrive and I finally get to vacate Vincent its became evident that the sun is much warmer here, there is no wind, but when you lose the wind you also lose the sound of the ocean. Bob amazed and impressed me with his GCSE French skills as he converses while I smile with the lady on the campsite. I chose ‘premier spot’, the first I saw.

 This campsite is more open than the last, less like a village and more lived in. You can hear people laughing, see them cooking and once again there is French boules being played. We decided to head for the supermarket as the butter we used for the car park breakfast had melted all over Vincent. Im going to crave buttery toast every time I drive somewhere now. We bought butter, fromage and found a brand called ‘Top Budget’ which meant we could splash out on crisps and chea lager (only 49 cents can). We stocked up on wine once again, well, when in france.....

The campsite has traditional holes for toilets and is situated right on the River Somme.

 We take a walk after some Tinto de Verano (red wine and lemonade) and a game of Frisbee. We met a man fishing and his cute chien who jumps up and wants to play. The man tells us that you can catch big fish with small fish, or that is what Bob understood anyway. Walking along the Somme we find a breath taking Chateux with a glass house attached. It appeared that you can visit , I hope so, will investigate. The area is quiet, pretty ad just waiting to be seen by my eyes. Walking further there is another campsite, this one feels very residential, like the people live there all year round, I like it, but with some apprehension. We do however find out that it has Wifi, something we have not yet found, but the lady who runs the site is not there. Maybe we will check it out although it appears it would mean useing the onboard toilet we have, something we have also managed, but wanted to avoid. I am unsure, maybe, if it is cheap enough?

Settling back at the caravan for the evening bob is making lentil soup and salade. The site has gone quiet and calm apart from the constant tweeting of birds which is really quite lovly. The sun is going down and its chilly, warm days and cold nights, wonderfully though Gerald (the caravan) has a heater. A cosy looking lady has just smiled at me and she is wearing the most amazing sandals, I feel a bit warmer now, Oh and le potage (soup) has just arrived, bon appetite et bon buit, x.