Le Portel, Best Enjoyed With a Decent Red
Zagan the motorhome is flanked by French neighbours, to one side a spiffing Pilote Explorater, to the other a metallic blue painted classic Hymer of indeterminate model, complete with cracking Moroccan motifs. We’re in the aire at Le Portal (N50.71149 E1.57524) which costs €5 a night and is just south of Boulogne. If you’re passing, you might want to consider popping those five shiny euro coins back in your pocket, and keep on passing.
Zagan’s in among the other vans at Le Portal. It’s windy, and we know the importance of ‘wind shadows’!
It rained again last night. Zagan’s fabulous drop-down bed is a mere two feet from the first thing the raindrops hit since being in freefall all the way from the heavens. When they find said roof in their path, they each let out a little patter of indignation. Combined with the noise from their umpteen fellow free-falling drops, this yields a veritable beating drum of irritated rain. In turn, this renders sleep impossible, unless you’re a snoring dog. Of course, this means little if you can just catch up on kip in the morning, which we did, tottering out of bed at 9am.
Brian and Anne set off about the same time as us this morning, both heading in opposite directions from the Wissant aire. They’re off to Belgium to stock up on low-cost goodies, but before they left they gave us these scourers. They’re intended to be popped in any open gas-fall holes in the van, which might otherwise act as a mouse entry point (we’ve had mice in a previous van, and the clever little blighters are almost impossible to catch). Thanks guys.
Anti-mice devices
In go-slow mode, we decided to head to this spot as it was close, despite Anne pointing out they’d driven here on their way north and moved on without stopping, as “it stank of fish”. Down the N1 we rolled, freebie motorway right up to Bolougne-Sur-Mur (after which the toll starts, boo, hiss!). The countryside rolled along with us, in the main shaved flat by the combines and tractors which still bounce along the lanes.
Half way here we hit an Intermarché supermarket, in need of diesel (or ‘gazole’) and fancying a gander at the goodies we recall from previous trips. The fuel came in at €1.09 a litre, which is about 81p a litre, sweet (at the time of writing, it’s about £1.08 a litre in the UK). As our cupboards, fridge and freezer are rammed from the last UK Lidl stop-off, we had to make do with just a few bits and bobs. At La Caisse, the lady gave us a cardboard token and as we examined it in wonder, she explained we could use it to try and win stuff. Popping it into a nearby machine, we lucked out and failed to win anything. Top prize was a car.
Past the outskirts of Bolougne, a billboard-high sign proclaimed it to be the biggest seafood-processing plant in the world. About 30 seconds past the sign (OK, a slight exaggeration), Zagan came to halt at the aire barrier. Both of us eyeballed the place. It looked unwelcoming. The cost had gone up from €3 to €5 a night. It’s windy, grey, on the outskirts of town and uninspiring. There was more than a slight whiff of fish in our nostrils. Ummmed. Arrred. After a short stand-off with ourselves we coughed up €7 (120 litres of water cost €2 around these parts), subsequently finding that we could only actually get water from the ‘wrong tap’, the one used for cleaning out one’s chemical toilet. This made Ju angry (see below – see what I mean?), especially as we couldn’t get a hose on it so she got soaked… A British chap later pointed out you need a special fitting to go on the ‘right’ tap to get it to honk out water. Goooddaaammmiittt! We must have seen 100 different types of these things and none have wanted this odd double-ended Hozelock whatsit.
The town here was blattered by the Allies, blowing up 90% of it and killing hundreds of locals? Why? To make it look like D-Day might land troops up here. Yup, a diversionary tactic ended the lives of all those innocents. We only found this out after wandering about the place, with me whining at how crap it all is, and now I feel a bit bad at my lack of empathy for the place. The north end fronts the processing plants, with an unused hovercraft pad and an array of empty windowed graffiti-covered and abandoned buildings.
Hulking great crude rounded concrete WW2 bunkers encrust the sea-ward face of the town, ugly things and reminders of uglier times. The tourist info lady was friendly and helpful, putting up with my bad French, but I couldn’t help notice when I asked for a map, she gave us one of the surrounding area and not of the town itself. When we asked for one of the town, it took her a few minutes to find one.
This was fun though:
And Charlie loved snaffling for crab claws on the beach:
And we got this wine for only €1.30 a bottle (best reserved for cooking as it turns out – fortunately we coughed up for a decent Merlot too, for a whole €3.30)…
So, one final last photo of Le Portel and boom! We’re outta here tomorrow, heading further south.
Cheers, Jay
Hiya,
You probably prefer doing your own thing but just a suggestion..
If you’re not in a rush and keeping to the coast then follow the D940 down to St Valery sur Somme and then pick up the D3 to Le Hourdel, there’s a big free carpark there near the sea that motorhomes use (50.21662 1.56522). Some fantastic cockling on the beach but watch the tides, it comes in quick around the bay.
A bit further on is one of our favourites, a free parking area overlooking the sea at Criel Plage ( 50.03210 1.30907) where you can pick winkles off the rocks.
From there its an easy route to Rouen via Dieppe to get back on track for the route south.
Cheers,
Pete
Ooooh, thanks guys. All advice gratefully received, as we’re just pooling along so good recommendations really helpful, thanks! Jay
The anti-mice devices are a good idea. Friends had their Hymer’s wiring loom eaten out by mice when it overwintered in a farm. The insurers kicked up a right fuss about paying for a new loom and it took them weeks of haggling to get them to cough up.
We keep ours on our drive and use the time tested anti-mice device of a cat or two. They are not happy about travelling with us though, unlike your Charlie, so judiciously located scourers could be the answer. Good idea!
It’s so good to be on the road again (by proxy). Oh, I feel it calling me for real… But then a day spent reviewing poor quality contract documents is probably enough to make anyone yearn for the open road, even it smells of fish. Ann is still wobbling about the whole van thing… “we should, we shouldn’t…”. We shall see… :-) Keep safe.
Have a few beers, get on eBay, buy an ex ambulance (the Glambulance) pop a bed and sideboard in it, jobsa! Worked for our mates Phil and Jules to decide if thy like it or not. They’ve got a cracking Mercedes Hymer now, so I guess they did? Take it easy boss! Cheers, Jay
If you want some decent red wine at a very good price, well under 2 euros a bottle, look for Roche Mazet, Merlot, sold mainly in boxes in supermarkets including Super U. Amazingly good for the price. But you have to be disciplined once you open a box!! We brought 8 boxes back from out summer campervan trip. (And still got some left!)
Wow, thats two blog updates on the same day, you are certainly spoiling us. I suppose you have to experience the occasional ‘iffy’ aire so that you appreciate the good ones even more. We have had mouse problems on both the vans we have owned. No damage done thank goodness but we have had to put down traps and an ebay ‘mouse deterrent’ to keep the blighters at bay.
I bought some of the same brand of wine as in the photo on our last trip but I lashed out 6.50 euros for a 5 litre plastic barrel, tastes alright after the first couple of litres.
Keep up the good work with the blog, excellent stuff.
Paul
Could you explain what you mean by gas_fall openings…am enjoying your blog especially as we are still waiting to get our number plates here in Greece since buying our first Hymer motorhome in Germany in August! Jackie and Tomas
Hi Jackie
Sure, I may well have not used the correct terminology but butane and propane are heavier than air, so if there is a leak in your gas system, it will naturally fall. Where the leaks are most likely, around your bottle(s) or air/water heater, there is a vent in the bottom or side of the van to let the gas escape, so it doesn’t build up to dangerous levels.
If the hole in the van isn’t protected with a grill of some sort, mice can use it to get inside (although in this van the bottles are in an isolated locked, so they can’t get in that way, the little critters).
Cheers! Jay
Forges les Eaux, Broglie, Brezolles…pretty villages with good walking and local shops. Maybe sweet chestnuts to gather. At Brezolles a knock on the van door preceded an invitation to buy some freshly picked ceps from an old lady. Enjoyed with an omelette for lunch the next day. Wherever you end up we wish you safe travels and thank you for sharing, it revives happy memories.
We had the same problem earlier this year with the new fresh water fittings on some of the aires – I right flippin’ pain! A friend of mine (you parked next to them at Wissant on your first night in their motorhome called Marmite!) put me on to a fitting available at Leroy Merlin DIY stores. Here’s a link to the fitting: http://www.leroymerlin.fr/v3/p/produits/connecteur-gardena-931-26-e156452.
I think there are a couple of Leroy Merlin stores near you at the moment:
Leroy Merlin Boulogne sur Mer
Route Nationale 42
Saint Martin Les Boulogne 62280
and one in
Leroy Merlin Merlimont
Route de Berck
Merlimont 62155
Hope this helps – nothing worse than getting a soaking when topping up with fresh!
Paul
Top man, thanks Paul! Jay