Goodbye Jeremy

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 6 Comments

Portsmouth

We left Portsmouth at 8 am on a showery morning and set sail for the land of baguettes, wine and other lovely eatables (as well as many non edible delights).

Bye Bye Jeremy

Steaming out past Portsmouth naval dockyard, if you look carefully you can see Jeremy Corbyn, on that warship, waving goodbye to us. He was taking a few snaps in preparation for sticking a couple of old destroyers on to eBay ….. don’t think he’ll get much for that rather scabby ship in the foreground.

Brittany Ferries is French owned and a bit different to the Dover Calais ferry….I had braised guinea fowl and olives for lunch…yummy, while Nia chomped through a rack of lamb in Thyme sauce.

Only on a French Ferry.

This is another on-board entertainment we have not seen before on a cross channel ferry. Sadly we docked at 3 pm so couldn’t attend, not that a few glasses of vino would have helped navigate Mavis off the ship.

Pause during after lunch constitutional around the deck.

Mary Rose

I went to a very good talk on the Mary Rose which passed an hour or so, given by one of the curators. For those not around in Henry VIII’s time, the Mary Rose was a tudor warship which tipped over and sank in Portsmouth harbour whilst fighting those naughty French matelots. I bet a cry of ‘Bravo!’ went up. But I digress.

What are these?

The nerd count on the ferry was low and only a small audience watched the talk. There were sadly no suggestions when we were asked what these artefacts were…we were too polite.

Sword Beach

We arrived in Caen at 3pm, sailing in past Sword beach, the easternmost extent of the Normandy landings.

About to drive off.

Here we are parked at the sharp end of the boat, as Nia, an experienced mariner who ought to know better, irritatingly describes it, about to drive off into France.

Pont Romaine

We drove down to Camping Pont Romaine, which is a campsite to the east of Le Mans, for the first night. The picture above is the Roman Bridge hinted at in the campsites name. It crosses the Sarthe, a tributary of the Loire, to the village of Yvré-L’Évêque. And there is no way we are going to be able to pronounce that until we have had a glass or two of vin rouge.

Maison et voiture rouge

This is a pretty house we passed on the walk to the village (Sorry Liz…I know mon français est execrable).

Run out of rubbish to spout now…time to explore Yvré-L’Évêque.

Tagged with: Caen, france, Jeremy, Le Mans, Mavis, motorhome, Portsmouth, Sarthe, Yvré-L'Évêque
Posted in - France, Autumn 2015, Caen, Le Mans, Lower Normandy, Pays-de-la-Loire

Hoovering with the Krays

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 8 Comments

Hoovering

The downside to motor homing is that you are required by the Missus to hoover the house before you are allowed to set off. I was closely watched yesterday, while performing this chore, by Colin and Penny, aka the Kray twins, who knew something was up by the general frenetic packing and cleaning activity. If Colin is looking unusually somnolent, even for him, it is because he has just scoffed a box of biscuits for cheese, inadvisedly left unattended at Colin nose level. And he did pretty much eat the box, as well as it’s contents.

Weight Watching

In the mid afternoon we headed south down the M6 with Deborah Moggach, in good form with her audiobook ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, pausing only to weigh Mavis at Jenkinson’s weigh bridge in Penrith.

The M6

We pelted through the 40 mph limit areas at at least 2.5 mph and reached Portsmouth by 11 pm. We bivouacked last night outside Southdown’s motorhomes and spent the morning getting one or two minor problems sorted out. Their after sales service is brilliant.

Port Solent

In the afternoon we took the Krays around Port Solent…a good motorhome stop over with loads of free parking.

Wetsuit shopping.

We bought a wet suit at the marine super store here. I am plotting a bit of surf kayaking when we get to the Medoc.

Portchester Castle

Portsmouth Grape Girl

The waitress failed to tempt us in for a pizza and we went back to Mavis for a tasty curry and naan before the short trip to the Brittany Ferries terminal. We are booked on the 8 am ferry for Caen.

Tagged with: Krays, Mavis, Port solent, Portsmouth, Southdowns
Posted in - United Kingdom, Autumn 2015, Hampshire, Portsmouth

Montigny, Le Cateau Cambresis, Arques and Home

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 2 Comments

We crossed Northern France in a series of short hops, together with Joy and Alan who by good luck happened to be crossing the channel the same day as us.

Mutigny

First stop was a small aire in the hilltop wine village of Mutigny in the heart of the Champagne region of France.

Champagne Fields

The village is surrounded by rolling fields covered in vines. Each vine apparently will provide enough grapes for one bottle of bubbly.

Baby Vines

The Aire

The aire is just next to a pretty chain of wildlife ponds.

Sushi

Along with a good supply of spare parts for his motorhome, Alan had cunningly bought some seaweed along on tour and knocked up this luscious plate of sushi for supper.

Le Cateau Cambresis

Next stop was Le Cateau Cambresis, a small town to the East of Cambrai.

Il Pleut

It was a scorching hot day to begin with then after we arrived, luckily just after we had re-provisioned at the Lidl up the road, the skies opened.

Arques

For the final day we stopped at this aire tucked away in a park at the back of Arques, a town next to Saint Omer, about 40 miles from the Channel Tunnel.

One of the lakes at the Aire.

Clam and Prawn Chowder

After a visit to the Auchan in Arques we had a seafood feast…the last supper.

We were up at 6 the next morning to catch the 9.20 train. It was a good drive up the motorway back home, enlivened by listening to the Bill Bryson autobiography on audiobook.

Time to cut the grass……

Tagged with: Arques, Champagne, Chunnel, france, Le Cateau Cambresis, Mavis, motorhome, Mutigny, photography, Sushi
Posted in - France, Arques, Champagne-Ardenne, Le Cateau Cambresis, Mutigny, Nord-Pas de Calais

Port Chantecoq….Lac du Der

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 2 Comments

After Pont du Mousson we headed west and parked in an aire at Port Chantecoq, next to a wild flower meadow. Over the dam in the background is the huge man-made Lake called Lac du Der. The lake is in the Champagne region, close to St Dizier. We are driving across northern France en route to Calais.

Looking out over the Lake

Penny and Colin guarding one of the Pontoons..

Great Cested Grebe

There is much wildlife here. The lake is famous for the cranes which stop-over here during their migrations.

This old church looks out over the lake

Three villages were submerged when the lake was created in 1974.

The valley was flooded in order to control the level of water in the Marne, and protect Paris from flooding. The aire sits just next to the dam that was created to flood the valley…hopefully it was well built.

This is one of the bridges on the 24 mile cycle round the lac.

On the first day we cycled round the lake. It is a good ride, mainly level and with a mixture of lakeside and forest stretches.

Round the Lake Bike Ride.

Gallette stop.

There are plenty of refuelling points. We stopped here for a bit to eat. Nia had a Goat’s cheese and bacon galette, I had smoked salmon and cream cheese in mine. Yummy.

Egret perched on Cow.

One Good Tern…..Fish for Breakfast for the kids.

There is much to see on the way round the lake.

Alan cooking. And Colin foraging.

We met up with Joy and Alan, a couple we had met earlier on the trip in Germany, at Port Chantecoq. Alan is a master chef….here he is cooking up a pork casserole on the barbecue.

Pork and Vegetable Casserole.

We took the canoes out on the lake.

Canoeing on the Lake with Alan.

Plat du jour with Alan and Joy, at Port Nautique.

The next day we took it a bit easier and cycled the 4 miles or so round the lake to Port Nautique, a water sports centre with a few cafes and restaurants dotted about, and a helpful Office de Tourisme with free wifi.

Petanque.

We played Petanque…boules….girls against boys.

We played boules on the aire that evening. The girls won both matches…not sure why..they must have been cheating somehow.
Here’s me double checking a dubious decision in their favour.

The master at work, bouleing.

Joy and Alan entertained us after the Petanque.

Sunrise over the lake.

After a relaxing few days on the lakeside we are moving on now, heading west to our appointment with eurotunnel on Sunday.

Tagged with: border terriers, boules, Champagne, Colin, cycling, egret, france, lac du der, motorhome, Petanque, photography, port chantecoq, tern
Posted in - France, Champagne-Ardenne, May/June 2015, Port Chantecoq

Pont-à-Mousson

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Peter and Nia — Leave a comment

We left Trier on Friday morning and followed the Moselle down to Pont-à-Mousson. On the way we stopped by at Nennig to see this spectacular Roman mosaic, uncovered by chance by a farmer in 1853 it is the largest Roman mosaic north of the alps. It formed the floor of a rich Roman’s reception room and has 8 tableaux depicting scenes from the amphitheatre. It wasn’t clear from from the leaflet we picked up why the Romans had settled here…farming perhaps, or trading on the Moselle. Maybe like us they just wanted to nick in to Luxembourg…a mile away over the bridge at Remich…to fill up with cheap diesel…a smidge over a euro a litre.

The mosaic artist has produced intricate patterns from innumerable tiny tiles…a very early pixellated image.

He has captured the narked expressions of these two having a domestic.

We stayed that night at Pont-à-Mousson on the Moselle.
The aire is on a marina…you have to go and pay at the harbourmasters office (what I think La Capitainerie translates to).

We left Mavis on the waterfront and went exploring. Don’t forget to put the handbrake on.

One of the pretty churches in the town. There was a market in the morning and we stocked up on strawberries, cherries and a lot of smelly cheese. Not to mention a baguette to scoff it with. We love French food.

I think the scientific term for this bug is a ‘Blue Arsed Fly’

A scene of domestic bliss by the aire. Mr Swan is guarding the nest while his Mrs nods off on the family eggs.

Egg Watch

After the visit to the market we upped sticks and set off towards St Dizier in champagne country.

Tagged with: blue arsed fly, cheap diesel, Lorraine, Nennig, Pont-à-mousson, Remich, roman mosaic, swans, swans nest
Posted in - France, Lorraine, May/June 2015, Pont-à-Mousson

Trier…Emperor Augustus and Karl Marx

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 6 Comments

On Wednedsay we drove 23 miles up-river to the roman town of Trier, said by some to be the oldest town in Germany. This is the view from the Konrad-Adenauer bridge, by the stellplatz. The motorhomes can just be seen through the trees on the left. The Roman bridge is in the distance crossing the Moselle.

This is the roman bridge, ‘Romerbrucke’ which leads to the old town. It is about a km from the Stellplatz and a good landmark.

At one time Trier was the Roman administrative centre for all of Western Europe and the Porta Nigra or black gate formed part of the city walls. Built between 160 and 200 AD it gained its name in the middle ages from fungal discolouration of the solid chunks of white limestone from which it was built. It was originally constructed using metal hoops to bind the limestone…no mortar. The metal has long since been purloined by metal thieves. The stone of the gate has only been preserved from recycling into other buildings over the centuries by its use as a church from about 1035.

Extensive carvings cover the inside of the gate.

Trier Cathedral (Dom) can be seen from the gate.

Stone cutters’ marks cover the stones.

Market Cross in Hauptmarket

After Trier was ransacked by the vikings in 882, the market was moved from the river to its current position in the centre of the old city. A cross was erected here in 985 to commemorate the event, by the Bishop of Trier. The original column is now in the city museum.

The Haupt Market, or market place is surrounded by beautiful old buildings.

St Peter’s Fountain

There has been a fountain here in the market square since the 16th century.

The four virtues surround St Peter’s column. These two appear to be Prudence and Moderation…possibly not a good choice for company for a night out on the town.

It is spargel season…we bought some of this lovely fat white asparagus for supper.

St Georges Fountain in Corn Market

We stopped for a glass of wine in the Corn Market.

These two excellent Bulgarian musicians entertained us while we sipped Riesling in the Corn Market.

Trier Cathedral

There has been a church here since Roman times.

Cathedral Clock

Ornate Altar Carving in the Cathedral

Cathedral Interior

Dom Cathedral organ

Impressive doors on the Church of Our Lady next to the cathedral.

Vaulted Ceiling of Church of our Lady.

Constantine’s Basilica

This is the throne room of the Emperor Constantine, 200 feet long and 100 feet high, it is the largest intact Roman structure outside of Rome.

Just next to the Basilica is the stunning rococo Trier Palace, also known as the Elector’s palace. Construction of the palace started in 1615.

Elector’s Palace…east wing

Emperor Constantine started this massive pool/sauna/bath complex in the fourth century. Political events in the east distracted him and he left Trier in AD 316; the building was never completed.

Early swimming Pool

There is a labtyrinth of tunnels and service rooms under the pool complex. There were multiple hypocausts….early underfloor heating..to keep it all warm.

St Matthias Abbey

This abbey church, situated to the north of the old city, close to the Stellplatz, was built in the 10/12 century.

St Matthias facade

St Matthias

The amphitheatre is just to the east of the old city; it would have been directly in line with the forum and continuous with the city walls. It dates from the 1st century AD and was one of the first major projects after Augustus founded the city in 15 BC.

Slavegirl leaving the amphitheatre by the citizens entrance.

Gladiator with two Lions. They are fiercer than they look.

Karl Marx’s House

He was born here in 1818

Karl Marx Plaque

After a couple of days we moved on from Trier. We plan to spend a week or so moving slowly across northern France towards Calais where we will catch the chunnel train back.

Tagged with: augustus, concorde, emperor augustus, Germany, Karl Marx, Mavis, motorhome, photography, Romans, Trier
Posted in - Germany, Rheinland-Palatinate, Trier

Kesten…Lecker Flammkuchen

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 2 Comments

On Sunday we moved further south along the Moselle. We had planned to stop at the Stellplatz at Kinheim but this was a bit full (bank holiday Sunday) so we moved up-river a few miles to Kesten, where there was plenty of space. Kesten (N49 deg 54 min 10 sec E 6 deg 57 min 43 sec) is an easy access stellplatz, close to the river (ideal for canoeing) and just next to the wine town of Kesten. Many thanks to Joy and Alan for suggesting this stop.

Our Pitch at Kesten

The first day dawned clear but it would cloud over later.

There isn’t as much traffic on the Moselle as the Rhine but the odd barge and passenger cruiser chug past.

Early Morning Light on the Moselle

On our first morning we set off along the cycle path through the vines, heading north to Bernkastel-Kues.

This guy kindly touched down next to us while we were cycling along.

Schloss Lieser…built by Eduard Puricelli, special attache to Emperor Wilhelm II, in 1884. We passed this castle en route to Bernkastel.

Detail of the frescoes which cover the castle.

This is Bernkastel-Kues, approached from the cycle track along the river. It is two towns, Bernkastel on the far bank and Kues on the near side of the bridge.

We refuelled at the wine museum after cyclinh here. The man waving is with a group of Germans we chatted to. We discovered a lovely tasty dry and sparkling Riesling and had to buy a couple of bottles...just to be polite. We ordered a Flammkuchen to eat with the wine, not really sure what it would be, and it turns out that it is a pizza with a very thin base...yummy. We have also, incidentally, learnt that the german for yummy is 'Lecker'.

We refuelled at the wine museum after cycling here. The man waving is with a group of Germans we chatted to. We discovered a lovely tasty dry and sparkling Riesling and had to buy a couple of bottles…just to be polite. We ordered a Flammkuchen to eat with the wine, not really sure what it would be, and it turns out that it is a pizza with a very thin base…yummy. We have also, incidentally, learnt that the german for yummy is ‘Lecker’.

After a quick mosey aroung Kues we crossed the bridge to Bernkastel.

After a quick mosey around Kues we crossed the bridge to Bernkastel.

Dog Watering Stop

Renaissance Town Hall in Bernkastel Market Square.

More pretty Bernkastel half timbered buildings.

Weinstubes are everywhere. The word translates to ‘Wine-Room’.

We had just settled down for a nice brace of ice-creams in a square just behind the river front when the skies suddenly darkened and it began to pour with rain. One of us was dispatched to fetch the cycle and dog cart, to give the torpid terriers somewhere dry to sit, while Nia sat under the cafe parasols and guarded the ice-creams. So the visit to Bernkastel was a bit truncated, but by the time we had cycled back to Kesten it was dry again.

The next day we cycled up river to the locks and hydro-electric power station at Minheim, then came back at a higher level, through the vineyards that cover the sides of the Moselle valley.

Looking down on Kesten, and the vine covered slopes of the valley.

It was a bit cold cycling today so we baled out at lunchtime and headed to a Kesten winery for more pizza and to try some of his wines.

It was a bit cold cycling so we baled out at lunchtime and headed to a Kesten winery for more pizza and to try some of the local wines.

In the evening I blew the canoe up and paddled up river a bit.

The front row motorhomes get a good view of the river. We are moving off again tomorrow…we will head for Trier, the very old town with a Roman history, close to the border with Luxembourg.

Tagged with: Bernkastel, Colin, concorde, cycling, Germany, Kesten, Kues, Mavis, motorhome, Rhineland
Posted in - Germany, 2015 Spring, Kesten, Rheinland-Palatinate

Neef, Alf and Cochem

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 4 Comments

Stellplatz at Neef

We drove 67 miles from Bacharach to Neef, on the Moselle. The entrance to the Stellplatz is off the K41 through the riverside Car Park. N 50.092294, E 7.137422.Thanks to Paul M on the outandaboutlive forum for this recommendation and information.

Looking Down on The Neef Stellplatz

The Neef stellplatz is a large expanse of grass about ¼ mile from the tiny town of Neef and overlooked by the typical Moselle sloping vineyards, extending up the valley side. There are a lot of motorhomes parked here today; we worked out eventually that the good weather and the bank holiday had bought everyone out for the long weekend. There are steps up the valley side from Neef and these make a great early morning walk with the dogs.
There are good views looking down on to the Moselle and you can watch the massive barges entering and leaving the lock over the river from Neef.

Biking to Alf

After settling in at Neef we got the bikes out and cycled up-river to the small town of Alf. Colin likes to keep his humans together; he ran back to find me after I had dawdled over some photography and fallen behind.

Fountain at Alf

We ate ice-cream at an Italian restaurant in Alf, looking out over this fountain by the town centre.

Bullay

There is much to photograph hereabouts This is the town of Bullay, over the river from Alf.

Cochem

The next day we cycled down-river to visit Cochem. After a 16 mile bike ride and one coffee stop we reached this pretty riverside town.

Castle at Cochem

The town is overlooked by the formidable Reichsburg Cochem castle, rebuilt in the late 19th century.

River Front at Cochem

This is Cochem….very busy when we arrived as it was a bank holiday Saturday.

After looking at a display of vintage cars behind the tourist office we headed back a few streets into Cochem for Schnitzel and ice-cream (served separately) with a nice dry Riesling.

Old Gatehouse at Cochem

We saw the 14th century gatehouse, once part of a fortified wall, next to the Gatekeepers house, now called the Alte Thorschenke.

Wine/Beer Festival

Tractor from Festival

With a long cycle back we set off early, along the opposite bank of the Moselle. Sections of the cycle track had been hijacked for wine/beer festivals and we passed several collections of cheerful Germans quaffing large quantities of booze on trestle tables and benches set up for the bank holiday.

Very old English Brewery

We passed the ruin of a large brewery set up by an Englishman in 1853, which had been famous in its time. There was a long article about the brewery, (on a board on the cycle path), which had prospered until some catastrophe had occurred…sadly we couldn’t decipher the German any further and were left guessing. Brewer fell into vat? Sabotage by local winemakers? who knows?

Kloster Stuben

The last landmark before we got back to Neef…this is Stuben abbey, a womens seminary, handily placed surrounded by vineyards, established in 1137. We like the local wine, produced from the innumerable vineyards covering the sides of the Moselle valley. The soil around the base of the vines is very stony and apparently the stones act as a storage heater, releasing the sun’s heat all through the night, allowing ripening to be prolonged into Autumn and early Winter.

Looking Downstream

We got a little lost on the final stretch in to Neef, and with a couple of other detours the journey back turned out to be 21 miles, as opposed to 16 going out in the morning. So we slept well that night, ready to move further up river in the morning.

Tagged with: Alf, Cochem, Colin, cycling, Germany, Mavis, motorhome, Neef, photography, Rhineland-Palatinate
Posted in - Germany, 2015 Spring, Neef, Rheinland-Palatinate

Bacchus Country

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Peter and Nia — 2 Comments

Stellplatz at Bacharach

After the Concorde rally we turned westwards and found our way to the Stellplatz at Bacharach, a pretty old wine town on the south bank of the Rhine just to the south of Koblenz. Thanks to Eric and Dee, friends we met in Aschbach, for recommending this Stellplatz.

View from the Stellplatz

This is a good stop; yards from the river and only two minutes in to town. GPS co-ords N 50 deg 3 mins 23 seconds E 7 deg 46 mins 14 seconds. It is quite busy, being a popular spot. €10-50 per night including wifi and electricity. Water €1 for about 90 litres.

Cycle Track in front of Stellplatz

Bacchus

The town is reputedly named after Bacchus and there are vineyards and wine shops everywhere; the south facing slopes of the Rhine valley are ideal for ripening the grapes.

The Old House

This is one of the many pretty half timbered medieval houses in Bacharach.

The Post House

The old Post House is now a restaurant. We feasted here on bratwurst and cold beer.

Wall Art

Half Timbered Medieval House below the Vineyards

The Old Mint Tower

St Peter’s Church

There is a good walk along the old city wall which runs along the front of the town, overlooking the Rhine and you can carry up the hillside to visit some of the well preserved towers which used to punctuate the wall.

Burg Stahleck

This is Castle Stahleck, overlooking Bacharach.

The Walk to the Castle

The castle is approached by a gentle ascent through the trees (or there are steps directly up if you prefer).

Terrace on Castle Stahleck

Once at the castle you are rewarded with amazing views and some ice cold beer.

Time for a Rest

Colin doesn’t particularly like walks but handy to have a friend to sit on when its time for a break.

Werner Chapel

This is the elegant Werner’s chapel, built in 1294, just behind the church and on the direct route up to the castle from Bacharach.

Daliesque House

Dali Detail

We spent a day cycling up river past Oberwesel, where we stopped for a coffee and to admire the wall paintings on one of the houses here. I shall have to get my brushes out when we get home and slap a few melting clocks on.

Castle Pfalz

Further on we met Pfalz castle again, from the other side. We cycled past the famous Lorely narrows and watched the barges and passenger boats inch up against the ferocious current.

Old Rhine Crossing

This stone opposite Kaub, a short distance upriver from Bacharach, commemorates the Rhine crossing by the Prussian general Blücher on New Year’s Night in 1813/1814. General Blücher and 60,000 soldiers with 20,000 horses crossed the Rhine with the aid of the pilots from Kaub and a pontoon bridge, to drive Napoleon out of Germany. Bit sneaky to pick New Year’s eve for a fight, but you can see how he was thinking.

Upriver

The next day we cycled upriver to Bingen, 10 miles to the south. We had a good picnic overlooking the Rhine at its confluence with the Nahe.

Crop Spraying

Penny and I got up early one day to snap the early morning light and caught this guy spraying his vines the quick way. He was pretty close so I don’t think I’ll be going down with vine weevil any time soon.

Kestrel

A bit later all four of us walked through the vines up the steep hill to the north of Bacharach, past this Kestrel, for more pictures of the Rhine.

Looking Down-River

The boat is the Goethe, a working paddle steamer.

We are moving on shortly and will head next towards the Moselle.

Tagged with: Bacharach, beer, Bingen, Blucher, cycling, Germany, Kaub, Mavis, motorhome, pfalz, photography, rhine, Stahleck, walking, wine
Posted in - Germany, Bacharach, May/June 2015, Rheinland-Palatinate

Concordes at Schlüsselfeld

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Peter and Nia — Leave a comment

Route to Aschbach

Every two years the Concorde factory in Aschbach, between Wurtzburg and Nuremberg , organises a beanfeast/get-together for Concorde owners and on Wednesday we drove further east to their factory at Aschbach, near the small town of Schlüsselfeld. With over 400 vehicles expected we had to arrive first at a large service area nearby and then drive in, in batches, so as not to gridlock the small village by the factory.

A Sprinkling of Concordes

We parked up with the other 10 or so British ex-pats. There was a preponderance of German Concordes but also many other nationalities; we were parked near some Norwegians, Belgians and French.

Joy, Felicity and Alan

After a welcome by the managing director on the first evening we went back to the parking platz for a few drinks and met the other Brits. What a lovely bunch! Joy and Alan from Norfolk produced an accordion and a violin and entertained us until it got too dark to read the music. The music was brilliant…enchanting and atmospheric.

Alan on the violin

The Chassis. Start Here.

On the first day we toured the factory and Patrick, the quality control manager, explained the process of turning a chassis into a fully formed motorhome, step by step. Patrick is, as his name suggests, Irish, and gave a fascinating exposition in a German/Irish brogue, sprinkled with a few ‘Excuse my French, but…….’. The delivery was priceless, pure stand-up, and alone well worth driving a few hundred miles to listen to.

On the second day Patrick took a group of us on a 16 mile tour of the area, mainly cycle tracks but through a couple of villages and with a refuelling stop in a beer garden.

Nia cornering on Two Wheels. Like she does in the Motorhome.

Nia cornering on Two Wheels. Like she does when she’s driving the Motorhome.

Bike Ride

The Bike Ride

I got ahead for once.

Willi

We weren’t the only cyclists to bring their dogs along.

Nia and Patrick

Nia chatting to Patrick after the ride. We must wear our lycra next time.

Entrance to Schlüsselfeld.

On the third day we took a trip to Sclüsselfeld. This is the Key House, or early péage, where the gate keeper extracted a toll from all visitors. Apparently he was locked in for a week at a time and we are guessing this was to stop him nicking out at night and spending the toll money on beer and ice cream.

Key house wall Decoration.

The schlüssel in Schlüsselfeld means key.

Inside the Key House

We walked up in to the gate tower and looked out of the top windows where a friendly stork was kindly posing for us.

Stork

We walked down the main street to the ice-cream parlour, only a hundred yards or so from the key house, and sat down for a serious scoffing session, with Eric and Dee.

House in Schlüsselfeld

Schnapps at Schlüsselfeld

The tour finished in the local park where we were treated to pretzels, german sausage and Schnapps.

The Barbecue

On the final evening there was entertainment from a good band and a dance troupe in the main hall, and we feasted on a barbecue cooked up by the motor-homes.

Frank Cooking

Peter, Lucy, Alan, Joy and Eric. And Dee’s right hand.

Ben, behind Alan.

Ben is the chief salesman at Southdowns’ motorhomes in Portsmouth, who had invited us along. He worked hard together, with Russell, one of Southdowns’ directors, to make sure everything went well.

Fireworks

Fireworks had been laid on for the final night and we watched a spectacular display, backed with music from Sky and other groups. Brilliant.

After saying our Goodbyes we left the next morning earlyish, heading back to the Rhine.

Tagged with: Aschbach, concorde, Germany, Mavis, motorhome, photography, Sclussenfeld
Posted in - Germany, Bavaria, May/June 2015, Schlüsselfeld