Shakedown Trip - UK to Morocco Days 1-4 Not a Very Good Start Monday 13 - Friday 17 July 2009 Day 1 - Vehicle Breakdown Day one of our trip and we came down to earth with a bang.. We had already missed our 10am ferry from the UK as packing and preparation over the weekend took longer than planned. This was not a problem as we managed to catch a later ferry at 13:00 hours. Jessica and AJ slept most of the way there but then, having not even reached our first destination in France following our ferry from Dover to Calais, our vehicle broke down at approx 18:00 hours UK time on the motorway. This was despite the vehicle being modified and fully serviced before leaving and having only driven a total of about 350 miles total distance so far. The vehicle just died suddenly as if power had been lost. Following attempts to diagnose and fix problem at the roadside, it took a huge flat bed lorry and a very nice engineer to come to our rescue, capable of towing our fully loaded vehicles (4460kg combined gross vehicle weight including us), off the motorway and then onto a local garage. We were all a bit knackered from the long weekend preparations and then the journey but the children although a little bit agitated from the long day, coped brilliantly and great excitement was had sitting in the huge truck as it towed us and our vehicles away. From here, two taxis were arranged for us, one of which had the job of towing our 2T caravan with 4 x bikes now inside (taken from roof of Land Rover), plus Anne, the children and their car seats (AJ had fallen asleep (again!) by this stage). Surprisingly, a Renualt Espace seemed to manage the caravan with extraordinary ease. The second vehicle took Andrew and our vehicle full of luggage, equipment and supplies. The guys who took us in the taxis as well as the tow rescue engineer were fantastic and did everything they could to help us. Having left the UK at 07:30 hours, we finally arrived onto our campsite around 23:00 - 23:30 hours. The two taxi people helped us unload and settle in on arrival to our site which was about another 1.5 hour journey. Luckily, we had brought two lightweight pop up tents originally intended for the children or for guests (or Andrew’s smelly feet!!!!!) to use. Each tent takes 2 seconds to pop-up and we used these to store all luggage and equipment etc. from the vehicle. Without these, we reckon we would have been totally stuck as we could not get all of our stuff into the caravan. We decided that bringing these tents is essential for any future trips. We would also have been stuffed if we’d had to rely on a roof tent or not been able to get the caravan towed for us. All way around, we took some positives, the main one being that we’re glad this failure has happened on day one of our trip so we know better how to cope and deal should another such event occur along our journey. So far, we’re very lucky to have made our first campsite destination with the children relatively unscathed. A real inauguration. We now just have the small matter of getting our vehicle back following repair at some stage in the next few days so we can continue our journey. We finally dropped liked stones into our beds well after midnight. Luckily we did not have to set-up our beds but just climb in with our sleeping bags. We’d like to extend our huge thanks and kindness to everyone who helped us in our rescue, even the campsite guard who helped us to our pitch in the after hours darkness. Everyone was so nice and sympathetic to us and couldn’t do enough to help us. A lovely welcome in our first foray into to France. We used Adrian Flux for vehicle insurance at a cost of £506 for the year. We only took this insurance on Friday before leaving and so far the insurance company has been great and we have certainly got our money’s worth so far! Day 2 - A Bit of a Rest We are staying at a lovely huge campsite (have to cycle to the toilets) with lots of facilities to keep the children entertained called La Croix du Vieux Pont www.la-croix-du-vieux-pont.com in the Compiegne and right on the banks of the Berny-Riviére. It is situated in Pays de la Vallée del’Aisne between Vic-Sur-Aisne and Fontenoy. The area is steeped in lots of war history though the area was hardly hit by world war I. There are plenty of points on interest including military cemetries which also includes a German military cemetery, front line markings and plenty of memoriums for those who died in the Great War. We spent our first day taking things really easy (still too knackered from the previous days of packing plus yesterday’s vehicle fiasco). The only thing we have been trying to get to grips with is the cost of everything which is very expensive and we fear our budget will be well exceeded by the time we leave. The important thing is that we are here. Lots of cycling about the site and it is a massive area - bikes are really de rigeur just on the campsite alone. You can hire but we brought our own. Children spent some time playing and in the little man made outdoor beach on-site. In between times was spent relaxing, eating and organising our packing system in each of the tents a bit better. One tent for luggage, first aid, towels and things we need daily. The other tent is assigned to vehicle spares and equipment which have no use for us right now. Day 3 - Cycling Route We did a long cycle circuit firstly into the local town of Vic-Sur-Aisne where we came across our very first chateau and it’s beautiful grounds. Then onward along an old railway track route (designated cycle route), onto the town or village of Fontenoy and then back to our campsite. AJ’s chain snapped on his bike so poor daddy (Andrew) had the unfortunate job of having to pull along AJ and his bike as well as his own along endless upward hills at this point. But our reward at the end was a French pub and café at the end of the route where 3 rounds of alcohol and a long rest were in order before making the final short route back to our campsite in time for a late dinner at around 9pm. The cycle trip nearly killed Jessica who, being so fair, melted quite a bit in the heat. We had plenty of water, sun cream and hats but the children’s (especially Jessica’s) capability in this heat is something we must watch carefully. We found some useful places along the way - local chemist, ATM Bank, supermarket, tourist information office - hopefully these will help us control our costs a bit better. Overall, a very beautiful area and surrounds - very tranquil, oldy worldy and peaceful with Roman sites. Day 4 - Housekeeping and Swimming We were originally planning to bring Jessica and AJ into Paris today but we think they’d be better off not being hauled through a long day’s sightseeing. In addition, on enquiring, the coach for this trip is fully booked so our mind was made up for us. Andrew and Anne have both been to Paris before so for the children, there will be an opportunity for them to see e.g. the Eiffel Tower another time. Instead, it’s been swimming in the indoor swimming pool on all the curly slides and fixing AJ’s bike chain in the local village. We also did some housekeeping (vehicle status - of which no news as yet and we call daily, web update, some clothes washing and preparation to take the children to DISNEYLAND tomorrow). Disneyland very expensive and we haven’t even got there yet (54 euros for the coach return - not so bad but entrance tickets 188.00 Euros for all 4 of us - phew!). Day 5 - Disneyland and How the Rain Came It poured out of the heavens last night with storms and we discovered where all of our caravan roof leaks are. We had to tip the roof several times in the night and use duck tape to seal any tears and containers and cloths to catch any drips. Our awning collapsed about 2am in the morning having collected a pool of water on it’s roof. But we are still smiling. Today found us in Disneyland and we had to meet the coach at 7.50am to leave for the day. In total we did not get much change out of 450.00 - 500.00 euros we reckon between food, tickets, coach, toys etc. but the children loved it. The place is huge with lots to do and Jessica and AJ now have the trip in the number one spot in their favourites list followed by the swimming pool on the campsite (AJ) and forest cycling along old rail tracks (Jessica). We all tried FROGS LEGS in the campsite restaurant that evening and we all liked. We’ll never look at a frog in our garden back home in the same way again! They are delicious! Jessica and AJ also tried muscles in garlic and creamy white wine and liked also. We have brought lots of dried food with us - rice, pasta etc. and also 3 huge boxes of weetabix along with long-life milk and sugar, biscuits, crisps. To start with we used the restaurant but so expensivec, now our daily routine includes two baquettes each morning and shopping for some fresh meat for barbeque each evening Day 6 - Hire Vehicle Collection and A week of Calamaties We managed to hire a vehicle from Epernay today (about 200km away) which brought a tour of the Champagne area en-route. Anne went solo and managed to crash the car on the way back after only having had it for just 10 minutes. A sign of our trip itinerary to come. Anne managed to get to see the stunning vineyards throughout the Champagne region and see the historic black looking cathedral of Soissons on the return route so not all was lost. The vehicle she crashed into as well as ours are now badly scatched and dented along both sides with no mirrors - good job hey! The vehicle owner of the other stationery vehcile was really nice - owned a hunting shop and Anne spent most of the afternoon there filling out accident form and exchanging details required. The owner luckily was very kind and not angry at all and I was nice to meet him and other members of his establishment. We are getting to meet a great deal many people in our calamaties - not planned but one way of doing it. Back on our campsite, our neighbours Henk, Silla and Nick have been very kind and gave AJ a rocket toy to play with and us a tin of soup from their hometown in Denmark. They have a little dog called Sem and Jessica and AJ spend much time annoying and playing with everyone there - they do not have much choice with our two around. People we meet are so nice and kind in every way and the French in general are really great - everyone very friendly and hospitable and kind and very nice. It has made all the difference to our experience of France so far. St Croix du Viuex Pont campsite where we are staying is excellent with very good facilities for everyone. We cannot fault and the reception staff have gone out of their way to help us as much as they can. Very tempting not to leave. For 6 nights camping on a beautiful pitch we paid a total of 204.00 euros (approx 34.00 Euros per night for vehicle, caravan, 2 adults and 2 children with water and electricity. Children have never been bored as so much to do - outdoor beach, big indoor swimming pool, cycling, basketball, football, bouncy castle, mini car circuit to name but a few. Day 7 - Sunday 19th July Visit to Pierrefonds and Decisions about what to do next Our vehicle saga continues. Caravan is about to go into storage within local Vic-sur-Aisne village so we can continue our journey using vehicle hire rental. We have missed out on Paris and Mont St Michel which we had planned as a result of vehicle fiasco but luckily we had made no firm bookings for any accommodation in these areas. We are planning to head for the Loire Valley next and then onto Clermont Ferrand. We are unable to camp at our next site as planned though we could use pop-up tents (best two items we’ve brought yet as they have really saved our bacon in more ways than one!) but worried about the rain storms we have experienced and how we will fair. Jessica and AJ however have taken an executive decision and decided we are going to stay in the pop up tents - mum with Jess and dad with AJ - so we’re decided. From tomorrow we will be caravan-less and vehicle-less bar the now damaged the hire car we have. Today we visited the beautiful chateau of Pierrefonds, much different to that of Vic-sur-Aisne. We are beginning to learn that chatueaux come in many varying shapes, sizes and beauty. Pierrefonds is a gorgeous town - very pretty and well worth a visit if your ever in the area. Weather still not great but perfect for sight-seeing as much cooler and not too hot. Jessica spent all her time on the bike ramp in the car park while AJ slept the whole way through. Andrew and Anne took turns cycling into Pierrefonds from the car park to see the sites and village there which is set over the river. Everyone happy! Day 8 Monday 20th July Berny Riviere to Sonzay (and Vehicle-less) We decided to take all our belongings including the pop-up tents and drive to Sonzay over 200 miles away and deeper toward central France. The hire car we have is unable to take everything so we have left some stuff behind including our caravan (unable to get a hire car with tow hitch). It is currently in storage with a very kind gentleman called Etienne (Stephen) who has a shop on the campsite at Berny Riviere and who also lives in the local Vic-Sur-Aisne village. Etienne came and towed our caravan to his home. So, the caravan is now there, the Land Rover is situated at a Land Rover garage in Amiens and we are in Sonzay with two pop up tents, a hire car and what feels like a very dis-organised load of junk. Not exactly how we envisaged our trip. But we are, where are and we are, and we are determined to make the best of it. We managed to avoid the expensive toll roads and spent probably 5.5 hours driving including 2-3 stops along the way. Route into Sonzay is full of sunflower fields which are very pretty and Jessica and AJ spent much time watching DVD’s in the car, eating, sleeping and generally asking ‘how much longer is it?’. We spent the late evening settling in and cooking dinner using Coleman Dual Fuel Stove and our Cobb to barbeque. Day 9 - Sonzay/Amboise At the Sonzay campsite last night, we met a married couple called George and Keith (bikers) on their return home journey from Spain back to the UK. They made us feel better as they are travelling only with one small pop up tent on their pitch so we don’t feel so sad. We had drinks together the same night till the early hours and both George and Keith happen to know a lot about Land Rovers. They explained that brand new cam belts should not go after just 350 miles and can’t understand why odds of the 1 in 20 rule would apply and that we should get back on the phone. Early morning, we spent time with George and Keith trading weetabix and coffee for vehicle sympathy before they left for their long drive to Calais and finally home. We spent some time swimming in the blistering heat on the campsite to cool us down before spending what felt like half a day on the phone trying to find out about status of our vehicle. Finally by afternoon, we determined the garage have performed their checks and it is the timing belt, one joint, rocker arm assembly, push rod and a timing belt kit which are required. We are now waiting for the quote in order to authorise the work to be performed on Friday. Up until now, we started to think about other options available to us e.g.: A) Repatriate vehicle back to the UK (10-15 days to organise) B) Get Foley’s to see list and arrange for them to send a mechanic to France by ferry with the parts to see if they can fix C) Continue our journey using public transport We have been in touch with Foley’s throughout and Paul Foley spent the day on the phone today on our behalf speaking with the garage together with someone in his family who can speak French, while we dealt with the insurance company to try to hurry things along. Paul is sending one of the parts required to the garage directly in Amiens that they will find hard/long lead time to source - hopefully should arrive with them on Thursday. We had a call from Lee from Landyzone forum today offering to help us and get our caravan at least towed somewhere safe e.g. Clermont where we have an aunt or possibly to Lee’s house about the same distance away from where we are staying in Sonzay. If the vehicle is going to be ready on Friday however, this won’t now be necessary as we will hopefully be able to get ourselves and start our trip finally as we intended. Lee and his family are very kind, offering us a place to stay at their home if we need to. In any case, we are obliged to bring back hire car to Epernay which we have until 28th with a possible extension until the 8th August if we need. Sonzay is a beautiful area with sunflower fields all round. The town like all others we have seen is mixed with some very old, old buildings along with new. Where we are staying is a very simple but pretty campsite. We are in the Touraine region of the the Loire Valley, very close to Tours, Amboise, Azay le Rideau, Chenconceau and Villandry. It is a beautiful area and we don’t wonder why the French are so proud of their country - so far, very pretty, elegant, romantic and tranquil with fantastic sites and scenery. Today, we had our feet in the Loire River which is absolutely gorgeous during a visit to Amboise to see the chateau there and Leonardo Da Vinci’s residence. There are so many chateaux at every turn and all so grand and awe inspiring. We passed through Rochecorbon with it’s houses and wine cellars carved into the rocks in the landscape behind us. On the way back we passed through Tours and Luynes, onto Pernay and finally back to Sonzay for our evening meal. We saw another Landrover on the banks of the Loire with a Maggiolina roof tent but too far away for AJ to want to walk to so we could speak to them about their trip and what they are doing. AJ brought ‘ooo, ooo’ his monkey (or Dorbei as he has been renamed in the past few months) and Jessica brought her doll Joe so they got to do some sight-seeing too. Jessica’s Diary Getting Jessica to do her diary has been a bit of a struggle. To get her into the habit (and us!), we decided to make Jessica do as compulsory after breakfast and before any fun activities or lounging about occurs through each day. Here is what Jessica has written so far which we have spell-checked with her as she goes: Page 1 “This summer I am spending the whole holiday in France, Spain and Morocco. (It is going to be so hot!) I am going with my mum dad and little brother. We are going for seven and a half weeks. We are travelling in a Land Rover and caravan (We are taking our bikes) We are crossing the English Channel”. Page 2 Jessica has hand drawn a map of the countries we are visiting and we are going to help her add to this throughout our trip (e.g. our route and points of places we have visited) including a key. Page 3 Left blank Page 4 “13.07.09 Today we set off in our Land Rover. We had to travel all the way to Dover to get our ferry. We missed the first one so had to get the next boat, two hours later. When we got to France, we arrived at the French port of Calais”. Jessica has drawn a picture on arrival of what she saw (harbour/port, and beach with people. She has also drawn the boat tip. Page 5 “After travelling for about 3 hours (we had driven a total of 351 miles from our house not including the ferry time), our car broke down. It took a huge flatbed lorry plus two taxis to come and rescue us“. Page 6 “14.07.09 On the fisrt day me dad and little brother went to the outdoor swimming pool. It was too cold for me so I went back to mum at the caravan. I learned how to cycle without holding onto the handle bar. We saw fireworks that night”. Jessica has draen a picture of fireworks on this page. Tuesday was a bank holiday in France which is why she saw the fireworks n (Bastille Day). Page 7 “15.07.09 Today we went to the forest on our bikes and we cycled along an old railway line. We were out for about 4 hours. It got very hot and my brother‘s bike chain came off”. Page 8 “16.07.09 Today we went to the indoor swimming pool. Me and my brother went on the big slide that goes all the way outside! It was so fun. I went on the bumpy slide but I wasn’t able to properly swim so my dad had to help me out of the pool at the bottom.” Page 9 “17.07.09 Today we went to Disneyland. We went on Buzz Lightyear with laser gun ride. I drove a little car and got a license to drive! How cool is that? I also went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. In the evening I tried frogs legs. They were delicious. Page 10 “18.07.09 Today mum hired a car and scratched it down the side and smashed the wing mirror and nowe we don’t have any wing mirror.” Page 11 “19.07.09 We all went for a drive in our new broken van. We had our bikes in the boot of the car. My brother was asleep the whole time so I took his bike and rode on the big ramp at the park there.” Page 12 “20.07.09 Today we packed up our stuff and set-off to our next location. It was over 200 miles away and took us about 5.5 hours. That night we met George and Keith who were travelling back from Spain to England on their motorbike.