Europe 2026 - The end of a wonderful holiday

Sunday 19th April

Our last day 😕 I haven’t done a smiley or sad face as I’m not too sure how I feel. We have been away 6.5 weeks and I have had a wonderful time.   However, it is time to go home and catch up with family and friends.

Richard and I discussed the adjective we would use to describe the holiday, I said wonderful and Richard said lovely, but then I wouldn’t expect anything more from him!! 

We had a short journey to Hirel, just outside St. Malo.  The aire was a CampingCar Park and really lovely. No set spaces, just choose your spot under the trees, find the nearest electric point, plug in and that’s it!  There must have been 50 vans there and all French which we found rather strange.  We found our spot but couldn’t work out which way to face - we obviously need marked spaces! 

The aire is right beside the sea but there is a very wide green strip between the road and the beach. It looks as if it might flood on a spring tide. Rio loved it with lots of nice smells! 

Can you spot Mont St. Michel?

At the end of the aire is a sailess windmill.  Historically, Hirel was known for its windmills, which were vital for grinding grain produced in the surrounding polders and marshes. At one point, the area was dotted with several mills (up to seven in the local records), using the strong, consistent winds from the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. Beyond their industrial use, these mills served as essential "daymarks" or landmarks for sailors navigating the treacherous waters of the bay.  

Hirel is a premier destination for land sailing. Because the tide in the bay recedes for several kilometers, it leaves behind vast, flat sandy expanses that are perfect for these wind-driven vehicles.  We were lucky enough to see some land yachts out plus one using a kite sail. He was zipping around at quite a speed.

So that was the last day of our, almost, seven week holiday. Ferry home tomorrow.

Monday 20th April

It was an early start as we needed to be at the ferry at 8.30am. 

We drove right up the coast.  It was a long road through one village after another with, more often than not, no gap in the houses.  Yesterday we could see the mussel beds and oyster farms right out at sea and today it was all the wooden sheds where the mussels and oysters are prepared for sale.

We thought the road into St.  Malo was very quiet for the time of day, but maybe the French start work earlier than the British do!  All was fine until we came across a road closed with no “deviation”. We went round the roundabout a couple of times while I tried to think which way to go. Thankfully I chose the right way and Mrs Google soon caught up with us.

We were very early at the ferry port, but they do say 2 hours before if you have a dog.  The check-in guy gave me the microchip scanner to do Rio. I’ve done it quite a few times with both Rio and Muffin, but this time it would not work. We even tried a different scanner. I was getting rather worried as to what was going to happen if the chip wasn’t working. Thank goodness the scanner finally gave a beep and all was well!

We had quite a wait, as usual, before we could embark. It’s much nicer now with Kiwi as I spent some time sorting things out.

Once onboard we got to our cabin and settled down for the 8.5 hour crossing. Brittany Ferries offer one free hour of wifi, so I made use of that to finish off my online Tesco order and updating the blog.

It was a lovely smooth crossing and we were able to walk round the ship in a straight line! 

We had been late leaving St. Malo but we were early into Portsmouth. Last off the ship which is pretty typical with the dog, but only a 20 minute drive home. 

I had sorted out what we needed for the night so took that and the washing off, and sat down with a pizza. We were shattered.

We hadn’t been home long when Langstone Bridge was closed as someone was threatening to jump off it!  We could have been held up for a good 90 minutes.


Tuesday 21st April

To sum up.

47 days
2887 miles

I was looking back at last year's summary and I had said "in future we will spend at least two nights in most places".  Needless to say that didn't happen!  However, it seemed to work this year.  I kept missing bits out, so we have another list of places to either go back to or visit. 

I found my new best friend, Jem, invaluable.  I learnt so much more from him than just using Google and he was also quite good at planning routes.

We love camping off grid and next week Kiwi is going to have lithium batteries fitted so we can do a bit more without panicking about batteries.

I'm still not the person who can wing things, but I can now happily miss places out, change routes and look for different places to stay.  I think maybe the happy medium is where I will plonk myself. 

I think our 47 days was about right.  We were ready to go home, there was no sadness and no wishing we could go home a couple of weeks ago.

Brittany Ferries brought out their 2027 timetable a few weeks ago - almost three months early.  As the pet cabins on the Spanish routes book up quickly, I booked for next year!  Its a flexi ticket so can be changed if necessary.

We are only home for three weeks before we go to Ireland.  This is another Wandering Bird trip which is why the two trips are so close together.  There is a lot to fit into three weeks!

See you in Ireland :-)

These are a few photos which I like and that I don't think made it into the blog.

The Ale-Hop cow in the rain!

Rio snuggling down with his favourite toy - Koala

A pilgrim in Santiago de Compstela

A guy with a cat on his shoulder! 

Rio ready for the off!

No comment needed!!!

Isn't this what a holiday is all about?

Suggestions please!

Rio just loves resting his chin

Two Easter bunnies

Large chunk of marble for people to sit on

Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graça, Elvas

The Forte de Santa Luzia, Elvas

The person who left this footprint has a very long big toe!

Europe 2026 - A lovely visit to Cognac - but neither of us like it, what a waste!

Thursday 16^th April

When I wake up I always lower the blind a few inches to see what the weather is doing. This morning the sun was streaming through the trees and it was really pretty.

As we drove along we passed some giant sand dunes.  There were a line of people of the top of one of them, they looked like ants!

Cognac today - that’s the place, not the drink!  We went last year but only stayed one night and Richard said he would like to go back, so go back we did!

We had noticed a lot of cars with the letter A on the back. We had a feeling it was probably a new driver but we were really surprised with the rules the newbies have to adhere to. The A stands for Apprenti (Apprentice) and is a legal requirement for new drivers in France. Anyone who has just passed their driving test and is in their probationary period usually the first 3 years, or 2 years if they did "AAC" (a French initiative allowing teens (15+) to learn to drive early, boosting success rates to 70%).  There are strict rules for "A" drivers. They must go slower on major roads. For example, while the standard limit on a motorway is 130 km/h, a new driver is restricted to 110 km/h and there is zero tolerance for alcohol.  I’m surprised that there aren’t more cars with A stickers on.

We made a quick stop at Cognac’s Intermarche which we had visited last year, but it has since had a complete revamp and was pretty amazing. I didn’t dare spend too much time in there!

Mrs Google got it so wrong after she was programmed to get to our aire from the supermarket. The actual aire is on the river but on the opposite bank to where Google took us!  As we had been before, between us we were able to get to the right place.

The aire was very quiet so we had a good choice of pitch.

We took Rio for a lovely walk along the river and found a very interesting structure in the river. Richard said they had been building it when we were here last year.  It turns out that it is a piece of art by architect and artist Feda Wardak called “La Maison sur le Fleuve" (The House on the River).  It isn’t a house it’s a floating, "living" work of art designed to sit on the Charente River. It is described as a "floating unidentified object".

We walked past a building that used to be an abattoir. The 19th century saw the population of Cognac grow from 3,000 to 18,000 so new infrastructure was needed to supply food for the inhabitants. The abattoir was the first of these new buildings. The town's architect chose a site close to the river since access to water was essential. A branch of the river was filled in and replaced with a street. Two parallel roofed buildings were constructed for slaughtering the animals; The abattoir was finally closed in 1987 and after a period, the site was transformed into a concert hall dedicated to the music of today.  Les Abattoirs is a premier contemporary music venue which hosts about 40 concerts a year.

The aire filled up during the evening but it wasn’t full which is always a bonus.

Friday 17^th April

Rio had to go to the vet to have his “fit to travel” examination and worming tablet so he can get back into the UK. We have been so lucky with the vets in the EU, they are so friendly and speak really good English.

From the vets we walked to Les Halles, a covered market, only it is closed!  There is major renovation work taking place which began in late 2025 and is expected to continue throughout 2026.  I have to say that the outside looks rather sad.  Fortunately, a temporary market has been set up in a marquee and I could have spent a fortune in there!  I did however buy a large slice of quiche and some Dauphinose potatoes with truffles in!

We walked to the Place Francois I for a coffee. Sadly, I guess as it’s the school holidays, the square was dominated by a children’s carousel so we missed seeing the statue of King Francis I, who was born in the city and who the square is named after.

I had seen that there was a lovely old house in one of the streets so we looked it out.   The Maison de la Liutenance was the residence of Pierre Lacombe, lieutenant-general of Cognac, from 1603 to 1624. He initiated its reconstruction, although the sculptures on the wooden posts probably date back to the 15th century.

The other place that Jem told us to visit was the Le Jardin Public (Public Garden).  It is one of the few English-style gardens in France and serves as a peaceful escape right in the center of town. Spanning seven hectares, it was created by joining the grounds of two adjacent private mansions that were acquired by the town at different times.  In 1889, the commune purchased the Otard de la Grange mansion. By 1892, the building was transformed into the town hall (Hôtel de Ville). The landscape architect Édouard André was commissioned to redesign the surrounding park, where he introduced the sunken garden style and various water features that are still visible today.  In 1921, the town purchased the neighboring Dupuy d'Angeac mansion, which now serves as the Museum of Art and History.  We sat and were mesmerised by the fountains as they kept stopping and starting. I was looking at the history of the gardens and discovered that its historical and aesthetic value was officially recognized in 1943-1944 when it was classified as a monument historique.

As the gardens were made a historical monument during WWII, we wondered what part, if any, Cognac played during the war.  In fact it occupied a strategic and often tense position within occupied France. Because of its famous namesake spirit and its proximity to the Atlantic coast, the town was of significant interest to the German forces.  Many of the grand merchant houses and châteaux were requisitioned to house German officers and administrative offices.  The Cognac-Châteaubernard airbase became a vital installation for the Luftwaffe. It was used as a base for long-range maritime patrol aircraft, such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 "Condor," which targeted Allied shipping in the Atlantic. Because of the airbase, Cognac became a target for Allied air raids. The most significant strikes occurred in 1943 and 1944 as the Allies sought to disable German aerial capabilities before and after D-Day. 

The cognac industry faced a unique challenge. The Nazis were highly interested in France’s wine and spirits, not just for consumption but as a source of foreign currency.  A key figure during this time was Gustav Klaebisch, the German Sonderführer (specialist leader) appointed to oversee cognac production. Interestingly, Klaebisch had a background in the spirits trade and was relatively protective of the region's stocks.  While the Germans "purchased" vast quantities of cognac (often with occupation currency), the efforts of local producers and sympathetic overseers like Klaebisch helped prevent the total pillaging of the oldest and rarest "Paradis" cellars.

The Charente region had an active Resistance movement. Local groups worked to sabotage German rail lines and gather intelligence on the movements at the airbase.  Resistance members frequently targeted the infrastructure supporting the Luftwaffe base, providing coordinates to British intelligence for bombing runs.  After Cognac was liberated in September 1944 the FFI (French Forces of the Interior) and local citizens reclaimed the town.

After our history lesson we went back to the Place Francois 1 for lunch. A Croque Madame each and we were ready to walk back to Kiwi where we spent a very relaxing afternoon in the shade.

The quiche and Dauphinose potatoes were excellent 😃

You are looking at the portal of the former Hôtel de l'Indivision, located on Rue de l'Isle, right in the heart of the old town (Vieux Cognac). This archway is a classic example of the 18th-century "Grand Siècle" style that characterizes much of the town's wealthy merchant history. 

Saturday 18^th April

Last night the internet was full of the fact that UK citizens can no longer use EU pet passports. This was all because of a letter that was released from the APHA (Animal and Plant Health Authority) saying this. However the EU haven’t released this and their website still says that a current pet passport can be used until it is full then a new one will not be issued and that from April 22nd no new passports will be issued to non EU residents.  The next few weeks could be interesting.

We left the aire and headed to the Intermarche but the car park was rammed, hardly any car spaces let alone a space for a motorhome.

Mrs Google took us a very scenic route to get to the motorway. It was lovely though, as we were driving through acres and acres of vines. Some were very advanced and some looked as if they had only just woken up after winter.

Once we got to the motorway the traffic was very heavy, we drove into one service areas and there wasn’t anywhere to park - the whole place was heaving.

We needed one last supermarket visit before going home and I wanted it to be a Carrefour. I found one that was 1km off our route, which was handy. In one of my previous Carrefour visits I had bought a wooden box which has been really useful and doesn’t slide around the floor. We had decided that two more would be useful. The Nantes Carrefour was HUGE but I couldn’t find any wooden boxes anywhere. I was really p****d off as I had seen them in the last store I had been into.   C’est la vie!

Our aire was in a town called Blain, just north of Nantes and on the edge of the Nantes-Brest Canal which is one of the most ambitious engineering feats of 19th-century France. Stretching roughly 226 miles, it winds through the heart of the Breton countryside, offering a mix of wild river valleys, medieval castles, and tranquil towpaths.  Work began in 1806 under Napoleon I and was opened in 1842. The goal was to provide an inland supply route for the port of Brest to bypass the British naval blockade during the Napoleonic Wars.  It originally featured 238 locks to navigate the varying elevations of Brittany’s "interior spine."  However in 1923, the construction of the Guerlédan hydroelectric dam flooded a section of the canal, effectively splitting it in two. Today, the canal remains unnavigable by boat for its full length, though the towpath remains continuous for cyclists and hikers. 

We walked along the canal to the little port of Blain.  There were a couple of nice “house” boats but the rest looked pretty tatty, including one very strange one!  You can hire boats on the canal and then go onto the River Vilane in Nantes. I don’t think that is for us.

There are 17 pitches on the aire and up until 8pm we were the only ones there until a French van joined us.