Kiwi on the Road - Our Motorhome Adventures: Germany 2025

Sunday 21st September - Farthing Common, Folkestone

We are now away for three weeks - one week on our own, one week with a Wandering Bird group and then the last week on our own. When we were in Europe in the spring we spent our last week with a Wandering Bird group round the Normandy Beaches. We enjoy touring on our own but it was really nice to be with other people too.

We had a Shuttle booked for the next day so drove down to Farthing Common, which isn’t far from Folkestone, and has a car park that allows overnight parking. The view was lovely overlooking the North Downs.

The North Downs Way runs through the car park so we gave Rio a good walk.

While I was cooking dinner I kept jumping out of the van to watch and take photos of a beautiful sunset.

A very strange thing happened during the evening. An old Fiat 500 pulled up next to us. It was driven by a girl and had a man in the passenger seat and also two people were stuffed into the back seat. Every now and again the two in the front would start hitting each other - I thought at first I would have to call 999, but it would stop and then start again - it sounded pretty violent. After about 15 minutes of this, the girl straightened her hair and they drove off. Very strange.

127 miles

Monday 22nd September - Mons

Oh boy did we have a bad night! We thought the car park was on a quiet road and it certainly wasn’t a big one, but it was obviously a rat run which seemed to start around 1am! We staggered out of bed and left at 8.15am.

We were only 10 minutes away from Le Shuttle. All went well at Pet Check in and before we knew where we were, we were on the train and heading for France. We thought we would be in with the lorries but there is a separate train for motorhomes, caravans and coaches.

It seemed strange to be passing east out of Calais as, in the past, we have always headed south. We stopped at Gravelines for LPG and fresh food before setting sail for Belgium in the pouring rain which, thank goodness, didn’t last too long.

The border between France and Belgium wiggles around but we didn’t cross it until we were almost in Mons, and then I almost missed it and certainly didn’t get a photo.

I Googled French/Belgium border wiggle as I wondered why it was so wonky. This is what it came up with! “France Belgium border wiggle" refers to a 2021 incident where a Belgian farmer accidentally moved a 200-year-old border stone with a tractor, shifting the border between the two countries by about 7.5 feet and making France smaller. The incident was discovered by a local historian, and while it caused a minor international stir, both Belgian and French mayors saw the humor in it, and the farmer was asked to move the stone back to its original position.

We missed the turning for Mons and had to go through the city which, thank goodness, is only a small one and easy to traverse.

We found our Camping-Car Park site and moored up. We had a pitch in the trees, well all the pitches were in the trees! We were pretty central to the city but the site felt quite rural. There was a park next to us with lots of statues in it so we took Rio for a walk which he was very grateful for!

Sightseeing tomorrow after, we hope, a peaceful night.

142 miles

Tuesday 22nd September - Mons

A slow start after a good night’s sleep, but we only had a short walk into the centre of the city. It was all uphill and on cobbles and my back soon started aching. We got to the Grand Place and stopped for a coffee. There is a lovely modern fountain in the middle - I bet it’s popular in the summer!

We had to pat the monkey for good luck. The monkey, officially known as Le Singe du Grand'Garde or the "Grand Guard Monkey," is believed to bring good luck to those who rub its polished head with their left hand. The statue's origins are mysterious, with theories suggesting it was an apprentice blacksmith's masterpiece, a tavern sign, or a pillory for naughty children.

Back into the Grand Place for lunch (we can’t get ourselves onto European time). There were lots of restaurants to choose from and we chose the one with the nicest plat du jour. We were able to take Rio inside and go upstairs which was nice as it was a bit chilly outside. Our plat was excellent for €13 and we had a bowl of some of the best frites we have ever had.

The history of the Grand Place is tied to its origins as a 12th-century market square, which grew into the heart of the city. It is dominated by the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall. The Grand Place also witnessed significant events, including the Battle of Mons in World War I and later served as a base for the Resistance during World War II.

After lunch we walked up (still on cobbles) to the Beffroi. No dogs, of course, so Richard gallantly stayed on the ground while I went up. There is a lift to the fifth floor, then I had to walk more steps up to the clock and then even more steps to the bells which I declined to do. To get down I had to do the steps to the ground - 127 of them and some very narrow. I’m not sure why I wasn’t allowed to go down in the lift!

Le Beffroi de Mons is a Baroque belfry built between 1661 and 1672 by Louis Ledoux and Vincent Anthony after the original bell tower collapsed in 1661. It is 285 feet tall, and is a former watchtower which once served to warn the city of dangers like fire and invasion. The belfry houses a carillon of 49 bells, which chime every quarter of an hour. The Belfry was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.