WELCOME HOME

We sleep in a bit later than intended, use the service point and set off on our last bit of convoy travelling, with 32 miles and 1.25 hours on the satnav, not that we need it from here.

Blue sky, more corn and sunflowers and rising temperatures accompany us along the way.  The river is sparkling as we cross the bridge into Lussac les Chateaux, where we paused for lunch 20 weeks ago.

Montmorillon is quiet and once we turn off towards the village we don’t pass another car the whole nine miles.  Entering the village we see work being done on the chateau walls and the gate is open.

Then a real treat; driving into our lane another field of sunflowers, 100m from home.

Pulling in beside the house all is looking well, thanks to Steve and his mower.  Sure there is lots of weeding and strimming, but nothing like the jungle we feared.

Ali opens up the house and finds the power has been interrupted at some point and the [minimal] contents, fruit from last year’s harvest and a small amount of meat has leaked across the floor.  It’s unpleasant but soon mopped up, although we decide to leave the house air and stay in the van tonight.  The temperature peaks at 32c meaning cold beers are welcome.

Christian comes over from No.6 with all of our mail they have kept for us, and he says he is pleased we are back and healthy.

We enjoy a lovely return home meal of caprese, steak with salad and French fries finished with tiramisu.

All is good, all quiet save for the contented clucks of Christian’s chickens going to roost, and as the sun turns the sky blood red, the evening chorus of frogs.

ANGERS [TRAFFIC] MANAGEMENT

A really peaceful night’s sleep, awaking to the rustle of the trees around us.

The river is a perfect mirror reflecting a myriad of greens from the trees and grassy banks. A couple of campers amble towards the river with fishing rods, apparently carp is common here.

Nick carefully programmes both satnavs to take us on the outermost route around Angers, as we know the normal ‘rocade’ [ring road] is often manic.

We set off and enjoy the scenery of our southerly loop, with frequent views of the river along shady avenues, until we get to the outskirts of Pont Ce and our exit from a roundabout is marked ‘Route Barre 700m’.  The satnav says to turn off in 700 yds so we follow other traffic towards the closure, which we reach before our turn off.  The only option is through the supermarket car park and follow the deviation signs.  It would help if they marked ‘Deviation Paris’, ‘Deviation Angouleme’ etc so you have an idea where you’re going, but no.

Fifteen minutes round the houses we arrive back at the roundabout.  Trying to programme Snoopy is fruitless, he hasn’t a clue the road is closed and just bongs at every ‘wrong’ turn.  We try to get to the toll-free section of the A87, east of us but south out of Angers, but just go in circles due to the avoid-toll settings which think all of A87 is toll.  Once more we return to the closed roundabout, backtrack where we came in and take the narrow road through the centre of Pont Ce.  Our arrival time is now showing 70 minutes later than it did when we started. 

Anyway, it’s a good job we stopped early yesterday, as our intended stop was Port Maillard, south east of Angers and would have used this non-route.

Back on familiar roads past Brissac Quince, where we stop for lunch, and Montrieul Bellay we enter the Loire vineyards, looking lush and green in the sunshine and promising a good crop.

South of the vineyards there are acres, no, square miles of golden cornfield and sunflowers.  We stop a number of times to enjoy the scenery together for a few minutes, you cannot share it from separate vehicles, and Ali misses the higher viewpoint from the van.  The sunflowers become a yellow blur as we drive past, every head facing the sun.

Eventually we see the first Montmorillon sign, but decide that getting home is just a bit too far with all our delays so we take the two mile detour off the main road to the aire at Nieuil l'Espoir where we stayed 4 years ago.  There are a few other vans in, but fewer than half the places taken.  It’s a hot, sultry evening and once the traffic calms down the sound of swallows is all around.

RADIO GA GA

A lovely sunny start to the morning.  

After the radio interview, with James Churchfield, we plan today’s route, drive into town for ‘Beetle juice’ and rejoin the N12 to Rennes.

Traffic is light until we skirt Rennes and take the road towards Janze.  We’ve decided not to flog the distances this time so it’s a steady run, mostly dual carriageway, through golden fields, cream coloured cattle and a couple of stretches of sunflowers.  Summer in France as beautiful as ever

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We stop near Pouance for lunch then it’s less than 30 miles to the aire at Grez Neuville, where we stayed on our way to Italy in 2017.  It is a lovely spot, shaded by trees with the wide, slow river Mayenne drifting by.

After a week of checking, packing and fretting in case of cancellations, it is time to soak up the atmosphere, chill out and relax. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Annick’s drive is a sloping turning space with a 1 in 4 descent between stone walls to the main road.  Mary Lou’s brakes are rusty and Nick hasn’t driven anything except a corkscrew since February.  It’s a nervy three point turn and a grinding noise down between the narrow stone walls and we are back on the road, Ali following in her Beetle.

We stop in Landivisiau to visit SuperU.  The checkout has distancing markers and the clerk wears a mask, but there are no one way systems or screens.  Then, French supermarkets are never as busy as UK ones either.

We have a sandwich, refuel the van and head back to the N12.  Traffic is quite busy and with the shopping time added we decide our planned destination is too far today so we stop at Caulnes, in a park near the old wash house.  Ali finds a message inviting us to an interview on Radio Cornwall tomorrow, so she rings presenter, Julie Skentelbery, to accept.

Our neighbours, Clive and Theresa, call us on a video chat and Ali takes the phone outside to show them around.

Four more vans arrive over the hour, kids in the park finish their games and we are left with the evening birdsong and lovely sunshine.  It is still daylight when we turn into bed.

WELL HELLO MARY LOU

Armorique arrives in Roscoff eleven hours later, by which time we have had our Club Voyage complimentary breakfast.

Disembarkation is called in colour groups defined by a coloured square on the boarding cards.  We leave the ship, clear customs and drive into Roscoff to tidy the things [overnight bag, wheelchair, sticks] we threw into the car on the car deck.

It’s just over an hour to Annick’s house where Mary*Lou has been stored since February.  Elijah has washed her for us and apart from cobwebs and a bag of vegetable slime all is well inside.  We get the electric hooked up and start charging the battery.  Annick has hurt her back and needs rest, plus with us being tired we abandon plans of going into their house for lunch, but she sends Elijah out with a spag-bol that we just have to warm through.

After lunch we decide to try the engine.  Nick turns the key, the engine turns over sluggishly three times then fires and she’s running sweetly.

Later we inflate the tyres, flush and fill the water tank and wash the fridge ready for use.

Supper comes out of a jar from the back of the cupboard, a pork cassoulet we bought on a France Passion, with a couple of glasses of wine.  Tired out but relieved to finally be back with the van results in a long, deep sleep.

POST VIRAL ESCAPE

Anything and everything that can be crammed into Ali’s Beetle has been.  We leave home at around 16:45, sent on our way by flag-waving Clive, Theresa and Bet.

Just afterTrerulefoot roundabout we stop and eat our pasties then continue to the Torpoint ferry, cross the Tamar and head into Millbay.

Check in is unusual, we are asked if we have masks and when we confirm we have we are told we should be wearing them.  We said we expected to have to leave them off for passport control but are told they can tell by a person’s eyes.

At security everyone in the car ahead of us is asked to leave the vehicle while they inspect inside.  When our turn comes the guard sees Nick’s wheelchair sticker and tells us he won’t be searching ours.

Only two cars have 9P stickers and we are both directed onto Armorique’s Deck 5 by the lifts. A crew member takes the other car’s passengers in one lift while we go in another, straight to our cabin 9118.  Everyone in public spaces must wear a mask.

We are parched so Ali fetches us some beer and at 22:00 Armorique casts off.

It’s a choppy crossing and whether it is aided by excitement or relief, we don’t sleep well.