Biscarrosse, Bayonne, Biarritz and Basque

Posted on October 6, 2026 by Jo F

We left Gavarnie on a very wet morning (Thursday, October 1) with very low cloud so we decided against visiting other cols en route as we wouldn’t see anything!

Our first stop was Pau to see the chateau and the medieval town. Naturally, the chateau was shut for lunch when we arrived but we could wander around the outside of it before exploring the city itself.

It was a long driving day as our destination was the Dune de Pilat near Biscarrosse, not that far south of Bordeaux. We had planned to visit it last year but the weather had turned so we changed our plans. The dune itself is 100m above sea level and covers an extraordinary area. We parked up and walked to the top of it. Photos don’t do it justice regarding the sheer scale of it.

We then drove onto our park up for the night which was a Camping Car Park aire (P4N#3694), nestled in a pine forest less than ten minutes to Les Viviers beach. It was so idyllic that we booked in for an extra night.

The next day we drove up to Arcachon to catch the ferry to Cap Ferret. It took us the best part of an hour to find somewhere to park that would allow us to stay for more than two hours. Nightmare. Finally, found a spot outside of town and cycled to the ferry port. Caught the midday ferry over, (where bikes are put on top of the boat!) and then cycled up to the village of L’Herbe to have oysters and crevettes for lunch at a seafood shack, Chez Guillaume, washed down with a wee glass of wine. Although Cap Ferret isn’t an island, it sure feels like one – Ile de Re meets Nantucket. Great cycle paths and upmarket shops in the main town of Bélisaire.

After lunch we cycled down to Cap Ferret point but the dune was closed to visitors so we cycled back to the lighthouse and climbed its 200 plus steps to the top. We were rewarded with fantastic views of the dune.

Back to our camping car park aire to watch another sunset with a beer.

The next morning, Liz’s cold was getting worse so we had a leisurely morning chilling before leaving our campsite just before 14.00 to drive 86 miles to Ondres Municipal Camping Car Aire (P4N#132008), just north of Bayonne and right on the beach. This cheered Liz up being next to a beach.

On Sunday, October 4, we had tickets to the refurbished Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne as all museums are free to entry on the first Sunday of every month. We drove the short distance to Bayonne around 10.00 and managed to find a place to park near the station on the northern side of the river. It was incredibly busy for a Sunday morning so we were very lucky to find a space.

Bayonne has an interesting history, having been around since at least Roman times. There are still Roman towers around the town that were converted into homes, one of them known as the Executioner’s House!It is the French Basque capital and was once even under English control after Eleanor of Aquitaine’s marriage to Henry II. It was a lovely city to wander round and we popped into the Basque museum that ensured that the Basque culture, history and traditions were recorded. Bayonne became famous for its chocolatiers as Jews fled to the city following their expulsion from Spain in 1492 bringing their chocolate making skills with them. The Bonnat-Helleu museum had a number of masters’ paintings in there, including Constable, Reynolds, Degas as well as Léon Bonnat himself. Overall, though, it was slightly underwhelming. Bizarrely, the cathedral is known for its two steeples, only one of which is kept clean!

We then drove onto Biarritz some 30 minutes away on the coast, still very much in the Basque region. We didn’t know quite what to expect as reviews had differed. We found a lovely seaside town that was once very glamorous but now was still quite sweet mixed with lots of surfing dudes as the waves and beaches were perfect for it The town was very busy on a Sunday afternoon but definitely not motorhome friendly as we had to park over a mile away from the town centre as all the main car parks had height restrictions. We enjoyed the mix of art deco and early 20th century architecture with promenade walks and sandstone rock formations. We even found the chocolatier, Miremont, where Queen Victoria apparently loved their caramels.

We left Biarritz around 18.30 as we needed to find somewhere to stay for the night and had no plan! Again, a number of places had height restrictions or low bridges. We eventually found a lovely campsite, Camping Soubelet (P4N#201165), near Guethary, right by the Mayarco beach that both had space, was open at 19.30 and was charging less than €20. Once parked up we quickly walked to the Ti Cabanon beach bar and had an incredible meal of Moules Marinière and squid risotto whilst watching a lovely sunset.

Miles since last blog: 357

Miles this trip: 2,295

Rocamadour to Carcassonne

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Jo F

We wanted to catch the early morning sun on Rocamadour so we got up early (before 0700) on Tuesday, September 22 and we were rewarded with not only the sun but also we avoided the masses of tourists that flock there every day. After climbing a lot of steps, we visited the various chapels and the main Sanctuary. Apparently, pilgrims will often climb the 200 odd steps on their knees. It was hard enough upright! The fact that the place is cut out of the rock face is pretty impressive and so long ago in the 11th century.

We then caught the funicular up to the chateau that imperiously overlooks the church and the town to walk around its ramparts. It also made an easier walk back to the van along the top of the gorge.

We left around midday to drive to Cahors, the home of the Malbec grape and another medieval walled city. We parked up in a large car park just south of the old town with about twenty other vans (P4N#549143). It was not a pretty park up but it was near the centre and free! We walked to the Pont Valentre, one of the most famous of old bridges in France, as well as through the old town. Unusually, the cathedral has two domes, one plain and one painted with frescoes. There we purchased a couple of bottles of Malbec wine from a local producer. Leon Gambetta, founding Father of the 3rd French Republic, was born in the city.

Back to the van for a much needed shower before going back into town for a gorgeous meal at La Petit Auberge, which included a Parmesan crème brûlée starter.

The next morning we left early, again (!), as we wanted to use the nearby dump station and make our way to Carcassonne to meet up with friends. On the way we stopped at Saint Cirque Lapopie, voted the most preferred village in France. We arrived before the maddening crowds again so we’re feeling very pleased with ourselves and it was indeed a gorgeous village.

We drove onto another of the Beaux Villages, Najac, as well as Cordes-sur-Ciel. Both lovely.

However, on our way to Najac, Liz wanted to drive along the side of a gorge that she had heard about. This involved going down narrow roads with rock overhangs on one side and sheer drops on the other. Not for the faint hearted! It finished with a bridge crossing that was 2.2m wide. Dora is 2.05m excluding wing mirrors.

There was a large Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition in a town called Albi that was on the way to Carcassonne and we managed to park quite close to the old centre under a covered market. It was free parking when there wasn’t a market on and it was in the shade, which was great as it was 33°! Albi was a delightful surprise with the biggest brick cathedral in the world at over 70m tall and the exhibition was in the old bishopric palace next door. Toulouse-Lautrec was born in the town and so they had managed to acquire or been donated many paintings and drawings.

After a pleasant couple of hours there we drove onto Carcassonne where we got one of the last remaining places at the camping car aire by the campsite our friends were in (P4N#36930). We didn’t need electricity or facilities so the aire at half the price was perfect for us. We had a lovely evening catching up with our friends.

The following morning, we made the mistake of not getting into the old town until after 10.30 and the hordes had truly arrived. The old town was a pleasant 20 minute walk from the campsite along the river and has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. It has 52 towers and 3km of ramparts but after spending a couple of hours there we had had enough of the crowds so we hightailed it back to Dora for lunch.

In the afternoon, we decided we wanted to cycle over the Pont Vieux, built in the 14th century, to the Canal du Midi. The canal was one of the options we had considered when we wanted to take our previous boat, Nimrod, down to the Mediterranean. We opted to sail around the coast and across the Bay of Biscay in the end but wanted to see it for ourselves. It was all a bit underwhelming despite having been built in the 17th century to link the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Back to the van for pizza with our friends.

Miles since last blog: 202

Total miles this trip 1,488

Den Bosch

Posted on September 15, 2026 by Jo F

We left our campsite just outside of Arnhem around 11.00 on Tuesday, September 8 to make our way to Camping Distelloo, some 60 plus miles away in the Brabant region of The Netherlands. This would be our home for the next six nights whilst we watch the Solheim Cup. This is a biannual golf match between Europe and the USA featuring some of the best women golfers in the world. As you can imagine, the rivalry is intense but also played with mutual respect. That goes for the spectators as well. We obviously wanted Europe to win but it’s equally a showcase for women’s sport which so rarely gets the media coverage it should.

Anyway, before we arrive at our campsite outside of ‘s Hertogenbosch (known as Den Bosch, woods in English) we pop into the lovely town of Buren. This was the home of Anna van Egmond, the first wife of William of Orange and became part of the Orange family dynasty. Although the town promotes its connection as much as possible, it is still a quaint little town. It had the added advantage of easy parking and a supermarket close by.

We then drove onto our campsite, which was set in the woods. We found it via a google search as it wasn’t on any of our apps.

It became full over the week with many campervans and motor homes, mainly for the golf as it was only a ten minute cycle ride through the woods to the cycle park at Bernardus Golf Club. The organisers were running shuttle buses to and from various locations, including Den Bosch, so we jumped on one on Weds afternoon to see the city. Torrential rain was also forecast so it seemed a good idea as it was only a practice day for the players.

Den Bosch has a wonderful old quarter, Uilenburg, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries and, unusually for The Netherlands, many of the canals went through tunnels rather than just having bridges over them. The twice weekly market was just finishing up when we finally arrived so we were able to enjoy a Dutch staple, kibberling. This is a freshly made fried fish in bite sized chunks that you have with either mayonnaise or rémoulade. Delicious and not expensive. As the heavens opened, we thought it appropriate to pop into the Sint Jan’s cathedral for shelter, which has one of the largest organ walls in Europe. After all this culture we had to stop and have a Bossche Bol that was a huge profiterole.

The woods in the nearby town of Vught was the setting for a concentration camp during WWII. Whilst it wasn’t an extermination camp, many people died or were executed there or were moved onto other camps in Poland or Germany. A well thought through exhibition highlighting that there never is just black and white in war.

Back to the golf course to pick up our bikes and then back to the van. The theme of torrential downpours continued for the rest of our time there but the golf did not disappoint. World class golfers playing for each other was nail biting stuff. All square after days one and two with 12 singles matches on the Sunday to decide who will take home the trophy. Europe prevailed 15-13 and the place roared with each hole won let alone when we won a match. Great stuff.

Miles since last blog: 67

Miles this trip: 440

Arnhem

Posted on September 14, 2026 by Jo F

We left Giethoorn around midday on Sunday, September 6 after a delightful wander around the town, even getting a chance to do some food shopping. Shopping in The Netherlands is a bit tricky as not many supermarkets have large car parks and many Dutch seem to do theirs by bike! Anyway, we travelled for around 100 minutes to the small town of Otterlo in the Hoge Veluwe National Park. We found a site called Camping de Bosrand (P4N#452240) that was a tiny site with just 20 places but we managed to book one night with them. It was perfect for us as we could then cycle to the National Park to visit the Kroller-Muller Museum. It holds the largest collection of Van Gogh in the world with over 90 paintings and drawings. It also had a wonderful sculpture garden. We managed to do the whole thing before it closed at 17.00. Back to the van for pre dinner drinks and a meal.

The next morning, we had to move on so we opted to drive the few miles to Oosterbeek where there was a museum on the Battle of Arnhem in WWII. Many of you will be familiar with the film, A Bridge Too Far, which was all about Operation Market Garden. This was an airborne drop involving 30,000 men behind enemy lines in September 1944 after D Day. General Montgomery thought it would shorten the war. Instead, it was a disaster with 17,000 killed or wounded and 6,500 taken prisoner. The museum at Oosterbeek was in Hartenstein House, the same house that became the Allied HQ during this operation and it was a fascinating insight into the battle. The immersive experience in the basement was particularly impressive. We also had visited the War Cemetery just outside the town before visiting the museum.

We then moved onto our campsite for the night just outside of Arnhem, Camping Warnsborn (P4N#142580). It was another small campsite and again close to the National Park but at the southern end so it was another site in the woods.

Once settled we cycled into Arnhem itself to see the John Frost Bridge (of A Bridge Too Far fame).

All over town, the flag of the 101st Airborne Division was being flown in commemoration of the battle. Considering Arnhem was pretty much razed to the ground by the Germans during and after the battle, the local people didn’t seem to hold a grudge against us.

Back to the van again for beers in the sun before dinner on board.

Miles since last blog: 80

Miles this trip: 373

Windmills and wetlands

Posted on September 7, 2026 by Jo F

We left our campsite near Delft around 10.00 on Friday, September 4. Not sure how it took us two hours to get ready with showers, filling up with water, emptying the grey and black waste. The campsite had a wonderful machine to empty and clean the toilet cassette where you popped the cassette in and it did it all behind a closed shutter then popped out all clean with bio toilet solution already in it. Wonderful!

We drove about half an hour to the windmills of Kinderdijk. The car park was about a 30 minute walk from the windmills so we got the bikes out and cycled there in storm force winds. Still, it was easier than walking. The windmills are a series of 19 windmills which were used to keep the area from flooding. Before the great St Elizabeth Day’s Flood of 1170 there were only dykes to keep the river and rainwater at bay. When the flood broke those defences and hundreds lost their lives, they realised they needed a method of drawing the water out, as the land was well below sea level. The first windmill was built in the 17th century and the others around 1740. The name Kinderdijk comes from the legend of a baby girl in a wicker basket being saved from the floods with a cat balancing the basket through the torrential waters.

It rained most of the morning so we did all look like drowned rats at times but the windmills were fascinating. All bar three of them are still lived in by millers. To supplement their income, they harvested the reeds as well as the peat.

We left the windmills to make our way a few miles towards Dordrecht, the oldest town in the Netherlands. We had found a camperplaats, called Kinderdijk (P4N#385169) where, whilst basic, was perfect for exploring the area. Once sorted, we jumped on our bikes and cycled into Dordrecht about 6 miles away. Part of the journey was by ferry for the princely sum of €4 return and bikes go free! We had a lovely wander around the old part of the town before a quick beer and heading home to supper on board. The statue of William of Orange shows his devoted dog who, according to legend, wasted away after his master’s assassination and was buried with him.

We had booked a river cruise for the Saturday lunchtime at the Biesbosch nature reserve. This is a series of creeks and rivers that make up the wetlands of Biesbosch. The name means forest of reeds as reeds and willow were harvested by hand from there in what must of been back breaking work. The river tour was all in Dutch but luckily Google live translation came to the rescue. Beavers became extinct in the area by the 1900s as they were trapped for their meat and fur. In the 1980s, German beavers from the Ruhr valley were reintroduced and there are now some 500. We didn’t see any on our tour but we did see two sea eagles soaring above us. It was lovely just walking along the paths enjoying the quiet and being with nature.

We departed Biesbosch around 14.45 to drive north to continue our adventures but that’s for the next blog!

Miles this trip: 170

Miles this blog: 54

Delft

Posted on September 5, 2026 by Jo F

We finally managed to leave home around 16.30 on Tuesday, September 1st. We weren’t sure we would even make it away with various family medical emergencies in the previous couple of weeks. However, we did. We drove across to Harwich and parked up at the ferry terminal for the 09.00 crossing the next day. Stena Line kindly allow you to stay overnight by the check in so that you are virtually in the queue when it opens at 07.00. We are travelling with our friends, Maria and Jane, in their Adria Twin so it was an easy way to meet up.

The crossing itself was uneventful but long as it takes 7 hours. The entry into The Netherlands was easy enough as we had already submitted our biometric data back in June when we visited Spain. They just checked our passports and we were on our way. Our first stop was a lovely campsite just outside Delft which we had booked the day before. Camping de Drie Morgen (P4N#196346) was just a few kilometres outside of the town so a perfect spot to explore from.

It seems that in The Netherlands you can’t really wild camp. You can only stopover where they explicitly say it is allowed. Consequently, I think that we will be on recognised sites and aires for our two weeks here. It’s not that much of a hardship although you don’t tend to get the same views you can find wild camping. However, what they have invested in is zillions of bike paths. Everywhere. So far, we have only had to be on a road, a minor one at that, for about 5 minutes. Wonderful and the traffic stops for cyclists at roadabouts and most junctions.

Anyway, back to Delft. It would have been a 30 minute cycle into Delft and the weather had been atrocious overnight and during the morning. We had booked a walking tour for 13.00 so we all chickened out and caught an Uber taxi into town late morning. There was a lovely market in the main square so we stocked up on fresh vegetables, a cooked chicken and, of course, cheese! We even found the oldest shop in Delft (1782) which is a chemist and it sold salted liquorice by the kilo!

The walking tour by a lovely woman called Astrid was highly informative covering both the famous ceramics as well as the murder of William of Orange (father of the nation) in 1584 during the 80 years war with Spain to gain their independence. The town has two churches, the new one built in 1381, with imposing spires although the Oude Kerk is definitely at a jaunty angle. Delft is also famous as the birthplace of Johannes Vermeer but sadly the painting of the Girl with the Pearl Earring is on loan at the moment.

After the tour we needed a beer or two at the local microbrewery, naturally, before having an early dinner at a canal-side restaurant. Apparently, there were over 200 breweries in the 16th and 17th centuries when the water was unfit to drink. Back to the vans and a relatively early night as we wanted an early start in the morning.

Miles this trip: 116

Killarney

Posted on May 12, 2026 by Jo F

We left Molls Gap around 09.20 to make our way to Killarney, where we were going to base ourselves for a couple of days. We were now on the Ring of Kerry and you could tell it was on all the bus tours of the country! Suddenly, there was an explosion of people, cars and buses. Very different to the previous couple of weeks.

Our first stop was Looscaungh Lough viewpoint. It wasn’t on the list for tour stops so it was easy to park. Next onto Ladies View where allegedly Queen Victoria’s Ladies in Waiting stopped to look over towards Killarney. It is a magnificent view and part of the National Park. Then the Torc Waterfall where the car park was rammed so we turned around and went back up the road to a quieter one and had a lovely walk along paths to the waterfall. It was quite sweet but not a patch on other waterfalls we’ve seen on our travels. I know, we have been spoilt!

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Dora The Explorer

Jo and Liz’s Adventures in their Campervan

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