Ginger DJ Rob

We set the alarm for 6:45am to make sure we got through the campsite barrier for a 2 hour kip. After packing up the awning etc. we headed over to Il de Re crossing the toll bridge paying 16 Euro which was a little more than expected.  Driving through the island looked very much like Ibiza and got more excited passing some gorgeous beaches along the way. When we arrived at the campsite at Saint Clement des Baleines I set on the satnav and checked into the reception it was only then I realised I had booked the wrong site online though it turned out to be the one we wanted in the first place. Cancelled the other and booked 3 nights though later felt we'd made a huge mistake. At least the receptionist spoke excellent English.   Having arrived at possibly the hottest part of the hottest day ever our pitch had zero shade. I begged for different pitch and ended up choosing one right next to the entrance/exit barrier. We also had no proper food or drinks and after last night's...

With the previous night's advice from a Southampton couple we headed straight over to Futuroscope early arriving after 10am. Futuroscope is an alternative type of theme park based more on cinema experiences. As soon as we got into the park we made a b-line to the newest attraction, Dances with Robots with French DJ Martin Solveig providing some cheesy endorsement. There was already a long queue but a fun clap along interactive game to keep the teenagers happy. The main ride itself was a robot arm with 2 seats hurling us into different directions for about a minute all with Martin Solvieg visuals of him putting on headphones and taking them off. A very short experience but a good laugh. We'd been given a translator radio so used it on the next experience for Arthur 4D , a Luc Besson film theme ride - again good but short. By now it was about lunchtime and being a bit thirsty we tried out the Sky bar, a modern balloon raised us whilst sat at a bar drinking champagn...

My free satnav took us on some strange diversions twice: once saying we should have turned around even though it suggested the right way in the first place making us go a very long scenic loop; the second through some town away from the motorway we should've been on. Next time I'll check the route. Château de Chenonceau was a little further than expected but at least in the right direction for tomorrow's Futuroscope visit near Poityers. Unfortunately for us it tipped it down with rain as we arrived then warmed up quickly to hot. A pretty chateaux like a bridge across the Loire and some quaint gardens. Over an hour's drive we make it to Saint Cyr campsite next to a lake - a very well laid out site set up for families plus the lake water was warm enough even for me to swim. Some free wifi in the main building.

First decent sleep of the holiday with a very cool night. Collected our bread but none for Monday :( After some debate whether to drive or cycle around for the chateaus we got our bikes for the 20 km ride to Chambord, the daddy of them all. It was sort of a scenic route, perhaps I was expecting French countryside perfection but nothing outstanding. Lots of vineyards, a few villages but no reasons to stop cycling and take photos. There were one or two times where you'd either got confused or realise the route took you on a small, useless loop. Towards the end were secluded wooded areas then the impressive driveway to the Chateau. That picture postcard feeling didn't last long as getting a sense where cyclists should go disappeared and the 100's of tourist buses and cars being parked brought you back to earth. Also, with all the promotion of cycling there was nowhere to park the bikes so used a tree. The first view really does blow you away at how grand it is. to lo...

Another almost sleepless night thanks to thunderstorms waking us at 4am and continuing for a couple of hours. Got up about 9 and went to the reception hoping to catch the breadman but what the lady didn't tell us yesterday was that we had to pre-order. After the normal amount of camping faffing around and cycle prepare we actually set off the short journey to Blois along the Loire and over a very old bridge. We headed towards the Chateau de Blois straight into the Saturday bussle of the local market. We locked the bikes just below the entrance and bought the 3 x entry for the daytime chateau, the magic show over the road at the museum of magic and the luminere performance at 10:30pm. Inside the chateau was rich in history with Joan of Arc involved, old French kings and especially from Henri the 3rd, a right royal villain with his minions who murdered a local duke and refused to talk to anyone who wasn't his minions. The other side of the courtyard was the Maison de ...

4am it woke us with a loud crack of thunder and the rain hitting the van's roof. Kerry reminded me that the tea towels and camping chairs were getting wet whilst I was more concerned about the bikes and lack of sleep. It kept thundering for the next 4 hours so only grabbed the odd wink before getting up at about 9am. Our Blois campsite confirmed by email so headed over for a 300k drive south-west along the peage. Costing 45 euros. Approaching Orleans got the busiest we'd seen on the road with the local service station looking like the M4 at rush hour. Blois was just as hot and sweaty. Setting up the awning was hot work.  Across the campsite was a huge group of British cyclists which later had a bit of sing song in a Christian type of way. The other side of the site was a restaurant and a swimming pool which in the extreme heat every monsieur and his chien was swimming to cool down. For our evening nosh we fired up the barbie and had mergeuz and herb chipolatas, mushroom...

Van was super hot like dripping sweat at every turn so didn't really sleep that well. Moved into an actual pitch rather than the siding we'd been kindly given but didn't have a long enough electric cable to reach it. No bother as we used the gas on the fridge. Kerry bought some bread and croissants.  After lunch we headed out into Epernay town centre towards the Champagne Avenue where all the houses like Moet and Chandon are located. Like most French businesses it was shut for lunch so hung around the local park until 2pm. Unfortunately when we did enter the building for a guided tour they were fully booked for the day - something that the guide book didn't explain. Instead we headed down the road to another famous brand called Mercier though one I've not heard of. According to the guidebook it had a laser guided train for travelling through the 'caves' or cellars but there was a technical problem so this was out of order. Kerry bought an Adult and ...

Van packed in perfect time and ready for the Eurotunnel journey. Despite some M25 slowness from an earlier accident we made with almost an hour to spare. As soon as we parked up another campervan driver came over to smooze us over the van and kept chatting for a good 20 minutes! Eurotunnel facilities weren't quite airport standard but liked the 'walkies' area for holidaying dogs to get a last stretch and pre-travel poop. All went very well until we came off the train when a couple of warning lights showed up on the dashboard - service and airbag - but had to put it down to a loose wire. Bloody attention-seeking van! Our first toll road was 21 Euros and was a great, unstressful drive to Epernay. Stopped a couple of times to change driver but couldn't handle the heat too long outside. The satnav on the tablet worked well despite the bright, reflective conditions but our cigarette charger didn't work so luckily I downloaded the same app on to my phone. When we arri...

Photos of my Glastonbury festival this year. Started with drama and stress as my campervan broke down with the gear shift cable snapping leaving me with just second gear. Then having to move away from noisy Irish campers (drinking shots outside at 6am Thursday morning). Otherwise a great festival.