Canterbury, Dover, Calais & Paris

So in hindsight we didn't allow ourselves anywhere near enough time to cover our England route last week. Mostly this was because poor Betty's optimum cruising speed its about 55mph/90kph and we hadn't originally planned to go as far down as Penzance. Driving everyday was not ideal and my back sure complained about it. Hopefully now that we've got no definite places to be (we had to catch the ferry Monday morning) we can strike a better balance between driving and being tourists.  That may include cutting out Portugal from the journey planner but we'll see how the next week or so goes.

Anyways, Sunday we were in Canterbury picking up a few last minute items. Up early on Monday morning to catch a 8.30am ferry from Dover to Calais. Then continued travelling to Maisons-Laffitte about 11mi/18km from the centre of Paris.

We spent Tuesday in Paris doing a few things we didn't manage when we last visited in September 2011. Including: visited the Sacre-Coeur Basilica and climbed to the top for the view, took in the Arc de Triomphe and the driving chaos that surround it, and finally the Eiffel Tower at dusk including the 'scitz' lighting that starts after sunset.

We've not got any French SIM cards and probably won't so future blog posts will be intermittent. 

We're in the Bordeaux region now for a few days. Taryn is doing a great job at the toll booths since I'm on the right side of Betty. Apart from not accepting any of our credit cards the tolls have eagerly accepted a vast and extortionate amount of euros from us so far.  

Portsmouth and Brighton (Days 5 & 6)

Travelled from Devon to Portsmouth to Brighton the last two days. Notables:

A bed made from seat cushions does not a good mattress make.

The universe aligned to provide 6 waves from fellow motorhomers. I'm on a roll. 

Better than expected gig by the The 1975 at the Wedgwood Rooms in Portsmouth. 

Brighton: "Award winning beach" with not a grain of sand in sight. Lifesaver busy supervising zero swimmers. 

Tomorrow it's our last day in the UK for awhile. Ferry crossing booked in for Monday morning then hoping to make it to the outskirts of Paris by the afternoon. Tuesday in Paris. Wednesday in Versailles. 

Once we leave the UK, internet could be sketchy. Will update blog when possible.

Important Stats.
Distance the last 2 days: 209 miles / 336 km
Total distance: 782 miles / 1258 km
Waves from fellow motorhome drivers: 7
Taryn's driving minutes: 0
Physiotherapy appointments: 1

Road Trip - Day's 3 & 4

Yesterday we hit up St. Ives for lunch after paying through the nose for parking. Taryn played parking warden, moving witches hats and signage to accommodate Betty's mammoth turning circle. Things were looking up. Even the sun was shining. Credit where credit is due, and the miserable weather had certainly departed.

After navigating the ridiculously narrow roads and finger waving furiously whist giving way within inches of hedgerows, we attended the Minack Theatre. It's an absolutely stunning outdoor theatre which benefited from the clear skies yesterday evening. The wind was not kind, but luckily the theater seating was shielded. The performance of Mack and Mabel won't win any awards but I guess most were there for the experience.

Returning to the campsite to find a 1L bottle of water had leaked all over the motorhome seats (our bed!) was not pleasant. Taryn brought her teeny tiny travel hairdryer to the rescue. That was an hour of our lives we'll never get back.

Today we headed off about 11am as we have every morning. We really should wake up earlier to get the most out of the day. I guess we're still in lazy mode.  Nothing special to report today.  We just needed to make up some miles so that we could comfortably get to Portsmouth tomorrow. We're heading to the Wedgwood Rooms to see The 1975. It's what all the cool kids are doing. Until then.

Important Stats.
Distance the last 2 days: 102 & 153 miles / 164 & 246 km
Total distance: 573 miles / 922 km
Waves from fellow motorhome drivers: 1
Taryn's driving minutes: 0