An Ideal First Tip To France In Your Motorhome

An Ideal First Trip To France In Your Motorhome....

The first trip across or under the channel to France can be daunting but with a little planning can make the whole trip easier, the price varies depending on whether you use the ferries [Norfolk line being the cheapest] or the tunnel -quicker and easier for the dogs as the crossing from port to port is only 30mins plus the 30min prior to departure check in and the tunnel is not affected by the rain and gales that effect the channel at some times of the year. Also when returning to Britain you go through the customs in France then its straight out of the tunnel onto the M20 in Kent and if you have pets they have there own area at Calais.

The best place for info on taking your pets abroad is the Uk defra web site for pets passports run by the Uk government, when in France you can use which vets you like on your return trip but we prefer the Vets at Calais being madam Christian who speaks English and always does the paper work correctly exit 43 off motorway. Also all the French chemists sell dog/cat flea, tick and worming tablets/ointments at much cheaper prices than the uk vets.

Docteur Christiane Petry

Veterinaire

1148 Boulevard Du General De Gaulle

62100 Calais

Tel 03 21 34 77 39

Below is a tour lasting approx 5-6 days.........

We usually catch the late tunnel 11pm or the 10am one and stop the first/last night at Gravelines on the Aires just 30mins from the tunnel exit in the direction of Belgium exit 51. This small French town has 3 Motorhome stopover points [Aires] Free to park with the Water and waste facilities being at the municipal campsite in the north of the town well sign posted [1 euro]. You are not allowed to stop here at night but the favourite place is at the quay side being over looked by the old French Napoleonic Fort with very nice views and walks in the town square near by . The second stop over being the car park behind the sand dunes at Rue Victor Hugo with the Les Dunes campsite being further along the road, this car park is shared with the local houses and is okay for a night halt with the beach 5mins walk for the dogs.

The Gravelines Trail

The Trail 4km, moderate

1. You can start or finish the visit at the Maison du Patrimoine, with its reproductions of ancient documents. Head towards Place Charles Valentin, where you will find the entrance to the castle hidden behind the war memorial. It is worth noting that the present street layout is identical to the layout of the Middle Ages.
2. The castle was clearly separated from the town by its impressive walls and a ditch, which was originally filled with water. Rebuilding started in 1528. The entrance gate lies between two horseshoe-shaped towers, its sombre neo-classical dÃ©cor (18th C) inspired by Greco-Roman models. The two towers flank a fixed stone bridge and a wooden drawbridge with a 19th C lifting mechanism, but this has since disappeared. Set into the lower part of the wall of BÃ©thune sandstone, gun-ports from internal casemates commanded the ditches and from the terrace portable guns covered the entrance. In the 18th C one of the casemates was transformed into a bread-oven.
3. Go through the castle. On the left of the entrance is a guardhouse where there is a visitors' reception area and further on, on the right, the 1742 powder magazine. This houses the Museum of Drawings and Engravings which contains a copy of the model, or relief plan, showing Gravelines in 1757. Cross in front of the ScÃ¨ne Vauban, a cultural centre, and head for the formal garden laid out in the bastion. This great bastion built after 1558, replaced an artillery tower called the Tour St Jean, similar to those at the entrance, which housed a prison. It is now the backdrop for large bronze sculptures, the work of contemporary artists. From the top of the earthen rampart surrounding the bastion the defenders commanded the port area of Gravelines and the Vauban basin, dug in 1876 on the site of the old port.
4. Continue along the top of the rampart to reach the castle entrance and the town wall. Following the explosion of the powder magazine in 1654, nothing is left of the many interior buildings of the 16th and 17th C fortress - the arsenal, the lodgings for the captain, the lieutenant and the king, the chapel, the flour mill and the well.
5. Leave the castle, turn left and go up Rue des Ramparts. You are now walking behind the rampart wall, past houses and gardens. When you reach the Bastion du Moulin Rouge, you will see a guardhouse of a different type from that of the castle.
6. From this point, aptly called 'the Belvedere', you can see the sea channel first dug for Philippe IV of Spain between 1635 and 1639 and finally recut during the reign of Louis XV between 1736 and1738. The point where the channel enters the sea, is known as the 'Spanish Pool'. It was originally protected by two forts but no trace of them survives. In their place, the settlements of Petit Fort Philippe and Grand Fort Philippe have developed for almost two centuries. It was at Petit Fort Philippe, then a village surrounded by a palisade, that English smugglers lived from 1811 to 1814. They were charged with breaking the blockade imposed on France by the British, Dutch, Austro-Prussian and Russian allies. On the Gravelines side, the channel starts from the Aa and the section to the sea now has banks on either side. Thanks to the sluice, the water from the ditches released at low tide flushed away mud and sand brought up the channel by the high tide.
7. Follow Rue LÃ©on Blum on the right, Rue de la RÃ©publique and Rue Catrice which contain several old houses and pass along the side of the church of St Willibrord, now flanked by dwellings. Here there is a group of four military buildings - a guardhouse, an infantry barracks known as Varennes (1737) and another called Huxelles (1793-1824) and between the two barracks, a casemated cistern by the engineer, Antoine-Michel Roger de Freville. Here the difference between the life of the volunteer/ mercenary of the Ancien RÃ©gime, who had to be looked after and housed, perhaps with a wife and children, and the lowly recruit who was conscripted annually, can be seen in the style of barracks. The Varennes barracks were divided into rooms or 'baraques' containing a fireplace, which were set on either side of a staircase; the Huxelles barracks, in contrast, were partially underground, and consisted of two long vaulted naves, which were very damp despite having five chimneys in the partition wall. The building was originally roofed with turf but it became necessary to have a timbered roof in order to double the space. The cistern, identical to those of Calais and Bergues, has collected rainwater from the three neighbouring buildings including the church, since 1725. It has a capacity of 1,420,000 litres.
8. After the bastion of the Grand MaÃ®tre, named after La Meilleraye, the commander of the French artillery during the siege of 1644, pass through a recent breach and cross the ditch by a footbridge towards the external defensive works. From the footbridge you can see the bastioned wall as it was conceived by the Italian engineers of Charles V in 1588. Portable guns, which raked the ditch, were positioned in the flanks of the bastions and hidden from the enemy by square orillons. In the curtain wall, a postern made it possible either to patrol by boat or to make a sortie during an attack. A walk on the outside of the wall will take you nearly 200m outside the town. After crossing the counterguard and a second footbridge, turn left on to the grass.
9. Today, the outer defences, built between 1699 and 1751, are overgrown with bushes and trees, but they were originally covered with grass. Trees were found only at the top of the main rampart (see the relief plan in the museum). The view to the left is blocked by a counterguard and further on by the Bourbourg demi-lune. On the right a covered way protected a fourth line of defenders. It was from this side that French troops attacked Gravelines in 1644 and forced their way into the town.
10. Continuing along the counterguard of the bastion of Gassion, you get the impression of being in the countryside. The flattened covered way now provides land for private vegetable gardens, and the counterguard wall, which has gradually become overgrown with scrub, is a refuge for ducks. When you turn the corner, you are facing the Porte aux Boules, otherwise known as the Porte de Dunkerque, which is set at an angle with the entrance to the town. It is protected by a counterguard and a demi-lune, whose ditches were recently refilled with water. Climb up the grassy bank on the left.
11. Having crossed the main ditch, immediately after the town gate two military buildings frame Rue de Dunkerque. On the right is a detached house built in 1737 for junior or unmarried officers and on the left a guardhouse. Some of the houses in Gravelines date back to the 17th and 18th C; built of brick they usually had a coloured or plain lime wash. The relatively modest size of these houses reflects the social status of their first occupants. Return to the Maison du Patrimoine via Rue Denis Cordonnier, Rue Sergent Leupe, and Rue Carnot, then take the passage by the police station and the path through a block of houses. At the Maison du Patrimoine you can join a guided tour to learn more about Gravelines, particularly the siege of 1644.

From here You can drive toward Boulougne on the A16 motorway or via the picturesque D940 via Cap blanc Nez and its excellent views across the Channel-[you used to be able to wild camp here overnight but the car park at the top has been relocated to the bottom] then drive through the rolling countryside to Boulougne then rejoin the A16 to Le Touquet Paris Plage a large town with excellent beach and a renowned equestrian centre check out there web site at www.letouquet.com. Here you can stay at the Aire with electric when the horse centre is not being use or the nearby area set aside for Motorhome with water and waste but no electric but charges apply which the local police collect [7 euros last time we were here], there is parking for 70 vans at the cote de la base nautique just follow the equestrian centre signs. The town is great for the weekend with its large Saturday market and plenty of shops and you even have a casino if you are feeling lucky.

From here take the N39 to the pleasant small village of Montreuil the old stopping off place for the king of France on his way to the coast, you can waste a leisurely 2-3 hours here taking in the sites and views. Montreuil-sur-mer, a medieval port
You are standing on the old ramparts of Montreuil, looking out over the valley of the river Canche towards the sea at Etaples. Back in the 13th century this town - known as "Montreuil-on-sea" - was one of the wealthiest ports in northern Europe. The estuary of the River Canche then reached up to Montreuil; its quays thronged with sailing ships carrying pilgrims to the holy relics in Montreuil's churches, and trading cloth (some woven in the town), grain and wine. Above the port, on the 40m high chalk hill, stood the walled town and market place - all guarded by a royal castle built by French king Philippe Auguste.

Montreuil village

By the 16th century, the river had silted up and the old port was quiet. Montreuil became militarily important because it lay on France's northern frontier with Spain. The rest of the Artois area, with its capital Arras, and all of Flanders was ruled by Spain.
In 1522 Henry VIII of England and Charles V ("Charles Quint") of Spain combined forces to besiege the town's aged medieval walls, but failed. In 1537, another siege succeeded; Montreuil was sacked, leaving the town and the Abbey Church of Saint-Saulve partly ruined.
Victor Hugo - best-selling French author of the 19th century, set his novel "Les Misérables" in Montreuil.
Built after the 1537 raid. The Walled town was rebuilt.
French king François I recaptured the town, and ordered the its fortifications to be updated. By 1567, military engineers had made Montreuil a French border stronghold against the might of Spain - with a bastions along the walls, earthworks, and a new citadelle on the weakpoint where there was a gentle slope to the river. Only two entrance towers remained of the old medieval castle.
Success in 17th century wars moved France's frontier north and west. Montreuil was no longer on the front line, but Louis XIV's military engineer Vauban completed the modernisation of the ramparts, adding a new arsenal and gunpowder-store as part of his work in securing the region for France.
Victor Hugo & “Les Misérables”
By the 19th century, Montreuil was a sleepy medieval town on the coaching road from Calais to Paris. Famous writer Victor Hugo spent a brief stay here and was inspired to use it as the setting for his famous novel about the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Empire and the 1830 revolution. You can see an outdoor spectacle based on the novel, and tours of places in the town connected with the story.

St Vallery Sur Somme

Then its south on the N1 to Abbeville before turning to the coast along the D40 heading for St Vallery-Sur-Somme and Le Crotoy [a good place for lunch with excellent views out to sea and the basin ]. Allow 2 days to view these lovely small towns and all they have to offer riding the tourist train around the peninsular or the ferry around the basin keeping a lookout for the seals , you can use the Aire 100 places situated within walking distance of town at St Vallery charges apply just a few Euros again at Rue de la Croix l`Abbey follow signs.

Le Touquet Market Fish Market Town centre

Next its back to Abbeville and then north to Hestin along the D928 a very picturesque village great for a mid morning walk before a coffee and "French Tart".

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Hesdin - a Spanish new town
You're standing in the spacious town square in Hesdin, looking up at the Town Hall. The coat-of-arms on the front of the ornate balcony is that of Spain.
The town was forceably moved in 1554 to its present site down in the Canche valley by order of the Spanish Emperor Charles V ("Charles Quint").

16th century Church of Notre-Dame, on a cobbled street by the River Canche.	The old Hesdin on a highly defensible site in the hills had been a dangerous French stronghold in the border wars between France and Spanish Flanders. The ruins of the old town's castle can still be seen - but most of it, including a famous 14th century pleasure park, was completely razed to the ground. The cathedral town of Thérouanne suffered a similar fate.

At Azincourt you can tour the battlefield where in 1415 Henry V's English army massacred a French army 5 times as numerous. They hailed arrows from massed ranks of longbow archers on the French cavalry, who slithered around in the mud and rain, unable to escape because of their clumsy armour and the surrounding forests. A new Medieval History Centre in the village tells the story of the battle - and is a good preparation for walking round the site.
		The Moulin de Maintenay on the river Authie is at least in part claimed to date from the 12th century. It has been restored and is open to the public.
Country walks and cycle rides The attractive countryside around Hesdin is great for walking and cycling along paths and quiet lanes in the peaceful valleys in the Artois hills. Tourist offices have maps and leaflets of marked routes, specially selected for being safe, interesting and with indications of manageability - depending on your fitness and how far you want to go.

Then on toward St Omer branching off onto the D157 and D933 and Cassel with its views out over the Somme a great place for a leisurely lunch.

Fortified town
For centuries, Cassel's walls used to ring the upper part of the hill. They were demolished in the 19th century, as no longer effective against modern artillery. But you still enter the town up steep slopes and through the old gates. In the First World War, General Haig used Cassel as his headquarters during the key battles of Flanders that stemmed the German advance and stopped them occupying this part of France and the neighbouring corner of Belgium. His statue stands by the old mill in a small park on the crest of the hill. Once the town inside was dominated by a large monastic abbey - there is still a beautiful old church to explore.
Old windmill on top of the hill. Still working - each visitor takes away a bag of flour. You can also see linseed oil being pressed by traditional tilt-hammer techniques.
Painting of Cassel's "giants" in the market square - "Reuze Papa" and "Reuze Maman". After a snooze its a short hop to Steenvoorde and its windmill museums then out towards the Belgium border town of Hondschoote and the largest windmill in this area, after a little rest its along the D47 then the A16 back to Gravellines for the night at the quay side.


*Windmills in the north*

A few windmills still survive

Obsolete
Like Kent and other cereal-growing regions of the UK, Nord/Pas-de-Calais once had thousands of traditional mills.
1,200 windmills were counted in this windswept region in the early 19th century.

But towards the end of the 19th century, these naturally-powered stone-grinding mills began to be rapidly abandoned.

Steam powered mills
They were forced out of business by new technology. Massive new mills were powered by coal-fired steam engines, which could run day-and-night.

These new mills were in the industrial cities like Lille, or the ports like Dunkerque - where they could get cheap coal and supplies of imported grain from newly opened farming regions like America and Russia. They could deliver their flour all over France using the network of railways and canals, rather than the horse and cart..

Traditional cereal farming
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1. Painting: “The Blessing of the Corn in Artois" by Jules Bretton (1827-1906) in 1857.
2. Today: recreating the 19th century corn harvest, using horse-drawn reaper.
3. Today: celebrating the role of the heavy horse, the backbone of farm transport in the 19th century.
Not just flour
Windmills also ground animal feed, and crushed oil-seeds to make the essential lighting oil before petroleum. Waterpower was used to drive machinery in many industries - see watermills.

The typical north French post-mill

Most mills in north France are “post mills”, which have a large body - the “buck” - that can be turned round to make the sails face the wind. The body swivels on a massive pivot fixed in the ground - held steady by a tripod base, called a “trestle”. When the wind direction changes, the miller has to turn the mill round by pushing the tailpole - or he might get a horse to do the work.
Often the base is covered over to protect it from the weather and make an extra store room.

War Windmills were often built on a hilltop - they made an ideal lookout post. So in wartime, mills were often a deliberate target. Few of these flimsy and neglected structures survived. Restoration Fortunately over the last 20 years "A.R.A.M.", the region's organisation of mill enthusiasts, has been able to protect and restore about 40 of the few dozen surviving mills - which you can now visit.		MAP: Wind- and water-mills you can visit in Nord - Pas-de-Calais

	Other types of windmill: (1) Tower mills These were built with a fixed body of solid brick or stone. Only the top cap turns round to make the sails face the wind. This can be done with a tail-pole, or taller mills may have an automatic device called a fantail.	Tower mill at Watten, built with stone from the local monastery.
	(2) Smock Mill These also have a fixed body, a timber-framed tower, covered in painted wood planks. Only the top cap turns round to make the sails face the wind. Smock mills are common in Kent and Holland, but not in Nord Pas-de-Calais. Windmills of this type were used to drain the coastal marshes in the 16th century.	Les Moëres - formerly a marshy lake near Hondschoote below sea-level. It was drained in the 17th century by Dutch engineers who dug a “ring-dyke” round the edge, then used windmills to pump out the water into the dyke.

Places to visit: Mills Museum, Villeneuve d'Ascq - has 2 working post-mills and various collections Casteel Meulen, working post mill at Cassel Ondank Meulen, another post mill at Boeschepe - next to an estaminet. Other Windmills: Post mills: Boeschepe, Cassel, Hondeschoote, Steenvoorde and Saint-Maxent. Tower mill: Terdeghem.	The working post-mill on top of Mont-Cassell.

You stand on top of a 176metre-high hill - the highest on the Flanders coastal plain. Looking out over the former marshlands, once dotted with windmills - and scene of many bloody battles - you can see why Cassel has been a stronghold for centuries.

Bergues

The typical north French post-mill
	Most mills in north France are “post mills”, which have a large body - the “buck” - that can be turned round to make the sails face the wind. The body swivels on a massive pivot fixed in the ground - held steady by a tripod base, called a “trestle”. When the wind direction changes, the miller has to turn the mill round by pushing the tailpole - or he might get a horse to do the work. Often the base is covered over to protect it from the weather and make an extra store room.