Short trip to Calais

Day 50: 5 December.

We didn’t get much chance to assess the camp site last night other than to think it was OK and we had all we needed. This morning I took the opportunity for a quick look round and it is a very large site with many amenities and facilities to suit the Caravan owner and the Motor home travellers.

Just another camp Site?

Leaving the site at about 1100 it would be one of our easier travel periods as our journey was to end in Calais. We planned to travel along the coast road from Westerne-Bad ( Bad means by the coast – just showing off here) to Dunkirk and then to Calais. Along the way we came across an extensive marina, housing many boats of all shapes and sizes along the coast road in Belgium.

Would you buy a boat from this yard

We started off well travelling through some pleasant coastal villages until; yes you might have guessed it we faced another road closure. To our disappointment the detour took us to the Autobahn along which we had to travel to Dunkirk. We entered France at 1420 following the detour that had been prescribed.

A tour of Dunkirk discovered many interesting buildings showing some creative architecture. The town was very much a mixture of old and new and there must have been a European lake of white paint at some time because it was used in Dunkirk to paint pedestrian crossings at significant frequency through the town. The town whilst busy with traffic seemed relatively devoid of people. It became apparent that along the roads we travelled every establishment seemed to be closed or closing. Even the funfair was dormant.

Sorry no rides today

Moving away from Dunkirk towards Calais we passed serenely along the motorway the fairly short distance to the port. I am afraid I have just had to do it and here is my final sunset from this fantastic journey.

The time of arrival at Calais was around 1730 so we thought a look round the town and somewhere to stop for our last few supplies would be a good use of time. The town itself was very busy and although a dull day there was plenty of people all scurrying around to complete there shopping.

We arrived at the ferry port good and early so that we could do some cleaning, eat some food and have a relaxing evening before boarding. Before the relaxation bit I considered that a check over the Motor home would be in order as i didn’t want it to feel neglected after all the miles it had taken us safely and hospitably. We had experienced on some road humps and sharp slopes off the road something scraping underneath. On examination I discovered that the number plate flap was loose on its hinges and would require a temporary repair before completing our journey. Behind the flap a piece of metal had come loose, I suspect from the vibration and holes and humps we had traversed. The torch was required to see what surgery would be needed to hold the situation until a full repair could be completed. To my amazement and I would have to say to my sense of humour I discovered that we had lost the spare wheel.

Spare wheel needed -any offers considered

Now we had two choices, either to return to the Troodos Mountains, where I could only think we had lost it or to return home and then resolve the matter. I discussed the situation with Carol and she felt quite firmly that only one solution would work. So we shall be home as planned.

So now we are just waiting at Calais with spring cleaning and appropriate use of some string and creative thinking.

I will give a final report over the weekend to try and summarise what this whole adventure has been like. We are looking forward to seeing and hearing from everyone and of course checking all post and messages and simply returning to normal life.

Carol and Roland

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