WEEK 1: Home to Poperinge, Belgium – 233 miles.
Wednesday 13th June 2018 – Home to Folkstone. 139 miles
A big day today. We have a pile of those blue IKEA bags full to the brim with stuff.
There is a lot of it and it all has to go into Jess the van, we hope. Our first day on the van for our first driving holiday. We have weeks ahead of us and we have no plan. We bring Jess back to the house after staying in the local campsite and stock her up. A few of the neighbours admire her, she does look good in the sunshine, all new and shiny. All of our stuff, clothes, bedding, towels, personal effects, just about fits and the fridge/freezer is jam packed.
We are on the 3pm ferry to the mainland. We are off to a campsite in Folkestone, requiring us to take on the M25.
The campsite is located down a very narrow bumpy road, but once in it’s lovely, complete with a view of France. Once settled in we take a short walk to the beach with a bag that has some chilled beers in it. We sit on the beach and drink them in the sun looking at the coast of France in front of us – our next stop.
So far so good. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Calais.
Thursday 14th June 2018 – Folkestone to Stal’ t Bardehof, Poperinge. Belgium. 53 miles
We had rain overnight, heavy, constant rain. It has rained almost every day so far since we picked Jess up from Edwards Motorhomes in Worcester. Every night we have had rain. It’s been a running theme so far. It’s windy and generally a foul start for our first crossing over the channel with Jess. We have breakfast in the van, clean up and we set off for the Port of Dover. France here we come. We board the ferry and tuck Jess into the belly of the boat.
She looks quite small in there as we walk away and make for the stairs to find somewhere to sit. The crossing is quite lumpy with a large swell.
The sea has calmed a little as we enter the Port of Calais, however once we rejoin Jess and set off, the sat nav has decided not to work, so unaided we have to make our way off the ferry, through the port and into France with all of the trucks bearing down on us.
After 45 minutes we cross the border or at least we think we did. There are no signs or any kind of clue that we have crossed from France to Belgium except for two policemen in a car who just smile and wave at us. Easy. We are in Belgium and making our way to a farm called Stal’ t Bardehof in the Belgian town of Poperinge.
The roads are getting smaller bumpier. As we approach the farm the camber of the road is so steep that we fear that maybe, just maybe, we might ‘bottom out’. We didn’t have to worry about getting a space at the campsite, there is plenty of room in this rustic working farm. They have all sorts here, horses, ducks and there is a rather meaty sheep standing guard at the entrance to the shower block. The host is very nice and shows us where to pitch our van.
It’s a short walk to a Trappist Monk Abbey but it’s shut so we take a stroll back stopping at a local bar for a couple of Belgian beers. Well, when in Rome. We have a Westmalle Trappist beer which is 10% proof and we can feel that 10% in our legs as we walk back to the farm and Jess just in time for dinner and another couple of beers.
We sit outside. The sun has come out. It’s lovely here.
Friday 15th June 2018 – Stal t’ Bardehof, Poperinge. Belgium.
We like it here, its nice. We slept really well and we are ready for a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon. The area around here is very flat and very quiet, ideal for biking, so we get the bikes off the back of Jess for the first time and set off for the nearby abbey hoping that it will be open today. The Abbey is regarded internationally as brewing the best beer in the world. The abbey is called Saint Sixtus Abbey, so we set off to have a look and to hopefully buy some of this world famous beer. It’s closed on a Friday. Guess what? It’s Friday… Shame.
We decide to try and cycle to the town of Poperinge and on the way we stop for a drink from a very Japanese-style vending machine cafe, that just sells everything and almost anything. ‘Sandi’s Vending Corner‘ was a good stop for a drink before carrying on with our bike ride to Poperinge. It’s further than we thought so we give up. It’s hard work.
We get back to Jess and roll out the awning for the first time and spend a lovely, lazy afternoon planning the rest of our trip. Hayley knocks up a massive and tasty paella.
We sit outside until 10 pm and play chess. We have daylight here until quite late.
Another great day, even if the abbey was shut. Again.
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