Posts

Day 1: Travel to Portsmouth

Although the weather has been wet and windy for the last few days the drive down to Portsmouth was good. We left around 2:00 pm and the drive took about 5 hours with no significant hold ups. We’re not allowed to queue up at the port until the last ferry of the day has departed which usually means we can get in line from about midnight. Having safely completed most of the journey we decided to look for a pub with a carpark big enough to hold the motorhome while we had some dinner and a drink.

We came off the motorway and headed into Gosport. Although a busy and built up place we found a suitable pub, the Coach House. The landlord was not only happy to let us park up there, but he was also a fan of motorhomes and was keen to share his experiences of living in Europe.

After a three course meal, we settled into the motorhome and watched some telly until about 11:30 and then made our way to the port, about half an hour away. Parked up (about fourth in the queue) and settled down for the night. A good first day.

Alpen Horns

Today was a special day spent with Hans and Marianne. We went to the top of a nearby mountain and by a tarn we listened to them playing their Alpen Horns (sometimes called Alphorn or Alpine Horn). It was quite majestic listening to them playing with their own echos. Later we built a fire and cooked some local sausage.

Skiing with Peter

Do you like my hat?
Do you like my hat?

 

 

After making Peter ski with two snowboarders I relented and had a day of skiing with him. After making sure that he was properly dressed we were ready for a great day of skiing. Once again we had perfect weather.

 

DSCF4120

 

Peter is a great skier and at 76 is still one of the fastest on the slopes as you will see from the video I tried to take of him. Of course the other known with Peter is that he loves to meet new people and will stop for a chat. So when lunch came at Les Arcs 1600, it was no surprise that he made some new friends.

 

Peter's made some new friends
Peter’s made some new friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrived Bourg St Maurice

All parked up
All parked up

After three days travelling we arrived safely this afternoon. A bit of a wait while the office finished their siesta and let us know which pitch we are on.

Setting up up here is much easier than La Manga, there’re no large plots to set up, just level off and plug into the electric and you’re done. The bigger job is to get rid of all the warm weather clothing and sort out all the winter and skiing clobber.