Our second night of the summer road trip and we were off to Camping Saint Nicolas. First we had the relaxing, stress free jaunt through Rouen to contend with. To add to the stress I had very cleverly forgotten the essential electric toothbrush. Fortunately, we had the brush heads in the van, so our teeth did sparkle, but not as brightly.
Thank goodness for Madam Satnag!!
Denis was reluctant to return to Euro Cite from Escalles, opting instead for searching the joys of hypermarkets near Rouen for toothbrushes! We diverted to the back streets of Rouen, fortunately we had our trusty Crit Air, so at least we were legal. Through the town we sped, avoiding buss lanes, no entries and other obstacles to arrive at a hypermarket somewhere in the suburbs. Job done, our teeth would sparkle again!! Now to navigate through the centre of Rouen. Done, over the bridge and we made it through, with never a cross word, just a few scowls and the odd expletive.
On route to Le Bec. Beautiful sunny day and quite a nice drive all things considered. We were soon parked up and in the bar, sampling the local plonk, we needed a drink or two.
Saint Nicolas is a beautifully maintained site. Clean, tidy facilities, small swimming pool, tennis courts, outdoor play area with a bar and restaurant. It has been transformed by the new owners from our first visit many years ago, when it had a been a municipal. Primarily used by Dutch and Germans, with a sprinkling of French and a few Brits. handily placed for trips South and North. Usually quiet in the morning it quickly fills up after 2.00pm, booking can be done on line.
A beautiful walk through the woods takes you to the village and Abbey of Le Bec Hellouin. The walk down through the trees, easy for a mountain goat, mere mortals need stout shoes and a stick is handy. Don't even think about the walk on a wet day!!
Even on a dry day, the walk back can be challenging. Getting lost is another option which we managed once before. Take water!! Machetes are also an optional extra which could prove useful. Oh, and don't forget the mozzie cream.
Once in the village, all is well. With God on your side and He's around in abundance at the Abbey, the village is well worth a visit. The French, the just and good, were around in their Sunday best, it was a feast day with a few priests and nuns in attendance.
Absolutely picture perfect. Restaurants, cafes and culture abounds. The is a picture gallery and other " arty" things. We especially liked the gallery selling reconstructed metal things.
Too heavy to take home!!
Two expressos later and we were ready to climb the mountain back. Our friend Colin and his strimmer would have come in handy.
All in all, a friendly relaxing 3 night stay. Two lovely restaurant meals and we were ready for our next stop.
Moments to remember.
A visit from a few dozen horses taking the air around the campsite and obviously on holiday.
The bells, the bells...... the Abbey is down the road. God is in attendance.
The bus stop is outside the campsite, only in France...the bus driver parks the bus with customers and nips into the bar for a quick coffee ( well here's hoping it was coffee!)
The almond brandy is very nice.
Don't park at the top of the site by the hedge there is a local bottle bank behind you. We didn't care!!
A horse holiday.
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