France 2009, Day Eight

Day eight 13th June

We all got packed up and set off from the campsite at about the same time, Nicole, Tim and the girls for home and the rest of us heading for another Siblu site on the coast.

From the campsite after filling up with fuel in town, we got back on the D45 and headed along the river for Amboise. Just before Amboise we turned left over the river on the D31 heading for a new motorway, one that we were not sure was actually finished (we did this once before in 2004 and it wasn't and we nearly ran out of fuel). Well the motorway the A85 was open but we didn't know where the slip road was, it wasn't where the sat nav said it should be. We could only see a set of toll booths for the road eastbound so we parked up and observed what was going on, eventually we saw a wagon that used the toll booths heading west on the motorway, so through the toll booths we went. The road split after the toll booths and crossed over to head west, once on, we were on the A85 to its end at the A11, where we turned left. Again we follow the A11 to its end where it changes to the A844, then to the A821 and then N165. At Savenay we turned left onto the N171 for St-Nazaire, as we approach St-Nazaire we can see the big bridge over the mouth of the river Loire that we must cross over to reach the campsite. At a roundabout we turn left onto the D213 and over the bridge, from the bridge, the site at Saint-brevin-les-pins is about 4.5 miles on the right.

SAINT-BREVIN Siblu's Les Pierres Couchees Avenue des Pierres Couchées, 44250 Saint-brevin-les-pins Web Site

Checked in and we were given sites next to each other, we drove to the touring pitches only to discover that, one had a tent on it already and the other was the smallest pitch on the campsite. Not only that, this tent was the only other tourer on the site, every other touring pitch was free. We unhooked Mick's car and drove the long road back to reception, we had picked two large pitches together first.   In reception a comedian changed our booking details and suggested we set fire to the tent.

It took us a long time to realise that in France, we are usually given an unsuitable pitch and have to go to reception and change it, not just put up with it, as we did in the early years of out travels.

Quickly set up (didn't bother with the satellites as we where in a forest), put some cold beers in a cool bag and headed for the beach. The beach is fairy close, if it wasn't for the long walk to the gate to get off the site it would be even closer.  As we passed the reception area, we had a quick look at the pool, shop, bar, etc, unfortunately for the girls the rugby was on in the bar ad we had to have a beer and watch the end, fortunately for them it was only the second half.  A French guy next to us stood and cheered every time South Africa's Western Province got a point and went mad when they went into the lead, anyway he was very quiet when the lions won with practically the last kick of the game. The beach is about 500 yard from the campsite gate and the fine sand carries on for miles in both directions. There is a strip of ground between the beach and the land fenced off as a nature reserve, containing wild flora and fauna, but there are paths through it at regular intervals.

We had had a very long day, so we only had a short walk along the beach, then sat on the sand dunes and had a beer in the nice hot sun.

Back at the vans Mick and Bren made tea and we had drinks outside until it was dark (and as you can see from the photo a bit cool), then watched a DVD in Mick's caravan.