A choice of gas

Historically we have always used Calor gas in our other caravan bbq etc . The Puck and Camper come equipped for camping gaz . This is of course nearly twice the price of calor but has the advantage of being widely available including France .
Changing from one to the other is a real pain as the regulator needs to be changed .  With Camper Jam coming up we will need to run the fridge on gas for the weekend so a switch to a small calor cylinder which I already had sensible.
I came across these quick release connectors on the internet and they seemed a good idea

so with the aid of the requisite jubilee clips I can now quick change gas cylinders between both Puck and the Cadac BBQ

Job done!

The Final Analysis

The journey back was pretty uneventful with a good meal at L'Ecailler in Ouistreham before getting on the ferry. Speedy boarding got us both on and off the boat first which was great although parking up against the rear gates in the open on the ship is a bit scary

The run home from Portsmouth was trouble and delay free.

So would we go again? Well Pors Peron was a good site and a very possible location for the main summer break.

The Normandy beaches are pretty well "done" and worth a visit.

The Puck was pretty much faultless through the week and Mr Happy also performed pretty much faultlessly over just under a 1000 miles. The only issue being the fridge relay failing meaning that we had to unplug the caravan when we stopped otherwise flat battery, as we discovered at Pegasus Bridge, at least it didn't happen on the boat!

So upwards and onwards, next stop Camperjam.

Chateau de Martragny

This was our second site and is a 4 * Castels site just outside Bayeux. It has a variety of good sized pitches both regimented in lines and more informal amongst the Orchards, and has the full range of facilities you would expect pool, shop, bar , bistro.
We arrived just before reception closed on a fairly damp evening and were directed to our pitch which was not the best but reception disappeared after we left and I wasn't in the mood to move the following day.
We went hunting for the loo found these and went into instant grumpy old man mode

At over £30 a night call me a snob but I expect something better!
Then I went stomping off round the site and found these and all was instantly forgiven

This was one of the best toilet blocks we have encountered and I think was new last year.
The site overall is pretty good the shop was expensive but no surprise there and the bar and bistro looked good although we did not partake. It also was not pool weather!

Normandy and D Day

Pointe du Hoc

This is a fascinating place to visit and there is a definite "spin" to this site. Whilst it is difficult to ignore the fact that it was a strategic and logistical c**k up you cannot take away the undoubted bravery of the 225 rangers who scaled an impossible cliff face under fierce machine gun fire because they lost the element of surprise to capture a heavy gun position where the guns had already been moved. Over half lost their lives defending what they had won as reinforcements were sent elsewhere and did not arrive until the following day, but  again I stress their bravery was immense as you see the cliff face and the moonscape they found.

The American Cemetery

I have repeatedly been told that is a must see place and is deeply moving. We undoubtedly picked the wrong time to go, with a combination of the French public holiday, the hugely increased visitor load as the D Day anniversary approaches and the fact that the place was a building site getting ready for the Presidential visit on the 6th. Like anything set up by the Americans its a beautifully laid out and regimented place, we avoided the visitor centre as you were being herded through, and just as at the British cemetery in Bayeux we visited last year, the effect of walking through rows and rows of graves brings home the loss that occurred. We felt it lacked the personal touch we saw at Bayeux even the floral tributes left on individual graves seemed pretty identical.

Pegasus Bridge

This was another memorial described to us as a must see, and it did live up to its billing.
The museum was good value and the guided tour excellent . What made it especially interesting was the focus in the exhibition on personal stories from those involved not just on the invasion itself but also their background their families and their careers both before and after, fascinating.
It also underlined just what an amazing operation it was with some great stories such as the glider that landed 12km away from target the troops found a bridge and "took it" as was their instructions then realized they were in the wrong place and marched for a day to join the colleagues.
It is only when you see it in full scale do you realize just how close the gliders landed.
The visitor centre itself was designed to mimic the shape of the glider and also a parachute, and is the exact distance from the relocated bridge that the first glider landed.
The replica glider is also a highlight, the ultimate disposable airplane and also the famous Café Gondree the first house liberated in France.
I really good place to spend a moving yet uplifting 3 hours and only 15 minutes from the port!

Pont Croix and Quimper

Pont Croix about 3 km form Pors Peron is a small medieval town which climbs up the hillside from the banks of the river Goyen. A lot of the houses and architecture are 13th century and lead up steep cobbled streets to the main square. formally an ancient inland port it makes a delightful walk round for a couple of hours but eating opportunities are  limited.

Quimper about 25km away was the nearest "city" again with a great ancient heart centred around the Cathedral area, itself a magnificent gothic edifice extended over the centuries with tremendous stained glass windows.
The little squares and streets hosted lots of bars and restaurants and I imagine its a great place to while away summer evening

Camping Pors Peron and it's surroundings

As we come to the end of the first part of our Adventure,  time for a few reflections.
Firstly Pors Peron,  a brilliant site. OK it helps it stopped raining 10 minutes before we arrived and hasn't rained since but that is beside the point! The location is near Quimper in the far south West of Britanny which is not as developed as some parts but is great for walking and cycling on quiet lanes and is ringed by a coastal footpath. It's owned by an English couple who keep it spotless. Pitches vary in size with and without 10 amp electric and are generally screened from each other by hedges

The toilet block was rebuilt last year and is immaculate

For those who  don't camp there are a number of mobile homes to rent

There is also a kids playground and a small shop with bread and croissants to order. There is no pool or bar but we missed neither and there is a great little beach 250m down the lane which is great for bodyboarding (apparently ;-))

Out and about we visited Pont Croix on Sunday and Quimper on Monday. Unfortunately all the pictures are on my camera and the cable I bought at vast experience expense from EBay (£1.99) to transfer pictures to my tablet doesn't work, serves me right for not checking So I will edit the post when we get home and include more detail suffice to say that they were both interesting and historic places to wander round. (Grr....)
Anyway tomorrow we head back to Normandy. To be honest if we had not paid for the site we would probably have stayed put for the whole week. 

Mr Happy's Big Adventure Part Deux, The beginning

We decided to venture to France again this half term holiday. Spending the first part of the week in Brittany before heading north to near Bayeux for the last few days. Travelling down on the bank holiday Friday was always going to be risky and so it proved taking 5 hours with the sat nav suggesting on more than one occasion that we may miss the boat and trying to take us all over to miss traffic. Anyway we arrived with just under an hour to spare and your author feeling very stressed! Although to the rigs credit nothing broke or fell off.

We had  chosen to take the longer crossing to St Malo which was even more eye wateringly expensive than last year. It did mean we could get a meal and drink before retiring.
A smooth crossing saw us arrive at an ungodly hour and set off south West. It's only when SWMBO needs a loo do you realise how late everything opens in France!
A steady and uneventful 5 hour  trundle saw us arrive at Pors Peron and we only got lost once!
First job when the rain stopped was park up and of course put the kettle on.

 

After we were suitably refreshed we set about erecting the gazebo and unpacking

First impressions of the site are really good but more of that later