# First trip to Europe



## 88991 (May 11, 2005)

Hi Everyone

Just arrived back Monday evening, will write a full itinery of trip as soon as I catch up on some sleep, the trip from Dover to Thornton Cleveleys kills me....


Ray & Margaret


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Glad you are safely back and looking forward to hearing of your trip.

We get sick to death of the M20 /M25 / M4 route and we are then home. I don't think I'd cope with any longer. It really is a pain driving in the UK after Europe..

G.


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## 88991 (May 11, 2005)

Hi Everyone

We had booked the ferry tickets by Norfolkline and had arranged an early morning trip over to Dunkerke. We arrived at Dover in the afternoon and decided to see if we could swop the ticket for an earlier one. We could at a charge of £25.00, but when the wife went back to say yes we would pay it, no charge at all.

We made our way to Belgium to our first site by map as we have no GPS as yet. Our first site was called Roosendael, Donk, which we arrived around 9.00pm in the evening. We were quicky sorted paying by CC's and allocated a pitch(see photo's)

A little hard to find as it is down a narrow lane with a grave yard on the right. 16amp hook up. Able to use Wireless laptop if you went close to reception to pick signal up, so free internet access.
This is a small site but very friendly, 1 shower cubicle male/Female @ 25cents per minute. You need to supply your own toilet roll. Very Clean.

We moved on after two days and headed for a campsite called Zilverstrand which is near Antwerp.

Off N217 on the way to Lommell, near Moll, Belgium. It has excellent facilities lots of showers/WC/wash up etc are kept to a high standard. In door swimming pool etc, but charges do apply also has a shop on site.

Once again free wifi connection on the laptop, but need to be very close to reception. The site is very large and children would love it as there is a lake with boats etc. The site looks as though it is still being expanded.

We moved on after two days and headed for Germany the site we picked backed on to the Rheine and was called Campingplatz, just outside Koln. CC's accepted.

A bit of a noisy site, which is situated right next to a motorway bridge going over the Rheine, very good english spoken. No water on pitches and you plugged into a 240volt outlet in the middle of the pitches. The fresh water system for top up was next to the grey water and chemical toilet disposal, hence we gave it a very good clean with disinfectant.

Toilet/Shower facilities smelt when you walked in, the pot washing was underneath the toilets and showers and the water was warm, but not hot. The pitch boarders were none existent and you could just park wherever you could fit your van.

We went into Koln and took a boat ride to Bonn, which we thought was quite reasonable at around £8.00 per person through GD line, only to find if you wish to sit inside you have to buy a drink or buy a meal, the meal being 68 Euros each. They did have a kiosk at the rear for people who did not want to spend the money. While in Bonn we bought a Coffee a plain coffee next to where the boat had landed and I think they saw us comming as you pay for it afterwards, it was 3.60 euros each. We did argue but had to pay it. The Chinese in Bonn was brilliant a help yourself meal for 3 euros, and it was lovely. It was also a Sunday, everwhere closed.

Good side is 15 minutes to the centre of Koln on the scooter, but you could go by bicycle as it runs along the side of the Rheine right behind the site

Once again two days later we moved on to Landal Green Parks Wirfttal, Germany. CC's accepted. A very nice site which is next to a reservoir pitches have 240v and TV hook up points. The toilets were very clean, showers were a little on the small side but plenty of hot water and clean. Washing up points has no plugs for the sinks. A very busy site, but very quiet. Nothing within the vicinity, but plenty of sporting activities, swimming pool very clean.

Fresh water is next to the launderette and is 50 cents, also grey waste is here. you also have to pay Tourist tax of 95 cents PPPN.

Once again two nights and we moved on to Luxembourg, this site was called Camping Birkelt.

A very large site, with a 20 Euro deposit for the barrier key which also gave 8 minutes hot water PPPD a further 2.50 Euro deposit for wrist band to enable you to use the fabulous swimming pool. Very clean showers/toilets etc.

The site is very quiet and has a short walk through the woods to the local village. Problem when filling water up as the tap connections were massive and we had nothing to fit. Grey water drive over and English spoken very well. Fill up your van here diesel 87 cents a litre.

Two days later and we moved off again back into Belgium to Camping Blaarmeerson just outside Gent.

A large site directly off main road and a little road noise, English spoken very well. Free hot showers etc but very old buildings clean but full of cobwebs dead flies etc, 3 km from Gent. We travelled in to Gent on Scooter and found it very hard to navigate our way back using the map supplied on site.

Approx 8 pitches to an area but mixed with caravans/tents etc. A party of 10 teenagers arrived at 9.30pm and spent the next two hours in the dark erecting a massive tent out of scaffolding poles. They then proceeded to party until approx 3 am so no sleep that night. They seem to be no organisation on pitches as we were allocated pitch 170 and they were a caravan in that one. The tent fields were empty. A 1.25 cent charge to connect you to the electricity supply and 25 cents for a compulsory waste/rubbish bag.

After one night we had, had enough so moved on to our last two night in St. Omer France and the Le Chateau du Grandspette CC's Accepted.

A very peacefull/quiet site and quite large when you had a walk round. No shop on site but a big supermarket (Champion) about 3/4 of a mile down the road with a petrol station which seemed to be a lot cheaper than every other we had seen. This seems to be either the first or last site used by caravanner/motorhomes from the UK as it was full of GB stickers. Very good english spoken. No hard standing and small trees were clipping the van as you drove down the narrow paths, infact a couple from the IOM lost the TV aerial . The toilets were very clean as well as the showers, Hot water was very hot. A restaurant is on site for sit in or take away meals. The swimming pool was closed and looked as though it had been for a long time. A grey waste site is at the side of the showers etc, water hook up is all around the site but they are those oval taps and I could not use them, but one is supplied next to the grey waste, just make sure you clean it first.

One thing to remember in France off the beaten track is that all shops close on a Sunday and a Monday. Sunday we went to City Europe to get a few bottles of wine as you do and found it closed, the part only open was for the kids and the restaurant. We ended up at EastEnders..

Monday we headed back to Dunkerke as we had a crossing booked for 1.45 am Tuesday morning and did not fancy getting lost on the dock roads. We arrived at 11.45 and headed to book in to see if we could change the ticket time as you do, to our supprise no charge at all, if they can get you on they will we left Dunkerke at 12.45.

Things to note Germany was freezing and was around 5 degrees in the morning at around 9am with ice on the window, We used the diesel heating system of the van and found out it blew warm air out of three vents and freezing cold out of the last one behind the drivers seat, facing in the middle of the van. Overall our first trip and we cannot wait for another, we loved it and are hooked.

We will also invest in a GPS system of some kind, and also a TV as the one we had a UK one could only get pictures but no sound. What would you recommend!

Ray & Margaret


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## 88991 (May 11, 2005)

Photo's uploaded - now I am not David Bailey....


Ray & Margaret


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## SidT (May 9, 2005)

Hi Ray and Margaret. Nice trip. We also find the 300 miles from Dover up to the Wirral the worse part of the 2600 miles we did.
We were booked on the 5pm Norfolklines on 1st Sept but arrived early intentionally and the clerk assumed we would want to go earlier so told us to be quick if we wanted the 3pm boat. We went up to Belgium but stopped on the big aire by the bus station in Brugge. Someone on the BB said fill up at Jabeke, we arrived driving on fumes and found it dearer than in Dunkerque.
After 2 days in Brugge we drove over to Turnhout near Eindhoven to visit the Campercentre. fantastic place that specialises in parts and accessories for campervans and caravans, no hiking, fishing gear or anything like that, they had parts for just about anything right down to the little grommets on the top of Smev cookers.
From there down through Liege, Luxembourg,Metz, Nancy, Besancon, Dole down to Samoens south of Geneva. ( not in one day of course ) will post details later. Then back across to visit friends near Macon, then up through Reims back to Brugge. then spent the last night on the aire at De Panne which is handy as it is only half an hour from Dunkerque and near Tobacco Road and is a lovely seaside town well worth a visit.
Cheers Sid


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

birchr said:


> We moved on after two days and headed for Germany the site we picked backed on to the Rheine and was called Campingplatz, just outside Koln. CC's accepted.


Hi,

"Campingplatz" is the German word for "camp site", just for your information. :wink:

I think I know which one you mean, the one in "Rodenkirchen". This is indeed a bit noisy.

When going to Cologne I would recommend to use the _stellplatz_ in Cologne-Marsdorf (see database). It is also not really tranquil, but at least free of charge, has hookup and service point and you have a direct tram connection (20 minutes travel time, departures at least every half hour) to the city centre.

There is also a brand-new stellplatz just being opened in Cologne-Riehl to the north of the city centre. Also located directly at the river Rhine and with good connections to the centre. Site can already be used, however water and hookup is not yet operational.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## marionandrob (May 14, 2005)

Sounds like you had a good trip!

next time if you want a nice quiet sit near Dunkerque try the municipal site in Arques, just a few miles from St Omer. 
To find it follow the signs for tArques town centre, from there it is very well signposted. IT does seem like you are heading to the arse end of beyond but having made your way through a couple of narrow streets you end up on a very nice site alongside a small lake. The site has showers and a laundry, they speak quite good English. They also have a good selection of leaflets for nearby attractions including the Glass factory that makes Cristal D'arques glasses and Arcopal glassware amongst others!. If you don't want to stay on the site they also have an MV service point and an Aire which is basically a large parking area right on the lakeside.

Marion


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