# Our first trip abroad in the Motorhome Part one



## storeman (May 16, 2005)

Hi All part one of our travels.

We set off for Dover at 4.30 on Tuesday the 23rd of August. Pulled in to fill up on the A1 and chose the most expensive place 

to fill up (just my luck).We carried going down to Dover and pulled into the services near Leeds Castle to make a cuppa.We 

arrived at Dover at 10pm and was directed to gate 33 for the ferry with Norfolk Lines Which I duly drove straight past so had to turn around and come back,(good job it was the midnight sailing and not peak period).Put on the lens deflectors and 

got chatting to a chap that lived in Germany.We started to board at 11pm and the ferry set sail on time at 11.59.We sat in 

recliners at the front so we could have a view of the ship sailing out of Dover.we managed to get about an hours sleep and 

woke up just as we were entering Dunquirke.On leaving the ship we decided to go into Dunquirke town center to park up in the 

square as advised but after a long and fruitless search we decided to head for Gravelines,when we arrived it waS closed and we 

did not know where to park up so we pulled up behind a lorry on the entrance road to the campsite the time was then 5 am we 

just got onto the bed and fell asleep.

We were woken at 8am by someone banging on the door so we made a cuppa then set off in search of Stenay and a filling 

station.After going round in circles we found a supermarket in Arquey we filled up then set off again ,we had problems with 

road closures not knowing what deviation to take but eventually got it right. As we got to Lille my interpretation of the Sat 

Nav was wrong but got it right third time round Lille.There were no more problems and we arrived in Stenay at about 4pm the 

weather had been warm and sunny.Joan was waiting for us at the bridge over the canal. We set up next to joan & jeff who had 

saved us a pitch next to them,we also met 1happy from Motorhomefacts who had been touring France and Belgium in there new 

Knaus Sun T and very happy they were with there motorhome .The site at Stenay was a nice secluded sight where you have to 

get a card key from the information office across the canal where the disposal facilities were.On the side 

of the canal we were at it had showers toilets and fresh water. The cost per night is 5 Euros which also included an electric hook up.

The next day we set off for Luxembourg it was raining a little bit but not much to write home about.We arrived in Luxembourg 

and proceeded to fill up with cheap Diesel at 0.925 Euros.We then went to the railway station to park in the car park but as 

I pulled in there was a dreaded hight barrier in front of me,so with a bit of maneuvering and holding up of traffic and going through a red light we set 

off to look for some place to park but alas all the car parks had weight limits of 3.5 ton . We pulled up at the roadside on 

the car parking places and had a cuppa.the weather was now sunny and we decided to go to Smokeys to get our cheap tobacco,and 

we stopped at the Match supermarket just before it for provisions.we bought our baccy then had a complementary cuppa. It was 

getting late in the day so we decided to go to Trier to park up for the night.The traffic going into Trier was horrendous as 

there was a rally on over the weekend. As we were going through Trier We went off track with the Sat Nav and pulled up 

outside some factory gates to decide what to do next ,when a little old lady came up to us and she gave us directions to get 

there. We set back off but before we got there I saw some Motorhomes parked up in a very large area so I decided to pull in 

and park up there.It was were the rally cars were going to start & finnish it was good fun.It started to rain a little then 

all of a sudden it was torrential for about 10 minutes. After that it stopped and was soon dry again.The rally finished at 

about 10.30 pm. At about 11pm a van pulled up behind us and it was a couple of young men from the Basque region of Spain who 

had come to watch the rally. 


The next morning it was another sunny day and we said to the young men from spain as they headed into town to watch the next 

stage of the rally. We then set for Dusseldorf and hit the dreaded road closures again, after a major hickup it was decided 

that I would take the lead after more road works and closures on route but with no hickups we arrived in Dusseldorf. As we 

neared the Messe Jeff took the lead as he had been two years previous. We got sited and had a cuppa and decided we would go 

into the town centre on the free transport we had a look round and then headed back to the station to catch the VRR to the 

Messe but decided to have a drink in one of the many cafes at the station. We then got on the VRR to the Messe, then the bus 

to the campground.Kate,Jeanie & Bill who had arrived the previous day had also been into town and had taken a cruise on the 

Rhine came round to our van,we had a good chat and a drink of course.

Chris and Pearl


----------

