We had been happily ensconced in our lovely campground overlooking the snow-capped Pyrenees mountains for two weeks when Steven decided he was ready to go somewhere else. We’re completely unpacked, as settled as we need to be, so what are we waiting for?
A quick look at the map showed lots of options, I mean, we’re in the south of France! How about Lourdes? Too touristy. How about somewhere on the coast? That sounded perfect to both of us, but the real deciding factor was campgrounds, as in, which ones were open this early in the season? We’re not ready to take on boondocking just yet.
We found one literally right on the ocean. Steven sent an email to make sure they had a spot for us (and if they had one in front right on the water, that would be great!). No problem, came the reply, plenty of oceanfront to choose from. So we packed up and headed for Saint-Jean-de-Luz, less than ten miles from the Spanish border.
We had planned to depart Montrejeau on Monday, 4/7, but our friend Shani reminded us that big trucks are sidelined on the Sabbath and everyone else is at their granny’s house. She said it’s great to travel on a Sunday, so we changed our departure date accordingly.
In general, RVers try to avoid the toll roads in France because they are horribly expensive, but sometimes the alternative can turn a two-hour trip into a four-hour trip. Plus, that four-hour option includes tiny villages and multiple roundabouts, er, no thanks. For the time being, at least, we are toll road travelers.
We had studied our arrival route on Google Maps and verified that it matched our GPS. Our motorhome-specific GPS. We thought we had a handle on it, but we were wrong. “Take Exit 2, then turn right,” she said. Exit 2, no problem. Wait, you mean that right into someone’s skinny-ass driveway or that right into that itty bitty tree-lined alleyway where everyone is parked up visiting their granny? We chose option three, move on and hope for the best.
This was a gamble, but the good news is that there is almost always a roundabout and we could circle until we decide what to do. I have a love/hate relationship with roundabouts, but sometimes they can be a real help. We eventually made the proper right turn onto a street that we could drive down. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it led us to the “back” entrance of the campground we had chosen. I made the turn in and almost instantly regretted it.
This looks better in the photo than it was in real life.
We headed up a muddy path, I hate to call it a road, and when we came to the top of the hill we needed to make a right turn, a sharp right turn. No way I could make that, so I made a left instead. But hey, there are campsites here, so obviously we’re in the right place!
The pitches were grassy (and therefore muddy from recent rains) and on a slope we could never deal with. And to top it off, right where there should have been a fabulous view of the Atlantic ocean, we saw row after row of bushes and even inside Bijou we could not see over them. This is not exactly what we had in mind, but maybe there are less sloped pitches at the other end of the campground, but first, I had to get turned around.
Oceanfront site!
Steven said, “Just go forward, there has to be a turn-around!” Actually, no, no there does not, it was a dead end. It started sprinkling and I’m hollering out my window, “Do not get me stuck in here!” Eventually we got turned around and headed toward the “main” entrance. Steven was walking in front of me, guiding, as you do when you are driving down a narrow path with stone walls on both sides and tree limbs above. Finally, we emerged from the campground and across the road we could see what looked to us to be a wonderful campground. But how do we get there? Another very sharp right, then a very sharp left, and FINALLY, we pulled up to the gate. We were giddy with relief! Steven went off to sign us up, but before long he returned and said the office is closed for lunch until 2:00. It was just after noon. Damn the French and their stupid two-hour lunches!!!
Steven said, “Just go forward, there has to be a turn-around!” Actually, no, no there does not, it was a dead end. It started sprinkling and I’m hollering out my window, “Do not get me stuck in here!” Eventually we got turned around and headed toward the “main” entrance. Steven was walking in front of me, guiding, as you do when you are driving down a narrow path with stone walls on both sides and tree limbs above. Finally, we emerged from the campground and across the road we could see what looked to us to be a wonderful campground. But how do we get there? Another very sharp right, then a very sharp left, and FINALLY, we pulled up to the gate. We were giddy with relief! Steven went off to sign us up, but before long he returned and said the office is closed for lunch until 2:00. It was just after noon. Damn the French and their stupid two-hour lunches!!!
Finally free of the campground confines, we see the Atlantic Ocean.
No sooner had we cursed the lunch habits of the French when another motorhome lumbered up behind us and of course we were still blocking the gate. Steven was about to cry at the notion that he would now have to go over and explain, in a foreign language, why they would need to back up and let us reverse away from the gate. Then, coming from the motorhome, we heard, “Hey, Steve!”
Oh, sweet baby Jesus! It’s the Brits, Dave and Elaine, from our little campground in Montréjeau!! I think this was one of the happiest moment of our lives! After conferring, Dave announced there was a small car park just beyond the gate and a bar down the road. We both reversed, took up all seven spots in the car park, abandoned our rigs and hoofed it to the bar where we spent the afternoon yakking and laughing. Turns out they also had a rough day with an uncooperative toll booth assistant, but by the time we had settled into our new campground, we were all happy as can be.
The inviting entrance to the lovely new campground, Fermé Erromardie.We shared a lovely dinner in the campground restaurant that evening and had a really fun time together. We were sad to see them leave the next day, but they had been on tour since last October and were due to catch a ferry back to the U.K.
The dishwashing station.
On Monday after Dave and Elaine departed, we walked in to explore Saint-Jean-de-Luz. In the afternoon, we mostly hung around the campground, doing a bit of cleaning and occasionally walking over to watch the surfers. While we didn’t have a view from our site, the beach was spitting distance, we could hear the waves and walk right over to see the sunset. It was a hopping place and we really enjoyed it.
On Monday after Dave and Elaine departed, we walked in to explore Saint-Jean-de-Luz. In the afternoon, we mostly hung around the campground, doing a bit of cleaning and occasionally walking over to watch the surfers. While we didn’t have a view from our site, the beach was spitting distance, we could hear the waves and walk right over to see the sunset. It was a hopping place and we really enjoyed it.
Along the trail and the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
You might recall the American couple, Shani and Todd who we’ve been in touch with since last year and who have given us invaluable advice as we prepared to move to Europe, and since. We received a message that they were on their way from Portugal and would arrive on Tuesday. Our cup runneth over with new friends and we were thrilled!
We spent the next few days hiking the cliffs along the ocean, strolling through the beautiful town eating frites, drinking wine and sampling questionable stinky cheese from Portugal. We enjoyed their company so much and, if all goes as planned, look forward to meeting up again in a couple of months.
It was now time for us to pack up and return to Montréjeau, but on our return trip, there just happened to be an IKEA right on the highway! How convenient is that? I am getting mildly obsessed with IKEA, so I did not want to pass up the opportunity to go there. Three hours, 6k steps on the Fitbit and four chipped fingernails later, we had purchased the items on our list. We also got a mattress topper that we wrestled into the rig, hoisted it up on the bed and unleashed it from its plastic casing. It did not fit. ARGH! Steven returned it. It is not easy shopping at IKEA.
Bijou’s first trip to IKEA.
Delicious gigantic IKEA donut.
So there you have it, our first trip to the coast. And remember what I said about finding community on the road? I think we’re off to a great start!
NEXT UP: We’re off to hike the Camino de Santiago!
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So happy you are making friends! I’m sure navigating will get easier as you get used to the signage and stuff over there! What beautiful location you were in!
Great title to your post, not many people can say that! What an incredible adventure you are having!
We know how you feel about finding others that speak English…had the same experience in Quebec last summer:) Really like the addition of the drone pics. Gives a much better perspective of the areas you’re visiting.
Everything we saw along our hikes reminded us of the Pacific ocean. The plants, the cliffs, the sunset. It was hard to imagine we were at the Atlantic coast!
Navigating is easy, it's the skinny roads that are scary. But we learned a lot on this trip, so maybe you're right that it will get easier. We loved our campsite!
Steven spent months on Duolingo and thank goodness he did. He's done an amazing job. Still, when we hear our native language, we are beyond thrilled! 🙂 The drone is great, right? He's gotten some amazing shots!
Great campsite! It was worth the skinny roads and turnaround. I get confused in Santa Barbara where the ocean is south, not west where it should be! Having never seen the sunset on the Atlantic, I gotta wonder if that would be confusing or sorta normal.
Apparently, RV'ers are the same wherever you go in the world. 🙂
We were reminded again of Southern California as we walked into town on Santa Barbara street! Sometimes we have to stop and think about where we are, but mostly it's all normal. 🙂
And thank goodness for that! Some of our best friends are RVers! 🙂
The stunning countryside appear to be worth the challenges, Linda. So fun to follow along on your journey! We will have to be on the lookout for Dave and Elaine in the UK this fall. Are they full-timers?
Dave and Elaine are not fulltimers, although Dave might like to be. 🙂 Following their journey home on the ferry, Elaine sent an email saying that the motorhome in front of them on the ferry failed to set their handbrake. You can imagine what happened next. Their lovely motorhome is now in for repairs!
Such great photos. Your good nature seems to draw the same type of people. The visitors along the way are as important as the places in making an adventure.
You guys are SO brave to be doing this. The further I read in your post, the more anxious I got. No way could I deal with that kind of driving. LOL!
oh… just love, love, LOVE your pictures!!!!
Thanks for your kind words. I agree with you that the people we meet along the way can truly make an experience special. I'm glad to know we can anticipate meeting new friends along our journey!
Donna, you have done so many brave things in your lifetime that if you had any interest in doing this, you would rock it! Thanks for commenting!
Thank so much! It's getting hard to choose which ones to use. We have an abundance of riches when it comes to locations to shoot!
Even with the crazy roads and the language challenges, I want to do this! This is so cool, you guys. Why am I not surprised that you're making friends?
I've been using Duolingo to refresh my college French for our upcoming trip to Montreal/Quebec City. Good to know it's been helpful for Steven! What I really want to do is spend time in France. (Eric doesn't know that yet.) :-))
I hope you find your way over here, roads aside, it’s been fun. We’ve just barely started, so much to look forward to. We will eagerly follow your travels in the Maritimes, it’s still on our list!