Author: freedombird

Wednesday 1st April 2026 – from Le Lanvandou to Ramatuelle Plage…

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Having found an Aire a little further westwards along the coast, we have decided to move on today ahead of the hike in price from 22 euros a night to 26 from tonight. We topped up with water and emptied balck and grey waste before getting on the road. We have opted to follow the coastal road as much as possible and got the opportunity to pull over above Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer and take a photo looking over the resort and back along the coastline…

There followed a rather dramatic drive up and over lush tree covered hills and through vine filled valleys with switchbacks a plenty until we made our final decline through the small town of Ramatuelle – which looked absolutely stunning but was not overly campervan friendly parking wise, so unfortunately we couldn’t stop for a wander. The road finally wound through vine filled flat lands until we reached the coast – still within the area of Ramatuelle and our Aire.

After getting ourselves pitched and settled, we walked the short distance to Plage les Bambou (actually part of the long Plage de Pampelonne) and wow what a treat…

Feeling the need for a bit more of a walk, we headed east and up and over the next headland down into the small resort of Bonne Terrasse to the small Plage de Camarat….

We attempted to continue up over the next headland but about half way up the coastal path just became a scramble over the rock face so we decided to turn back as it felt unwise to continue….

Returning to our starting point we continued a little further west joining the Plage de Pampelonne just beyond the Aire…

In the distance we could see the pink rock of Monaco with the snow capped Dolomites in the background….

On our return to the Aire, we crossed over a bridge over a small brook leading out to the sea…

After we had had our tea the beautiful sunshine tempted us back out again for a short wander and I am so pleased we did as down by the brook was a family of wild boars snuffling in amongst the bamboo roots at the waters edge….

And lo and behold on the other side of the bridge a beaver just loitering in the evening sun….

How magical?

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 21
  • Miles walked – 5.5
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £11.37

Tuesday 31st March 2026 – a bit of a lazy day just pottering and enjoying the sun in Le Lavandou….

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It was quite a windy night last night, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect this morning – I needn’t have worried, another sunshiny day and without the wind which had blown itself out, a lovely warm one too.

I took the plunge and swapped some of my winter wear for summer wear – not a complete commitment mind as it is only the end of March but hey we are on the Med!

We pottered down on the beach for a while and then set off in an easterly direction along the cycle path that runs along the back of the Aire over the top of Cap Negre and down into the little seaside community of Pramousquier for a wander and play on the beach there….

Thoughts of the day:

  • I have spent quite a while looking for possible places to stay, heading east towards and into Italy and it is not looking very good. The campsites (which are just opening) are all around 40 to 50 euros a night, which is way too much for me and the Aires de Camping Car Park which have held me in good stead throughout France do not appear to have a presence in northern Italy. So I’ve decided I’m just going to have to jump between the few coastal aires that are available and wing it for a while – time will tell.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 0
  • Miles walked – 4
  • Beaches – 1
  • O/N – £19.16

Monday 29th March 2026 – a beautiful day in Le Lavandou….

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We awoke to a beautiful day in paradise, a little windy but reasonably warm (I’ve shed a fleecy layer for the first time since we were in France last year!) and oh the joy of taking our morning walk along the sea front….

After a bit of a lazy morning we set out for a walk in the afternoon sun – spending a while playing on the far end of Plage de Cavaliere….

The beach was surprisingly quiet but all the beach bars seem to be getting ready to open up for the season on the 1st of April which would appear to be the starting point of the season here. We then took a walk westwards along the cycle path – through a rather extensive tunnel….

With brief glimpses along the way, out along this magnificent coastline….

Past the little Plage de Jean Blanc of which we only caught a brief glimpse of, from above, as there were a lot of steps down (and even more coming back up!) and a couple of rather unfriendly guard dogs just on the other side of the fence….

Our destination did not disappoint as we were rewarded with this little beauty Plage d’Aiguebelle….

A little play on here to recharge our batteries (as we really haven’t done much in the way of walking so far) before heading back to the van.

Thoughts of the day:

  • Even off season this area of France is considerably more expensive than I found things on the west coast last year and I am also a little concerned about the lack of and price (high) of potential park ups should we venture along the coast into Italy, as is the current plan. Need to think things through a bit.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 0
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £19.17

Sunday 29th March 2026 – a long drive south to the sparkling sands and seas of the Cote d’Azur….

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Another fine sunny day for us as we brace ourselves for what turns out to be a full day driving as we meander our way down through the French Alps, at one point the sat nav decided to take us off the motorways (which we had opted to use due to the fact that we have had quite a few long driving days and just wanted to make our lives a little easier) and head across country.

However 5 miles or so in down a windy country lane I pressed the reject button and turned round to head back to the motorway. I have no doubt the tolls for this journey will be pretty eye-watering but to be honest I think I speak for us both in saying we just want to get there.

And eventually at just after 5 we arrived on site and without further ado made our way straight to the beach (about 100m away) and then the long day became worth it…

With temperatures of the late teens set for the next few days, we are going to pause and just enjoy.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 204
  • Miles walked – 3
  • Beaches – 1 (yay)
  • O/N – £19.17
  • Food – £20.05

Saturday 28th March 2026 – Aix les Baines through the French Alps to Crots….

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Another beautiful morning giving us an excellent reason to start the day off with a brisk walk alongside Lac de Bouget….

We are glad of the exercise as we have a long drive ahead of us today as we twist our way through the French Alps, up and down the many switchbacks, stopping to capture little snap shots of the amazing views, as and when we can….

Eventually Lac Serre-Poncon, France’s largest resevoir comes into view….

And we manage to pull over (for the umpteenth time) and walk to the viewing point for St Michel’s Chapel, perched upon a little island in the lake….

A few miles further on at the northern end of the Reservoir on the outskirts of the little village of Crots is our Aire for the night in the shadows of the surrounding snow covered peaks….

We take a wander down to the lake only to find that this end is completely empty of water with some kind of works being carried out…

A shame, but we are still able to enjoy a walk along the shoreline before heading back to the van for the evening.

Thoughts of the day;

  • The scenery for our journey has been amazing all the while, though very time consuming even allowing for the multiple stops that we made.
  • The only downside to the multiple switchbacks we have encountered today is that I daren’t take my eye off the road for a second to admire the view, however there has been plenty of places to pull over.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 134
  • Miles walked – 4
  • O/N – £12.43
  • Fuel – £102.23 (eyewatering!)