European road trip Calais-Geraudot

Two things happen when you tell pub landlords in France that you’re from Wales. They shout ‘Ahhh Rugby!’ and then there’s a lock-in. So here I am in the passenger seat of a Citroen Bellingo, hungover as hell on the road to Switzerland.

We’ve  just spent 3 brilliant days in France as part of a road trip to various destinations in Europe which are by now whittled down to 3 countries as we only have 2 weeks and really don’t want to rush things.

Wamin, Frnace

As a couple, we have roles on this trip. Sally is the designated driver and in charge of camping gear and I’m in charge of cooking, locations and destinations in general. So my first job was to decide where to stay for the night and punch the address into the Sat Nav. Easy.

Not easy. No one told me that there’s more than one Saint Quentin in France so an hour into the journey we realise we have driven a whole hour in the wrong direction and end up in a little village called Wamin right in the countryside of France which really is rather beautiful. Getting lost has never been so much fun and here I discover that Sally’s French is  brilliant and we manage to buy all the essentials; Fuel, wine and cheese.

Back on track we drive for 3 hours south to Saint Quentin where we pull in for the night in one of France’s many municipal camping sites. These are dotted all over France, well sign posted and are absolutely brilliant if you’re travelling through the country. They provide a cheap place to pitch up (this one was only €8) with fantastic facilities such as hot showers, toilets and an indoor space in case it rains so you can take your food over and sit under cover. All of the facilities are spotlessly clean and a far cry from some of the campsites at home, especially the festival variety! Many of them also have outdoor or indoor pools. The French really know how to look after mobile holidaymakers. If this were the UK, these sites would have been sold off to private developers long ago and the beautiful parks now the site for ugly, generic apartments.

The following morning we head towards our first ‘proper’ destination on the trip.

Geraudot is in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, and as the name suggests, there’s plenty of the stuff around.

Driving towards the town of Geraudot, you know you’re in a really special place as the land opens to rolling countryside, forests, lakes, farmland and smallholdings producing cider, honey and champagne every few miles.

Pitching up at L'Epine Aux Monies campsite opposite the lake, again we realise how well the French do campsites.

Excited, we dismantle the bikes from the rack and go for a spin around the lake. You can see why it’s referred to as a beach, with its soft, grassy shores and pure, clean water.

The following morning we cycle around the huge local reservoir and marshland, which is a national park full of protected wildlife where storks roam freely with swans and herons play happily by the water on the little islands dotted around the lake.

Cycling by the lake, Geraudot

A 30k drive down the road took us to Ville Arc, one of the many villages on the champagne trail in the Ardennes region.  We pass miles upon miles of vineyards, stunning chateaux and quaint villages. Driving through the maze of narrow streets, hidden courtyards, and intimate houses cut from stone, we pass scores of champagne makers and can almost taste the grapes in the air.

Yet getting your hands on the stuff is quite difficult. We didn’t realise you have to book an appointment to get a tour of one of the vineyards and they are so exclusive that I guess you’d have to roll in with a lot of cash to buy cases , not  just a few bottles like we were looking for.

Lucky for us we couldn’t be bothered to cook at camp that evening and so walked to a local pub/restaurant up the road called Bar Les Templiers.

Walking into the bar we realised it was more of a working man’s pub than a restaurant where no one spoke English but the beer was flowing. Perfect.

Making the effort to speak French, no matter how bad it is, really does gain you a little respect from the locals. Noticing the landlady was drinking some of the local champagne from a bottle encased in ice, we jumped at the chance to try a glass.

Ville Arc, the champagne village

Before long we were on our 2^nd bottle, perched at the bar with the landlord and his wife, Sylvie.  The bubbles had had their desired effect and Sally’s French was in full swing, even my very limited French seemed to improve! The party had definitely started, so Sylvie locked the pub and put her favourite French crooner on full blast, while her husband got out his French rugby gear and started blowing on a horn.

Now THIS is how you should drink champagne in France! Aware that we actually needed to be able to walk back to camp, we tried leaving, but Sylvie would have none of it and insisted on more champagne (on the house) and dancing. Her husband asks us to write down our date of birth then disappears to a back room behind the bar. He comes back with a book each for us to keep as souvenirs on our travels. Both books were printed on our respective years of birth containing the town’s general news and statistics from that year. This is quite possibly the most bizarre but wonderful parting gift we’ve ever been given and we promise to treasure and look after them.

It really is time to leave now while our legs still work but the 
landlord insists giving us a lift back to the campsite.The welcome and hospitality they showed us at this bar was second to none so if you are ever in this area, do drop in and make the effort to speak to them.

The following morning we wake up in the tent with the biggest champagne hangovers ever known to man. We take hot showers, down black coffee and painkillers and set off for Lake Geneva…

Camping L'Epine Aux Monies €30.20  for 2 nights (price includes 1 tent pitch, 1 car + 2 adults).

Facilities: Showers, toilets, laundrette, electricity, bike hire, restaurant + bar.  

To see our camping food recipes just click here.