We departed from sunny Derby at 2pm with a 4 hour journey time and an ETA of 6.15pm arrival at Dover. Reality was more like 8pm with the usual M25 traffic, but I guess this is what we come to expect in the UK. We stopped in a free carpark overnight in anticipation of our 7am departure for France and woke up at 5am view with a great view out of our newly installed Heki skylight of Dover Castle and the ferry port. It was the first time we had stayed in the van since the new skylight was installed so it was a bit of a novelty!

Suffice to say we arrived at the ferry on time and or plan was for an overnight stay in Dinant, Belgium. This will place us just outside of Luxembourg where we have three nights booked at a campsite from Sunday onwards.

Denant – Belgium

We knew that the first full day was going to be a bit of a slog from a point of view of having to get up early, and then do a four hour drive to the first stop after the ferry crossing. However, the weather was excellent, and the roads abroad seem so much nicer to navigate than in the UK. We arrived in Dinant midday which was perfect.

With this stop just being a single night before moved on to our first pre booked campsite in Luxembourg, we used a phone app called Park4Night to find a place to stay. This is done on a recommendation basis by a person that finds a place that they have stayed at without having issues to move on, and from there others use the location and contribute on the app to say whether or not the location is still valid with no problems.

We we had a couple of options in Dinant, and were happy with the one we chose. It was a basic parking spot with no payment required, a shop round the corner, and a five minute walk to the heart of the town. Doesn’t get much better than that.

We were both happy to jump out of the van, stretch our legs and start exploring as soon as we had parked up. I had advice that this was a nice place to visit on a previously trip suggestion, but we never managed to pull it in at the time. Even though I wasn’t expecting to be disappointed, it certainly exceeded all of my expectations and really glad we choose it as a first port of call on this two week vacation.

Dinant is a city in Belgium’s Walloon Region. It’s on the banks of the Meuse River and backed by steep cliffs. Perched on an outcrop above town is the centuries-old fortified Citadel. It’s now a museum with sweeping views.

Below it is the Gothic Collegiate Church of Our Lady. Nearby, on the site of saxophone inventor Adolphe Sax’s birthplace, Mr. Sax’s House has interactive exhibits on the instrument’s development.

So we had a great afternoon and retired to the van early evening just in time for a downpour. We parked right in the corner of the carpark which had proven to be a slight issue as the rain came down and the water pooled outside our sliding door, so we had to relocate a few meters, but other than that it was a nice evening. We chilled, and could really start appreciating the new living space / skylight as we watched TV on the iPad upstairs, in bed.

We were up early the following morning. The air had cleared and we headed to the ferry departure point after sending an email to the boat company that do river cruises on the Meuse River. We managed to get on the first trip at 9.30, which wasn’t busy and was was really nice lasting about an hour. We think its a really relaxing way of seeing a location, and with the onboard commentary often come away more educated.

After the boat trip we had another wander round, and a coffee on the riverfront before heading back to the van, and on to our next destination.

Luxembourg

The trip from Dinant to the next campsite was just under two hours, crossing the boarder of Belgium into Luxembourg. The weather was noticeably cooler than the first day, and there was intermittent cloud cover.

we caught the free bus in to the city centre. Another amazing place and really glad we decided to visit. One of the wealthiest countries in the world apparently, and I’m not surprised one bit! Everything is pristine. Tomorrow looks like we may have to adapt to a less sunny / predictable forecast. Let’s see where that takes us in Luxembourg. Maybe the caves

Click here for Camping Kockelscheuer website

Strasbourg

We left Luxembourg after filling up with diesel as we were advised that its cheaper there than anywhere else in Europe. This stood us in good stead for the two and a half hour journey covering 224km (140 miles). We arrived earlier than the check in recommendation of 2pm but they allowed us on site, but did ask to be moved from their original pitch suggestion due to overhanging trees. We were pretty happy with where we ended up.

That afternoon we took a walk to the local Lidl and replenished supplies, but got wrestles later in the afternoon and got the bikes off the back of the van and headed into the city

We headed back into the city on our little hitway e-bikes, and it was a blast. Today was another wander around day to take in the amazing architecture.

The second day always seemed to have the threat of a shower, but the temperature was pleasant and the sun was out for prolonged spells.

Click here for CityKamp Strasbourg website

Liverdun & Nancy

We left Strasbourg all shopped out. We love the city culture, and the hustle and bustle of the shops and eateries. But we are ready for the slow and steady also. So, on that basis we decided to pitch at a campsite just out side of the city of Nancy, called Moselle Camping, and the route chosen was to avoid tolls. I must admit, the scenery off the beaten track was absolutely amazing, and took me right back to 2018 / 19 when we did our larger Euro trips to Italy and Croatia.

Shortly after we arrived at the campsite the van was set up and we decided to stretched our legs . Liverdun, as we found out was a small village next to the River Mosselle with some very steep roads, and not a great deal else. It was scenic and a challenge for both of us to get up to the highest point. Mandy is now keeping up with me on the inclines walking , so it’s brilliant we can both get about and enjoy.

Our original intention was to stay at Liverdun for two nights. However, being so close to the city of Nancy we decided to extend for another day and jump on the train to explore the City. A couple of chill out days at the campsites rural surroundings, we felt it was worth visit. Boy were we glad we did. I think we would have kicked ourselves if we hadn’t made the effort. Its an amazing city….

Click here for Moselle Campsite website

Laon

We arrived mid afternoon at the campsite in Laon. Our first impression of the campsite when we arrived was a little sketchy and it looked a little run down. The shower block and toilets had seen better days, and were clearly lacking attention. We were not issued a pitch location, and many looked on steep slopes or just looked unwelcoming, but as we drove we managed to find a nice flat pitch that had a nice feel to it.

We set the van up, and then decided to head over to check out the indoor pool which was small, but an added bonus. From there we went back to the camp reception where I had a couple of ice cold beers, and Mandy had an ice lolly.

Late afternoon we made the decision to cycle up the steeeeep hill to Laon city. Quiet at 8pm, which was nice, but amazing views and architecture.

The following day we went back into Leon and explored a little more, but we both felt a little disappointed overall. Maybe we had just been spoiled by the amazing places we had visited previously. That sounds a little ungrateful….

Click here for Camping Laon Website

Ardres & Boulogne-sur-Mer

We departed from Laon on Thursday, and headed for our last campsite at Ardres, half hour drive away from Calais, where we would be catching the ferry back on Sunday. Knowing the weather wasn’t going to be brilliant for the next couple of days we ventured into the town of Ardres for a few hours Friday, but rain in the afternoon found us chilling in the van.

On the last full day at the campsite weather was better and our plan was to spend some time reading and relaxing. However, we got restless late morning and decided to take a drive over to Boulogne for a few hours. It was only a 30 minute drive, and I must say both myself and Mandy thought it was well worth the visit.

We were really impressed with some of the wall art discovered around the coastal city.

Le Saint-Louis, camping et restaurant à Autingues entre Ardres, Audruicq et Guînes 62