Camping-Car Park at Falaise

 Sunday 12th April

 After food shopping in Les Andelys, we drove south of Rouen, then south of Caen to Falaise.  When we stopped at a motorway Aire to eat our lunch, I spoke to a passing young lad who was wearing a hoodie with 'Sussex Championship' on his back, asking him where in Sussex is he a champion.  He said he lives near Brighton and swims at various venues in Sussex.  The rest of the family came and joined in the chat and learnt that he trains at K2 and has competed at the Pavilions!  The Dad then asked us if we knew about the overhead automatic toll charge points (they are new and work like the toll at the Dartford Tunnel/Bridge) as the last time he was in France, it was the old toll booths where you had to pay cash or card before the barrier went up.  We were able to advise on getting Bip&Go or similar to be able to drive straight through and be charged automatically.  

Anyway, we eventually reached the Camping-Car Park in Falaise which is just below the rather ugly keep of the Chateau.

 Our afternoon's exploration took us to what looked like on the map, a lake.  We discovered that it's being revamped into a winding river and small ponds, with the new wooden staircase up to La Porte des Cordeliers (gateway).

It's still under construction.



We climbed up all those steps to the gateway with me counting them.  At the top I said 81 out loud which caused an elderly couple to stop and talk to us.  They told us more about the new layout of the park - that it has taken 3 years to get this far and lots of work still to do.  (So my idea that they are getting it all done ready for the summer went out of the window!)  The reason for all these changes is because the old house at the end of the lake was often flooded and pipes have been laid to reroute the water. They pointed out the rather attractive block of flats where they have lived for 20 years and that she came from Portsmouth and him from Dorking!  They then gave us the names of the best restaurants around, except that the favourite one is closed Mondays(!)
 
NB. I mentioned they were an elderly couple.  In passing she said that she was 80.  In that case I'm only 75.
After they moved on, we came through the arch to look for a geocache.  In a hole in the wall at the top of these steps.  
John is in that gap, reaching up to replace it.
Around the town -


We do seem to be meeting some interesting people along the way.  So far they've all been English speakers, which helps.  





 

Comments

  1. Wendy F13 April 2026 at 10:31

    Pleased that you are out and about exploring again xx

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First stop - Eaucourt-sur-Somme

Image
 Wednesday8 April 2026  After telling various friends that we planned to take it easy this holiday and not do a blog, today has been quite an adventure and so I can't resist the equivalent of 'putting pen to paper'.   The day began in Otford after spending the night with Peter and Hannah.  My 80th birthday yesterday, had been very memorable with a super lunch at a Sevenoaks pub with all the family - Peter Hannah, Emilie and Adam, Natalie and David.  Great to have both grandchildren at home and able to be with us.  We left early to drive to Dover for the very smooth ferry to Calais.  Another beautiful, sunny and warm day to drive to our first Camping-Car Park at Eaucourt-sur-Somme which is just SE of Abbeville.  We needed to stop for a bit of shopping en route, so aimed for the SuperU on the outskirts of the town.  They obviously have it in for us big vehicles, because despite circling the building we couldn't find anywhere to park - we c...
Read more

L'ile des trois rois, Les Andelys

Image
 Thursday 9th April  We left our new Icelandic friends (you can just see them by their van) and headed into Normandy for our next stop.     This took us some beautiful countryside on minor roads and through pretty villages.  We stopped in one for a breather and stroll around a very well-kept park.  Perriers-sur-Andelle. We are now at a campsite in Les Andelys beside the River Seine, with a view of Richard the Lionheart's chateau up on top of the cliff. Staying here for a bit, so we can explore.  Not too sure about climbing up there though!  
Read more

Chateau Guillaume-le-Conquerant, Falaise

Image
 Monday 13th April  Our pretty little River Ante  Today we did lots of ups and downs.  First up the steep hill past the mairie to the castle. Into the huge area of the castle grounds and a view of the tower we were later to climb ...   Once in the castle it was self guided with a very clever tablet.  You held it over a symbol on a post in each area and then you could hold it up around the room to see how it would have been back in its day. In the chapel. Sometimes there was a video showing of one of the characters from history telling their story.     Views from the top of the tower  A school party arriving - no way were they going to catch us up! We learnt so much history on this tour.  (This bit from the Green Guide)  Falaise is the birthplace of William, Duke of Normandy (the Conqueror) in 1027.  Earlier that year, Robert the younger son of King Richard !!, Duke of Normandy was returning home from the hunt and was ...
Read more