I'll pop the coords a bit later Andy - waiting for train now 
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French Trip July '15
- Thread starter Bob
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I wouldn't have pushed my old 90series at 90mph in 40degC at 1000m asl and those big autoroute climbs in the Massif Central. That will be why the transfer box is hot
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Yeah, not my first choice, but needs must to make up time. As for the speed cameras, they don't talk to the Irish police as far as I'm aware, and for most of the trip it was about 135-140kph indicated, probably less in reality. Here and sorted anyway. A cold beer...
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Well, a week in and the truck is performing well. Heat in the box was most likely pushing a bit harsh in high temperatures, been normal since. Also discovered the cause of an irritating squiggly noise from the front right, the wear indicator on a brake pad was bent inwards and had been chattering randomly off the disc..sorted now. Drove up to Andorra yesterday, beautiful drive. Back down into Spain and home. Going to Ramautelle on Saturday, and open plan from there.
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Quick update with wi-fi.
Went up the Alps, place called Montclar. Stunning scenery. Meandered up a few gravel tracks, nothing terribly difficult but nice all the same. Caught both start and finish of a stage of the Tour de France from Digne to Pra Loup.. what a spectacle... Complete circus but great fun to be around. Weather appalling though. 2 days of torrential rain and 11℃ sent Mrs Bob into deep freeze, any truth be told I wasn't enjoying damp pillows.. so we abandoned ship, and now in Narbonne in a balmy 32℃. A bit mad, but certainly better for the health!
Transfer box temperature is definitely linked to air temperature, ran 140 miles cold today, and the last 90 miles it ran hot as we hit the higher temperatures after 11. am. Other than that, it's being bulletproof as ever, even with a quarter of a million miles on the clock
Keeping a close eye on the immigrant/protesting dock workers/protesting farmers and any other French citizen with an aggrievance that necessitates blocking major transport links for the next few days
Will write a full report when we get home late next week.
Went up the Alps, place called Montclar. Stunning scenery. Meandered up a few gravel tracks, nothing terribly difficult but nice all the same. Caught both start and finish of a stage of the Tour de France from Digne to Pra Loup.. what a spectacle... Complete circus but great fun to be around. Weather appalling though. 2 days of torrential rain and 11℃ sent Mrs Bob into deep freeze, any truth be told I wasn't enjoying damp pillows.. so we abandoned ship, and now in Narbonne in a balmy 32℃. A bit mad, but certainly better for the health!
Transfer box temperature is definitely linked to air temperature, ran 140 miles cold today, and the last 90 miles it ran hot as we hit the higher temperatures after 11. am. Other than that, it's being bulletproof as ever, even with a quarter of a million miles on the clock
Keeping a close eye on the immigrant/protesting dock workers/protesting farmers and any other French citizen with an aggrievance that necessitates blocking major transport links for the next few days
Will write a full report when we get home late next week.
3 degrees eh…? That must make for very swiftly and precisely executed night tiddle runs to the Porta Potti!!. [emoji6] I can't see us having a roof tent unless we carry a staircase with us as I can foresee my wife going bump in the night forgetting she's in it. It could all go horribly wrong!!! She doesn't do ladders and has been known to get lost on the way back from the loo in a dark French B&B bedroom! [emoji4]
If we ever do a roof tent, perhaps I'll need to think big and make it en suite!! [emoji6][emoji6]
If we ever do a roof tent, perhaps I'll need to think big and make it en suite!! [emoji6][emoji6]
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Aha! but it's all relative Andy! We've camped in the west of Ireland in single figure temperatures before, no problem if it's what you're expecting..but after 3weeks of 30℃ and over, it felt pretty nasty.. All the forecasts showed 17-18 at night, but alas.. The rain was the bigger issue though, everything was getting wet, and a small river was running under our tent!
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Trip report Part 1
Well, we're just about recovered from the journey.. so here goes.
Unfortunately some pics were lost as i've mislaid one of the memory cards from my camera, but ill try with what i have
Just before we left Ireland, the truck hit a little landmark..
Left home on the 2nd of July - Rosslare to Fishguard, and drove onwards to Brighton for an overnight with relatives. Lovely dinner, and Brunch on the seafront the next day.
We had been keeping a close eye on the situation in Dover, and had booked a ferry at 4 p.m. With the M20 closed, we flew down the M2 and A2, and it only took 20 minutes to get through the port to the ferry. I did feel for the freight drivers, must have been an awful experience. We had booked an overnight in a cheap Campanile hotel south of Lille for the night, as we thought it would be a much longer process getting to Dunkerque. It meant we were in for a long drive the following day to our first destination, Perpignan - about 650 miles.
My truck doesn't have air-con - so things got a little warm around Clermont (Inside temp in the left - outer in the middle)
It was at this time that the transfer box was running hot. I was worried about it for a while, but after posting here and doing some searching while at a services, i concluded that the combination of high temperatures, a fully loaded truck, and pushing on a bit to make time led to the anomaly. Interestingly, i changed the oil in the transfer box before we left - 75w/90. It did run hot a few more times - always in high air temperatures, even when the truck was empty and not driving hard - When we were driving in cooler temperatures, no hot transfer box. (drove the entire 1240 miles home - fully loaded and driving at 80mph + on the level bits with no heating whatsoever - but air temp stayed below 22 degrees) Its not the speed - having had the truck for 7 years - its well able for a fast motorway cruise.
Anyway - our first campsite in Canet beside Perpignan was accessed via this little tunnel - but its a good one - Le Brasilia. Mrs Bob and I decided to stay in top campsites to get the best of both worlds - comfort of sorts and the camping.
Lovely site right on the beach. Just down the road is Collioure - and old fortification on the seafront - and stunning to boot
The Toyota dealership in Perpignan had this beauty outside - and a salesman showing some people a hilux gave us a big wave and a thumbs up when we stopped to take the pic
We drove up to Andorra another day - the drive through the mountains was beautiful. Andorra was not what i expected - much more flashy and full of banks and big brand merchandise - to be honest we were disappointed. So we went into Spain for a drive instead.
It was in Spain i heard a squiggly noise from the front wheel on the drivers side - somewhat intermittently. This turned out to be a brake wear indicator that must have been bent when installed - it was chattering off the hub. A tweak of a pliers had it sorted in 5 minutes. Most of the rest of that week was spent at the pool, on the beach or poking around Perpignan - it was a holiday after all!!
Well, we're just about recovered from the journey.. so here goes.
Unfortunately some pics were lost as i've mislaid one of the memory cards from my camera, but ill try with what i have
Just before we left Ireland, the truck hit a little landmark..
Left home on the 2nd of July - Rosslare to Fishguard, and drove onwards to Brighton for an overnight with relatives. Lovely dinner, and Brunch on the seafront the next day.
We had been keeping a close eye on the situation in Dover, and had booked a ferry at 4 p.m. With the M20 closed, we flew down the M2 and A2, and it only took 20 minutes to get through the port to the ferry. I did feel for the freight drivers, must have been an awful experience. We had booked an overnight in a cheap Campanile hotel south of Lille for the night, as we thought it would be a much longer process getting to Dunkerque. It meant we were in for a long drive the following day to our first destination, Perpignan - about 650 miles.
My truck doesn't have air-con - so things got a little warm around Clermont (Inside temp in the left - outer in the middle)
It was at this time that the transfer box was running hot. I was worried about it for a while, but after posting here and doing some searching while at a services, i concluded that the combination of high temperatures, a fully loaded truck, and pushing on a bit to make time led to the anomaly. Interestingly, i changed the oil in the transfer box before we left - 75w/90. It did run hot a few more times - always in high air temperatures, even when the truck was empty and not driving hard - When we were driving in cooler temperatures, no hot transfer box. (drove the entire 1240 miles home - fully loaded and driving at 80mph + on the level bits with no heating whatsoever - but air temp stayed below 22 degrees) Its not the speed - having had the truck for 7 years - its well able for a fast motorway cruise.
Anyway - our first campsite in Canet beside Perpignan was accessed via this little tunnel - but its a good one - Le Brasilia. Mrs Bob and I decided to stay in top campsites to get the best of both worlds - comfort of sorts and the camping.
Lovely site right on the beach. Just down the road is Collioure - and old fortification on the seafront - and stunning to boot
The Toyota dealership in Perpignan had this beauty outside - and a salesman showing some people a hilux gave us a big wave and a thumbs up when we stopped to take the pic
We drove up to Andorra another day - the drive through the mountains was beautiful. Andorra was not what i expected - much more flashy and full of banks and big brand merchandise - to be honest we were disappointed. So we went into Spain for a drive instead.
It was in Spain i heard a squiggly noise from the front wheel on the drivers side - somewhat intermittently. This turned out to be a brake wear indicator that must have been bent when installed - it was chattering off the hub. A tweak of a pliers had it sorted in 5 minutes. Most of the rest of that week was spent at the pool, on the beach or poking around Perpignan - it was a holiday after all!!
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Trip report Part 2
After leaving Perpignan, we crossed the south coast as far as a village called Ramatuelle, near St.Tropez. We have bee here before, and its a place that has stayed with us, so we had to go back.
The campsite was set on a hillside.. which was quite steep - the approach to our pitch was not handbrake friendly, so i employed the services of a local rock.. and yes, i straightened up the wheels!
This is why i decided to make the awing a seperate unit, rather than retractable, as I bungee'd it between a couple of trees, allowing me to park the LC on the slope and give us more space. It worked very well, the bungees allowing it to take gusts of wind in its stride. And yep, thats a bean bag....
We ventured into Vieux Nice - which is really pretty , and revisited Monaco for a couple of hours.
More days spent doing very little on the relaxing part of the holiday.
From there we ventured north into the Alps
Stayed at a campsite in St Jean Montclar, north of Digne les Bains - where it was cold and wet!
We took the opportunity to catch a stage of the Tour de France - from Digne to Pra Loup. Set off early to Digne, where it was sunny and a balmy 19 degrees, and got a spot close to the start. It is really like a huge circus on the road, but a unique experience all the same.
We then left there and headed for the finish on a loop to get us there ahead of the riders. We were part of a convouy of team buses doing the same thing, and I thought they would be holding us up a lot. Holy flip, them buses can shift along mountain roads, we did well to keep up in some areas! Parked in a field and had a 3k hike up to intercept the route about 1k from the end.
Spectacular sight i have to say. On the way back to the truck, we were caught in a downpour of biblical proportions.. which also got our campsite. everything was damp, the ground saturated and the possibility of getting dry was almost nil. So we half slept the night in 11 degrees of damp and decided to move on
After leaving Perpignan, we crossed the south coast as far as a village called Ramatuelle, near St.Tropez. We have bee here before, and its a place that has stayed with us, so we had to go back.
The campsite was set on a hillside.. which was quite steep - the approach to our pitch was not handbrake friendly, so i employed the services of a local rock.. and yes, i straightened up the wheels!
This is why i decided to make the awing a seperate unit, rather than retractable, as I bungee'd it between a couple of trees, allowing me to park the LC on the slope and give us more space. It worked very well, the bungees allowing it to take gusts of wind in its stride. And yep, thats a bean bag....
We ventured into Vieux Nice - which is really pretty , and revisited Monaco for a couple of hours.
More days spent doing very little on the relaxing part of the holiday.
From there we ventured north into the Alps
Stayed at a campsite in St Jean Montclar, north of Digne les Bains - where it was cold and wet!
We took the opportunity to catch a stage of the Tour de France - from Digne to Pra Loup. Set off early to Digne, where it was sunny and a balmy 19 degrees, and got a spot close to the start. It is really like a huge circus on the road, but a unique experience all the same.
We then left there and headed for the finish on a loop to get us there ahead of the riders. We were part of a convouy of team buses doing the same thing, and I thought they would be holding us up a lot. Holy flip, them buses can shift along mountain roads, we did well to keep up in some areas! Parked in a field and had a 3k hike up to intercept the route about 1k from the end.
Spectacular sight i have to say. On the way back to the truck, we were caught in a downpour of biblical proportions.. which also got our campsite. everything was damp, the ground saturated and the possibility of getting dry was almost nil. So we half slept the night in 11 degrees of damp and decided to move on
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Trip report Part 3
After leaving Montclar, and after much discussion, we headed back west as far as Narbonne, also a pretty town.
Got to drive a few lanes near a village called Gruissan. Many were closed due to high fire risk, but some were open and while they weren't very challenging, they were very nice to spend some time on.
As if by some poetic justice, we also got an evenings rain in Narbonne, and while it was the only rain we got, it was rather windy all week in the area. No trees on our pitch meant the awning mounted on the truck, and it survived the gusts for the most part with some help from a bit of duct tape.
We drove North to the village of Minerve, built on a rock on the neck of a river meander. Mrs Bob & I had the most incredible savoury crepes ever produced by humans in a little creperie here.
And thus the end of our holiday had arrived. After overnighting in Lille again (which is a hole if you ask me) we queued at Dunkerque and crossed the UK with only one delay on the M40 - which is a personal record!
Ill put a few notes about the packing system in the thread in Overland builds.
After leaving Montclar, and after much discussion, we headed back west as far as Narbonne, also a pretty town.
Got to drive a few lanes near a village called Gruissan. Many were closed due to high fire risk, but some were open and while they weren't very challenging, they were very nice to spend some time on.
As if by some poetic justice, we also got an evenings rain in Narbonne, and while it was the only rain we got, it was rather windy all week in the area. No trees on our pitch meant the awning mounted on the truck, and it survived the gusts for the most part with some help from a bit of duct tape.
We drove North to the village of Minerve, built on a rock on the neck of a river meander. Mrs Bob & I had the most incredible savoury crepes ever produced by humans in a little creperie here.
And thus the end of our holiday had arrived. After overnighting in Lille again (which is a hole if you ask me) we queued at Dunkerque and crossed the UK with only one delay on the M40 - which is a personal record!
Ill put a few notes about the packing system in the thread in Overland builds.
Ian Chuter
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Thanks for the trip report Bob. All looks very nice and yet another area on the must visit list. I have recently found out that my wife and her family probably stayed at what appears to be the same camp site as my family and I did when we were younger in Frejus back in the 80's so I would love to go back down there with her at some point for old times sake. Any links or more info on first campsite in Canet beside Perpignan?
Cheers
Ian
Cheers
Ian
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No problem Ian, it was very impressive to be honest. We booked it through Yelloh Village, the group who the site is part of. They specialise in quality sites for longer stays. Brasilia has 3 pools, right on the beach, good restaurant, shops on site etc...
http://www.brasilia.fr/uk/
If you do go, then Canet itself is quite touristy with a strip like a Spanish resort, as is Argeles sur Mer. But Collioure is about a 20 min drive, and absolutely gorgeous, and properly French.
http://www.brasilia.fr/uk/
If you do go, then Canet itself is quite touristy with a strip like a Spanish resort, as is Argeles sur Mer. But Collioure is about a 20 min drive, and absolutely gorgeous, and properly French.
Ian Chuter
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I will take a look, thanks Bob
Ian
Ian
