InvictaMoto's Family Travels

Once having been through the Holt's Pocket Battlefield Guide a few times, I've added a few points of interest to the original plan. We are now officially on Plan B.

I ordered the pocket guide from Amazon, really just to check that the places I had selected were do-able and also to see what else was local for a "fag break" length stop. The places I have chosen are part of the "Big Six". In fact five of them.  The sixth is the Ulster Tower (above) just a short hop from the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and the recently built visitor centre. Holt's tours are half day, one day and longer suggested  routes. They are also based on Albert as the overnight point, and hence the starting point. Our start point is Calais.... I may re-jig the route to take into account the tank memorial on the Albert to Bapaume road at Pozières, and other of the aforementioned fag break stops. Currently four of the Kent Centre are booked into the hotel and I have advertised the run to the SOC wider audience and to the R1150GS Facebook group. It's a long way off and once it gets into the club magazines it may take off 

I have planned the route in Tyre. To get to the Somme area in reasonable time, I have planned to use the A26 in both directions. There is a small toll free payable for bikes at either end at Arras and again at Ardres. There will be those that don't like autoroutes. I have done the trip to Thiepval several times using the N and D roads and the time taken in traffic and in villages wastes so much of the day.  Ideally, we could go N43 and N19 to Arras but time is important. I will provide the route to everyone that wants to go, both in GPX and ITN formats, so Garmin and TomTom satellite navigation systems are catered for.

The countdown started with the alarm going off at 8am. By 9am we were up, breakfasted (a noun into a verb) and tidying the apartment and sorting the rubbish. Transferring some stuff (the dirty bag) to my little case to pack around the Arsenal boot bag (electrical stuff like chargers etc) and the Acer notebook meant that the big case would weigh a mere 19.5kgs. Once checked out and email/facebook/blogger checked on the wifi we made slow progress to Playamar to have a coffee and read the kindles.  Time usually drags but with the current two-hour before flights stipulation, we needed to be getting a move on.  TomTom took us to Malagacar and we dropped the Aygo off. I mentioned the key buttons didn't work and they just said the battery had gone.... In 7000kms?  Not good enough Toyota!! Once on the shuttle bus it was a matter of minutes before we joined the queue for the check-in. Pretty painless it was too. Security was a doddle, Clair

So once we rejoined the A7 we thought maybe one last visit to La Cala. This time we parked in the Main Street and walked through to the ice-cream parlour. First job was to top the car up. The Aygo needs to be returned as empty as possible. And we were down to the last flashing bar (of six) on the gauge. Not knowing what this will give us, I put in €5 worth. The car must be doing 40mpg if not more, so 3.5 litres put in should give plenty of miles to get back to the hire office at lunchtime tomorrow. In the centre is the Arab Tower. Built like many along the coast as watch towers. Our last dinner is back at El Bombo. Calamari and chips and a salad. An appetiser of bread and garlic mayonnaise. The waitress brought us a sardine each "on the house". Very nice. Too full to walk! Once we have finished we have the walk back to the apartment to pack and maybe get a few minutes of the England game on TV. Up early tomorrow.

The last full day of the holiday. I was awake all night with a gut ache to match even the best curry night afterburn. A couple of codeine-phosphate had it under control in a few hours. We didn't want to waste the day so we set off for Torremolinos. In the end I felt a bit duff so we turned around. Stopping for a coffee at the Cafestore at Arroyo de la Miel grew into lunch. Plus they have free wifi so we could catch up with news and Facebook etc.   Next stop?

Still no Malaga day. Instead we went the other way and went first of all to La Cañada shopping as Claire wanted to have a look around. She bought some face cream and we had a look in the Apple store. I'd like a pad but wanted to see if you can connect a camera to look at the photos, none seem to have that capability. Oh. We had a coffee and unsuccessfully tried to connect to the California coffee shop's wifi! Outside is a curiosity, a fully relocated German Wurzel stand.... German Wurzel stand I suppose the English have "tea like at home" bars... We then set off for Estepona along the coast. TomTom said that it was a toll route but didn't give any options for not going that way and that is very unusual. Down here there two versions of the autovia, A7 free and AP7 toll. Why TomTom opts for the toll route is anyone's guess. If I knew how to send map updates I would as the speed limit on the A7 is 80kph along the entire length f

Down by the beach. Turn your back and the killer whale starts attacking you with water....

Time still flies. Today we went out to Fuengirola, parking in the underground car-park at Las Rampas. Our mission today was to find a shoe repairers. One of Claire's sandals had a problem with a flap broken.  Could we find one? Could we heck. In the end I bought a silver bull to go on pannier for the extortionate amount of  €2. We had a coffee and decided to go to Coin. A white village some 25 kms to the north. TomTom was programmed and we set off through previously unseen Fuengirola until we recognised a bit of the route. Now a beautifully EU funded stretch of paved road to Alhaurin. In 2010, the last time we had a car, we had several off road and gravel tracks to negotiate around the road building programme. The journey to Coin took much longer than 19 miles ought!! We parked outside the town near Antonio's motorcycle shop, and walked back into the square. Jesus at one end and a fountain at the other, with a bandstand in between

Had a late night last night and so struggled to get up when the alarm went off at 08.30 for us to get into Malaga at a reasonable hour. Oh well, leisurely breakfast and more kindle! The maid arrived just as we were getting ready. Really nice girl and we had a chat about the Fiera which is this week in Fuengirola. Me in pidgeon Spanish helped on by her fluent Spanish of course! Still it was fun. Once Paul was ready we aygo'd off in the direction of Fuengirola and ended up in the hills at Mijas.   It was not too busy and we found a parking space fairly easily.  Had a coffee in the cafe close by and while Paul was paying I strolled over to the leather shop next door; 15 minutes or so later after trying on several jackets, aided by a very willing salesman, and encouraged by Paul, I left with a lovely brown leather jacket.  I was offered the choice of a "free" leather purse on my way out!! We did the tour of Mijas admiring the view, stroking the

The mozzie bite I got on my ankle on Sunday, unremarkable at the time, has continued to irritate and get worse. The red area around the original wound has grown to about 2" by 1" and is very red and painful. 

A few pictures from our days out. Lunch in Marbella. View from apartment balcony Panoramic view from the balcony. Paul at El Bombe restaurant.

Monday already. Day 3 of 8!!  Time seems to go much more quickly when you are on holiday!! It's our 13th wedding anniversary today. Today we had another leisurely morning. Breakfast and reading over coffee and Bimbo toast! It was gone noon before we stirred ourselves to get washed and changed to go out. I set the TomTom for Playamar (Torremolinos ) and we aygo'd there.  Once again the TomTom route is a little different to the way we normally go. Yesterday we missed the Marbella arch over the road, twice. Today we avoided the coast road that we usually grind along. Our first stop was a Mercadona supermarket where we wanted some lunch stuff, maybe bocadillos? Thwarted we bought some beer snacks and set off. Exiting the car proved a Challenge. Capital C challenge. To get out you need a bar code to show you have shopped. We didn't have a bar code... Reversing back down the slope and re-parking we were able to get the tic

Today started off lazy. A short lie-in and then leisurely breakfast. Another bright sunny morning. The balcony gets the sun all day. I bet when they planned to have them slightly SSW rather than S facing everyone scoffed. The result is about 9 hours of sun! The white walls make it a blinding experience as well as like sitting in an oven We got the car out for a drive, ending up in Marbella old town. We parked underground, cool, and then walked down to the seafront and all along the promenade. Lunch of salad and garlic potatoes was superb. Then more walking to burn off the salad... ;) We had a slow drive back.  The Aygo doesn't do fast in any case. The speed limit on the coast road, formerly the N340, is now 80kph. The Aygo can just about manage that although one time we hit 85! I overtook a bus but it re-took us on a hill!!! After our traditional kindle session, and siesta, we were up and out for a dip in the pool. It is right in front of us after all. Dinner was at the restaurant

Lot's fresh fish. But what are these? They look like something odd  pulled from their shells....

Here we are again in Spain. Almost a year after our last visit and this year we are staying in Torrenueva near Mijas Costa. We stayed in this resort a few times before and have always enjoyed the quiet and calm. The resort has very little in the way of amenities and that is pretty much okay with us. How it actually scores 3* on the RCI site I have no idea.  This year we have apartment 510 overlooking the pool area. We have stayed more often in the 700 block a little further around. Our flight over with Norwegian was pretty good, arriving Malaga about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.  Once we had retrieved the big case we were off in search of the car hire rep.  A couple of laps of the exit area and we eventually found her. A short walk to a minibus and a very short drive off-airport and we picked up a Toyota Aygo. A little tin box with four doors and a boot area that would be a tight fit for a chihuahua. The big case went on t

The Somme and the surrounding area will be pretty packed with trippers going over for the Centenary so I thought I'd have a look on our favourite hotel booking site and book now. The date is now 19th and 20th July. I wanted a place within easy reach of Corbie, at a decent price, not a chain and with free cancellation. I ended up with Hotel Central Anzac in Amiens.  It's about 25 miles from Thiepval and maybe 15 from Corbie. Hotel Central Anzac

Flickr photo album I've uploaded a few pix to the flickr "set".

It was spitting with rain as we sat down to breakfast.  Although the hotel was the cheapest on the trip @ €40 a night, it was very good. It is currently under a massive plan of updating. Our room was brand new, the bed, everything.  Some of the other rooms where we could see in had been decorated and were "under construction" still.  We were the only guests that night. We were away a little after 9.20 and this time we headed straight for Reims on the N roads before a detour around looking for the city centre. On the way we drove along the D951. Every kilometre or so there are markers showing it to be the " Voie de la Liberte ", a huge monument stretching across France to commemorate the Liberation. I pulled up to take a pic of one in Mont Chenot village. This village on the road to Reims from Epernay would have been liberated on or about 30th August 1944. We didn't intend to stop, just have a fly-by in case we want to come back.  We passe

The last full day in France. The plan was to use the A31 and A26 to get up to Épernay as soon as possible. So we left the hotel just after 9am and by noon we were in Chalons en Champagne to get some lunch from the supermarket.  The local foire had started and roads were closed off and Aldi had guards on their carpark and roads were lined with parked cars. Arch in Chalons en Champagne We bought some stuff for lunch and set off for Épernay looking for a picnic site. In the end we made our own on the edge of a village. The rug on the grass. We arrived far to early to check in to Hotel Colbert and so we parked in the huge car park in the town centre and went to look at the champagne houses.  Street sign.... War Memorial at the end of the Avenue de Champagne In the end after a long walk along the Avenue de Champagne, lined by champagne houses like Möet and Perrier-Jouet, to name just two, we arrived at Castellane with its large tower. Statue

Another early start after breakfast. Firstly across to the market in Orange and then off northwards on the A7. We had bought some mushroom pizza and apricot flan at the market so we could stop whenever. A coffee stop after about 100 miles in a new services and then towards Lyon and into solid traffic. I re-programmed TomTom and we were then taken on a massive loop via Bourg en Bresse and then through the centre of Chalons sur Saone! Thanks TomTom. The extra 60 miles is one thing but the latter was terrible. On the way we passed a restaurant that might do a lot of chicken! Crossing the Saone near Tournus, a few miles short of Chalons en Champagne. Tournus Vines outside Beaune We eventually arrived in Beaune just before 4pm. Our lunch stop was somewhere east of Lyon. We had time to book in and then walk into town. The Hotel Bellevue is nice but the wifi doesn't work and isn't as near the centre as I had anticipated. The staff h