Off-Road Ranger III
- 13,288
- First Name
- Bjoern
- Last Name
- Eldracher
- Member #
-
20111
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- DO3BE
Originally, we had planned a two-week tour around the English Channel for September. Unfortunately, the current entry rules to England regarding C19 are not really overlander-friendly and so we decided to change the already booked ferry to next year and drive a round through France. I would like to take you a bit virtually on the trip, because it was a great tour. France has incredibly many different landscapes and regions to offer. So let´s start...
The rig is packed and after a hearty breakfast we head west. We don't want to drive on the highway, but turn right at the front door on small roads. This allows us to discover many beautiful and new things in the immediate surroundings.
In the late afternoon we reach a camping site at the border to Luxembourg. We explore the small town and walk around a bit. A good start.
The next day we drive over small and smallest roads through Luxembourg and Belgium. Already here - in the Ardennes - we pass places steeped in history. We will see even more of them over the next few days, because as soon as we have left the hilly landscape of the Ardennes on the day after next, we will quickly continue through France to the Normandy.
The beaches of Normandy have a lot of history to offer. Numerous museums and monuments about what happened here during D-Day and Operation Overlord to liberate Europe. The many sites are interesting and touching at the same time. We follow the shoreline from site to site along the former landing beaches of Sword beach, Juno beach, Omaha beach, Utah beach and so on.
I have recorded the track of this exciting, touching and interesting day and even though it is only a small percentage of unpaved roads, it is still very interesting and I will upload it to the OB1 app as a gpx track as I am sure it will be of interest to many here.
And that's Normandy too, lots of great beaches and coastlines, nature, old castles, beautiful harbour towns etc. Continue to the north western tip near the town of La Haque which has sad fame for the nuclear reprocessing plant. But away from this there are again many beautiful corners to discover, for example the Cape Haque surrounded by the waves.
In the evening we spend the night here on a small very nice campsite, which I found on the map in the OB 1 app. Thanks to the member who added it. I did a review in the app. The next day we continue over small roads.
Further we drive a larger stage to the Atlantic coast. We look at the menhirs of Carnac. Here are thousands of menhirs standing around Why? Well, there are many theories. An unsolved mystery.
In the next few days we will also visit the port of Les Sable d'Ollones. The town is famous for the start and finish of the world famous single-handed sailing race around the world.
A visit to the highest shifting sand dune in Europe is also on the program. The Dune du Pilat is about 110m high, 500m wide and 2.5 kilometers long. The ascent is possible on foot from one of the campsites along the dune. Of course, we do not miss this opportunity. It is very exhausting but the view at the top is fantastic.
From here it is not far to the Pyrenees, the mountain range between France and Spain. My mother has lived here for several years in a small village of about 50 people. As we have not seen her for almost 2 years due to C19 restrictions, we take the opportunity for a surprise visit, which goes well.
Afterwards we drive to the Cevennes National Park, a very sparsely populated area with beautiful nature. Deep canyons, plateaus, old viaducts, rivers, lakes, etc. characterize this great landscape.
Then small roads lead us across France back home. A super nice tour that shows once again that there is a lot to see and experience even on a two-week short trip in the nearer surroundings. It doesn't always have to be the big tour. I have added many interesting points on the OB 1 app that may be of interest to other overlanders. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
The rig is packed and after a hearty breakfast we head west. We don't want to drive on the highway, but turn right at the front door on small roads. This allows us to discover many beautiful and new things in the immediate surroundings.
In the late afternoon we reach a camping site at the border to Luxembourg. We explore the small town and walk around a bit. A good start.
The next day we drive over small and smallest roads through Luxembourg and Belgium. Already here - in the Ardennes - we pass places steeped in history. We will see even more of them over the next few days, because as soon as we have left the hilly landscape of the Ardennes on the day after next, we will quickly continue through France to the Normandy.
The beaches of Normandy have a lot of history to offer. Numerous museums and monuments about what happened here during D-Day and Operation Overlord to liberate Europe. The many sites are interesting and touching at the same time. We follow the shoreline from site to site along the former landing beaches of Sword beach, Juno beach, Omaha beach, Utah beach and so on.
I have recorded the track of this exciting, touching and interesting day and even though it is only a small percentage of unpaved roads, it is still very interesting and I will upload it to the OB1 app as a gpx track as I am sure it will be of interest to many here.
And that's Normandy too, lots of great beaches and coastlines, nature, old castles, beautiful harbour towns etc. Continue to the north western tip near the town of La Haque which has sad fame for the nuclear reprocessing plant. But away from this there are again many beautiful corners to discover, for example the Cape Haque surrounded by the waves.
In the evening we spend the night here on a small very nice campsite, which I found on the map in the OB 1 app. Thanks to the member who added it. I did a review in the app. The next day we continue over small roads.
Further we drive a larger stage to the Atlantic coast. We look at the menhirs of Carnac. Here are thousands of menhirs standing around Why? Well, there are many theories. An unsolved mystery.
In the next few days we will also visit the port of Les Sable d'Ollones. The town is famous for the start and finish of the world famous single-handed sailing race around the world.
A visit to the highest shifting sand dune in Europe is also on the program. The Dune du Pilat is about 110m high, 500m wide and 2.5 kilometers long. The ascent is possible on foot from one of the campsites along the dune. Of course, we do not miss this opportunity. It is very exhausting but the view at the top is fantastic.
From here it is not far to the Pyrenees, the mountain range between France and Spain. My mother has lived here for several years in a small village of about 50 people. As we have not seen her for almost 2 years due to C19 restrictions, we take the opportunity for a surprise visit, which goes well.
Afterwards we drive to the Cevennes National Park, a very sparsely populated area with beautiful nature. Deep canyons, plateaus, old viaducts, rivers, lakes, etc. characterize this great landscape.
Then small roads lead us across France back home. A super nice tour that shows once again that there is a lot to see and experience even on a two-week short trip in the nearer surroundings. It doesn't always have to be the big tour. I have added many interesting points on the OB 1 app that may be of interest to other overlanders. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
