23.7.21 Santilliana del Mar is a tiny historic town in the Cantabria region of Spain. It is known as the city of three lies because it’s not ‘holy'(santa), it isn’t ‘flat'(llano) and it’s not by the ‘sea'(mar) as the name suggests. Some of it’s buildings date back to the 8th Century My favourite house Colegiata… Continue reading Santilliana del Mar
Author: Alex Scott
Phone troubles
22.7.21 Whilst driving to Spain I suddenly thought about my mobile data (internet) that I have been using the last 10days. In England my contract is for unlimited data but I just remembered the small print says 12G limit abroad.. have I used it all? Am I being charged excessively for every megabite I go… Continue reading Phone troubles
Dune du Pilat
21.7.21 I never knew this dune existed. It is the tallest sand dune in Europe measuring over 100m tall, 500m wide and 2.7km long! It is surrounded by forest on one side and sea the other. I climbed it in the early morning mist. It felt like another world.
Charente-Maritime
19.7.21- 20.7.21 After a quick detour to the French hardware store Leroy Merlin, to pick up a part I needed to fix my plumbing, I continued my journey south. I was heading to a vineyard I had heard was van friendly and did wine tasting tours. When I arrived it was closed. I drove a… Continue reading Charente-Maritime
Nantes
17.7.21 On my way to Nantes I passed some hitchhikers. They looked friendly. I picked them up and drove them into the centre of St Malo. The place I’d planned to park in Nantes was full. Just as I was starting to think about giving up and carrying on my journey, a space appeared on… Continue reading Nantes
Plage de Chevrets
16.7.20 After Honfleur and Mont St Michel I was planning to head down to Nantes. However, after 2 days of walking around I was in need of a swim in the sea. So I picked a beach at random on the map and started to drive. I had no idea if it would be a… Continue reading Plage de Chevrets
Mont Saint-Michel
15.7.21 I visited a local cider shop, bought some cider and asked (in french) if I could stay the night in their car park. The lovely owner nodded and took me round the side, where I parked with these fantastic views of fields and Mont St Michel itself. It was less than 5 minutes to… Continue reading Mont Saint-Michel
Honfleur
14.7.21 Honfleur was my first proper stop in France, on my route down to Spain, and it did not disappoint. I loved getting lost in the narrow streets and admiring the old French architecture. I was parked a 5 minute cycle from the beautiful centre, on the banks of the river, in what used to… Continue reading Honfleur
Crossing the border and arriving in France
13.7.21 I was meant to be getting the 16.12 train, I arrived early and they put me on one at 14.16 The main two things I was worried about when crossing the border were having the van searched and ending up with all my stuff all over the floor having my van plants confiscated (as… Continue reading Crossing the border and arriving in France
Preparing to travel Europe – post Brexit and during a global pandemic
I bought my van in March 2019 and converted it into my tiny home on wheels ready to travel Europe. I was due to set off in July 2020. The pandemic hit and I delayed my travel to January 2021. We entered a 3rd national lockdown and I had to delay my travels yet again.… Continue reading Preparing to travel Europe – post Brexit and during a global pandemic