Great Danes, Keith is in love 💕💕💕

We are pleased with our costs for September which turned out at £34.72 per day, but a massive £457.23 was spent on diesel and only £13.98 on camp fees. We have done a lot of driving this month top to bottom of France and back again.

Monday 1st October

We started October in a fantastic free Aire for 2 nights in Carsac Aillia where we met quite a few British campers and were able to do a dvd and book swap which is always good. The site is in an area of land with walnut trees so we had to pick our spot carefully so we weren’t kept awake all night with walnuts dropping on the roof.

We took a lovely 16km easy round trip cycle ride from Carsac Allia along the disused railway track to Sarlat la Caneda.

Sarlat is a lovely town and we’ve been many times before where it’s usually been packed with tourists, but today there was hardly anyone around.

After a lovely cheap lunch we made our way back and collected the never ending supply of maggot infested chestnuts.

There are some lovely walks around Carsac Allia down along the river and through the small towns and we spent the 2 days exploring and scrumping figs, apples and walnuts along the way.

The temperature has dropped overnight to a very chilly 2 degrees so blankets back on the beds.

Tuesday 2nd October

It got so cold during the early hours of this morning that we had to put the heating on and ended up staying in bed for most of the morning, brrrrrr.  Talking with our neighbours we weren’t the only ones lol.

We headed off further south to Monpazier to another free Aire next to the graveyard. We had a walk around the town which was very quiet with most of the shops and restaurants closed, as usual lol. This town is among the most beautiful towns in France.

One interesting story about Monpazier is that during the Hundred Years War the Monpazier population set off to plunder the nearby town of Villefranche-du-Perigord. Finding the town quiet they plundered the town and returned to Monpazier. Unfortunately, the reason Villefranche was quiet was that the villagers had chosen that very same night to plunder Monpazier. When the sorry facts emerged, the residents of both Monpazier and Villefranche returned the things that they had taken from each other.

We had a lovely quiet night and thankfully the temperature had risen a few degrees.

Wednesday 3rd October

We set off quite early for us and a couple of hours drive we arrived in Saint Sylvestre to another free Aire next to the river. By the time we arrived the weekly market was just packing up so we missed out on buying some lovely local products.

After a quick walk round the town and across the river we took our chairs and books and sat for a few hours next to the river, well Keith slept for a few hours whilst I kept watch and later we watched the locals playing pétanque.

Thursday 4 – Monday 8 October

This morning we’re up early and showered, we’re heading to Villefranche du Périgord for our 2nd house sit. We’re really looking forward to this one.

We were met by our host Nikki and the gorgeous Great Danes, KC & Carter and later we met Jim.

Nikki and Jim were lovely and made us feel really welcome. Nikki cooked us a lovely meal in the evening, we chatted all night and got on really well. Jim is ex-job and Nikki is a hairdresser and has had a very busy summer doing wedding hairdressing in the area. They’ve got a beautiful gite which they rent out during the summer months and it’s adults only with exclusives of the swimming pool. (check it out in the link).

Next morning Nikki and Jim set off leaving us with KC & Carter who were an absolute dream to look after. KC is an 8 year old Harlequin bitch which is quite old for a Great Dane and Carter is a beautiful black 3 year old dog. Both have fantastic characters and they both made us laugh a lot. Carter loves to fight, he is so gentle, but neither the less he was still too big to try and tackle me to the ground lol. We had so much fun with them both and Keith has fallen head over heals in love with Carter. Keith is the one who feeds them so they followed him everywhere, even to the toilet. The only downside is that they drool and Keith was forever wiping Carters face after he had had a drink before he shook his drool all over us, disgusting. The dogs are early risers and made their way upstairs to our bedroom at 7am in the morning, do they not know we lie in until 10am lol.

Nikki had left us her car to use, but we didn’t make use of it. We stayed around the property and took the dogs for a walk through the forest. Jim had shown us a few routes we could take but told us not to worry if we got lost the dogs know where they’re going. Well we did get lost on our first walk, the dogs stopped at the junctions and waited for us to decide which way we were going, they didn’t bother to tell us it was the wrong way lol.

We spent all day Friday and Saturday lounging about on the decking in the sun and in the spa pool, it was a beautiful few days with temperatures in the 30s.

About 9pm on Saturday night Keith went out to get something from Eugene, well actually it was a bottle of vodka. It’s pitch black and he’s only got a small torch. Carter seizes the opportunity to have some fun and races up-to Keith, Carter is black and Keith doesn’t see him until he’s about to go in for the tackle lol.

Saturday night it was raining when we went to bed, Keith tried his best to get the dogs to go out for a toilet run, but they were having non of it. Carter got off his bed and went as far as the door, but KC wouldn’t even open her eyes, Carter decided if KC wasn’t going, he wasn’t and got back into his bed lol.

Sunday the temperature was down to a chill 15 degrees and it rained all day, but it wasn’t all bad. We spent the best Sunday we’d had in a long time, chillin, proper chillin. I didn’t get dressed and it was great to be able to stay in my pjs all day on the sofa watching tv, but the weather played havoc with the Internet so we binged on Netflix boxsets and caught up with series 7 of Suits.

We weren’t able to take the dogs into the forest today because it’s shooting season and the locals use the forest for hunting wild bore and deer, so we dragged the dogs out of their beds and into the field for a play around. Me in my pjs with my wellies and raincoat on, that’s how relaxed it is here.

Now if we were to buy a house in France it would be this house. It’s out the way, lots of land, outbuildings, a gite, swimming pool all surrounded by a fantastic forest for walking the dogs, we absolutely this house it’s even decorated to our taste, we could move right in, oh and we’ll take the dogs as well.

We’ve loved this housesit so much, we’ve not spent a penny in 4 days roasting our way through the contents of our freezer. The best thing is we’re coming back for 10 days in November, yippee.

Monday 8 October

Luckily our amazon parcel arrived this morning. Our rear view camera had decided to stop working a few weeks ago and we had to order a new one. We had hoped it would arrive at the start of the housesit so Keith could fit it before we left, but never mind he’ll have to find some time to do it lol.

Nikki and Jim arrived home late afternoon and after saying our good byes we set off in search of ‘heat shrink’, I kid you not. Keith needs some heat shrink to install the camera and amazon wouldn’t send it to France for some reason. Anyway it’s a bugger to find and when we did find some Keith nearly had a heart attack at the price, he can manage without.

We tried a few Aires they were either full or not suitable but we find a great spot at Labastide Marnhac which was free outside the town hall. The town only had a medical center and a general store where we bought some bread the next morning.

There are a few campers here and we got talking to an English guy who had worked in Guernsey in the 90’s working on the tv masts in the Castel, so we had a good chat.

During the evening Keith was having Carter withdrawals. “Can we have a Great Dane”, “no we can’t” “can we have a Great Dane puppy when we get back home”, the answer is still “NO”.

Tuesday 9 October

We continue today in our quest to find heat shrink but in the end Keith calls it a day because it’s so expensive.

On our driver today we have a wing mirror clash with another motorhome along a perfectly straight road because it’s driving on our side of the road and we don’t have anywhere to go. The motorhome doesn’t stop. Our damage is minimal but the wing mirror casing is damaged which costs over £100 eeeek. Keith is absolutely livid.

We press on with Kieth moaning and groaning about the wing mirror, but it’s done and there’s nothing we can do about it, so stop whinging. He stops whinging when our rear view dash camera monitor falls off the dashboard, oh! What’s wrong with that it’s supposed to be screwed to the dashboard and has been absolutely fine for the past 10 months. When Keith has a look the screw have just unscrewed themselves, like you do lol. Add it to the list of waiting jobs.

We find a great Aire in Peyriac de Mer which is only 5 euros for 24 hours. It’s opposite a beautiful lake which at one time were salt flats. We take a quick walk but the rain puts paid to us going too far and we retreat to Eugene for the remainder of the afternoon.

Wednesday 10 October

Next morning we’re woken early by our German neighbours knocking on our door who tell us we have a flat tyre. Bugger, fuck, what a flat tyre, broken wing mirror and the camera monitor given up, that’s it 3 in a row, happy travelling lol.

We have a jack but Keith’s not sure how good it will be, we’re on hard standing so that’s one good thing so we give it a go. Luckily before we left home Keith mounted a spare wheel under the chassis, just in case. In between the rain showers we manage to get the spare wheel out, and change the wheel on this big boy, phew if we’d called the insurance we would have been waiting hours.

A quick dash to the tyre place, 24 euros later puncture fixed and we’re back parked up at the Aire.

It’s still pouring with rain but we want to walk around the lake which takes about an hour. Wet weather gear on, camera safely in a plastic food bag around my neck we set off.

It’s a beautiful lake with flamingos, heron, egrets, cormorants and some other birds we can’t name. Despite the rain we had a great walk.

After a spot of lunch we decided to move on and head towards Spain.

We had a long drive up through the edge of the Pyrenees to Peralada a village in the province of Girona. We park up on the free Aire at the foot of the medieval town.

Thursday 11 & Friday 12 October

We’re up by 10 and head off to Figueres in search of data for the mifi. We park up at the supermarket and take a slow 30 minute stroll to the town passing through the weekly market stalls where Keith bought some local honey. A bit of long awaited retail therapy for me in Mango and I’m a happy girl.

After a bit of lunch we decide to head to the coast, we haven’t seen the sea since we left Greece over 3 months ago and Keith is now desperate for a swim in the sea. We know it’s going to be busy because now is the start of the motorhome season with all nationalities migrating their way south in the hope of a warmer winter, and Friday is a bank holiday so the Spaniards will be flocking to the coast for the weekend.

Our daily budget took a big hit today, shopping, food shopping, fuel, data, lunch and a few extra bits £228 ouch!

We settle on the seaside town of Roses and find a camperstop for 12 euros a night with free WiFi and showers. It’s a 3 minute walk down to the beach. It’s lovely and warm today about 27 degrees so Keith braves the rough seas for a swim.

On Friday we got the pushangs out and cycled along the seafront for an hour or so. Spain and Roses are definitely open for the many tourists walking up and down the promenade and stopping for a drink or two in the many bars that are open along the way. For us it’s all bit to touristy, it reminded us of those Spanish package holidays we used to go on, expensive and loud.

Saturday 11 October

The weather is due to deteriorate during the next few days so we’ve decided that we want to move away from Roses and head a little further south.

We head to Saint Feliude Guixols an area we’ve been to before. Quite a few years ago along with my brother and sister we stayed at a friends apartment in the town where we spent a very relaxing drunken week, it was good fun.

Our stop for the next 2 nights is at S’Agero Camperstop costing 10 euros a night with showers. It’s in a great location 2 minutes to the beach and town and it overlooks the sea and we were the only two here.

Keith went for a swim, not for me the beach slopes so much that you find yourself over your height within a few steps and the water was quite rough.

Sunday heavy rain was forecast for the whole day. We decided we’d stay here and take the 3 hour round trip walk to the nearby fishing port.

The walk is along the walking path which follows the coast. Just as we were about to set off it absolutely hammered it down. In our wet weather gear we carried on 10 minutes later it stopped raining and although it was cloudy it was incredibly hot. Keith snuggled with the steepness of the path and the numerous steps we had to climb, some having been washed away by the torrential rain over the years.

We’re still in search of the sun and hopefully its not to far away.  We are now getting to the point where we’ve had enough and if it wasn’t for the house sits we’d probably be on our way home, sad, but true.  Travelling is tiring, always planning one step ahead for the best stop, the sun, the cheapest campsite and we’ve had enough.

We’re in Spain until November when we head back to France and Kieth can see his beloved Carter lol.

Thanks for sticking with us, follow us on facebook, instagram and our route live on Polarsteps.

a la perchoine

Shirena & Keith

xxxx