Homeward bound

Since our last post we have been in the Eifel region, dodging the showers, enjoying some autumn sunshine and definitely putting the heating on overnight – there was ice on the van this morning!

We left Koblenz on Monday and drove west to Gerolstein.  On the way Ray noticed some strange shaped hills and it gradually dawned on us (the signs to the Vulkanpark being a clue) that we were crossing the German volcano region.  By the time we realised, the main sights were behind us, so a visit to that area must wait for another trip.

We stayed at a good camp site just outside Gerolstein, where the pitches were on a terrace with an incredible panoramic view.  It was entertaining sitting watching the view appear and disappear as waves of cloud and rain came up over the valley.  As this was only the second day of the whole trip that we have been confined to the van, we couldn’t complain, and we hear it has been much worse in parts of the UK. 

Changing weather at Gerolstein - over 15 minutes

We then moved on to Monschau, very close to the Belgian border and perfect for a short stop.  Monschau is a fair sized town with picturesque black and white half-timbered buildings perched in a narrow river valley (with dippers, another favourite bird).  Now it is a great tourist draw, with lots of craft and gift shops and cafes, but it has a long history of cloth making industry, so is interesting too. We spent a day pottering about the town, walking up to the castle, visiting the ‘Red House’ – a huge private house which belonged to a cloth making family and is now on display like a National Trust property.  It has a particularly famous staircase, which is indeed impressive. 

 

The weather forecast for Sunday was very good, and it was absolutely right. We took advantage of the sunshine and went for a long walk along the river valley and back through a couple of little villages. While following the path through the forest, we were surprised by a large red fox which suddenly crossed in front of us.  One of the real pleasures of motorhoming is that you sometimes come across places you would never otherwise see – our find of the day was a ‘hedge walk’ (Heckenweg) round the village of Hofen.  Most of the houses in the village are surrounded by enormously tall beech hedges, many 10 m tall, and all immaculately clipped, some with ‘windows’ cut in them to let in the light to the windows in the houses.  They must have originally been for shelter, but it has really become an art form and locally they are clearly quite famous. It is an astonishing sight, but who would think of going to see a hedge?

Always take supplies with you into the forest..

Now we are back at Buysscheure, not far from Calais.  It has taken about 5 hours to drive here from Monschau, mostly motorway through Belgium, very bumpy, lots of road works, but it is done.  It is very quiet here at the campsite and has a very end of season feel – I asked about bread for the morning and was met with a shake of the head, a gallic shrug and ‘C’est octobre, madame’ as if people stop eating breakfast in autumn.