Where have we been before? France

France is really set up for motorhoming. There are Aires throughout the country, some free others not very expensive, where you can park safely and access fresh water and dump your waste. Also there are  municipal campsites with plenty of facilities.Everywhere the people are friendly and if there is a problem with your van, then willing hands are readily available to help, albeit with classroom French and much sign language on our part!!
From Calais to The Camargue and the Atlantic to the Alps, the landscapes and weather offer so much variety.

Have a quick taster as you zoom through these snaps.

Rocamadour, a town clinging to the  deep valley side

A tyrical tree lined French road

Picked grapes in St Emillion

Parked by sand dunes at Cap Breton

A solitary sunflower

Beautifully kept wargraves

and the poppies that represent the spilt blood of the fallen, bloom in the surrounding fields

Hill top village in the Central Massif

Long, clean and deserted beaches

                       One of the many chateaux along the Loire

and finally the magnificance of the mountains.

What have we done so far to prepare for Morocco?

Life on the road is somewhat different from packing a suitcase and heading to the airport,although excess baggage is an issue for us as well, only we call it payload.As far as possible we pack what we feel is appropriate for a couple of months away but we do try to use light weight pots ,pans,plastic containers and take Kindles rather than books.If we go over the payload it makes us unstable on the road and liable to be pulled over by the law! So at the moment I'm trying ,but apparently failing, to keep my eye on Sue, as she endeavours to stash the kitchen sink and the odd crate of wine under the beds.Still time to discover if we are legal or not when we go on the weigh bridge nearer departure day.
What else? Well we have had all the necessary jabs and sorted the vehicle paperwork for getting Delfin in and out of Morocco. Every time I say that word I tingle with anticipation and see camels and sand-dunes. The van has been serviced and the gas bottles for the fridge, cooking, hot water ( we have a very effective  shower) and the BBQ , are filled. The wonders of cyberspace have enabled us to book cross channel tickets,Dover - Calais, on line and today we collected the euros.

Last week we met up with Andrew, in our vans, at a pub on the out skirts of Stratford on Avon. Time to get our heads together and arrange a date for meeting up at Algeciras in southern Spain for the ferry to Tangiers.We looked at maps, shared thoughts about what we wanted to see and do; Todra gorge and the Atlas Mountains, palmeries and an oasis, the Sahara, souks,kasbahs,medinas and camels, a Berber camp, Cassablanca  but without Bogart,and the wild Atlantic coast.The wish list kept growing , along with the bar bill and the noise levels. Each new idea greeted with enthusiasm and expectation. No-one mentioned the miles we would have to cover or the fuel costs! Hey ho , you only live once.
Thank goodness that there are publicans who understand the limited provision for motorhomers in the UK. He got our custom and we had a safe sleepover with a rural view of lambs and daffodils. Bit of a plug for Britstops!!
Apologies for pix in the middle. Still got lots to learn but I had been thinking that we would be experiencing 3 Springs....ours in UK, then France and Spain on the way down and finally Morocco so
this colourful meadow seemed appropriate.

With apologies to London 2012

Age is just a number so they say, but the reality is that time is passing all too quickly.Our pal Jose says that life is like a toilet roll. You get the image and she's right. We recognise that we have to cram as much living as possible into the years while we still have our health and mobility.

Whilst parked up on the quayside in Anos Katelios, a young couple approached who obviously wanted to chat.They were renovating an old property back in Dorset and had quite high powered occupations.They were intrigued to discover more about our nomadic lifestyle, the freedom to roam and general day to day living in a motorised tin box.Sue took them on a tour of Delfin and they were amazed by what we could carry with us which made living so comfortable.

A few days later, before their return flight to the UK, they sought us out at a local taverna, bursting to share the germination of their plans for a new beginning. They intended to resign their positions, sell the partially restored property, use the cash to buy a motorhome and spend several months touring mainland Europe.

We trust that they continue to live that dream.

Urgent name change required!!

It appears that our "tarts on tour " handle has brought unwanted attention from around the world, so we have reverted to The Intrepids ,which our dear friends back in Stoke applied some years ago.Apparently our blog was sandwiched between "The Naughty Girls" and a jam tart factory in Eastern Europe!!
We have much to learn about this blogging lark!! Ideally the intention is to use it whilst away on our adrenalin fuelled journey to North Africa ,which is now a mere 5 weeks away.
Since introducing ourselves to the world, we no longer have Eldy. Instead, as our trips became more far flung and the destinations more varied ,we opted to upgrade our van to a 2008 Burstner Delfin t 700 Performance. Oh what a treat, so much space and comfort and a work horse of an engine.

No tarts here, just a couple of cheerful  nomads.

So who is this?

Who is this smiling assassin I hear you whisper? A man in their lives? Where did he come from? Friends we would very much like you to meet Andrew Ball. A couple of years ago he was parked up next to us on Newbury Showground and we became his " Newbury Fruits".Sometime later it was the "Malvern Maids" and so our friendship began.We have supped the white stuff,  BBQd, shared our traveller's tales and laughed loads, so needless to say, once we had made the Morocco decision,we were keen to tell him of our plans.

The green eyed god shone in his eyes and the words"Would you want to share the trip?" had barely left my lips  before we found ourselves with a travelling companion.

It has to be said that having a bloke around does give one a little more sense of security.Other camping-carnisters have dogs but hey,they can't cook,fix a flat tyre or repair the wifi. No feminists on this trip!! 

Here's the plan......

Once we set off from Stoke on April 23rd, Sue and I would like to keep in touch and let you know how we are getting on.It's a long way and hopefully there will be plenty to entertain you as we roll through the French and Spanish landscapes on our way to the port of Algeciras which is close to the Rock of Gibralter. This picture gives you some idea of what Sue does when she is not slagging off the sat nav. She sits at the dining table surrounded by maps and guide books,plotting the route and finding us somewhere to camp.

Here she is......

This is Delfy. She has taken us roaming over 10,000 miles since we found her in Herefordshire in 2011 and now we are getting her packed for the biggest journey of all, to Morocco!!