This little boating adventure exposed us to a totally different side of France than we have ever experienced before and also to the wrath of Mother Nature.
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Category: Travel Diaries & Blog (page 3 of 5)
Spending money abroad.
After countless trips over to the continent in recent years having a wonderful time exploring the only thing that left a bad taste in our mouths is the frankly ridiculous fee’s our UK banks charge for the privilege of using their cards abroad to access OUR money.
Knowing we were going to be spending much more time traveling we set about trying to find a way to minimise this!
Some relatively quick googling later we came across the Monza and Starling brands.
Both are internet based banks with super easy application processes that charge you ZERO for using them abroad.
They work like pre pay debit cards. You have to load money onto them to be able to use them.
The application process is so simple and aside from the rather embarrassing video they make you do of yourself reading from a script to prove you are who you say you are its really quick.
We applied to both banks and got a card each which arrived in less than a week and the cards are quite sexy too (if you like your designer looking stuff!).
An extra perk of these online banks is the apps. You can categorise your spending as you go and they do you lovely little graphics (charts) to detail your spend split. Handy if you want to keep track of what you are spending and on what.
The money loading process is really fast – you just use the sort code and account number and transfer direct from your current account.
The only downside (when I was using my husband’s card) if that it sends you instant messages with your spend details so whilst shopping for stuff the other week he knew how much I had spent before I had even gotten back to the car! No more hiding!
Thus far there has only been one place that would not accept them which was the toll bridge over to Ile De Ra. Otherwise it seems to be treated like any other card.
In addition the exchange rates they apply seem really reasonable and move as the markets move.
You can even take out cash although Monza does put a monthly limit on this at €200.
All in all a good find that’s reduced our outgoings via daft bank charges!
Recently we needed to reinsure our motorhome. We always shop around and in previous years Adrian Flux has won our business for the best price/ package.
Historically we have been happy with a max of 90 days usage abroad. A lot of insurers cap your non UK usage quite possibly to stop you having fun? But more likely to keep their costs down.
Insurance can be somewhat of a dark art and there sometimes feels to be no obvious rhyme or reason to the numbers they quote.
Sure, there are things that you can do to help reduce your premiums – not having accidents is a really good one for that! You can also join motorhome clubs, do advanced driving qualifications, read the small print to remove the stuff you really don’t need or even have another vehicle that you own and drive from time to time. Age and experience are also good cost reduction opportunities..
This year we spoke to 4 different companies and the quotes ranged from £450 to £1200 (how they can be so different for exactly the same level of cover escapes me!)
Last year for 90 days EU cover plus 60 days EU breakdown we paid around £350 for two adults with a couple of claims (non fault).
This year we needed to up our EU cover (due to our traveling adventure) and sought 365 days of EU cover. There are companies out there that do this but “full timing” in your motorhome makes it expensive!
We still have our “home” in the UK so whilst we are traveling a lot we are not technically “full timers”.
Adrian flux won our business again (for the 3rd year running) with a really reasonable quote of £450 which includes year round EU cover but with the caveat that you must return to the UK at least once every 180 days.
The other insurers we spoke to (even with club membership discounts) were significantly more expensive.
One thing we don’t have this year is EU breakdown cover but we are ok with this for a number of reasons. Dan is pretty nifty with a spanner and vehicles generally and so is able to keep our home on wheels in tip top shape and fix most issues and historically we have required EU breakdown to ensure we can get back to the UK (for work) – now an extra few weeks parked up somewhere whilst we fix whatever has gone wrong is not so much of an issue!
WE ARE IN FRANCE!
As the cats settle into their new home in the Dordogne France (more on that in a later post but in short…we have quit our full time jobs, moved into our motor home, rented out our bricks and mortar house in the UK and travelled to France in search of a new life in the sun!) we have been super busy helping our friends with the final preparations on their Gites for the summer season.
When we arrived (you can see that exciting bit here): VIDEO LINKY it was ALL GO! Richard and Eileen had been beavering away for months remodelling and redecorating their Pigeonnier Gite ready for the summer season.
A little bit of help was required to complete the finishing touches so we set to it!
The finished product is stunning! Beautiful airy bedrooms and super luxurious bathrooms. And all the hard work was totally worth it on hearing the excited reactions from the first guests when they moved in.
You can check out some of the final images below
Now the rush is over and the guests are settled we are planning our next move…watch this space!
You can book your holiday at this stunning place through this link: https://giteslacolombiere.com/
Sometimes its the things that you live closest to that you never seem to fully appreciate…
A few minutes from Chez Beeston you can find the Hatton Locks. Also known as the “stairway to heaven” due to its difficulty to complete.
21 locks over 3.2km of canal. Rising 45 meters from one end to the other. Its not for the feint hearted of boat travellers! It takes around a day to complete the full flight and with zero automation its hard work on the arms.
Aside from the physical element (which outside of ski season I tend to avoid at all costs!), there is a fab pub close by which does some lovely seasonal dishes. Slight downside is their passion for playing Jack Johnson on repeat but we shall let them off as the wines are great and the views spectacular. Booking is highly recommended though – check them out here: https://hattonarms.com/
If pub grub does not float your boat (pun intended) then there is a lovely little cafe on the flight itself. They are very reasonably priced and have a limited but lovely menu to choose from.
They also sell some basic supplies if you need to stock up! Also replacement lock keys if you happen to drop your in the canal – which I have NEVER done honest!
Failing that – they sell ice cream which is almost always a winner!
Once the foody element is covered you can really appreciate the cultural side of engineering accomplishments.
Whilst the flight was opened in late 1799 on the Warwick and Birmingham Canal it was renamed in 1929 as the Grand Union Canal and they decided to widen the Hatton stretch. The locks were doubled in size in order to accommodate traders with heavy cargos of coal, sugar, tea and spices up the flight. You can still see today whats left of the old locks where they have built along side them. The widening was completed in the mid-1930s but sadly, following the growing popularity of rail and road for goods transfer it ceased industrial use in the 1970s.
Now a tourist attraction its kept some of its heritage as you will find examples of its engineering past along its banks. Little plaques explain and educate so its history is never forgotten.
A lovely place for a quiet (ish) walk and a nice bite to eat
A couple of years ago we decided to invest in a Motorhome. Our motivations were varied but the biggest decider for us was based on value for money (VFM). You can see our full thought process here.
Continue readingDo you ever just want to get away from it all for the night and can’t be bothered to cook?
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River & Canal Boating in France.
Quite by accident several years ago we stumbled onto an alternative kind of holiday. A little tired of just getting a drivers tan each summer from road trips I craved something different but similar.
How are you going to get there?
Options from the UK to the Alps: fly, drive (Eurotunnel or ferry) or train (Eurostar).
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