Journey Outward, Beaufort

The van was half packed the night before (filling all the cupboards and enclosed space - for example the skis were in the shower!) and we just had to load the girls bags which went on the bunks.

Our ferry left Newhaven at 11am and with all the constrictions on time we left home at 8am - We had a 1 hour 15 minute window to check-in (the gates only opened 2 hours before departure and closed 75 min later) and we did not want to get held up by the morning traffic. There was also sever flooding down the A24 and we needed to get through Cowfold crossroads to reach the A23.

Luckily it was not bad and we arrived just as the gates opened so could join the extremely short queue compared to Dover. Then the wait began ...  we were laid out on the harbour area waiting for the incoming ferry to disgorge then the loading to begin. once the gates were closed and all arriving traffic through the immigration (on this route there is one on each side, unlike Dover) we were called forward. As a higher vehicle we were put at the front of the lorry deck and found our way up to the lounge.

We got a seat in the middle overlooking the stern so could see the coast line recede as we pulled away. The journey over was 4 hours so we had to stretch out all the activities for the length of the journey, with a couple of turns around the desk, a visit to the small (compared to the Dover run) duty free shop and food hunting around half way.

Into Dieppe harbour and a turn around before a laboured slide into the dock (singular). We were third off the boat, and second by the time we reached immigration and first out of the gate, mainly due to the other vans finding things they had to do before navigating the French streets. We followed the instructions off the idiot box as it guided us through Dieppe to Rouen, then Evreux, Dreux, and Chartres before stopping at a Buffalo grill outside Orleans, all on dual or relatively fast roads. 

After dinner we continued away from Orleans where for a change the box guided us along some back roads as we cut across to pick up the A77 ( a free motorway) which we then followed until just outside Nevers we stopped at a rest stop - ostensibly to find an Aire, but it was quiet(ish) with not much traffic on the road so we stayed there as there were available facilities and we did not have to use those in the van.

The girls took the bunks with Sue & I in the double over the back seats, which needed some rearranging of bags (most onto the kitchen counter) and the extract of the bedding from the vacuum bags. I had a good nights sleep only to be wakened by the lorry next door starting up for the day, but this may not have been the same for all in the van!

the next day we continued down the A77 until it finished and after buying some baguettes and Croissants for lunch/ breakfast, we changed philosophy cutting down to the A79 ( a paid motorway) to avoid some more back roads and especially the route over the mountains beside the A40 to Geneva and down to Annecy. This took us across to the A6 then down to the Lyon bypass via the airport and onto the A43 to Chambery and hence to Albertville and Up to Beaufort. Steph took a turn driving during this middle period of the day.

The roads were clear of snow although it was only recent and we had no issues with grip in the van so the chains stayed in their box. We stopped off at the Intermarche on the way up at Villard-sur-Doron to pick up fresh vitals then continued up to park in the ski parking at Areches.

There was fresh snow all around unlike last year and we wandered into the village centre to pass the time. We could not pick up the keys until 4pm and also we could wait for Bryon to arrive as he needed skis for Jenny. We ended up in the same café as last year for a coffee while we waited.

Bryon arrived just as we got up to leave for the keys (although I did try to pick them up from the wrong agency (the name was so similar to last years). Meeting again after we had the keys and Jenny her skis we followed each other back down to Beaufort and around to the apartment. This year we could park right outside, but had to hump everything up two flights of stairs. Soon discovering all the hidden nooks - like the under eves pantry and storage area as well as bits left by the owners (also several partially locked cupboards). We then settled into the rooms and had dinner on the go.