Amiens

We often get asked to recommend good spots for short motorhome trips on the continent. The Netherlands and France are the two most obvious places for a short holiday as they are the nearest countries to us. France is probably our favourite for a short hop, although it is such a big country, that if time is limited then you are unlikely to get out of the North.

Tended plots in the Hortillonnages

Many people just fly through the northern parts of  France en route to the sunnier south. However, there are lots of interesting places to visit that are less than two hours from Calais. One of these is the surprising, compact city of Amiens. 

The city is just under 100 miles from Calais and could be reached by a gentle drive down the coast road before heading inland. There is a campsite and (commercially run) aire on the outskirts of the town but they do insist on a two-night minimum. We have used a site around 6 miles north of the city in the grounds of the Bertangles Chateau. It's a simple, clean and very pretty site with large marked pitches.

Bertangles Chateau

There are a few highlights of the city itself, although the star has to be the amazing Gothic cathedral, the largest of its type in France. Viewed from a distance, up-close or from the inside. it's awe-inspiring. Visits are free and the doors are open until 6.30pm. During the summer and autumn they light it up at night, although you do have to stay up late if you visit in June like we did.

Another highlight, just a few hundred metres from the cathedral is the Hortillonnages, an area of ancient marsh land, which has been cultivated into beautiful gardens and allotments. For about a fiver, you can float serenely around the waterways on a small boat for around 45 minutes. The sun was shining when we went and it was magical.

If you have longer for the city there is plenty more to see and do. Have a look here for a few more ideas: www.visit-amiens.com.

Holland again!

You tend to forget how nice some places are even when you visit them regularly. We have just returned from a fantastic trip to the Netherlands and despite a couple of dodgy days with the weather, we had a fantastic time.

The windmills at Kinderdijk

Travelling with customers has added a whole new dimension and even made us see some places in a new light. It is not our intention to feedback on actual tours in the blog, but rather to offer ideas of places to go and things to see, whether they are part of one of our organised tours or not. It just so happens that we had such a great time that we wanted to blog about it! If you are one of our couples and you are reading then thanks so much for making the trip so enjoyable - if felt like we were travelling with friends.

Anyway, if you have about a week or so to spend we would highly recommend the following:

• Dordrecht in the south is a beautiful and compact town with a network of canals and river frontage. The town is largely unspoilt by the war (unlike nearby Rotterdam). We were lucky as they had a steam festival on too.

  

  Surprising Maastricht

• Kinderdijk near Rotterdam is a series of 19 traditional windmills all within about 1 mile of each other. Fantastic photo opportunity if nothing else!
• The South Limburg region is under-explored. It is mainly rural and perfect for cycling. You can also visit the slightly un-Dutch city of Maastricht, which has the feel more of a French or Belgian town.
• We've probably mentioned it before the Hoge Veluwe National Park with its 1700 free white bicycles makes a great day out (even in the rain). The cafe near
  the visitor centre is superb.
• Amsterdam itself is obviously a must-see.
• Alkmaar was something brand new for us on this trip and seeing the cheese market in full swing was a real treat. The town itself has plenty to keep you interested for the afternoon after the market is finished.

  

  Amsterdam

• Delft and The Hague are very close to each other so you can do Delft in the morning and nip into The Hague on the train in the afternoon for a bit of hustle and bustle.

So that's all a bit of a whistle stop tour, but we found that our days were more than full. In fact we rarely got to bed before 11pm!