Welcome to Penny & Ed s little piece of heaven, in France. Situated at Camping Le Serpolin, Clere Sur Layon.

Welcome to Penny & Ed s little piece of heaven, in France. Situated at Camping Le Serpolin, Clere Sur Layon.

Location!, Location!, Location! Situated just outside a quiet village called Clere Sur Layon, in the Western Loire is where you will find us, on the Camping Le Serpolin site. It is conveniently surrounded by plenty of farms, and Vineyards, so just the occasional farm tractor disrupts the air, but only at planting and harvest time. Plenty of time to sit back and relax with a fresh bottle of wine from the local supermarket, 15 minutes away, where a reasonable bottle of red will set you back 1.50 euros We are located here

A few things about our caravan. Our Holiday home is a 38 x 12 BK Lulworth caravan. It was born in 2008 and originated in Poole. Now it resides in France, we have started to alter and create our home from home. It has all the modern fittings that this version was created with, including Double Glazing and Central Heating and plenty of cupboard space and storage. We have taken the pull out double bed from the lounge, as the settees were uncomfortable to sit on, so we have classified it as a 4/5 berth, as there is space in the Master bedroom and in the lounge for a put-u-up bed in both if needed. This maximises the space available to you during the day. The caravan, because it is situated in France, has been equipped with a Sky TV box, although the channels you are able to view have to be restricted to the Freeview channels as Sky channels are not allowed to be broadcast into the country and we do not have a spare Sky card for the receiver (unfortunately). This box also feeds the TV in the Master bedroom. So we will start our tour from the lounge, where we have a large flat screen TV and built in DVD player. Also a small CD player/radio although have not tried to find any French radio stations yet. The lounge has 2, 3 seater leather recliner settees, which as mentioned are more comfortable than the original ones. There is a coffee table in the middle and an electric fire to the side. There is a patio door to the front, but as we have not had a balcony installed yet, we ask you to not open both doors, except in an emergency.

Next we have the Kitchen/Diner which is probably the first area you will see, as it is where the entrance door is. In here we have all the mod cons of the modern kitchen. Kettle, Toaster, Microwave, Tea Pot & Gas hob and oven/grill. Also we have a built in Fridge and separate Freezer, with plenty of room to chill the beers and also get the ice cream ready for the evenings. There is a table and 4 chairs opposite the entrance if you wish for formal dining options, or you can opt for dining al-fresco outside of course. There is plenty of space to prepare meals in here and choice of where you want to eat them. This is also where the central heating boiler resides and also where you will find all the pots and pans you should need and crockery & cutlery. It is also the storage area for the hoover to just keep the area and caravan tidy for your comfort. To the rear of the caravan there are the two bedrooms. The first has two single beds and wardrobe space, but at present w e have no tv installed in here because of no English reception, but may introduce it next year. There is the family bathroom opposite this with shower, washbasin and toilet. The rest of the caravan at the rear is set aside for the Master Bedroom, which has views towards the West (over the fence) and has views of the sunsets that always seem to happen even on a bad day. The Master bedroom also has an En-suite and has a television, which is fed from the main Lounge Sky Box, but will only give you the same channel that you are watching there.

There is a dressing table, at the end of the bed, with plenty of wardrobe space and drawers and a stool. There are light controls at the bed and entrance to settle you down to sleep. Please note, the whole site, like most of France, is on a Fosse Septic, so please be careful not to flush things that shouldn t go down the loo s, and please don t clean with Cillit Bang cleaner as that kills it dead (like the advert says). Apart from that please be water savvy, and enjoy yourselves. Your hosts who own the site, Matt & Donna-Marie will be able to help out if you have any questions about anything, or any problems in the caravan or site. Please don t forget you have access to the Plunge Pool and amenities as mentioned in the caravan site web pages A short list of shops and some local attractions are listed here for your convenience and a list of places to go is available in the Information area, near the campsite facilities & on the website. There is free WiFi on site and in the caravan. The signal varies around the site but you just need to login in to a different one if sitting around the pool area due to location of masts and WiFi power restrictions in France. When in France: There are plenty of things to see and do nearby (by that I mean within 1 to 1 ½ hours) and a good map or Sat Nav (mobile phone maps are just as good) to get to some of the lesser known spots, much like you would in the UK. Other well known tourist attractions are well signposted. Pony Trekking to a local vineyard or just lazing around the caravan or the pool, chose what you wish and just enjoy it.

Vihiers. Main local village, where you can buy fuel for the car from Super-U and also the location of a large supermarket of the same name and Leader Price (only store open on Sundays 10 to 12.30). This village has a very nice square with a selection of small shops and a few bars/cafes where you can park up and watch the world go by. The map below is a blow up of the village area from above. Leader Price (the only store open Sunday, mornings only) Super-U Vihiers Town Square.

The map here shows a Zoo which is in Doue La Fontaine, which is set in a disused quarry. There is plenty of parking opposite the entrance and you can take picnics and are allowed out to get them, your hand gets stamped. There is also normally special offers of discounts to other Chateau attractions on production of the tickets from this attraction. From Vihiers Bioparc (Zoo) To Saumur

Another larger village is Thouars, with a larger Super-U and McDonalds along with a selection of bigger shops and even a Lidl, It is still approx 20 mins away, but the direct route takes you through some interesting villages. Mc Donalds area Large Super-U and shops

Getting to Camping Le Serpolin. From Calais/Eurotunnel: Take the A16 towards Amiens. Then head onto the A29 /A28 towards Rouen. From Rouen, head towards Alencon and then Le-Mans (also the A29). From Le-Mans head towards Angers (A11) From there head towards Saumur. From Saumur use N147 to the island with directions for Cholet D960. Continue along D 960 and on approaching Doue la Fontaine take the Toutes Directions route which by passes the main town. Follow directions to Vihiers and Cholet passing through Concourson sur Layon and after approximately 4 km follow the signs turning left to Clere sur Layon on D159. Follow this road straight through Clere village keeping to the left and at the first marked crossroads after the sports field turn right at the camping sign. Le Serpolin is at the far end of this twisty lane on the left. Alternatively follow the Sat Nav especially if it s a Tom Tom, from your departure point. Toll road costs for the return journey will be approx 80 at Post General Election rates and toll booths accept card payments (please be aware the toll booths are on the left hand side of the car). Drive time is approx 5.5 hours and please note Fuel is more expensive at the motorway service areas than at the supermarkets. Diesel is cheaper in France than Petrol.

Caravan Inventory: Plenty of Dinner plates, small plates, Cups and Mugs & a Teapot. Cutlery and Knife block + cutting boards. Selection of glasses, big and small. Kettle, Toaster, George Foreman grill & New Combination Microwave. 4 burner Gas cooker and separate Grill and Oven (Bottled Gas if you run out). Tea Towels. A selection of Tea bags and Coffee will be there to start you off, but please bring your own milk of preference. Large Fridge and Freezer (something we noticed was that if the fridge has an overflowing bottom shelf, then sometimes it doesn t shut correctly. If you just re-arrange the contents on there, it shuts perfectly). Bedding is provided, with sheets, pillows and pillow cases, and Duvets on each bed. The beds will be made up for your arrival. In the Master bedroom, there is a TV for which the channel is chosen from the main Sky box (please note the Sky has been changed recently and am not sure if the TV has been re-tuned). The shower in the Main bathroom has individual hot and cold taps to adjust the temperature. Please note, if you have not stayed in a static caravan before, do not turn on any other taps or flush toilets, whilst its in use. You will hear screams otherwise, not of joy! In the Lounge, we have the TV/DVD player, a Radio with built in CD player, the Sky Box and the recent addition of a Fan for the hot days. If you require the heating, the room thermostat is in the little hallway between the Kitchen and the Master bedroom. There is an external light which is switched on near the side door. Please turn this off when not in use and you can have a magnificent view of the night sky. You probably will never have seen so many stars, due to the lack of light pollution. There is a small LED light by the bottom of the stairs. A table and 4 chairs is provided outside, and a communal picnic table (we have been informed) is in the grassed area between the two caravans. The site has its own rules for safety and will be available from Matt & Donna-Marie. Please enjoy and if any problems, queries or concerns, please let Matt know.