An eventful first day back in France

You remember we had a very early start (before 4 a.m.) and by the time we got to Gill and Phillips the temperature had already to the high 20’s.  We had a quick cuppa, and having roped in our hosts to help turn the caravan round (there wasn’t enough juice in the battery for the motor movers to work) we set off for Limeuil on the Dordogne.

It started out really well – beautiful countryside, clear blue skies and empty roads, although some were a bit bumpy – a bit like our roads Geoff!  However, as we were going through Beaumont du Perigord we took a wrong turning and noticed a bump from the caravan’s near side wheel which sounded like we’d hit the kerb.  We got back on the main road in short order, but then heard a scraping noise, so pulled up to find out what the problem was.

We had a flat tyre.  After swearing I rang the breakdown company to get assistance, and Karol nipped off to find out where we were!  After a couple of calls I eventually got through to someone who arranged for a breakdown truck to come out to us in ’60 to 90 minutes’.  It was now 32 degrees.

At the bottom of the street there was a garage and Karol went off to see if there was anyone there who could help as we didn’t fancy waiting around, but they were closed for lunch (this is France don’t forget!).  After about 10 minutes a small French car stopped and two young ladies got out and asked if they could help.  I explained that the breakdown vehicle was on the way, but they were adamant that they could help us change the wheel as one of them was a bus driver!  She set to crawling under the caravan to try and release the spare wheel whilst her partner tried to flag down passing vehicles to get more helpers.  In the meantime Karol was directing traffic as we were taking up over half the road.

5 minutes later a white van stopped and three guys got out, conversed with our guardian angels and took over.  We discovered afterwards that they were Romanian builders who lived in France and had stopped working for a while as it was too hot to work.  One of them also happened to be a motor mechanic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spare wheel frame was rusted in place, so it took longer to release that than it did for them to replace the wheel.  They also had to get another jack as ours wouldn’t lift the caravan high enough to fit the spare wheel.  In any event it managed to slip off the frame a couple of times too, which made Karol very anxious as their dog, Maya, kept popping under the caravan to get into the shade!

Natasha, one of the two guardian angels drove Karol to the supermarket to buy something for everyone to drink, and some beers for the Romanian guys to say thank you.  However, before they returned the spare wheel was on, and the guys had jumped back in their van, and went home for lunch, having declined any payment or even cold drinks.  Natasha and Karol returned, and we had a quick chat with the two girls.  Natasha (aged 45) is Dutch and Nadia (aged 50) is Belgian, they are married and live in Belgium.  We thought they were in their late 20’s! They are on holiday in their motorhome, but had borrowed the car from the campsite owner, who’s a friend.  They too declined any payment initially, but in the end agreed to take the beer and juice Karol had bought.

Having cancelled the recovery call out we both realised that we’d been pretty hopeless when it came to knowing what to do with a flat tyre.  Yes, we did have the foresight to make sure we had breakdown cover, but actually, if we’d practiced beforehand we’d have  perhaps felt more confident and able to contribute.  As it was we felt a bit helpless stood on the sidelines watching the others take charge – we had all the gear and no idea!  It made us feel quite humble as all those who helped took it for granted that it was the right thing to do, and would we have done the same?

We set off – cautiously – for the last 20km to the campsite.  The hitch was by now making an excruciatingly loud creaking noise every time we cornered.  Something else to sort out (but at least we know how to deal with that!)

The campsite was a welcome sight, and we pitched easily next door to Peter and Rowena, known as Ro, who took pity on us and made us a cup of tea!

It was by now about 5 p.m. and we realised that the last time we’d eaten was around 5 a.m. when we’d had a small breakfast at the airport.  Peter confirmed that the restaurant on site was pretty good, so we adjourned to the bar, had a couple of well earned drinks and some delicious food, and a good nights sleep.

Refreshed we woke up to a glorious day with clear blue skies and hot sun.  We had a quick trip to the nearest supermarket (as it was Sunday only open until noon) came back for a late breakfast of croissants and Gill’s home made cherry jam and spent the afternoon chilling out by the pool.