Motorhome travel: Versailles and northern France

Bucket lists seem to have become a bit of a status symbol. Who can come up with unusual exotic locations or the most adrenaline-inducing activity? Wish lists seem more personal, less ‘look at me’. Mine fluctuates in quantity, dependent upon bank balance and availability of annual leave! The Palace of Versailles was on my latest list, the TV series (BBC Two’s Versailles) having been an influence. It was time to see all that opulence for ourselves...

We splashed out on the toll route to Arras, ensuring that we arrived to bag the last space in the very conveniently located city centre aire. Arras’ spectacular centre has a walking trail to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (part of the Battle of Arras). There were information boards around both the stunning Grand Place and the Place des Héros telling the participants’ stories, their roles, action and, if they were fortunate, where life took them after WWI.

After crusty French bread, vital to that start-of-a-holiday feeling, we set the sat-nav to ‘no tolls’. Enjoying a delightfully scenic ride along D roads, we crossed the Oise at Pont-Sainte-Maxence, on track to travel the dreaded Paris périphérique ahead of Friday evening rush hour.

Our first site, Camping Huttopia Versailles, is in a great location to visit the palace and Paris. Pitches are laid out on terraces in a rather random arrangement under a light tree canopy. It felt very relaxed considering our city location. The site was fairly busy with campers and occupants of the many self-catering and glamping options, but was peaceful enough, especially in the evening. It was probably the rather chilly and persistent north wind that helped move campers indoors.

‘V day’ dawned and, picnic packed, we walked down to the Avenue de Paris for the number 171 bus right to the palace gates. At €2 (£1.84) each, the ride was a bargain. I was feeling rather smug when I saw a very lengthy queue; I assumed that it was for tickets – and we already had ours securely in our pockets. That feeling was short-lived as the queue was for security and it took 1.5 hours to get through.

The Palace of Versailles is truly awesome; in size, elaborate architecture and dedication to extravagance. There is even gold leaf decoration on its exterior. I was intrigued by a fabulous gold astronomical clock from the eighteenth century, which also shows the phases of the sun and moon; it is set to be accurate to December 99999. Unfortunately, with the French revolution, the majority of furniture and artefacts were sold. What visitors now see are, in the main, typical pieces of that time, rather than the originals.

As part of a guided tour (extra charge), we visited Louis XIV’s private chambers and learned that the king’s every waking moment was witnessed by the court. There was a bedroom for sleeping though, upon waking each morning, King Louis would trot off to the bedchamber in the State Apartments where he then had to get out of bed all over again, in front of his court and anyone else who fancied a viewing!

The palace’s most well-known room is the Hall of Mirrors, a real ‘look at me, I’m fabulously wealthy’ statement, with its decorative style being way over the top. I found it hard to get a sense of the room as it would have been three centuries ago because of the crowds. Outside, I found it much easier to imagine a scene with divinely dressed ladies and perfectly coiffed gentlemen strolling, gossiping and being seen. In some areas of the garden, music is played all day and fountains put on a show. The Mirror Pool, in particular, mustn’t be missed. The water movement coordinating with classical music is very evocative.

The Petit Trianon is most famous as the retreat of Marie Antoinette, she of “let them eat cake” fame. The majority of the contents of this ‘little’ palace are original and, together with a replica rustic village, it is truly charming. Even over two days of exploration we didn’t see everything, but what we did see of the Palace of Versailles was amazing and left us with a desire to learn more about these incredibly extravagant French kings, queens and mistresses.

Paris is just a 20-minute trip from the station in Porchefontaine and many campers at Huttopia were heading for the capital, but the coast was calling us. We’d metaphorically stuck a pin in the map north of Dieppe, allowing for an hour’s run up to the Eurotunnel on departure day.

A return visit to the lovely Le Crotoy was mooted but, always preferring pastures new, we headed for Mers-les-Bains, separated from Le Tréport by the port and river. Driving through the narrow streets, we spotted a ‘camping’ sign and followed that through even narrower and steeper streets to reach Camping de la Falaise. The fabulous views from the site to the bay below and both towns, or to the cliffs and sea beyond, are priceless. Well, around €20 (£18.41) to be exact! A super-friendly couple were in charge and could understand my poor French enough to advise on croissant ordering for the morning and the best place for food that evening.

Mers-les-Bains is a working town, but with a fabulous seafront and what claims to be the best-preserved group of Belle Époque buildings in France. Each vibrantly painted house is of a different design from a very elegant period of history. The majority are in a good state of repair, but it felt as if further investment and restoration were underway. There is a good selection of bars and shops around a lovely grassed area called La Prairie with information boards here – and along the prom – showing fascinating sepia photographs from the nineteenth century. A beer in the sunshine was followed by great moules in Les Mouettes at the north end of the promenade.

As the next morning greeted us with squally showers, the wet weather gear came out and we enjoyed a bracing clifftop walk to the north. We passed remnants of WWII German defences and an impressive Notre Dame statue to which there is an annual procession by the townsfolk; obviously an energetic bunch. The sky cleared and binoculars helped us make out Ault, just up the coast, the Somme estuary and Boulogne in the distance.

The afternoon saw us crossing the footbridge to the interesting town of Le Tréport with its busy quay, fishing boats and restaurants offering fresh seafood. A free funicular took the strain out of our climb to the top of the cliffs at Le Tréport. The view over the rooftops, with the bay beyond, is rather special. More information boards told the story of a fabulous 300-bedroom hotel built at the turn of the nineteenth century to entice Parisians from chic Le Touquet, just up the coast, to Le Tréport. But the crowds didn’t come and the hotel became a hospital and convalescent home during WWI; a balustrade and steps are all that remain.

Choosing the steps for our descent, we discovered an entrance to the network of defensive tunnels of Kahl-Burg, which were dug by the Germans after the Canadians launched a raid on Dieppe in 1942. I’m sure that the Kahl-Burg would have been very interesting to explore but, unfortunately for us, it was closed that day. During WWII, buildings around the seafront of Le Tréport were totally obliterated but, just 100m (328ft) inland, is an interesting maze of houses known as the Cordiers Quarter. This was named for the fishermen whose style was not to use nets, just a hook and line.

After watching a wonderful sunset, we felt that our visit to this delightful area had been so worth it. We had memories and experiences that had made our break feel much longer, in the nicest possible way!

This feature was originally published in the January 2018 issue of MMM magazine. Want to read more like it? Get monthly motorhome travel inspiration by subscribing to MMM magazine.