Post It from Kompas Camping, Nieuwpoort, Belgium. Monday 27th April, 2015.

It was a cold night at Folkestone but we awoke to bright sun which made up for the cold breeze. After crossing the Channel via the Eurotunnel and managing to get an earlier train than booked we set of north towards Dunkirk on the A16. The scenery was all new to us as we had only ever gone south from Calais. We quickly arrived at Dunkirk and I wished now I had looked at the area more closely so we could have paid a visit to the beaches where my late father had fled the Germans in WW2. We did stop for cheaper fuel at the large Auchan supermarket just off junction 54 and got diesel for 1.209€ a litre. Not sure how much that is in Sterling until I get my bill in but I guess it will be around the 90p mark, a full 27p less than what I paid at ASDA before we left!

After there we stopped at Adinkerke, the first Belgium town across the border and did a little shopping, got cash from the bank in readiness for Germany where we understand credit cards are not as readily accepted at shops and camping sites and had lunch which I prepared before we left Black Horse Farm. I am getting a real dab hand at this healthy eating plan from the British Heart Foundation that we have been following since December so we had a wholemeal wrap with low fat soft cheese, lean ham, and a salad of peppers, cucumber and tomatoes. Desert was grapes so we had a good amount of our five a day for lunch.

Kompas Camping was only a few miles away but by the time we had arrived there was a bitter wind despite the sun still shining away. I think the temperature reading we passed said it was 11ºC but in the strong winds it felt much lower.

Our forum friend David had recommended this site as one being close to the ferries and having excellent toilet and shower facilities so since I did not plan to drive a great distance this day we decide to follow his recommendation. It was easy to find and just off the motorway. It is a very large site on the edge of the town and has just over 1000 pitches. Most are occupied by seasonal tourers with their awnings and kitchen tents erected and if it was not for the masses of lush grass we would have thought we could have been in Spain. There were also some static caravans and a section of tarmac hard standings with water and waste on the pitch for motorhomes. We also had a view over the lake directly in front of us and we could see the marina and the dinghy and windsurfers on the water. I am pretty sure the lake was part of a much larger waterway system going to the sea and inland through Nieuwpoort. A tarmac cycle/footpath could be accessed from the site and it ran alongside the lake to who knows where in each direction. It was clear from us driving off the motorway that cycling on safe paths is catered for everywhere.

We enjoyed a very pleasant, if blustery, walk along the side of the lake and discovered some very beautiful individually styles houses set in a small village type setting around a church adjacent to the camp site. On the site the staff we earnestly preparing for the oncoming season cleaning and gardening everywhere. There are three outdoor pools here and a full entertainment programme in the season so I suspect it will be rather busy. There were a number of campers, many with children, so I suspect it may be a holiday week here and in Holland leading up to May Day on Friday when entertainment in the site club was advertised. There were four motorhomes here by 1800, including a Dutch Concorde with Grandparents and two grandchildren enjoying their time away, an Austrian couple towing a very large quadbike and a French van with us.

Smokee has taken to enjoying the sun again but we have noticed he does not seem to travel on the side seat backs so he had the sun like he used to and now when we are parked up he gets down into the shade more quickly than he used to. It must be an age thing I think, or he has at last discovered some sense! Let’ hope he can enjoy his travels for a long time to come but somehow I doubt it in reality, at 14 he is old for a pedigree tom cat the vet tells us. We are all enjoying the clear skies and warm sun tonight though.

I bought some Wi-Fi here, which was very cheap, so let’s hope I can get this story posted and collect my emails as well as checking on the forthcoming weather, Germany tomorrow and a 220 miles trip all on motorway, how depressing and not what we are used to. I had a bit of a panic as I looked for the compute lead for my small camera, I had left it at home but thankfully the one for the big camera fitted  the connection so at least I can share some photos with you. I now have two leads with me that I have no use for! Perhaps that’s me getting older and I’m sure Sharon would have some comments if she only knew how to use the computer. Is that an age thing as well?

Regards, Roy

The internet access was easy after registering and super fast. I just cant get my Outlook to get my emails from the laptop! I'll have to use the tablet or phone. This is often a problem abroad re security.