How To Stop A French Carnival by A Mad Englishman.

paul56
paul56 Forum Participant Posts: 937
500 Comments
edited June 2012 in Your stories #1

True story! Many years ago we were on the way back to Le Havre to catch the ferry and had booked a site somewhere Barneville-Carteret way.

Driving into the village where we knew the camp site was, we found the road was closed by gendarmes and he directed us down another road to our left. We followed it and thought if we did a right and right again we would be back on track - pas de problem.

After a mile or two, did the first right and found ourselves heading towards the sea, found another right which took us along the sea front and heading back in the right direction! Told you - pas de problem! There were a few cars parked and I assumed the occupants were on the beach.

Following the road there were then more and more parked cars, double parked on both sides of the road and it was getting narrower. Eventually we were stopped again and it was pointed out that this was the route the village carnival was following and that we had to about turn! Vite!

Tried to reverse but it was too far. Some kind French guys made gestures to unhook and manually turn the van - we did. The 'van was swiveled round and I just got the car between the 'van and the parked cars and as we were hitching back up literally dozens and dozens of bikes came towards us - the start of the carnival.

It wasn't that hot but sweat (sorry perspiration) was poring off me. Boy did we leg it down that road - we never did get to the campsite. I often wondered, did I make it on to the front page of the local paper? 

Comments

  • Richiebuoy
    Richiebuoy Forum Participant Posts: 244
    edited June 2012 #2

    Sounds like a "worst nightmare" scenario..... least u live to tell the tale :-)

  • csarina
    csarina Forum Participant Posts: 12
    edited August 2012 #3

    We had a similar experience many years ago coming back from Poiters. OH was navigating, I was driving, turn right here said OH, turned right, even though I said I did not think it was the right way. the road got narrower and narrower with cars parked on
    either side of the road, we had literally a couple of inches either side of the van. Suddenly a huge lorry was lumbering towards us, flashing his lights like Blackpool illuminations. He was almost hitting my bumper and I could see rude gestures and 'go backwards
    signals, non, non I mouthed vous!! there was no way I was going to try and reverse a van back the way we had come, eventually he got the message, and with a very rude gesture backed into what turned out to be the Market Square where a street market was taking
    place, by this time both sides of the street were lined with gawpers, sorry french citizens, out to watch the fun. I gingerly drove past him and followed the road signs out of the town and back onto the road we should have been on.

    OH has never been allowed to m,ap read in France since, he drives, I navigate!!

    That was not the end though, I pulled into the first layby I could find, so we could have a cup of coffee and change over drivers, The van door was open and I had two mugs of coffee on the worktop over the fridge. Another huge lorry travelling at speed passed
    us, the van rocked and the coffee ended up on the carpet!!    Rude words were spoken this time by me!! I spent the next half hour jumping up and down on a towel to try and get the coffee out of the carpet........good job there was no sugar in it, that would
    have made matters worse. Once we got home I borrowed a friends carpet cleaner and eventaully got the carpet clean, moral of that tale, keep out of French markets with a caravan on the back of your car and do not stop and make coffee in a latby at the side
    of the road, use an aire..............

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