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Mid July, 12yr boy Stoner Jr and I have two weeks left to our own devices, a camper van and a final destination of Morzine.
We're planning on visiting some WW1 sites:
Douaumont Ossuary, Thiepval, Passchendale
Other interests are:
Engineering/motor museums (BMW Munich, Enzo Ferrari Modena?)
Open water swimming
Voies vertes day trips (we'll have bikes, natch) ( https://www.francevelotourisme.com/destinations)
Graphic art
But pretty much anything interesting goes.
Assume we drive over from Dover and can turn left or right. Spain probably too far out of the way, but Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland & Italy all potential destinations beyond France.
Where are your not-to-be-missed spots?
Ardennes is more or less on your way and has some interesting WW2 Museums from Battle of the Bulge, great castles and superb scenary and towns. Plus the interest of finding tanks and artillery parked up as memorials by the roads. Would really make sense to incorporate the Ardennes in to your route.
PS: Can you adopt me?
Europa Park and Disneyland. 😉
Hartsmannwillerkop (Le vielle Armand) - walk up from the village, stop on Cernay campsite which has the municipal swimming pool next door (not open water I know but a nice old 70s "mille piscines pour la France" pool.
Freiburg for all the "solar city Freiburg" architecture, theres's a campsite you can walk in from, perhaps via the viewing tower up on castle hill.
If you are going as far as Modena surly a stop here should be on the cards?
https://www.museoalfaromeo.com/en-us/Pages/MuseoStoricoAlfaRomeo.aspx
After all Ferrari started as a racing team running Alfas.
Verdon gorge (although you may well know about it already). Did a roadtrip out that way after reading a thread on here several years ago. Swam in Lac Annecy that year from Talloires.
There's a great ice-cream place in Annecy that a 12 year old would appreciate, fresh made waffle cones while you wait 🙂
*Edit, sounds amazing by the way, consider me jealous!
Monaco motor museum is pretty cool if you find yourself in that area, it is the royal family's own collection.
I'd try and do a days canoe trip somewhere - we did this on the Dordogne last summer and loved it.
I believe there is a visitors centre at CERN, that might be good..??
The first comment about the Ardennes is one that I was going to make. Belgium is often overlooked as a destination, but it can be really stunning. In the Ardennes, especially, you are surrounded by WWI and WWII sites, as well as Trappist monasteries still engaged in churning out the beer, and stunning scenery.
Take Roche-en-Ardennes for example:
And, I should add, you're only an hour away from Aachen - the home of the Carolingian Renaissance, and Charlemagne's Palace... the home of Europe, pt. 2.
Technik museum, either site.
Looks absulutely amazing and as a bunus has the largest Ferrari collection on display. And a Buran shuttle. And a 747 with full access. And a concorde. And a concordski (sitting on the roof with its lookalike). And a U boat. And etc...
https://www.technik-museum.de/
Some great ideas there chaps. Thank you all. Will go and do some reading up and start adding to the itinerary.
Musée de la Paix and associated locations in Normandy.
Lac de Salagou - cracking lake for swimming in, and there's a bike route all the way around the outside. When we were there the forest-fire-fighting planes were practising their water pick ups too, which was, er, exciting when you're in a pedalo 🙂
http://www.destination-languedoc.co.uk/articles/salagou-valley-main-tourist-attraction-584-2.html
Well before you head over you could visit Dover Castle and Canterbury as both are very interesting.
Keeping the war theme going you could visit the Battle Of Britain Museum at Capel Le Ferne, and also the Sound Mirrors in Hythe and Denge. Could also take in Dungeness and I believe somewhere near Elham a guy has built a replica trench system and opened it to the public.
Aside from that I hope you are going to stop for a coffee......
Hasn't the Cricket season started yet? You'd be too busy!
(if you're on an install, I'll swing by with the ginger nuts for a gawp)
Dover Castle is a good idea. We've only ever seen it from afar. Always too keen to get on the tub and away.
Trying not to depress the lad with TOO much WW stuff though. It's not like we wont have the opportunity to do it all again next year. #termdateslottery
The motor museum at Mulhouse was amazing and the riding around it is top class- it's Loic Bruni's neck of the woods. We did a roadtrip in 2017 in an old Porsche we bought for £1500 that went from the UK to Spa, riding around Houfallize, then over to Stuttgart and down to the Alsace.
For a trip like yours, heading to Spa for an event would be good, then across to Stuttgart to the Mercedes museum (we did the Porsche Museum, but Porsches just look like Porsches), down to the Alsace and the Mulhouse motor museum and the amazing riding around there. You could also nip over to Europa Park. Then down towards Morzine via some other cool spots. It'd be a great laugh.
Easy from Dover into Belgium, visit the war graves including Ypres (good museum in the centre and the arch listing all the lost), then visit Bruges and Ghent, both beautiful places for a walk about with some great museums for a 12 year old, and great beer for dad.
Oh, and do what we were going to do but didn't; take the camper around the Nurburgring 😉
No cricket these days too old!
Hopefully not working too hard, but if I'm around I'll let you know, maybe in the middle of my flat refurb!
I'll give you a heads up if we have time to stop by in Kent Bear.
IHN - the camper is an old dear and since cracking the head it has been banned from Mountain Passes and Track Days.
Mulhouse is a good option if we dont head over to BMW.
Girona should be doable if you're considering Modena. Game Of Thrones-tastic. Some of the best drivers around cyclists in Europe if you're on the road. Tapas and Catalan Pizza (a huge open sandwich).