In the words of our current host, Henry, ‘BOOM!’ What was meant to be a 2 week stint at Camping St.Hilaire turned into us staying for the duration of the summer and it is with great regret that we had to pack up and head off early on Friday morning. We first came across this lovable family when we were at a loss in Spain. Things hadn’t gone according to plan and no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t find any volunteer projects. So, after hours and hours of applying for projects and after numerous negative responses, Warren and I decided Spain was trying to tell us something and the message was coming through loud and clear…Vamos! So, with that in mind we set our sights further afield and happened upon a campsite in France that sounded like it would fit us to a T.
Large pitches, electricity, water, waste disposal and a weekly allowance for food. The only trouble was it was 19hrs away from our location in Oria, Spain. By now you should know us rather well and there was absolutely no way we would allow a small thing like 1384km to get in the way of our adventure. So with that, we hitched up once again, bid farewell to Joel, Cori, Lyndon, Holby, Taliah and Maggie and set off- destination Chalandray, France. After travelling for two days, a stopover in Zaragoza and a challenging route which saw us tow our caravan up and over the Pyrenees mountain range, we arrived at around 11:30pm.
On arrival we were greeted by Henry and offered a pint of his finest Belgian beer as well as a huge dish of barbecued chicken, sausages and ribs (something that made him an immediate hit with our hungry kids).
The following morning we were introduced to the rest of the family- Kat, Daisy and Polly and we sat down to the first of many ‘team talks’.
The first two weeks of our stay saw us complete projects like repairing and refurbishing the mini golf course, building a fire pit and little bits of general maintenance.
But two weeks was too short and by the end of it we agreed that we would move on to our next project in Limousin and then, for the first time since leaving the UK, backtrack and return to Camping St.Hilaire for what promised to be a busy summer.
The remainder of our summer was spent working behind the bar, helping Henry with the wood fired pizzas (whilst Warren and I had a domestic over pizza boxes), cleaning the glamping accommodation and doing our best to avoid checking in French customers…’Je suis désolé , je ne parle pas Français. Parlez vous Anglais?’ The answer was almost always, ‘NO!’
There was also plenty of swimming, sightseeing, sunshine and a visit from some friends from back home.
During our time with the Walkers there was no shortage of banter or beer and the weeks flew by in a blur. We met people from all over Europe, as well as, almost all of Henry and Kat’s extended family and closest friends. There were so many experiences and there are so many stories to share but I think I’ll end this piece with a shoutout to all those who made our time at St.Hilaire absolutely unforgettable….especially Henry, Kat, Daisy and Polly, we LOVE you guys and we will see you again next year ❤️
Video Of Our Time At Camping St. Hilaire Here
Our Travelling Family 
Wow—glad you found a new temporary home—and hope the next year will be as filled with adventure as it has been to date.
On Mon, 9 Sep 2019 at 10:16, Our Travelling Family wrote:
> karen binedell posted: “In the words of our current host, Henry, ‘BOOM!’ > What was meant to be a 2 week stint at Camping St.Hilaire turned into us > staying for the duration of the summer and it is with great regret that we > had to pack up and head off early on Friday morning. We fi” >
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You couldn’t have put it better…it definitely was home for the time we were there. So many lovely memories and friendships made over the 6 weeks. Sending love to all back home, Car, Warren, Sebastian, Aiden and Ella xxx
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We would LOVE to…we don’t receive money at any of our stops so we gladly settle for biltong, braaivleis and lots of sunshine 🙂
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Wishing you all the very best and hope you are as happy in your new assignment. Look forward to following your adventures.
An ever barking Poppy, Stig, Bev & Chris
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Hi guys!!!! Apologies for taking so long to respond. We are having an absolutely amazing time here in Belgium but are missing Camping St.Hilaire terribly. Sending loads of love and be sure to let us know how Poppy’s training classes are going xxx
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Nice read and it sounds like you are really having a great experience on your travels.
I can’t help thinking that everybody is looking forward to updates on your current location.
Have a great time and I am enjoying your journey, keep smiling😊
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Morning Colin! Thanks so much for your kind words and for following along with our adventure. If by ‘current location’ you meant the naturist campsite…there will be more on that in a blog post later this month. Sending love and best wishes,
Karen
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