SUNDAY 12TH JUNE
We've been amazingly lucky so far; we've had good weather all the way, AND TAILWINDS!!! We think this can't last forever, and it seems like it won't. The weather in the UK is due to change at some point next week. P has to be back on Tuesday; I have a couple of days more if needed. We decide to go from La Baule to Granville for lunch. A British pilot at Deauville told me it was a nice place, but it's air to air in French only, and I didn't fancy trying it alone. After that we want to get close enough to Le Touquet that we can cross the channel on Monday if it seems necessary due to weather; if I have to, I can drop P off anywhere in the UK, and get back to Sleap whenever possible. I suggest Le Havre, but P wants to go somewhere small. On the strength of a nice picture in the Piloteplus guide, we decide on Bernay. We know nothing about it, but that's the fun of flying, sometimes.
We explore the coast around La Baule from the air for a bit, then set heading for Granville. We go through Rennes airspace, talk to them, no problems at all. This is how flying in France is meant to be. Getting close to Granville, we take photos of St Michel (spelling?), an interesting building on a tiny little island. We're not sure what's there, but it's a restricted area, so we circle as close to it as we can. Someone reading this will probably know what's there and be amazed at my ignorance; do let me know! I make blind calls in French to Granville; I'm getting used to this now, and next time I could do it alone. It's only the first time in aviation that things can seem really difficult. We land, and the restaurant is closed...despite what it says in Piloteplus. Lovely friendly little airfield though, and right close to the beach. We get directed to walk along the beach to the next village if we want to eat, and we find a roadside cafe, with good food as usual...can you get bad food in France? We come back, refuel, and set off for Bernay.
We're now inland, and almost retracing my original route to Deauville. We talk to Rouen, who are as professional and understandable as before, and I now recognise the town and the Seine. Bernay has a grass runway, and its extremely wide, a bit disorientating on final, but I land safely. We can't work out where their taxiways are, and it's air to air in French again. We manage somehow, then park, and there's hardly anyone around. We tie down KF, and for once are glad of the Piloteplus guide to find a number for a taxi and a hotel. This guide tells you about airfield restaurants, places to stay, taxis, sites of local interest etc. It's sort of bilingual, though mainly in French. It's not always correct, but it's worth buying for the taxi numbers alone, unless you like long walks from airports. Anyway, our hotel turns out to be confortable and good value, but boring and modern, and on the outskirts of town. I suggest to P that we get a taxi to the centre of town to explore and have a meal. We do, and it's lovely. It's full of interesting old buildings, with loads to see. However, most of the retaurants are closed as it's Sunday, and we eventually end up in a Chinese restaurant. Well, why not?
2Donkeys,
I think my post crossed with yours.
I had the plate for Tours, I knew about point Sierra, but was told by everyone at the GA part of Tours that I\'d be able to go to Echo then do my own thing. They turned out to be wrong, so I followed instructions. But I wasn\'t pleased, that\'s all...and that\'s all I said.
We weren\'t able to get NOTAMS at La Rochelle; everything was closed when we arrived, and we had trouble talking to anyone when we left. Nantes told us about the parachute activity at La Baule, so we knew; our problem was understanding exactly what they wanted us to do.
I do the usual preflight planning. I don\'t bother to go into detail about exactly what I do, since I take it as read. I don\'t mention that I shower and brush my teeth either.