July Newsletter

Bob and Wendy
1 day ago
6 min read

Welcome to the July edition. We have had two tours out and back this month in Northern Spain & Portugal and the Swiss & French Alps. We have a full tour report from Debbie & Gwyn on the Alps this month and we will save the Spain one for next month.

We have a little bit of sad news about one of our legendary customers, "Johnny Vegas" who sadly passed away at the beginning of June. A little more on this later.

A reminder that we will be doing our charity abseiling again this August with the chance to support a very worthwhile local charity.

As usual we have another “cut out and keep” recipe and this month’s motorhome tips are all about keeping cool in the motorhome in the hot weather.

2027 Tour Bookings

As always we start with a reminder that 2027 bookings are now in full swing.

Full details of the 2027 Tour Schedule are on the website here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/tours

If you would like to book for 2027, please do so via our website here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/book-now

If you want a chat about any of the tours, or need a bit more information before you decide, then please contact us and we will be very happy to talk you through it.

The Swiss & French Alps Tour Report

Our ever-popular Swiss & French Alps Tour had another outing this year ably run by Gwyn & Debbie with Rob & Chrissie. Thanks to Debbie & Gwyn for the following tour report...

After an early evening introduction to each other on a pleasant evening in Kent and a good night’s sleep, we were bound for the continent by ferry on a calm sea, for our first overnight stop on French soil in the champagne region.

The next day’s drive was to the ‘capital’ of the burgundy region at Beaune where our guests spent the evening enjoying a 3-course meal and welcome drink together at the restaurant on site, courtesy of Crossings, with a chance to sample some of the burgundy wines on offer.

Another day, another adventure into the French Alps this time, and four nights at Annecy with its Lake and excellent cycling routes where a group of ten enjoyed a “Tour d’Lac Annecy” together. A coach trip to Geneva was included in our itinerary and guests also took full advantage of the cooling pools on site.

Suitably refreshed after four days, we made our first inroads into the Swiss Alps as we travelled to Bern in hot, sunny conditions and a chance to discover the city with three full days of sightseeing. During our stay a total of 21 from our tour party, including all four of our Tour Leaders, completed the local tradition of floating for 2km down the fast-flowing River Aare into the centre of Bern from our campsite along with hundreds of other locals and tourists. A great experience.

Onwards and deeper into the Alps, to Interlaken and the lakes of Thun and Brienz, again in full sunshine and very hot conditions for four full days of serious downtime where, once again our intrepid guests did everything from lake cruising, funicular rides, cycling, bus rides and some making the train journeys up to the viewing platform on the Jungfraujoch for spectacular scenic views of the Alps with nearby Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

A cheese and wine evening was well received during our stay in Interlaken, and it included

an awards ceremony of certificates for all participants in the River Aare ‘Floater’ spectacular.

After a full on, action packed itinerary in the Alps our guests began the journey back through Switzerland for a one-night stop back in France at another wonderful city, Strasbourg with more sightseeing in the heatwave.

Our final destination took us back to the Champagne region, with a great turnout at the on-site restaurant for a final meal and goodbyes before our concluding drive back to the ferry port at Calais. Our early afternoon channel crossing provided smooth conditions back into Dover after a very successful and enjoyable tour with a wonderful group of people.

Debbie and I want to thank everyone for joining us on this tour, it was a pleasure meeting every one of you and we hope to see you in the future with Crossings Motorhome Tours. Of course, a special mention must go out to our Co-Leaders, Rob & Chrissie Farrant who helped immensely during the tour.

Gwyn & Debbie Williams

If you would like to join us next year, we currently have spaces available for the Swiss & French Alps Tour 13th to 18th June 2027. Full details are available on the website: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/swiss-french-alps-2027

John Godsell (aka Johnny Vegas)

It was with great sadness that we heard that John passed away at the beginning of June. Many of you will know John who was a regular feature on our tours for several years.

John and wife Jen used to drive a baby American RV called a "Thor Vegas" hence the nick-name that then stuck. Johnny Vegas (or just Johnny V) always liked to be parked slap bang in the centre of the group so that he could see everyone each day for a chat. He really was the life and soul of any of the tours that he came on.

He is survived by wife Jen, who many of you will also remember. We have been in contact with his daughter Rachel. If anyone has any messages or memories they want to pass on, please email us and we will make sure they get them.

Charity Abseil

A final reminder that Wendy and I will be doing a charity abseil from the top of Coventry Cathedral on 1st August.

The charity is one that Colin and Sue work with called the Coventry Mission (https://covcitymission.org.uk/ ). They work with vulnerable families in the city. Last year for example, your donations helped to provide over 1600 Christmas gifts to over 600 families.

If you would like to donate, please do so at the Mission's Just Giving Page here: https://www.justgiving.com/coventrycitymission/donate

If anyone is around the Coventry area on 1st August please let us know and we can arrange to meet up.

Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)

Dirty Rice

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive oil
500 g (1.1 lb) Beef mince (ground beef)
1 Onion, Peeled and chopped
3 Garlic cloves, Peeled and crushed
4 Celery sticks, Cut into small chunks
3 Green peppers, Cut into small chunks
4 tsp Cajun spice mix
200 g (7 oz) Long grain rice
4 tbsp Tomato purée (tomato paste in USA/CAN)
800 ml (3.5 cups) Hot beef stock
75 g (3 oz) Cheese , Grated

To serve

6 Spring onions (optional), Chopped

Method

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, deep frying pan. Add the mince. Fry for 5 minutes until browned.
Add the onion, garlic, celery, green peppers, cajun spice mix and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are starting to soften.
Rinse your rice really well in a sieve (until the water coming out is clear) and then add to the pan, along with the stock, tomato puree and salt and pepper.
Give everything a good stir, pop the lid on and cook for 15 -20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice has soaked up the stock and is cooked through.
Preheat the grill (broiler) to HIGH.
Fluff the rice up with a fork and sprinkle over the cheese. Pop under the grill (broiler) to finish off for about 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle on the spring onions if you’re using them.

Motorhoming Tips

With temperatures expected to go into the 30s again this week, here are our top tips for trying to keep cool if you are out in the van:

Close your windows and blinds during the day.
Open your windows and blinds when it cools down at night.
Get a 12v fan to move the air around and try and create a cross draught if possible.
Put the awning up to create shade over the habitation door.
Minimise sources of heat from inside the van by switching off anything that emits heat e.g. chargers, TV, lights etc
Cook outside if possible.
Consider running the fridge on gas - it will get colder than on electric.
Invest in air-con, either cheaper portable units or more expensive roof-mounted systems.

Keep in touch

Facebook: crossingsmotorhometours

Instagram: CrossingsMotorhome

Please feel free to contact us at any time. When we are away, calls will bounce to our mobiles at no expense to yourself.

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