March Newsletter

Bob and Wendy
Mar 4
8 min read

Welcome to the March edition of the newsletter and hello to all of you who were press-ganged into signing up at the Motorhome Show last month.

In this month's edition we have a brief round-up of the show. As always Wendy has been stalking the (minor) celebrities with the usual gratuitous selfies. Read on for more details.

This month we continue our "spotlight on..." series, which this time focuses on our France Grand Tour (picture is Blois on the River Loire).

As usual we have another “cut out and keep” recipe and this month’s motorhome tips cover the latest updates on the Entry Exit System.

2027 Tour Schedule - Update

Regular readers will know that folks are booking increasingly early for tours. We are now in full swing taking bookings for 2027 with some tours full already!

If you know you want to travel with us next year we would encourage you to get in touch soon in order to secure your spot. 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 do 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.

Just for information, the above image was generated by AI. I don't think AI will be taking over the world any time soon.

NEC Motorhome Show February 2026

I have recently watched the BAFTAs and the BRITs so I feel the need to start with some thank-yous. First off, we would just like to thank everyone who came to see us on the stand at the show. It was lovely to see so many of our existing customers and in some cases have a few mini tour reunions.

Thanks too if you are new to Crossings and came to have a chat about the tours for next year. If we signed you up for the newsletter, it means you would be very welcome on tour! It was a very busy show with over 100,000 people in attendance over the six days, making it very busy on the stand.

We were also able to have a bit of reunion ourselves of Crossings' tour leaders. Whereas it is impossible (and probably unwise) to get us all in the same room at the same time, we had a good go at it during the show. The picture shows (left to right): Bob, Linda, Rebecca, Andy, Wendy, Gwyn, Sue, Colin, Debbie and Ian. We all look happy as I have just announced the new bonus scheme!

Sadly our Celtic couples Gary and Eleanor (from Scotland) and Rob and Chrissie (our Cornish Contingent) were all somewhere much warmer than Birmingham, but our thoughts were with them.

Our talks in the Inspiration Theatre (on Spain) were very well attended, which we put down the the topic rather than the speaker! There was a bit of a "foot-in-mouth" moment when I mentioned that I am not a big fan of tapas. "Lots of starters and your main course never arrives" was the actual quote. A lady on the front row appeared to be nodding her head in agreement so I asked her (in front of around 250 people) if she agreed with me. Her reply was "I am Spanish - I love tapas". Que idiota.

Aside from that, regular readers will know that Wendy likes to gatecrash the green room to get selfies with the celebrity guests. This year there was a guy who does dog training on Channel 5. We don't watch that show so had to Google him. He is very popular and a bit controversial. He charges £900 a day to come to your house and train your dog! The world has gone (barking) mad.

Also in attendance was Iolo Williams (pronounced Yolo) from BBC Springwatch. We do watch that show. In a slight shock to the system, rather than having to chase him down, Iolo came up to our stand, which was quite exciting. Here is the shameless photo. For the record, he is a lovely man and very fit (in all senses of the word).

On a broader note, we like to have a chat with the dealers to see what's happening in the industry. For a while now, there have been some great deals on new and nearly new vans, particularly if you are NOT trading in. This is great if you are new to motorhoming, or are happy to try and sell your own privately.

There are also some bargains at the "entry-level" end of the market. For example, Swift have introduced a new van under the "Ace" brand-name. You can get a brand new 7.5m van for around £65k. Rimor were doing some similar deals. We are not recommending them as such, but it has been a while since we have seen these prices for new vans.

All in all, we had a great show and were happy to lie down in a darkened room after it was all over.

Spotlight on...France Grand Tour 2027

Over the years we have done lots of different tours of France to various regions. Last year, we decided to put together all of the best bits into a "greatest hits" compilation, which we have called The France Grand Tour. We are offering this tour again in 2027.

The idea was to include a little bit of everything, from the beautiful coastline, through the valleys and vineyards, across the hills and mountains via a select number of cities, towns and villages. We also wanted to include the best of the food and wine for which France is rightly famous.

Our tour starts with a a drive through the centre of the country taking in a couple of famous wine-making regions, namely the Champagne and Burgundy regions. There are a couple of stand-out towns in Burgundy, which are Beaune and Chalon-sur-Saone. Both are famous for their wine. Beaune is a walled town packed with medieval buildings, the amazing Hospice building (pictured) and a very lively restaurant scene. Chalon (actually a small city) sits on the banks of the mighty River Saone centred around the 8th century cathedral. Both places are what we describe as "French France" i.e. unspoilt, traditional towns that are quintessentially French!

Our next stop by contrast takes us into the craggy outcrops of the Ardeche where large rivers have carved their way through the rocks and escarpements to create some dramatic scenery. Our 5-star campsite is directly on the Ardeche River with the option to paddle (downstream) under the magnificent Pont d'Arc (pictured).

Just a short drive south we enter the ever-popular Provence Region. This area is very mixed with stunning mountains to the east, massive ridges and plains of lavender in the centre and the glitzy coast to the south. Our focus here is the central section in and around Avignon, which we use a a base for wider travels. Avignon is the ancient home to the popes and you can still visit the papal palaces that sit on the Rhone River. The city itself is perhaps the best example of walled city that you will find in France.

It's time for a first bit of coast. As a rule we have found that our customers do not tend to enjoy the over-commercialised, glitzy Cote d'Azur experience. Accordingly, we have moved around the coast a bit to the Narbonne area, which is a little less developed. En route, many customers drive through the wild wetlands of the Camargue, famed for its 400 species of birds including flamingos (pictured). It is also home to thousands of white horses.

Heading across southern France, we have the chance to visit the world-famous hilltop town of Carcassonne. The town is famed for its double walled fortifications and chateau dating back to the 12th century. Our destination is the "pink city" of Toulouse, so called due to the terracotta bricks used in many of the buildings.

For a change of scenery we now head deep into the Dordogne region (pictured) close to the city of Bordeaux. Our campsite is located in the heart of the vines with the opportunity to visit the vineyards or the wine-town of Saint Emilion. Bordeaux itself is often described as a mini-Paris with grand squares and boulevards lined with villas.

Our tour now heads onto the Atlantic Coast with a few nights close to the ancient harbour-city, La Rochelle. Our campsite is located on the coast right next to the corniche lined with local restaurants and shops. Many guests choose to spend a few days relaxing by the coast here or you can venture into La Rochelle itself, best known for its walled fortifications, narrow cobbled streets and ancient arcaded buildings.

Our final stop is in the Loire Valley. This area is dominated by the massive river that cuts a swathe through some beautiful, green and unspoilt countryside. It is famed for its wine and its chateaux. In fact there are over 300 chateaux along a 175-mile stretch of river. Some of the best-known and on the section around our campsite including Villandry (pictured), Chambord and Amboise.

It's then just a short hop back up through Normandy and onto Calais, or you can choose to extend your stay using the return portion of your fully flexible ferry ticket.

We are offering the France Grand Tour in June 2027 and there is currently availability. Full details are one the website: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/2027-grand-tour-france or call us for an informal chat if you prefer.

Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)

Chickpea and Aubergine Bake

Ingredients

1 aubergine, thinly sliced
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the chickpeas:

2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 clove/s garlic, finely chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Harissa Paste
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp clear honey

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Cook in a frying pan and transfer to a large (or approx 1.5L) baking dish before putting in the oven, or use an ovenproof pan. For the chickpeas, heat the oil in the pan and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat until softened.
Meanwhile, put the aubergine slices into a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and chilli powder and drizzle with the oil. Mix together.
Add the garlic to the onions and cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining chickpea ingredients and 100ml boiling water, then stir well. Transfer to a baking dish if needed.
Overlap the aubergine slices on top of the chickpeas, then bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and the aubergines are cooked. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

Motorhoming Tips

Just a quick one this month prompted by several queries at the show last month - namely the latest situation with the Entry Exit System (EES).

I have covered this before, so in brief the EES is the new system whereby you need to register certain biometric data when you enter the EU. This is done on special terminals either at airports (on arrival) or seaports (on departure). You do it once and the information is stored for three years. In theory it is then quicker to pass through the ports in future.

The latest information we have is that this will be fully operational by the 9th April this year. They keep changing the dates and the EU may temporarily lift the requirement if it is causing delays.

If you are booked on a tour with us this year, please rest assured that we are keeping up-to-date with developments and will keep you informed. There is nothing you need to do in advance. Wendy and I will be at the port on the days that our first two tours are leaving to help our tour leaders should help be needed.

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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