The day dawns sunny at Camping de Pavillon, but it is still very wet underfoot with the autumnal chill and dampness in the air. We shower, breakfast and service Hymer, filling with water from the tap on our pitch and emptying the other tanks.

We are on our way from Camping de  Pavillon by just after 9.00 am taking the cross-country route by D8043 through Maubert Fontaine, taking D304 to Charleville Mezieres, A34 to Sedan and Douzy, and D964 to the village of Moulins St Hubert. Here we stop for coffee around 11.00 am on a lovely open layby overlooking the town, surrounded by farming and agriculture and the village with its tall church spire in front of us.

Back on our way on D905 to Toul, we enjoy ambling through rural countryside, the large fields of sunflowers with dark brown seedheads like dinner plates and fields of maize. Creamy white Charolet cows sit under the circular bower of the trees and endless miles of soft rural France. The A31 around Nancy is very busy (like any city) but lessens as we take A33 to the old industrial town of St Nicholas de Port.

The first thing you see is the massive, towering basilica of St Nicholas, blackened by previous decades of coal and steam powered mills in the centre of the town. We head towards it and find the Aire de camping cars on a large piece of ground under plane trees between the little Parc Hanus and the river Meurthe. There are four motorhomes on the concrete section and two parked under the trees. We join those under the trees, the trees are widely spread making one good parking space between each pair of trees and still spaces for about 15 motorhomes.

We have lunch and are amazed when a French camper van comes to park about 6 foot from us under our pair of trees (all the other spaces are available). Mr C. in his quiet respectful way gets out and points out that they are too close, the woman looks and agrees, the man is another grumpy Frenchman but reluctantly moves two trees down to a much bigger space. We ponder why anyone would want to park 6 foot away from another motorhome when there is so much empty space, you can see into each other’s vehicles!

We walk through the little Park Hanus and along the narrow, dirty and noisy streets to the Lorrainian Basilica in the centre of the old town of St Nicholas du Port. The Lorrainian Basilica is an imposing thirteenth century abbey with soot-blackened stonework, the gargoyles and stone carving on its two 85 metre towers are weather-worn. The contrast inside is striking; it is light, airy and completely silent.

A tall and lofty space meets the visitor with two long rows of tall of white stone pillars reaching to a high stone vaulted roof which is magnificent. There is a peculiarity of the nave as you look along its length, the eye appears to see a ‘bend’ which is, in fact a six degree deviation. The reason for this peculiarity has not been explained. The numerous and tall windows cast the sunlight across the whole space, creating a luminosity of white light. Some columns are painted with the stations of the cross and being Roman Catholic there is a lot of ornate decoration.

The old Cross of Lorraine (a single upright with two horizontals) that used to stand externally at the top of one of the tall towers, weather-worn and thin metalled now stands inside. Another testament to the endurance of the basilica over time. We spend some time wandering in the lofty space enjoying its peace and tranquillity.

We walk through the town of St Nicholas du Port, now congested with traffic and over the river Meurthe bridge, the river is wide at this point with a double weir. Along its banks are the remnants of its old industrial past, clearly a river port receiving and sending goods by barge to the large mill on its banks. The Filatures et Tissages de St Nicholas de Port (spinning and weaving mill) now derelict stands opposite the water-driven electricity generating station dated 1920, its turbines silent and the building also derelict. A reminder of more prosperous and wealthy times for the town.

Back at Hymer two more motorhomes have arrived making eleven of us altogether. We open Pinot Noir wine, eat hummus and bread and listen to the storks ‘clacking their bills’ as this sit on their humungous nests chattering to one another.

Later we enjoy a mushroom omelette and watch as the light fades.