Our man in the van: Bordeaux beckons but trek takes its toll

Having conquered the capital, the Green Army has set its sights south-west to Bordeaux.

Newfound friends and temporary neighbours from Ireland, Sweden and Croatia bade each other bon voyage and good luck as the campsites and hostels in Paris began to turn over its guests.

German and Polish flags popped up overnight in camps where the green, white and gold had once dominated, ahead of their clash in the Stade de France tomorrow.

Leaving them behind, however, the A10 motorway was resplendent with vans, campers and cars waving the Tricolour, and a significant number of right-hand-drive vehicles with Irish plates whizzed their way through 650km of rain and shine to get to where the Boys in Green play their next game on Saturday.

Those that drove were feeling the tiring effects of the long commute as well as the hit the combined €78.10 tolls took on their pockets as they reached the region famous for its wines.

Ryan Dyas from Drogheda, Co Louth, who was taking a breather at a service station north of Bordeaux yesterday evening, described the distances between the venues hosting Ireland’s matches as ‘terrible’.

“We didn’t get out of Paris until half one, and it’s been flat out since then,” he said.

“Driving to all these games, it’s serious, it doesn’t make it easy. The Sat Nav said it’s five hours, I don’t know what they’re driving.

“We’re going to Bordeaux, but we have no hotel tonight, we have a tent in the boot. That’s tonight, and I’m not sure where the hotel we have tomorrow is, it’s only four minutes from the stadium,” he said.

Other fans travelled long distances by bus and train yesterday, while some gave themselves another day in Paris to recover from the effects of days of partying before hitting the road.

Finding accommodation in Bordeaux has been a problem for many, especially those looking to pitch a tent or park a van.

Thousands of supporters are expected to travel to neighbouring towns and cities in the next few days for their place to stay.

The coastal city of La Rochelle will host many fans, as will the smaller town of Arcachon to its south.

While both are famous for their beaches, it unfortunately looks like the weather won’t be at its best for those looking to enjoy it.

Those arriving in Arcachon last night were greeted with a torrential downpour, and the forecast is grim for the week ahead.

As for the commute still to come, the bad news for supporters is that the 850km trip from here to Lille is an even longer journey ahead, but the good news is that we won’t have to worry about that until Sunday.

Here’s hoping the Boys in Green will repay their travelling faithful’s efforts with a win against Belgium this weekend.