Sunday 28 May 2017

After a cloudy start it became hot hot hot! Too warm to do anything but laze in the shade.

As expected the campsite has filled up but fortunately we've still plenty of room around us so there's a nice breeze. The swimming pool is teeming and the beach outside the site is chocka too – best of luck to them, we're still not fully acclimatized so are taking no chances.

Following on from Mr & Mrs Swan yesterday, today Mrs Duck was not to be outdone and came parading by with seven ducklings! We've also seen a pair of what look to be brown trout (although I'm no fisherman) swimming around.

Think we're going to stay a couple of extra days.

Saturday 27 May 2017

Although the day started cloudy, by late morning the sun had burned off to become another glorious one, the temperature eventually getting to well into the 30's. The downside, of course, is that not yet being used to it and both already having “caught” the sun, it was “necessary” to remain in the shade and laze about with occasional forays to pacify a somewhat restless Jamie. Tried a couple more times but he still shys away from the water, wouldn't even follow Terry in. Every other dog around, and there are lots of all shapes and sizes, has to be dragged away – not our Jamie!

As expected, from lunchtime onwards the site began to fill up, mainly with Italians here just for the weekend, but it hasn't got crowded around our pitch. The lake shore outside the site, which is mainly a stoney beach, has lots of people on it who aren't all from the campsites – there are 4 in a row. Perhaps the waterside bars and restaurants have something to do with it; whatever there is a lovely holiday atmosphere and we're just enjoying it.

When we first arrived we noticed a swan on the river and later realised it was nesting on an island a few yards upstream. Then we saw that in fact it was a pair. So imagine our delight this afternoon when they proudly brought out five newly hatched cygnets and gently shepherded them up and down right by our pitch, even apparently posing for the cameras that quickly appeared.

After tea we joined many others in a gentle promenade up and down the lakeside pathway. We both agree that we could stay here for quite a while – maybe we'll delay our intended move-on time a little.

Friday 26 May 2017

A week into our trip. The day started hazy but the skies soon cleared to a beautiful hot sunny day so after the usual few chores, a load of washing went into the site machine then out to dry and that was about that. We planned to do nothing and so we did lots of it today. As expected after lunch the site started to fill up and we lost most of our view of the lake, but so far it isn't crowded and the restaurant opened for evening meals.

Late afternoon we wandered along the lake shore in the other direction and found the sister town of Mardeno, a port which we had suspected was the destination/departure point of several of the ferries we've seen coming past. Checking the timetable you can get to most parts of the lake and although it's not very frequent it ought to be possible to have a nice day out visiting other resorts – and we could take Jamie too. We'll perhaps give it some thought. An ice cream shared with Jamie then a casual stroll back to Bertie, admiring the scenery all around us.

A late evening meal once the sun had gone down and it had cooled off. Lovely day!

Tried the satellite but although it locked on okay we could only get a couple of UK commercial radio stations. We're getting news reports via internet and have noted that it seems a bit tense in the UK at the moment.

Thursday 25 May 2017

Not as hot and sticky a night as we thought and arose to a rapidly warming bright sunny day, the haze now burning off to leave nice views along the lake. After breakfast serviced the repositioned Bertie, having noticed we'd parked on the access space rather than a proper pitch – thought it was a bit narrow! This way round we had the benefit of the sun and views over the lake. Decided to deploy the windblockers to create a shady space, but took down the end one because it stopped the nice cooling breeze – we ended up with a nice relaxing space which we then spent the rest of the day utilising!

After lunch we took Jamie for a walk along the lake shore to see if we could find a landing pier for the ferries we can see running up and down the lake but Toscolano doesn't seem to have one. Although he was happy to drink from the lake waters Jamie seemed very nervous about the little wavelets and would not go into the water at all; odd as he didn't seem to have any bother about the seaside.

Then later, after tea “alfresco” we walked up the lane towards the village in search of, well, whatever there was to see. Met a Brit couple who had arrived on the site earlier and had a brief chat then followed a sign for a “supermarket” but never found it, returning via a circular route and enjoying the heady scents of all the tropical flowers including mimosa, honeysuckle and hibiscus, which were out in force.

A cold drink enjoyed as the evening got dark, the lights of the towns and villages twinkling across the lake. A nice end to an enjoyable day.

The campsite is currently very quiet but in view of all the “permanent” caravans with their massive awnings, garden furniture etc. we suspect it might get somewhat busier at the weekend.

Technical note: Although the campsite is supposed to have free wifi, we haven't been able to connect to it. But we're having great results with a "3" 12gb datasim in a Huawei mifi, in every country we've been in (and tried) so far.

Wednesday 24 May 2017

Silandro tio Toscolano - 126 miles

A dullish start to the day with a hint of rain in the air and with no servicing facilities we were away a little earlier than usual. Our target today is Lake Garda where we intend to stop for a few days.

Busy roads down out of the mountains as we again kept clear of the motorways, although for the short distance we could have used them today it wasn't worth bothering. Also we needed to do a small shop but, apart from an aborted attempt at a Lidl with an underground carpark, we saw no food shops at all until we got to Rovereto where a Eurospar with a reasonable size carpark saw to our needs. We also made this a lunch stop in the now very hot sunshine – we saw 33º at one point.

Decisions had now to be made for our stopover and the ACSI book was analysed for sites that would a/ be available to us, that is, were “in season for ACSI” and b/ accepted dogs. Then a matter of west or east shores; knowing from coaching days that the east coast was the more touristy we elected for the west and identified a site half way along the lake at Toscolano, quite a small town.

First view of Lake Garda

Narrow tunnels

Dropping into Riva del Garde

View across the lake to Malcacene

However the west coast road is, well, interesting! Quite narrow in places it has frequent tunnels and is up against the rock face for much of the time as well as being quite twisty – as the route notes said, a bit of a challenge for larger vans. We took our time and actually followed a French van all the way along whose driver obviously was not used to this sort of driving, but he/she managed. And by coincidence, they turned off at the same point as us although they were heading for a campsite a little further along. Photos were a bit sparse as much of the time we were in tunnels and at others Bren was gripping the sides of her seat............ Might save the dashcam file.

Riviera Camping is a holiday type site with all facilities, restaurant, bar, supermarket and swimming pool. However, despite many of the pitches being occupied by permanent caravans, there were very few in residence and most of the “extra” facilities only open at the weekend just now. The beach bar was open though. Found ourselves a nice pitch overlooking a small river, well stream really, running into the lake – lakeside pitches were not available to ACSI customers. Had to ask the receptionist to switch the electric back on; it's only 3 amps and obviously had been “tripped” by previous users. We'll have to be careful as well, that won't even run the low water heater setting!

So once set up a cool drink, ice cream and relax. Later after tea a quick service of the van then showers. It is very warm and humid and very hazy; might be a sticky night.

Where we stayed

Camping Riviera, Toscolano Maderna, west side of Lake Garda N45º38'4” E10º36'47”

170 pitches on level firm grass with electricity (3 amps), may need long cable. All usual facilities, plus restaurant, bar, supermarket, swimming pool (seasonal). Many pitches have permanent caravans.

€17 per night (ACSI) Lakeside pitches extra.

Tuesday 23 May 2017

Schwangau to Silandro - 126 miles

Up early so that we can get to Hohenschwangau for our third attempt at visiting Schlosse Neuschswanstein. We got into the car-park okay - €8.50 – but when we went to buy tickets the earliest visit available was after 13.00, far too long to leave Jamie on his own in the van in the warm. We could have taken the shuttle bus up and just viewed the grounds, but the whole point of this place according to the blurb is the interior. We did, however, find a multi-national flag for the dashboard....

So back to Bertie and get on our way, wanting to find fuel because we had been told it was more expensive in Austria. We had to resort to TomTom to find a fuel station, there not being many around, and had to backtrack a few kilometres but at least we were topped off. Back to Fussen and turn onto the road taking us into Austria heading for the Tyrol – where the first fuel station was 4c per litre cheaper. Grrrrrrrrr! Makes a difference with an 80 litre tank.

But never mind, the sun was shining and the scenery getting better all the time as we headed into the mountains, gradually climbing until we peaked at over 5000 ft. We had to be careful to avoid the motorways as we would have needed a special box that records the tolls, at €85 (although unused credit is refundable, it's a real hassle for the short distance we were travelling), but the route carefully guided us through with no problems.

Austrian Tyrol

became the

Italian Tyrol

Can you see

any difference?

Abbidi M Maria /Kloster Marienberg

We stopped for lunch at the highest point, just before crossing into Italy, noting an immediate deterioration in the road surfaces but not as bad as Portugal or Morocco. Now technically in the Italian Tyrol, we saw that everything was bi-lingual, German and Italian. Gradually moving downhill our thoughts turned to an overnight stop, Lake Garda being realistically too far away, and our faithfull route showed a sosta, the Italian version of the French aire de camping car, along our route. Although perhaps a little earlier than normal, we were both quite tired after our early start, so we gave it a look. A pleasant area attached to a car park on the edge of Silandro adjacent to a sports centre overlooking the valley and mountains.

Sosta at Silandro

With the temperature around 28º we were ready for refreshment and a snooze until it started to cool off later in the evening. Changed all the map books etc. to Italy and started checking out campsites. It seems we've arrived at some sort of mid/high season and our ACSI discount card cannot be used at some of the sites so we're going to have to be a bit picky. We have heard stories of crowded expensive sites so perhaps we'll stay away from the main areas.

Where we stayed

Sosta at Via Vogelsgang, Schandlers, Silandro. N46º37.640 E10º46.915

Room for 12/15 motorhomes on slightly sloping hardstanding with nice views. More possible in adjacent carpark. No facilities. Village approx 500m. €3 for 24 hrs.

Monday 22 May 2017

Meersberg to Schwangau - 116 miles

Another bright sunny and warm morning saw us once again taking our time getting ready. Once all the chores were done we set off, the plan today to follow the Deutsche Alpenstrasse, which we did the other way about 3 years ago.

First stage was down the lake to Landau which is the start/end point for the Alpenstrasse but we had quite a time trying to find it, briefly entering Austria before Bren managed to navigate us back to join the route a few miles east of Landau. But then it was simply a matter of following the B308 with occasional directions along the way, though you do have to watch out for them. Also there are quite a few roadworks and on a couple of occasions we found ourselves off-route before Bren got us back on track again.

Passing through Immendstat we spotted an Aldi so turned in for some shopping and lunch. Now very hot and the van quickly warmed up so our departure saw the air-conditioning brought into use for a while. Then we came across a complete road closure without any (to us dumb English) any warning. TomTom was not a lot of help so Bren sorted a way round and we eventually picked up signs for Fussen, which was near our destination, eventually rejoining the Alpenstrasse which ends/starts at Fussen.

We do recommend that it is worth the time to try out the Deutsche Alpenstrasse. Generally very good roads through picturesque countryside, a little twisty and hilly in places, passing through attractive towns and villages. Along the way you're treated to views of the Austrian Tyrol, in fact you're never far from the border.

It was our intention, as we were passing, to visit the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein, having failed twice on our earlier visit. To this end we headed for the campsite/stellplatz we used then, on the lakeside of Bannwaldsee. We took a side trip through the village near the schloss to check out the parking because it's too far to walk, although we could take the bus. In the end we decided to drive down early tomorrow in an attempt to miss the tourist buses so headed for the stellplatz and settled in – receptionist immediately knew we'd been before. Computers! The site fee came as a bit of a shock but the proximity to a major attraction obviously affects the price.

Schlosse Neuschwanstein

Schlosse Hohenschwangen

Had a brief chat with a Brit couple then relaxed in the sun until teatime.

Where we stayed

Camping Bannwaldsee, Munchner Strasse 151 – stellplatz at entrance. N47º35.514' E10º46.380'

Approx 20 marked pitches on gravel hardstanding away from lake. Water and electric to all pitches, service area at entrance. Toilets, showers included in price. Bar, restaurant on site. Free WiFi.

Approx 5km to Hohenschwangau for shuttle buses to the castles. Local bus stops outside site.

€21.80, electricity and dog €2.50 each extra, (prices seasonal).

Sunday 21 May 2017

Kaysersberg to Meersberg - 124 miles

 Warm bright sunshiney day and as it's Sunday bacon and eggs for breakfast! But a couple of the eggs were off and the mushrooms a bit iffy, although today there were sausages! Sad isn't it?

No rush to get away and headed east to Colmar, missing a turn and ending up in the centre which actually wasn't a problem, crossing the Rhine just east of the town and into Germany. Then using a variety of motorways and fast roads we headed generally east and south, past Lake Titisee, which was probably heaving with tourists.

Paused for lunch near Giesengen then chose another destination from the route plan for our overnight stop, this time Meersberg halfway down the eastern side of Lake Constance, or Bodensee as it's known in Germany. A busy place but found the stellplatz easily enough and chose the quieter section just further along the road from the main area which was packed. Plenty of room and much more pleasant, even if it is closer to the main road skirting the town.

Bodensee

Neuschlosse

We'd stopped ealier than usual today so after some welcome refreshment we took Jamie into the Altstadt, or old town, for a mooch. Another picturesque place and we found ourselves on the terrace of the Neuschlosse, overlooking almost the entire length of the lake. So there being a cafe, a refreshing drink was obviously in order which we enjoyed sat in brilliant warm sunshine. Until we were thrown out at closing time (no, really we'd finished our drinks and the staff were just clearing up).

So back up the hill to the van, checking out the stellplatz facilities, and our tea.

Where we stayed

Stellplatz at Parking Allmend, Ergeten (follow parking signs in town) N47º42.097' E9º16.345'.

Room for about 40 vans on gravel hardstanding, in two sections. Toilets, water, waste and electricity on first section, extra cost. Altstadt with shops, restaurants and attractions 10 mins walk down hill.

€8 for 24 hrs. There is additional motorhome parking nearby next to a wine merchant, off the roundabout.

Saturday 20 May 2017

Han-Sur-Lesse to Kaysersberg - 225 miles

No more rain during the night and a pleasant warm start to the day. Usual routine of walk the dog, breakfast, walk the dog, service the van, walk the dog......... We're not in any particular rush although using the motorways all the time, unusual for us, means we make good progress and after all, we're heading for Italy. But it's nice to enjoy the journey and as the traffic was much lighter today it was very pleasant. Luxembourg was on our route but having visited the Duchy a couple of years ago we didn't stop - it only took us 20 mins to cross anyway.

We made a couple of attempts to stop for lunch on the motorway aires but they were all full so needing to refuel today 'cos it's Sunday tomorrow, we decided to stop at the first Centre Commerciale we spotted, which turned out to be a LeClerc just north of Nancy.

With both selves and van refuelled we continued on with views of the Vosges mountains. Not long after we left the motorway to take the road over the col to Colmar and into the Alsace region. The road climbed steadily to just over 3000 ft with lovely scenery, all the more enjoyable in the sunshine. Having estimated our travelling time we chose another of the suggestions on our route plan for an overnight, this time an aire at Kaysersberg, about 10km short of Colmar. TomTom was a little unsure of this, suggesting we drove down a steep embankment to access the aire, but we could see it and the route was easy to find. We joined quite a lot of other motorhomes on a large flat area and had some refreshment before taking Jamie to explore the town.

And what a lovely old town it is too, typically Alsace with plenty of cafes and restaurants, not too touristy although there were plenty strolling around. Alsace is also famous for it's wines and beers and there was plenty of opportunity to sample and buy. A few photos, but as usual they don't really do the place justice.

Then back to the van for tea and a relaxing evening. We may stay an extra day here but will decide in the morning.

Where we stayed.

Parking 1 Vieulle Ville, approach from eastern end town and follow signs. N48º08.141' E7º15.771'

Space for 80 vans on hardstanding. Double service point with small toilet block. No electric.

Very picturesque town with T.I., shops, restaurants and attractions 100m.

€8 per 24hrs at machine takes coins and cards.

Friday 19 May 2017

Canterbury to Han sur Lesse - 230 miles

Rained most of the night but it had stopped when Jamie announced at 6.15 that he wanted to go out, which wasn't any bother as the alarm was set for 6.30 anyway to give us time to have breakfast, service the van and get round to the Chunnel for our 09.20 departure. We learned later that there had been serious delays overnight due to a breakdown in the tunnel, which was probably the reason for all the lorries parked up before the check-in booths. It didn't affect us much and we only had a short wait before loading although it was about 12 minutes late departing.

Usual smooth crossing and we were on our way to Auchan to refuel. No shopping required so straight onto the autoroute heading east for Belgium. Our route took us past Dunkerque then down to Lille but here we seemed to go wrong. We were following a route offered by a contributor to MMM, our motorhoming magazine, but the instructions at this point were either wrong or easily misunderstood. Being lunchtime it was extremely busy and it was also pouring with rain, making driving difficult, so it was not surprising that we found ourselves heading in totally the wrong direction. Escaping onto a Centre Commerciale, our efforts to park up were thwarted by height barriers and we ended up on a dead end road behind Carrefour!

ENOUGH! Stopped at the side of the road and got TomTom involved, who promptly tried to take us under a 2.2m bridge - we're 3m high......... Sorted that out and eventually got onto the right road with the bonus of the rain stopping. We shortly encountered an aire so stopped for lunch, the break for which was badly needed.

With no plan for a stopover, we continued for the moment on the suggested route in and out of quite heavy rain showers all afternoon. By 4.00 pm we concluded that the aire suggested in our route plan would be just right so we programmed TomTom with the coordinates then came to a stop for a set of serious roadworks which cost us over half an hour delay. It is Friday afternoon so we suppose the same set of rules apply here as at home. POETS day (push off early, tomorrows's Saturday!).

But it is a very nice aire in the Belgian town – well, big village – of Han sur Lesse. We noticed two campsites as well as the aire and a massive coach park, which was empty but it was after 5.30 pm, so the town must have something going for it. So after a cuppa we took Jamie for an explore and discovered it was home to a series of underground caves, a “grotte”, which had been developed into a big tourist attraction along with a wild animal park. And it was only €28 entrance!!! Shame it was closed! Still it's a nice little town otherwise.

Decorative street bollards all round the town

Scrap metal sculpture

At last the rain had given up and as I write the sky had cleared although the temperature is dropping, but it has now clouded over again and is raining. We're in no rush and after the long day today we'll take our time tomorrow - Terry has had an upset tummy all day, probably too much cheese last night.

Where we stayed

Aire de Camping Cars, Rue de la Lesse, Han-Sur-Lesse. Signed.   N50º07.650' E5º11.280'

40 hardstandings with water & electricity adjacent to each pitch. Large service point. Small toilet block 50c. WiFi. Town, shops 300m. Local attractions. 2 other campsites close by.

€11 pay at TI or collected after hours.

Thursday 18 May 2017

Home to Canterbury - 354 miles

Brought Bertie home a couple of days ago to get him all packed up, ready for the off today. With a bit of effort (and an early alarm call!) we managed to get away around 9.30 so decided we'd have time to call in at Terry's Mum at Navenby, so the first part of the journey was a fast run down the A1 in warm sunshine, arriving about 1.00 pm.

Couldn't afford more than an hour but that was enough for a nice chat and a cuppa and cake. She was looking after her grand-daughters dog who didn't get on at all well with Jamie so he was eventually banished to the van after a good walk.

Back onto the road which got progressively busier as the weather deteriorated. A broken down lorry on the A14 caused a long delay – why do they insist on closing a lane? Elf & safety? By the time we reached the M25 it was raining, getting heavier all the time, a nice start to our break. Approaching Canterbury we encountered what looked like a line of stationary traffic but managed to get off on a slip road and let TomTom complete the navigation by routing us through the city during the rush hour! Ah well, at least there was plenty of room at the Dover Road Park & Ride, a continental aire-type parking area for motorhomes with water, waste etc., even toilets and showers, for an incredibly cheap £4.00. That also includes the bus into Canterbury as well if you wish!

However our plan was to eat at the pub by the entrance so after walking Jamie, and getting soaked, we left him to dry out and took a short walk for our supper. We've eaten here several times before and whilst it isn't cheap, the meals are very good. The local real ale is quite nice too!

With the rain easing off, but never actually stopping, we headed back to Bertie for a cuppa, another walk and an earlyish night as we've an early start in the morning. It's taking us a while to get into “holiday” mood.

Here we go again

We've been home for 7 weeks and starting to get itchy feet again. Well actually we'd already planned this trip anyway, it was just a matter of confirming it.

So a multitude of jobs have been completed, both at home and on Bertie, the Chunnel has been booked, new maps and guide books purchased so it just remains to load up and get under way!