Month: September 2022

Just when you think that the vistas of the northern lakes could not get any more stunning you turn a corner and….Wow! As you make you way round the western side of a small peninsula on the east shore of Lago di Orta, framed by the sparkling waters of the lake, a clear blue sky and with a backdrop of the Alps, the beautiful Isola di San Guilio suddenly shimmers into view.

And unbelievably, from this moment on, as you follow the lakeside path around the promontory this extravaganza is maintained.

The route leads you into the medieval town of Orta San Giulio along a narrow alleyway with colourful houses, towering on either side. You are almost surprised when the alley opens up into the large, really beautiful old square, the Piazza Mario Motta, which itself opens up onto the lake and offers more amazing views of the island. Il Palazzotto, the unique old court house elevated by pillars, adds a sense of how ancient this piazza is.

And so it goes on. As you leave the village the path narrows considerably and follows the edge of the lake all the way to the base of the peninsula again. It’s a stunning 3 mile walk and highly recommended.

So as you’ve gathered , we’re now at Lake Orta. The Silver machine is parked up at Camping Cusio , only about 15 mins walk from Orta San Giulio. We had a really nice welcome from the helpful owner, who speaks excellent English when we arrived at this quirky but pretty site. There are two Area Sostas on the outskirts of town but one is uphill accessed by a very narrow road, whilst the other is 20€ per night to stay on the edge of the main road squashed in with other motorhomes with no services. So as this is an ACSI site, for much the same price, it’s a no brainier really.

It’s been a busy week since leaving Riva del Garda. Orta San Giulio is our third stop, the first being Bergamo and the second Baveno, on the shores of lake Maggiore.

To get to Belgamo, we chose the longer, but stunning, 40 mile drive down the west side of Lake Garda all the way to Peschiera del Garda at the south end of the lake before hopping on to the motorway to complete the journey.

There was good news and bad news when we pulled into Parking Conca D’Oro, the Area Sosta Camper in Bergamo. The good news? The old town is just less than a mile away. The bad news? It’s almost entirely up a steep, cobbled path! There’s no need to think about exercise while we’re here, just nipping up to do a bit of sightseeing introduces a whole new world of pain!

The Silver Machine was tucked up at the back of the sosta with 20 other motorhomes. It’s 20€ per night, which on the surface is a bit expensive, but it includes electricity, wifi and has a new motorhome service point. Unusually, even though it’s a relatively small car park, it has attendants who are very pleasant and very helpful. Gates are closed and locked from 9pm until 7am when the attendants go home.

You are expected to use the recycling bins, which was stressed when we arrived. However this turned into one of the more stressful experiences of the trip so far. The attendants actually nipped out of their kiosk to check your rubbish before you put it in. If you managed to get to the bins and get your rubbish in before they noticed you, which is a very difficult thing to do, they actually took your rubbish bag back out of the bin and checked it!

Bergamo is divided into two distinct parts. The Bergamo Alta , or old town, which sits on top of the hill, it’s medieval and Renaissance buildings tightly packed behind the large city walls. The more modern Bergamo Basso spreads out on the flat plain below.

Old town looks as it does today thanks mainly to the Venicians who ruled for almost 300 years. It’s was they who build the fortifications including the surrounding wall and four large gates used to access the city.

The focal point of the city is the wonderful Piazza Vecchia and the narrow alleys spread almost haphazardly from here in all directions. The arches of the Palazzo Della Ragione lead to the Piazza del Duomo and the Romanesque basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.The interior of the basilica is decorated in Baroque style and perhaps one of the most highly adorned cathedrals we’d have seen.

It’s great just to wander around the untouched alleys of Bergamo, soaking in the atmosphere of the place. We basically came to Bergamo initially because it sounded interesting, it was about half way to Lake Maggiore and there was a suitable place to park up. We no idea how stunning it is, and how popular it is. Even though it was late September, it was very busy with tourists through the day. Although many nations were represented there seemed to be a lot of tourists from the U.S. and interestingly a lot of Italian bus tours

At Lake Maggiore, the Silver Machine was parked up at Camping Tranquilla, a medium sized campsite about a mile from the centre of Baverno. It’s an ACSI site which means we get an off season discount and with a new toilet block and modern electrics, it’s good value for money. The swimming pool is still open, but you were never going to catch us in there, that’s for sure.

To get here we had to skirt around Milan so decided to take the motorway. It’s only about 85 miles but we saved about an hours driving time by doing this. Until we start to head north, the countryside is flat and featureless, but as we get nearer Lake Maggiore the snow covered Alps suddenly appear in the distance.

Lake Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy, behind lake Garda, stretching north into Switzerland. In the centre of the lake there are three beautiful islands, the Borromean Islands which we are keen to have a closer look at. Baverno offers good options for doing this and this is basically the reason we are here in particular.

We had a couple of good bike runs, the first largely off road to Feriolo, further north uno the lake side and Mergozzo, by the shores of a lake of the same name. For the second ride we went up hill to explore some of the little towns and villages you see dotted about the landscape.

There a couple of options to visit the islands. We chose the public service, a medium sized passenger ferry. It acts like a bus service with a timetable for pick ups and drop offs for each of the islands. The alternative would have been a private service of multiple, smaller boats that pick up on a semi regular basis. I think both services would be equally good, both are much the same price. We went for the larger ferry, with the time table it just seemed simpler.

The ferry was 15€ each for all three islands, which we thought wasn’t bad. To visit the islands and to access all areas there was a discounted price of 28€, so 41€ each for our day out. Maybe sounds a bit expensive, but easily comparable with our own NTS.

It only takes ten minutes to get to Isola Bella from Baveno on the ferry. It looks stunning as you approach the island and your certainly not disappointed when you get there. The landing area leads on to a narrow quayside street which runs the length of the island, which has a number of side alleys which run off it. It would be all rather quaint but it’s a bit spoilt by the many stalls selling clothes, leather goods and other souvenirs.

Inevitable you’ve to walk along this street to access the magnificent Palazzo Borromeo which well worth a visit. The gardens are equally grand and run from the palace to the opposite end of the island behind the street. We allowed for 2 hours on the ferry and that turned out to be about right.

Isola Superiore is the only Island where a charge is not incurred and we thought by far the busiest. It’s very pleasant wandering about the narrow alleys without the pressure of having to see stuff within a certain time. There’s a lot of cafes and restaurants on the island but being cheapskates we brought a picnic. We had a very pleasant lunch sitting on a small wall at the quayside, just watching the comings and goings.

As you approach Isola Madre the striking feature is that it is covered in trees. It turns out that’s because other than the Palazzo Arese Borromeo with its magnificent 8 hectare botanic gardens, there is really nothing else here. Other than a modest coffee shop, there’s no shops, restaurants or bars. You need your ticket to get on this island and maybe because of that it’s the quietest of the three.

The palace is not so grand as the one on Isola Bella, but just as interesting. The Borromeo family must have been into puppets big style because there are several rooms in the house dedicated to them. The large gardens are a joy to wander around and you need to keep your eye on the time to catch the boat.

Needless to say Lake Maggiore, Baveno and the surrounding area are stunning. What we didn’t expect was how much there is to do in the area. As well as the many places to see and visit, there is all kinds of sporting opportunities on land and water. We were and here for four nights, but could easily have stayed much longer.

Baveno, we thought was a good place to base ourselves. Its a pretty town, it’s relatively small, but has sufficient bars, cafes and restaurants for the number of visitor (and locals) looking to use them. Certainly at this time of the year. The prices are also very reasonable, even for those place down at the lake side. We went out for something to eat one evening and was struck how lovely the town looked at night.

So it’s now Sunday night. It’s not just our last night at Camping Cusio but our last night in Italy. It’s time to head home so were heading for France tomorrow via the Mont Blanc tunnel. It’s absolutely chucked it down all day today. I’ve been out of the van once and that was to get a bottle of wine out of the garage for tonight!

We had hoped to cycle the 25 miles around Lake Orta today. It would have been an excellent outing but we knew the rain was coming and prioritised getting everything done yesterday that we really wanted to do.

So yesterday morning we set off to catch the first boat to Isola San Giulio. It turned out to be a good move as we were literally there and waiting for the return back when the bus, or should I say, boat parties started to arrive. It’s a small island, with one path round it, a basilica and that’s about it. It really wouldn’t take many people to clog it up.

There is a Benedictine Abbey where almost 80 nuns, who have taken a vow of silent worship live. On disembarking the boat you are met with a sign which states “The Island of Silence Welcomes You”. The one path around the island is called the Way of Silence and there are signs with meditations on silence, written in four different languages, erected at regular intervals on the way round. The nuns look after these signs but are only very rarely seen.

The peninsula rises steeply from the shore to form a hill in the middle called the Sacro Monte del Orta and this is where we headed next. This amazing place is dedicated to St Francis of Assisi and has TWENTY chapels, each describing an important event in the saint’s life. The chapels were constructed, starting in the late 16th century and it took over 100 years for the project to be completed.

The chapels are numbered and connected by a path that winds though the wood. The expectation is that you follow the chapels in order to make most sense of the saint’s life. It is clear that the best builders and artists were used to create the chapels and the art within them.

So sadly rain stopped play in Lake Orta but we still feel we managed to clever a fair bit of ground in the day and a half we had. We head for Bonneville tomorrow, it’s only about 3 hours away on the French side of the Mont Blanc tunnel. We’ve booked the ferry for the following Monday so that gives us a week to wind our way up to Calais. Forever Onwards!

Buona serata! Ciao! Como va?

Yes we’re in Italy, the beautiful Riva del Garda at the top end of lake Garda to be precise, and we’ve been here since we left Germany last Friday. We decided to take a wee holiday from travelling and put doing roots at Camping Brione, just a short walk to the lake and a pleasant walk along its shores to the centre of the town.

The Silver Machine is parked up in a lovely little spot on a corner of the site and a proper little home from home for us. It’s a great site, we got a very friendly welcome when we arrived, although it’s a bit expensive at 35€ per night. I guess that’s the Riva del Garda effect. Theres a small shop and bar, which looks like it would be busy in summer, and very good showers and toilets.

Our decision to come to Italy basically came down to which option had the best weather forecast! It was as simple as that. Waking up to frosted windscreens, as we did in Füssen, is not why we travel around Europe! So now we’re here it’s around 20° in the afternoon and it’s shorts on taps aff weather again!

We have pencilled in returning to Germany early next September, perhaps heading straight for Lake Constance in the hope of slightly higher temperatures……and of course we need to catch Munich before the beer festival starts.

Not surprisingly it was a stunning drive all the way from Füssen to get here. The road wound its way through the Alps and finally over the 4,500ft Bremner Pass from Austria into Italy. If your over 3.5 tonnes the motorway toll system is rather complex so we just stuck to the normal carrageway. This more than an hour to our journey but it was all the more spectacular because we did.

We immediately took to Riva del Garda. It is an elegant, colourful resort town with a real buzz about it. With a population of 17,000 it’s not big, and the old town, with its narrow cobbled streets is squeezed indo a relatively small area. It was all a bit surreal when we rounded a corner to be confronted with a pipe band standing at the base of the Torre Apponale.

It’s also a very attractive town at night. The main buildings are picked out by spotlights and the streetlights give the squares and alleys a warm glow. The many bars and restaurants are busy and people drift around the centre enjoying the balmy evenings. We’re were temped out a few times and found the food excellent, the prices reasonable and the staff very nice. A nice touch in every bar: when you order your first drink you got a selection of nibbles. Top tip Pub all’Oca supplies the best. (And the beers not bad either)

It turns out Riva is a big outdoor sports destination both in the mountains and on the lake. We’ve never seen so many mountain bike rental shops, particularly for high end e-bikes, and windsurfing and paddling board equipment piled high on the shores ready for rent. There’s even a scuba diving school.

We have been in Riva for the day 25 years ago and it came across as a chic town which attracted mainly the rich and well dressed. Today however the town is transformed. As a top outdoor destination the area attracts people of all ages looking for adventure, or at least a very active holiday, so it tends to be more Gortex than Gucci or Rapha than Ralph Loren. Sven, a German who sat next to us at the L’Alberto Restuarant, said the area was now the go to place for mountain bikers.

In hindsight we should have got a detailed map of the local area to get a better idea of the walking and cycling opportunities. We tended to find the routes rather than plan for them. Nevertheless we found some great ones the best being a spectacular cycle ride up to Lago del Ledro and a challenging walk up to the Chapel Santa Barbara. So here’s a challenge for you. In the pictures above….first spot the chapel, then find the bike path.

It was a tough but really spectacular bike ride up to Lago del Ledro. For the first few miles the track is mostly dug out of the side of the steep mountain sides or tunnelled into the mountain. It’s truely unique path and really popular by both cyclists and walkers. It’s a trail best suited to mountain bikes so our gravel bikes were probably at the limits of their range.

The hike up to Chapel Santa Barbara was tough. There’s no getting around it. It’s not too bad initially, snaking in a series of hairpins on a cobbled road as far as the Bastione, a 16th century fortification built to protect the town. It in itself is worth a look and you are allowed to clamber around it on specially constructed walkways.

From here the path winds steeply up the rocky hill side. Although a certain level of maintenance is evident it is hard going underfoot and almost impossible to get into a rhythm. You don’t see the Chapel until you are almost there so you’ve no idea how much further you have to go. It turns out we’ve just climbed 1800ft in the two miles it’s taken to get here. No wonder we found the going a bit of a challenge. The views are of course spectacular and almost compensate for the aching muscles in your legs.

The first person we met at the top was a sparky from Invergordon, sitting on a step and wearing a Scotland top. He is the first Scot we’ve met since leaving Scotland and its the second surreal moment in Riva. Still though it was good to have a news with a fellow taran army fan and discuss the big topics of the day like how Scotland was gong to fair against Ukraine later that night.

As we sit here on Thursday night finishing the blog, it’s pouring rain. It has been all day, although we got out for an hour in the afternoon, when it was almost pleasant. We climbed up the hill, Monte Brione, which is immediately behind the campsite, as far as Forti Monte Brione. The fort is actually four different structures, the most recent built just before WWI. Being Lake Guarda the walk is steep but the views at the top, looking over Torbole, only a mile away, at the other side of the headland, are breathtaking.

So sadly this is our last night in Riva, it’s been a great week and we’ll definitely be back. We’ve decided to stay in the north of Italy and try to explore some more of the lakes. We’ve driven about 1650 miles since leaving Insch so it looks like Riva will be about as far from home as we will get on this adventure. Having said this, every time we develop a plan……we seem to change it.

Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Oh you pretty Chitty Bang Bang,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
We love you……..

Yes! We’re in the land of Vulgaria, gazing at the Castle of Baron Van Bomburst, the evil ruler who plotted to steal Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for himself. As a child, I was always a big fan of the film , (my mother took me to Banff Picture house to see it) and even had the Corgi version of the car so it has always been a bit of an unspoken ambition to see the castle. However it’s only now I’m here, talking openly about my secret passion, that I realise I may be the only person on the planet that liked the film as a child.

Of course we’re actually still in Bavaria and the fairytale castle is Schloss Neuschwanstein, built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig II in the early 1800’s as his idealised version of the medieval world, brave nights, heroic deeds, damsels in distress, dragons and all!

Luckily there was no child catcher when we to toured the the castle. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos of the spectacular interior. The uncategorical, fantasmigorical decor clearly portrays Ludwig’s decent into the very fantasy world he was trying to create. Such was his obsession that he almost bankrupted the country.

Schloss Hohenschwagen, in valley below is where Ludwig spent his childhood and lived whilst Schloss Neuschanstein was being built. It is an impressive castle and well worth visiting in its own right.

The Silver Machine is parked up at Camping Bannwaldsee, a large campsite on the shore of the lake of the same name. It’s a great site, with amazing facilities, an excellent restaurant, large bar and well stocked shop. It’s a bit remote was but the best placed site to visit the Schloss.

We’re here because sadly, it’s the end of the romantic road. It’s a stunning region, on the edge of the alps, and is one of Germanys most popular holiday spots. It’s an outdoor enthusiast’s dream with any activity you can imagine available. The whole area is a network of bike paths which allowed us to explore Füssen and the wider area.

Füssen, which is actually the official end of the Romantic Road, at 2,500ft is Bavaria’s highest city. The small but attractive old town would be pleasant to have a saunter round, unfortunately we had to push the bikes. We were surprised how busy it was and any table outside the numerous cafes in direct sunlight was taken. The attractive Gothic Hohes Schloss dominates the town and the Kloster St Mang and Heilig Geist Spitalkirke (Church of the Holy Ghost) with its pretty facade, are also worth a special mention.

So the end of the Romantic Road was always going to be the point we needed to make a decision about where we go next. Do we head west to Lake Constance then head for home through Switzerland, or perhaps south through Austria to Italy and home via the south of France. At this point we haven’t made up our minds so we’ll just have to go to the bar. Don’t know if it will help but here’s hoping…….

Why would you not want to go see a city that’s built in a 15 million year old, 16ml diameter, impact crater of an enormous meteor which hit the Earth at 44,000 miles per hour. Exactly! And thats how we found ourselves in Nordlingen!

……..And there’s more! There are apparently only three places in Germany with intact city walls…..that’s Rothenburg ob Tauber, Dinkelsbühl and yes of course Norlingen.

It’s was only a 17ml drive to Nördlingen from Dinkelsbühl and the Silver Machine was settled down in a stellplatz just outside the walls the city. It is part of a larger car park, and cost 7.50€ per night with access to electricity for a fee, and an easily accessible service point. It’s absolutely fine although interestingly although only about half full when we arrived it was full by the end of the day.

The weather remained cold and wet, but we were fortunate that the rain stayed off on the Sunday afternoon when we explored the city. We entered through the Balinger Tor, which was only about a five minute walk, and which fortunately had steps which gave access to the 2 mile walkway around the wall. The wall was completed in 1327 and has 5 gates in total, 11 towers and 2 bastions.

As you can see from the photos, the walkway is very similar to that in Rothenburg. Getting great views of the town, and through the slits in the wall of the surrounding landscape, it’s an interesting and pleasant walk which was mostly sheltered from the cold wind.

We had a wander around the city, but being Sunday nearly everything was closed and there really wasn’t a lot of people going about. After the hoards of tourists in Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl this felt a bit odd. There’s a number of interesting buildings worth seeing but the one we headed for was the St Georgkirche and in particular the 290ft Daniel Tower with its 350 steps. The climb to the top is recommended by the guide books, for the fine views of the town, the surrounding views and the distant rim of the Ries crater.

The climb to the top of the tower is not as exhausting as it sounds. You begin with a stone spiral staircase which changes to wood about a quarter of the way up. After that the staircase gets narrower as you get higher but in fairness, we’ve been on narrower stairs, much much narrower!

You are rewarded for your exertions with great views of the town and surrounding countryside which is in effect the floor of the crater. Fortunately if the climb becomes all too much for you there is a defib. at the top! The fine views of the crater rim, as claimed by the guide books, I have to say, are a little underwhelming. In the photos, the crater rim is the dark hills on the horizon. Judge for yourself!

Form Norlingen we drove X miles to Augsburg, crossing the Danube on the way. Sadly, for our very first sighting of the river it wasn’t very blue. Thanks to all the rain we’ve had recently it was more of a dirty brown.

The Silver Machine was parked up at X, just about a 20 minute walk from the city centre. Wedged between a river and one of the main routes into the city, it’s a bit noisy and looks more like a temporary car park. Its 8€ and has electricity available for an additional charge, a service point, and at best can be described as adequate. There’s not a lot of choice though in Augsburg and, although there wasn’t a lot of vans when we arrived earlier in the day, it was more than full by nightfall! It turned out the ticket machine was broken so maybe good value after all!

With a population of about 300,000, Augsburg is about half the size of Aberdeen again so it’s easily the biggest city we’ve visited since leaving Luxembourg. After the stunning cities we had just visited, it was always going to be difficult for Augsburg to have the same impact. Having said that, Augsburg is one of Germany’s oldest cities and is a very pleasant and attractive town, and well worth visiting.

Like Koblenz and Worzburg, much of Augsburg’s old town was bombed in WWII and in its place are large pedestrianised areas, with shops and attractive squares. This area is bounded by three beautiful churches, and with buildings, statues and fountains which survived sprinkled, throughout the central area.

We followed the 2 hour route suggested in our guide book, starting at the 14th century Church of St Anna, on the west side of the old town. We then headed up Maximilian Strasse past the Hercules Fountain to the 15th century, late gothic Church of St Ulrich and St Afra on the south side of the town.

It was then a case of doubling back down Maximilian Strasse past the Renaissance Schaezlerpalais with the Fountain of Hercules outside on our way to the Rathausplatz. The palace now houses the city museum, which, as it was a Monday, was unfortunately closed. It also has a lovely little garden which is well worth a look.

The Rathausplatz with cafes and bars down one side of the large square, is dominated by, perhaps not surprisingly, the 15th century Rathaus which is described as one of the best Town Houses in Germany. There is an ornate 16th century fountain, the Augustusbrunnen in the middle of the square with a statue of the Emperor Augustus on top.

From here we headed north to the Augsburg Dom. The cathedral is home of some valuable works of art, including the earliest known stained glass windows in Germany. It’s also possible to descend into the crypt of the cathedral which is pretty much the first church built on this site, probably around 900AD.

Our tour took about 4hrs, but that included a coffee stop, lunch and a bit of shopping. We had planned going out again in the evening for a couple of beers, but once we got settled down after supper, we couldn’t really be bothered. We were also planning an early start the next day so it was probably just as well.

We were planning to detour to Munich next but discovered the Oktoberfest is now on. Forgive me, but we would have thought the Oktoberfest is in October, but no….it ends at the beginning of October but is mostly in September. Anyway it’s maybe a sign of getting old but we didn’t fancy being squashed into large tents, with hundreds of drunken revellers dressed in fake lederhosen. So instead we’re heading for Füssen next, in the foothills of the Alps and the official end of the Romantic Road. It marks a significant change in scenery and we’re really looking forward to it.

Monday 12 – Saturday 17 September 202

We are continuing our journey south through Germany by following the “Romantic Road”, a 460km route through the forests and mountains of Bavaria and Baden Wurttemberg. The route connects a string of historic towns from Würtzburg to Füssen, in the foothills of the Alps. It was created in the 1950’s to encourage tourists by offering a route which portrayed a ‘romantic’ or an ‘idealised’ view of German culture and scenery. Like the North Coast 500 in Scotland, it has been a huge success.

Würtzburg makes for an impressive start to the romantic road with the mighty Fortress Festung Marenburg dominating the skyline, the impressive Alte Mainbrücke leading you into the old town and the Dom St Kilian and magnificent Residenz, believed to be one of the finest Baroque palaces in Europe. Interestingly guy in the photo flashing the gold sword in the photo above is St Kilian, who it turns out is the Patron Saint of wine. Well we didn’t know that!

There is a relaxed, vibrant atmosphere within the old town with all the tables outside cafes and bars full, pretty much all day, and any available seating on the banks of the river occupied. With a population of around 127K, Würtzburg is a relatively compact city and easy to explore in a day, so the plan was always to only stay one night. We liked it a lot and could easily have stayed a bit longer.

The Silver Machine was parked up in a Stellplatzat the Friedensbrücke car park, overlooking the banks of the Main and directly across from the town centre. It is 15€ per night, has a motorhome service point, with electricity available for additional cost. When we arrived it was busy, but by nightfall, as you can see from the photograph it was absolutely rammed!

We began our visit by climbing the steep slopes to the Festung Marienberg to be rewarded with great views across the city. Although the Art Gallery, which it now houses was closed, all outside areas of the Fortress remained open to the public it was well worth wandering around. The citizens of the town fled to the fortress for protection when Würtzburg heavily bombed and extensively damaged towards the end of World War II.

Built in the first half of the 1700’s, the Residenz definitely lived up to its billing as one of the finest baroque palaces in Europe. Forty fully furnished and highly decorated rooms are open to the public, and excellent value for 8€. The centre piece, with its mirrored walls, the Kaisersaal or emperors chamber is truly astonishing. Sadly we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the building.

We finished off a pleasant day in the wam evening sun, with a circular walk along the Banks of the Main and with a beer in a biergarten looking over the river to the imposing Festung Marienburg.

Our next stop was Rothenburg ob der Tauber , or Red Fort on the Tauber, about an hours drive from Würtzburg. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Tauber, with its massive medieval city walls with 42 towers, half timber houses with red tile roofs and it’s cobbles streets, Rothenburg, more than anywhere deserves its place on the romantic road.

Parts of the city are over 1000 years old and today it is so well preserved it’s almost like it’s being in movie set.

The Silver Machine was parked up at Camping Tauberromantic, a beautiful campsite close to the Tauber. The good news……it is only about a mile from the centre of the old town. The bad news….. Rothenburg is 250ft higher than the Campsite so the walk is mostly up a steep footpath. We stayed three nights hoping to get a bit of cycling done and wash some clothes. Unfortunately the weather turned rainy, which made both challenging, but fortunately not impossible.

After the climb up the hill, we entered the city though the Klingentor, one of a number of gates that permit access through the massive walls. It is possible to stroll around around the walls, high up on a walkway, for most of the way. It takes about an hour apparently. We must have walked about half way round comming off at the Röderturm, the only town gate you can climb for views over the town.

We even managed a decent enough bike ride, following the Tauber for 10mls to Creglingen, using the cycle path which runs the entire length of the Romantic Road.

On our last night in Rothenburg, we ate out at the excellent Vito Italian restaurant, just off the Markt Platz. And, in case you wondered, my pizza wasn’t as big as it looks! It was dark by the time we finished. We usually try to get back to the Silver Machine before it gets dark, but it was very pleasant to walk through the dimly light streets. There were less people about and the city looked quite different under the dim street lights.

Today the Silver Machine is parked up in Dinkelsbühl, in a stellplatz only about 400 meters from the town centre. Dinkelsbühl it turns out, yes you’ve guessed it, is yet another very pretty old town, encircled by a high unbroken wall with lofty towers. The stellplatz is well designed, with an easily accessible service point, the option of electricity and is very good value at 6€ per night. Despite being so central, it was very quiet through the night.

The weather has continued to deteriorate and as well as rain the temperatures have plummeted over the last week from a toastie 28°C last Saturday, to a maximum of 12°C today!

With a population of 11,000, Dinkelsbühl isn’t a huge town, built on the banks of the Wörnitz River there are only 4 access gates, and the main areas of interest are all close to the centre. In our first, and thankfully dry, afternoon we managed to cover most of the bits we wanted to see and had a very pleasant walk on a route that takes you around most of the wall.

Clearly the main industry is tourism. The colourful centre is full of places to eat, drink coffee, buy a souvenir from Dinkelsbuhül or a gift to take back home.

As it’s Saturday we’re going to head out for a couple of beers tonight. Luckily there’s a Sports Bar round the corner, so as far as we are concerned the weather can do what it likes.

We’ve left the Mosel behind at Koblenz and we’re now travelling up the Rhine as far as Mainz. We’re currently about halfway there and the Silver Machine is parked up at Camping Sonnenstrand, or Sunny Beach, a super campsite on the banks of the Rhine and at the south end of the lovely little town of Bacharach.

This part of the Rhine is regarded as the most picturesque stretch, and fortunately for us the road hugs the river all the way. Over time the Rhine has worn a path through the Taurus and Hunsrück hills, creating a magnificent gorge which is classified as an UNESCO world heritage site. Quaint villages with their colourful half timber houses, numerous castles or castle ruins and vineyards clinging to the steep sides only add to the beauty and drama.

This is the where the legend of Lorelei arose when a woman threw herself into the Rhine after being spurned in love. On dying she transformed into a siren whose singing lured sailors onto the rocks beneath the giant cliffs.

It turns out that Bacharach is a particularly pretty town in a series of pretty towns. The well conserved houses are surrounded by a town wall and steeps vine covered slopes with Burg Stahleck, a 12 century castle, towering above.

It’s a bit of a hidden gem as the town is partially hidden from the main road by the railway tracks. When the railway was first planned, the only place for the tracks was immediately in front of the town walls. Because the Rhine floods on a regular basis the tracks were built up to the height of the town walls. So although it is possible to walk along part of the old town wall, uniquely you are also walking next to the railway line. It’s not until you enter the town, under the railway tracks and though one a many gates in the old wall that the true beauty of the village is revealed.

The Rhine continues to be important as a trade route and more recently has seen a significant increase in river cruising. Sitting in the motorhome, it’s very entertaining to watch these enormous barges and cruise ships sail slowly past.

The Campsite facilities have been upgraded recently and has a bar and restaurant, which is always a bonus, so it’s good value at 19€ per night with ACSI discount. We treated ourselves to the restaurant on Saturday night. There are only two rows of pitches so you’ve always got a bit of a view of the Rhine. We are fortunate as it’s a motorhome that’s in front of us, parked dead on towards the Rhine, so we have a decent view.

As with everywhere else we’ve been so far there is an extensive network of walking and cycling paths. We took the well marked route following the once formidable town fortifications through the vineyards and past Burg Stahleck. As you would expect there are commanding views of the Rhine valley in both directions.

We also walked the short distance to Fürstenburg a hamlet with an excellent ruined castle. Health and Safety clearly has a different view of historic artefacts in Germany as visitors are allowed to clamber all around the ruin using some fairly exposed paths. It was all very exciting. White knuckle “ruining” should be introduced into Scotland as a sport!

We decided to stay here for four nights and unbelievably this is our fourth night already. It’s been a great place to stop, with plenty to do and see, particularly if you like walking and cycling. Tomorrow we leave the Rhine at Mainz and head west for Wurtzbürg at the start of the Romantic Road……

We arrived in Koblenz on Tuesday and the Silver Machine is parked up at the Knauscamp Rhine-Mosel, which actually only 110 miles from Luxembourg but we’ve taken 5 days to get here.

After leaving Luxembourg last Friday, we picked up the Mosel at Konz, and followed it, as far as we could, first to Trier, then Cochem before finally settling here. The road from Konz, but particularly between Cochem and Koblenz is stunning, hugging the Mosel for the entire route.

Koblenz is situated at the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine and it’s strategic location has meant it has been fought over since Roman times. Unfortunately most of its historic buildings were lost in WW2 when the city was comprehensively bombed, but its still a pleasant town to wander around with its extensive pedestrianised areas and many pavement cafes and bars.

The campsite is, at 45€ per night, the most expensive since we sailed from Dover but in reality it’s the same price as the Caravan and Motorhome Club in the UK. It’s a nice site, but we’re here because it’s all about location. Directly across the Mosel from most places you’d want to visit, the Campsite is connected to the opposite bank via a small passenger ferry. Yup, for the sum 1.80€ you get a boat ride across the Mosel and dropped off exactly where you want to be. What’s not to like?

We’ve had thunder and lightening and some really heavy rain since we arrived, but fortunately it didn’t affect our plans. We had a great bike ride down the Rhine as far as Boppard, which has shown us that the Rhine is going to be as beautiful as the Mosel.

Trier is a very popular and vibrant city sitting on banks of the Mosel. Founded in 16BC, Trier is considered to be Germanys oldest city and has Northern Europes largest collection of Roman remains.

We parked the Silver Machine on the opposite banks of the Mosel the enormous Reisemobilpark Treviris. Despite having a maximum capacity of 100 motorhomes it was almost full both nights. It’s more than adequate for a couple of nights and and 30 minute walk to the centre. The basic price is 13€ per night with electricity, water and showers extra. Being cheapskates we didn’t bother. Toilets and Chemical waste are free.

We found that the best way into town was along the river and cross the Mosel at the Roman Bridge. From there you can pick up the Karl Marx Strasse, yes, he was born and raised in Trier, all the way to the gorgeous Hauptmarkt in the centre of the old town.

From the Hauptmarkt, most of the sights are within easy walking distance, although a bit of navigating is required. The Dom Trier, or St Peter’s cathedral can be seen from the Hauptmarkt. It is the oldest church in Germany, parts of the nave were built using Roman brick from the fourth century. It’s an interesting mix of simple and incredibly decorative which we’ve tried to show in the photos.

The main Roman artefacts are spread across the city but hunting them down takes you to areas that you may not have reached. The highlights are: the Porta Nigra, once the gate of a Roman fortress, the Imperial baths that could hold 600 bathers, the Roman Bridge whose 9 pillars are 1800 years old, and the Amphitheatre which used to seat 18,000 people.

If Trier wins on history and culture, Cochem wins simply on the wow factor! Trier is undoubtably an attractive city, however Cochem is chocolate box, picture perfect. As soon as we turned the corner and saw the promenade with its colourful half timbered houses, wine bars cafes and restaurants, hugging the banks of the Mosel, dominated by Reichsburg Castle, we just went WOW!

From here the promenade is a pleasant one mile walk through productive looking allotments and past the river cruise ships. Walking around the maze of little streets is a real pleasure, even with the large number of tourists Cochem inevitably attracts. The town acts like a magnet for the large river cruise ships which arrive daily disgorging their passengers onto the already crowded streets.

The Silver Machine was parked up for two nights at Mosel Camping Cochem. It’s a long site, stretching along the south bank of the Mosel with around 250 pitches. It’s 27€ a night all in and has a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There was a lot of different nationalities on the site, but only ourselves and another couple from the UK.

It’s a steep walk up to the Castle through the vine covered slopes, but well worth it for the view. Interestingly, although there has been a castle on this site for about 900 years, the building you see today was only completed in 1870.

Getting out and about on the bikes underlines just how beautiful this area is. Here the Mosel has carved its way through hills and Riesling producing vineyards cover any available piece of land on the steep slate slopes. We followed an excellent bike path up the banks of the river as far as Moselkern and back the same route, a 20ml round trip.

You are clearly in the heart of Riesling country here. As you walk past the crowded cafes and bars they’re more likely to be wine keller than beer keller, with most people sitting sipping white wine. All very classy. In some of the wine bars you can even order a small tray with 6 wine glasses, each with a small amount of wine. One has to assume that this is a wine tasting rather than a tray of wine shots!

So we’re on the road again tomorrow, this time following the Rhine as far as Bacharach. But first, since it’s Wednesday we’re heading out tonight for a few beers and something to eat…..