Month: September 2023

For the last six nights we’ve being staying on the Istrian Peninsula, for the first three nights in Rovinj and for the last three further south in Pula. Istria is apparently the largest peninsula on the Adriatic. With rolling hills, rocky beaches, beautiful old towns, clean water, an abundance of water-sports and sunsets to die for, it’s easy to see why Istria is a popular tourist destination. Although it’s very close to Slovenia, Italy and Austria, it’s mostly Germans who are holidaying in the area.

The Silver Machine is parked up in Pula, on a large campsite, Camping Arena Stoja, which is situated on a small peninsula on the outskirts of the city. Our pitch overlooks a bay which has a bar on a platform reached only by a long wooden bridge, and waterskiing goes on all day.

To reach the historic centre of Pula, you catch a no 1 bus from directly outside the gate and it’s only about a 15 minute journey. You can buy tickets online and use a QR code on your phone or you can pay the driver with cash or credit card so it’s very flexible.

Although there is evidence of a community living here for over three thousand years, as ever for this part of the world, it was the Romans who were first to really develop a significant presence here.…and their presence continues to be felt. There are a number of impressive structures dotted about the centre and you regularly stumble of bits of buildings on show in the city parks.

The Temple of Augustus was built in the 1st century AD and stands in the square that was once the site of the city’s Roman forum. The magnificent amphitheatre is the worlds sixth largest surviving Roman arena and is used as a music venue. The Twin Gate is one of 10 gates through which you could access Pula and was built in the 2nd century. Nearby we walked past parts of the wall which once surrounded the city. The Arch of the Sergians, these days guarding the entrance of a busy shopping thoroughfare, is much older and was built in the 1st century BC.

There are a number of very old Churches in Pula, and we had a look at a few. Interestingly, unlike many of the other churches we have viewed that are incredibly ornate these were all very minimalist. We got off the bus beside the 6th century Chapel of Mary Formosa to have a look at it. Unfortunately it was closed so we couldn’t see the mosaics it is known for. Ah well maybe next time. Luckily both the 13th century Church of St Francis and the 17th century Cathedral were open. The walls of the cloisters of St Frances were covered in Roman artefacts.

During the first world tunnels were dug under central Pula to protect the population from bombardment and as a means to move about the city safely. You can access some of the tunnels, which converge into a large room directly under the Citadel, from four different locations. From just off the large room a lift takes you up to the Citadel.

The roads were just too busy to feel comfortable going out for a bike ride so we went for a 5 mile hike instead around a headland just beyond the campsite. It was quite a hike. We followed a route, suggested by Komoot an activity app and was classified as intermediate difficulty, but wasn’t sure quite what to expect.

The first quarter of the walk was a rugged path which clung to the coastline and gave amazing views. For the second quarter, a machete would have been useful to clear the path as we headed up hill to the centre of the headland.

The biggest surprised though was kept for the second part of the walk where you were taken through a deserted military base, a leftover from when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia. It’s very atmospheric to the point of being a bit creepy. Finally just before the end of the walk we had to pass a military checkpoint with a guard who opened a side gate for us. This is the entrance to a naval base apparently but nothing is too obvious and he wasn’t very keen on me taking a picture of the barrier for the blog.

Rovinj is a really amazing place to explore and from the campsite it’s a very pleasant 2km walk. The old town used to be an island but the short gap to the mainland was filled in in the 17th century. The colourful houses seem to tumble down to the very edge of the sea and a warren narrow cobblestone alleys winds you through them.

The town is dominated by the Cathedral, and Bell Tower which was modelled on the one in St Marks Square in Venice. We named it the Bell Tower of Terror as the steps to the top were steep, wooden and very, very old and worn. It was basically a ladder which took you the rest of the way. Needless to say the views from the top just about made the white knuckle climb up worthwhile.

We went out for a excellent meal to one of the many quayside restaurants. A fantastic sunset added to the overall ambience and really brings out the colours of the houses

There are 3 marinas in Rovinj and a real mix of boats. By the size of some of the yachts it’s clear that this area is the playground of the rich as well as the poor. (like us) The large yacht, bow pictured, is for sale and can be yours for a snip at £12,000,000. In the distance you can see the Sea Cloud 11 moored, a large Clipper cruise ship which turned up one day disgorging its passengers into the town using a tender shuttling back and fore..

And yes , it’s been so hot we were forced to go in for a for a swim on a couple of occasions. After arriving in Istria in the rain, the weather has been absolutely beautiful. Almost completely blue skies, temperatures reaching 27°C and then of course those sunsets……..

We’ve finally reached Croatia and for the next three nights the Silver Machine is parked up in Camping Porton Biondi about two kilometres walk along the beach from Rovinj, a very picturesque town on the Istrian Peninsula. It’s a huge site with 300 pitches and a mix of pitches and posh lodges. The access roads are really narrow and it was a bit challenging to get to our pitch, which is up a hill at the top of the site. It seems there’s a bit of a recurring theme building here. But we’re here now and it’s a nice situation. It’s been raining since we arrived so it looks like it’ll be tomorrow before we get a chance to really explore further.

It’s only about 70 miles from Trieste but to get here we had to drive 15 miles through Slovenia. You could certainly say we entered Slovenia by the back door. We set Google Maps to “Avoid Tolls” to avoid having to purchase a GoBox similar to the one we had in Austria. Unfortunately Mr Google took us along a very narrow road, verging on single carriageway for the first 5 miles. It was a bit white knuckle in bits but we’ve certainly seen a part of Slovenia where few tourists dare to drive.

We had another spectacular drive from Villach to Trieste, following the River Gail, for the first twenty miles until we crossed into Italy. The River Gail was an amazing translucent, almost pale turquoise colour.

The Silver Machine landed at Camping Obelisco, situated on a hillside about 2.5 miles from Trieste, with spectacular views over the city. It’s a narrow steep road to access the site and, then everything after that continues to be narrow and steep. It’s really is on the very edge of being unsuitable for a 7.5 motorhome. We had to park next to reception until the owner found our booking so we suggested that we would be happy enough to stay there. He seemed relieved and we certainly were!

It’s only €3.40 for a 24hr travel ticket for the bus and you can catch any of three buses to to the centre that pass close to the campsite. We didn’t really know what to expect of Trieste and it turned out to be a really lovely, relaxed and interesting city. We were ambling into Piazza della Borsa when a Roman Legion marched round the corner. No idea what was going on but they were very serious, very impressive, and verging on very scary.

The Cathedral and Castello sit next to each other on a hilltop with fine views of the city. The 14th century cathedral is built on a Roman temple and is known for its byzantine mosaics. You can climb the tower to get right up close to the bells and even better views of the surrounding landscape. Fortunately we just missed them being wrung for 12 o’clock.

The castle was free on the weekend we were there so that has to be a good thing. There were volunteers all over the site dressed as soldiers which made the tour fun as well as informative.

Evidence of the early Roman origins of Trieste pop up all over the city. The theatre is literally viewed from the pavement. The Roman Arch, we just happened to pass it on the way down from the Castle.

We only had a day to explore Trieste and in terms of the things we wanted to see, and this was more than enough time. But Trieste is much more than simply the sum of its parts. It would be really nice to come for a long weekend just chilling and absorbing the atmosphere.

The rain in Rovinj stopped just after supper so we managed to get a short walk along the beach before it got dark. The town itself looks really interesting to have a wander around and hopefully we’ll manage to get a bike run in while we’re here too.

Wolfgansee is a beautiful lake, surrounded by huge mountains, situated in the Salzkammergut resort area, and only about 25 miles from Salzburg. People flock here to participate in the many outdoor sports on offeras well as just chill out in a remarkable landscape.

We stayed for the past three nights at Camping Wolfgangsee, on the shore of the lake and midway between the picture perfect towns of St Gilgen and Strobl located at each end of the lake. It’s an excellent campsite with very friendly owners and at 28€ per night, not bad value for money given the amazing location.

After getting a glimpse of the area during the Sound of Music Tour, we really had to come back to explore a little further. Luke Rowe rides for the Team Ineos cycling team and has raced all over Europe as well as other parts of the world. He describes Austria as the most beautiful country he has ever raced in from what we’ve seen so far it’s difficult to disagree with him.

Because it was such a spur of the moment thing, we had no idea what the immediate area had to offer. The first thing we discovered was a passenger ferry from the campsite to St Wolfgang directly across the lake. You have to press a bell to summon the ferry, which we did, and within minutes we were in St Wolfgang.

Not far from the ferry we discovered the Shafberg Bahn which turns out to be Austria’s steepest cogwheel railway. It takes about 35 minutes to reach the top of the Shafberg, so after only just over an hour of leaving the Silver Machine we were on the other side of the lake and almost at 6000ft on top of an Austrian mountain. We were wearing only shorts and tee shirts and Christine had on sandals, whilst our fellow passengers had on walking shoes and were dipping into their rucksacks to pull out wind proofs and hats. It was a bit cool right enough but probably not much cooler than a breezy summers day in Insch.

Anyway, the journey up was brilliant, with amazing and ever changing views as the train twisted its way up the very steep slopes. You’re supposed to be able to see eleven lakes from the top, but we could only spot five before sadly the clouds started to roll in and totally obscure our view.

Back down at the bottom, St Wolfgang turned out to be a lovely town almost entirely designed to cater for the many tourists it attracts. It occurred to us that the the Saltzkammergit resort area is very similar to in some ways to the Lake District except the mountains are bigger, the towns prettier, the buildings better maintained and the streets are cleaner. Everything looks perfect. Sorry Lake District.

The area really promotes cycling and there are a lot of on and off road cycle routes published in an excellent booklet which the campsite owner gave us when we arrived. We only had time to do one, the Three Lakes, a 40 mile circuit which was a mix of bike paths and mostly quiet roads.

One spectacular section followed a river on a track through on a decent to Bad Ischl. Another section at the south end of Mondsee went through a long tunnel especially built for cycling. As regular intervals the side of the tunnel was cut away to allow light in and reveal amazing views of Mondsee.

Tonight the Silver Machine is parked up at Camping Seehof on the outskirts of Villach, only about 30 minutes drive from the Italian border. We’re on our way to Trieste and this is just over halfway there from Wolfgangsee. It’s actually a lovely campsite, with very friendly owners and the most modern facilities all for £28.

To get here we drove 150 miles, which took almost four hours, to make up some time after our rewarding detour. It was a really spectacular drive all the way here, the road winding its way though the mountains and over high mountain passes. For one 22 mile section following the Malta river, the drive became quite “interesting” as the winding road had to narrow considerably as the slopes of the steep Rocky Mountainsides practically came together.

We were able to sit down the other day to plan out the next couple of weeks. From Trieste we go directly to Croatia, via Slovenia, and we’ll then have just about a fortnight there before we need to start heading home. We won’t reach Dubrovnik by any stretch of the imagination but at least we’ll have achieved our goal in part.

So we’re now the proud, or not so proud rather, owners of a GoBox which is stuck on our windscreen, just off centre towards the passenger side, and 10 cms from the dashboard, as per instructions. It’s joined the two emissions stickers for France and Germany and the Vignette for driving on the Swiss Motorways. The windscreen is beginning to look a bit cluttered!

We have this because it is a requirement of any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes to pay the toll for using the Austrian motorways. You have to preload the box with a minimum of 75€ and as you pass under a motorway gantry the box goes ping and a few euros are knocked off your total. You can access your account on the GoBox website to check how much money you have left and add more if necessary.

We are in currently in Salzburg which is just over the border with Germany. The Machine is parked up at Reisemobil Stellplatz Salzburg, about 5kms from the centre, just off the A1, with a bus stop right outside the site entrance. You can buy 24 hr bus tickets for 4.20€ from the local tabac, so the bus is very good value. We really like the site, the owners are very welcoming, the facilities are very good and 31.70 per night isn’t back for a city site. The pitches are rather on the narrow side but I guess you can’t have everything.

Ever since I read Helen McInnes’s “The Salzburg Connection” as a lad I’ve had a desire to come here. So here we are. Finally made it. There seems to be far less spies and international intrigue these days. Instead we have international tourism with bus loads upon bus loads of visitors arriving daily.

In fairness you can see why so many people come to Salzburg. It really is a beautiful and fascinating place and, despite the hoards, it feels a very relaxed, welcoming city. We approached Salzburg from the from the north of the River Salzach and our first view of the old town with the Fortress Festung Hohensalzburg towering over the roofs of the buildings, is truely magnificent.

Once you get a basic understanding of the layout of the old town you really are best to put away you map and just try to find you own way around. In Salzburg there is truely some wonderful buildings or square around each corner. Even though we’ve walked for miles, on our last afternoon we were still finding lovely new alleys to explore.

We had to head up to the Fortress of course. We decided to take the funicular which as you know is not Christine’s favourite mode of transport. We were glad we had because once at the Fortress there are an awful lot of steps to be climbed exploring the tower, keep and dungeons. From the Fortress you get amazing 360° views of the city and surrounding countryside.

1. Funicular to the Fortress 2. Views over the Cathedral and City 3. Views to the South 4. Fortress Courtyard.

We also headed out to Hellbrun Palace and the Trick Fountains, amazingly built by Archbishop Markus Sittikus almost 400 years ago. The water garden, is the main attraction, and is truely unique. There are many surprises built into the fountains: hidden jets, sophisticated mechanical animations and impressive grottoes all driven by the waters natural force. The garden is as captivating as it is fun and it takes about an hour to tour round…..and nobody escapes without getting at least a little bit wet!

The Palace too was built for entertainment. It’s really set up as a museum now, but it is still an interesting building to wander around. As well as the Trick Gardens there are further extensive gardens and ponds to wander around. The gazebo which was used in the Sound of Music when the Baron con Trapp and Maria sing, dance, and kiss for the first time. It was originally sited in a private garden some miles away when the film was made, but was moved here because fans of the film kept climbing into the garden to replicate the scene.

Which brings us back to doh oh oh oh….or rather the real reason we decided to come to Salzburg now rather that at some later, unspecified date.

When we were talking to Alan and Pam way back in that bar in Malmedy, which seems an awful long time ago now, they recommended Salzburg as one of their favourite places. When you are there they said you can’t miss the Sound of Music Tour. Suddenly my purpose in life seemed clear. I needed to go to Salzburg with indecent haste and do the Sound of Music Tour.

The Original Sound of Music Tour costs 60€ each, lasts for 4 hours and takes you to most of the filming locations around Salzburg. As you approach a location they show the appropriate clip from the film: singing along is optional! The bus is absolutely full with people of all ages and nationality. There is even a couple from Argentina! Our tour guide was Peter who had been dragged out of retirement because they are so busy and he was excellent.

We ended up in the Mirabell Gardens where a number of scenes with Maria and the kids were shot singing Doh a Deer, the Nonnberg Convent where Maria was a novice, the Schloss Leopoldskron, the house where the Trapp family lived in the movie, the Hellbrun Palace grounds to see the Gazebo where Baron con Trapp kissed Maria for the first time, and the Church Mondsee where Maria and the Baron get married.

We didn’t realise that the tour would take us about 25 miles to the east of Salzburg into the middle of the lakes and mountains. It was simply stunning.

Originally, like last year, we had planned to just pass straight through Austria on our way South, avoiding motorways to negate the need for a GoBox. Then it was a detour to Salzburg. Now we’re thinking we should explore the Austria a bit more especially to the east of Salzburg. Decisions, decisions.

We’re currently in Munich and the Oktoberfest, the worlds biggest beer festival which attracts around 6 million visitors and sells up to 8 million litres of beer, begins on Saturday. Basically 18 days of eating, drinking and being merry……and we leave on Friday.

Big Mistake? Nope, we planned it this way. Just didn’t fancy it at all. Whether this makes us too old, too sensible or perhaps both, maybe it’s up to you to decide!

The Silver Machine is currently parked up at Camping Thalkirken, on the banks of the Isar and situated within a large park. We’re about 6km from the centre of Munich and an easy bus/ underground combination from the centre.

The campsite is at best adequate, but it’s the best placed site by some way for visiting Munich. For 36€ a night, it’s got all the expected services and includes a small shop and bar/ dining hall. You get the feeling that for too many years the owners have tried to maximise profits by investing as little into the site as possible.

They obviously aim to capitalise on the Octoberfest. There is a whole field of tents of various shapes and sizes, but mainly very, very small, closely packed together and stretching as far as the eye can see. There’s a mobile bar ready and waiting beside a large tent to provide additional capacity to the bar. It’s going to be absolute mayhem and ironically we’re kinda disappointed we won’t see it whilst at the same time glad we’ll be at least 100 miles away.

Munich it turns out is a great city to wander around. We had a day ticket which allowed us both unlimited travel for 17€ but only used it to get into the centre and back on both days we were there.

We emerged from the underground onto the impressive Marienplatz, in the heart of the old town. It’s a beautiful square and it’s where the Christmas Markets are held. The Rathaus or New Town Hall with its Tower and famous Carillon form the centre piece of the square. The Carillon and it’s mechanical figures depict two episodes from Munich’s history.

1. Rathaus 2. Fraukirche 3. Victualmarkt 4. Marienplatz from Church of St Peter 5. Carillon on Rathaus Tower and Virgin Mary

We climbed the 310 steps of the Church of St Peter’s, situated just off the square, to be rewarded some great views, especially of the Marienplatz. The twin towers of the Fraukirke, one of the largest hall churches in southern Germany, are also clearly visible.

The forecast for the afternoon was heavy rain so we had planned to visit some of the main Art Galleries then. For once the forecast was right and it turned out to be a good move.

For our second day, the priority was to visit the Residence Museum and mop up the rest of things left on our list. The Residence Museum is the largest city palace in Germany. Certainly in terms of rooms accessible to the public it is the largest grand building we’ve ever been in by some way. We were quite roomed out by the time the visit was finished.

The Church of St Michael, apparently one of the most famous Renaissance churches in Germany, is where Ludwig 11 is buried. Ludwig “the mad king” was the monarch who build Schloss Neuschwanstein, the fairytale castle used in a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

As a fan of the film as a youngster, we visited Schloss Neuschwanstein this time last year, so a mini pilgrimage just had to be made to pay homage to its builder.

We just about decided to miss out Asamkirche as we didn’t realise how close we were to it earlier in the day and we’d have to double back to see it. We’re really glad we didn’t! Built in the mid 1700’s with, according to the Insight Guide “a magnificent rococo interior” it is truely remarkable, probably the most ornamental church that we have ever been in.

Two days doesn’t really give justice to all that Munich has to offer but we have given it a good go and managed to see everything we though it was possible to do. You can sense things building up now towards the Octoberfest. At the Campingplatz it’s clear that all the new people arriving are here for the festival. The reception area for the tents and the additional bar capacity is now open so presumably the hoards will start to descend to tomorrow. We could still choose to stay an extra few nights…..Will we?……Nah don’t thing so!

We thought that our route along the Mosel and Rhine last year, between Trier and Mainz, would be hard to beat in terms of scenery, history and of course wine. The River Neckar around Heidleburg it turns out, runs it pretty close.

Dominated by a large ruined castle and sprawling out from both banks of the river, Heidelberg is a beautiful town and well worth a visit. Although it has a population of 160,000 the old town is very compact and you can cover everything you would want to do in less that a day.

The Silver Machine is parked up at Camping An Der Friedensbrücke, a short distance from the centre of Neckargamünd, a small but lovely old town about 5 miles from Hiedleburg. It’s an excellent campsite with the owners being friendly and very helpful. It includes a small restuarant, and cost 33€ per night. We had originally planned to stay for only two nights, but ended up staying another one so that we could follow the river down stream, on an excellent bike path, to explore some of the nearby towns.

We came to this particular campsite because it was possible to take a boat to Heidelberg from the towns jetty. As it turned out, when we went to visit the city, we took the bus in and the boat back. The one way trip takes an hour as the boat passes through two locks, so it was recommended by the woman at the Tourist Information Office that we might want to just take it one way. The other benefit was that by taking the bus we could get into Heidelberg early. The first boat wasn’t until 12.00am!

The long and narrow, shop lined main street, the Hauptstrasse, is the starting point for any visit to Heidelberg. Most of what you would want to see is either on it, or a short walk away, along one of the many pretty medieval side streets.

The Church of the Holy Spirit, situated on the Markt Platz, is the main Protestant church in Heidelberg. It was built in the early 1400s and for two hundred years, until 1936, it was shared by both Catholics and Protestants. This was only achieved however by building a wall down the middle of the church!

According to Google Maps, the castle is a 20 minute walk from the Markt Platz. What it doesn’t tell you that you have to ascend 303 steps to get there! There is a funicular railway somewhere but where the sense of achievement in that! Our workout was rewarded by some stunning view over Heidelberg and the River Neckar from the Castle Gardens.

On our second day, we followed an excellent cycle path for 15 miles down the River Neckar to reach Eberbach. On our way there we stopped at Hirschhorn and on our way back we crossed the river on over one of the many locks on the Neckar to cycle through Necharsteinach. These villages are fascinating but it’s difficult to really explore them whilst pushing a bike around. We would certainly like to return to Hirschhorn, which has a lot of intriguing narrow alleyways climbing steeply from the Main Street, to spend at least a couple of days there.

After posting our last blog in Malmedy we met a couple of fellow travellers for a very pleasant few beers outside the pub just along the road from the Stellplatz. Alan and Pam, who come from the Manchester area originally, have been retired for over 12 years and although have travelled all over Europe, they have travelled fairly extensively in Germany. It was they who recommended we visit Heidelberg, on our way to Munich, and the Stellplatz at Wintrich near Bernkastel Kues, where we were heading for next. They also spoke highly of Salzburg so we’re just going to have fit that in too as we head south towards Italy.

Bernkastel Kues is a particularly standout town on a river with some particularly special towns. It lies on either side of the River Mosel in the heart of wine making country. Although the population is only about 7000, the annual wine festival attracts 200,000 people each year.

The ruined 13th century Landshut Berg looms over the ancient town marketplace and creates quite an impression when approached by the river.

We parked the Silver Machine at Wintrich Stellplatz, an excellent location only a short walk from the pretty town centre. From here we could catch a boat to Bernkastel Kues, a 35 minute, very scenic trip past some of the finest of the Mosel Vineyards.

Not surprisingly, Bernkastel Kues was a pleasure to walk around, even with the crowds. The Castle is a short, but very steep walk directly from the market square. It was certainly one way to distance yourself from the hoards. Once there you have commanding views over the town and the Mosel in both directions. There is evidence of fortifications on the hill since Roman times although this castle was built in the 13th century. It burned down in the 17th century and has been a ruin ever since.

We had of course to further explore the river and vineyards on our bikes. A bike path follows the Mosel for over 150 miles. We managed 10 miles in one direction as far as Trittenheim and 15 mile in the other as far as Lösnich. It’s very flat and very popular with people of all ages, shapes and sizes. We even found a pop up wine bar between Wintrich and Bernkastel Kues.

We’re now on our way to Munich. We’re currently parked up in Camping Walparkhohenstadt, a small site on the edge of a small village half way between Heidelberg and the city, which is the really the only reason why we’re here.

We’ve been caught up in the heatwave that covers most of Europe and even gets as far as Insch, so with temperatures reaching 31°C, it’s verging on unpleasant in the Silver Machine when we’re travelling. To manage this, we’ve decided to slow down a bit and not drive for longer than a couple of hours a day. Generally when we do stop we plan to stay for a few days and make use of the weather. We don’t know if this will affect our overall goal to reach Croatia, but I guess only time will tell.

Well that’s us off on another adventure in the Silver Machine. After the dismal summer we’ve had this year we’re heading as far south as is practical for a 2 month trip with Croatia our overall goal.

We left Insch last Monday, exactly a week ago, and headed to the ferry via Penrith, Newark, and Cambridge finishing off with three nights in London where we met up with friends.

We crossed over to Calais yesterday on Irish Ferries stopping in Tournai on our first night. The cost of the crossing was around £125 and included 2 * £12 Club Class tickets. After our experience we would strongly recommend Club Class as it entitles you to priority boarding, access to the Club Lounge, breakfast cereals, fruit, cakes, rolls, cheeses and meats as well as soft drinks including tea, coffee and wine. So in reality we were second vehicle on the ferry, we were first off, and during the journey we had the comfort of the Club Lounge with infinite quantities of coffee, cakes and basically lunch. We used a £75 Tesco voucher towards the cost, so for £50 what’s not to like.

Tonight the Silver Machine is parked up in an parking Mobilhomes, Malmedy, just south of Liege. It’s a great transit stop, the town is pleasant enough to have a wander around, the square has a number of enticing cafes and restaurants and it’s only about a five minútate walk from the motorhome. The aire itself has 40 spaces half grass and in shade, the other half hardstanding with the normal motorhome services available. It’s only 7€ per night with electricity at 50 cents per kWh an option.

The highlights so far are Newark on Trent and Tournai, we’d never been to either of these excellent places before, and London, where we managed to take in a couple of exhibitions and meet up with Paul and Imelda.

Newark turned out to be a great find. We parked up at Smeaton Lakes a very picturesque Caravan Park about 30 mins walk from the centre of Newark and literally situated in the middle of a group of small lakes. Even though the electricity was metered, £25 for the pitch was pretty good value. The electricity came to about £1.50!

Newark itself is a really nice market town with a pleasant atmosphere and rich history. It was a Royalist Stronghold during the English Civil war when the Castle was under siege on three occasions. Cromwell eventually ordered the castle to be destroyed leaving it pretty much as you see it today. Although we weren’t out for a beer, there are some very old pubs that need to be explored so at some point so I guess we’ll definitely be back.

We decided to stay at Tournai, partly because the town sounded interesting, but mainly because it was about 90 minutes from the ferry and you can book the Aire “Esplanade George Gard”, which gave us a degree of certainty about our first night in Belgium.

You book and pay the 10€ fee for the aire through the internet and immediately get a QR code emailed to you which you use to open the barrier on arrival. It worked really well….if only all Aires were so simple. The 10€ also included electricity and with a modern motorhome service point, very good value indeed.

Tournai turns out to be a really beautiful, very old town, indeed it’s Belgium’s oldest town, and the Grand Place, the cafe lined square is less than 10 minutes walk away from the aire. The Tourist Information Office provides an excellent booklet which proposes a 5 km walk around the must see sites of the town and made for a very pleasant walk.

The Cathedral and Tour, both pictured are both UNESCO World Heritage sites and there are a number of museums and galleries. The Museum of Fine Art has paintings by Manet, Monet, Seurat and Van Gogh. Really one afternoon doesn’t do Tournai any justice at all and again another town we’re going to have to revisit.

So we’re now heading in the general direction of Munich, which we’d like to visit, and tomorrow our route takes us across the Mosel at Bernkastal Kues. We missed this beautiful town last year when we followed the Mosel to Koblenz, so it seems like a good place for our next stop.