BODENSEE TO ROTTERDAM...I'm sure there's a song there somewhere

9th . October 2016

5th-6th October
We have a nice - ish  day cycling through the apple orchards and along the shore but the although the sky is blue and the sun shines there is a wind that comes up the lake from the alps and out of the sun it is bitter.. we find a nice spot for our sandwiches but it's not as pleasant as it could be. We buy apples and juice at a farm €1 a litre for juice out of a vat that is delicious and 2.5kg of apples for  €3.
The next day we catch the train to Konstanz, a family day ticket for 15.70€, unlimited travel.
Konstanz is fantastic, and we shall return to explore it more when the weather is warmer and we can walk around without being colder than the arctic circle..and we've done the AC and got the t-shirt. Lovely place, fantastic buildings and a good lunch.

7th.October
Travel to Bingen Am Rhein.  Traffic horrendous so not particularly good . Reasonable aire on the river; walked a bit and if weather warmer would have got the bikes off.

8th-9th. October

To ALBLASSERDAM where we spent our first night. Easy drive although traffic heavy. On our last visit we took the water bus to Dordrecht and thought we would return to visit Rotterdam in the other direction. Nice 40 min  cruise to the city for €4 each (senior price) one way. Very nice day walking around the very modern city which has some jaw dropping architecture.  The indoor market is like nothing we've ever seen...Marrakesh meets Covent Garden. ..amazing building and even more amazing inside.. definitely a place to visit.

SNOW JOKE....

4th.October 2016

On Sunday afternoon we had a lovely walk through alpine (or Tyrolean to be pedantic ) meadows, gazing down the valley on towns and villages far below and sitting on a bench gazing at the mountains above. ...later it clouded over a bit and we had rain at 8pm for 30 mins and then a few showers. We thought the temperature had dropped a bit.... but we are about 2000ft asl. ..and had to put a bit of heating on at 10am and so to bed.
The temperature at 7am was very nippy and I put the heating on again as I made the morning tea and then I looked out to see that we were surrounded by snow capped peaks that definitely weren't there when we went to bed. The outside temp. was 4° which explained the necessity for heating. By breakfast time everybody was out taking photos as it transpired that this was the first snow of winter and is mighty early and unexpected on 2nd Oct. Seems to have buggered up the holiday weekend plans of lots of Germans.
Our problem was not the temperature  (hey, we've done the Artic Circle) but the sudden transition. .....5 weeks of eating breakfast,lunch and dinner sitting outside and only retreating indoors when the mozzies got too much. ....all of a sudden overnight the temp goes from mid 20's to mid teens with nighttime temps going from 18 to 6 and forecast on Wednesday to be 2°. So we packed up and left. At this stage we are still in Italy  (altough you'd never guess as the first language in these parts is German and everything is efficient ) and we have to cross 2 passes to reach Germany and it's no point lingering in the cold, but I need to find a cache in Austria in order to get the digital stamp for another country in my logbook at Geocaching HQ. The plan had been to stop at Imst for 2 days and rack up a few caches but this didn't seem too clever now. Oh yes, and we had to leave Mals when I found that we were paying €40 a night and we were not even actually in the campsite technically speaking. Anyway the drive to Imst was only 2 hours and we're there by midday  in sunshine and the mountains here are snow capped and the temp is 12°. We head off into countryside and get 2 caches,  one of which is a cracker so box ticked.
Everybody talks about the early snow, no point hanging around so we head for Germany. ....the Fern Pass has snow down to an alarming level and I see council workmen uncovering the signs advising snowchains although they are not mandatory until 1st Nov. The roads are clear at the moment but they are obviously preparing for winter.
Once over the alps into Germany the skies clear and the temp rises to 15°. We head to Stockach on the Bodensee (Lake Constance/Konstanz) and book in to a campsite at Wahlwiess we stopped at in 2010. I know that because they told me I had. There's German efficiency for you. It's a lovely site in amongst the apple orchards overlooking the lake and they brew their own beer (a lager type of course) which they sell  at €2 per 500ml. Bottle . 5.2% and exceedingly drinkable. We decide to stay 3 days and then make just one stop at Bingen on the Rhine on Friday and stop at ALBLASSERDAM on Saturday so that we can do ROTTERDAM on sunday before getting the ferry on Monday.

I'd I mention my favourite impression of Slovenia & Croatia  ? Unlike France, Spain & Portugal,  the normal serving  of beer is 500ml and not the poncy 25cl
that evaporates.  A large beer is a litre, and for entertaining,  the 1.5 or 2 litre bottle is readily  available everywhere. I had forgotten how much I dislike a 25cl bottle or glass and how satisfying a 500ml bottle is. I may have to go and live in Croatia one day.

Didn't expect that this morning...

TRIESTE IS GOOD....BUT BEST LAID PLANS....

2nd. October 2016

29th- 30th. September
A trip into Trieste by bus proved more interesting than I was expecting.  Having got lost round the docks 4 years ago when trying to avoid entering Slovenia on a motorway and having to buy a vignette for the 16 mile journey across to Croatia,  and not being impressed at the time, our expectations were not high. However, Lonely Planet describes Trieste as possibly the most underrated destination in Europe and they may well be right. We spent a very enjoyable few hours mooching aound the streets full of very grand buildings, which although a bit faded in places, are really quite stunning....main square especially. The cathedral is wonderful,also a Greek orthodox basilica. I have one of the best pizzas ever for lunch by the Grand canal.
The city was preparing for the Barcalona next Sunday (2nd Sunday in October ) which is a 15 mile yacht race in the Gulf of Trieste and attracts over 25,000 sailors...the pictures on Google look spectacular and I'm sorry we shall miss it.
Next day we walk to find 2 caches and start to prepare for the journey home. 5 weeks away and I haven't worn a jacket,fleece or long trousers but I'm sure it will be colder through the alps and into Germany. We eat in camp restaurant and plan to leave at 7. 30 am with a fairly long 250 mile drive to Merano at the start of the south Tyrol.

1st.October

BLOODY GERMANS

Leave at 8am eventually as no real rush as we will use the toll motorway. This being Italy the toll road will take 4.5 hrs against 7.5 hours on the others. A nice drive up the Trento valley and when we finally exit the toll road at Bolzano the damage is €30 which is bearable for 4 hours of good roads. We comment on the number of German vehicles heading north and conclude it is the end of the holidays ad they're all dashing home. Arrive Merano at 1pm and find campsite. When I try to book in it is full and am told we'll be lucky to find anything as 3rd.Oct is a German holiday and the Tyrol will be booked solid. We head north and run into huge traffic jams coming south from the Fern Pass, nose to tail Germans.  We scour every book and website for aires and campsites and everything we try is full...not that there is a huge number of either without going well off the road and up mountains. By 4 pm we have reached Glorenza, site full and big aire inaccessible as the local marathon is on and all roads shut till 8pm. Track another site 5kms away at Mals and get there at 4.30pm. Site full but guy offers us a small pitch just outside the camp with water and hookup, one of 2. We grab it thankfully even though it's going to be expensive. 5 minutes later the other pitch goes. We go for a walk and when we return 3 more vans have bee allowed to park opposite us and until 7pm a constant succession of vans and caravans arrive to be turned away. No room at the inn tonight. Decide to stay Sunday as well as trying to find another pitch will obviously be a nightmare and we don't want to go any further north especially as it starts to rain and Sunday is forecast rain all day....we are now 2 days ahead of ourselves . The views from here are brilliant, surrounded by mountains and there is a local train that trolls through them which looks interesting.

AU REVOIR BALKANS-BONJOUR TRIESTE

28th September 2016

(I do like that heading)
Short run to Sistiana in Italy, just past Trieste. Leave Croatia, enter Slovenia and upset the border guards. Leaving Croatia,  nobody in the booth, they don't care who's going. 100 yds later hit the queue to enter Slovenia. ...watch the Croatian hire car in front get turned over for 15 minutes  then it's us and a languid wave through  from a disembodied arm. Now, there r 2 booths, 10ft apart. We've just shown our passports at the first ,been ignored and waved on. So I go. And all hell breaks loose with previously unseen armed heavies suddenly shouting Stop Stop and running around us as if we'd tried to crash the roadblock in Aleppo.  As I'm only doing 3 mph stopping is not a problem but we are subjected to a tirade about 2 stops and our passports are taken for an in depth investigation and only grudgingly returned when we don't appear on the terrorist database. Being a pragmatist I aplogise profusely  and fail to call them wankers and jobsworths or question why they require 2 booths and ask what the 2nd booth does that the first one didn't. We smile and are waved through.
Note. The motorway out of Croatia is listed as non toll. It now has a toll station at the border wanting 15 kuna in cash ......Luckily when I changed all our kuna into euros yesterday I was left with 100, which we used for a drink as we watched the sunset in town and I had 30 left. So 16 miles of Slovenia then we join the Italian motorway at Trieste (I do think that heading is funny) and leave it at Sistiana where there is a campsite we stopped at with P&M on our way to Croatia.  Nice site on the cliffs above the Adriatic with views down the Croatian coastline forever.  Nice walk along the cliffs and the GF rewards herself at the bar with a glass of Prosecco and then buys 3 bottles in the shop....but they are only 25cl each.

The GF enjoys a coffee in SELCE

AN UNEXPECTED CHARMER....

27th.September 2016

26th- 27th September

We leave ZADAR (regrettably ) and take the Adriatic Highway up the coast in glorious sunshine..the sea is a shimmering pale blue turning to emerald as the rocks of the islands offshore change colour. Every bend reveals a new vista and aspect and it is a seriously  good road to drive. The scenery is dramatic rather than picturesque and most of the time we are 2-300 ft above the sea level so you can see for miles . Fortunately the bikers have disappeared so we encounter no idiots with headcams filming their death in a head on collision as they take the racing line through a blind bend and meet a Motorhome on the apex. The only heartstopper is a white Mercedes queue jumping a line of traffic and which may have required him to seek a change of underpants. We head towards Rijeka and an ACSI site that the Caravan Club book is scathing of at the town of Selce. As we near, we check out possible sites in case we have to find something else. At first glance, Camping Selce is not doing itself any favours; a bit run down and  a lot of permanents dug in. But they talk nice and have a washing machine which Zadar didn't so we book in. Explorations reveal a hidden gem. The lower end of the site overlooks the sea with views across to the island of Krk where we went last time, and has access to a lovely promenade along to the town and beyond, lined with bars and restaurants. We have an excellent walk, so much so that we do it again the next day only further .
The washing machines are required as the GF has housekeeping duties (pink jobs) to perform which entail me getting up at 7.30 and lugging 2 large bags of laundry down the hill , returning 40 mins later to lug them back up the hill,erect 2 washing lines and the carousel and peg out the clothes, (avoiding blackbirds and protecting nose). These are blue jobs.We look like a gypsy camp with washing drying every where as it has been 2 weeks since the last attack but it's all dry by 2pm. So the town of Selce is an exceedingly nice resort although it is closing down for the winter everywhere you turn despite a good many holidaymakers still lounging about in the sunshine. I sometimes despair of Johnny Foreigner and his eagerness to shut up shop for the season....the campsite at Zadar closes on Friday, and this one 2 weeks later. Our route home depends on which sites are open despite the roads being full of motorhomes heading south......
So we shall leave Croatia tomorrow, and have ticked another box by doing the whole of the coast road. In fact, what with Bled,Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik,  we have ticked quite a lot of boxes in the last month and had an exceedingly good time , only disappointed that we didn't get to share it with Ken & Jackie....

And ABC sunset

ABC Sunset....

UNDER THE RADAR IN ZADAR....not technically but it scans nicely

2 5th.September 2016

23rd- 25th. September

We leave Dubrovnik and eschew the toll road in favour of the  Adriatic Highway up the coast back to Split and on up to ZADAR. This road is terrific, and with a clear blue sky the sea is a wonderful colour. Every turn in the road brings a new vista and wow factor. Obviously it takes longer than the motorway but the drive is well worth th extra time. Find campsite Borik which is nearer the town than the ACSI sites and which has a fairly poor write up in the Caravan Club book, altough the review is dated 2013. It hasn't improved. Ridiculously, the location is superb, running down to a beach with a great promenade and bars, but the facilities are crap and it's not cheap. We get pitch right by the shore at extra cost after we find that we can cycle into centre in 20 mins and that the wifi is good although at a price. Also nice grill restaurant nearby with open bbq.
24th
Cycle into town easily along the waterfront and have a cracking day just wandering around. We came here in 2012 by bus when staying at Starigrad with D&M and P&M and always wanted to return.  We are not disappointed and I want to come and live here. The old town waterfront is probably the nicest and most elegant promenade you'll ever find. ....and at one end is the Sea Organ where the sea water funnels into organ pipes to produce a most amazing effect. We spend a lot of time sitting and watching
25th
Have lunch at the local grill on a terrace. Excellent meal, lovely service and charming people. Cycle back into town again afterwards as it so nice and I pick up a couple of caches along the front. Weather is perfect,  sunsets are to die for.......Alfred Hitchcock said the sunsets were the best in the world and always came here if he needed to film one. We shall probably only have one more night in Croatia on Monday as we start to slowly move north.

....don't get much better

ANOTHER BLOODY CROATIAN SUNSET.....don't you just love ' em....Quote A. Hitchcock (director,deceased )

The view from the van in Zadar

CROATIAN SUNSET in ZADAR

2 GREAT DAYS IN DUBROVNIK. ....TOP SPOT

22nd September 2016

21st- 22nd September

As our sojourn here has been curtailed due to the campsite/prices, we have to pack in as much as we can. We last passed this way in 1987 when it was still communist and our cruise ship gave us an afternoon to explore on our own with dire warnings to behave. I've told the story so many times of how difficult it was spend the 30,000 dinars or something that I had received in London for my £5 which in 1987 I deemed would be enough to buy 2 coffees (in fact 2 coffees and 2 cakes cost 2000 wotsits leaving me with 28000 to get rid of in 2 hours....but you've all heard the story......)
So up with the sun and bus to town, about 15 mins, and very pretty it all was. Most buses terminate at entrance to walled city, along with coaches and cruise line shuttles so chaos reigns. The city already has a traffic problem, never having been built to accommodate the motor car and is now like Venice, sinking under the daily influx of tourists. The area is a riot of booths selling a million and one types of tour,visit,excursion,experience and adventure and you have to run the gauntlet of being accosted just to get to the tourist office. We have seen audio guides advertised and expect the tourist office to hire them, but the empty office is explained when we are told to go back outside and find a booth.....private enterprise is alive and well and encouraged in the former Socialist Republic of Croatia. We battle through the hordes and find a nice young lady who obliges with 2 Sony MP3 players, a map and explicit instructions for the 2 tours included in the 60kuna price( £7.50each)...a tour of the city walls which completely encircle the old town and a tour of the old town.
We head through the gates and  gain access to the city walls (another 120 kuna or £15 each ). The audio guide is good, very informative and lots of background info on the historical setting. The complete circuit takes about 2.5hrs with much climbing up and down steps.....no disabled concessions here.  The crowds are immense and the sun is hot enough to keep me on water rather than beer. Completing the tour, we buy excellent sandwiches and eat them sitting on the harbour wall in the shade. We attack the town in the afternoon, the audio guide again doing a sterling job...the section on the Serbo- Croat war and the 1991 siege of Dubrovnik is superb and details the shelling of the city and the destruction of many monuments, all of which have subsequently been rebuilt and restored. We are exhausted by 5pm and I have to have a beer....a beer and a soft drink for the lady cost £9. It's not a cheap city but it's lovely. The same 500ml bottle of beer costs 90p in the camp shop so I have 2 when we get back...
Next dawns just as bright and sunny and we have decided to walk into the city as there are interesting things to see on the way and the tomtom shows the walking route as a mere 4 kms and it takes about 45 mins and is very pleasant . As we have done the cultural / historical bit, today is just about wandering up and down the narrow streets and passages and soak in the whole thing.  I love it. 30 years ago we never saw any of this....there were no shops or restaurants....now it is wall to wall mass marketing and tourism on a huge scale but the fabric of the old town is completely unspoilt. ...nothing has been allowed to be developed so all the facades are untainted with shop signs or advertising,  those are all in the windows or doorways so as you look down the street you see the buildings as they have been for hundreds of years. Love it. Looking for a cache we discover a bar on the rocks under the city walls which has a view to die for.....people queue to get a seat, and the same beer and soft drink costs another £9.
We have lunch in excellent street of a thousand restaurants which only costs an arm and not the leg and spend hours walking around in the afternoon.
Are tired so get the bus back to campsite.....overloaded buses are a fact of life it seems, car parking is more a case of abandoning your vehicle wherever there's an inch of pavement
We feel we've done Dubrovnik,  I'd certainly return, even in a hotel.

Another view

TOP BEER STOP

This has to be my number 2 spot for enjoying a beer....thro a hole in the wall,down breakneck steps carved in rock to a bar perched in the rocks below the city wall. Pictures don't do it justice.

City Walls. DUBROVNIK

Let's do a selfie

Hmm. ...not sure about this for a lunch stop

GF on the city walls

Dubrovnik. ...Ace place

SPLIT DECISION.....DO WE LIKE IT OR NOT?

20th.September 2016

17th -19th September

The campsite is OK,  good facilities and a weird bracelet tag that entitles you to 3 (three) 7 minute  showers a day.....more are charged for at 2 kuna (8.84 to he £). However the water is v.hot and the place is spotless . We are 7km outside city (2nd largest )and the bus timetable defeats us. We could ask but decide to cycle. ......Split doesn't do bikes. No cycle paths or lanes.....and when you want to park your bike- nightmare.
So we set off from campsite armed with directions and map, both of which are either erroneous  or misleading. At least we don't have to cycle down the dual carriageway but the side roads are not bike friendly. Croatians don't like bikes and make it clear that you shouldn't be on their roads. The wide path beside the road along the beachfront seemed inviting but pedestrians string out across it to stop you passing quite deliberately and refuse to give way when walking towards you, so we go back on the narrow road where cars give you no room.....
The beachfront is sad and scrubby, not very busy and is frankly disappointing.
Eventually find town centre or the seafront harbour where the Diocletian palace dominates and things perk up. 3 huge cruise ships in the port, traffic at a standstill, very chic promenade and NOWHERE TO PARK YOUR BIKE. It took us over half an hour to find a bit of railing to chain the bikes to ...even asked the rickshaw guys where we could park and they just laughed and said Split hates bikes. Trying to walk bikes through hordes of tourists looking for a bike rack is not fun on a Sunday in Split. Eventually we spot a place and proceed on foot. The palace is fantastic, amazing that so much survives and is home to so many shops and bars. We walk around for ages......only stopping to have a beer when we have a few showers......it is hot and thunderstorms predicted arrive in the evening. With hindsight, the best thing would have been to hire a private guide for a 1 to 1 tour as I'm sure we missed a lot of detail. The thought of cycling back in the next day was depressing and as it turned out it rained a lot anyway....
Both agreed that the information office needed to do an Audio Guide for an individual  walking tour and is missing a trick by not having one. Anyway, it's a fascinating place, just not sure about the rest of it.....another victim of its own success like Venice.
Monday rained a lot after thunderstorms. When it cleared we walked into the local town along the seafront and then back to campsite for a drink on the very fine terrace the bar & restaurant has overlooking the bay. The like - dislike debate rages long into the evening and we
probably give it all a grudging thumbs up.

20th.September

Justin is in Kazakhstan.  How cool is that? Hope he gets a stamp in the passport....and if he finds a cache that a great souvenir.
We've done Split....probably not enough but Dubrovnik beckons. Decide to go down via the motorway to Ploce (where it stops suddenly, even though the signs say keep going but the concrete bollards say no)even though we know I might be expensive. ....but it saves 2 hours, is a great piece of engineering and eventually only costs 71kuna ( £9)...
After Ploce the road rejoins the Adriatic Highway, and we will return up the the highway to Split .....
The journey is now a lot slower but mor interesting.  First th rough a valley of fruit farms and roadside stalls every 100 yds selling mainly big bags of mandarins which we stop and buy along with melons and peaches.
Then we hit the coast and the scenery is stunning and the driving standards scary....no wonder it figures on the dangerous roads lists....
Next up is the Bosnian Corridor. Waved through the border posts with a languid motion from a disembodied hand so beloved by bored border protection staff throughout Europe with not even a glance at the passports the GF holds out....and so we enter Bosnia Herzegovina. ...and leave it 6 miles later in similar fashion. The whole 6 miles seems to consist of a straggling town called Neum whose sole raison d'etre apears to be to give B-H a coastline for some reason. Anyway, we're not insured from this incursion and it used be shelled regularly during the Serbo - Croat  war in the 90's.....but we emerge unscathed back into Croatia and a last 20 mile run to Dubrovnik.  Have eschewed the ACSI site 16ks outside town as it is obvious that with the mountainous terrain, cycling will not be an option, and opted for a site close to centre....the 5 day stopover takes a dive when they quote €40 a night eventually reduced to €34 for 6 nights..double the cost of the ACSI site. So we agree on 3 nights for €36....and it's not a particularly nice site, just in a great position above the Copacabana beach which is something  else....I'll try and get a picture.

We Arrive In Dubrovnik...

Along with a lot of others....

ZAGREB...NOT QUITE SO NICE

18th . September 2016

15th- 16th September

Down the motorway and through 2 toll stations without setting off any alarms or being chased.....whether or not something turns up in the post remains to be seen(just had a bill for £12.40 from the Norwegian motoways authority for tolls, but it was expected as we had had to pre register our number plate and details). It's only 120 kms to Zagreb so there in time for lunch. Pretty little campsite on Lake with excellent facilities. Had intended staying one night and doing Zagreb in the afternoon but getting into city a bit more complicated and involving 14km cycle ride in the heat or using the camp shuttle bus to rail station at 9am in the morning with return pickup at 4pm. The latter seemed far more sensible so hence we stayed 2 nights. Shuttle at 9am and shown where to buy tickets, where to return to and which train to catch to meet the shuttle bus. Very efficient as Serbo Croat is a difficult language and I haven't got past  pivo for beer yet. The 20 min ride to city centre was 23 kuna return (£3) each which seemed very reasonable.
First impressions not especially good. Horrendous graffiti everywhere and very shabby and run down buildings. There are some lovely buildings but they have been neglected. Nice looking tram system. Walk to centre where things improve somewhat but not as charming as Ljubljana. Find 4 geocaches  and a nice place for lunch.  The beer is good. Explore the markets and byways; very nice cathedral. Overall, not as grim as first impressions but I doubt we'll pass this way again. Negotiated the station and caught correct train back to where we started.
We appear to have had an invasion of mosquitos from the Ljubljana site and spent most of one night trying to fight them off....finally found a can of Raid in the local supermarket and sealed the van up after spraying half the contents around and leaving for an hour. It has seemed to do the trick but we are both suffering multiple very itchy bites and have started the second tube of bite cream..Thunderstorm overnight.

1 7th.September

Had intended stopping one night around Plitvice  using the mainly non toll roads to reach SPLIT, a drive of just over 400kms from Zagreb but having decided that we will go on to Dubrovnik it seemed sensible to get to Split, where we want to spend a few days, sooner rather than later. Consequently we took the motorway for the whole 400kms and had to pay a toll of 399 kuna,around £50. However, it saved an overnight camp and took 5hrs driving as opposed to probably 7+ so it's not so bad....and probably a better mpg on the motorway.  (Diesel is £1 a litre here).
So arrived Split 1pm, blazing hot, site at Stobrec,on the beach about 7km from centre. Very busy and vans queuing to check in. All the nice beach front pitches are filled by Germans of course, up to 3 rows back and the rest of us have to take what's left.....bit unfair as the pitches are large and back from the front are shaded by trees which is highly desirable.

Anyway, it seems OK and we can cycle to city....although it has now started raining and another thunderstorm.

LAKE BLED.....TOP SPOT,A WEIRD ENCOUNTER IN LIDL'S CARPARK & LJUBLJANA

E1 4th.September 2016

9th- 13th September
Lake Bled is a gorgeous spot, smaller than I anticipated but exceedingly pleasant. Camping Lake Bled is run by the Sava hotel group which has several prestigious establishments in the vicinity  and despite the size is run to exacting standards which have to place it high in the lists. Could  not fault the facilities (even washers and dryers were cheap for the laundry )and considering the diverse range of nationalities everything was remarkably clean. Everybody we spoke to commented on the standards.
The lake is only about 5.5 miles round and the cycle track is more a walking track at the weekend.....we first tried it on Saturday and gave up and had a beer. On Monday it was much nicer, and on Tuesday we did a 22 mile cycle route in the countryside which was a bit hard going for 'medium' but we found a great bar in the middle of nowhere that  brewed it's own beer, a pint of which was just what was needed on a bakingly hot day.  The route through small villages ands along the Sava River was scenic and an interesting insight into rural Slovenia.
We also stumbled on the Kafe Belvedere by chance, a wonderful cafe terrace overlooking the lake and where Tito entertained Heads of State. It is beautifully preserved and awesome to be in the same rooms where so many (in)famous people were and where so much must have been discussed.
The campsite boasted an excellent restaurant that we used twice......good substantial food and large portions. Can certainly recommend Bled a a holiday destination. ....prices always reasonable and some great beers with a view.

14th September
Rather than catch a bus to Ljubljana, only 48kms away but 1.5 hrs, we pick something out of Camperstop close to centre..a Motorhome Hotel stopover, and head there. Stop at Lidl's to restock, and return to van to find a bloke hopping up and down in front of the van....he turns out to be English and he was the owner of the van fom new and before us......weird coincidence or what, a thousand miles from the UK. ! Much laughter and stories whilst our ice cream melts in the trolley and he takes  picture of us all.....no I did not feel it necessary to take a picture. Even stranger, they had been staying on the same campsite as us for the last week.

On to Ljubljana avoiding motorway.....much discussion about necessity for vignettes for being over 3.5 t and paying tolls at commercial truck rates which are high....eventually decide that all motorhomes qualify for vignette rate irrespective of weight which means buying one for €15 for 7 days rather than pay the commercial tolls to Zagreb of €62 where we are going tomorrow. ...so buy vignette at garage when cycling into town.

LJUBLJANA.  Ace city. We find our hotel stopover.....many hotels have a parking area for motorhomes with full facilities,  excellent choice just 2.5 miles from centre, with excellent dedicated cycle paths. University city, very bike friendly. And it apears to be about 2 square miles  of bars and restaurants.  The old centre is quite small but perfectly formed along both banks of the narrow river. The cathedral is superb and the whole place is delightful....English is the lingua franca and there is lots of beer to be had. This is definitely a bteam city break long weekend venue which we will certainly return to, hopefully with friends..?...?
Being in possession of a vignette we shall motorway to Croatia tomorrow and see if ZAGREB is as nice.

Lake Bled from on high

Another view from a mountainside whilst searching unsuccessfully for a cache, but a great view.

Lake Bled

From the terrace of the Kafe Belvedere where Tito  used to entertain heads of state. The walls  are lined with photos from the Cold War, of Tito with all the usual suspects.  A tucked away place which we stumbled across whilst looking for a cache but must rate as a top 10 beer stop.

KinderDike nr Ablassardam

Cochem in Moselle Valley

Breakfast in Dolomites

Flooded Village..Reschen

THAT'S A BIT STEEP...HELLO SLOVENIA

9th September 2016

I had assumed that after Kotschach, it would be an easy run to Lake Bled,but we all know what assumptions do. The problem was we were in a great long valley with great high mountains either side and I thought there was a road on the map which followed the motorway. ...which we can't use without buying an Austrian Go Box and giving them permission to charge a credit card whenever they wanted with whatever they wanted. However, the Tomtom said this road no longer existed and we would have to take the Wurzen Pass. As this road was so busy, the Tomtom had to be right as no one would use it if there was an easier alternative. I looked it up in the Caravan Club book on mountain passes.....prohibited to caravans all year,minimum width 4m (we are 2.4m,mirrors folded)and constant gradient 20% or 1in5. With sinking heart I Youtubed it (there's always a biker video of every dodgy road somewhere )and it didn't look too bad. No apparent tunnels or hairpin; the gradient wasn't really apparent but the road surface circa 2013 was horrendous. In reality, the surface on the Austrian side had got worse (up) and narrower on the Slovenian side (down)
The gradient had to be seen to be believed and the automatic couldn't handle it, even in Hill Mode. Fortunately the gear box has a semi - auto mode which I've never used until today as 2 nd gear was needed most of the time up and down. The good thing was that it was only 3.6km up and 3.8km down and we didn't meet anything except cars and bikers (hundreds)although we passed several big motorhomes and a lorry or 2 after the descent which I'm very glad we hadn't met earlier. Border post at the top but the only activity was on the other side of the road checking entry into Austria.  From there a straightforward and pleasant run through a valley to Lake Bled which is berserk with holidaymakers but every bit as scenic as we hoped. Stopping at Camping Lake Bled just 2.5kms outside on Lake and cycle path.  Site seemed to be heaving but it was the last of the 12 o'clock checkouts at reception. No problem to find nice pitch and settle in for a week.....with excellent free WiFi.

ALPS TO THE DOLOMITES AVOIDING TOLLS

8th September 2016

6th.September
Drove down to FÜSSEN and into Austria, in low cloudy drizzle , which cleared after we left the long tunnel before Nassereith, and we emerged into sunshine and warmth. A nice easy day and stopped in RIED IM  OBERINNTAL, a pretty little village and nice ACSI campsite, although the addition of €2.20 tourist tax  and €3.20 garbage tax to the €17 fee seemed a bit steep.. however there was a nice supermarket to replenish beer and wine.

7th.September
Another easy drive out of Austria into Italy....amazing how the neatness and orderliness of Austria disintegrates into the messy ramshackleness of Italy within a hundred yards of crossing the border. You know immediately that you're in another country. Stopped at the hydro electric reservoir at Reschen for coffee and look at the church steeple that still pokes out of the water after the villages were flooded between 1940/50 (it took a long time to build)and from reading the displays it still causes a lot of resentment as no one was ever compensated. Over the Reschen Pass into Italy, still a wonderful scenic drive and through nils of apple orchards as you travel south and down. Since FÜSSEN  the traffic has been nose to tail both ways, not least with bikers of all descriptions but mainly of the Harley Davidson variety. Have never seen so many in such large packs. To BOLZANO, best avoided, and then took the non - toll road which ran under,over and across the A22 motorway heading back up the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck. We have to head back north for a while to pick up the route to Slovenia. We stop at CHIUSA KLAUSEN...every town and village has 2 names herd in the South Tyrol, one Italian and one Austrian and all the shops and hotels have 2 descriptions. Obviously an identity crisis but wonderful for printers and sign writers. Confuses the hell out of the tomtom. Anyway we are looking for an Aire at Chiusa, but only find the campsite. After fainting when he asks for €39.80 to stay the night, I spot a notice about  a Stellplatz ( which is listed in the 2016 Camperstop book) and raise an eyebrow. It has been moved from outside the campsite to 100 yds away by the station but  only (only!) costs €16.90....a ridiculous price but better than €39.80. So we pay the money, get a passkey and stay there...exceedingly hot weather. Walk to village as the GF demands Prosecco, which is extraordinarily pretty and upmarket.

8th . September
Hot night. Leave CHIUSA,  non toll road back into Austria at San Candid,  and again the difference in the state of the countryside,the houses,villages and roads is remarkable within a mile. Also price of diesel. ...Italy  €1.45 Austria  €1.07. The queues at the 2 stations on the Austrian side of the border were enormous for obvious reasons. Lovely drive despite being besieged by bikers like wasps buzzing around.....again the traffic is constant, no doubt due to the lack of tolls. Also lots of cyclists on the cycle tracks which criss cross the valley. Lovely views of the Dolomites. At Oberdrauberg, we turn off the 100 onto the 111 and cross the Gailbergsattel Pass and drop down to KÖTSCHACH where we stay at an excellent campsite, Alpencamp Karten.

JOYS OF THE MOSELLE......AND BICYCLE DISASTER

5th.September 2016

3rd . September

We had thought to explore the river the other way but decided that as the road downriver  to BERNKASTEL was sure to be a delight it would be best travelled on a nice sunny day and as Sunday was forecast to be raining, we should depart forthwith. Another good decision,  as it did indeed rain on Sunday, and on Saturday we had a terrific drive through wonderful scenery in glorious weather. Can thoroughly recommend the road from Koblenz to Bernkastel that follows the river as a great drive and one which we will repeat.  Lots of campsites and even more aires.
Our destination was WEHLAN,  about 4km from  Bernkastel where we found an Aire in a vineyard overlooking the river and on the cycle path.
Bernkastel is a delightful town and the first weekend in September is Wine Fest so our decision to head into town for lunch was another inspired choice. The town was en fĕte with wall to wall market stalls mainly offering large glasses of wine for ridiculously small amounts of coinage and wandering bands of musicians on every street corner. ....our biggest problem was finding a spare railing or post to chain the bikes to.
Recalling our first days at college and dredging the depths to remember the lectures of Billy Land (r.i.p.), I decided to educate the palate by sampling the variety on offer in order to better aquaint myself with the differences between äuslese,spätlese, trocken, beerentrocken,
beerentrocken äuslese, beerentrocken spätlese etc etc....unfortunately I had misjudged the size of glass being offered...a generously overfilled 20cl for 1 or 2 euro ...and by the beerentrocken I was past caring so we went for lunch at a jolly good hotel, on a terrace overlooking the main street and watched the festivities as we had a jolly good lunch and plenty of spätlese or äuslese. .....it's the sort of place that gives white wine a good name. And we spent the afternoon wobbling round the town before cycling back. Excellent day.

4th.September

As forecast, it rained. So we drove south to ULM, or 30km south actually to ILLERTISSEN.  Horrendous road works and nose to tail traffic heading north, last holiday weekend of course and everyone going home. Another good decision as we avoided all the freight lorries by driving on sunday.

5th.September

Having had a long day driving decided to have an easy day of rest.  This was yet another inspired choice. After late breakfast, planned to cycle into town and restock at Lidl only to discover that I had lost the Bosch control unit that operates the ebike. I love this bike to bits (even now) but I have always had a nagging worry that there was a lot to go wrong which could prove problematic and losing the plug in controller would be like losing an ignition key.
I think I rested it on the towbar whilst putting the bikes on the bike rack after too much äuslese and then forgot to pick it up. Anyway, whilst an ordinary ebike with with a Bosch system would still be rideable, not turning the electrics on on my bike means that the automatic gear system does not function and the gear remains on its lowest setting making forward propulsion exceedingly difficult and impossible over any distance. Fortunately,  if the system was going to go tits up, Germany was the place for it to happen.  Rang Riess & Muller who make the bike who assured me all I needed was a Bosch agent but who also had a dealer in Ulm who gave me the number for a bosch shop in Illertissen who was closed for holidays. But he spoke no english but good enough to ascertain what I had lost and had the necessary in stock.  Ulm was only 30 km away so we went hot foot, parked in a side street and not only got sorted but had a quick service and software update so that it's even better than before for a mere €110...... hey, if I was in the UK, I wouldn't have a bike to ride this month.
New arrival on the site this evening was a very pleasant couple from UK .......front tyre blow out on motorway stripped panels round wheel arch and the mirror. Bit of a mess.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN....best laid plans

3rd . Sept 2016, BURGER,  Germany

Sunday 28th August

We set  sail a week later than planned having postponed the trip to Dubrovnik with Ken & Jackie due to the sad and untimely death of our dear friend Marion who passed away on August 13th.
We both wanted to attend the funeral so put our departure  back a week only to find that Jackie's  sister was terminally ill and they would be delaying their departure as well. So we said goodbye to Marion on 26th August at a very emotional family funeral along with other friends from Conil. We re booked to sail on the 28th. and Jackie's sister having also passed away in the meantime, they would follow us on the 6th Sept having first gone to the funeral in Cornwall. So plan B was for us to meander about a bit until they could catch us up and the Moselle beckoned as an area previously unexplored and offering various attractions.
For some strange reason we had chosen to eschew the tunnel and go Harwich - Hook of Holland  again. There were good reasons for this route when going to Scandinavia, but fewer when going to Croatia, but we booked it before experiencing it because if we had, we wouldn't have booked it if you see what I mean. Anyway, they do do a good meal . It's a long crossing and takes a long time to clear the port as they only have 2 kiosks checking every passport......ho hum.
Knowing this we had picked an Aire at ALBLASSERDAM as overnight stop about 50km away which seemed about right. In fact it was inspired choice as excellent new commercial aire with all facilities on the harbour and offering enough delights to make us stay 2 nights instead of dashing off.

Monday 29th August

A lovely cycle path to KinderDike, one of the oldest examples of the polder (1738) and now a UNESCO site. 20 windmills were built to pump water to drain the land and 19 remain today. Steam and then electricity replaced the need for the  windmills in the 18-1900's but they were preserved and are a wonderful site.. all still work, and 2 are open to view as working museums, along with an excellent visitor centre explaining the concept, heritage and mechanics of water management. As the ground is 6 metres below sea level, the electric pumps are still pumping water as we speak
Having enriched our knowledge of dikes and polder (shades of 1950 O level geography), we then took the waterbus to DORDRECHT,  which was the first,and is therefore the oldest,city in Holland,  and a jolly fine one it is. In the other direction, the waterbus which is actually the P+R fast ferry, goes to ROTTERDAM, which we plan to do on our way back. It's very cheap and bikes go free. So we mooched aound Dordrecht,  an excellent day to visit as all the shops shut on Monday but worth a detour.

Tuesday 30th August

Head for somewhere but don't like the aire so pick out ANDERNACH, on the Rhine which is another good choice. Large Aire on the river bank and we find front row spot which gives great views of river traffic and has cooling breeze from river which is v.welcome in heat. Also has itinerant icecream van in evenings.

Wednesday 31st August

Received sad email fom Jackie saying Ken has problem with leg and local doctors advised not to travel abroad but return home and seek treatment.  As this now invalidates insurance as pre - existing complaint they have no choice but to abandon plans and cancel trip. We shall miss their company.
Plan C....still go down Moselle but not linger and head to BLED and then SPLIT.
Nice cycle thro local countryside.

Thursday 1st September

To BURGEN on banks of Moselle. Nice campsite, pretty villages

Friday 2nd September

Cycle to COCHEM (28 mile trip) along banks of Moselle through pretty villages.  COCHEM has fairy tale castle overlooking pretty town full of colour,flowers and tourists by the coach load. .and cruise ships. We picnic on riverbank in glorious sunshine. This is the life.....

The tunnel at Laerdal,Norway, found in the files

SUCCESS IN GERMANY. ....DELIGHT IN HOLLAND

Monday 12th July

Sunday 11th.july (unless you know that the GF went to school in Germany in1958, the next bit may not mean much)

After Saturday's debacle, I took charge, did  some research and emailed William. Consequently we were able to drive and park the van 250 yds from the remains of Prince Rupert School which are nowhere near what is not the Bunker as described on the local map, the actual bunker having been demolished last year as we had been told. Also, contrary to previous information, only one building remains, not the whole school complex. This building is in a state of disrepair and fenced. As luck would have it, a young lady (covered in bird shit ) was opening the only gate for someone as we approached so I inquired if this was in fact the site of the old PRS. It transpired that it was, was now being used by an organisation running the largest,and most successful Common Tern breeding  project in Germany and she was the director. We explained the GF'S interest and she welcomed us in and gave us the tour. She had just obtained a grant from the town to preserve & renovate the building and intended to have a museum installed to show it's history from Kriegsmarine submarine pens to BAOR  boarding school. The Tern project occupies 2 or 3 rooms, the rest look like a squat, peeling paint and 50 years of neglect. However, she was quite adamant that no one from the Ex pupils association had been in there since she started in 2009, so one up to the GF, who is not a member. The GF had her photo taken against a crumbling  background.
The Tern project was fascinating. It was a floating raft in the sea, which had been covered in rocks and shingle to provide nesting sites for Terns. They had gone front 60 pairs 10 years ago to 900 today and the project is a major research facility despite being confined to 3 bare rooms in a dilapidated ruin.. the staff are mainly volunteers doing Phds and post graduate stuff from universities all over Europe.  So it was jolly interesting.
We had had enough of Wilhelmshaven by now, so we drove to Jever so the GF could not recognise the house were her parents may or may not lived and then we went to Holland. Nice site on the coast at HARLINGEN....and the first thing we saw was Reg&V......small world.

Monday 12th July

Cycled into town, less than a mile, then cycled around it. Absolutely beautiful, full of character,old houses,canals and restaurants. I finally got treated to a slap up father's day lunch at a harbourside hotel which only cost Julian & Justin a mere €107, which the GF has paid and added to their (ever increasing) account.

We are home tomorrow,  14.15 ferry from the Hook to Harwich, so hopefully home by 9pm.

LOST DAY

Sunday 10th July ......

........has been cancelled. Don't ask me as all enquiries should be directed to my wife. End of.

THE FINAL CURTAIN.....

Saturday 9th July 2016

Thursday 7th July

A lazy day at the very pretty campsite in GVARV as our ferry from LARVIK to Denmark doesn't leave until 17.30 and it's only a 90 minute drive away. The morning is enlivened however by the Grand Final Playoff of the  Moëllky challenge between me, Big Malc and Reg at 11am.
Th draw for order of play, made by Eric, MY water carrier,  does me no favours with Malc to throw first and me to go last. Malc fluffs his first throw, Reg gets a good one and I'm hanging in there. Malc recovers, and takes an early lead, Reg holds on and I trail...but 2 good throws put me in the lead which I maintain for several rounds and only miss a winning shot on 40 by taking a 9 instead of the 10....this  leaves me needing a 1 to win, but the 1 pin is closest and isolated so must be a banker. ... Malc is on 44, Reg out of it on 37. Malc steps to the plate and flukes a 6 and is declared the winner. My supporters run up a protest flag on the basis that Reg and I should have another throw which could result in a tie at the top but the umpires are adamant that the first to 50 is the winner regardless of throws so I am second,  the first loser. Distraught.
Leave at 14.00 and arrive ferry 15.30. The ship is a high speed fast cat type and is packed.
We go straight to restaurant and get private room for 20 or so and stay there for the voyage,  just under 4 hours across the Skageragg. Excellent running buffet with amazing seafood,  cold meats, hot dishes, desserts and cheeses and all drinks included (shame I have to drive later) so we eat our way to Denmark for about £28 a head. Dock at 21.15 to find it is dark, which is a shock and we have an hour's drive AALBORG.Campsite is organised and expecting us so very efficient directions to pitches.

Friday 8th July

Day at leisure to explore AALBORG which we do by bike. Very pleasant city, especially the Music Park. When a new concert hall was built in the 1980's, someone had the bright idea to get every artist appearing there to plant a tree in the park.  Sir Stiff Pilchard planted the first, and now there are a lot. What makes it special is the speaker system in front of each tree which plays 3 tracks when the button is pressed. Artists inluding  B.B.King,Sting,MJQ,Chris Barber,Dionne  Warwick, Elton John, Joe Cocker, Lionel Hampton, Tom Jones,Status Quo, van Morrison and of course Bob Dylan. So we had a really great time ....even John Cleese and the philosophers song.
The evening was our last meal together at a restaurant on an island that can only be reached by a ferry from the campsite.  Another Scandinavian buffet which was excellent, followed by tear jerking speeches, presentations to our leaders who did a superb job and tearful farewells as everybody will depart for all points of the compass on Saturday morning.

Saturday 9th July

Leave 09.00 for Rendsberg in Germany. 4 hour motorway drive which is a relief after Norway.
Meet fellow travellers when we stop for coffee and then again for lunch but nobody else comes to aire at Rendsberg. It's been a long haul and we are not sorry that we have come to the end. It's been great fun, we've ticked the boxes we wanted to and have the stickers and t-shirts to prove it but it hasn't been easy. And everything was better for the company of D&M (especially the 12€  profit from cards).

THE END IS NEAR...OF THIS I'M CERTAIN

Wednesday 6th July 2016

Tuesday/Wednesday 5/6 July

Not many others opt to split the journey bug in hindsight it was a great decision.  We did 10 3 miles one day and 118 the next at a very lesurely pace, stopping often and had time to pick up 5 caches along the way, visit an out of the way waterfall, mooch round GOL,FLÅ and KONGSBURG where the Jazz festival was just beginning, annoy and then befriend a dutchman and cement Sino-British relationships. The waterfall was off the path and reached by a very wavery wood and wire suspension bridge over a significant drop and a raging torrent. Unfortunately no photos available. We had hoped to find a nice picnic spot on the banks of a river or fjord to camp the night but it was not to be....we are too close to civilisation. ...and we had to make do with the bus and lorry park at the rear of a hotel/shopping mall in the town of FLÅ. This became extremely entertaining as every 5 minutes a coach load of Chinese arrived for a comfort break and buying opportunity ......until they spotted the 2 motorhomes and a caravan next to us. It transpired that they had only ever seen such things on the movies and they all wanted to pose in front for a photo. They then started peering in the windows at us and poking heads through the open door. It was so funny that eventually we were giving tours, taking photos for them as they sat in the drivers seat and posing with them.  in front of the vans. There must have been 10-12 coaches, all apparently part of the same group, so we made lots of people happy.
We shared dinner chez Parker.....they did main course and wine, we did starters,desert and won another 2€ (candy from a baby).
During dinner however, an extremely large lorry/trailer combo roared into our now otherwise empty car park and after a turnaround, parked within inches of our bumpers as we were parked side by side, rears to the fence. If we had wanted to move we couldn't. ....so D and I got out to have a chat with him. He was very grumpy, said he would be parked up for 11 hours, that at least 10 more would arrive in the next hour as this was the only lorry park along this road for miles and if we were unlucky, some would be refrigerated. Seemed to think we should be in a campsite. So we calmed him down, he suggested we move round the other side of the complex to the hotel car park and nicely moved his rig so we could move. Then came round for a chat so we were all friends....except only 2 of his chums turned up, not 10. So we had a good night's sleep  and D&M even went into the hotel to avail themselves of the free WiFi.
We then had a nice run on Wednesday to GVARV which will be our last night in NORWAY as we sail to DENMARK tomorrow afternoon.

ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHAT THIS BEAR IS DOING ?

LUNCH STOP, LUSTER

4th.July, SOGNEFJELL,1440m

AS HIGH AS IT GETS IN NORWAY......

Monday 4th July 2016

Sunday 3rd July

We leave our overnight cemetery and head south. Beautiful drive through fjords and mountains including another nearly vertical face of hairpins...the road is wider so it's not so daunting. Arrive campsite at LOM which is good and nice little town/village to walk round....lovely old stave church to visit.  14 of the 22 did their own thing over the last 2 days so many experiences. We may or may not have won at cards, or may not have actually played. ...no, we had a group meal at a very nice restaurant but I got grumpy......

Monday 4th July

Drive 100 odd miles to LÆRDAL. Fantastic drive over the JOTUNHEIM massif which incorporates  the 2 highest mountains in Norway.  The road hits its high spot at 1430m where we we watch skiers on a langlalf course and see frozen lakes,glaciers and snow on the roadside higher than the van. The descent is long and steep and requires several stops for brake cooling but the views are fantastic so it's no effort. We re booked in campsite for 2 nights followed by a 220.  mile drive so many people, including us, are planning to split the journey and wild camp along the road. Makes sense. The GF wins 2€ again at cards. I'm sick of 8pm briefings so I've done a runner.....the red wine may hold out till we're back in civilisation .

ROSE CHURCH 2

INTERIOR OF ROSE CHURCH AT STORDAL

TROLLSTIGEN

TROLLSTIGEN

ATLANTIC HIGHWAY TO TROLLSTIGEN......LONELY PLANET'S BEST DRIVES

Saturday 2nd July 2016

Thursday 30th June

We decide to take the scenic option and find a route that includes the Atlantic  Highway and 2 ferries which we will have to pay for. The road out of Trondheim is excellent, not the narrow winding B road indicated by being white as opposed to red or yellow. It appears to have been upgraded last year and even the satnav doesn't show it, it's so new. The road is glorious across the top f a mountain ridge with wide sweeping curves,gentle gradients, minimal traffic and great views. Stop at KRISTIANSUND, and after much searching find a parking spot in the harbour by the bus station.  Nice lunch in a brasserie on the waterfront and then on to ANDALSNES via the A.Highway which is a stunning drive altough shorter than I had realised. Meet many from our group in various laybys. Arrive campsite which is very nice, but another long days driving mens we are both physically exhausted.  We are here 3 nights, and any activity means driving on narrow roads. Resolve not too. Am shattered.

Friday 1st.July

Don't get p till 9.30. The GF gets 2 wash tokens and sets about housekeeping,  I wash van, mend things that need mending, wash and clean the bikes.  Intend going out on bikes pm but things happen and we don't. But we have a total relaxing day in the sun pottering (small shower mid pm). Play Moelke in the evening and I win both games......my last winning shot is acclaimed as a masterpiece ....a shame that it was not filmed as it could form the basis of a training manual. D&M pull themselves together and win at cards 2 nights in succession.

Saturday 2nd July

Having resolved to spend 2 days relaxing, we decided last night to leave the group at ANDALSNES  and move on by ourselves.....in fact nearly everybody else has already gone. So we decide to do the TROLLSTIGEN and go to ALESUND wild camp somewhere. The TROLLSTIGEN is a road up the face of the mountain,(the TROLLVEGGAN at the side, is the tallest vertical rockface in Europe) ,11 hairpins,1 in 9 gradient and narrow. We leave campsite at 10.30 and drive 17 kms. The view from the bottom is daunting but we get lucky and only meet 4 cars descending. .....all the tourist coaches have just arrived at summit and are still taking photo's.  An hour later and we watched vehicles struggle up as they met convoys of coaches descending.
Meet up with D&M and after an hour visiting the viewing platforms have an excellent drive to ÅLESUND where we plan to find a waterfront quayside to park for the night. Unfortunately it is a large town, very busy on a holiday Saturday. ...2 enormous cruise liners on the jetty...and the only likely place we find has only 1 space and is charging £22. Plan B and we head south, take a ferry and find a village called VARTDAL where we park next to the cemetery for the night, overlooking the fjord and watch cruise ships depart in the rain. The GF recoups  2€ at cards.

THE ROAD TO TRONDHEIM TAKES US THROUGH HELL

Wed. 29th.June 2016

Tues 28th.June 2016

We have left the wilderness, but not the 24 hr daylight, as we we see the first dual carriageway in over 5 weeks and pass the first McDonald's.  At last I can regularly get into 6th gear.
The day dawns raining but only 120 miles and the roads improve when we hit the E6. Stop for lunch at HELL, which appears to be 6 houses, a railway station and a large out of town shopping mall - so aptly named. The station is the most photographed in Norway, but not by Norwegians who don't understand the reason. Campsite at MALVIK is close to Trondheim and on banks of fjord with gorgeous views. Norwegian schools broke for summer this week so all sites are  getting busy with families. Weather cleared pm and great (almost) sunset. Can't imagine what nightime looks like now.

Wed.29th.June

Coach trip to TRONDHEIM,  with guided tour, very good. Is Norway 3rd largest town but population is only 185000. Very pretty university city, nice cathedral which we tour with very funny guide who talk wonderfully about Norwegian love of raping and pillaging at great length. Much discussion about tomorrow's 200 mile route when it is disvovered that the scenic Atlantic Highway would be an alternative,  a road I had pencilled into my wishlist and thought we would miss. Search on Google produced a route that involved (only) 2 ferries which run every 20 mins so we are again departing from advised plan and going solo....except that 5/6 others think the same including our tour leader. Hopefully it will be a great drive.
We play cards and the GF cleans up, another 2€ in the basket and the slate is clean now and up to date.......but I feel that this is the lull before the storm and our so-far meagre winnings are about to fly home ........

THE ROAD TO HELL IS JUST A LUNCH STOP AWAY.....

CAUGHT IN THE BUSHES WITH REG.....

We were looking for a Geocache, honest....

HARD DAYS DRIVING....

Monday 27th June 2016

Lovely afternoon and evening in MOSJŒN,  we got the bikes off for the first time in ages and cycled around the town and up and down river.....very old traditional houses to be seen, and then a 10 pin bowling alley on the site was commandeered for an impromptu competition in which I signally failed to trouble the scorer.
The days drive had been arduous but Mondays was harder. We've now done 4000 miles and the roads have been difficult for the last 2-3 weeks. Sweden and Finland  had long straight boring roads through zero habitation.  These roads are winding,twisty,up and down and narrow. If there is a central yellow line, each carriageway is a minimum of 3 metres wide  otherwise there is no yellow line. There is seldom a yellow line. A Motorhome  is 2.35 m wide plus mirrors which add 0.4m, so we are 2.75m wide. There has been a lot of traffic and every other vehicle is another motorhome....passing is stressful especially  when you've just paid £500 for a mirror......and then there are the lorries.  They are big and take no prisoners....pedal to the metal and speed limits are for wimps.....and the speed limits change all the time, often with no notification except that at the town limit  it automatically goes to 60kph and 50kph in built up areas without a signpost. ...you are supposed to know this. All this means a low average speed and a tiring and stressful drive...145 miles took over 5 hours of driving today and a lot of people are saying they are feeling the strain, me included and I've got an automatic. .....and seldom been up to 6th gear..and a manual may be hell on these roads.
D&M have found a winning streak at cards and suddenly money is being demanded with menaces as though everything is hunkydory. With exceedingly  good grace I have bitten my tongue regarding non payment of past winnings and paid up 4€ over 2 nights......OK Margaret?  I've said it in public so you can gloat but we have 2 more weeks AND we are still well ahead... them fish still swim round that barrel.
A bizarre picture is circulating of 2 men in a comprising situation......unfortunately  one of them bears an uncanny resemblance to me......

BYE BYE ARCTIC CIRCLE. ..AND BYE BYE ERIC & JANICE

26th June 2016

Saturday 25th June
Up at crack of dawn and arrive ferry terminal 07.00 to find it deserted so we are first in queue for the 09.30 so we have tea and then breakfast as lots of motorhomes arrive after us. We are first on and first off a rather small  roro ferry and the 2 hour crossing for £35  saves us 100kms and is £45 cheaper than the organised 1 hour crossing ....and the drive the other side is stunningly scenic along sky blue fjords. The actual sailing to SKUTVIK  is also wonderful as we have the sunniest day for weeks. The plan was to drive to the next campsite at FAUSKE and have a shower, quick nap, refill the water etc and then head 100 kms south to spend the night at the Arctic Circle crossing where there is a large visitor centre and car park. As the campsite turned out to be a building  site , moving on was an even better option than when first mooted.

So all but 5 units headed south minus Eric & Joyce who had effectively been told to leave the group due to their disruptive behaviour.....Janice had been rude to practically everyone (even the GF on the 2nd. night, so we hardly spoke to them again) and tensions had mounted as I had alluded to earlier. No doubt there will be repercussions for the tour leaders and the organisation but there was a completely different atmosphere immediately.  We also lost another couple,  Andrew and Jackie who had to return home due to a burst water tank in their house and Peter, a guy travelling on his own.....there were issues there as well, and Janice calling him Billy No Mates to his face didn't help.....but that 's the cow she was.
So 14 vans went to 66°33' and when we had all gathered by 21.00, we set our chairs in a big ring (that I christened the Arctic Circle a to less hilarity than it deserved) and a great number of wine boxes appeared, along with a lot of spirits and a very jolly time was had in lovely sunshine till gone midnight when the shadows from the mountains turned the air chilly.
We are of course still in the arctic circle,so we have had full on 24 hour daylight for the last month and I shall be sorry to see it go. The weather for the last 2 days has been terrific and our drive today took us over a mountain pass beneath northern Norway 's highest mountain at 1916 m with a view to the 2nd and 8 th largest glaciers from the park at the top. Nice campsite at MOSJŒN but we are back to civilisation with busy family sites and Norwegians taking full advantage of the light nights.

66°33' WE WILD CAMP OVERNIGHT ON THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

.....and party til dawn

Continued......

24th June 2016

Thursday 23rd June

Excursion day by coach to explore the LOFOTEN.  Excellent weather  and superb coach driver who managed to avoid  demolishing any mirrors in extremely narrow places unlike some others.....
The Viking Museum at BORG was great. ...an original long house. And we had an interesting Q&A session with a young lady from Lithuania doing her PHD on Norse culture at Trondheim ....and a very good viking lunch of lamb stew and mead. Then ABFV (another bloody fishing  village) at NUSFJORD...spectacular setting and a drive round impossible  roads through spectacular scenery before dinner at HENNINGSVAER  at an apparently famous restaurant called
Fiskekrogen. And it was an excellent meal....cod of course as it's pretty big in these parts....and you smell it everywhere as it dries on the frames. The heads go to Nigeria to be ground into flour. There is friction in the group and no I have nothing to do with it. We just iritate D&M by winning at cards.

Friday 24th.june

So it's Out. Sad day, even though we voted out (by proxy) but I think it's correct. The straw poll last night had 27 in,13 out and 2 do t know 's which was a big surprise but a quite a few either live or have property in Europe.
So off at 07.30, breakfast at the bridge of Grimsoy and in LEKNES BY 10.00. Mirror fitted but unexpected problem with electronics for integral satnav and radio antenna which Autotrail incorporate into the offside mirror. Rewiring this was going to be labour intensive and costly so I asked for the original bits to be stripped from the old mirror and I'll Ave them sorted in the UK.  Then discovered mirror is for a LHD vehicle so it sits too far back when in locked position. Nothing I can do except wedge a bung under the arm so it sits further forward without moving when vibrating when driving......technical stuff.
And of course it set me back 5575 krona which at last month's rate was £490 and god knows what that will be today... the € hit 1.48 in the middle of Wednesday night and is dwn to 1.18 this morning.  Parity next week ?
And now we have left the tour like many others, having decided to take a different route and ferry from organised one and will meet up with them tomorrow as we cross the Arctic circle back to civilisation.  Tonight we are parked outside the Vestfjord Hotel in SVOLVAER who have a waterfront park for motorhomes and we will attempt to get the ferry to SKUTVIK in the morning without reservations  (they  only allow 40% capacity to be booked and it's full.

HIGHS AND LO(WS)FOTEN

Thursday 23rd June 2016...Referendum day...in or out

Wed.22nd.june. .....a low day
A day at leisure but we are miles from anywhere so have to drive out for fun. The obvious is to Å, a town at the very bottom of the LOFOTEN ISLANDS and a box needing ticking for some reason. The advised "60 odd miles" turned out to be exactly 100 miles each way on roads not too wide for the last 30 miles and virtually single track for the last 10, more of which anon. The weather was glorious and the scenery to die for. ..absolutely  magnificent....and if the road was better it would be the best drive ever. Plan A had been to take D&M but they decided not to at the last moment which was wise in hindsight as the journey on the sideways bench seats sans seat belts would not have been pleasant and probably dangerous. Å itself is an interesting old wooden building fishing village, reserved and maintained and still working at catching and drying cod on huge wooden frames.....there's a lot of them about. It also has a traditional bakery selling the most delicious cinnamon buns from a small wood burning oven and which are a must buy experience for which there is a long queue. The place is tourist heaven, coaches,motorhomes,backpackers and cyclists. In fact all of LOFOTEN is packed with motorhomes ,coaches,cyclists and backpackers which is how one of them took off my offside mirror on the return journey. A positive side of driving a RH drive vehicle on the right is that you know exactly how close in to the kerb you are. He came round a bend much to fast, I was nearly stationary and we both saw him coming right at us. Previously mirrors just clip and the protectors save them serious damage but this one was so close that it took the whole thing off and scattered bits 50 yards down the road....he stopped a hundred yards further on and we met picking up bits....no language in common and he wasn't conciliatory  but neither was I so we went our separate  ways.. I managed to find enough bits to cobble together so that I had an excuse for a mirror....the glass was all cracked in both parts but at least held together so I could see anything overtaking or coming up behind.  So I drove to LEKNES where I had spotted an Esso station on the way down that was cheaper than the rest and after refuelling asked the cashier if there was a Fiat garage in town....Luckily there was one 100 yds away and to cut a long story they can help. Hadn't got one in stock but had 2 on order for Thursday,  as they can get through 5 (!!!) a week in the summer...."too many motorhomes on too narrow roads". So I'm going back on Friday (50 miles each way) as Thursday is an excursion day.....tbc

Whale of a time (2)

Due to public demand, I publish some whale photos. These are from Codi who emailed them to me as my own are on the sd card and I can't download them until I have a computer rather than a tablet. They are similar to my own so I thought I would upload them so that an expectant audience could share the moment.

Wonderfull

This is the blowing bit actually. ..

....And Another

THAR SHE BLOWS......

A WHALE OF A TIME....Pass the sick bag Alice

Monday 20th . June 2016

It wasn't raining when we started but that didn't last.....and Derek 's got the bit between his teeth since bring introduced to geocaching. So he drove  us to ANDENES and we spent 2 hours finding 4 caches around the town. The last proved problematic until Martin,  a young German doing his PHD at Trondheim on hydro power turned up and helped us find it in return for clues to the one in Main Street,which was a tricky little magnetic cache under an electricity box that M found.. Anyway we got soaking wet 2 hours before we set foot on a boat.......
The forecast was for improvements but they hardly materialised and although the sea looked calm, the WhaleSafari boat (an ex trawler, fitted out for 80 punters) rocked and rolled someting rotten. I had taken 2 Stugeron and just about held my own ; the GF  didn't.
However,  on the bright side, we saw 4 sperm whales .....the 1st disappeared  before the cameras
were out of the bags but then 3 appeared over the next hour and we got very close. Thanks to the captain's experience we were warned of their impending dive so I have 3 photos of tail flukes of which I am quite proud .....not publishable until I can download them from the sd card in the camera. Box ticked. Great thrill, and even whilst feeling under the weather the GF did stagger to the rail to see the magnificent  beasts close up.. very good operation from the whale safari people who did everything possible to help and were well worth the money. Trip also included a guided tour of their museum which was most informative.  Weather improved pm and views are fantastic.

A LITTLE BIT NORTH OF NOWHERE......

Sunday 19th June 2016

Lovely weather all through Sweden when there was nothing to see and 48 hours of rain,mist and clouds when we hit the most scenic road in Norway. Sod's law. Something else to dislike about Sweden.
Arrived in GULLESFJORD in the rain and saw nothing and left in the rain. Drove north through fantastic scenery that we never saw to STAVE. At least it stopped raining early afternoon but the temperature is 5.6°....we are still well inside the arctic circle and have moved north again
The site is lovely (apart from extremely dodgy electrics when the voltage dropped as everyone arrived and turned on heaters,fridges etc which caused fridges to malfunction and control panels to sound alarms )with huge hot tubs in big mounds of earth, resembling volcanoes, but the wind is from the arctic and it would take a brave man to venture forth......but then the German who ran down to the beach and dived into the sea would probably disagree.
Saw an eagle on the drive and then a sea eagle was sitting on the rocks 100 m out from the campsite.....and we have Peter the twitcher with an enormous thing on a tripod that looks like a bazooka. ...
We are here 2 nights and we have booked to go on a whale safari on Monday. ...whale sighting guaranteed or your (not inconsiderable ) money back....the weather may improve marginally but the temperature will not increase so the GF will be utilising all her extensive cold weather wardrobe..
When playing cards tonight the incentive was that the losing family drove everybody to ANDENES to the whale  safari termial so guess who won't be driving tomorrow. ...to say that M accepted defeat graciously would not be accurate since at one point she referred to the GF as Miss CockyArse.....a strange term of endearment .......
An hour ago the weather out to sea (northwards ) was looking good but another front is moving in and big back clouds are hoving into view....the seasick pills may be needed.