European campsites

One of the most common questions we get asked is about the quality of European campsites. There isn't an easy answer to this question as standards and quality do vary from country to country and from place to place.

Wooded site near Arnhem with private bathroom block!

We have experienced the full range in our time with some that we would go back to again and again, some that were OK and very few that we thought were completely awful. 

There are some general rules of thumb that you can apply when choosing a site:

1. Use one of the big "schemes". There are plenty available -  the main ones being ACSI or Alan Rogers. Both guarantee a certain standard. We have used both very successfully. 
2. There are several smaller schemes some of which are country-specific, such as Vekabo 'minicampings' in Holland, which are worth considering.
3. Use a 'chain'. This could be the very large holiday businesses that operate multiple sites, or independents that have grouped together. In either case they are very protective of their 'brand' and usually work hard to maintain standards.

ACSI inspected site on a lake near Dieppe

4. Go on recommendation. Use Trip Advisor or any of the the other independent review sites. If someone has taken the trouble to do a review that normally means it was particularly good or bad.
5. Be realistic in tourist hot spots. Campsites in tourist hot spots don't normally have to try too hard to fill their spaces and some get very complacent. Consider using a site a bit further away from the hotspot and travelling in by public transport.
6. City centre sites can be crowded and very urban (obviously). This might be fine, or you might choose to stay further out. We have stayed on urban sites in Stockholm, Paris, Tallinn, Budapest etc which are pretty basic with stretched facilities and lots of (sometimes noisy) young people. However these sites are slap bang in the cities so you can live with it.
7. Be aware of what 'type' of site you are staying on. For example, in France the Camping en Plain Aire or Camping a la Ferme are likely to be rural, probably fairly basic, small, privateley owned and usually fantastic little places in amazing locations.

Genuine 5-star site in Linkoping. Dedicated fully serviced
hard-standing motorhome pitches. Excellent facilities and restaurant.

8. Be wary of five star sites. Stars are often awarded arbitrarily and at best relate to the range of facilities rather than the quality. Some of the worst sites we have stayed on have been classified as five star!

A Taste of Provence

St Pauls near Cannes

Our Taste of Provence Tour has proved to be our most popular tour so far this year. In fact it is now fully booked! Thoughts have naturally turned to our last trip down to Provence, which was early Spring this year.

Provence is an incredibly varied area and perhaps this goes some way to explaining its popularity. To the west there are three towns that should not be missed: Arles, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence. They all capture the spirit of the region. Avignon is perhaps the pick of the three with its medieval walls and unfinished bridge across the Rhone.

If its medieval towns you're after you will be in the right place. The much photographed Gordes is simply stunning located on a hillside overlooking the plains in the wide valley beneath. Nearby is the highly unusual Bories Village where all the buildings are made using dry-stone walling techniques - including the roofs.

Avignon

Heading down onto the coast is famous French Riviera, which could not be much more of a contrast. Slightly chintzy perhaps but typically warm even out of season and with access to the Med. Cannes and Nice are the two main towns that lie in close proximity on this stretch.

Heading north you come into the lavender growing region. This area is also famous for producing perfumes centred around the fairly small town of Grasse.

Overall, the favourable climate, amazing varied scenery, historical cities and towns and coast, not to mention the cuisine and wine, make Provence unmissable.

The Rhine and Moselle

We have been lucky enough to find a spare fortnight to get down to the Rhine and Moselle valleys. Our main intention was to try out a few new sights for the tour next year.

Mainz sunset

Late autumn is actually a brilliant time to go as it turns out, mainly as you get such a rich variety of colours. The valleys of the Rhine and in particular the Moselle are relatively sheltered and hold on to what heat there is around. That's why they are such good areas for grapes!

There aren't that many people around in early November and the only people to to tend to see are fellow motorhomers. The Rhine and Moselle are littered with 'aires' all the way down. I would imagine that they are difficult to get onto in the season, but at this time of year you would have no trouble.

Most of the sites close at the end of October so we managed to get on a few. It's quite an odd experience being on a site on the last day before it closes.

Half timbered houses near the Rhine

Highlights of the area are the stretch from Cologne to Mainz on the Rhine and then from Koblenz to Trier on the Moselle. Koblenz is the meeting point of the Rhine and Moselle called "German corner". There are dozens of castles and small towns down the rivers, any of which are worth stopping at. Cologne, Bonn and Mainz are probably the pick of the larger places, with Bernkastel Kues and Cochen the best of the smaller towns.

We were lucky with the weather in that it was mainly dry, sunny and mild, but we can't wait to get back there in late Spring 2015.

The NEC Motorhome Show 2014

We have just come back from an absolutely fantastic week at the NEC motorhome show where we had a small stand for the first time ever. We were completely overwhelmed by the response we received as we spent the whole time talking!

We reckon that we spoke to at least 500 fellow motorhomes and shared lots of stories about motorhoming in general, specific holidays and campsites, ferry crossings, insurance, breakdowns, eating out, finding cheap diesel and fixing Thetford toilets.

Over 100,000 people visited the show and the buzz was amazing. Saturday was particularly busy with over 20,000 visitors, most of whom at least walked past our stand. People were queuing to get in about an hour before the doors even opened. We were allowed in from 8am and it is a fascinating experience to wander around before the crowds descend on the halls.

We were really happy to see many of our customers and are also pleased to welcome new customers booking this year. At the end of the show we were completely cream-crackered but had almost as much fun as we do when we are on tour.

Follow us on Facebook

In a slight diversion from our normal postings, we are using this week's post to admit that we have finally succumbed to the 21st Century and got a Facebook page. So now you can "find us on Facebook" as people say! 

We will be using it to post up lots of photographs from our trips, which might give you inspiration for a trip of your own. We will also be 'liking' things such as campsites, ferry companies, motorhome engineers and so on.

We are particularly keen on posting reviews of campsites that we use personally and as part of the business. A decent campsite really can make or break your day. In all the years we have travelled we have only had a few duff ones. Some have been exceptional and it would be good to spread the word.

So if you are already on it, please consider taking a look at it, liking us, sharing us. 

Here's the direct link:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crossings-Motorhome-Tours-Ltd/669931743103820?ref=tn_tnmn

Top 10 European Capital Cities in a motorhome

We often get asked which are our favourite cities so here's the top ten, roughly in order. The fact is that we like pretty much all of Europe's capitals so here goes anyway:

Budapest at night

Paris - we never fail to find something new to d however many times we visit Paris. We just feel drawn to the Eiffel Tower and it gives us a warm fuzzy feeling every time. Plus there are a few sites that are very easy to get to on the outskirts and you can just come in on the train.

Lisbon - although we have never been here in the van we flew in a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. It's relaxed, open and hot!

Stockholm - set on several islands on the archipelago. Packed with interesting museums and buildings yet very easy to navigate and lots of green spaces.

Surprising Zagreb

Copenhagen - lively and a bit touristy but fantastic architecture and easy to cycle around.

Ljubljana - the capital of Slovenia. Small and beautiful.


Bern - the capital of Switzerland. Also small and beautiful.

Vilnius - this one was a bit of a surprise for us as we didn't know what to expect from the capital of Lithuania. However, we found it to be much more charming than Riga and less commercial than Tallinn. Quite compact with a lovely castle on the hill overlooking the city.

Zagreb - gritty in places and not as touristy as all the others. Therefore worth visiting!

Vienna - simply overwhelming with a really handy campsite about 6 miles out on the banks of the Danube.

Copenhagen with emergency ponch

Budapest - similar feel to Vienna we thought and similarly spectacular with the added bonus of a city centre campsite about 3km out.

Wonderful Copenhagen

It's been a while since the last blog as we have just been away on our Summer In Sweden trip. We have blogged a lot about Sweden as it is one of our favourite trips. One of the additional benefits of visiting Sweden is that you pass very close to the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

View from the tower with the bridge in the background

In terms of logistics, Copenhagen is really easy to get to and there is a fantastic site called Absalon Camping, which is just off the motorway but only about 5 miles from the city. There are bus and tram stops nearby or you can cycle in on dedicated cycle paths. If you do cycle, you will find that there are hundreds of other people doing the same thing as the cycle paths criss-cross the entire city and are really well-observed i.e. you don't get people walking on them like you do in Britain.

In common with other capitals you really need a few days to get round it all, but even with just a day, you can get a really good flavour of the place. Our particular favourites are the Round Tower and the Cathedral, both of which are very close to each other, but you will find that just wandering the streets is a visual treat.

Last time we visited we searched in vain for the Little Mermaid and made a more determined effort to see it this time. We were glad of the bikes as it is a little way north of the main centre. It's only about 3 foot high and a bit of a disappointment to be honest, but that didn't stop it being the most popular attraction in the city.

Inside the Round Tower

You will hear lots of English spoken and the place does tend to fill with tourists from all over the world. Expect lots of Chinese, Japanese and Americans and if the cruise ships are in, the crowds swell even bigger. Having said that you can still find a quiet cafe or corner of a park to relax.

One final observation is the that Copenhagen is only a few miles from the Oresund Bridge that joins Denmark to Sweden. If you go up any of the towers and look east, you will see it on a clear day.

Wild camping / Aires/ Stellplatz etc

We often have conversation with fellow motorhomers and friends about the thorny issue of wild camping. They range from those motorhomers who make it a badge of honour never to stay on a campsite through to those (usually non-motorhomers) who get very agitated by big white buses spending the night "where they're not supposed to". I guess we fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

3000 metres up in the Alps

Our definition of wild camping is anywhere that isn't a campsite and for us that mainly means the aires or aire equivalents in the various countries we have visited. Germany actually have a much bigger network of what they call "stellplatz", even though it is France who are much more well-known for them.

We are not averse to parking overnight (sensibly) in other places, but we only tend to that in those countries with a 'right to roam'. Scandinavia for example is a great place for wild camping, particularly as you head further north in Norway, Sweden or Finland.

Here's a quick whizz through of the pros and cons of the aires:

Pros:

• They are often free or cheap
• You can normally empty your grey and toilet and get water (at extra cost)
• They are often in perfect spots near rivers, beaches, harbours, town centres etc
• You are free to come and go as you please at any time and there is no checking in and out
• They are perfect stop-overs for those longer driving days when all you are going to do is eat, sleep and leave.

Cons:

• They can be busy, overcrowded and cramped in high season or in popular areas
• Popular ones have started charging more making them less good value compared to sites
• You don't get showers and other campsite facilities
• Security is not as good as a campsite



Stockholm - bit crowded and expensive but handy for the city

• There can be comings and goings at all time of the day and night making them noisy.

We tend to be a bit canny using aires these days. As we often travel in low season, there are many occasions where an aire might cost you 8 euros plus another 3 to use the service point, where you could stay in a fully loaded campsite on one of the schemes for about 15 euros, or a local independent campsite for about 12 euros.

On other occasions when you have been driving all day, paying for a campsite where you won't even get the chance to use the facilities can seem to be bad value for money. We've also had some noisy nights on aires (but then we've had them on campsites too!)

A free night next to a Swedish lake

In summary, you need to pick and choose. We spent a whole holiday using aires once and by the end we really just wanted to get on a site. On the other hand, we've stayed on sites and felt that we have been overpaying for very basic facilities. Unless you keep going back to the same sites and aires over and over again, it's always going to be a bit of pot luck. 

Amiens

We often get asked to recommend good spots for short motorhome trips on the continent. The Netherlands and France are the two most obvious places for a short holiday as they are the nearest countries to us. France is probably our favourite for a short hop, although it is such a big country, that if time is limited then you are unlikely to get out of the North.

Tended plots in the Hortillonnages

Many people just fly through the northern parts of  France en route to the sunnier south. However, there are lots of interesting places to visit that are less than two hours from Calais. One of these is the surprising, compact city of Amiens. 

The city is just under 100 miles from Calais and could be reached by a gentle drive down the coast road before heading inland. There is a campsite and (commercially run) aire on the outskirts of the town but they do insist on a two-night minimum. We have used a site around 6 miles north of the city in the grounds of the Bertangles Chateau. It's a simple, clean and very pretty site with large marked pitches.

Bertangles Chateau

There are a few highlights of the city itself, although the star has to be the amazing Gothic cathedral, the largest of its type in France. Viewed from a distance, up-close or from the inside. it's awe-inspiring. Visits are free and the doors are open until 6.30pm. During the summer and autumn they light it up at night, although you do have to stay up late if you visit in June like we did.

Another highlight, just a few hundred metres from the cathedral is the Hortillonnages, an area of ancient marsh land, which has been cultivated into beautiful gardens and allotments. For about a fiver, you can float serenely around the waterways on a small boat for around 45 minutes. The sun was shining when we went and it was magical.

If you have longer for the city there is plenty more to see and do. Have a look here for a few more ideas: www.visit-amiens.com.

Holland again!

You tend to forget how nice some places are even when you visit them regularly. We have just returned from a fantastic trip to the Netherlands and despite a couple of dodgy days with the weather, we had a fantastic time.

The windmills at Kinderdijk

Travelling with customers has added a whole new dimension and even made us see some places in a new light. It is not our intention to feedback on actual tours in the blog, but rather to offer ideas of places to go and things to see, whether they are part of one of our organised tours or not. It just so happens that we had such a great time that we wanted to blog about it! If you are one of our couples and you are reading then thanks so much for making the trip so enjoyable - if felt like we were travelling with friends.

Anyway, if you have about a week or so to spend we would highly recommend the following:

• Dordrecht in the south is a beautiful and compact town with a network of canals and river frontage. The town is largely unspoilt by the war (unlike nearby Rotterdam). We were lucky as they had a steam festival on too.

  

  Surprising Maastricht

• Kinderdijk near Rotterdam is a series of 19 traditional windmills all within about 1 mile of each other. Fantastic photo opportunity if nothing else!
• The South Limburg region is under-explored. It is mainly rural and perfect for cycling. You can also visit the slightly un-Dutch city of Maastricht, which has the feel more of a French or Belgian town.
• We've probably mentioned it before the Hoge Veluwe National Park with its 1700 free white bicycles makes a great day out (even in the rain). The cafe near
  the visitor centre is superb.
• Amsterdam itself is obviously a must-see.
• Alkmaar was something brand new for us on this trip and seeing the cheese market in full swing was a real treat. The town itself has plenty to keep you interested for the afternoon after the market is finished.

  

  Amsterdam

• Delft and The Hague are very close to each other so you can do Delft in the morning and nip into The Hague on the train in the afternoon for a bit of hustle and bustle.

So that's all a bit of a whistle stop tour, but we found that our days were more than full. In fact we rarely got to bed before 11pm!

Luxembourg

Perhaps an unusual choice of destination, but Luxembourg packs quite a punch for a country of only half a million. So what do you think of when someone mentions Luxembourg?

Fairytale castle at Vianden

We had no preconceptions when we visited a couple of years ago, and to be honest we went there en route to Germany rather than as a specific trip. However, there were plenty of things there that surprised us and kept us entertained.


Luxembourg City, the capital is a relatively compact place but still has the feel of a European capital. It's easy to navigate by public transport, bike or even on foot. It's history dates back hundreds of years including a spell under Roman influence. Highlights include the castle and the old quarter and the fortifications. The city is surprisingly hilly and leafy giving plenty of opportunities to climb out and look down. There is also an incredibly well-kept American  war cemetery.

Wendy in Luxembourg City

Away from the capital, Luxembourg has a reputation for fairytale castles and forests. We visited Echternach and Vianden to scratch that particular itch, and also the Chateau de Bourscheid. Walking and cycling opportunities are in abundance here although we did find the cycling a bit challenging at times, both due to the hills and to the slightly impatient drivers!

The Moselle passes through Luxembourg and constitutes part of the wine-making territories perhaps more associated with Germany. There is a wine route in the Remich region giving you the opportunity to sample and buy.

Luxembourg City

In terms of food and drink in general, one of Luxembourg's attractions are the low taxes they put on things like alcohol, cigarettes and fuel. All of this leads to a bit of 'duty free' type tourism with some people making a specific trip through the country to stock up. It remains one of the cheapest places in Western Europe for diesel!

Provence dans le camping car

Typical Provencal Town

 Wendy's favourite film is 'One Good Year', which we own on video and have to watch every time it is on Film 4 - and that's quite a lot. It's a romantic tale of a successful city banker who inherits a vineyard in Provence from his Uncle. He is then faced with the tricky choice of either carrying on his career in the city or making wine and living in a chateau with a beautiful French woman. I think you can work out how it's going to end!

Rich in Greek and Roman history, the area now is best known for wine, lavender, unspoilt historic towns and villages, mountains, gorges, rivers and coast. It really is an area of contrasts. It's also an area of tourists so you need to pick your times and locations.

Anyway, the best part of the film is that it's set in Provence and this year we managed to do a bit of location-spotting as we travelled the length and breadth of the area. Provence covers a large area in the south east of France from the Rhone in the west across to the Italian border. It also encompasses a vast stretch of coastline onto the med, the Cote d'Azur.

The coast is inevitably busy when the sun comes out. We have been down in this area as early as April, and you can feel the season starting already. By June, the beaches are fairly packed although it's still possible to get on local campsites. The main larger cities and towns that we visited on the coast are Nice and Cannes (both chintzy and glamorous resorts) and Toulon (rich in naval history).

The Bridge at Avignon

For us though, the main attractions are inland. There are some beautiful towns the pick of which are Avignon and Aix-en-Provence. There are also some fantastic hillside towns such as St Paul's and Gordes. The latter of these was where they filmed much of 'One Good Year' so inevitably we made a trip. Nearby is an amazing medieval village called Les Bories, where all the houses are made entirely out of dry stone walls and roofs.


Provence really  makes the most of its natural resources and there are loads of opportunities to visit vineyards, lavender fields and even perfumeries (in Grasse) on top of all the gastronomic treats in the region.

Our advice is to go in Springtime so you get decent weather while missing the worst of the crowds.

Best way to visit Paris by motorhome

Arc de Triomphe

Paris is our favourite city. We sometimes make a specific trip just to go there but more often than not we try to encompass a visit on the way to or from other destinations. It's a particularly nice way to end a holiday knowing that you are going to give yourself a day in the French capital.

Our first suggestion for a site would be Camping La Belle Etoile in Melun. The town is OK but the main attraction is that the train station is around 20 mins walk or 5 mins by bike to the train station. From here you can get into Paris for around 30 euros return in about half an hour.

The site itself is on the Seine and is quite large and well laid out. It does tend to attract a few migrant workers and younger people among a fairly mixed crowd of campers, caravanners and motorhomers. It's on the Camping Cheque Scheme, which makes it a cheap option low season. It's also the right side of the city for a trip to Fontainebleau, which is easy to get to and park even in your motorhome.

Me at the near the Eiffel Tower with designer bag

We tried a new site this year, Camping Versailles run by Huttopia. This is just outside Versailles in a wood. It's 10 mins by bike to the palaces and only 5 mins walk to the train station. From here you can catch the RER, which means you can get off anywhere you like along the Seine. It's literally 20 mins by train to the Eiffel Tower.

This is not a busy line if you avoid rush hour, so we had a very relaxed trip in and out of the city, which only cost about £6 for a return. The campsite is expensive though. We went in April and the standard rate is around 30 euros a night. However, it is on the ACSI scheme, so you can get it for 18 euros. We stayed for 2 nights to allow a day around in Versailles itself and just one day in Paris. 

Inside Fountainebleau

It's a bit more tricky to get in and out of than Melun, particularly if you are trying to avoid toll roads. The approach is a bit narrow too. However, this has now become our favoured campsite for Paris and we will be heading back there as soon as we can.

Northern Italy motorhome - including Venice!

We have just come back from a whistle-stop trip down through France to Italy and back. Why? Well mainly to get to Venice. Venice is one of those places that we never thought we would visit, maybe because it's so touristy and expensive. 

Wendy in St Marks' Square, Venice

However, having had a look at the map, although it's on the other side of Italy, it is northern and Italy is so narrow that it's much nearer than we first thought. Add to that, the excellent cheap and reliable Italian train system meant that we were able to drive less and use the trains more than we would in other European countries.

The route we took was down through France using the aires. We over-nighted at the medieval walled city of Provins on night 1 and then onto Suerre on another free aire on the banks of the Saone. Day 3 of driving got us down near the Italian border ready for a crossing via the Mont Blanc tunnel.

A one-way ticket costs around 50 euros (75 for a return). You can queue for ages here but at this time of year we sailed through. Entry to the tunnel is strictly controlled for safety purposes to minimise the amount of traffic in the 11km tunnel at any one time. You also have to keep a 150m gapo between you and the car in front.

You are well into (and under) the Alps by now and having been stuck in them even in May due to the passes still be closed, we were happy to pay the toll charges to stay on the motorway that cuts a lower straighter path. Italian tolls are actually very reasonable.

Gondolas on the Grand Canal

After a night in an Alpine campsite where we were the only ones on, we headed for Lake Garda. There are loads of options for visits around here including Milan, Turin and Verona. We opted for the smaller but much raved about Verona, which we found to be compact enough to have a comfortable day seeing the sights.

The site we stayed on was called Butterfly and was on the very bottom of the lake. We highly recommend it not least for the excellent staff. The site is around 300 metres to the local train station from where we were able to travel the 125km into Venice for just ten euros each (and the same to get back).

Venice has to be seen to be believed. It is like stepping into a movie set. It is just like you see on the TV or in a film. Hundreds of narrow canals, gondalas vying for position with water taxis, delivery boats and tourist boats. It's busy, noisy, crowded and expensive. However, it's also possible to find yourself a quiet corner and cheap(ish) cafe if you look hard enough.

The Rialto Bridge

The highlights are St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge, but to be honest, the main attraction is just wandering the narrow paths around the canals and watching the world go by. We were completely exhausted after wandering around for about 7 hours. In all that time we didn't actually go in anywhere as we wanted to see as much of the city as we could and the weather was about 20 degrees (not bad for the end of March).

You could happily spend 4 or 5 days here if you had the budget and wanted to take advantage of the various museums and other attractions. We were happy with the one day though as we felt we really got a taste of the city as a whole.

Last day of the holiday

It's an age-old problem - what to do with the last day of your holiday. There are two approaches really. 
1. Stay as long as possible in your location and then bomb back to the ferry port in a mild state of panic.
2. Get back to the port really early and have half a day to kill.

Hardelot Plage

We've tried both and have come down on the side of number 2. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that we tend to use the P&O Dover-Calais crossing as it is such good value and very reliable. Depending on how busy they are, if you turn up early at the port, they will often let you on to an earlier crossing without having to pay extra. So if you are really not in the mood for killing time, try your luck!

The second reason, is that there are so many interesting places to visit that are within an hour or two of Calais, that you can happily spend half a day. We have ended up getting to know the coastline of northern France really well simply because we have the time to explore it on the last day of the holiday.

Le Touquet

Starting at the bay of the Somme and working your way north, there are dozens of coastal towns and fishing villages that are worth a visit. Obviously these get busy in the summer months and you will find that parking is restricted in the towns themselves. Out of season, it's fantastic! 

The following is a list of places that we have happily spent a few hours:

Cayeux sur Mer: Lovely little holiday town with long pebble beach and hundreds of beach huts.
Le Crotoy: Smack bang on the Somme Bay so ideal for walking on the sands, bird and seal watching.
Fort Mahon Plage: Large sandy beach and dunes.
Berck: Feels like an English Victorian seaside resort with massive nineteenth century houses and long sandy beach.
Le Touquet: the favoured coastal resort for rich Parisians in its heyday. Lots of expensive shops. Very popular and you will have to park out of town even in low season.

Calais Town Hall

Boulogne: Perhaps a little bit more pleasant than Calais now that the ferries have stopped running. UNESCO listed belfry and also a castle. Also has Nausicaa the national sea centre. 
Europe City: If you like duty-free shopping and want to do lots of it, then this is your best bet. It's basically a big out-of-town shopping centre. There is dedicated motorhome parking.
Calais: Often overlooked, there are actually some nice bits of Calais!The sea front is the main attraction but there are also some interesting museums. At the right time of year, the flowers at the town hall gardens are amazing.

France and Flanders - The Great War commemorations

The memorial at Amiens

Having just finished watching the excellent BBC1 series on the Great War with Jeremy Paxman, our thoughts turned to the touring we did late last year in Northern France and the Flanders region.

We have always found it quite difficult on our travels when we visit areas that have been the scene of serious fighting. On the one hand, there we are on our holidays enjoying ourselves, while at the same time we are treading the same ground as millions of people who lost their lives in battle. 

This is obviously the the case all over Northern France for both world wars and we have experienced similar unease travelling in the Balkans where the evidence of the fighting in the early 1990s is still evident from the bullet-strewn houses.

Reminders of more ancient history near Azincourt

The memorial at Grand Fort Phillipe

Our conclusion to this, particularly with the world war sites is that all those millions of people that fought and died are the reason that we are now free to wander around Europe. Without their sacrifice the shape of Europe would undoubtedly be completely different. In a sense, we should really celebrate the fact that we have these freedoms. We have also found that when you realise the hardship that our very young people went through in the wars, it really puts any problems you might have yourself into perspective.

It was in this spirit that we toured the areas that saw some of the heaviest fighting in the Great War. There are some fantastic commemorations to the war in this area. There is a lot to take in around this area and rather than try to list them all here, try: http://about-france.com/tourism/great-war-france.htm if you want some ideas of where to visit.

We found the museum at  Peronne to be particularly interesting and thought-provoking. Perhaps the most poignant places to visit though are the numerous war cemeteries, some dedicated to the British and others to specific allied countries. You will even find some German and Russian ones. You can get a map of all of these from any of the tourist information centres. 

Burstner 625T Harmony

In a slight deviation from the usual topics on the blog (i.e. travel), this week's installment is going to be purely about our new van, which we took delivery of this Friday.

We really like the low profile cab

Since we started motorhoming in 2009, we have had the same van, a left hand drive 1997 Hymer Camp, which we bought from Ikonik Campers near Hull. That van has been an absolute legend for us as we covered somewhere around 45,000 miles in it, rarely having to spend anything on it apart from the usual (tyres, batteries etc). We have only really changed vans now as we wanted something newer and with lower miles for the business.

Wendy actually cried as Jon and family (the new owners) took it off our drive last weekend. However, the tears were short-lived as we were only six days with a motorhome-shaped hole on our drive. We bought the new van privately off eBay from a lovely couple in Wakefield.

The van is a Burstner T625 Harmony. The best advice we were given when we started was to 'go German' and this seemed to have served us well. The build quality is on a par with the Hymer and we particularly like the layout of this one. It has captain's chairs up front, which we did not have before, which give you a lot more room and have the effect of moving the living area a metre forwards. In addition there are another four seats, two behind the table and two perpendicular.

Lots of space even with a fixed bed

Behind that you have the L-shaped kitchen that Burstner seem to have on most of their models. This gives lots of preparation area and means that whoever isn't cooking can move around the van without getting in the chef's way. This model also has a full-sized fridge and a proper oven. We made do with a microwave for four years, but are looking forward to being able to cook properly.

Behind that is a French fixed bed and a toilet with separate shower area. We are not sure about the bed yet as we will have to see how we get on with the cut-away at the end of it. The shower room will be a treat as it means we can both be in the bathroom at the same time.

On the mechanical and technical side, the van is fully loaded. It's a Fiat 2.8 diesel, which has an excellent reputation. We had done 115,000 miles on our old 2.5TDi and that still had tens of thousands of miles left in it. This engine is bigger and smoother and has only just done 50,000 miles.

Right hand drive might take some getting used to

It has had the Gaslow (refillable) system fitted, which we be a real benefit as we tend to stay away for long periods. It also has an up-rated Truman 6e boiler, which will work on electricity as well as gas. That will save us a considerable amount of gas when we are hooked up. There are also two solar panels which need re-instating. All in all, it will allow us to operate very effectively wherever we park the van. There is even a transformer that will give 240v even when we are not hooked up!

On the back we have a motorcycle rack in addition to the bike rack, so we are now in the market for a 125cc scooter, which will give us a bit more flexibility when we are on-site and don't fancy taking the van out or cycling.

Overall we are very happy with the van. Burstner do seem to put a bit more effort into the design, layout and styling of their vans compared to Hymers of a similar age. Obviously time will tell as to whether the Burstner proves to be as lovable a van as our old Hymer. First impressions though are really good and we just can't wait to get it across the channel.

Scandinavian Crime Drama in a Motorhome!

Ystad Train Station

There has been a bit of a trend over the last five years or so towards Scandinavian crime dramas. They are not for everyone, but we have found that people who do like them - really like them. We fall into this category as we have had an unhealthy obsession with two in particular: "The Bridge" and "Wallander".  

The Theatre in Ystad

You might wonder why this might be the topic for a motorhoming blog. Well the answer to that is that in the same way that many tourists want to visit Downton Abbey, we really wanted to go to the places where they filmed these two Swedish dramas.

"The Bridge" in fact is a Danish/Swedish production. The first series started with a dead body that was found  on the Oresund Bridge exactly half way between Denmark and Sweden. This necessitated the involvement therefore of detectives from both countries and lots of situations that played on the different national characteristics of the two countries. The second series started with a boat full of dead people crashing into the Oresund Bridge, so you get the idea.

It's dark stuff - sometimes referred to as Nordic Noir but if you get into it, it's completely absorbing. It's set mainly in the cities of Copenhagen and Malmo and as we watch it, we are able to pinpoint a few places we have been on our travels.

On "The Bridge".

Perhaps better for scene spotting is 'Wallander'. This is set mainly in the southern Swedish port of Ystad, but the story-lines also make use of an extensive area of neighbouring coast and countryside. There are three versions of Wallander - two Swedish and one English. The English one is our favourite with Wallander being played by Sir Kenny Branagh. They have only made a handful of these and (sadly) we watch them over and over again.

If you visit Ystad, you can get a tourist map highlighting many of the locations used in all three versions. Ystad even boasts its own film studio that you can tour around, where they film part of Wallander and other Swedish crime dramas.

If you are a real fan, you can go to Valdemarsvik, which is on the east coast south of Stockholm and take the post boat past the home of Wallander's creator, Henning Mankell. The man that drives the post boat actually went to school with him!

Valdemarsvik Harbour

So that's all a bit sad we realise but it does add a new dimension to our trips. There are a whole bunch of other thrillers that we haven't even got into yet including: The Killing, Borgen, Arne Dahl and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. But in common with most of our motorhome trips, every one we go one leads to another three we'd like to do.

The Gulf of Bothnia

A real life mousse. The only one we saw on our trip, but a real treat.

Continuing the Scandinavian theme, we thought it was worth looking a little bit more at the Gulf of Bothnia. Looking at the map of Sweden and Finland, this is the large bay shaped part right at the top of the Baltic Sea. It's quite an unusual area as it doesn't have any stand-out tourist attractions. However, it does have it's very own charm and if you are doing either a Scandinavian or Baltic Tour, you are going to pass round it anyway!

We passed around the gulf late August, early September and the first thing we noticed was just how quiet it is in this part of the country. The northern parts of Sweden and Finland are less densely populated than the south and it seems that a lot of Swedes and Fins will gravitate south anyway for their holidays, leaving this area ghostly quiet.

Wendy on the beach on the Gulf of Bothnia.

Weather-wise it's not going to be spectacular in terms of the heat as you are quite a long way north here. You are not that far from the Arctic Circle. However, we were comfortable in jeans and jumpers, which is not bad for the time of the year.

The main attraction here is the gulf and the bay itself. The area is characterised by flat countryside and forest, interspersed with small towns. Many of the houses are wooden and there are lots of beach-type houses too.
The bay itself is flat with sandy beaches giving way to silty and muddy areas as you get nearer the sea. When we were there the water was very calm and we can't imagine it ever getting bad given its position right at the top of the Baltic Sea. Walking and cycling are the main attractions here and being Scandinavia, it is very geared up towards both with clearly marked walking and cycle paths.

Beautifully kept service lay-bys. Great for free overnight stops.

The main city on the Swedish side is Lulea. It is a university city so quite lively and is best described as typically Swedish. It is laid out in a grid system with plenty of modern architecture in amongst the more traditional buildings. It felt very much like a frontier town as it is the only bit of real urban civilisation for quite some distance.

Round on the Finnish side the largest conurbation is the city of Oulu, which in fact is the fifith largest in the country. It has all the sight you would expect of a large city including cathedral, city hall and a rnage of museums. It has embraced hi-tech and many people work in the industry.

A typcal wooden church in Finland

In terms of staying there are loads of campsites all the way round the gulf, including sites near the main cities. We used the ACSI CD for many of our sites but mainly just took our chances. This involved some excellent local sites, which we just found by chance. Many had saunas, some of which were included as part of the price.

Language can be more of a problem as fewer people speak English up north. Having said that, if you turn up at a campsite in a motorhome, it is pretty easy for them to understand what you are after!

Sweden and Finland have also embraced the free camping notion, with the 'right to roam'. This means that you are OK in service lay-bys (which are nothing like the ones in the UK), car parks, aires, harbours or any quiet spot away from houses. Many of the hotels and motels also had full camping facilities or parking areas with access to the facilities for only a few pounds a night.

A close encounter with Rudolph on a forest walk.

The Gulf of Bothnia is probably not a place you might head for in its own right, but it is well worth slowing down a bit as you pass round on your Scandinavian or Baltic Tour.