Lake Garda

Sunset on Lake Garda

We have recently returned from an amazing trip down to Lake Garda. Our route took us down through the Somme and Burgundy regions of France, before spending a night nestled under the majestic Mont Blanc. It was then a trip through the famous tunnel and into the rain in Italy. Bizarrely, it was sunny one side and then chucking it down when we drove out the other side.

Thankfully this soon passed as we got closer to our destination of Peschiera Del Garda on the southern shore of Lake Garda, where the sun was out and the temperature was in the high 20s. As the week progress, it actually got hotter!

If you just wanted a lazy week in the Autumn sun then this would be a good place to pitch up. Many of our fellow motorhomers and caravanners on the site were clearly staying up for a considerable period.

Rush hour in Venice

Our site provided direct access to the lake and within a short distance we could be in the town itself, catching a boat to any one of about 10 destinations on the lake, or picking up a train to any of Italy's famous northern towns and cities.

The highlights for us had to be a bike ride across to Sirmione, just around the south shore of the lake, with the impressive Scaligera Castle. The town is also accessible by boat from Peschiera as is Garda, Bardolino, Riva del Garda and malcesine (with the cable car).

Also, Venice, Verona, Venecia, Padua and Mantua and not far away by train. In fact, you could get almost anywhere in Italy from the train station!

Dogs on motorhome tours

We have just returned from a short trip to Northern France with our Dog-Friendly France tour. We were interested to find out what the implications of travelling with pets were. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there were very few restrictions placed on pets, particularly in France, where they really are a nation of dog-lovers.

Bertangles chateau

 Obviously there are some places that dogs are not allowed, such as in the Bayeux Tapestry, but we did find that they were accepted in most other places including cathedrals, restaurants and campsite bars. Campsites in general are vets welcoming of dogs and there were locals motorhoming and caravanning with dogs.


The main things to be aware of when travelling with dogs are:
1. They must have an up-to-date pet passport.
2. They must be treated for tapeworm not less than 1 day and not more than 5 days before they re-enter the UK.
3. The pet passport must be date and time-stamped when the treatment is given.
4. You must take your pet to the pet reception centre at the dock or tunnel before you take the return crossing.

Finding a vet was not difficult and the tapeworm procedure only takes a few minutes and costs around 40 euros per dog. You also have to pay around £15-£17 each way extra on your crossing, which covers the cost of checking the dogs on the return leg of the journey.

Overall, we had a great time in France and the camaraderie among the dog-owners was excellent. We look forward to welcoming dogs on our France tous next year.

Stockholm

It's been quite a while since we last posted as we have been away for an amazing 25-day tour of Sweden. It would be no exaggeration to say that we had 23 days of glorious sunshine in that time, with the temperature up in the 20s on most days. That is perhaps not what you would expect when you around the Baltic!

Bridges across the Stockholm islands

The highlight of the trip for many of us were the days we spent in the capital, Stockholm. It is quite an unusual city in that it is spread across 14 islands connected by bridges and a flotilla of ferries and hop-on hop-off taxis. 

Despite being a popular destination, it is actually very easy to get away from the crowds, which mainly flock around the Gamla Stan (old town) and the modern shopping streets.

This is our third year in a row in Stockholm and our favourite activities are usually cycling around the network of cycle paths on the islands, or ascending the Kaknas Tower for a panoramic view.

The Opera House in Stockholm

This year, we finally got to visit the Vasa Museum housing the simply stunning Vasa ship that sank just a few minutes into its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour in 1628. Salvaged in 1961 it has been painstakingly reconstructed and claims to be over 90% original. The musuem has literally been built around the ship and contains fascinating accounts of the life and times of the ship and the people that built it.

Slovenia

River frontage in Ljubljana

Our thoughts have turned to Slovenia recently as we will be visiting in 2016 as part of our combined tour with Croatia. We particularly enjoyed our trip to the capital Ljubljana as it has the feel of a large European capital, although it is in fact relatively compact. We enjoyed just walking around the streets. squares and waterways of the city, which had a very laid-back feel.  

The buildings have a real mixture of styles of the medieval through to the Baroque and into the modern era. In that sense, it is very typical of any other European capital and also has all of the modern amenities you would expect in terms of shopping and dining.

Ljubljana Caslte

Away from the capital, Slovenia has a small stretch of coastline that extends north into Italy and south into Croatia. Inland, perhaps its most notable attractions are the cave systems of Postojna and Skocjan, which are spectacular in both length and depth.

Another notable area is around Lake Bled in the Julian Alps. This is a a bit of a tourist hotspot with its attractive island in the middle of the lake and with the town and castle nearby. Slovenia is a largely mountainous country and is very popular as a destination for outdoor pursuits.

As a final thought, if you need any other excuses to visit, Slovenia also boasts a thriving wine industry although very little of it gets exported so it's generally not available in the UK!

The Moselle

Typical half-timbered houses

So first off is it Moselle or Mosel? The basic answer is that it's 'elle' in French and 'el' in German. As far as we can see either spelling will do, with the 'lle' version usually referring to the river itself and the 'el' version referring to the wine. Flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany, at 545km it is much shorter than the Rhine. However, for many it is a much more attractive river.

The main reasons for this are the fact that it is less busy on the river itself, whereas the Rhine still has lots of trade barges. Also, the Moselle does not have the train line running all the way down the side, thus making it a bit quieter. Finally, it twists and turns a lot more than the Rhine in this area. It is also lined with castle after castle and pretty half-timbered towns.

The vines in the Moselle valley

Surprising Luxembourg City

Our favoured stretch is from German Corner at Koblenz, down to Mainz. Two of the touristy highlights are the castle at Cochem and the picturesque town of Bernkastel Kues. In fact, most of the towns on this stretch would be worth a visit, not least just to wander around the shops and take advantage of the cafes and restaurants.

There is cycle path all the way down this section and being flat in the valley, it is a haven for cyclists, with lots of places to stop off during your ride. Obviously, it is also a wine-lovers paradise and the food is typically German in the sense that it's good quality and there is always plenty of it!

We add a further dimension to our tour by following the Moselle into Luxembourg and staying just outside the city for a few days. It just adds a bit of dynamic before heading back north west through France and back to Calais.

A Taste of Provence

We have just returned from our Taste of Provence Tour. The tour includes a pleasant drive down through the Champagne and Ardeche regions before taking in a bit of everything that Provence has to offer.

Up in the Haute Provence Alps

We started with a 3-night stay at Avignon, staying on the island within view of the famous (unfinished) bridge. Avignon seemed to be a winner with everyone in the group as there is so much to see and do and plenty of great places for a meal out too.


After that we took the short drive to Aix-en-Provence with a chance to see stunning Gordes on the way. The lavender was starting to bloom and is particularly attractive around the Senanque Abbey. Aix itself is the old capital of the region and boasts some wonderful Parisians-style architecture and a massive market, full of flowers.

After that it was down to the coast where some of our guests just enjoyed the 30+ degrees sunshine, while some took the train down to Monaco to see how the other half live!

Around Sisteron

It was then up into the mountains to the Durance valley near Sisteron for a couple of days of breath-taking and stunning Alpine scenery, before starting the drive home via the Saone and Loire valleys.

16 days - 15 of which we spent in glorious sunshine to arrive home a bit tired, a bit sun-tanned and ready for the UK heatwave!

The Rhine

We have just returned from a very enjoyable fortnight's tour of the Rhine and Moselle. More the the Moselle in a later post. As for the Rhine, it stretches for over 1200km so we only did a bit of it! We travelled down what is considered to be one of the most attractive sections between Cologne and Mainz in Germany.

Camping at Rudesheim

Cologne itself is a great place to pick up the river with the option of two campsites or the aire both of which are close to the city and on the river. Cologne is a lively, cosmopolitan city most famous for its enormous cathedral. There are many other attractions to keep you busy for a few days.


From there we headed on down to Remagen, which made an ideal base for visiting Bonn, Andernach and several other towns and villages on the river. We then travelled through Koblenz past German Corner where the Rhine and Moselle meet.

Our next stop was the beautiful town of Rudesheim where we stayed on one of the best campsites we have ever been on. The toilet block was on a par with a five-star hotel! From here we were able to visit the lively city of Mainz with its mixture of old and new.

Cologne sunset

One of the problems with visiting the Rhine is knowing which side of the river to drive down. Many guests reported that the other side always looked better until they crossed the river only to think that the side they had just come from looked better! Luckily there are lots of opportunities to cross on bridges or ferries all down this stretch.

Finally a mention on the food and wine. Simply put, there is lots of it, it's relatively inexpensive and it all tastes great.