World Wide Webbs

2019 Our Trip to Croatia

Sunday 9th June: UK – Catillon-sur-Sambre

We left the family gathering at Hinstock at around 12.30 before heading south on the A5 and M6 toll road, which worked well. We joined the M25 and crossed over the Thames at Dartford before travelling down the M2 through Kent to Dover.

The roads were busy but moving and we arrived in Dover about 5.20pm and got on the 6.20pm ferry. A very different feel from our usual Plymouth Roscoff crossing no waiting around just take the next available ferry which means never more than a one hour wait.

Off the boat by 8pm we drove in the gathering gloom initially on the autoroute and then on minor roads through densely wooded countryside where, near our destination Catillon-sur-Sambre, we spied a baby deer by the side of the road.

Around 11pm we stopped here and found the official Aire de Camping-Car by the canal in the centre of the village. It already had the designated three motorhomes parked up, but we squeezed into the small space left at the end of the row.

Monday 10th June: Catillon-sur-Sambre – Augsburg

Up early the next morning, we checked out the alternative Camping-Car parking area a large car park in the village which would have been fine. It had a lot more space, less picturesque but with access to the canal.

We are soon on our way across country to the motorway system around Luxembourg and Saarbrucken, crossing the Rhine at Worth and on to Stuttgart, Ulm and then Augsburg.

It rained heavily most of the way through Germany and this, together with traffic jams and cars driving at speed did not make for a pleasant journey.

At Augsburg we found a nice campsite next to a lake north of the airport.

As we sorted ourselves out a watery sun came out and reflected on the surface of the lake at the centre of the site.

Having been travelling in the van all day we went for a walk along the cycle track towards the city and back again.

Tuesday 11th June: Augsburg – Trenta

The camp site, nice as it was, was expensive as a stopover at 28€ a night. We filled up locally with diesel and some food and headed to the Julian Alps in Slovenia, having decided against the Dolomites because of the forecast of heavy rain.

The journey was grim, with on and off rain and heavy traffic. Just after Munich we left the autobahn and followed a main road on a more direct route to the Austrian border.

It took us through the lakeside holiday resort catchily named Anlegesteg der Chiemseeschifffahrt on Lake Chiemsee. Stopping there seemed incongruous to us travelling at what seemed a different scale, but the loos were welcome. The sun was forcing its way through low cloud and it was all rather pleasant.

We rejoined the motorway just before the Austrian border and managed to pick up vignettes for travel on the motorways in both Austria and Slovenia at a service area just before the border.

We stopped for lunch in a narrow mountainous valley beside the main railway line between Salzburg and Slovenia. Passing trains adding to the interest.

This totally random stop was beside a raging river with a rickety bridge where some lads from an adventure centre were rescuing some lines for tying up canoes from the torrent.

Our next stop under darkening skies was Villach where we hoped to buy a map and to explore a town Janet had visited as a schoolgirl a few years back. As we were finding a map shop thunder crashed, lightning flashed and the heavens opened, filling the streets with running water.

In a slight lull we located the shop and purchased a map and guide for the Julian Alps. On the square in a bar we had a drink before heading out of the city south through a narrow twisty pass, the Wurzenpass, and over the border into Slovenia.

From Kranjske Gora in Slovenia, we wound our way slowly up over the Vrsic Pass at 1,618 metres and then down into the Soca valley to Trenta and Triglav campsite. The camp site was working hard to be ready for the season with workmen busy around the shower blocks. In spite of this it was clean and had a nice feel.

Surrounded by mountains, and with our awning coping well with the showers of rain, we felt rather smug that we had at last arrived somewhere.

Wednesday 12th June: Trenta

A day’s mountain walking beckoned.

Accompanied by high cloud and occasional shafts of sun we walked up the valley behind the campsite, climbing steadily through lovely woodland to the col Cez Dol at 1632m to the north of Kanjavk one of the higher mountains.

The path was good and well-marked, but Janet found the climb hard going.

After lunching on the edge of the Col, where there were magnificent views of the impenetrable looking sides of the mountains and deep valleys ahead, we descended steeply into the valley that would lead us back to Trenta.

This proved a challenge as the path zig zagged steeply over loose scree for hundreds of metres before joining a track that led back along the road through the village to the camp site.
A hot shower and a Pernod were definitely the order of the day!

Thursday 13th June: Trenta

Still aching at the joints from yesterday’s exertions, we cycled up to the shop in Trenta for provisions including some delicious looking fruit tart slices. Back at the camp site we were met by an English-speaking couple who saw our registration number offered us their unused food from their holiday flat which added to the stores!

In hot sunshine we took the Soca trail south beside the river. It was pleasant and interesting passing through woods and grassland until we were routed onto a long section of tarmac main road to skirt around some nice-looking camp sites.

Eventually we returned to the river and found a spot by the water to have our lunch and a plunge in the icy water revived us.

We watched a Dipper feeding diving in and out of the water. The river was busy with walkers and fishermen sporting for trout with fly rods.

Friday 14th June: Trenta – Kog

We awoke early and by 8.30. we were climbing the twenty-six hairpin bends of the climb through the Vrsic pass.

We saw a black squirrel amongst the pine woodland as we descended and stopped at some interpretation boards half way down to view the Prisojnik massive.

The road over the pass had been built by Russian prisoners in the early twentieth century as a logging road for the people of the Trenta valley.
We then descended the twenty-four hairpin bends to Kranjska Gora and its lakeside resort.

We headed east to Bled with its castle sitting high above Lake Bled where a real culture shock awaited us as we were confronted with queues of traffic and loads of coach tours.

We did get priority parking at the castle though, right by the entrance gates, because the bikes made the van too long for a standard car parking bay. So dodging guides and their parties we paid and entered.

From the castle walls there was a stunning view of the lake, the island with its mountain backdrop. Inside we watched an interesting video of the evolution of Bled from ancient times but we were largely we were unimpressed with the building as most of the rooms seemed to be selling touristy gifts.

Back down in the town we grabbed a cup of coffee and bought some bread before journeying east around Ljubljana then north-east to Ptuj.

En route we found Grad Krumperk. Just off the motorway this abandoned boarded up castle still commanded a hilltop setting and we found a shady parking spot nearby to have some lunch.

The ancient city of Ptuj is the oldest recorded city in Slovenia and is now a spa resort with a fascinating history.

We stopped and had a look around the old city and were amazed at the width of the River Danube as it flowed through the city.

Beyong Ptuj we travelled east right to the border with Croatia where we found the Templarjevo posestvo ecological camp site that we were aiming for.

The site was at the end of a stony track with wooden statues cryptically signing the way as it was not formally allowed to sign its presence.

It was very ‘Totnes’ in style and had a note on the door with the owner’s number which we phoned. We were told to make ourselves at home and they would be back soon. Shortly afterwards a German couple arrived and then the owners who instantly invited us for a welcome local brandy or three!

It was good to talk to others and hear more about the country.

Later we cooked and ate around the fire which was lit for us. It was lovely and peaceful with an amazing wood carving of a Templar, keeping guard and thoughtful good quality home crafted facilities including a hot shower.

Saturday 15th June: Kog – Lonjo

Awoke early again and read, so relaxed that we nearly forgot that were moving on.

Walking around the site in the early morning it was disturbing to find that the actual border had bright shiny razor wire along it so you wouldn’t try to get over it. This was a response to European in migration from the east.

The wildlife on the site was special there were amazing Golden Oriels, woodpeckers, cuckoos and tits visible and a red squirrel.

We said our goodbyes and soon crossed the border into Croatia and had our passports stamped.
We headed for the Baroque City of Varaždin, where we parked in the Spar car park and shopped, before walking into the old centre.

It was amazing how the buildings suddenly changed along the road from squatter, two storey vernacular houses, plastered with decaying decoration, to a centre made up of the Baroque palaces of numerous noble families sitting side by side each other along with a town hall, churches and a romantic 15th Century castle.

Varaždin was the 18th century capital of Croatia because of its strategic importance in defending Europe against the Otterman empire.

It was destroyed by fire at the end of the 18th century and rebuilt in a baroque style that gives it an interesting character.

It was attractive and buzzing with people meeting up on a Saturday morning.

We visited the castle, a turreted structure surrounded by grassy earthen walls, inside was an exhibition of weapons, clothes, furniture, china, glass through the ages.

Wooden targets brightly painted for marksman to aim at adorned the walls of a long gallery.

As we were leaving the Castle civil guards who had marched through the town on a Saturday were finishing their guard change by firing a canon very loudly.

Every Saturday around midday there was a changing of the Purgari, the Varaždin Civil Guard.

As befits the former capital of Croatia, Varaždin has for the past two and a half centuries been watched over by the Varaždin Civil Guard, the Purgari. Austrian Empress Maria Theresa recognised the Guard by in a statute of 1750.

We walked to the cemetery on the edge of the town centre where the trees have all been topiarised to fit around the graves, allowing more light, it wasn’t very appealing.

Heading back through the centre we stopped for a nice lunch before journeying towards Zagreb.

Our next destination the Lonjsko Polje National Park was to the south. A large wetland region surrounding the River Sava, often flooded with earth banks to hold back flood waters and protect the farming areas.

The small roads were straight following the flood banks and villages lay along the side of them with an attractive mix of beautiful old wooden 2/3 storey houses, similar sized newer ones plus bungalows facing the river or occasionally an isolated oxbow lake.

We found a campsite in one of these village, Lonja, and were met by an older man in disintegrating flip flops who gave us a tour of the camp site in Croatian. After fetching some more shoes from his farmhouse next to the camp site he led us across some fields to a guest house where we gathered the camp site was run from.

In the guest house we were met by the guy in charge, who spoke excellent English, where the guests a cycling group of family and friends were enjoying sharing food and singing along to a guitar and accordion.

We were encouraged to join them and have a beer and a conversation which left them and us confused as to why we were there with them.

It was fun though and the guy in charge, the brother of the owner it transpired, was just being sociable. So after a couple of beers we went back to the camp site.

Managing to borrow a map and some other information we returned to the van where we had abandoned it in the camping field doors wide open.

It was at this point we realised that mosquitos were in abundance. So, we took to our bikes to find the park headquarters, cool down and get away from the mozzies.

It was a lovely evening with the light was fading on the water of the river, pools and lakes, and storks and herons were along the river in abundance. At one point a pine martin shuffled across the road.

We searched Krapje for the National Park Centre, but none was obvious so returned and did battle with the mozzies. We got the fire bowl out and Graham sat in the smoke cooking a very late tea while Janet sorted the van, the humidity was high and humour lacking!

Eventually we showered, ate and fell asleep listening to the calls of golden jackals, the barking of dogs in reply and coughing and snuffling of sheep in the farmyard.

Sunday 16th June: Lonjsko Polje National Park

Only a few mozzies around when we woke up so we relaxed and moved the van back onto a gravellier patch for the night ahead off the long grass.

We cycled into Krapje and found the National Park Centre which was at the far end of the village. It had information about the park and was staffed by one person.

We were the only people around, so we paid the park entrance fee and got the key for one of the bird watching towers.

The River Sava was the border between the Austro-Hungarian/Hapsburg Empire and the Turkish/ Otterman Empires between the 16th and 19th century. The bird watching towers were restored and replicated watch towers from that period.

It was extremely hot walking along the path at one point it went through some trees and the mozzies had a hay day! The towers were great as you had an excellent view over the recently re flooded ox bow lakes.

We saw night, grey, purple and squaacco herons, great white and little egrets, a little bitten, a white stork, two sorts of grebe, cormorants, ducks and, best of all, spoonbills which the area is famous for.

We walked back the long way along the road and then cycled back to the site.

A French couple our age had arrived, so we were able to communicate in broken French which was nice because usually everybody is translating themselves. We had a fire up in the covered area and cooked and ate a meal there sharing our fire with the other couple.

In the evening we cycled north along the river to Cigot and a small camp site behind a restaurant, to look at the storks famed for nesting on many of the houses there.

We got back about eight and went to the guest house and paid our fees. He thanked us with a glass of plum brady for Graham and walnut brandy for Janet.

We then went back to tidy up the site and rescue our bikes from marauding cockerels. There were quite a few mozzies and we quickly enclosed ourselves in the van listening to the sheep and cattle moving around restlessly in the farmyard.

That night the heat was broken by a series of tremendous thunderstorms high winds and torrential rain. It was dramatic with sheet and fork lightning lighting up the sky for three or four hours during the night.

When it stopped, mistakenly thinking that the mozzies would be safely out of the way, we foolishly ventured out to the toilets.

Monday 17th June: Lonjsko National Park – Plitvicka Jereza National Park

We were aware of the French couple leaving the site around 5.30am and then dozed until seven-ish. Everywhere was very wet.

We packed and were on the road by 8.30am heading north along the Sava River to Sisak where we crossed the river and drove through some flat countryside and very colourless Soviet bloc towns like Petrija and Glinka. We stopped for coffee at a barn of a restaurant where a lot of workmen were having their breakfast.

The terrain became more wooded and undulating as we turned south and stopped for lunch beside the Korana river before Slunj. From here it was a short distance to Camp Bear where we secured a nice plot overlooking the road and wooded hills.

The plots were small and by 4pm they were all full of camping cars and motorhomes of various sizes and nationalities.

Later we crossed the main road to the huge area of the Plitvica National Park Korana camp site. Amazing grounds, with access to the river, shop, bar, restaurant, so much space it was a bit awesome. How would you choose where to camp?

After a drink we returned to Bear’s meagre plot, but we were quite happy on our plot with a great view.

Tuesday 18th June: Plitvicka Jereza National Park.

One of the attractions of the Bear site was that it ran a minibus in the morning up to the Plitvicka Jereza National Park. With three other couples we took the minibus from the campsite to the park entrance. We were soon inside and following a lot of others down to Veliki Slap the tallest waterfall in Croatia.

It was drizzling and misty which made it a bit mysterious. It was spectacular especially the turquoise colour of the lakes and pools.

Leaving the masses at the waterfall we climbed steeply out of the gorge and followed it high up using the many viewpoints to look down at the lakes below.

We then took the boat across Lake Kozjak and the road train up to the highest point before zig-zagging our way down via numerous, falls, spouts, streams and lakes down to the large waterfall. It was spectacular.

We ate lunch half-way down with a family of wood mice before walking around the lake and retraced the bit we had missed to the entrance. The crowds seemed even greater attracted by the now blazing hot sunshine.

There were an awful lot of people, but the park managed the numbers well, the large tour groups and the obsession of posing for selfies only tarnished this slightly.

We chilled out evening on our laid-back site eating, drinking and planning the days ahead.

Wednesday 19th June: Plitvicka Jereza National Park – Split

Away by 8.00 on the road south. Amazing scenery first a plain or expansive steppe area, then gradually Burren like limestone scenery before ridges of limestone mountains.

Mox texted us that he was in the area in 95 and came out of the area through Knin where the Croats were advancing on the Bosnian forces.

So, we stopped in Knin by the riverside and climbed up to the fortress and had coffee in the town. The bullet holes were clearly apparent in a lot of the buildings.

Continuing on we stopped for lunch high up in the hills at Gizvodac on the roadside where we watched lots of butterflies and other colourful insects flying amongst the sparse grass.

Returning to our route we visited Klis Castle inland from Split reputedly famous for a TV series called Game of Thrones which meant nothing to us.

Camping Split in Stobrec was just to the south of the city and nicer than we anticipated.

It was well organised with large plots and easy access to an uncrowded beach and a shallow sea which we immediately took advantage of.

Thursday 20th June: Split

Swam early and then cycled into Split along the coast.

We arrived to a ferry port in chaos. Ferries at the quayside arriving and departing and vehicles and people trying to get on and off them.

We left our bikes near the port station and went to Split city centre and the Diocletian Palace.
It was fascinating as amongst it you are continually catching glimpses of different aged walls, doors, windows, arches etc. some going back to the original roman building.

Although some bits of the Diocletian’s Temple remain, much of it has been adapted for the needs of successive generations.

So, there were small temples, a cathedral, courtyards and museums mixed in with shops, restaurants etc all buzzing with tourists.

We left the palace area and walked through the Veli Varos medieval part of the city to the high point at Park Suma Marjan. Here we had extensive views along the coast and over the busy harbour below us.

Descending back into the mediaeval town we found a shady restaurant, Konoba Dobuca Ladovina, where we shared a plate of grilled mixed sea food for lunch washed down with a very nice bottle of white wine.

We wandered back through the town and cycled back under a hot sun to the camp site where we swam and relaxed.

Friday 21st June: Split to Pag

We woke early and went for a swim before departing from Split by 9.00.

We drove for an hour to the small town of Trogir where we stopped on the outskirts. and walked the short distance to the bridge that led us onto the small island. This was the historic city core of this 3rd century BC Greco-Roman town.

Strategically important to the Venetians in their battles with the Turks their influence over the island town lasted from 1st century AD to the 18th Century when Venice was defeated and absorbed into the Hapsburg empire.

The town was busy, a fortress, cathedral, old palaces all enclosed in a small area with lots of alley ways connecting them.

We strolled around and spent a happy half hour in a cloths shop whilst Janet bought herself some cool cotton clothes before we had a drink on a hot square.

Continuing we found our way onto the motorway that took us towards Zadar where we crossed over a bridge onto the island of Pag.

We stopped for lunch overawed by the arid landscape around us.

This destination is renowned for sheep’s cheese which was reputed to have a particular flavour because sheep graze almost exclusively on the wild sage which grows abundantly on the Island.

As we ventured further, we were met with bare white limestone hills, turquoise water and temps. of 34 degrees, very different.

We bought some food in the town of Pag and then travelled on to the western more vegetated side of the island and north to the Autokamp Skovrdara.

We had picked the site out as being a very simple and basic unlike the industrialised camp sites found elsewhere on the island and we weren’t disappointed.

The track leading from the single spine road running up the island, gave us no clues, but all was well.

A scruffy old olive grove with terraced areas leading down to the reception/owner’s house above a delightful rocky beach.

We were greeted warmly and picked a shady pitch with two olive trees.

Very unlike us the plot was next to a new toilet block. Happy to be here we swam in the clear sea and relaxed before cooking over the fire.

Just as the sun set on the longest day of the year, we swam again with the setting sun reflecting on the water.

Saturday 22nd June: Pag

Graham was up at 6am swam and walked up the track through the olive groves in search of the slowly rising sun, while Janet relaxed reading in the roof.

Later, on the track Graham met a tortoise slowly crossing into the scrub of the olive groves.

After a leisurely breakfast we took a picnic lunch and rode our bikes to Lun at the northern most tip of the island about 10k away.

Towards the northern end of the island beyond Lun the road ended so, we abandoned our bikes and walked over the deeply fissured white limestone rocks reminiscent of North Clare.

Finding somewhere to swim with not too many jagged rocks was challenging but eventually we did enjoy the cold clear water and saw the mountainous mainland to the east and other islands to the north and west.

It was cloudy and sultry as we cycled back.

We just managed a swim before the skies darkened and with lots of flashing and rumbling it rained for the rest of the day.

Sunday 23rd June: Pag

Although it had rained for a lot of the night the skies were blue and the air clear. We spent a leisurely time swimming and reading before walking to Jakisnica, the next village north.

Here in the Pension Ivo amongst locals we had a relaxed meal of Pag cheese, tomatoes and olives followed by plates of grilled calamari, chips and salad and some white wine.

The Pag cheese they served as a starter was very distinctive like a crumbly Ossau-Iraty sheep cheese. We never found any to buy to take with us so we must go back !

We then walked along the coast around to the little port of Jakisnica before walking back to the site. We paid our fees for the three nights which worked out roughly the same as the meal we had just eaten, which itself wasn’t expensive. A wonderful two days.

Another swim in a choppier sea and preparations for next day departure saw out a chilled day in a beautiful place.

Monday 24th June: Pag – Misurina

We swam at 6am, packed up and arrived at the ferry port at Zigljen around ten to eight for the 8.15 ferry to take us back to the mainland. It was amazing how many cars and people were there already.

The crossing to Prizna took twenty minutes and the views both ways were stunning as were those from the coastal road north twisting and turning north towards Rijeka.

At Crikvenica we stopped and bought food and petrol before leaving Croatia on the autoroute.

There were queues at the border into Slovenia but when we reached it the guards barely glanced at our passports.

By then it was lunch time, so we took a turn to the right and ate by a beautiful meadow at Starod, with lots of butterflies including marbled whites and fritillaries plus beautiful flowers.

Refreshed we travelled along the coast north of Trieste and then due north to Tolmezzo where we went east into the striking jagged mountains of the Dolomites and twisted and turned to our next site at Misurina.

We had been dreading the site as it was reviewed as being a basic site on a gravel car park with poor facilities.

It was much better than expected set in a large bowl surrounded by towering spectacular peaks that reflected the hue of the setting sun long after it had left the van.

We walked the short distance into the small town of Misurina, a delightful Tyrolean mountain resort with charming 19th century hotels overlooking a picturesque lake.

Tuesday 25th June: Misurina

The next morning after cold showers we caught the bus up to Refugio Auronzo and along with a lot of others did the famous Dolomites walk, the Tre Cime Di Lavaredo Loop.

At times it was like a noisy queue, but the views changed all the time and were amazing.

Half-way around at Refugio Locatelli we did a detour onto Sassoon Sesto a small mountain where on top there were just two lads walking through the mountains. So, we had a relatively peaceful lunch gazing at the many extraordinary different shaped peaks around us.

On returning to the site we refreshed and walked around the lake to the small touristy town to see if we could find a map, but we arrived just as the tourist office shut so photographed sections of maps on boards outside the local shops.

In the end we decided that our library copy of Short Walk in the Dolomites by Gillian Price along with the photographs was ok for our needs.

Back to the site we carried on using the fire bowl to cook on as we were concerned about how much gas we had left. There was also an issue with a slowly deflating rear nearside tyre that needed pumping up. But hey there’s always tomorrow !

Wednesday 26th June: Misurina

The erection of some structure on the road by the camp site started at 6.00. We avoided the cold showers and left after breakfast for a more remote walk.

This took us through Misurina past the tourist office and then followed a path ascending westward through trees, scree and then eventually scrambling on loose scree we made it to some broken timber steps and a platform and more steps to the Fourcella Di Popena and a ruined refuge.

The paths were all numbered and marked but this didn’t make the final ascent to the wooden platform any less scary.

The ruined refuge created a bleak atmosphere, but the warmth of the sunshine and the stunning silence made it very peaceful.

We relaxed for a couple of hours on the pass and enjoyed the amazing different views with no one else around us.

Only four other people appeared during the whole time we were on the mountains, a real contrast with the previous day.

We had lunch high up on the pass before descending through dwarf pines and criss-crossing dry scree strewn stream beds which wasn’t easy.

Eventually water flowed and we skinny dipped in the cold river before reaching the road and making our way back to Misurina where we sat by the lake and shared a carafe of prosecco.

It felt very satisfying and we enjoyed arriving back on the camp site.

We went to the local spar and got some very interesting food for tea before expressing our disappointment to the owner of the campsite about the lack of hot water. We agreed a reduced camp site fee and received abject apologies.

Thursday 27th June: Misurina – Ranchot

Up at 6.00 we rather guilty had a hot shower before leaving at 7.00am. Pumping up the rear nearside tyre was done in the car park nearby rather than subject our fellow campers to the noise.

We then drove out of the Dolomites through a very organised mountain resort area of Carbonin, Dobbiaco, west to Brassanone then north to Innsbruck through the Brenna Pass where we bought our Austrian vignette.

The River Inn flowed alongside us as we travelled westwards along the main roads to Feldkirch, Heading north we crossed the Swiss border, stopped to look at Lake Bodensee in the heat haze of 35o + and then on to Zurich which was busy with various traffic jams.

Eventually we stopped for lunch at Mumpf on the Rhine and once again we’re reminded, how wide and strong it is. We sit by the water sheltering from the very hot sun and have lunch.

On past Basel, more jams, Mulhouse and south into France, Besancon and then 15 miles beyond to the Camping D’Isle in Ranchot, arriving around 6.00 pm.

The site was amazing, between a canal and the river. The former has a cycle path and the latter swimmable. Fantastic especially as temps are still in mid 30s!

Friday 28th June: Ranchot

After a very hot night, we started the day by buying croissants at the nearby Boulangerie.

Looking at the van tyre Graham decided to change it to stop the anxiety of having to keep stopping all the way home. It revealed a rather worn nail head sticking out of the side wall of the tyre.

We then rode the twenty miles upstream to Besancon on a tarmac cycle path which fluctuated between the sides of the river and the tow path of the canal.

It was a very hot day in and there was not much shade. By the time we came in sight of the town fortifications high above we were ready to stop and were thankful for the tunnel which cut off the loop in the river and took us under the castle and into the town.

We wandered around the town for a bit before finding a small Italian restaurant where we ate large salads and drank copious glasses of water and a carafe of rose wine. The ride back seemed psychologically quicker, slightly down hill and a bit more shade.

When we got back to Ranchot we bought some food in the shop getting a gift of free fresh Basel with our tomatoes. Swam in the river and kidded ourselves it was slightly cooler but national news said temperatures in the south of France had reached 46o!

We wandered around the nearby village of Rans avoiding a rather noisy but fun Moules et Frites night at the campsite.

Saturday 29th June: Ranchot to Col du Roc’h Tredudon

Another hot night, so we packed up slowly and Graham swam, before leaving the site around 10.30 am. After some confusion about routes around Dole (which looked like an interesting town) we got ourselves onto the autoroute heading north west towards Orleans.

Here we stopped to buy wine and canned mackerel at Carrefore, where the bikes meant we couldn’t get the van into the car park..

We then continued west to Le Mans and Laval where Googled to find a restaurant, Le Instant Gourmet, which provided us with a nice meal before continuing to Col du Roc’h Tredudon.

We arrived about midnight in mist and it actually felt cold. Thankfully nobody was there so within 10 minutes we were in bed!

Sunday 30th June: Col du Roc’h Tredudon – Home

Up and away we leisurely travelled the forty-five minutes to Roscoff, boarded the boat and had a restful trip across sitting in the sun on the back deck until the Devon coast came into view.

Off first, we were back home around 5.00.pm. Time to acclimatise, put some washes on, be amazed at the garden and get used to being in this enormous space!

We both agreed we had had an amazing holiday.