Our Italian adventure

Day 62 – The last post

Kind of an appropriate title on remembrance Sunday don’t you think…..

A reasonable night’s sleep, despite an owl hooting above our heads at stupid o’clock in the morning.

When we woke it was damp, not lashing down but certainly not dry, and so we donned the wellies and took the dogs out for a run with the balls. We had breakfast and set off on our journey westward. Our original plan was to stop half way for a dog walk, but the weather was pants and the dogs have had a good workout, so we abandoned that idea and had a short break for a coffee.

The journey was drab, but uneventful, and we finally got home around 1pm

Iryna, Sasha and Juliia (our Ukrainian house guests / extended family) gave us a lovely welcome, but I think they were more excited to see Alfie and Callie 🤣

We wandered over to the local pub, for a fabulous, traditional Sunday roast lunch, washed down with a pint of Butcombe, caught up with some of the locals, and put off the dreaded task of emptying Dizzy, washing, sorting out mail and parcels etc.

Two issues when I did finally find my way back…..

The Toyota wouldn’t start (flat battery). Now normally this wouldn’t be an issue , pop the bonnet, attached the charger and away we go, but our Toyota is a hybrid, and the starter battery is in the boot / hatchback. But being fancy, the only way to open the boot is via a button, which is as much use as a chocolate teapot if the battery is flat…. I scrawled over the back and managed to get to the battery…. Let’s hope it is ok in the morning.

So, having sorted that out I went to get the bikes off the bike rack to put in the garage. Being electric bikes, we do lock them on to the bike rack, and when I went to unlock them, the key snapped off in the lock….. Out with the angle grinder then.

Our trip has been fabulous, but it is always nice to come home, see friends, and get back into a routine.

There were so many highlights of our trip for different reasons, it is very difficult to pick out a few, but I’ll have a go with some of my favourite images.

Beautiful villages on the French / Swiss border

Being on the water with these 2 goons as company

Raw nature… It makes us appreciate how small we are in the world

Mountains, clear blue skies and open spaces

Breath taking autumn colours in the mountains

I’d like to thank everyone for the lovely comments received, they really mean a lot, with a special thanks to my wonderful wife and traveling companion for her support and companionship.

As with previous blogs, they aren’t intended to be boastful. I know many of you guys have been traveling, and have seen these places, but for those of you that haven’t, maybe it will inspire you to go visit somewhere off the beaten track, irrespective of the distance or duration.

We have worked really hard, and we are determined to enjoy the twilight years whilst we are fit and able enough.

Be kind to others. Hugs and love to you all x

Day 61 – Rozoy-sur-Serre (FR) to Evington (UK)

Bloody cockerel….. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we had a lovely quiet Aire in a very small village. Unfortunately, there were 2 cockerels that decided to have a ‘crow off’ at 4.00, 4.30, 5.00 etc

We showered, hunted high and low for clean underwear and took the dogs out for a walk.

We set off on our drive which was pleasant enough

Lots of communities respecting Armistice Day

It could be a slow journey through this village

We also passed by some lovely rural buildings

We stopped off for a coffee and eventually got to Plage du petit Fort Philippe, where we walked the dogs.

Ships in the channel. Seems strange that we will be over the other side shortly

We headed off to the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais, scanned the dogs and waited for the train across

I must admit, driving on the left, and going clockwise around my first UK roundabout was daunting, but we only had a short journey to our overnight stop at an English pub.

We have loved traveling around Europe, and have had some lovely food, but the UK has an amazing variety of different types of food, and we really enjoyed our dinner this evening, not to mention my first pint of Guinness in 2 months.

Steak and ale pie, with gravy and vegetables….. Fish and chips…. Lovely Jubly

Our food was delicious, and we waddled back to Dizzy feeling very full. Time to snooze with the woofers. Last leg tomorrow x

Day 60 – Chamblis to Rozoy-sur-Serre

We awoke after a reasonable night, some rain battered the roof but not too bad. I took the woofers out for a wander whilst Denise showered in Dizzy.

Soggy tootseys sorted, hungry hounds fed, it was time for a shower, and breakfast before setting off on today’s leg northwards.

Not so many photos today as we have shared loads of open countryside shots and autumn trees.

The weather this morning was pleasant. We stopped off at the services and had a coffee.

After about a 3 hour drive we arrived at our stop, and walked the dogs down a path that looked strangely familiar

A quick check of the phone confirmed that we had stopped here before, on the second night of our trip 🤣🤣.

We gave the dogs a good walk off lead, which should have been a circular route but turned into a there and back walk.

We arrived back at Dizzy and used the shower on the outside of the van to hoze down 2 mucky mutts, and got inside just before a heavy rain storm.

We chilled for a while, and Alfie ‘HELPED’ Denise with an impossible-killer sudoku.

‘Mama – finks we’ze should stopped da game now and do da cuddle Alfie fing!’

It seems really strange that this is our last night in France. We have an overnight pub stop scheduled outside of Folkstone tomorrow evening after our Eurotunnel crossing.

Day 59 – Vinzelles to Chamblis

A very quiet night, briefly interrupted by a heavy rain storm battering Dizzy’s roof at stupid o’clock in the morning.

We had set the alarm because of the vet appointment, but we were awake and up before it. We walked the dogs and set off.

The vet in Macon was lovely and spoke excellent English to us (The dogs deemed to understand French).

The vet took a look at Alfie’s ear (as he has been scratching it more than normal over the last few days), and discovered that he had an ear infection, so after a clean, he was given a course of antibiotics.

We left the vet, with rain lashing down, and made our way to the motorway. The journey today was very different to the gorgeous scenery of the last few days, especially on a dull, rain soaked motorway, with huge amounts of spray. After an hour or so we stopped off at a service station and got a coffee and croissant. The weather had thankfully improved.

Thankfully the rain eased and the trees were looking splendid.

We decided to just get to our overnight stop in Chablis, and have a wander around there rather than stopping en-route.

The French version of the sycamore tree???

We arrived at Chablis just before lunchtime and then went for a wander, after finally working out how to get into the camping-car site (It’s been a while since we used them).

There’s a lovely river where we are camping

War memorial – appropriate as we approach Armistice Day

We found a nice bistro open and went in for a coffee, but then got tempted by the menu so had lunch. Denise had Croque Monsieur with a cappuccino and I had sausage (but it sounded a lot flasher than that 🤣) with chips and salad and a glass of Chamblis classique (I didn’t think ordering a pinot grigio would go down too well🤣).

Lunch done, and we headed back to Dizzy. Well, Denise and the dogs did. I saw a sign that advertised free wine tasting 😁

“Fanks for da winey Papa….. But I not alowdid to drink cos of da medicine for my ear”

We got back to Dizzy and had a cup of tea, just before the next heavy rain storm hit.

Denise finished off one of her embroidery projects and then we lost power to the motorhome.

After a while on the phone to the Camping-car support team, it was clear that we wouldn’t be getting it resolved, and then I got cut off! Time for an email, one thinks….

One of the downsides of traveling at this time of year is it gets dark by 5pm. With that, and the weather, it looks like another evening in Dizzy.

Now where did I put that corkscrew……

Hugs everyone x

Day 58 – La Mure to Vinzelles

Not the greatest sleep last night, lots of noise from the road, but hey-ho.

We awoke to a beautiful morning, but the temperature was 30 degrees colder than a few weeks ago, when we reported waking up to 28c.

A very hard frost last night and still below freezing this morning.

After showers, dog walk, breakfast and tank duties we were back on the road (well after a short delay whilst we tried to work out how to get the barrier up in the car park 🤣).

The first part of the journey was pretty much like the photos from yesterday and so we will spare you from sharing similar.

As we dropped down the hill towards Vizille, the valley was full of thick, white cloud which looked amazing from above. The following couple of pictures do not do it justice, but it was impossible to stop to get good photos

Fortunately for us, Aunty Google picked up on an accident further up the road and offered us a diversion which we tentatively accepted. It turned out to be a very good decision as the motorway was closed in both directions at the scene of the accident.

When we got back on the northbound carriageway the queues going south were horrendous.

Traffic waiting to get off the motorway went on for miles

We drove through Macon to suss out parking near the vets we have booked tomorrow morning, for the dogs checks, worming treatment and passport stamp, before finding our overnight stop in a little village 15 minutes away, in Vinzelles.

After parking up we headed off for a walk with the 4 legged children to see what we could find.

The church at Vinzelles. Hopefully, the bells won’t ring too early tomorrow. 🤣

We found an old chateau with a lovely well outside

View from the back of the chateau – more vines

“Papa – Dares tonnes of viney trees…. Dat could keep youz in wine for at least a weekz”. Sometimes I wonder why I brought the dogs…. So rude!!

Another view of the front….. More information about the chateau can be got from https://chateaudevinzelles.fr/etape-7/

We continued our little walk around the village, taking in the views

Might be missing a bell or 2 in the morning…. Just saying,…..

When we are at home, Denise always has a bath prior to going to bed, and so, being the thoughtful husband that I am, looked out for a bath close by, as obviously there isn’t one in Dizzy.

Apparently, this wasn’t suitable for Mrs L…..No pleasing some people

We returned to Dizzy and sat outside for a while, but soon retired into Dizzy, and the warm.

A quiet night in this evening, and a relatively early morning tomorrow taking the dogs into the vets. Hope you are all well. Lots of love x

Day 57 – Forcalquier to La Mure

A quiet night, and we awoke to a beautiful day, the sun shining but a winter nip in the air.

We walked the dogs up the hill at the back of the Aire again, and Alfie managed to lose his ball.

We headed into town for some bread, but on the way found a cafe so stopped off for a coffee and croissant breakfast.

After much deliberation last night, we tweaked our route today to reduce time on the road and avoid the smaller roads our book suggested, choosing the A51 for the first part.

OK, it was a toll road, but what we spent on the toll we saved in time and fuel.

To be quite honest this route has given us another dilemma, namely, what photos to leave out. The scenery was stunning. Here is a sample of some of the photos taken. I hope you like them.

11.13 Heading into cloud at Entrepierres

11.40 Tallard – One of the many parachutes

12.31 Dizzy at Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur

We arrived at La Mure, had a light lunch and played with the dogs. We then headed into town to have a wander.

Denise got her hair cut whilst I wandered around the town a bit more with the dogs and then went for a coffee.

The sun was just setting when we went back to Dizzy. The sky was truly amazing and the photos do not do it justice.

View of the sunset over the mountains at La Mure

View of the sunset over the mountains at La Mure with Alfie and Callie

A lovely day, and one of the most amazing journeys we have experienced.

I finally managed to get this post complete, after a lot of frustrating glitches with wordpress. Time for a glass of wine or 10 I think

Day 56 – Istres to Forcalquier.

After a quiet night, we had a rude, early, and noisy alarm thanks to the recycling guys.

We walked the dogs by the lake again, giving them a good run with the balls, before the normal motorhome morning duties and calling some vets to try to get an appointment for the dogs worming treatment and EU passport stamp for the UK re-entry.

Came across a black swan on our walk this morning.

We left the site with a plan, which had changed from our original plan of going West to the Viaduc de Millau (which will now be done on another trip).

Our first stop was Avignon, well that was our intention.

We found a parking place, but there were no Motorhome’ signs everywhere and it was raining. All the other car parks we saw had height barriers.

I understand that cities don’t want to have people setting up home in tourism hotspots, but surely if the sign said No motorhomes between 8pm & 8am tourists would be able to spend time and money boosting their local economy?

Well, it was raining and the lacking of parking put us off stopping there, and so we continued eastwards, following a route along the D900, as suggested by our roadmap.

The scenery was stunning, especially at this time of year with the trees changing colour.

We finally got to our overnight stop in Forcalquier, and walked the dogs off lead in some woods close to the Aire, and then headed around the village.

Red sky at night……. Let’s hope those Shepard’s are right

Day 55 – Brusc to Istres

Another quiet night, and we awoke to sunny skies, albeit a tad windy. We wore the woofers out playing ball in the car park, showered, had breakfast and sorted tanks.

Our journey today took us away from the beautiful coast of southern France, but we managed to get a few more coastline scenes enroute.

Really rough seas that surfers were enjoying

Although we always had intended to stop, we found parking a challenge today. It seems that when the sun shines on a Sunday, it is obligatory to either put on lycra and cycle or go to the coast.

We got to the Aire we had selected for tonight’s stop over around midday but that worked out great.

It was right on a lakeside, with a lovely path alongside, and so we walked the dogs.

“Wot youz mean Papa? We’ze nose dares no Dinosouries… We’ze not fick as youze fink!”

“Papa – Dis Gorilla gets his clothes from da same shoppy as youz 🤣🤣”. Sometimes these dogs can be very rude!

We had a very pleasant walk with the dogs, and then headed up into the village, where we had lunch al-fresco in November!! It was really warm.

We headed back to Dizzy and read in the sunshine. A very pleasant day.

Time to work out tomorrow’s route northwards…. It doesn’t seem possible that this time next week we’ll be home.

PS – My spelling isn’t the best, and so my lovely wife checks these posts, bless her. This evening, there was much doggy excitement when she read out the word ball 🤣🤣🤣. Calm has now been restored……

Day 54 – Sainte Maxime to Brusc

Although we were close to a busy road, we didn’t have a bad night’s sleep. We awoke to a grey day, walked the dogs then had a light breakfast before walking back into town with the woofers to see it in the daylight.

The dogs played ball and had a swim on a little dog friendly beach, and then we walked back to Dizzy

No drama Lama – spotted close to the overnight stop

We sorted tanks and said our goodbyes to Mike and Tara, just as the rain started

We got to our overnight stop at Brusc, staying in an olive farm called Au Jardin de le Ferme. We chilled out for a while whilst waiting for our friendly host to sort out the electric hook up, and then wandered into town with the dogs.

They had a run on the beach (before we saw the no dogs signs) and then wandered around the harbour.

We debated whether to return this evening for dinner but decided to stay in Dizzy and make do.

The weather forecast is a little better for the next few days.

Day 53 – Mandelieu-La Napoule to Sainte Maxime

We awoke to a bright but windy day, walked the dogs and showered. Last night, we actually put the heater on for a while. It’s definitely getting cooler.

“Papa, We’ze got no coaty…. If youze runndid after da ball like us, youz soon warmy upz”

We set off on our route up the cote D’azur, and we were blown away by not the wind, which thankfully had eased, but the stunning scenery.

The pictures speak for themselves so ….

We stopped off at Frejus for a beach dog walk and wander for a coffee before heading off to our overnight stop, meeting up with Mike and Tara, who have been traveling for 7 months on a European visa.

Mike and I worked together nearly 40 years ago at Hewlett-Packard in Bristol.

We all walked our dogs together and had a good chat, comparing notes about various laughable moments on our trips

After chilling for a while we walked the dogs again and then, went into town (Sainte Maxime) for dinner.

We ate at Chez Longu, and had fabulous food and service, with numerous stories of motorhome travel and other general catch up, including random things like getting your hair cut whilst traveling, tripping over dogs in the middle of the night, the most unusual place you find dog hairs and other crazy topics.

A lovely meal with a lovely couple. Thanks Mike and Tara for a great evening.

Everything was going so well until the coffee arrived

Denise’s X certificate coffee caused a chuckle or 2

We wandered back to our MoHo’s – A very pleasant day and evening.

Day 52 – Diano Marina to Mandelieu-La Napoule

Thankfully, a very quiet night and good night’s sleep, although the local bell ringer decided that everyone needed to get up far too early.

We ignored them and got up an hour later, by which time the predicted rain had started with gusto.

We showered in Dizzy and Denise took the woofers out for a play.

After breakfast, we sorted tanks and checked out.

We’d only been on the road 5 minutes when we got stuck in our first major traffic jam.

There was some silver lining, but unfortunately nowhere near us.

Not sure we’ll be needing the suncream today

We literally rolled down the hill in Imperia, with still no clue of the cause of the delay.

2 cars in the queue conked out which meant driving around one of them on a hairpin bend, with no clue whether anything was coming the other way.

Our view for the first hour of our journey today.

Finally rolled into Imperia – but still in a queue.

This is the first time I’ve ever blogged whilst driving, but there is little else to do….

Yes …. 1 hour 20 minutes for 3.5 miles. We could have walked at the same speed.

It was a relief when we finally got moving again. We headed along the Italian Riviera towards France, but the weather flip-flopped between drizzle and heavy down pours and so just photos from Dizzy today.

Imperia when we finally got out of the traffic jam

Ponte San Ludovico – Last photo in Italy.

As we approached the border, we nearly missed the sign

Colourful hillside homes as we approached Menton.

A little break in the weather as we approached Capo Mimosa-Rollo.

We decided to by-pass Nice and Cannes completely as we’d visited them before, we’d done a lot of driving and we were getting tired, not to mention the weather and light fading fast. We fired up our trusty MoHo stop app and found a campsite open west of Cannes in Mandelieu-La Napoule.

After checking in, we took the dogs out for a walk.

Plenty of boats and £££ here. One hotel was charging 1500 euro a night for a suite 😱

We came across a chap who wanted to introduce his 3 months old pup to our two.

It was very squeaky, and we aren’t quite sure what Alfie made of it.

“Papa – I finks it’s a dog but it squeaks???”

Alfie went in for a smell and got a surprise

“Papa – I’ze just got da kissy on da nose…. I didn’t give purmizzions Papa…. Can I suzze?”

We got back to Dizzy just before the next heavy downpour. Denise cooked up a lovely dinner, and now it’s time to chill.

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow. Hugs all x

Day 51 – Varazze to Diano Marina

A very noisy night last night. Boy racers and revellers out and about until stupid o’clock in the morning, and then, when they had cleared off, the wind picked up and made one hell of a din, rattling lamp-posts.

Bleary eyed, we took the woofers out for a walk, grabbed a coffee and croissant in a cafe, then headed back to Dizzy for a shower.

The early morning light was lovely over Varazze harbour

Alma the dog wanted to play with our 2. Had a nice chat with it’s owner

There were so many cyclists out this morning….. We’d never seen as much lycra. A quick question to Google confirmed that it was an Italian national holiday today…. All saints day

Thankfully the weather continued to improve by the time we had set off.

Quite a few pictures today from the cab of Dizzy.

Stunning coastline and harbour approaching Varigotti

Palm trees along the front approaching Spiaggia del Malpasso

Rugged coastline approaching Spiaggia del Malpasso

We stopped at Noli, it just seemed nice and felt right.

Noli – Lovely town to have a wander around

We gave the dogs another bit of beach time

Fabulous views along the coast with a moody sky

Lovely little streets again in Noli, with small independent stores

Just before leaving Noli, we looked at where we might want to stay this evening and chose a place about an hour away, but we decided to take the longer route, along the coast.

A very expensive cruise liner according to the name 🤣

We got to Danio Marino earlier than anticipated and found a laundry with a cafe next to it so, we parked up, stripped the bed and headed off to do some chores.

Chores and coffees complete, we drove 5 minutes up the road to our overnight stop which is very quiet thankfully.

Denise walked the woofers whilst I sorted Dizzy out and put some laundry away.

The dogs had just got in and the windscreen cover was on moments before another massive rain storm.

Our view over the hills from Dizzy this evening

Dizzy parked and waiting for the approaching downpour

Thankfully it only lasted an hour and no rain is forecast until tomorrow morning, so hopefully we should get a good night’s sleep, probably the last one in Italy as we are just 75km from the French border and the forecast tomorrow is dire

Day 50 – Montrosso al mare to Varazze

As some of you would have seen from my Facebook update, shortly after posting yesterday we had the mother of all thunderstorms.

The dogs reacted very differently.

“Papa – i’ze don’t like-ed da funder and light-e-fingz”

Thankfully it passed over and we had a quiet night sleep, and woke up to a glorious morning. We took the woofers out and played ball in a restaurant car park, as you do when you camp half way up a mountain.

The views were amazing

We headed off after breakfast and tank duties to our first stop at Santa Margarita Ligure, but enroute enjoyed stunning scenery in the Cinque Terra national park.

Villages in the most precarious positions

The hillside village is too far from a golf course for me I’m afraid 🤣

There were a few places where guys were working to shore up minor landslides after last night’s storm.

We passed a few little seaside towns on the way

When we finally arrived at Santa Margarita Ligure, we parked up just outside of town and walked in along the coast

The sea was still rough after last night’s storm

There was some filming going on but apparently they didn’t need a Munsterlander or Flatcoat as an extra 🤣

It wouldn’t be a daily update in Italy without a statue in it

So much debris washed up after last night’s storm

Another view of the coast with the sea breaking over the wall

Are cars getting smaller or dogs getting bigger 🤣

After a quick sandwich back at Dizzy we headed off to look at Camogli, which we heard was nice but we couldn’t find anywhere to park.

On the way back out, a van came down the hill and clipped our wing mirror. Thankfully we have protectors on them, and so ours survived, more than can be said for his.

He claimed that we were on his side of the road until I showed him our dashcam, and he suddenly wanted to forget about it.

We had found a site to stop at in a little place called Varazze. We checked it out and it seemed fine but it was a little far out of town and it was only 3.30pm, and so we drove into town and managed to park on a street.

There was another lovely harbour with some very swanky boats in

I think I could cope with living on this. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about wing mirrors 🤣

might need to win the lottery for one of these

Another lovely coastline. The woofers had a little off lead time here

The town with the mountains in the background

We wandered around the town and went for a coffee. It was quite weird, but nice to see so many children and grown ups walking the streets dressed up for Halloween so early (before dark). At one stage we came across a dozen plus women pushing prams, face painted along with the very small babies.

We headed back to Dizzy to find a lot of other MoHo’s parked up on the same street as us, obviously planning to stay for the night, so rather than move back to the original location, we decided to stay put.

Tomorrow we plan to work our way further west along the Italian Riviera towards France. Who knows how far we’ll get. Take care folks x

Day 49 – Viareggio to Montrosso al mare

A very stormy night, with thunder and lightning, and torrential rain in the early hours. When we awoke (early, thanks to the recycling people doing the rounds) the weather was…. Ok. 🤔

We took the dogs back to the beach for a good run, had breakfast and hit the road, on our way to La Spezia.

We decided to go along the coast rather than the motorway today. There were some super, luxurious boats / yachts in Viareggio harbour but we had no opportunities to stop and take pictures.

The journey was …. Ok. The weather was grey and very overcast.

We arrived at La Spezia, and parked up. It took a while to find the nice part of town but we got there in the end.

After over 6 weeks of eating lovely Italian food, an Indian was too tempting.

Time to head back to Dizzy. Denise wanted to go via the cruise ship 🤣

We eventually found our way back to Dizzy and headed off into the hills towards our overnight stop. It was very cloudy, in some places thick fog. Winter has finally caught up with us 😭.

We checked in at the Sosta, which has spectacular views over the hillside and bay, with nothing around for miles so a quiet night in, chilling.

Day 48 – Cellai to Viareggio

We awoke this morning to the sound of shotguns going off, and dogs doing their morning shake. But wait, the clocks went back an hour last night, didn’t the shooter’s or dogs get the memo?? Apparently not, so an early morning walk followed by a campsite (luke warm) shower, and breakfast in the cafe.

We took the precaution of ordering croissants and bread last night after yesterday’s episode.

After breakfast it was time to sort Dizzy out ready for our trip today. Whilst I was removing the screencover, I found a hitchhiker

A large beastie at approximately 8cm long. We think it was a locust as it was so big

We carefully ‘encouraged’ it to find refuge in the hedge behind us, and sorted out our tanks, then set off on the motorway.

Even the vista from the motorway was nice

Our first stop was just over an hour away at a place called Lucca (which was annoying me as I couldn’t get the Suzanne Vega song out of my head).

We found a car park which was large and free in the dead centre of town. When I say dead centre, I don’t mean middle, it was outside of the cemetery. Anyway, we parked, and wandered towards the walled city.

What a town! We had a great time wandering around and the woofers got lots of fuss and love. Rather a lot of photos follow I am afraid, as it was so nice.

Autumn colours. We mentioned that Autumn winter seems to have arrived very quickly. 10 days ago we were sweltering in 30c plus.

Lots of trees which were magnificent against the cloudy sky

The gate we used into the city (with hindsight we should have used what3words to remember it 🤣

I spy with my little eye, something beginning….

We found somewhere for these 2 to have a run

Everywhere you looked was a picture waiting to be taken

The town was pretty busy setting up for a major festival next week.

The comic games are coming to town. There were superheroes statues being erected everywhere

We finally found our way back to Dizzy and had a sandwich before heading off to find somewhere to stay for the night. We had selected a little town on the coast called Viareggio. The app we used took us to a grotty car park, and so we drove on and found an area where a couple of other MoHo’s were parked up, right by a beach.

Our 4 legged travelling companions were very excited to smell the sea air again, and insisted on a beach walk.

It is now virtually dark by 5.30pm so back to Dizzy we trotted for a chill and brew.

We parked up opposite a load of restaurants but chose to eat at La Baracuda. OMG, great decision. We shared a starter seafood Antipasto. Denise had mussels for her main and I went for a fried seafood selection, washed down with a very nice house wine at 5Euro / 0.5 litre 😁

What a very pleasant evening, delicious food, and great, friendly service from a waitress that spoke better English than what I can 🤣.

Time for bed folks. We have informed the dogs again about the clock change. Let’s hope they understood x

Day 47 – Day trip to Florence

We awoke, and walked the dogs giving them a good run with the balls. We had decided to have breakfast at the campsite cafe, but, unfortunately for us a coach load of people checked in last night and cleaned out the cafe.

Never mind, we headed off to the bus stop for our journey into Florence. Whilst waiting for the bus we took a look at the timetable and then realised we’d made a mistake. We’d looked at the time returning from Florence (9.25), not going, and so the next bus wasn’t until 11.35 😭.

We headed back to Dizzy and chilled for a couple of hours, reading and plucking a few strings until it was time to try again.

The bus turned up and we embarked. It turned out that the driver thought he should have been a formula 1 racing driver. I attempted to take a few photos on the journey in….

Thankfully, we finally arrived safely in Florence

The bus fare was under 4 euro per person wasn’t bad, but bloody brilliant for a rollercoaster ride…..

We walked into the old part of Florence, and grabbed a very expensive coffee with a very expensive pizza which we shared. We then went for a wander and took a few photos in this beautiful city.

Late October but still lots of people around

Thankfully the weather started to behave

After wandering around, and the dogs have multiple people wanting to pet and cuddle them we sat and had an ice cream. It was 3.30 and the next bus wasn’t until 5.35…. taxi?

I had a chat with a taxi driver and we took the decision to get a cab back. Yes, it was 6 times more expensive than the bus but worth every penny. The cab driver didn’t look old enough to drive, but he was an excellent driver, and spoke excellent English.

We arrived at the campsite relaxed, and went for a coffee with the driver to say thanks.

After walking the dogs, we looked at the various books and options we have to finish off our tour. Into the hills or up the coast?

We made our decision, and headed off to the restaurant for dinner before watching the rugby world cup final.

Day 46 – Lago Di Bracciano to La Chiocciola

Our night in the car park was ok, but the wind was gusting and we had a couple of really heavy downpours of rain, however, things were brighter this morning weather wise.

After breakfast we debated on the route today. Should we follow a route to the coast from our book (not many overnight stops and we would need to drive back inland afterwards) or head towards Florence. We chose the latter and set off.

More stunning scenery but quite rural roads

As we were driving up in the hills we came across a family of wild boar trotting up the hill. Unfortunately they had disappeared into the hedge before we could get a photo.

We eventually made it to the motorway but scenery was still good

We had hoped to stumble across some nice little towns like yesterday, but it wasn’t to be.

We called into the motorway services and emptied the grey water tank, but the water supply had a different size adaptor to ours so we couldn’t fill up and there was a major blockage in the black water disposal point.

Undeterred we, drove on for a short while and then made a coffee stop in another service area. We also made a few phone calls to figure out what sites were open. After some debate we chose one and headed off again, now on the Tuscany region of Italy, with Vineyards everywhere.

We also went through some quaint little places after the motorway

We eventually pulled into the campsite and chilled for a while. Denise doing some embroidery and I made a noise with my guitar.

There is a grass area at the back of the site where the woofers had a run

Looking forward to a few nights on a campsite.

There is a bus stop outside of the campsite which goes to Florence, so we plan to do that tomorrow.

After walking the dogs, we finished up some stuff in the fridge rather than using the restaurant and we think Alfiie is broken, as we put some chicken on his nose, but he didn’t flinch as he didn’t want to drop his ball 🤣🤣

A quiet night in this evening and watch a bit of Rugby 🤣.

Day 45 – Lago di Bracciano to Lago di Bolsena

What a day….. We walked the dogs, had breakfast and sorted tanks before heading off with no massive expectations of the journey ahead.

“Papa, can i’ze flies like da duckies nowz??”

Our first surprise came a short way into the journey when we approached Nepi

Nepi? Never heard of it but we saw a large car park, virtually empty right opposite a walkway through a massive ancient wall. We parked up and went for a wander.

We didn’t try to get Dizzy through here 🤣

We had a little wander and the obligatory coffee, which was amusing seeing locals take the micky out of each other. We then checked out the market that happened to be on

Denise helped the local economy….

We had a great time here, and the weather was much better than anticipated.

Back on the road, and we came across more old stuff 🤣

As we left this roundabout we spotted a van selling a hog roast…. We had to try it (sorry vegans).

This van was incredibly popular and we aren’t surprised. A panini, packed full of delicious pork for 3.50 Euro. It was a struggle to eat it all

Fully stuffed, we headed back up the motorway, which was much more picturesque than you would image.

We eventually arrived at Orvieto, and followed signs for a MoHo stop. We parked up but it was a good hours walk into town so we decided to check out another parking place found on our app.

We drove up and managed to park, and went for another wander.

Closeup of some of the details on the cathedral front

We had a great wander, and the dogs got lots of attention from other tourists and locals alike.

When we left Orvieto, we had more stunning scenery to contend with 😁

We finally dropped down to our proposed town where we had planned to stay, on the bank of Lago Di Bolsena.

The first parking place was ok, but we decided to check out another, slightly closer to town. We decided to stay at the second one, and we gathered all of the laundry up, and I cycled into town to the local launderette. I had a beer whilst waiting for it to finish, then moved the laundry into the dryer and cycled back to Dizzy.

Alfie keeping watch whilst Papa was away 🤣

We drove up to the launderette to collect the clean washing as it had started to rain hard.

There was a pizza place right opposite the launderette so as Denise was putting the laundry away, I ordered a Pizza to go. OMG – it was huge!

We drove back to the overnight carpark and had supper. A great day.

I have been planning stuff all of my working life, and often said ‘fail to plan – plan to fail’, but on trips like this, if you have no expectation of what you will find, your expectations are low, and more often than not exceeded.

Some of the mental health charity volunteering I have done has also made me realise that people get depressed because they have incredibly high expectations which are seldom fulfilled.

On that note, we haven’t got a clue where we will end up tomorrow, but we can really appreciate the fabulous day we had today. Hugs everyone x

Day 44 – Lago Albano to Lago di Bracciano

We played ball with the dogs, had showers and breakfast before heading off for the day.

I’m sure some of you have used a caravan or motorhome’ shower, but am always a lot more conscious of water consumption, as we carry 100 litres of water, with a 100 litre waste water tank, as tanks need to be filled and emptied. As our global population grows, there will be more pressure on our water supplies. Maybe, more of us should think about where our water comes from and where it goes to preserve it.

Anyway, our first stop was at a motorhome service point to do just that. Fill and empty tanks.

We went back to Albano Laziale to have a look around, but alas we couldn’t park anywhere, so continued on towards Rocca Di Papa. We stopped high up, overlooking our stop last night, with spectacular views over the lake towards Castel Gandolfo, and Palazzo Pontificio

We headed towards Rocca Di Papa, and the one way system had been changed with no one informing Aunty Google, so we found some more back streets, not designed for motorhomes and astonished some locals by the expression on their faces. Most of them had also forgotten to take their happy pills this morning, especially those that realised they didn’t have a clue about the gearstick position marked R.

Aunty Google then tried to take us down a cobbled street 2 foot narrower than Dizzy. We both agreed that this wasn’t a good idea, and eventually found another way to the bottom of the town where we grabbed a well deserved coffee.

Yes folks, we were sent to the top of this town.

Pretty streets but very narrow, especially with cars parked anywhere

A nice town but relieved when we finally found the right road out

Lovely views with the Mediterranean sea on the horizon

The views are lovely, especially on the road out of town.

We then headed towards Grottaferrata, stopping off at a Carrefour supermarket.

Spotted this little number, aimed at those of us that don’t answer the question of “how many glasses have you had?” truthfully 🤣🤣

As we approached Grottaferrata I noticed a brown sign to an Archaeological site. I pulled over, and done a quick Google. It looked ideal to let the dogs stretch their legs. Although the main area was locked up, the site was good and the views fabulous

Do you recall the song in ‘The sound of music’ which starts: “The hills are alive with the sound of ALFIE ‘ 🤣🤣

“I finks Papa take-ed the Mikies Callie”

We drove on and decided to give Grottaferrata a miss as from a quick explore on Google maps, it was big and our MoHo parking app didn’t show anything.

We got off the small roads on to the highway to by-pass Rome. We have already been there and the main objective of this trip is to see Italy’s less well known spots (with a few exceptions).

Our original plan was to head up to Lago di Bolsena, but we decided to head there tomorrow and go to Lago Di Bracciano instead as it was much closer.

On the way we saw a weird construction

From a bit of research this evening, we now think it is the Ghost Stadium, originally going to be used for the 2009 world swimming championships, but was never completed.

We were quite pleased to park up Dizzy this evening. We took the woofers for a walk along the shoreline of the lake and grabbed a coffee in a cafe

The lights went out on our electric toothbrush this morning after trying to charge it with the inverter. I was convinced that it would be the fuse, and so asked the coffee shop owner if there was anywhere in the local town (Trevignano). After some Google translate fun, it appeared that there was, so we headed into town.

Spotted these lovely berries on the palm trees

A lovely tree lined prom on the lakeside

We had dinner in Dizzy this evening, and listened to several bursts of rain on the roof. We were very lucky with the weather today. It feels much cooler, but at least it stayed dry when we were out and about.

Hugs to you all – sleep well x

Day 43 – Gaete to Lago Albano

Not the best nights sleep last night, for no particular reason. After walking the dogs, and having breakfast we done some house work in Dizzy, before heading off on today’s journey.

Our first stop was at the coast at Rizzi beach, near Sabaudia and in the Circeo Nature park

We didn’t realise it was a nudist beach…. Best join in then 🤣🤣

We headed back to Dizzy and set off again. We hadn’t got very far when we spotted Egrets chasing a tractor and some buffalo

Not the greatest picture but there were a huge number of Egrets behind this hedge

We were really impressed by the trees, lining the roads.

We stopped for lunch at Velletri, originally going in a cafe, but no one came to take an order, and so we went to a pizza place next door.

This was definitely the best pizza we have had since in Italy. Really tasty. Well done to the team at ‘Pizzeria Italia’.

We waddled back to Dizzy, and picked up the dogs, and then went for a wander around Velletri

I’m not sure if we missed something, but it wouldn’t be on our ‘must return to ‘ list, unless we wanted a good pizza.

We drove on passing through little towns , with more people who had no idea how to drive before getting to Castel Gandolfo (apparently the papal summer residence for the last 300 years).

We checked out a few parking spots before settling on one by Lago Albano.

Despite numerous attempts to pay for parking, I failed so we hope we are not towed away in the middle of the night 🤣

Denise said she is going scrumping pomegranates later.

The pitter-patter of rain started on Dizzy’s roof, and then the heavens opened for a short while. Denise is currently looking for her box of short straws she offers me in these types of weather conditions.

Alfie decided that he wanted to help plan tomorrow’s route but soon got bored

“dares no cats or balls to chasez in dis book papa!

There is a restaurant really close to the car park but I’m not sure if either of us wants to eat for the rest of the week after today’s pizza.

Best wishes to you all from Italy x

Day 42 – Pompeii to Porto Salvo

We awoke to a cloudless sky, and took the woofers out for a ball chase. The view of Vesuvius was much clearer.

We showered, had breakfast and decamped, but whilst emptying the grey tank the bracket gave way again and so another hasty bodge was required.

We had a little chat to a family who parked next to us last night, and they came from Wookey Hole, less than 20 miles from home.

Came across this bike whilst checking out and took a photo for Big Derek and the bikers in our local pub. ” ‘ere y’ung un, should hav’ brought it ‘ome!”

We followed Aunty Google, and within 5 minutes had managed to do 2 U turns, and found the smallest roads in Italy. The blood pressure started to ease when we found fatter roads and then we only had to contend with drivers that didn’t indicate, give way, or have any clue about the width of their vehicles. Also, apparently it is mandatory to drive in Italy either talking on the phone or texting…. The police even do it whilst driving 🤣

Having escaped Pompeii and skirted around Napoli, the journey became much more pleasant.

Fatter roads and picturesque scenery. We stopped in the cafe on the left for a coffee.

We had a destination in mind but followed our instincts on the route. It’s amazing what you find.

An amazing Roman Aqueduct near Vivaio Tramontano, not in any guide book we’ve read.

When we got to our overnight stop in Gaeta, a car park for Motorhomes, we sat and read for a while until the flies drove us mad.

The dogs were nearly due for a walk so we headed down to the coast to see what we could find.

Not quite sure what this or was but the craftsmanship was excellent

Alfie had quite a conversation with the gull 🤣

We happened to walk past just as the sun shone through the windows from the other side of the church

We had a drink overlooking yet another harbour (no photos as there were military ships in), and Alfie had a staring contest with a cat. He won….

I think I would have changed the name also….

We wandered back to Dizzy and Denise conjured up a nice dinner.

The weather forecast doesn’t look great for the rest of the week…. Let’s hope the forecasters have got it wrong.

After dinner, I wandered back into town to see if the ship was illuminated. Sorry folks it wasn’t but it was a pleasant walk anyway.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings. xx

Day 41 – Paestum to Pompeii

Not a bad night on the whole, with the temperature back to normal, no road or rail noise, nor irritating birds 🤣

A nice dog walk on the beach, then breakfast and tank duties.

A lovely morning on the beach with the dogs

After leaving the Sosta we had a short drive to find the ruins of Paestum. We couldn’t believe the sign in the car park, announcing that we could have stayed there overnight for a fraction of the cost in the Hotel Sosta.

We looked at the signs, and initially it appeared that dogs weren’t allowed in unless they could be carried. Not sure how Alfie would have reacted to that and I would hate to think of the money we would have spent on getting our backs sorted out afterwards, so Denise stayed outside and I wandered around taking a few snaps.

Here are a few:

If you are ever in this part of Italy I highly recommend taking some time to have a wander. I’m not really into history, but it was weird to think that well over 2,000 years ago, people walked these streets, lived in homes, and watched gladiators perform in the Amphitheatre.

“Leaf me alone” 🤣 – Spotted on the way back to Dizzy

We had a coffee, and then wandered back to Dizzy, letting the dogs have a run at the back of the car park

We used our app to identify the next stop with good reviews and set off.

View of the Amalfi coast as we approached Salerno.

We drove through Salerno, but there was a football match on and traffic was even crazier than normal so we didn’t stop.

Driving through the hills, we had lovely views of the Amalfi coast.

Our destination was near Pompeii, and we made good progress until the last mile or so when Aunty Google done her normal trick of taking us down very tight lanes.

Finally finding the campsite (La Giuliana), we were met by the very friendly ownership, given drinks, and explanations about all of the local area.

Having already visited Pompeii ruins on a previous cruise, we had already decided not to revisit, but use the campsite as a base for more exploration of the Amalfi coast, possibly renting a small car.

There was another Brit on the site and he came over for a chat. He had hired a scooter, but we didn’t think Alfie and Callie would take to sitting on one 🤣.

Anyway, he put us off the idea completely, telling us that parking was very difficult to find, and it was hard work even on a scooter with the crazy driving.

Oh well, better make a new plan for tomorrow then….

We read, I played a few tunes and then we walked the dogs.

The campsite owner had a scheme with a local cafe to deliver food, and so we had a delivery of Pizza and Panini. A bit different from last nights experience.

Mount Vesuvius in the background, the top hidden in the clouds with Dizzy in the campsite we chose for tonight

That’s all for now folks.

Day 40 – Falerna to Paestum

In the words of the four seasons “Oh, What a night”. Sweltering doesn’t come close to describing the heat. Ironically, the breeze was gusting quite fiercely at times and so we needed to be careful what windows / skylights to keep open.

At 7.45 am, Dizzy showed 28 outside temperature, but there were storm clouds all around.

We walked the dogs on the beach, had breakfast and sorted tanks before heading off.

Our original plan was to head towards Paestum over 2 days, and had identified a potential campsite at Diamante, which was about half way, and on the coast.

The journey to Diamante was pleasant, passing nice towns and villages, apart from remaining very hot and now humid, with Dizzy stating the outside temp as 30c with full cloud cover.

When we arrived at Diamante we drove past the campsite, and weren’t overly impressed, despite its glowing reviews, plus it was only 11.30 am, and so we parked up closer to the town and had a wander.

The town wasn’t in any guide book as a good place to visit, but when reading the campsite review it mentioned the town and its murals, so we thought we’d check it out, and grab a coffee.

I won’t label every picture below, and there were many more, but here’s a few of our favourites.

We had a great wander, but needed an emergency purchase towards the end, when we got caught in a heavy rain storm, with thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure. An umbrella was lifted above us as we dashed back to Dizzy.

What to do next? The prospect of sitting in Dizzy, listening to the rain didn’t appeal and so we had some bread and cheese for lunch and plotted the next part of our trip.

The naff weather actually made the second part of our journey even more scenic. More rain, thunder and lightning but the clouds in the valleys were incredible.

We finally got to Paestum and searched for a spot to camp. Our initial plan didn’t work out but then, after a good dog walk in a forest, we stumbled across a Sosta associated with a hotel. With light fading fast, and a bit knackered from a long day driving, we decided to go with it.

I went to pay and book a table for dinner but no one was available until 8pm (But the rugby starts at 9 CET!!)

We had a delicious dinner at one of the poshest campsite restaurants I’ve ever been to. It wasn’t cheap !!! But we had a lovely dinner.

Our route today, a little longer than planned

I’ll finish my blog this evening with an apology. For a while now, I have been critical of the England rugby game, but tonight, even though we lost, I thought we played incredibly well. It should be an epic final next weekend between SA an NZ

Day 39 – Mimosa to Falerna

Another very hot and humid night. We awoke, and got out with the dogs quickly before the real heat of the day hit.

Breakfast done, tank duties done, time to pay the bill and hit the road.

Our guide book suggested that we went up the coast and looked at a few places en-route, and we did. The drive was great, but the suggested stops didn’t appeal when we arrived so we moved on swiftly.

Seems strange that we have been walking this coastline over the last few days.

We drove through / past pretty little hilltop coastal villages

So many beautiful Bougainvillea. This is just one we saw on our journey today

Eventually we stopped at Tropes. We’d previously identified a parking area suitable for Dizzy, which was great, however getting to it was another matter. I was literally having to back up to shuffle around the hairpin bends 🤣.

We managed to get there, parked up and went for a wander. What a lovely little town! A bit touristy, but very pleasant.

Yes…. it was hot and felt a lot hotter than 31

Only one thing for it ….. time for a cold one

After looking at a few restaurants, we came across a very cool little place off the beaten track and had lunch.

Should have opted for the small portion – Yes – We did share it.

The food was delicious and service was great. The dogs were given a bowl of water each.

After lunch we headed back to Dizzy, and gave the woofers another dip. On the way on to the beach we came across 2 policemen who nearly poohed their pants, as Alfie and Callie get very excited when they see the sea.

There were quite a few seaplanes around.

We continued our journey north, having found a Sosta with good reviews about an hour fromTropea.

The journey was again pretty, but so hot. Dizzy’s external temp gauge displayed 35c at one point. For the first time on our trip, we closed the windows and used the cabin Air-conditioning.

When we got to the Sosta it was right on the beach.

Unfortunately for us, there is some work taking place on the sea defense and so the view from Dizzy is a little different

Hopefully they don’t start work early on Saturday mornings 🤣

The work had finished by 5pm, and so we relaxed, read and I plucked a few strings.

We walked the dogs along the beach and again I couldn’t resist a little dip myself.

We watched the sun go down and had showers. We finished up the bread we got from the campsite this morning, and again sat outside Dizzy.

There’s quite a brisk breeze, which is great as it keeps the insects away, and it’s a warm breeze. There is no way I would have predicted that I’d be sat outside, shirt off at 7.30 on 20th October writing a blog, but it is very pleasant.

Time now to look at options for tomorrow before the Rugby starts, and England find out who they will play in the final 🤣🤣🤣.

Take care folks xx

Day 38 – A relaxing day.

Another very warm night made a good sleep difficult. We awoke to the sound of shooting, a common alarm system in Italy, but we wonder what is being shot? We have seen very few birds or other wildlife. We took the dogs out early trying to beat the heat.

Alfie already led down after just a few minutes of walking. Callie was desperate to get this stage of the walk over so she could get on the beach and in the sea on the way back 🤣.

Came across these on our walk. According to Google lens they are some sort of Cypress.

After the dog walk we went to collect our freshly baked bread and croissants.

We stripped the bed, and used the laundry facilities again, and completed a few chores in Dizzy before reading and playing a bit of guitar.

A really lazy day, but thankfully we had some shade and sun in our area of the campsite. The dogs chilling in Dizzy and in the shade outside.

Another walk in the afternoon, and the temptation to take a dip in the sea was too strong, despite it being a tad choppy

Denise in control – well for 2 seconds 🤣🤣

Hillside village at the end of the beach

A very lazy, relaxing day in the sun, followed by showers and dinner in the restaurant, recharging our batteries for more travelling northwards tomorrow.

We have had a lovely couple of days at this great campsite (Camping Villaggio Mimosa).

Day 37 – Mascali to San Ferdinando

Not the best night’s sleep. It was really hot and humid, so we opened all of the skylights and windows, but at just after 2am were heard the pitter patter of rain on the roof (time to close those skylights then 😟).

When we awoke, we took the woofers out for a walk on the beach. The cloud was thick and dark, no signs of Etna. We were so lucky with our trip yesterday.

After breakfast we did some tank sorting, and headed off to the ferry port.

Thick cloud over the hills of Sicily this morning

We managed to get on the ferry without any drama and the weather seemed to improve as we arrived back on the mainland, back up to 29c.

Following our book, we decided to check out Scilla, but narrow roads and lack of parking put paid to that idea.

We moved further up the coast to checkout a potential campsite for the evening.

After going down some bumpy roads , miles from anywhere we came across the site, with the gates shut 😭.

We were just about to turn around when the gates opened and a guy who spoke good English welcomed us in.

The site appeared to be perfect. Right on the beach, good facilities, laundry facilities (we were running low on clean clothes), restaurant and spacious.

We took the woofers out for a wander on the beach

“Hurries up wid da pic Papa… fings t’does”

The goon (AKA -Alfie) found a massive rope and so it was time for tug of war

Callie thought that this looked like fun, and I was knackered so gratefully let her continue the game

The sea was quite choppy but looked very inviting

Denise was in her element beach combing again

We headed back to Dizzy and sorted the washing out, and had a coffee before reading and doing some strategic planning on our trip.

Washing hung out, dogs out for another walk and then a quick shower before dinner in the campsite restaurant.

After wearing out the dogs we headed over to the restaurant for dinner. We had a seafood Antipasto to start (enough food for a complete meal, let alone starter), and then Denise had grilled fish and I had a swordfish steak.

The food was delicious. We also got chatting with a couple from Switzerland on the next table which was nice.

Fully stuffed, we waddled back to Dizzy. The campsite is so good, we decided to stay another day and have a chill day tomorrow.

Lots of love from sunny Italy x

Day 36 – Capo D’Orlando to Mascali

We awoke, a bit groggy. It was very warm last night, with not the slightest movement of air , but we awoke to a different day weather wise. Clouds in the sky!!

These 2 were oblivious to the change in weather

After walking the dogs, feeding them and us, we set off on our second attempt to get to the south side of Sicily.

Yet again gears 2 & 3 got a good workout, as did the steering system. We came across more lovely villages on the way.

Not sure if Tesco’s would deliver here 🤣

We came across a little bar, and stopped for a coffee and short dog walk, collecting a few chestnuts from a wooded area.

A nice bar with a view of Etna from the back.

We drove on a little further and found a fabulous place to view Mount Etna. We stayed for a short while, but the clouds were constantly changing giving different pictures that I hope you will enjoy.

Amazing cloud formation circling the top of Etna

Similar to the last photo but with thicker cloud. It seemed to change every few minutes.

We left the gravel area and headed onwards, commenting on how the trees were definitely changing into their Autumn shades.

We continued our journey through pretty towns, full of character, but not Dizzy friendly from a parking perspective.

Typical view of the streets we travelled through

We still caught the occasional glimpse of Etna, which was nice seeing it from a different perspective.

The roads continued to twist and turn, but were slightly better than yesterday’s route and not quite as steep.

A few turns of the steering wheel again
today

We stopped in the service area and made a sandwich, again with fabulous views towards Etna.

As we got towards our final destination, we drove through some more towns with cobbles on the street.

On at least 2 occasions I was faced with motorcycles / scooters coming towards me on the wrong side of the road and then parking. Playing chicken on a motorcycle against a 4 + Tonne Motorhome isn’t something I would do

I’m not quite sure why cars in Italy are fitted with indicators as 90%of drivers don’t use them.

Again on at least 2 occasions people pulled out from side roads, directly in front of me without looking. I did use my horn on one occasion and I think the driver would have needed to change his underwear when he got home 🤣

We parked up at the campsite, and took the woofers out for a good run on the beach just across the road. We grabbed a coffee in the campsite cafe, and then headed back to Dizzy. We read outside for a while but the flies were driving us mad so we retreated back into Dizzy.

Now it’s time to plan where we are heading to tomorrow, back on the mainland.

Thanks for reading and your lovely comments x

Day 35 – A Boomerang day!

We had a plan, a good plan but it was going to be one of those days…..

After walking the dogs, showering, breakfast and tank duties we headed into the hills following our book’s suggestions for an epic drive.

It all started so well, with stunning scenery on the drive into the mountains.

Believe it or not, this is a massive river bed

The journey into the hills made gears 4, 5 & 6 envious of 2 & 3. The steering wheel got a good workout also.

When we got to the village of Novara di Sicilia, the roads became very narrow, cobbled and congested. At one stage both mirrors were folded in and I only had an inch each side to squeeze through with vans blocking the road and cars hurtling towards us.

We finally made it though. We would have loved to stop for a coffee but there was nowhere to park.

We continued on and reached a junction, where sat nav told us to turn right. Unfortunately, there was a sign saying road closed apart from residents 😮.

Looking at the map, turning left wasn’t an option either as that was a very minor road back to the same coast we came from.

We decided to press on, dreading the thought of having to tackle Novara again. 2km later, we were reversing back up a hill and trying a 12 point turn, resigned to the fact that the trip was not going to be completed.

It’s funny the things you see on road trips. Not just beautiful scenery, but also ladies, parked up, blocking mountain roads, collecting manure from the road 🤣. (No – we didn’t take a picture!!!)

As we approached Novara from t’other side, our luck changed slightly, with less parked cars and a space right outside of a cafe. Coffee was definitely required.

We sat, chatting options over a coffee and decided to head back to the beach near the campsite we stayed at the previous evening.

Gear 4 was a little happier on the way down.

We parked up, walked the dogs and done some beach combing for more sea glass and interesting pebbles.

What to do next ???

Stay where we were last night
Go to another Sosta closer to town and right on the seafront, but not great for the dogs.
Drive on and see what we could find

After chatting about tomorrow’s plan we decided to move on. We found a supermarket and got some supplies, and then headed further west along the coast.

Annoyingly, we found a lots of parking spaces on the seafront at Broio, and near the marina at Di Capo D’Orlando, but there were ‘No motorhome’ signs everywhere. We drove on and found a large car park with no signs near the beach in Cap D’Orlando, and decided to risk it, taking the dogs out for another walk along the beach.

We also did some googling and found a restaurant that was open, about 100 meters from where we had parked so we checked it out on the way back to Dizzy.

We ordered a beer and a coffee, and I also used Google translate to see if they were serving food later. The owner understood the question, but I certainly did not understand the 30 second, machine guns rapid answer that came back🤣.

We also had a good giggle at Google translates attempt at the menu

Whilst we sat there with our drinks a young couple turned up, and the guy spoke Italian. We watched discreetly, and two dishes appeared which weren’t on the menu but looked delicious.

The young couple spoke excellent English. They worked for Puma in product design, the guy being Portuguese and the young lady German.

We scrapped our original plan from the menu and ordered 2 more of the fish Antipasto, with a couple more drinks.

The food was delicious and we wandered backed to Dizzy tummies full and ready to rest.

As we reflect on the day, we could take a negative approach and be disappointed that the plan didn’t work out, but, how can we contemplate a negative approach when so many other people in the world are being bombed, have no food, shelter or water, let alone any prospects of taking a wonderful trip like this. Big Hugs everyone. Stay positive, be kind and stay safe x

Day 34 – Ferruzzano to Marchesana (Sicily)

A quiet night on the whole, with only a brief interruption by a train. We walked the dogs on the beach, and I had a swim.

After breakfast we headed off on our journey to Sicily.

More crazy driving, at one roundabout a scooter decided to go the wrong way around.

As we moved along the southern coast of Italy, we caught a glimpse of Mount Etna on Sicily. We hope she behaves herself over the next few days 🤣

It seemed a little strange to see that we were driving North after so long heading generally South.

Google done a pretty good job today, getting us to the ferry terminal where we were met by a steward who is now known as senor Lubly Jubly. Joking aside, he was very friendly, helpful and got us a good deal with the tickets. We had hoped for an open ticket but we needed to decide when we were returning so opted for a 3 day ticket.

The crossing was just over 20 minutes sailing. The dogs snoozed in Dizzy whilst we went on the upper deck

The campsite that we had planned to stay at felt wrong when we arrived and so we drove on to another Sosta at Marchesana.

With the help of Google translate, we checked in, and took the dogs out for a walk. The temperature was high again (28c plus), but there was a nice breeze coming from the sea to cool us all

Alfie couldn’t speak on this occasion due to the size of his ball

We headed back to Dizzy and then I went for a bike ride to see what was about. Most places were shut being a Sunday afternoon but it was nice to get some exercise. Denise read yet another book, and continued her latest embroidery project.

Denise cooked a delicious supper of cheese and mushroom omelette with croquet potatoes, whilst I chewed nervously on my finger nails watching the England v Fuji game….. A brilliant game, both teams giving 100%

Now it’s time to plan the next few days on Sicily before the last Quarter final game commences.

Day 33 – Sersale to Ferruzzano

When we arrived at our overnight stop last night we had no idea that we had landed on the start line of boy racer central on bikes and in cars. Apparently, the competitors got extra points the more they used their horn, the volume of the horn and the lateness of their use.

After breakfast, a short dog walk and sorting tanks we programmed the Sat Nav and got on our way.

After 10 minutes, we had shut down the Sat Nav and decided to head down to the coast the way we had come up.

After getting back on main roads we reset the Sat Nav and drive for a while taking in the sights en-route.

After an hour or so we decided to find somewhere to chillax, and purely by chance came across a huge car park by a closed cafe, right next to the beach at Il Delfino, near Camini

Time to chill, read and give the dogs a swim.

We spent a lovely couple of hours on this completely deserted beach.

We tried to find a little site from our app but it entailed getting our 3m motorhome under a 1.8m railway bridge!!

We continued our search for a stopover and finally found a spot right by the beach on a quiet road, but also next to a railway line……

We camped up anyway, Denise doing some embroidery, I played my guitar and then took the dogs for a walk on the beach.

Denise cooked a great Chicken Curry, and I watched the first 2 games of the Rugby World Cup Quarter finals.

Another great day x

Day 32 – Rossano to Sersale.

We had a really quiet, uneventful night, and awoke to another beautiful day. Our alarm clock this morning was courtesy of the recycling guys emptying a nearby bottle bank, but it wasn’t too early.

We took the woofers out for a walk on the beach.

“Dis is our beachy nowz – get your ownz!”

Another shadow shot – needed to be done 🤣

We headed off after breakfast, following our noses. Well, not Alfie’s, you never know where that is heading.

And in today’s post I have added a little brain teaser ….

Where would you find the biggest waste money spent on paint?

The answer……On Italian roads and road signs. Literally no-one takes any notice of speed limits (I had an 18 wheeler overtake us in a 50kpm zone plus numerous other examples).

Today, I was driving up a one-way slip road to join a main highway and a guy on a scooter, no helmet, came down the slip way towards me.

Give way signs / roundabouts?? Nah, they don’t exist. Oh, and the solid white line and no overtaking signs don’t apparently mean anything 🤣🤣🤣

After an hour and a bit we diverted off of the main highway south to have a break and find a coffee. We stumbled upon a town called Lungomare Di Strongoli, where we parked up near a coffee shop and took the woofers out for a stroll along the beach before taking the dogs back to Dizzy and getting our coffee in peace.

The weather was excellent. Shall we stay for a couple of hours? It seemed like the right thing to do, so it was back to Dizzy, change into beach attire, collect books, dogs, towels and chairs and head back to the beach.

Apparently I should have been doing a doggy Paddle 🤣

Denise went beach combing for her art projects

Alfie told a local stray dog to take a hike, and we thought it was about time to recommence our journey in case the sosta we had identified was either shut or full.

As we approached Sersale, we had lovely views of the town.

We parked up successfully and went for a wander. There was a nature trail really close to where we parked but unfortunately dogs were not allowed, so we headed into town.

Time for another coffee (well they are only in little cups 🤣). We found a cafe with stunning views across hillside, and listened and watched a bunch of guys play cards

Not sure what they were playing but there was a lot of animated chatter

We wandered about a bit more and took a few photos

This place took some finding – Chiesa Di Sant Anna

Beautiful photos around every corner to be taken

Lovely hillside town, and an actual cloud in the sky. Not seen that for a while

On the way back to Dizzy, we stopped off in a little store mainly to replenish dog pooh bags. We have been looking for a while now but no one seems to sell them (and there is quite a lot of evidence in the street to suggest low demand). There was a bottle of red wine that looked lonely so I helped it out, and did manage to get some bags suitable for cleaning up.

We found Dizzy, had dinner and chilled out. It is a lot noisier than where we were last night, but hopefully it will quieten down later.

Take care all. Be kind x

Day 31 – Metaponto to Rossano

Now where is the list of birds that keep you awake gone? We have a new one to add to owl and woodpecker, but we have no clue what this one is officially called.

Last night it was called a few names (which I am too polite to write) but is now known as the squeaky swing bird.

Squeak……. squeak…… squeak…… You get the idea. It would make a great metronome for a 30 beats per minute track.

Anyway, Alfie also gave us an early morning alarm when he up-chucked something disgusting he hoovered on the last walk last night…. Think it’s going to be one of those days 😟.

Dogs sorted, we had breakfast and prepared to depart.

Doing some yoga and Denise moved Dizzy!!!

Not really. Our grey waste pipe needed some attention after a grounding incident last week.

It seemed like a day for repairs. An English couple in a really old van needed to change a starter motor which arrived this morning. Far more impressive than my effort.

A real repair – New starter motor being fitted

We showered, sorted tanks and got back on the road, but stopped to take a look at the historic monuments around Metaponta first.

After driving for about an hour we noticed a pretty little town on a hillside and thought we’d check it out

View from the road of the village (Rocca Imperiale)

We parked up but the path up to the castle was being renovated. The road way was a long walk and it was hot again. So we jumped back in Dizzy and looked for a stopover

Enroute we stopped off at a supermarket for some supplies and fuel.

We found a campsite that reported that it was open so headed there, arriving at 12.45. unfortunately for us, reception was closed from 12.30 until 4.30 and we didn’t fancy waiting nearly 4 hours, so looked again.

We found a site, again reporting to be open all year by a marina, but when we arrived it was closed, and to top it all there was nowhere to turn, so it was a 1km journey in reverse gear before we found somewhere to turn.

Now getting a little tired of driving, we headed over to a little town (Rossano) and found a massive empty car park with no signs saying that you couldn’t stay overnight. We decided to give it a go, parked up and took the dogs for a walk along the beach.

Alfie needed to be kept on the lead as there was so much rubbish on the beach, and we didn’t want him throwing up again.

We got back to Dizzy and chilled for a while before getting the Barbeque going. Nicely fed, it was time to walk the woofers again before it got too dark.

This dude was doing some clever tricks with a long baton in the park

Alfie thought this was a WHEELIE nice statue

Back to Dizzy to chill out and blog. Until tomorrow, take care, be kind and smile x

Day 30 – Taranto to Metaponta

We awoke to very large guns firing a barrage of munition somewhere close. Maybe they thought we needed a 5 gun salute.

We debated whether we should stay as the weather was excellent, but we decided to head off

The view from our MoHo this morning….. should we stay?

Anyway a fairly uneventful decamp process took place and we hit the road.

Yes, we had a plan, stop at a laundry in Metaponta, do the laundry, have a look around and then head further South…..

Did we follow the plan? Of course not 🤣. We got to Metaponta and whilst looking for somewhere to park, came across a campsite that appeared to be open. I went into reception and enquired whether they had any pitches and washing facilities. Yes, to both questions but no dryer. We took a look at the site, and decided that we were going to have a slobby day.

Our pitch was right by a door 20 meters from the beach, the beach was dog friendly and it was baking hot.

We stripped the bed, got the laundry going, rigged some lines up, and chilled out whilst the washing machine did its deed.

Washing hung up, we headed off to the beach with the dogs.

After wearing out the dogs we took them back to Dizzy, as the temperature was getting very hot, and Dizzy was well ventilated and shaded

We found a great little place to have lunch. We shared a large slice of pizza and a panzerotti, then Denise indulged in a cannoli

Back to the beach to sleep off lunch and then back to Dizzy to give the dogs more play time on the beach.

Other people on the beach were intrigued by the antics of the mad English couple with the crazy dogs.

Alfie had everyone in fits of laughter when he went into dig mode

At one stage one leg of my chair collapsed into his hole…

Anyway, a very Slobby day, but we got the laundry done, and dry, plus chilled out for a while.

Day 29 – Margherita to Taranto

An early walk with the dogs this morning as it was warming up to be a scorcher.

A Bit more driving than usual at just over 3 hours but we planned to break up the journey, by stopping off at Locorotondo.

We also stopped at a fuel station and the attendant was brilliant, washing windscreens, mirrors etc. Yes, we did donate a few coins, but the fuel was actually the cheapest we’ve found since being in Europe at E1.76.

We drove past more vineyards, olive groves and general arable farming which was lovely. What wasn’t quite as nice was the amount of litter strewn in the verges and more so the lay-bys.

Isn’t it ironic, that our dogs are banned from the beach and yet humans deposit tonnes of plastic and other rubbish, not only on the beach but on our highways also 😭.

When we did arrive at Locorotondo we parked up in the car park and walked into town with the woofers.

These cars have been very naughty, emitting lots of CO2. They’re waiting to confess 😁

We found a restaurant (Kiatz Piazza bar) and again wanted to share a pizza, but there were none on the menu. Instead we choose:

Flan ai porcini” con scamorza
affumicata e mandorle salate –
Porcini mushroom” tart with smoked scamorza cheese and salted almonds

We also ordered a side of chips. We were expecting a quiche type tart but instead we got something almost resembling a souffle.

Not what we expected but it was delicious

The service and food was brilliant. Fully stuffed, we headed off to have a look around the town.

Fab views from the hilltop town across more vineyards

It was a charming town, and we headed back to Dizzy having enjoyed the visit immensely.

When we reached Dizzy, there was another Motorhome parked next to us with UK plates, so we had a chat, compared notes etc before heading off.

The buildings in the this region are very unusual, with conical roofs

According to a quick search on tinternet fing, they are called Trulli

“A trullo is a traditional Apulian dry stone hut with a conical roof. Their style of construction is specific to the Itria Valley, in the Murge area of the Italian region of Apulia” – Wikipedia

Anyway, we got back on the road and arrived at the campsite but we had to wait for the owner to arrive to let us in 🤣. After 20 minutes, waiting in stupidly hot conditions outside of the gate, they finally arrived. We found a pitch, again right by the beach and took the dogs out for a stroll by the shoreline

Alfie dropped his ball into the sea but was a bit of a wuss, not wanting to jump in after it, so Callie helped out 🤣

We returned to Dizzy, Denise read and I inflated the Paddle board.

It was quite calm but there were lots of jelly fish about further out, so I stayed kneeling, not wanting to fall in and get stung.

Denise cooked a delicious supper of Salmon, beans and wedges. It’s time to get the books out and see what we might be doing tomorrow. Hope you are all well and safe in this crazy world. Be kind x

Day 28 – Vieste to Margherita

A quiet night, listening to the waves break on the beach. We took the woofers for a good walk on the beach, and then headed to the cafe for breakfast.

Breakfast in the sun, overlooking the beach. Now I could get used to this

We heard a clanking of bells from the beach area.

Breakfast over, shower, laundry and tanks sorted, we prepared to head off. Alfie was very interested in a tree

Our route today was partly following the book, and partly seeing what we could find. Enroute, we came across more stunning scenery. Here’s a sample:

Italian version of the white cliffs and old Harry’s rock

Prickly pears…. finally managed to get a photo

The Italian Barbie lives here apparently 🤣

After a few hours driving, we stumbled across another little town, and a small campsite appeared to be open (we had passed countless closed ones and we were preparing ourselves for a side of the road stay).

We pulled in, and thankfully we found a spot for the evening, again right on the beach. The dogs weren’t allowed on the beach until 5ish, but that was fine as it was 30C and too hot for them anyway.

We stayed at Millennium Salt Village in Margherita.

We read for a while before the flies drove us inside Dizzy.

I decided to go for a short bike ride and found some salt lakes nearby.

Upon my return, it was cool enough for the dogs, and so we stopped off in the cafe for a drink. As normal, Alfie had everyone in fits of laughter with his incessant talking – “Papa – Hurries up…. Mama has da bally fings for da beach”

We finally submitted and they had a good run.

I went for a paddle with Callie…. it was surprisingly warm….

Well, the temptation of a swim was too much so kit off and in I go. Unfortunately, Denise had her camera out, but I won’t subject you to those images 🤣🤣

Whilst I was swimming, Alfie decided it was time to practice his sand-scaping, but unfortunately his digging resulted in my clothes getting buried.

We also have a plan for tomorrow, and have pre-booked a stop.

Thanks for the nice comments about the blog. We are having a great time, and hope this inspires you to create your own adventure. Take care x

Day 27 – Termoli to Vieste

We awoke to another glorious day, walked dogs, showered, had breakfast and done the tank duties.

A route today was carefully programmed into Sat-Nag, checked and double checked after yesterday’s episode. We headed out and again drove through countless square miles of vineyards and olive groves. There were a lot of prickly pears but no opportunity to take photos.

We stopped off for a quick picture at Torre Mileto (antica torre aragonese)

Another quick stop off for this lovely harbour

Our first stop was at Foce Di Varano, where we gave the dogs a run on the beach before grabbing a coffee, then taking a wander around the village. (Sea on one side – lake on the other)

We then headed off to have a look around Peschici. Initially, entering from the north, we found it a little difficult to park and the roads in the town were narrow. But we managed to get through and found a large car park, virtually empty, by re-entering on the south side.

We put a couple of hours on the meter (even though we didn’t think anyone would check) and headed off into town.

As we wandered, we debated on whether to eat at lunchtime or this evening. We wandered by a place that had plenty of tables outside and decided to share a pizza, then have something this evening.

We went to sit down at a table, but a lady from the restaurant persuaded us to follow her through the restaurant (yes, we had the dogs with us)

At the back of the restaurant was an amazing terrace…..

The view from our table at Restorante Da Celestin.

Whilst we looked at the menu the waiter brought over a saucepan of water for the dogs.

Alfie drank and also managed to wash the floor 🤣

Well our plan of sharing a pizza went out of the window. The menu was fabulous and so we decided to eat a nice meal at lunchtime

We also had a nice chat with some other folks who were laughing at Alfie talking.

We paid the bill and waddled off around town, taking a few more photos. The scenery was fabulous

We headed back to Dizzy ready to find our overnight stop. We had identified a potential Sosta, but enroute came across a campsite that was opened so pulled in to take a look.

It certainly ticked all of the boxes

After giving the dogs another good walk on the beach, we went for a drink in the restaurant and then done some laundry. No dryer here, but a hastily erected washing line behind Dizzy should do the trick.

People sometimes ask us about planning trips like this, and are shocked when we announce that we plan as we go…. Yes, there is an element of risk (especially in high season) but things generally work out well, and gives us so much more flexibility in our travels.

We will continue to explore Gargano Promontory over the next few days (the spur of the Italian boot)

That’s all for now folks. Time to watch some rugby and listen to the waves break on the beach…

Day 26 – Sangro beach to Termoli

Literally, five minutes after getting out of bed we were back on the coast.

We gave the dogs a really good walk on the beach.

“Papa – We’ze lik-ed dis beach… No uver hoomans”

Dogs worn out, we had breakfast and took the chairs down to the beach with our books for an hour before giving them another swim.

“Papa – Alfiies is da bestest digger…. I does da landscape jobbie?”

We headed off down the coast with a vision of having a look around Termoli, but after checking out the parking situation we decided to pass.

We were moving to another route in our book, but trying to get to the start point was a very trying experience, going round and round in circles.

After giving up with Google, we followed the coast and came across a guy who asked us if we were looking for a campsite? We decided to check it out, and although basic, it was miles away from the railway line and major roads , and right on the coast.

Had quite a chat with Angelo. He used to be a tour coach driver.

After walking the dogs, we got the chairs out, had a sandwich and then Denise read and I watched the rugby.

Denise’s back was starting to ache sitting in the chair, and I remembered that I had packed the inflatable sofa….. the only concern now is she doesn’t inadvertently pop it with her embroidery needle…. I’m not running round the campsite chasing a farting sofa with Denise hanging on to it 🤣🤣🤣

A beautiful sunset walk to end a great day

Dinner in Dizzy this evening. Denise rustled up a nice sweet and sour chicken dish with noodles, mushrooms and beans, whilst I pulled what little hair I have out watching the England rugby game.

Day 25 – Guardiagrele to Sangro beach

Owls….

Lovely creatures, I’m sure you will agree, but when they hoot and screech right above the motorhome at various times throughout the night, they have definitely slipped down our favourite bird list.

Anyway, shower, tank duties, dog duties and breakfast done, we consulted the book for the next suggested visit. We also looked for parking with our trusty MoHo park app, and we found a parking site for Dizzy, so we programmed the talking dog….

We stopped at a supermarket for some supplies enroute, and drove through some stunning countryside. Very different feel from the mountains, with olive groves and fields of vines for miles upon mile.

I might slip a small bottle of wine in the basket (5 Litres 🤣)

We arrived at Lanciano, and got the dogs in the lift from the carpark to the top of the hill.(Alfie was very confused).

We wandered for a while heading in the general direction of town based on what we could see from Google, but we were interrupted by a local, who spoke no English, but wanted to be helpful.

He done the typically English thing of speaking louder to help us understand 🤣🤣. He was very friendly and we finally submitted to his gestures, and headed back the way we had just come from until he was out of site, then dashed down a side street….

The town was really nice. A mix of modern and old….

Denise paying attention to the detailed instructions and what we should look out for from our non English speaking guide 🤣…. bless him

And then there was this guy. Beach Boy tunes blasting out. I think he was on something strong and illegal 😁

Modern street scene with lots of trendy people strutting up and down

We had coffee and done some people watching. The dogs got lots of attention. All was going well until we met a lady who engaged with the dogs, and she asked whether the dogs were male or female. Denise had just finished answering when Alfie decided to sniff between her legs. Thankfully she saw the funny side.

After wandering around this lovely town, we headed back to Dizzy.

The next leg was back down to the coast.

The dogs got very excited when they smelt the sea air again. We found a lovely beach and played ball with them in the sea.

Trying to dry them off a little before we headed into a restaurant for lunch

We asked if the dogs were allowed in Ristorante Pizzeria da Rocco, and they were. We sat down and ordered, and Denise definitely won the food envy contest today

Full up, we headed 10 minutes down the coast where our app suggested a parking area that was ok for overnight stays.

We played with the dogs again.

Then sat in the sun, reading books and plucking some strings. Denise opted to give the dogs a last run on the beach before settling down for the evening. This resulted in them getting covered in sand, but no problems, they can dry off on a grass area behind the MoHo.

2 minutes later we were heading back into the MoHo to get brushes and other dog grooming paraphernalia. Both dogs had ‘Evil’ sticky buds, with really sharp barbs on them, Alfie a few, but Callie was covered. 30 minutes later, having needed to wrestle with the dogs to get them all out we headed back into Dizzy.

Our parking spot was just perfect, so perfect I felt slightly uneasy. Before putting up the blinds, I went for a wander with the phone to translate a sign we assumed said it was MoHo friendly. Alas, it stated No camping, and so we moved a couple of hundred meters to an area we saw on the way to the beach.

Another great day.

Day 24 – Sulmona to Guardiagrele

Not a brilliant night’s sleep but we showered, sorted out Dizzy and dogs before heading out on the next leg of the trip.

Back up in the mountains, with more spectacular views.

Lots of old buildings….how long have they been there?

There were a few turns of the steering wheel today

Our first stop was at a little town, high up in the hills called Caramanico Terme. We had a good wander around with the dogs

Denise opted to hold the dogs for the photo due to the number of cats around

Back on the road and heading off again we continued to come across different vistas.

We enjoyed a coffee, then Denise went to buy some Cannoli from the bakery. It came to 1 Euro for 2 but as she had a 2 euro coin she bought 4??? Go figure 🤣🤣🤣

Back on the road, for stage 2 of today’s journey and we were faced with a very small road, so we opted for a diversion.

We eventually found our parking spot, and read for a while before taking the dogs into town for a walk.

When we approached Guardiagrele I wasn’t too hopefull but the town surprised us.

We stopped for a coffee and beer and took in the view

Don’t think anyone will try to break in the back way 🤣

A certain Munsterlander with his depressed head on, because he couldn’t lick the coffee cup

We strolled back to Dizzy and Denise cooked up some Chicken Kiev’s with some potato wedges.

I processed the photos we took and cursed a lot…. The internet connection was very sporadic this evening.

There were actually some clouds in the sky this evening, but thankfully it is still warm and dry.

Hopefully everyone is well, where-ever you are. My next mission is to catch a fly that keeps dive bombing me 🤣

Day 23 – Notaresco to Sulmona

What can I say about last night’s sleep???? A very quiet parking area but every now and again bleep-bleep.. some device, which to this moment remains a mystery kept buzzing intermittently…..

Anyway, we took the dogs for a stroll. The area we parked by was near a tennis club, so naturally the dogs managed to find 2 tennis balls that had been hit out of court, so they were happy.

We filled and empty tanks ready for our trip into the mountains 🙏🙏😱

Denise kindly bought me a book detailing road trips in Italy, and we have been toying with the idea of following one now for a while but, and it’s a big but, when we read the book it doesn’t specify whether the roads are suitable for an 8 meter motorhome….

After a discussion we agreed to give it a go. If we felt the roads were getting too dodgy, we’d simply turn around and go back the way we came…..

What a road trip…. The scenery was stunning.

The first leg of our journey took us high up in the mountains to a little place called Gran Sasso.

Pictures out of the window on the way to Gran Sasso

We stopped at Gran Sasso, which was a very small place, had a coffee and let the dogs have a wander.

Now following the book, our next destination was Santo Stefano Di Sessanio. The scenery just kept getting better and better

We finally got to SS di S which turned out to be a lovely little town, constructed around 1000AD. We had a wander around

There was quite a bit of reconstruction occurring.

There were lots of cats around, which made holding Alfie in check quite a challenge. We looked for somewhere to eat, but places were either full (being so small) or closed. We headed back to Dizzy, setting off on the next step to Caspestrano.

The road was very narrow and within a few minutes we came face to face with a huge digger. I managed to reverse back into a small gap and he squeezed by…. phew…..

Two minutes later and we had another construction lorry coming towards us. Mainly with hand gestures, we gathered that the road was closed and we should turn around…..

After a bit of forward and back, with lots of steering wheel movement Dizzy was heading back to SS di S. Google has a melt down on my phone so Denise fired up Waze. We were having a good giggle as it initially gave us instructions in Italian. By this time Google has come back to life, but Denise playing with Waze as a back up, getting through a couple of languages on the way before finally finding English

Now, many thanks to all of our well meaning friends who suggested that we should use Waze as an alternative

BUT – You didn’t tell me there were silly voices….. You guessed it – Denise found the dog voice, so we had mix of muttly and Scooby-Doo giving instructions…..

Thankfully, we came across a restaurant that looked open with a large car park. We went in and had a lovely lunch. Denise opted for the gnocci with almonds and lemon, I had a cod linguine. If you are ever this way, check out Monte Selva SRLS, in Barisciano. Good food and service.

When we got back to Dizzy we took another look at the book, and then figured out where we were going to stay for the evening. We found a site at Sulmona that had good reviews. We also decided to pass on visiting Caspestrano and go instead to Navelli, which was destination 4 in our book.

We passed more picturesque villages perched on the hillsides en-route. We didn’t actually stop at Navelli as it wasn’t obvious where to park, so we carried on to our overnight stop in Sulmona (town 5 on a route)

Having parked Dizzy, and had 30 minutes reading in the sun we went for a walk into town

On the way back to Dizzy we stopped off in a bar for a drink and got chatting to a couple from Boston in the US. We had a small plate of Italian charcuterie, before wandering back to Dizzy.

As much as I love the lakes and coast, today’s trip felt like the real Italy. Another very pleasant day.

Day 22 – Fano to Notaresco

Not the best nights sleep last night. Trains rattling by, neighbours moving and noise from traffic. The joys of traveling.

We took the dogs down to the beach (or did they take us?)

We grabbed a coffee and brioche in the local cafe before heading out. Our route today kind of followed the coast but we used the motorway as it took twice as long on the local roads.

After about an hour of driving we saw a brown sign advertising Loreto, so we took the turning and headed up to the town

There bells were put to good use at noon

“Papa – Did man weares de skirty fing. ‘E don’t say much Papa?”

We grabbed a drink before heading back to Dizzy and had a shock when we looked at the menu….

I’m not quite sure what type of establishment this is 🤣🤣

We headed back down to the motorway but unfortunately aunty Google’s instructions weren’t very clear and I ended up going north, not south. 14km later, we got off and managed to do a U turn before the toll booths, much to the amusement of a lorry driver behind us. 🤣

We finally got to the overnight stop. It was basic, but quiet and had great views.

We read for a while, I played my guitar and we wandered with the dogs. There was a restaurant right opposite but neither of us felt particularly hungry so we decided not to try it.

Day 21 – Cesenatico to Fano

After a good night’s sleep we strolled down to the beach early-ish to avoid lots of people. Everything was going well until Callie lost her ball, so guess who had an early dip…. Thankfully it wasn’t too deep.

We got back to Dizzy and went for a shower in the ‘communal area’. It obviously hadn’t been used for a while and there was no hot water, and so it was a very brief shower.

When we returned to Dizzy, and started to prepare for departure, we had an unexpected guest arrive

We had debated whether to head inland or stay another day on the coast. The latter was opted for, and we set off to see what we could find.

We stopped a couple of times to check out various places.

Any chance getting a ride Jake? (Presaro)

We arrived at an overnight stop in Fano. It wasn’t the prettiest parking area we’ve been to, but in our app review it mentioned a walk to the beach and a nice old town.

We took the woofers down to the beach and they had a paddle, then we had a coffee before going for a wander.

The locals were a bit stoney faced when I told them one of my jokes 🤣

Street scene with locals speaking at the speed of machine guns firing

We stopped for another coffee and Denise managed to eat a cannoli

We headed back to Dizzy, laden with fruit and bread, sat down and weighed up the direction of our trip over the next few days. Having reached a conclusion (all will be revealed in the next few posts), we then decided to walk back into town to find somewhere to eat.

We retraced our earlier journey with the dogs, but it was very different at dusk. People milling about, sitting outside cafes having drinks and dinner at buildings beautifully lit on a warm, balmy evening.

We came across a little restaurant in Piazza XX settembre called IDEA.le and thought we’d give it a try. Our waitress Tiziana was brilliant, explaining the menu in very good English.

I opted for a carbonara and Denise had the Lasagna, but both dishes were done a different way.

The Lasagna sheets were fried and came out like tortilla chips, with the ragu sauce delicately over them.

My carbonara was served with the egg atop the pasta. You then broke it and mixed it up at the table.

We had a selection of tapas to follow. Brilliant food, and brilliant service. An Aussie couple sat next to us and we had a good chat with them regarding their trip which was nice. Funnily enough, the guy wasn’t too keen on talking about the Rugby World Cup 🤣.

We were in fits of laughter on the way back to Dizzy, thanks to our Alfie. At 9.20 (his normal bedtime – set by himself) he started to let us know it was getting late. We paid the bill and said our goodbyes, setting off back to Dizzy, but Alfie was on a mission. He led Denise all the way back, seemingly knowing the way like he lived here all of his life, never once taking a wrong turn and completely focused on getting back to Dizzy as fast as he could 🤣. We normally use what3words to remember locations in new places but I don’t think we’ll bother now. Just ask Alfie…..

Another lovely day x

Day 20 – Comacchio to Cesenatico

We had a good night sleep, and woke to another beautiful day, albeit a little early thanks to locals out shooting.

We took the dogs out for a good walk before the hoards of visitors and cyclists descended.

A squadron of cormorants. Not the best photo but gives you an idea of the numbers flying in constantly.

We decided to move further south and try to find a campsite for those boring, but necessary chores like doing the laundry. Now in October, it seems that 95% of campsites are closed.

We did stop off at Lido di Spina and walked the dogs down to the sea. The beach was Mas-hooo-sive…..

A very popular beach …. where shall we sit 🤣

We moved on….

Our original route was scuppered by a road closure and lots of traffic around Ravenna, but after a few phone calls found a site still open at Cesenatico. The pitch we managed to get wasn’t the prettiest we have been on, but we had electric to charge stuff, and a laundry room.

After checking in, we looked at the shower block, open and communal 🤣.

We took the woofers down to the beach

After wearing the dogs out, we took them back to Dizzy then cycled back down to the beach for a swim. Well, we tried. It seemed that in order to find deep water, we would need to walk to Croatia 🤣.

We slobbed on the beach and read our books, then headed back to do the laundry.

The campsite was big, I mean really big!!! We decided to drive Dizzy up to the laundry room at the other end of the site, mainly to ensure machines were free as we wanted to wash the bedding again as well as clothes due to the heat recently.

After 5 minutes of driving around the site we finally found the laundry room, and yippee, loads of machines free.

A bit of reading, some watching of rugby and then making the bed, plus putting clothes away we were ready for dinner.

There was a restaurant just down the road from the campsite entrance. As we were close with Dizzy due to the laundry room location we drove.

The restaurant was really busy for a Sunday evening, lots of families.

The food was delicious….

Fully fed, we headed back to our pitch, and settled down for the evening (I might have watched another game of Rugby – Come on Tonga 😁)

One of the things that you need to consider when travelling for a while is ensuring things at home tick over nicely, but now and again things go wrong.

Just recently we had a little issue, but between Iryna (our lovely Ukrainian house guest), plus Phil and Jules next door, it was resolved. A big ‘Thank You’ to these lovely people for helping us out at home whilst we are traveling. Much appreciated x

Day 19 – A wonderful day….

The fridge started bleeping last night…. the electric hook up had failed just after 11 but thankfully I was still up and switched over to gas.

Our sleep last night wasn’t one of the best. Loud drum & bass music, and lots of noise from the road. Eventually we managed to drop off.

After a quick game of ball with the dogs, we headed over to the service point and I was ready to give feedback to the owners!

But a charming lady, who spoke excellent english took the wind out of my sails. She apologised for the electric, and gave us information on the local town that was having a Neil Festival….. (Oh – misheard, an Eel festival). Let’s give it a go…Comacchio here we come.

What a find. Locals call it little Venice, and I see why.

Literally the first scene we saw after leaving the car park

Dogs are still getting lots of attention.

Beautiful architecture, but also note the locals having a good chin-wag.

We had a fabulous couple of hours wandering around the market. We even came across a Ukrainian stall holder, and had a good chat with her.

She originated from the Kiev area, but had been in Italy 23 years.

It was hot, so we took the woofers back to Dizzy, got the chairs out and Denise sat under some trees with the dogs whilst I jumped on the bike with the camera.

The scenery was stunning.

I’m a sucker for an old boat shot. Notice the fishing stations in the background. The nets were dropped into and out of the water with winches at the back of the buildings

Ardea alba (Great Egret) atop a petrified wooden pillar. Ok….. another bird on a stick shot 🤣

On the bike ride I came across a car park for a river cruise company. There was a motorhome in the car park and so I enquired whether we could stay overnight. Yes !!! I cycled back to Denise and Dizzy, had a good wash and then we headed back to the car park to stay the night.

We walked the dogs and then went for a drink in the cafe, before settling down for the evening.

Didn’t see Cliff Richards but saw the Shadows 🤣

Having a great holiday with this lovely lady

I was watching the Fuji v Georgia rugby match when the WiFi router packed up 😭. Plan B, we carry a spare mobile phone, I could set it up as a hotspot?

It didn’t originally work, as the settings app kept crashing but after an android update we were back online.

Denise popped the arancini into the oven, with some wedges, and we ate a delicious supper with some bread we also bought at the market earlier.

A fabulous day.

Day 18 – Towards the Adriatic

After a hot, yet relatively good night’s sleep, the local church got everyone out of bed by peeling the bells for an age, and then rang out 7 to indicate 7 o’clock.

We walked the woofers, had breakfast and decamped, heading for the coast.

Enroute, we saw a garage selling LPG so we topped up our tanks, and got fuel for Dizzy also.

We broke up the journey by a stop off in Ferrara. We used our app to find a suitable parking space for Dizzy, only to find major reconstruction occuring in the car park when we arrived, however, we did find an alternative way into the MoHo parking area, through some very sharp turns.

We had a good wander around the town, and there was a market going on.

We stopped for a pizza lunch, and then made our way back to Dizzy, and headed off to a site which said it was a couple of hundred meters from the beach and local town.

We arrived, sorted the MoHo out and slobed for a while. We did try sitting outside but the pesky insects drove us back inside Dizzy.

After some reading and feeding of dogs we set off to walk to the beach. After 5 minutes we were back at Dizzy. The road to the beach was a major road with no pavement, and was more like 2k than 200 meters. Looks like a quiet night in then

Day 17 – Time to leave the lakes…..

The Hotel behind our stop last night kindly put on some entertainment in the pool area just the other side of the wall where we stayed.

It started with a guy singing and turned into a drunken karaoke until late. Were you there Guinness Pete 🤣.

We woke, sorted the dogs, emptied and filled tanks (only possible between 7 – 9am), and then headed back into town to the place we had the healthy breakfast at yesterday.

Have a good look at the top of the tree….

We headed south after breakfast and tried again to stop at Lazise, but absolutely no parking facilities for motorhomes 😭😭.

Never mind, let’s see what else we can do en route…. we chose to visit Parco Giardino Sigurta which had great reviews, and a motorhome friendly carpark 🤣.

We wandered down to the entrance but:

We wandered a bit more but it was getting very hot (30c) and so Denise took the woofers back to Dizzy and I picked up a few supplies from the supermarket.

We headed off again, this time aiming for an overnight venue from our searchforsites app.

Enroute, we had a slight delay, as someone thought it’d be a great idea to plonk a railway station next to a road and level crossing. 2 trains later we were on our way again.

We arrived, and it was located right by the river Po (No sign of dipsy, tinky-winky or la-la).

A short walk for Alfie and Callie as it was still very hot, and then a bit of lunch (bread and cheese) before slobbing in the shade of Dizzy’s canopy, reading and plucking some strings.

The citronella needed to be deployed to reduce the number of pesky files

When it cooled sufficiently, we ventured out again. We met a lady and a young child on the cycle track. The child was obsessed with the woofers, and we let them say Ciao.

We went into town and tried out their local watering hole….

I’m getting to like drinking in Italy…. Gratas nibbles and beer 🤣

Whilst we were indulging, who should appear? The lady and child from the cycle track

On the way back to Dizzy, we had a few photos….. seemed to be the right thing to do:

A cool strip wash, dinner and now time to try to watch some rugby. Until tomorrow folks x

Day 16 – A visit to Malcesine

Our overnight stop in the carpark in the town of Garda was ok, after the hotel behind the carpark stopped their version of the generation game.

In the morning we gave the dogs a good run with the balls and then headed into town for breakfast and a mooch around some shops

Interesting art work in the underpass into town

We bought a few Christmas presents, I got a watch and Denise bought a scarf.

Mrs Denise Doolittle passing the time with a swan

We headed north, up the east coast of Garda taking in the sights en-route.

We parked just north of Malcesine and let the dogs have a swim on a dog beach.

This was brilliant because the car park was right next to the ferry jetty across to Limone sur Garda and the next ferry was due in 30 minutes.

Needless to say they didn’t take too much encouragement to get wet.

After play time at the beach we wandered up to the jetty, but there were no people, and no sign of a boat???

Denise then spotted that this service only runs in July and August. We started the 20 minute hike into Malcesine, and got onboard a ferry which was just leaving.

We arrived at Limone and headed up the hill out of town to find a little restaurant for lunch. Denise had their lake fish special (like whitebait), and I opted for Lasagna which was nice. We headed back into town and had a little look around before getting the ferry back. It was very hot for us and the dogs.

Whilst in the short queue for the ferry we started talking to some people (from Germany), and the dogs got a lot of fussing.

“Did lady is nice – lots of Cuddles and Smooches”

Arrivederci Limone, short, but nice visit.

We got back to Malcesine, and returned to the dog beach. Alfie was peeing for England most of the way….

We all had a soothing dip in Lake Garda

We headed South back along the shore of Garda, and whilst driving debated whether we should try to find somewhere close to Lazise, but as we were entering Garda, we decided our day had been long enough, and turned into the carpark that we stayed in last night.

Tonight’s task is to figure out where we head tomorrow….. 1st world problems 🤣🤣…..

Day 15 – A day trip to Verona

Mixed feelings this morning. We have had a fabulous time at camp Tiglio, but it is time to move on. We walked the dogs for a final time and then went for breakfast.

Our favourite waitress with her 2 favourite customers 🤣

After a shower, unhooking and tank duties we were back on the road

We said Auf wiedersehen to our neighbours

Verona was just a 30 minutes drive and we made good time, pulling into see an ex-colleague and friend who was in her hometown, and who had kindly agreed to give us a guided tour of Verona.

A bus ride into town…. not sure what Alfie thought of it 🤣

Beautiful scenes from the fort down the river

There were a lot of people about, and it was very warm

One of those shops that make you think of certain people. Geoff, you would have loved it here.

After a nice lunch it was time to head back. Sara returns to her second home town of Bristol tomorrow.

A fabulous day with Sara, thanks so much. Now, where shall we stay tonight ??? Carry on Eastward, over to the Adriatic or continue to explore the Garda region?

As we’d only seen Sirmione, we thought we would check out a bit more of the East coast of Garda.

We arrived at Lazise, which looked lovely but despite trying several parking areas, and campsites (all of which were full), we finally decided to move on.

We continued to try different sites as we moved further up the coast, but they either didn’t have vacancies, or didn’t allow dogs.

We finally found a car park in the town of Garda, which allowed motorhomes overnight. After parking up, we went for a wander around Garda with the dogs.

Still feeling stuffed from lunch, we decided to skip dinner and had a drink and ice-cream overlooking the harbour.

Actually, Alfie did….. towards the end of the come, Denise tried to break it up to share between the 2 dogs. Alfie could see this was a struggle and resolved the problem by jumping up and having 90% of what was left 🤣🤣

We wandered back towards Dizzy and I went into a mini-market to replenish our drinking water. When I came out Denise was chuckling….

Apparently, whilst I was inside, Denise was approached by a local. When she turned to face him, he said “STOP! Don’t move!” Confused look on Denise’s face resulted in the man pointing to the floor where one of the dogs had left a “Parcel” very close to her foot. She thanked the local, and cleared up the package.

It has been an eventful, memorable and warm day. I’m never sure how much detail to put in these posts, but they’re mainly for our benefit to remember this amazing trip in years to come.

Day 14 – Another Slobby day.

Not much to report today folks, but it was hot?

On our first dog walk of the day we came across a bevy of swans

“lookout – there’s an English man with 2 crazy dogs!”

“The dogs are fine, but did you hear that joke??? Dreadful”

We grabbed a coffee on the way back to Dizzy, and Alfie has his determined head on. We are somewhat amazed that his favourite B&M ball has survived 2 weeks, but today he wasn’t letting go of it, not even for a treat 🤣

After coffee, we headed back to Dizzy but ran into more Alfie and Callie fans. We didn’t have a clue what they were saying but smiles and laughs seemed to do the trick.

“Papa, Mama…. We’ze strugglzz to understanded wot youz sayz…. what’s deez peebs jabbering about?”

After a bit of Googling, I found a guitar place pretty close, and headed off to see if I could diagnose the issue I was getting with my little smart amp.

The guys at the place thankfully spoke brilliant English and were very helpful. It wasn’t actually a music shop, but a manufacturing place for handmade guitars…. OMG they were amazing, but I decided not to take one back with me (Denise has access to a very sharp carving knife) 🤣🤣.

If you are ever in need of a new guitar, check them out

https://instagram.com/garda_guitars?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Really nice people crafting superb instruments

I headed back to Dizzy, collecting some cash from the ATM enroute.

Denise announced that she was heading out for a swim in lake Garda, so I changed and jumped on the paddle board. (No pictures🤣)

We sat and read for a while, took the woofers for another walk, tidied up Dizzy (ready to leave tomorrow) and then went for dinner.

There was a bit of a mix up at dinner, I thought I ordered a pizza but ended up with the biggest bowl of salad I have ever seen. The staff offered to change it for a pizza but I stuck with it. We had a chuckle on the way back to Dizzy, and recalled another trip to rural Spain where the dish I received wasn’t one I expected.

Sometimes in life, things that don’t work out are far more memorable than those that go right first time.

We are heading into Verona tomorrow, so that will be different. Watch this space x

Day 13 – Slobby day at Lake Garda

We were rudely awoken by our canopy flapping in a very brisk wind, which wasn’t forecasted or expected. I quickly got out of bed and wound in the canopy (other neighbours were doing the same).

When we got up, walked the dogs and enjoyed breakfast outside. The wind had dropped again.

After breakfast we headed off on our bikes to look around Sirmione

We had a coffee with the dogs when we got back and the waitress was in awe of them. Needless to say, there were plenty of treats donated.

We sat and read most of the afternoon, then I ventured out on the paddle board. It was a kneel down journey as the lake was still a bit choppy and the wind got up now and again.

We had already decided to do a barbecue this evening, and Denise loves duck but these fella’s refused to jump on the cadac.

After dinner, I cycled back over to a different part of the lake to take a few sunset photos.

Came across this dude, chilling and meditating as the sun went down

Upon return, I showered and then struggled again with technology. I could only get ITVX on my phone, it wouldn’t run on my PC or Tablet. Anyway, managed to catch most of the Wales v Australia game. Great win for Wales.

Best wishes everyone x

Day 12 – Marone to Sirmione, Lago Garda

Yipee…. No rain last night, blue skies this morning. We walked the dogs and took a few photos across the lake, similar to last night but this time with sun. What a difference

After the normal duties, we left the site from last night and headed towards Lake Garda, to a site we had identified as a possible option.

It was a relatively short drive but pretty and just over an hour later we had arrived. We elected to get a pitch lakeside, a tad more expensive but we thought it was worth it.

We passed many vineyards on our journey today

We returned to the site, soaked up some sun, read our books and chilled. Paradise? Well close, if not for the flies….. citronella sticks deployed….

We took the woofers out for another walk just at the moment a coach load of tourists arrived which was amusing, but we soon got past them.

Denise had to coax Alfie over…. he really wasn’t sure about the gaps in the boardwalk 🤣

The tourists had disappeared when we returned, obviously having ticked the lake Garda box.

I plucked a few strings by the lake before dinner

After eating pizza, and pasta for the last few days, we fancied something different, so we took a look at the campsite restaurant menu, and decided to give it a try. Denise opted for sea bass, and I went for the mixed fish grill

Stomachs full, we headed back to Dizzy and hunkered down for the evening. Now should I spoil a lovely day by watching the England rugby game this evening?

Day 11 – Lake Como to Lago D’iseo

Another stormy night, and a wet dog walk in the morning.

After breakfast I cycled into town to sort an issue out with the SIM card. Thankfully that was relatively simple with a bit of help from Google translate. The WiFi router had somehow switched itself to roaming and because we were close to Switzerland, it had incurred a roaming charge, causing issues with the contract.

Denise called Andy, as it was his birthday. We normally miss it traveling 🤣, but we’ll catch up when we are home.

We would have stayed another day on Como but the weather was dire. A bit disappointed that I didn’t get to use the paddle board on Como, but never mind.

There are very few photos of scenery today, due to the fact we could hardly see 2 meters in front of us due to the rain, thunder and lightning.

We did call into a supermarket for some supplies and to break up the journey.

Finding a site to stop in was a challenge this evening as well, but finally managed to get settled on the bank of Lago D’iseo. (Seemed appropriate as it sounds like Dizzy 🤣).

We took the woofers out for a run and took a few snaps between showers

“Perfect weather, don’t you think chums”

Alfie and Callie chasing balls in a car park

We are eating in the campsite restaurant this evening as it is about 15 meters away so it’s less likely we’ll get drenched.

The weather forecast is looking brighter for the next few days, so hopefully we’ll get some rest and more photos x

Day 10 – Maggiore to Lake Como

What a night!! The rain pelted down on Dizzy, and at times it felt like we were inside a timpani, but the weather in the morning was better and we decided to put a few more Km’s on the clock.

We headed up the west coast of lake Maggiore, mesmerised by the scenery.

For a while we went back into Switzerland, before heading back south into Italy again, taking in Lake Lagano en-route.

We did have a few issues with the location of various overnight stops. The description of the locations in the app were either wrong, or the sites were no longer valid, or Aunty Google was playing games again. Needless to say, the reverse gear had a good workout on today’s journey, with handfuls of helpful locals all giving me different instructions 🤣🤣.

It’s weird what random stuff pops into your head on a roadtrip. At one stage today, Auntie Google sent us down Via Regina. This made me think of my late parents, as their house name in Bath was Regina (Latin for Queen).

Heading north on the west shoreline of Como

After failing to find the final stop we opted for a well sign-posted campsite and what a find, parking right next to Lake Como, in Menaggio.

We parked up and took the woofers out for a good walk along the shoreline of Lake Como.

‘Magic Moments’ in Lake Como, sung by Alfie and Callie 🤣

We stopped for a coffee after trying to find the place where we nearly got stuck. We didn’t find it, but ironically did find the parking lot. Our campsite spot is much nicer so sometimes things are just meant to be.

There were a few restaurants quite close by but the rain helped us to decide to stay in Dizzy and stay dry. The woofers were very happy with that decision, well they will be [IF] they wake up 🤣.

Callie’s normal trick of laying next to the bed rather than in it 🤣

Day 9 – Slobby, wet day….

Unfortunately, the weather forecast was bang on, and it chucked it down. We were swaying between staying and going but opted to stay, get some laundry done and have a chill day.

Are you sure you want to go for a walk dogs?

“We’ze getted da wet Papa, but why’s we dressed up like boxers… We’ze a flatcoat and Munsterlander – did damage da street cred!!”

The only benefit of the rain was that we could let the dogs run on the beach as we were the only loonies there.

The rain eased so we walked into town (Cannobio) and had a mooch. We came across ‘The Happy shop” which stocked everything you had never owned but all of a sudden needed 🤣.

They had everything apart from a SIM card for Italy but we did manage to ask with the aid of Google translate, where might get one. 5 minutes later we arrived at the store only to find out it was closed until 3pm….

We continued wandering, trying to avoid the short but heavy showers of rain.

I’m not sure about you, but when we see certain things, we think of different people. Apparently, I wasn’t allowed to buy them for myself, but we sent this picture to a certain Zumba instructor we know x

We headed back to Dizzy, still without the SIM card, but we were wet and I decided to cycle up when they opened.

When I did cycle up, they were open and they had a great deal on the SIM. “ID please sir”. No problems, I hand over my driving licence, then came….. Ah, sorry, because you’re from outside the EU we need a passport…..

So back on the bike, back to Dizzy, pick up my passport and cycle back …. yippee, computer says yes.

When I got back we took the woofers out again.

Headed over to the campsite restaurant and shared a pizza, huge and delicious. We managed to get back to Dizzy just before the next shower. Denise has her favourite box of short straws for me to pick from, for the late walk with the woofers. Hugs from Lake Maggiore x

Day 8 – lake Orta to lake Maggiore

A bit of a rubbish night as I had tummy ache took myself off to the lounge area not to disturb Denise. It finally sorted itself out…..

In the morning we walked the woofers around the local area where there were lots of old temples with amazing old art-work in. For more info look at Sacro Monte di Orta, a circular hiking route taking in frescoed chapels & churches dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi.

Denise in dappled sunlight with the dogs

“Papa – wos Dis silvery fing – makes us lookeded a bit funnized?”

The detail was incredible bearing in mind when it was constructed

We left the overnight stop and headed off to find a SIM card for Italy. That was a big fail. The guy in the tourist info place probably misinterpreted my requirements….. hey-ho – saw bits of Italy that we wouldn’t have.

We found a campsite on the shoreline of Lake Maggiore using our ‘search for sites’ app (Traveling Bible), and arrived just before lunchtime.

We walked the woofers along the beach area, and they had a little paddle.

We chilled out for a while, had lunch, and then I decided to jump on the paddle board. It was much chopier and I did come off a couple of times, but good fun, nonetheless.

After a shower, we hiked up a pathway opposite the site to wear the dogs out. We failed at that as well… we were worn out long before the dogs.

Nice of nature to provide a drink for the dogs 😄

On the way back we grabbed a coffee in the campsite restaurant, looked at the menu and decided to return later for dinner.

Upon return, we slobbed a bit more. It turned out that my Fitbit wasn’t as waterproof as I thought and had died as a result of the dunk in Maggiore.

We had a lovely dinner at the campsite restaurant, under the stars. Denise opted for Lasagna, and I went for a seafood tagliatelle. A bottle of water was more expensive than the wine so I opted for the later… but note to oneself, don’t wear white when eating Italian pasta. Thankfully, we plan on doing some laundry tomorrow as the weather forecast is grim.

We took the woofers for another short stroll along the beach and took in the night-time view across Maggiore.

A great day, with lovely weather.

Day 7 – Sion (CH) to lake Orta (I)

We managed to walk the dogs before the rain came, but our journey towards Italy was a wet one, but still picturesque.

Auntie Google continues to make us laugh and at one point of the journey took us to a railway station to catch a train to Italy 🤣🤣🤣.

Fab views but keep your eyes on the road Neil !!!

We finally made it to the Italian border and the rain did ease up a little

We made it – Italy…. Shall we go home now? 🤣

Dizzy’s brakes were pretty hot and smelly by the time we arrived at lake Orta

Arriving just before 1pm, we found our parking spot for the evening and headed off down the hill into the local village of Orta San Guilio, and stopped off at The Crossroads Bar and restaurant. No sign of Benny, but we ordered some coffees and a pizza to share.

It was a good job we shared the pizza, it was massive and very tasty, and really good value 7 euro.

We needed a good walk after lunch so we headed off in the general direction of the Lake, and luckily found a path that went all along the coast of the lake.

It is pretty obvious that the dogs went straight in for a swim.

No Denise….. I am not going further back 🤣

We stopped in the Hotel San Rocco for refreshments and after the rain storm had petered out, retraced our steps back to Dizzy.

A quiet night in this evening. Planning to head to lake Maggiore tomorrow, spoiling ourselves with a campsite right on the lake shoreline and a mere 50 minutes drive 😁.

Day 6 -St Aubin to Sion.

Upon waking, the normal duties took place and then after breakfast we all went to the beach.

Denise declined a go on the paddle board, staying at the beach and playing ball with them. Alfie, who normally isn’t a keen swimmer, decided that this was the day for a swim. The lake was so calm and peaceful.

When I came back in I had a canine escort

We packed up, had a shower and hit the road. Once again, the scenery was stunning and we were blessed with good weather.

Lovely buildings with the Alps in the background

We headed for a parking spot at Nendaz, way up in the mountains, but when we got there the area was being worked on, and so closed off. We took the woofers for a walk and then decided to try the campsite we had passed at the bottom of the mountain.

We paid a small fortune to stay at the campsite, but it beat the prospect of driving anymore.

Denise cooked a delicious salmon dinner, I played my guitar and a squirrel teased the dogs 🤣

Your nuts if you think I’m coming closer dogs !!

Another short walk with the dogs and prepare our route for tomorrow.

Sometimes plans don’t work out, but that’s fine. You just need to leave sufficient contingency time and go with the flow.

Missing everyone – take care x

Day 5 – Marney (Fr) to St Aubin (Ch)

A little rain shower last night had me clambering out of bed to shut the sky lights, and it was a tad damp when we hit the road after walkies, showers and breakfast.

We had an interesting drive, with Aunty Google trying our patients at times telling us to turn right and then do a U turn at 1.5k, only to drive past the turning we came out of? Why not just turn left ??🤣🤣.

We emptied and filled tanks and then headed for a supermarket at Besancon. After that we headed off towards Switzerland.

But the scenery was stunning.

We stopped in a small village from our trusted ‘pretty villages in France book’ at Lods.

We walked the dogs and went into an establishment which had a board outside advertising lunch. We entered ordered some drinks and then went to order food…. well, the lady serving had forgotten to take her happy pills and obviously failed at charm school…. no food – you’re too late.

Back to Dizzy then and a quick butty before leaving.

Wouldn’t want to be a window cleaner here

Hope you are enjoying the blog

Day 4 – Mesnil-Saint-Pere to Marnay

After a quiet night we moved Dizzy to overlook the bay, walked the dogs and enjoyed the view over breakfast.

“Pardon, what did you say…. I need a heron test”

We headed for Presmes, highlighted in our pretty village book stopping for a coffee at Le Saint Loubard. Denise wasn’t impressed, stating that it was quite possibly the worst coffee that she had ever had. Anyway, we stretched our legs.

Is it me or are drivers getting younger these days

We carried on across some stunning scenery, passing through the champagne region and at one stage Aunty Google sent us off roading after she didn’t spot a road closure 🤣

We finally got back on normal roads and arrived at Presmes, and pulled into a campsite. Unfortunately the office was closed, and so I called the number on the door but there was no reply. We headed off with the dogs on foot, and had a look around.

We didn’t get a call back from the campsite and so found another one 20 minutes down the road at Marnay. After checking in we walked into town with the dogs.

Upon return to the campsite we read, Mrs L done some embroidery, I went for a swim and then plucked a few strings whilst watching the sun go down.

Hopefully we will be in Switzerland tomorrow.

Day 3 – Rozoy-sur-Serre to Mesnil-Saint-Pere

After walking the dogs, emptying and filling various MoHo tanks, and having breakfast we headed south towards Troyes.

We stopped for lunch at Arcis-Sur-Aube, had a wander, took a few photos and headed off again

We made it to our destination and parked up in a car park full of motorhomes. We took the four legged children for a little walk as it was quite hot.

Denise did manage to wash the stinky one

We took the dogs back to Dizzy, Denise sat and read her book whilst I headed off on the bike with the paddle board on my back, ready for its maiden voyage.

Success, stayed dry, and managed to cycle back in one piece.

We headed back out with the dogs and had a drink by the beach, watching the sun go down. A very pleasant day.

Family outing on a SUP. Not sure Denise would be up for this with Alfie and Callie

Our route today….. but where shall we head for tomorrow? It’s planning time…..

Day 2 – Bergues to Rozoy-sur-Serre

We woke after a night disturbed by heavy rain (which sounded like Cozy Powell doing a huge drum solo on the side of Dizzy), but thankfully the rain went off by morning and we took the dogs for a good walk.

“Hoomans no funz… what is scanky water anywaze???”

We headed off after breakfast looking at this and that enroute, finally getting to a pretty little village called Parfondeval, where we had a coffee and wander

Notice the water pump to the right of the front door

My lovely travelling companions by a fab cosmos display

It was a short drive to our overnight stop in Rozoy-sur-Serre, and the weather was fab, so we sat and read a little.

Still having issues with the SIM card obtained from the UK for our WiFi box, I decided to get hold of the company to see if they could help. After 2 chats, both having been disconnected, I finally decided to jump on the push bike and head into town to get a French SIM card.

Eureka, worked first time, and so we chilled out a bit more before Denise cooked dinner.

We found a lovely spot to park up for the night

And the dogs were impressed with the walk right next to the parking area.

Now to decide where to head to tomorrow? We think we have a plan but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Day 1…. Into France

After a rather stressful day yesterday, trying to resolve a few last minute , unforeseen issue-ets with Dizzy (a missing light cover and a water tank which was missing a plug after the last service), we finally managed to get away just after 9am.

“Hurry up Hoomans…. time for da holibobs to begin!!”

We headed off for The Eurotunnel, stopping en-route for a woofer walk with our friends Paulette and Peter, followed by lunch at The Holly Blue Pub. Stupidly I forgot to capture in a picture as we were too busy catching up, and keeping an eye on the time, not wanting to miss our train.

We arrived at the Eurotunnel terminal, only to discover huge queues. We checked the dogs in and gave them a run in the doggie playground.

“We’ze driveded da train fing MaMa….what could possibly go wrong 🤣🤣🐕🐕??”

Our Number was finally called and we moved to another holding area. Whilst we were sat there I posted on Facebook and an ex HP colleague replied immediately by IM. Sally was in the same area waiting 😮.

Sally and Rob in their van, also named Dizzy. Bon voyage guys, lovely to see you both.

We finally boarded a train an hour late. Should I blame the canine drivers above 🤣??. We followed an old army medic van on to the train. Well, at least we’ll be looked after in the event of an emergency 🤣.

After disembarking the train, we drove the last leg and got to our overnight stop, just north of Bergues, just before dark. A good first day, but my homework is figuring out where we head tomorrow 😁.