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Created by KeefH Web Designs  , June 14th, 2024, 7.11 AM A "hot tub-e 4 you" of a Travel Blog by KeefH Web Designs #geddit #maybe Not The Motorhome trip No 21 : May 23rd 2024 – June 16th 2024, in that time we spent a wonderful 18 days together initially in Cumbria after a somewhat fraught Brum airport collection, then time in and around the East Midlands, oh what family fun, thanks so much Doug and Phoenix for coming over, love G&G xxx By implication as this Travel Blog has many images and videos of our 4 grand children I have separated out those images / videos and made them PRIVATE on You Tube, should you wish to see them you will need ask via email keefh@keefh-web-designs.org.uk thank you for your understanding MENU Introduction Diary Highlights and Lowlights Overall Slideshow / Videos Cumbria Overview Sat 250524 Dragons fell cottage and relax Sun 260524 Maze Farm Fun Mon 270524 Station Inn lunch and more Tues 280524 Windemere Wed 290524 Lowther Castle Thurs 300524 Kendal Sun 020624 Conker's , East Midlands Mon 030624 Eaton Farm Carvery Wed 050624 BBQ Beers with Neighbours Thurs 060624 Bluebells Farm Mon 100624 Horse Riding Tues 110624 Wacky Warehouse and Carvery 2 Wed 120624-Sat 150624 London and Goodbye, sadly Bye Bye INTRODUCTION Doug, Phoenix & family flew over to us from Singapore via Istanbul on Turkish airlines from Changi. They had a long but OK-ish journey arriving at Birmingham airport. We and Craig went to pick them up. Granny & Grandpa (here after called G&G x) managed not to find a car parking slot in the nearest car park and eventually decanted to car park 5, a bit of a walk back to the arrivals lounge. Unfortunately due to a "misplaced" piece of luggage all manner of negotiations were going on. All resolved (at a price!) later in the break thank heavens. On a political front can't believe how much the cost of airport parking has increased since Covid to drop off or retrieve your love ones, shame on you british airports. #hintsandtips We returned to Hellinger base camp for sustenance / bit of relaxation before travelling up to our Dragons Fell cottage just outside Kendal. 2 cars , Leanne and kids travelled up on Saturday, us lot on the Friday. The journey was not without incident for our youngest family member, poor lad, car sickness often for him, I really felt for him, just awful. Arrived in Cumbria and had to solve the mind puzzle of why the key didn't fit the front door. Hmm, supply by Steve (cottage owner and his cohorts) was a bit of a theme in the minus column for this holiday. The week in Cumbria was lovely with the usual English mixed weather but oh so nice to spend "quality time" with our extended family. You can delve into our various trips and escapades in this travel blog under each relevant heading, maybe use the MENU. Enjoy, we did! Note all my slideshows and videos feature music by the wonderful Mike Oldfield, yes he of Tubular Bells fame and the 2012 London Olympics. Feast your ears! #music Prefer to listen to the audiobook? Return to MENU DIARY This travel blog diary will give you a simple overview. I have included the calendars for May and June, the split being Cumbria mostly in May, East Midlands in June Return to MENU HIGHLIGHTS & LOWLIGHTS Highlights Many, especially being with family, hot tub, Station inn bank holiday family day, BBQ at Craigs, meet the neighbours, Charlie's horse riding, Eaton Farm carvery, Conker's and the high wire escapades, Charlie being allowed by Mrs. Handley (ex Singapore Amber Road) inside Edie's classroom, Aquarium on Windemere, Return boat trip on Windemere and Edie learning to count in Mandarin Lowlights Rain (but hey it is the lake district) and the UK summer 2024, not ideal for Singaporeans used to 27c and 100% humidity "I'm cold Grandpa", Cottage cleanliness etc. etc., Car parking for Windemere, Glebe road car park confusions and lack of making the pay app work in the deluge #smile you have to else you would cry! Why does the boat on Windemere only have open sides upstairs (hint... don't be at the back of the tourist queue when boarding #hintsandtips) Return to MENU OVERALL Slideshow / Videos / Panoramas All 3 families took many photos and videos on their phones throughout the holidays and published them on our private FB messenger group, smartly named HOOFERS by Doug #smile "Hellinger's Only Others Forbidden" #geddit These videos and a amalgamation of the majority of those captures of what was a truly wonderful time, so nice to be able to share so much time together. The slideshow / videos or "talkies" as we prefer to call them, capturing true voice (well almost #haha ) of the time for later revisits and memories are 1) Non grandkids , you can view 2) Grandkids images, PRIVATE, need request access 3) Talkies with Grandkids, PRIVATE, you need request access. I hope that is clear. Return to MENU CUMBRIA OVERVIEW - Dragons Fell Cottage Stay We stayed for the week Friday to Friday in Dragonsfell Cottage, 2 Kinn Barns, New Hutton, Near Kendal, you can see an overview here , for a limited time as it has already been sold. Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD The cottage sadly was a little underwhelming but that big room and hot tub (despite its sewage smells when we first took the cover off ) was a blessing for our extended family to get together for a week. Like most things there were pluses and minuses. Its location however was ideal. Lovely walks outside the cottage. Here's a map which shows you , we are off the first steep wiggly road going north on Kinn Road, and down that road any of us had the pleasure of meeting the baby fox close up. Please take care on taking up the offer of "click on larger map" it doesn't always work, just use the + or - options, they always work, thanks KeefH Web Designs #investigatefurther Kendal town was nearby, Windermere just 8 miles. Kendal is a historic market town with a fine reputation for shopping, Kendal nestles on the banks of the River Kent and is known as the Southern Gateway to the Lakes. Its old cobbled lanes and byways branch off the attractive main street, and the stone ruins of 12th century Kendal Castle sit perched on a hill with views over the town. Visit The Abbot Hall Art Gallery, its regular collection holding portraits by Kendal born George Romney and works by Turner and Ruskin, with other exhibitions through its links with the Tate. Both Sizergh Castle and Levens Hall with its superb Topiary Garden are nearby, as are limestone escarpments for easy walking, offering thrilling views of the Lakeland Mountains, the Howgills and Morecambe Bay. Kendal itself is ideally placed for exploring South Lakeland, the Yorkshire Dales and beyond. With other attractions such as Kendal Museum and the Museum of Lakeland Life, the fascinating Quaker Tapestry, Lake Windermere and the wider National Park within easy reach, Kendal provides a superb base for a relaxing break. Oh and here's the recent house sales pitch #hintsandtips #smile This exceptional barn conversion, located in a stunning rural valley, offers a unique opportunity to acquire a truly remarkable property. With five double bedrooms arranged over three floors, this property provides ample space for a growing family or those seeking additional space for guests. Upon entering the property, you are immediately greeted by a sense of charm and character, with exposed beams throughout. The spacious living accommodation is perfect for entertaining, with a well-appointed kitchen leading onto a generously proportioned dining area. One of the standout features of this property is the integrated double garage and additional parking for three additional cars, ensuring plenty of parking for residents and guests alike. The versatility of this property cannot be understated, as it not only serves as a delightful family home but also offers the potential to create a self-contained annex on the lower ground floor. This presents an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to generate additional income or provide a separate living space for relatives. In recent years, this property has proven to be a highly successful holiday let, further highlighting its desirability and investment potential. With its proximity to Kendal and the M6, it is conveniently located to attract tourism and ensure easy access to nearby amenities and transport links. In summary, this barn conversion offers a unique opportunity to acquire a spacious and characterful property in a picturesque rural location, while also only being a short 10 minute drive to Kendal. With its versatile layout, successful holiday let history, and potential for further development, this property is a must-see for those looking for a barn conversion that truly encompasses the very best of country living. Return to MENU CUMBRIA - SAT 250524 Dragons fell cottage and relax After travelling up on the Friday, which was a long journey as we all collided with the usual Friday max exodus of workers who work away during the week wending their way home, Saturday morning was spent unpacking, shopping and relaxing in the hot tub, a very useful family fun facility for the cottage. The kids seem to love it. Grandpa had got loads of water balloons from Temu which came in use later on in the week, great fun along with playing Craig's Finnish wood chucking game (sorry cant remember the name, but sounded like an IKEA product #teehee ) Leanne and kids arrived early afternoon so we were all one big happy family. We did a lovely outside BBQ as the weather was so good, eating indoors as the outside furniture was really only fit for putting on the BBQ as fuel. OK complaining over, you can tell I wasn't impressed, underwhelmed I think is the line I used with the owner Steve. Here are a couple of videos reflecting that day. Clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Apologies for the ghastly images included of the rancid water containers in the garden, they were used to point out that having mosquitoes near a family hot tub isn't a great look. Return to MENU CUMBRIA - Sun 260524 Lakeland's Maize Maze Farm Fun Travelled to the farm park at Sedgwick, not far from our holiday cottage. A lovely place for kids. The maize maze hasn't grown tis year as yet, even though planted up on the hill but the cafe had images of previous ones, all having a theme and very clever and no doubt challenging. We did the simple wooden one with puzzles and that was more than enough for me. It was a little wet outside but we found more than enough to do inside. Animals, feeding the ferret. #class We then had lunch in their cafe, whilst the kids used the indoor play centre and climbing wall. Keef, Doug, Phoenix and Alfie then left for various chores but mostly to let Ned sleep and catch up his jet lag. The rest did the tractor ride and a whole lot more in between showers, it was one of those days. Want to read more? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD OR Here’s a bit of a summary of Lakeland Maze Farm Park , located in Sedgwick near Kendal, Cumbria, it offers delightful family-friendly experiences. Here’s what you can expect: Farm Animals and Pet Encounters : Set on a working farm, the park features a variety of  farm animals  that visitors can see and even feed. Meet llamas, alpacas, and other friendly creatures. Outdoor Activities : Enjoy  tractor rides  around the picturesque surroundings. Participate in  animal encounter sessions  (both outdoors and undercover). Explore the  outdoor play area , complete with a sandpit, trampolines, go-karting track, and more. The Maize Maze : During the summer holidays, challenge yourself in the  giant maize maze . Navigate through the twists and turns as you explore this seasonal attraction. Indoor Facilities : Rain or shine, there’s plenty to do indoors. Visit the  soft play area  for younger children. Engage in  animal handling sessions  (availability based on demand). Picnic Area and Refreshments : Take advantage of the  outdoor play and picnic area  for a relaxing break. Grab light refreshments while enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Children’s Parties and Group Visits : Lakeland Maze Farm Park is an ideal venue for  children’s parties . It’s also perfect for  group outings  and celebrations. Whether you’re exploring the maze, petting animals, or simply enjoying the fresh air, Lakeland Maze Farm Park promises a fun and memorable experience for all ages We all had great fun, even though it rained a lot and was particularly cold for our Singaporeans. Keef took Doug & Phoenix shopping and to allow Alfie a snooze as more than a little jet lagged and they were preparing a lovely Rendang meal with spice pastes etc. bought all the way from home. Granny stayed on with the other Grandkids and Craig and Leanne. It seems the tractor ride and outdoor activities in between rain showers were a highlight. See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU CUMBRIA - Mon 270524 Station Inn lunch and more - Bank Holiday We had pre booked dinner for 10 of us at the Station Inn, Oxenholme as it seemed to be the only pub open in the area for Bank Holiday Monday. We used the hot tun first thing as the weather was good, indeed it was great all day. We arrived at the pub, probably first customers. A lovely meal for all but the icing on the cake was the fact that the pub had a 3 day festival on in its grounds. Magic shows, bouncy castles, ice cream van, play park, obstacle course, hammer throwing, just ideal for the kids, and most relaxing and enjoyable for the adults. Many folk in costume, scooby doo, cowboys etc. The highlight was when Alfie with his bat man t-shirt on met a real life sizzed Batman #brilliant See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Want to read more about the Station Inn? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD Return to MENU CUMBRIA - Tues 280524 Windemere Definitely not the best day weather wise, we travelled in the 3 cars across to our agreed meet up of Glebe Road car park in Bowness for the combo Windemere tourist boat trip and aquarium experience. Apart from 1 car in the Braithwaite car park and the rest in the other Glebe Road car park, the app to pay wouldn't work, we were all soaked to the skin it turned out to be fun. Keef & Annie , Phoenix and Ned eventually managed to get into the car park on the front of the Lake, wow that was busy and wet. Lunch in the pub was lovely then we like drown rats walked to join the queue for our Windemere experience, I'm painting a rather drab image but overall it was a fun day out for the family, we sat on top of the boat with the wind and rain howling in, all part of the Lake District charm in my humble opinion, Hellinger Boot camp was well under way. Getting off it was a short walk to the Aquarium which everyone loved especially the sea otter and leaf cutter ants. Here is some info on the boat trip. See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Want to read more? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD OR Read here,  Windermere Lake Cruises  offers scenic trips on England’s largest lake, departing daily from Bowness. Here’s what you can enjoy: Scenic Cruises : Sail across Lake Windermere and enjoy the stunning views. Combined Tickets : Get combined tickets for the cruise and attractions like the  Lakes Aquarium . Yellow Cruise & Lakes Aquarium : Start at Bowness, take a 40-minute journey to Lakeside Pier, and explore the Lakes Aquarium, just a 2-minute walk from the pier. The  Lakes Aquarium  offers an immersive experience with a variety of aquatic life. You can spend time exploring the exhibits and then board a later boat back to Bowness. For more information on schedules and fares, you can visit the official website shown in our above link. Return to MENU CUMBRIA - Wed 290524 Lowther Castle & Gardens Drove over to Lowther Castle and grounds , near Penrith, as we had heard it was a great place for kids and we were not disappointed. A lovely place , free car parking, clever yellow flag displays in the initial gardens of now derelict but once hugely magnificent Lowther Castle home of the Lonsdale's. The weather was mostly good as well. Started in the cafe. After a quick stroll through the "history" bit we headed off on a lovely walk through the estate to the woodland play ground. The kids loved it and spent in fairness most of the day there. We went there in the morning returning to the restaurant for lunch, which was wonderful, and then the family minus Granny & Grandpa went back for the afternoon to the play park. Phoenix did a speeded up video of G&G #teehee to make up for our somewhat slow pace. We spent the afternoon instead doing the history section, all amazingly interesting, this family descended from the Vikings and have many colourful characters in their history. The Yellow Earl , 5th Earl Lowther / Lonsdale, probably top the ladder of reprobates. Post our history lesson we retired to the lovely cafe for coffee and cake and dare I say it holiday ice cream. The family joined us towards the end of the day, the kids gave this place a resounding thumbs up. PS especially liked the girls Tik Tok dance in the cafe #class Want to read more? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! The famous Yellow Earl which we learnt about at Lowther Castle fascinated me, so when we got home, having done some research on him I bought the book (second hand of course, the best books #smile) What I suspect nowadays we would call a higher class cad "almost and emperor, not quite a gentleman" banished by Queen Victoria as we suspect for bedding Lily Langtree at the same time as her precious son Bertie, but once I've read the book I will know. Make their millions / billions in coal. Oh plus back in the day 1880s you didn't pay tax on "earnings" of £4k per week Hugh Lowther, known as the Yellow Earl, was the 5th Earl of Lonsdale from 1882 to 1944. He was a sportsman and explorer who donated the original Lonsdale Belts for boxing. He also founded the Automobile Association (AA), and his preference for the colour yellow is why it features in the AA’s livery, additionally, he was involved in various other sporting endeavours and was known for his lavish lifestyle. Here are a couple of notable anecdotes about Hugh Lowther, the Yellow Earl, at the age of 25, he unexpectedly inherited the title of Earl of Lonsdale along with a vast fortune, making him one of the richest men in England overnight. He owned  extensive lands and even the town of Whitehaven and its coalfields. His favourite colour was yellow, which influenced many aspects of his life. He had yellow carriages, Rolls-Royces, and even his servants’ uniforms were yellow. He also wore a gardenia in his buttonhole, grown in a hothouse on his estate. In 1907, he was involved in a famous wager with John Pierpont Morgan regarding whether a man could travel around the world incognito. These stories highlight his extravagant lifestyle and colourful personality. Return to MENU CUMBRIA - Thurs 300524 Kendal Spent the morning having our one last go in the hot tub, had some lunch, did a bit of packing and some clearing up then decided to go into Kendal to use the play park by the River Kent. Kendal has a castle as well. Doug visited an ATM and post that the kids enjoyed some exercise in the play park as did the adults pushing them. Lots of snaps were taken and the weather was good, very sunny initially. We then returned to the cottage to finish (mostly) packing, Keef cooked spag bol, and Uncle Doug and Tatey went for a final walk. A fun time was drawing to a close and the long journey back would start tomorrow , we did all mange to leave before the 10 am deadline and the journey back for all was much less troublesome than on the way up. Grandpa, Charlie, Alfie and Phoenix stopped at the service station just outside Stoke as folks were craving Greggs sausage rolls, alas there was no Greggs so coffee and cake surficed. Keef took Charlie to Greggs in Long Eaton to get 8 sausage rolls when we were back, Yummy!!! See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Here's a bit of a write up on Kendal itself. Kendal is a large market town and civil parish situated on the River Kent, just outside the boundary of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It was historically known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal. The town is known for its beautiful setting and cultural heritage. The River Kent is a short but significant river in Westmorland, rising amongst the hills surrounding Kentmere and flowing for about 20 miles into Morecambe Bay. It’s one of England’s fastest-flowing rivers, descending more than 2000 feet from its source to the sea near Levens Hall. The river is culturally important, passing close to historic houses and through Kendal Return to MENU EAST MIDLANDS, Sun 020624 Conker's , Leicestershire Conker's is located in Moira. As I'd been to a Yes concert in Brum with my pal Neil the night before the family had stayed overnight at C&L's in Swannington. I headed over to join them after breakfast. We needed 2 cars to ferry people to Conker's. Leanne was with Edie at a football tournament and would join us later. It is a lovely place for kids, one moment of panic when Tate and Alfie were off with Doug looking at something (what Annie and I call our Knossos moment with Doug aged 3 all those years ago!). So much to do there with various areas, lots of climbing stuff, slides etc. etc. and lots of sunshine, who could ask for more. The train ride is fun as well. We had a picnic lunch around the lake, a few nips from assorted geese (grandpa lost it with one #smile ) culminating with both ice creams and the girls going on the equivalent of Go Ape junior version in the forest. Keef even noticed a music amphitheater in the woods with a Simon & Garfunkel tribute act, sadly we cant make the dates but would be interested in future performances, a real plus as local. Want to read more? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD OR Here’s a brief overview of Conkers Discovery Centre , located in  Sedgwick, Leicestershire , it offers a delightful day out for families. Here’s what you can expect: Indoor and Outdoor Exhibits : Explore a mix of  indoor and outdoor exhibits  suitable for all ages. Discover four separate  discovery zones  within the centre. Enchanted Forest Play Area : Let the kids run wild in the  Enchanted Forest Play area . Immerse yourselves in a magical woodland setting. Treetop Walk and Moving Bridge : Experience adventure with a  treetop walk  and a thrilling  moving bridge . Enjoy panoramic views from above the forest canopy. Journey Through the Skies : Take a fascinating  journey through the skies . Learn about birds, clouds, and the wonders of the atmosphere. Tractor Rides and Animal Encounters : Hop on a  tractor ride  and explore the beautiful surroundings. Get up close to friendly farm animals and enjoy  animal encounter sessions . Picnic Areas and Refreshments : Relax in the  outdoor play and picnic area . Grab refreshments and recharge during your visit. Children’s Parties and Group Outings : Conkers is an ideal venue for  children’s parties  and group celebrations. Create lasting memories with friends and family. Whether you’re exploring the treetops, playing in the Enchanted Forest, or enjoying educational exhibits, Conkers Discovery Centre promises a fun-filled adventure for everyone See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU EAST MIDLANDS, Mon 030624 Eaton Farm Carvery, Nottinghamshire Monday the weather wasn't great, after a simple breakfast Doug, Phoenix, Charlie and Neddy decided they needed some exercise so decided to walk up to the Eaton Farm pub where we had chosen to go for lunch having the benefits of an all week carvery, ideal for Singaporeans wanting Sunday dinners and its got an enclosed kids play park. They also walked back although we took Charlie and Alfie in the car to save their little legs. Want to read more about the carvery? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU EAST MIDLANDS, Wed 050624 BBQ Beers with Neighbours, Derbyshire Been meaning to do this for years. Had a lovely evening BBQ, beer and wine with our next door neighbours. Meant Dan Dan and Phoenix could chat in their first language. The girls and Alfie played well together and the adults enjoyed the chat, food and drink. Luckily the weather stayed fair so we could cook outside, far too much food and Doug did a great job of taking over the cooking, something he said he enjoyed doing. Tom bought along some lovely real ales (as he always does when we get together) all in all a very nice evening, think the kids were all late to bed that night. Bit of a headache the next morning #teehee Return to MENU EAST MIDLANDS, Thurs 060624 Bluebells Farm, Dale Abbey, Derbyshire The weather was quote good today, made a couple of trips to ferry folk out to Bluebells Farm and did I mention it, great homemade ice-cream, #hintsandtips #icecream Bluebells Farm we have been to quite a few times with Edie but never with the Singapore contingent. It is near Locko park in Derbyshire. We had a great day there, lots of animals to feed and pet, including brushing down the goat. Charlie got to stroke the floppy eared rabbits, we enjoyed feeding the baby lambs, slow motion bouncing on the giant tramp, go carting, Grandpa even had a go but was halted by one grand daughter as she blocked his way and he never got restarted. The indoor sand play park was also a hit as well as lunch kindly bought by Doug and Grandpa got the ice creams. Yummy, so classy! We were there all day and then with 2 journeys back bit of a rush to cook a full Sunday roast which I've named the last supper. Basically the last chance we had as a full extended Hellinger family to all meet up, work and school commitments being the issue for the Swannington crew. T'was a nice evening, went to bed exhausted. lol! Want to read more? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD Whilst at the Farm we met our next door neighbours pal Ella who owns Bluebells with her hubby #namedrop had a nice conversation about the ludicrously large lorry full of sugar for the ice cream making it's may up the very narrow and long dirt track that acts as an entrance to the far #howsillyisthat One thing that fascinated me was the fully automated cow milking machine, using clever technology to enter one cow at a time to the milking station, lasers to line up the udders, clean them, then attach them and milk them, whilst keeping the cow busy with a regulation amount of feed / treat that is dispensed into a food tray from above, once it is eaten ... timed to perfection... the cow is let out. How clever is that? Want to read more about automated cow milking and see some images ? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU EAST MIDLANDS, Mon 100624 Horse Riding, Nottinghamshire Doug and Phoenix did some shopping in Long Eaton and Chilwell, we looked after the kids and gave them lunch. Yet another wet day and Keef's sat nav took him right past the equestrian centre even though he has seen it and known about it for the last 30 plus years DOH! Charlie got to ride Stanley and had a full one hour , 1 on 1 lesson from a nice lady. Not something you can do very easily in Singapore so she loves getting the opportunity here in the UK. Luckily there is an inner covered track and we all sat at the far end, dry and watching or was it cheering? #teehee After we left there was an amazing skirmish on the bridge involving more police than I have ever seen, 2 ladies and 3 blokes, who knows, tried to research but to no avail. Maybe it was Mr. BIG #smile Want to read more about the equestrian centre? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU EAST MIDLANDS, Tues 110624 Wacky Warehouse and Carvery 2 Weather not great and we had planned on the doing our traditional Strawberry picking at Wymeswold farm but as it was pouring changed our minds, decided on some indoor play activity. Chatted with Craig for ideas but in the end decided upon the Wacky Warehouse at the Plank and Leggitt up by Sawley marine, a place we had looked in upon once when we had Edie for a sleep over. A good choice, the grandkids loved it and could run off some energy before the carvery round 2 back at Eaton Farm. Also adults could have a nice coffee. Want to read more about the wacky warehouse? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD we had been to the Eaton Farm carvery the previous week a 30% off voucher suddenly appeared in my inbox, who am I to refuse a "Gift Horse" so I booked us all in for today, it seemed somewhat more crowded than the previous week but we got the prime position oval window table, much sought after let me tell you #luxury Want to read more about the carvery? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD See the various slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU LONDON, Wed 120624 - Sat 150624 London and Goodbye, sadly Up early to get them ready for their train journey from Long Eaton station, luckily the road closure had ended and we got there in time. They were staying at a hotel near Hyde park for 3 days and did lots of London experiences, especially seeing Big Ben without scaffolding this time. Very kind of them to go by train, saved a somewhat aging Grandpa the drive to Heathrow. After some lovely sight seeing and variable weather they used the tube to get over to Heathrow, many bags in toe as well as children, ready for the long trip back to Changi and Singapore via Istanbul. Once home they encountered the horrid oil spill off East Cast park, although it was a day off for the Muslim celebrations Eid al-Adha which in theory enabled an extra day to get over jet lag, that for most was taken up helping with the massive clean up operation. Want to read more about this disaster? Poor sea otters! Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD With Charlie's prolific reading of Harry Potter whilst here they had to visit platform 9 and three quarters at King's cross, after all Long Eaton ends at St Pancras right next door. Want to read more about this experience? Visit the unique motorhome travel blog link by KHWD Learn more, see the slideshow, clearly the same privacy rules apply when Grandkids are concerned, sorry! Return to MENU THE END "missing you already" and thanks for a great time, Singaporean Hellinger's! Love G&G xxx Return to MENU

Created by KeefH Web Designs , April 29th, 2024, 11.58 AM A Travel Blog by KeefH Web Designs Motorhome trip No58: 22nd-27th April 2024 NOTTS-> Ludlow & Bridgenorth, Shropshire, Stokesay Castle & Boscobel House and Charles 2nd's Royal Oak -> NOTTS 278 miles If you would prefer to listen to the blog there is an audiobook version available via the MENU. MENU Introduction Diary Panoramas Friends Ludlow Ludlow Town Quiz Stokesay Castle Bridgenorth Boscobel House and The Royal Oak The Talkie Videos Campsite Recommendations Audiobook Summary and Sign Off INTRODUCTION A travel blog Return to Menu DIARY Was due to be 3 days in Ludlow and 3 days in Bridgenorth for us well known motorhomies. Day one in Ludlow the Sunday was removed after 7 hours stint in A&E Nottingham for Keef and the Monday and Tuesday where we were due to meet up with friends didn't quite make it this year, must be an age thing as the assembled crew teeter on the edge of being all septuagenarians, wow that will be a lot of years, experience, knowledge and fun when we next get together around the table. Anyhow here a summary of the days away Mon 22nd April 2024 Travel to Ludlow Campsite Tues 23rd April 2024 Catch bus into Ludlow from outside the site, Town Quiz, Coffee & cake at Costa in Tesco's near the station, town quiz, 6 hours 3 miles , great fun Weds 24th April 2024 Leave Ludlow, Stokesay Castle then onto Bridgenorth campsite at Stanmore Hall Thurs 25th April 2024 Took van into Bridgenorth, parked man street, funicular railway, castle gardens, east street, then on for carvery lunch at the Royal Oak Alveley #yummy Fri 26th April 2024 Day of rest at the campsite, Peacocks, Great lake, Reading and relaxation, not really enough sunshine but we did sit out Sat 27th April 2024 Travelled home via Boscobel House and White Sisters Priory and this time the REAL Royal Oak, did you know it is the most used name for British Pubs, a great story of Daring do.... Return to Menu PANORAMAS & ART WORK These are a few of the shots KeefH Web Designs Artworks Inc shot for this travel blog. I have many more images to muse over in my Flickr Art Collection #artforartsake Note not sure about this but you may need a Flickr account (free join) to view those Return to Menu FRIENDS Such a shame we were due to be away in Ludlow with our dear friends Neil & Marice, Mandy & Colin and Chris and Allyson in Ludlow with meals at the George and Feathers restaurants booked but for various reasons this years get together didn't quite work out, but hey if you look back at Blog 198 (see bottom of blog for link, thanks) you can see what fun we had in Shrewsbury, hopefully next years extravaganza will prove more fruitful, the only thing I can say is I'm on the look out for the elixir of eternal yoof before them #friends Return to Menu LUDLOW What a lovely town Ludlow is. We travelled there in mostly total rain having rung the day before to let the campsite know we would be missing on the first day of our booking. They kindly said we could arrive whenever we wanted on the Monday. We used M42, M5 and our usual route via Kidderminster and Bewdley etc. etc. We arrived just before 1 and set up camp. Very helpful staff , a useful site shop, gin van (which sadly wasn't open #haha ) and great facilities. Bit nippy and blowy but by the time we arrived the rain had finally stopped, This year I have felt like Noah!!! Here is a video of us arriving and a site setup image, pitch number 109, last time we were here we were on pitch number 3. Want to know a little more about Ludlow and its history , well here you go! Boy there are elements of AI I love... Ludlow, located in Shropshire, England, is a charming market town with a rich history. Let’s delve into its fascinating past: 1.     Medieval Origins: ·        Ludlow’s recorded history dates back to the late 11th century after the Norman conquest of England. ·        The town was founded as a medieval walled town centered around a small hill on the eastern bank of the River Teme. ·        Key landmarks on this hill include Ludlow Castle and the parish church, St Laurence’s, which is the largest in the county. 2.     Geographical Setting: ·        Ludlow lies near the confluence of the rivers Corve and Teme. ·        The town is nestled beneath the Mortimer Forest and the Clee Hills, providing picturesque views. ·        Its sheltered location contributes to its charm. 3.     Architectural Heritage: ·        Ludlow boasts nearly 500 listed buildings, including well-preserved examples of medieval and Tudor-style half-timbered buildings. ·        The town’s aesthetic beauty has led it to be described by Sir John Betjeman as “probably the loveliest town in England.” 4.     Etymology and Names: ·        Ludlow was known as Dinam in ancient times. ·        The British name for the town was Dinam, which translates to “The Palace of Princes.” ·        The Modern Welsh name is Llwydlo. ·        The Old English name Lodelowe referred to the site before 1138, combining “hlud” (loud waters) and “hlǣw” (hill or tumulus). 5.     Weirs and River Control: ·        Originally, the River Teme had rapids near Ludlow. ·        Weirs were added along the river to tame the rapid flows, making the area more hospitable. 6.     Ludlow Today: ·        Ludlow continues to be a vibrant town, attracting visitors with its historic charm, cultural events, and stunning architecture. ·        Whether exploring the castle, strolling through the streets, or enjoying local cuisine, Ludlow offers a delightful experience. Want to know more about Lawrence of Ludlow? Return to MENU LUDLOW TOWN QUIZ We caught the 11.01 bus into town, bus pass pleasures, nice chat with a couple and Betty the dog, from the campsite who had camped at a CL nearer the town (caravan and motorhome site) during the Covid times, which was when we last stayed in Ludlow. The bus is semi rural so there are only 3 trips per day and on the way back for the last 2, we got the latest, you have to request that it stops at the Ludlow Touring site else it goes a different way to Castle Richard. #hintsandtips We had fun doing the Town Quiz, great fun, locals were helpful on a couple of occasions and there was a young couple with a dog doing the same whom we traded the odd hint, well it did say use ALL RESOURCES. #haha We certainly could have done with the bigger gang of friends, many brains make light bulbs work as the old saying goes. Anyway this was by far and away the hardest one we have done so far, it was our fifth one and the only one we didn't get right for a myriad of reasons, Ludlow is very steep and Annie's knee was certainly playing her. It also didn't help that some questions were deeply obscure and in one particular one the building was being renovated so the answer wasn't even visible, I used google to find an old image and blew it up. 2 old lead drainpipes at the tip of the building showing the repeat year 1728. I reported this change in environment to the quiz masters to ensure future quizzers didn't have the same problem. Anyhow that all said and done we only got fooled by 1 question which meant overall we failed. How many city gates added to the century (year) the last original drum tower survived until. Boo, totally flummoxed. Would have given us TWENTY which was in the middle of Katwen Tyson #geddit Anyhow it was enormous fun and whilst it estimated 1.75 miles and 2 hours we walked 3 miles and took about 6 hours, including a fab lunch at the George and a coffee break at Costa coffee to rest our weary legs. So just in time to get the last bus back. What fun, we loved it, onwards and upwards to the next one. Here is a video of the day with Colin's traditional shots of the clue sites (mostly) and a slideshow of the salient parts about the quiz. Return to Menu STOKESAY 13th CENTURY CASTLE AND MANOR HOUSE We packed up camp at Ludlow and left by 11 a.m. We travelled the short distance , about 10 miles, outside Ludlow to Craven arms, past the lovely railway station at Onibury we had been to before. We parked in the English Heritage car park and strolled through the old church to the shop and checked in. They gave us the usual audio guided tour kit, very useful. The gatehouse entrance is an old manor house with amazing carvings. Indeed all I can say about the mistress of the house at the time is back in the 13th century they must have loved sunbathing topless #teehee We had a fabulous time going around the old castle. It was a Royalist stronghold but cleverly they gave in immediately the New Model Army arrived so unlike Bridgenorth castle , which is no more than a large stump, Stokesay survives almost in tact. The gardens are lovely as well. After seeing the castle and grounds we retired to the cafe for coffee and a lovely slice of passionfruit and lime cake #toodiefor Although the castle is 13th century built by Laurence of Ludlow the gatehouse was built by William , 1st Earl Craven. It is worth saying that William Craven never married as only had eyes for queen Beatrice of Bohemia (allegedly) and he looked nothing like the carving above the gate... you do the spot the difference, even down to the beard and type of moustache #teehee Here is the travel blog video of our fun time at Stokesay, so worth a visit #recommended It's so good to have helpful friends #smile If you fancy know a little more about Stokesay our travel blog AI pal can help here, read on descendants of Lodelowe.... Stokesay Castle, nestled in a peaceful Shropshire valley near the Welsh border, has a captivating history that reflects medieval life in England. Let’s explore its fascinating story: Laurence of Ludlow and the Wool Trade: Stokesay Castle was built in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow, a local merchant. Laurence had amassed wealth through the wool trade, which was booming during that period. His vision was to create a fortified manor house that showcased his prosperity and power. Unique Features: Stokesay Castle is one of the finest fortified manor houses in England. Its military appearance is deceptive; it was not designed to withstand a serious siege. Almost everything visible today was constructed in the 1280s and 1290s by Laurence of Ludlow. Medieval Treasures: Among Stokesay’s many treasures are: A medieval staircase that stands as a testament to craftsmanship. A richly carved 17th-century chamber that exudes elegance. A tiled floor that whispers stories of the past. Preservation and Restoration: In the 19th century, early conservationists sympathetically repaired and preserved Stokesay Castle. Thanks to their efforts, the castle remains remarkably intact, offering a glimpse into medieval England. Significance and Survival: Stokesay Castle’s importance lies not only in its buildings but also in their survival with minimal alteration. It stands as a living link to a bygone era, where wool wealth and architectural finesse intersected. Explore Further: If you’re curious about Stokesay Castle’s full history, consider reading a comprehensive account. The castle’s story intertwines with Laurence of Ludlow’s rise, the wool trade, and the taste of medieval England. Want to know more? Stokesay If you want to know about William Craven , 1st Earl Craven and constructor of that fine manor gatehouse, click HERE Return to MENU BRIDGENORTH & ALVENEY Annie's distant rellie Joseph Lloyd Whatmore (3rd great uncle) was Mayor of Bridgenorth back in the day and we have visited before from a genealogy perspective, but now we have the freedom of the town we explored more. #smile Mr. Mayor was a hatter & furrier with shops at both 6 and 51 high street. Between 1852-81 he was a councillor, mayor & magistrate from November 1860. We parked in the main street by the buttercross. You have to park end on which is not an issue for our perfectly formed Wendy house van. Its only 40 minutes allowed stay, which put a bit of pressure on us but we had time to use the Funicular railway, the shortest and steepest in the UK (allegedly). If you are an English Heritage member let them know, its not advertised, but that will get you the return journey for free. On the lower level, mostly sandstone, is the River Severn and Bridgnorth's quayside, lovely views. Up above beside the bridge is the oldest seed shop in the UK. We had a quick walk around and then returned back up via the funicular railway to the north cliffs. It's called the Cliff railway. After that we walked along the circular road parallel but way about the river. Some great sites heading towards the Castle and gardens. Sadly the castle is almost just a stump after Oliver Cromwell's participation. Our informer at Boscobel told us the Royalists / New Model army disputes (if I can be so understated) were more about religion than power and corruption. Who would know to challenge the expected norm. Anyhow after the gardens we legged it back just in time to avoid a parking ticket, be warned. You don't get long, but over by the park there are a lot of parking areas. The Mercian way as indicated by the sculpture you see at the start of this video slideshow of travel blog images starts at Wyre Forest which is also well worth a visit. Return to Menu BOSCOBEL HOUSE AND CHARLES THE SECOND After a fabulous "chill" day Friday at the Stanmore Hall campsite, reading, sitting out in the sun (briefly) , eating, drinking and making merry we breakfasted and broke camp (love that expression from my boy sprout days) parked up the van and tootled off to Boscobel. The campsite was lovely and we will return. Here's a few of us chilling , literally, as you can see now taken refuge inside. tee-hee So we heard a lot about Charles the 2nd at Boscobel house. I went to see what remains of the Royal Oak a bit away from the house. It was cold and quite a walk so Annie stayed back at the farm area trying to shelter. We were so cold afterwards we went and had coffee, cake and a lovely cheese scone offering in the stable block to warm up. The current Royal Oak is a sapling of the original which apparently was taken down branch by branch by trophy hunters back in the day. Indeed this sapling although very old was hit by lightening so still not much left but from a history perspective, a joint passion of ours, well worth the walk. White Ladies priory further down the road is where Charles initially took refuge. We drove to it but as it was raining and a way off the roadside and Annie's knee wasn't great we chose not to walk over to the ruins, devastated during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries . The house was very interesting and rather than use the standard English Heritage audio guides , as the folk on the till said, on entry.... "we have real people".... some of whom whilst interesting were rather difficult to get away from. The grounds have traditional farm animals, rare breed ones at that, ideal for grandkids etc. The gardens are great and the preserved stable blocks filled with much info. All in all so glad we visited, you are never too old to learn. Whilst history and geography were not my "bag" at school they definitely are now. Want to know more about Charlie's daring do? Here you go Charles II, the son of Charles I, played a significant role in English history, especially during the tumultuous period of the English Civil Wars. One of the most intriguing episodes associated with Charles II is his escape after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Let’s explore the story of Charles II and the Royal Oak: 1.     The Battle of Worcester: ·        In 1651, the Royalist army, led by Charles II, faced the Parliamentarian forces in the Battle of Worcester. ·        The Royalists suffered a decisive defeat, and Charles II was forced to flee for his life. 2.     The Escape to Boscobel House: ·        After the battle, Charles II found himself on the run, pursued by Parliamentarian troops. ·        He sought refuge at Boscobel House, a remote location in Shropshire, England. ·        The house belonged to the Penderel family, who were loyal to the Royalist cause. 3.     The Famous Royal Oak: ·        Charles II hid in an oak tree within the grounds of Boscobel House. ·        The tree became known as the Royal Oak and symbolized the king’s escape and survival. ·        The oak provided cover and protection, allowing Charles II to evade capture. 4.     Disguise and Adventure: ·        Charles II changed his appearance, donning country clothes and cutting his royal locks. ·        With the help of the Penderel family, he moved from one hiding place to another, avoiding detection. ·        His escape involved tense moments, close calls, and daring maneuvers. 5.     Legacy and Pub Names: ·        Charles II eventually made it to safety and later regained the throne. ·        The story of his escape became legendary, and the Royal Oak became a powerful symbol of resilience and survival. ·        To this day, many pubs in England bear the name “The Royal Oak” in honor of this historic event. 6.     Boscobel House Today: ·        Visitors can explore Boscobel House and its beautiful orchard and gardens. ·        The descendant of the famous Royal Oak still stands, connecting us to this remarkable chapter in English history. Want to know more? Charles 2nd Boscobel and the Royal Oak After Boscobel and avoiding the marching Armies in that area (Modern Model Army this time, tee hee) we spent our time trying to avoid the M6 toll (£14 last time) and used Watling Street... guess what it really is a straight Roman road, or A5 to return home and unpack after a most enjoyable 6 days away. Return to MENU BLOG VIDEOS This is a video of all out talkie vids combined. Must practice my acting voice a little more. Return to Menu MORRIS LEISURE QUALITY CAMPSITES The campsites are fab, it seems there are 6 of them. As we are now part of their Loyalty scheme and they are slightly cheaper and with good facilities if and when we are in the area we will try them all out. We stayed at Ludlow touring park and Stanmore Hall sites this time, I have included some extra details in case you are interested fellow motorhomies. #recommended if you want to know more about this lovely set of campsites Look Here Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK Return to Menu THE END Thanks for reading folks, hope it was helpful

By keef and annie hellinger, Mar 29 2014 06:26PM Milestone Caravan Club site, Cromwell, Nottinghamshire A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog Motorhome trip No15 : March 28th – 29th 2014 NOTTS->CROMWELL ->NOTTS 75 miles Set the van free from its over wintering by removing the covers on Thursday, was a little drizzly so put the waterproof membrane in the garage and then finished off on Saturday in the sun after returning from our 1st trip of 2014 away. Amazing to note that the motorhome started 1st time after nearly 6 months stored away, bless it. VW engines are just so good! Packed up and set off early Saturday morning. Reasonably short drive but good to get the engine ticking over again. Arrived at site just before 12. Lovely day, cold but sunny. Lovely site, 2 fishing ponds and a large fishing lake behind it. 3 motorhome filling stations and 2 toilet blocks, both heated. Mixture of hard standing and grass pitches. Set up and went for an explore in the village. Quite close to A1 so reasonably noisy but lovely old buildings, spring flowers and trees blossoming. Village has farm shop and lovely old church plus a dolls museum but we didn’t go in that. However it does have the milestone micro brewery and we had a look around and chat with the main man. They have lots of awards for best beers especially their raspberry wheat beer. Bought a 3 beer sample box and tried out the stout. Very nice Cooked lunch of Pukka pies (good meat content), ciabatta garlic bread and muffins, all washed down with lemon & mint squash. Read for most of the afternoon, very relaxing. For tea the site has the mobile chippie visit so since Keef had left the piazza’s in the freezer at home we had fish & chips, almost the best beer battered chips ever, yummy! We had a couple of glasses of our sloe gin after and watched Line of Duty series 1 on DVD, well 2 episodes anyway before retiring to bed. Tried out most of the usual motorhome things, fridge, heater, water, fire, blown air etc etc so all looks good with the “home” for the season. All in all a nice relaxing weekend! Note: The Index shows ALL blogs already published or you can find Blogs about a specific subject by clicking on a word in the TAG CLOUD or under these new blogs, thanks, motorhome-travels. 35 pictures in the SLIDESHOW Comments left on old site prior to Nov 2021 #vanswelove

By keef and annie hellinger, Jan 6 2016 07:19AM Not The Motorhome trip No6 : December 15th 2015 – January 4th 2016 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->TINTERN, WALES->NOTTS c 1500 miles (including ferrying services & days out) Lovely time with all our family with the Singapore Hellingers over to celebrate Christmas and New Year and my Mum up from Surrey and Phoenix’s cousin from Leeds and the L’boro (Leicestershire) Hellingers and Leanne’s dad Bill. Grandaughter Charlie is such a delight…. Monkey, bear, byeee, hi, bovvered,ohh-oh… walking and talking, smiling etc and oh that front door bell with Mozart’s rondo alla turka…. Hehe Such memories: West park , Wollaton & Bradgate park drone flying, Dougs’ 32nd at La Rock, Sunday lunch at Kniveton, walk around Ashbourne, Santa, Pepper & George, Food, Gas cooker down, lunch @ C&L’s, Stockings , pressies, Xmas & Kids music, a lovely week away at Tintern Abbey cottage, The abbey, the anchor, the rose & crown, road to Offa’s dyke, rain, fog, floods, raglan castle, Chepstow, Monmouth, Gwent hospital, Heathrow, M1,M25,M48,M4,M5,M42… family, love, fun Note the slideshows can also be found on the FAMILY page under Xmas, where much more family stuff can be found, thanks for looking that's all folks! maybe go and have a look at the family page #family #fun #fab

By keef and annie hellinger, Oct 14 2015 02:23PM Motorhome trip No24 : October 7th – 14th 2015 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->YORKSHIRE including Holmfirth, Hebden Bridge, Cragg Vale,Bronte Country,Settle, Grassington, Wharfdale (Yorkshire Dales) then up to NORTHUMBERLAND Berwick upon Tweed for time with friends then back to YORKSHIRE including Sutton Band Hill (25% steep avoid in future although trusty van OK),Pickering, Rosedale (North York Moors), Scarborough & Castle, Filey , Flamborough Headcand Bridlington ->NOTTS 654 miles Lovely time spent touring areas of the Yorkshire Dales we missed out on our last trip in September then a weekend with friends up in Northumberland on the Scottish borders at Berwick upon Tweed and then touring the North York Moors national park and ending up on the east riding coast. Great weather mostly for mid October, shorts and flip flop time again! 6 days away all Caravan club sites ;- 1. Hebden Bridge HX7 5RU no facilities but nice tranquil site by the edge of the river Calder 2. Wharfdale BD23 5PN beautiful site on back of major holiday park, pheasants everywhere, so peaceful, good TV hookup on posts 3. Berwick Seaview TD15 1QU fab views bus and easy walk into town over old bridge and nice fish & chip shops, pubs, esp Old Barrels Inn and Micropub (did 2 nights here with friends) only down side is it is on the main east coast railway line 4. Rosedale Abbey YO18 8SA – absolutely loved this site although it is grass (bad when wet) and no facilities but its upside is location and proximity of pub opposite, gr8 ales and food esp recommend Desperate Dan Cow pie (home made) Yummy! 5. Bridlington YO15 1DU expensive for what you get and weird enclosed area with long walk and no cut through to amenities block, would go back again and 4 miles to brid… DAY1: Wet Holmfirth, saw picturedome where Graham Parker and the Rumour will play their last ever live gig. Cleared up a bit in after noon, stayed site no 1 DAY2:Visited Cragg vale, Hebden Bridge, Oxenhope, Howarth,(interesting climb), Settle and railway station, Grassington and Wharfdale, stayed site 2. DAY3:Drove long way upto Berwick Upon Tweed arrived about 3.30pm at site 3, set up and then met Chris & Allyson and Lawrence &Yvonne in evening… walked to Barrel inn for 3 pints of Bolt maker then late fish and chips at Fowlis on Dock Road before returning to vans for more drinkies and chat, late to bed 1-ish am DAY4: Nice bacon stottie at L&Y’s van then into town for look around, scotch pie, Brewers Inn in the high road (Scotland Vs Samoa , many scots in pub happy) then onto the Curfew Micro Pub (lovely pint of Manchester’s Lagonda) then walk back to vans for lovely meal cooked by Allyson of beef stroganoff followed by Cheese and bikkies, K’s bondi banana bread and a game of Bullshit (balderdash) SPVA… (special park village abuse lol!) V late to bed again DAY5: Up early cooked egg and bacon butties for all, long natter, then said our goodbyes (until next time pals) then onto North York Moors NP (long drive) Saw Pickering just as light was fading then to site no 4. Great meal in pub opposite. Log fire, ale and class food DAY6: Visited Scarborough and most specifically English heritages’ Castle and Anne Bronte’s grave. Great views from castle and very interesting audio tour. Met aussie couple from Adelaide. Went to Filey ,walked a bit, got wet, lunched then onto Bridlington to dry out and campsite after brief stop at sea front (reminded us of Bognor) DAY7: Drove home not a bad drive about 120 miles, mixed weather All in all a nice time, very relaxing we will be back to both these areas The Yorkshire Dales and Berwick Upon Tweed Campsite Slideshows #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2016 #campsites

By keef and annie hellinger, Sep 13 2018 09:18AM Motorhome trip No35 : Aug 27th- Sept 12th 2018 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog MENU INTRO SUMMARY DIARY SLIDESHOWS TRAVEL BLOG ROUTES RETRO SCOTTISH FAMILY TRAVEL VIDEOS THE END OF BLOG INTRODUCTION NOTTS->Scotland and the Isles via Lake District ->NOTTS 1313 miles Troutbeck nr Penrith, Greystoke, Glasgow, Mull, Iona, Ulva, Kintyre including the Mull of Kintyre, Bute, Arran, much of Argyll & Keswick, Lake District HISTORY OF THIS BLOG Slight boo boo - we had 2 trip 34's... Eire came first so made this Trip34A on 12/7/20, no worries , hardly matters just means in reality we have done one more trip in the van than we say , updated 5/5/22 Decided to shift this and each subsequent blog on by one up to the latest at the time which was 177 (now Trip 49, was 48) Back to MENU SUMMARY OF TRIP A fab time away visiting our dear friends Chris and Allyson in their new home at Ardtun (pronounced Hard – Ton) on the oh so peaceful Isle of Mull plus pulling in 7 ferry trips, 5 Scottish islands, a lot of miles, 2 great days out in Glasgow (which is a truly fabulous city – much better than when we cowered under the bench overnight in Buchanan street bus garage 40 years ago – city of culture now), a great Sunday dinner with friends Lawrence & Yvonne, Strathclyde country park - the old lady who had lived there all her life and not found the Roman fort (lol), classy Charles Rennie & Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh, the Glasgow Boys,Riverside Museum, Hunterian, George Square, Murals, Kelvingrove, real pizzas, Sir John Moore and true scotch food, Hard Rock Cafe, HOHO bus, Bellshill station, scotch mist,wind and rain a plenty on some of the isles plus lots of sunshine, Connel, trying to find the amphitheatre in Oban, humming Mull of Kintyre, Chris reminding me about a lift we had on Mull all those years ago where the lifter played Planxty, the burg, Cnoc Mor, tea and cakes Bunessan, a revisit to Threlkeld, Keswick and a first visit to Tarzan’s Greystoke, Fionnphort, great walk to coast on Iona in the sun (now costs to go around the abbey - progress?),learning something about crofting and de-crofting,that multi-seen french yacht, 2 busted ferries to and from the Isle of Arran, Crab & Lobster soup in the Boathouse Ulva, Shiela's cottage,Lachlan MacQuarrie's mausoleum Mull (Benmore estate - born Ulva as were Dr Livingston's grand parents) , Uisken beach and the big chair, Ardalanish beach rain and red admirals,Bob Ryan MBE Ardalanish weavers,Tarbert, Campbeltown, Mull of Kintyre, Machrihanish, views of Islay, Loch Fyne, revisiting Tighnabruaich,Rothsay, Winter gardens and harbour, Port Bannatyne, Ardrossan, Brodick and castle and grounds, shifting from the dog lounge to the coughing suite on Arran ferry, the Big stone (both Arran and campsite Troutbeck), Corrie, Lochranza and castle, hills of Sannox (lunch twice),fake sheep and a very convincing seal, my first red squirrel in the UK, seal shores views - kildonan, Kinloch, Old byre visitors centre - Machrie, wild camp A83, learning more functionality on our camera, waterfalls galore in Loch Lomond NP and oh so much more, very relaxing, we really enjoyed ourselves. Back to MENU UPDATED PLAN / DIARY DAY 1 Mon 27 Aug 3hrs 30mins 178 miles Home to Penrith (straight there 6hrs 10mins 284 miles… too much for 1 day!!!) stay at Troutbeck head site, Troutbeck, Penrith, CA11 0SS (a C&M site) Booking confirmed £33 0008542092 DAY2 Tues 28 Aug 3hrs 4 mins 155 miles Morecambe Bay to Strathclyde Country Park Caravan Club Site L&Y Bothwellhaugh Road, Bothwell, Bothwell, G71 8NY Booking 0008543275 £70.50 DAY3&4: Wed & Thurs 29 & 30 Aug 3 nights with Lawrence & Yvonne, 2 days in Glasgow… note that is 12 miles away by bus.. see Y&L tues eve , they are off Weds so we will probably do 2 days in Glasgow. Park and ride (free) at Bellshill train station, only £4.40 return to Glasgow Central station. What a fab place it is. The hop on hop off bus is only £16 for 2 days. Guess what Glasgow has a Hard Rock Cafe DAY5: Fri 31 Aug 3hrs 106 miles to Oban, stay at campsite there North Ledaig Caravan Club Site Connel, Oban, Argyll & Bute, PA37 1RU, Scotland C&M club site booked ref 2450 £28.20-£10 deposit paid. Had a quick drive up to find the Victorian amphitheatre at Oban but couldn’t find it, interesting climb on single track road. Campsite wonderful, on beach front with clear views of the isle of Mull DAY6 – 11 Sat 1 Sep – Fri 7 Sep Ferry Oban to Craignure : on Mull with Chris & Allyson. Leave Fri am 6 full days. Take tickets BOOKED leave oban checkin closes 8.10… leave craignure checkin closes 9.25 £41.20 return #wow . Drive to Cnoc Mor takes about 1 hr, allow 1hr 30 on way back because of traffic. panorama, the burg from cnoc mor, ardtun, isle of mull #bliss DAY12: Fri 7 Sep Ferry Craignure to Oban Then on way back 50 miles 1hr 30 mins Oban to Tarbert ferry via Lochgilphead (all Argyll & bute) Camp near Tarbert @ killegruer caravan park, woodend, glenbarr, tarbert, argyll pa29 6xb email sent to book/ now confirmed pay cash We called in at this campsite and it was YUCK! So carried on and stayed at a lovely site just outside Campbeltown (a great town) on the Mull of Kintyre , Macrihanish Holiday Park. Such lovely views, if a little (understatement) windy. DAY13: Sat 8 Sep Ferry Tarbert (Argyll mainland) to Portavaidie (across loch fyne) Turn up and go, see timetable then around loch riddon, drive Portavaidie to colintraive ferry terminal 40 mins 19 miles, then Colintraive - Rhubodach Ferry £5 1 way for motorhome plus passengers. Now on the isle of Bute, Spend the rest of the day on Bute… camp there then head to Rothsay. Camp at Roseland Holiday park, Serpentine Road Canada Hill, Isle Of Bute PA20 9EH email sent to book response hardstanding pitch secured. Not the greatest site but high up on the hills overlooking Rothsay so close to ferry. Hardstanding was in basically a car park £20 all in so cheap. Washrooms adequate (just) DAY14: Sun 9 Sep Ferry Rothsay to Wemyss Bay , then Drive Wemyss Bay to Ardrossan 45 mins 18 miles, Ferry Ardossan to Brodick - Isle of Arran stay 1+ full days (lots to see and much bigger than Bute)camp at Seal Shore Camping & Touring Site, Kildonan ,Isle of Arran ,KA27 8SE ,01770 820320 £23/night 2 nights.. go anti clockwise around the island… 25 mins 14 miles Brodick to Lochranza, see castle… email sent to book Take tickets BOOKED Arran leave ardrossan checkin closes 12 noon… leave brodick (11th) checkin closes 9.15 £46.70 return Update… due to crane crushing drive on / off ramp had to take a later ferry so had nice lunch and coffee in Asda near the terminal. Drove up to Lochranza – nice place, hills of Sannox fab DAY15: Mon 10 Sep Day on Isle of camp at same site Seal Shore Camping & Touring Site, Kildonan ,Isle of Arran ,KA27 8SE £23/night £20 deposit paid by card, sending confirmation. Fab views across to lighthouse on an island. Bit wet and windy though! Drove right around Arran 30 miles top to bottom so about 60 miles in all. Called in at CalMac Brodick after text re ferry cancellation. As the second ferry from Brodick to Ardrossan was also damaged (how careless, winds from storm , ramp cracked – dry dock) and no vehicles over 2.8 meters high could leave we travelled (for the 4th time) back to Lochranza and got the 5.05 pm small ferry back to Cloanaig (Kintyre), very choppy and getting off was fun. Then A83 Lochgilphead, Inveraray (nice) and wild camp just outside Cairndow with own private waterfall DAY16: Tues 11 Sep then back to mainland via drive Kildonan to Brodick 30mins 13 miles ferry Brodick to Adrossan, then drive Adrossan to Penrith Lake District 3 hrs 6mins 158 miles Stay at Troutbeck head site, Troutbeck, Penrith, CA11 0SS (a C&M site) Booking confirmed £26.80 0008542045 Update from Cairndow (up early) drive A83/ A82 past Glasgow back to Troutbeck campsite DAY17: Wed 12 Sep Penrith home 3hrs 30mins 178 miles longer time wise via M6 about 186 miles See all our Scotland Travel Blog routes HERE If you would like to seen details of our other trips to Scotland most in the wendy house please have a look at Blog 38 & 152, thanks, they are associated here for your easy navigation, plus our family trip in 1988, use FAMILY page by year, thanks for looking If you would like to see details of our trip to the Shetlands in 2001 or you would like to see Slideshows of our trip to the Isle of Lewis, the Uists and Benbecula in 1988, Edinburgh in 1993 when we holidayed in Lowick, Northumberland or Tighnabruich, Cowal peninsular which we revisited on this trip and it was Craig's 1st holiday back in 1982 visit our FAMILY page here on the site and go to the appropriate year, thanks Back to MENU SLIDESHOWS #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2018 #campsites #majortrip #timeline Back to MENU SCOTTISH TRAVEL BLOG ROUTES Back to MENU RETRO SCOTTISH FAMILY TRAVEL VIDEOS In 2023 i started to redo many of our very old you tube videos (utubeo) and here is what you get, better quality images and sound #utubeo Return to Menu THE END

By keef & annie, Jun 15 2012 02:44PM A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog Motorhome trip No3 : Scotland - May 29th – June 11th 2012 NOTTS->ALNWICK->FIFE->ANGUS->KINCARDINE->ABERDEEN->BANFF->MORAY->NAIRN->INVERNESS->ROSS & CROMARTY->SUTHERLAND->CAITHNESS->SUTHERLAND->WESTER ROSS->SKYE&LOCALSH->INVERNESS->ARGYLL&BUTE->NOTTS 1675 miles MENU Diary Slideshow Travel Blog Routes Retro Scottish holiday vids (utubeo) Audiobook That's all folks INTRODUCTION / DIARY Oh and we loved every moment of it. Scotland is such a fabulous place , breath taking views, lochs, castles to die for, interesting history and of course the deep fried mars bar. Sadly I still haven’t had the chance yet to sample this delicacy but scotch pies , white pudding etc. etc. were yummy! Pictures available under the site photos and slideshow tabs. In order to see these it is necessary to login using either your Facebook login / password or set yourself up one for our site, which will mean supplying your email address and accepting the automatic link that is sent to your inbox. EASY Remember a picture paints a thousand words! Basically keeping to the coast we travelled up the east, across top and then back down the west. As we have been to most of the islands already and the cost of taking the van over was not included in our budget we just had our memories and the views from the mainland. Maybe they are for another trip depending upon how much CalMac have ramped up the price for the multi-island passes, must check when I’ve finished this blog! So we left home and spent the night with our lovely friends Chris and Allyson in Alnwick, what a great Madar Jaffrey curry , thanks Chris. Part of this trip is inspired by a trip Chris & I did over 40 years ago when we were about 18 and we both hiked & hitched around Scotland, not been back to some of these places since and part so that Annie can get to John O’Groats as well as Landsend, I kept telling her she hadn’t missed anything and that proved to be true *smile*. Plus thanks to George & Emma for allowing us to park in Green Batt , George suggested his Auto Sleeper Executive and ours may well breed if they got a little closer. Haha – maybe an Eriba. Anyhow after a bit of shopping in Alnwick we set off for the borders. Then over the impressive Forth Road Bridge and into Fife. Did you know that Dunfermline (home of Annie’s ancestors) was once the capital of Scotland. We stopped at the Royal Burgh of Culross to visit the palace there, but sadly it was closed (something to do with a wedding and a corporate ‘do’ for the National Trust of Scotland). This didn’t stop us though and we still looked around the outside, gardens and interesting cobbled back streets. A real nice place. Give it a whirl sometime. No probs with parking the van either, 2 very big car parks that were hardly full. We discover Scotland has a lot of Royal Burgh’s an award which seems to have been bestowed the moment a Scottish King or Queen visited but I could be wrong! Then we drove onto St Andrews for the night, the home of golf, it hardly ever stopped raining. The site was a little expensive at £24 a night but they justified it by having a new indoor heated swimming pool and bar / games room. We went over for a swim but sadly it was a woman only eve, felt a bit conned. Still had a nice evening meal and some wine instead! Next day we visited Falkland and Falkland Palace, a very impressive castle. The Scots sure know how to do castles. It is also the home of real tennis, the very knowledgeable guide told us there had been a world championship there recently with the team from Ballarat , Vic, Aus represented. Blimey, we have been to Ballarat and it is the most unlikely setting for real tennis. *surprise*. It is still effectively owned by the Queen jointly with the NTS (Nat Trust for Scotland) and previously the kings of Scotland. We then left Fife and travelled into Angus staying at a lovely campsite in Carnoustie, you will need your satnav, it isn’t straight forward but Annie thought facilities wise it was the best we stayed in throughout Scotland, and it isn’t a Caravan club site. Having left there we went on through Arbroath & Montrose and visited a bird sanctuary /nature reserve in river basin with great views of Montrose. Never been in this area before but really nice, we would go back again. Whilst in the area we visited the famous House of Dun (NTS), it was owned by Lady Augusta FitzClarence, the illegitimate daughter of William IV (Queen Victoria’s dad) and his ‘actress’ mistress Mrs Johnson with whom he had 10 kids, she had over 20 in total with about 8 different partners, scandal, love it…. She never married any of them but apparently was great on the stage (or was that bed). The other things we remember were the last working damask linen handloom, big sequoias in the garden, the house had many doors that don’t open, they were just for symmetrical structure, each side was a mirror image of the other throughout, and joy of joy it had the best 1960’s stereo system I have ever seen, I want one. Mick Jagger bought the 1st apparently. It was then on into Aberdeenshire and Stonehaven which has a heated art deco pool plus we visited Dunnotair castle, are you getting it yet? castles and deep fried Mars bars with the odd Belhaven 80/- beer thrown in and a few lovely single malts and wine. Our ideal hols, hic! We avoided the city of Aberdeen as we had been there before when we went to the Shetland Isles. The onto the Feughside caravan park in Strachan Banchory Deeside, nice views, mostly a static caravan site though and a very nice pub / restaurant on the riverside less than 2 mins from the van. On this occasion we didn’t eat there however as we had fresh food to use but it looked lovely and many of the other ‘vanners’ were going there. Strachan pronounced “strawn” must be the origins of its sister town in Tasmania, Oz. The river Dee is lovely and looked like a heavily used fly- fishing area, trout apparently. Got up early the next day as much to see and big distances to travel. Visited Crathes castle & gardens nr Banchory and the craft village. There were many germans, dutch, french, italians with motorbikes, caravans & motorhomes and this repeated itself throughout our 2+ weeks in Scotland especially in the highlands, great to see! Crathes castle gardens had a floral tribute to the Queens 60th jubilee. By the time we had finished at Crathes it was getting on so I rang the Culloden Moor Caravan Club (CC) site to warn them we would be late. As long as you let them know you can arrive anytime up to 8pm in the eve. Then it was onto Cruden bay, fish & chips and Viking ships. Lovely quiet harbour and a beach to die for. Highly recommended! Then onto buller o’buchan just down the road. Similar to Pancake Rocks blow holes in NZ but not so dramatic and only one, maybe Scotland’s answer to Durdle Door in Dorset but with a wave pool. We did go thru / stop at Peterhead & Fraserburgh but not much to recommend them unless you are into industry and oil, sorry! Then turned the coastal corner into Banffshire – Macduff, don’t mention the Scottish play – did WillS really travel this far?,Banff with its own version of the Banff Springs hotel (haha – not surprisingly missing out slightly in the class / cost stakes, Then Morayshire including Portsoy,Cullen where Cullen skink comes from (a haddock soup) and thru Nairn onto Invernesshire for the 1st time this holiday. We stayed at Culloden Moor CC site for 2 days, nice setting and facilities, but v busy. From here we were able to visit Culloden Battlefield , one of the best historical presentations we have ever seen anywhere in the world and great use of technology to deliver the story. Well done them, do visit you will learn loads, we did. All about bonnie prince charlie,duke of Cumberland and what a disaster the dukes 25th b’day party was for the Jacobite clansmen. There long march and hoped for surprise (haha) just didn’t work and after 1 hour they had lost many many body. Interesting Charlie saw the writing on the wall and ran off after 10 mins (over the sea to Skye and never ever to return). The battle field is rather poignantly a war grave. In the afternoon we went in search of the Thane of Cawdor (oh no not the Scottish play again) by going to Cawdor castle, just down the road from the campsite, so all in all a great choice of site for the closeness of stuff to see nearby. The next day we called into Inverness to get fuel etc. but didn’t stay long as we have been there a few times in the past. Then it was up the A9, across the Cromarty bridge and into Rosshire, Alness (nice) and Invergordon (not so nice, oil platform restorations) there was a German cruise ship in presumably so they could visit Culloden etc., surely not Invergordon itself? Then onto Tain (brill) where there was diamond jubilee celebrations for the bank holiday including Capercaille playing for free, alas we couldn’t stay on as they weren’t playing until late in the evening but they are great and were on previously in Culross for £25. Had my 1st warmed scotch pie here *hungry* Then a visit to the Glenmorangie distillery where I bought a glass. Annie stayed in the van as she said no interest in whiskey. I bought 2 bottles of single malt whilst away, Old Pultenay & The Dalwhine, nice flavour both. Then it was onto Sutherland and many town / villages / hamlets the best of which was possibly Dornoch, nice old town and great architecture plus a good beach with the East Sutherland lifeboat station. There are also some nice lovely old towns at golspie,brora & helmsdale. Then we were into Caithness where we stayed at the Wick riverside site, quiet and cheap if somewhat antiquated facilities. The couple running it were very helpful. The SatNav guides you to the entrance under a railway bridge, watch out it is very low, We rang them and the guy came out and guided us round through the other entrance. Enjoyed our stay at the site. Found out that Caithness glass closed sadly 2006, became dartington crystal then closed in perth, may now be in crieff? Shame some great glass pieces were produced by them, real works of art! After visiting the Old Pultenay distillery in Wick (2012 whiskey of the year) and the old harbour and heritage area we set off for John o groats. There had been a fire on the heather moors the previous day that had shut the A99 but today it was open but the smoke, fire and smell still raged filling the van with an acrid stench that was fun to get rid of. We got great views of the Orkney & Stroma and did the usual tourist stuff but the craft area is not as active / busy as Landsend. We also visited Duncansby head and The Queen mums castle of Mey (v interesting) and stayed at Dunnet bay (view of dunnet head) caravan club site which has a great beach which we went for a walk on, we had it to ourselves and oh so sunny, best weather in the country. The next day onto Thurso & rain & shopping then to scrabster to revisit the ferry we used in 1987-ish for our holiday to the Orkneys when the boys were v young. Then on back into Sutherland again. Thru Coldbackie, Tongue & the youth hostel (Chris do you remember this, chores using a toothbrush before we could go to catch the one bus that left every 2nd Tuesday, Royal Mail with veg and livestock?) then round loch eriboll (wow – the best) single track with passing places and very busy then onto Sango sands campsite at Durness where we stayed for 2 days. It was windy, remote but brill views, loved it! On the 2nd day we drove down to the Durness quayside about 2 miles from site and went on a truly memorable trip to the great cape wrath (see pix – loved it) and came back to the craft village at balnakeil and visited its beach/ house/ cathedral ruins…. Walk to faraid head is rated as a must but we didn’t have time to do it so walked some of the beach, you need to be careful as families have been cut off here by the returning tide which circles round the back of the sand. Our Cape Wrath guide warned us of this. Then it was the roads to Ullapool, into Rosshire again and first Armaid and then to our Broomfield caravan park site next to Broom loch, conveniently places minutes from town and ferry terminal at Ullapool. Indeed the ferry runs past the campsite which I remember from when we went on it early 90s to Lewis & Harris. Would you believe it we couldn’t get a high tea in Ullapool although there appears to be a good Indian restaurant next to the campsite now! The next day it was the Wester ross coastline a real highlight including the Corrieshalloch gorge & suspension bridge, a lovely valley, little Gruinard beach, loch ewe (home of war time exercises),loch torridon, the brilliant Inverewe gardens nts, some of the best in Scotland based on location and plantsmanship. Then loch maree, the wonderful road to shieldaig, gairloch, loch carron and then into Skye & lochalsh. Here we saw a weird heather burn possibly that joined the smoke to the clouds, before reaching the famous road to the isles, which we have travelled many a time. Love it. We alighted at Dornie to see the most photographed Eilean doran castle, indeed Annie’s Canadian cousin Janet had this as her Facebook background pic. We stayed at Morvich CC site, very nice, for 1 night, superb beinn / mountains on all 4 sides. We left the next day to return to Fort Augustus (too touristy for us) and the wonderful Loch ness although not surprisingly Nessie was not “out to play” that day! From here it was to Fort William where the world Mountain bike champs were on that weekend at Beinn Nevis so very busy and wet *sigh*. We booked into Brumlee CC site at South Onich nearby for 2 nights overlooking Loch Linnhe. Great site great views great midges, don’t forget the spray folks! We were planning to go up Beinn Nevis on the Monday by cable car as never having been up there but sadly we had a big leak in the van overnight which mean the duvet acted as a wick and woke up wet. So rang the van people who asked us to bring it back. So sadly but sensibly we left early. Wouldn’t have been good if it had happened in Europe. We want it fixed before our next trips! So it was 400 miles back thru Argyll & Bute, loch leven , the truly wonderful glencoe, crianlarich, loch Lomond, trossachs, bypass Glasgow, Carlisle, M6 home… 6.5 hrs tired but ready to get the van into workshop the next day. UPDATE 15/6 they have found a seal leak around one of the windows so hopefully it will now be fixed. Currently undertaking serious soak test and leaving it out in heavy rain. Return to Menu SLIDESHOW 215 Photos available, go on you know you want to look , All on KeefH Web Designs You Tube ( utubeo) channel #majortrip #campsites #motorhometravelsblog #motorhome #fun #fab #weHEARTscotland Return to Menu TRAVEL BLOG ROUTE Here is roughly where we went, have a look, there are lots of other routes for our Scotland trips in our lovely Wendy house, you can see them all in the tick list here Return to Menu RETRO SCOTTISH TRAVELS Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK Return to Menu THE END

By keef and annie hellinger, Jan 13 2019 08:37AM Not the Motorhome trip No 11 : 10th December 2018 – 10th January 2019 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Gatwick to Singapore to China to Singapore ->NOTTS 19,346 miles Spent Christmas and New Year with Doug , Phoenix & Charlie in Singapore and China. Wonderful times and so nice to be able to spend so long with them all. It should be noted that the concept of Motor homing in Singapore (not big enough, but tent camping is possible in East Coast Park) and China (just culturally so foreign to their nature) is unlikely but who is to say in the future whether or not it will happen. When our daughter-in-laws parents visited us in the UK way back when and I showed her father around our Wendy House he asked if English people lived in them. This trip allowed us the opportunity to repay the visit by spending time with them in their home town of Foshan, Guandong province, China and most welcome they made us too. It is fair to say that language is a barrier but Phoenix and Charlie (as interpreters) and a snazzy app on the iPad meant we could communicate just a little. We loved China, what an opportunity, not somewhere I suggest westerners try without some language skills and WeChatPay and Alipay or a whole stack of cash. Most purchases are via the aforesaid app via your phone! We were extremely lucky travelling with Norwegian from Gatwick to Changi that we got a Premier economy upgrade, the extra comfort and luxury made the 14+ hours journey to Singapore a whole lot better. Top films in my humble opinion – Hoover by Clint Eastwood (way out), Bad times at the El Grande (way back) We went to Balalaki Greek Taverna in the historic Tiong Bahru heritage area for Doug’s birthday, and very nice it was too, plus a revisit to Muddy Murphy’s for Xmas dinner, although a new venue this time at the other end of Orchard Road. We flew out to China the day after Boxing day and spent time in Foshan, Guangzhou and Zhuhai (on the border with Macao). Such an experience, loved every moment. We celebrated Annes’ 65th birthday there at a local village wedding and the Western New Year (clearly not Chinese New Year.. 2019 being the year of the Pig). We returned to Marine Terrace, Singapore on the 4th and made good use of the pool etc at Nora & Michaels at Cote D’Azur near Parkway Parade before sadly saying our good byes and returning home to a somewhat cooler UK. Singapore was 34c, China sometimes 3c and UK 6c Among the many highlights in Singapore apart from seeing family were the Q8 at SAM , Singapore Art Museum's spin off for new Artists (the old colonial art museum is currently closed for refurbishment for 3 years), this is located at Bras Basah, The Singapore Heritage Museum, Muddy Murphys in Orchard Road, The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown, Parkway Parade, the ever wonderful East Coast park, Cote D'azur pools, Tiong Bahru heritage area, Gardens by the bay, Asian civilisation museum, Cavenagh bridge area of the Singapore river and the Paranakan Museum and restaurant in Armenian Street. Among the many highlights of our time in China I would list shop and chop house establishments, Starry Four Seasons Hotel, Lingnan quarter, Lion dancing, old orange peel, turtle soup, Zumiao museum, firecrackers, Titian village family wedding, Annies 65th, Nanfeng ancient kiln, Ming & Qing pottery, the Canton or Pearl river, Guangzhou south station (so busy), High speed trains, Yuwenquan hot springs resort, Macao boat trip, MGM studios (Macao),Tea, Dim Sum, cantonese food, deep fried scorpion, gooses intestines, worms, beef knuckle, Hong kong-zhuhai-macao bridge, Cold and Warmth, Rickshaws, Paw-Paw & Gong-Gong, straw hats, Air B&B, Chen Clan academy, Starbucks, Guandong museum, Fans & western trade historically, Canton Tower, young chinese girls wanting their photo with me (what an ego boost ;) ), Buddha in many forms, chinese weighing scales, crocodile and goat, buttons and zips. Looking forward to the next family meet up, “missing you already” Longer term 2020 Beijing for 600th anniversary of the Forbidden city but hopefully also before then! To see more family fun, visit our FAMILY page here on the site #family #majortrip

By keef and annie hellinger, Jul 11 2016 01:08PM Motorhome trip No27 : May 8th- July 8th 2016 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Scandinavia ->NOTTS 6140 miles Feel free to use the MENU to find specifics on this travel blog This was the longest trip so far in our lovely Wendy house of a van, she “dun great” the whole trip…. Up hill, down dale and along the flat! A travel blog to cherish! 10 ferries, numerous islands, bridges and tunnels, 61 days, 6 countries, from the fjords to the Russian border, 44 campsites, 6140 miles and a few tanks of diesel – what a fabulous experience, feel like we have experienced & learnt so much plus I think I can prove I’m related to that great Viking – Harald Bluetooth, he of the rune symbols that all later day geeks know ;) Holland, North Germany, Denmark (all 3 parts – Jutland, Funen & Zealand), Sweden as high up as the lake district, Finland across the southern end and Norway as high up as Trondheim. It was such a wonderful opportunity, such a shame that the UK no longer runs ANY ferries to Scandinavia, we only met 4 other Brits in the whole 2 months and 2 of them were from Oz!. Because of the driving distances it is unlikely we will be able to return in the van as Scandinavia is awe-inspiring for scenery, culture and people. Anyhow we loved it, and we want to share some of that with you. Feel free to let us know if you have been and what you thought of it, thanks. MENU Calendars Summary, Highlights, Lowlights Slideshows The Talkies Full Slideshows with Audio Diary (save reading if you prefer) Diary Audiobook, diaries read out if you would prefer Tags & The End See calendars below for where we were when and there is a slideshow of all the campsites day by day. Note the Numbers referenced are the campsite number in the ACSI handbook or website. #hintasandtips Want to see the SLIDESHOWS We spent 15 days in Denmark, 14 days in Sweden, 10 days in Norway, 6 days in Finland and 10, 5 and 1 days in Holland, Germany and UK respectively getting there Highlights is tricky as there we so many but if pushed I would list Hallingskarvet National Park in Norway,the fjords of Norway, the Lake District of Sweden, Langeland Island & Kronborg Castle (Helsingor) Denmark and the ferry crossing to Finland (Kappelskar to Nanntali) Lowlights not many but prices and trying to find the campsite in Delft (low bridge), chickening out at the Russian border, we had no papers for the van and was seriously worried about officialdom, so turned around in a layby right next to the border crossing and scarpered 😉 The scary tag is for my beard and many tunnels (dark and damp with grotty road surfaces) and the russian border experience 😉 Scandinavian Slideshows The one with speech (i.e The Talkies) is also associated with Blog 101 as indeed are the full sets with Audio Diary attached to the slideshows. The TALKIES Video with Speech, Also covered by BLOG 101 FULL SLIDESHOW WITH AUDIO DIARY OVERLAY For those who would prefer to listen than read, entirely up to you It is in 2 parts, the first covers 8th May to 5th June 2016 in audible diary accompanied by the complete set of images from both Denmark & Sweden back in 2016. It is 68 minutes long. The second covers 6th June to 7th July 2016 with an auduble diary accompanied by a complete set of images for Norway, Finland, Holland and Germany. It is 2 hours 13 minutes long, so beware, you can of course watch and listen in parts but its a lot of images, actually 4.9 GB worth (tee-hee) but its there for prosperity. #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2016 #campsites #majortrip #timeline DIARY Here is a quick run through of the sites we stayed at day by day that accompany the written diary Sunday 8th May 2016 Having packed the van we travelled down to Harwich and stayed at the Green Acres site at Dovercourt campsite, never again awfully run down and full of permies, in future trips i.e., that to the Faroes and Iceland completing our complete visitation of all Scandinavian countries covered by BLOG 135 we stayed up on the hill overlooking the sea, perfectly fine, great views and free and since the ferry always leaves so early in the morning to the Euro port in Rotterdam ideal. Monday 9th May 2016 We travelled on the Stena Ferry Britannica from the port of Harwich to the Euro port in Rotterdam, Netherlands named the Hook of Holland. A pleasant journey, even went to see the new Star Wars movie, Annie fell to sleep and missed the bit where Harrison Ford dies ha-ha, interesting views plus very few actual customers, mostly cargo lorry drivers, does make me wonder how much longer this ferry will survive the ones from Newcastle to Bergen, Norway stopped in 2008, it was possible for a bit to use the cargo ferry from Immingham to Brevik, Norway but they now only take commercial vehicles and the other DFDS ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg, Jutland, Denmark has also stopped so there are NO ferry crossings direct to Scandinavia, we didn’t mind as were driving there and seeing a lot on route. After getting off the ferry we travelled along the coast, getting out of Rotterdam for us is always a nightmare at the first big roundabout as our Truck Nav gets confused, maybe next time we will get it right first time, maybe not, but at least whilst getting lost we always get to see all the lovely greenhouses and bulb selling establishments tee-hee, anyway we camped that night at De Brandling site in Zandvoort on the coast near Amsterdam, lovely beach view walk in the evening. We stayed here 2 days. Tuesday 10th May 2016 Today we took the train into Amsterdam from Zandvoort which is at the end of the line. Had a lovely day out and about in the capital, walking around taking photos and generally soaking up the atmosphere along the canals, watching the boats and bikes everywhere. Some of what we saw was The Kafe Cobalt where Rembrandt once lived , Rijksmuseum, Dam Square, Henry Willig’s cheese shop, the Damrak trams, the interior of the old main post office, what an amazing building, old canal side merchant houses and bridges in prince henri kase, Amsterdam Central station, fast food vehicles selling Dutch delights, and a whole lot more. We had a canal cruise on a nice boat which gave us a great feel for the whole canal system and associated locks.We really enjoyed it and then caught the train back from Central station to Zandvoort, all very efficient. The walk back to the site took us past one of the very first Cente Parcs holiday establishments. That night whilst cooking we realised Keef had made a camping schoolboy error, the gas cylinder had run out, oh dear! To see some the the many architectural delights Amsterdam has to offer click HERE Wednesday 11th May 2016 Went into Zandvoort in search of a replacement / refill for our Orange UK Calor gas cylinder , found a camping shop but the guy said in Europe they only sold the Camping Gaz containers and we would need a new regulator to go with it as the 2 are not compatible. Expensive but essential and heavy to carry back through the no parking area of town. Still in the long run we have both types now and can mix and match for our trips either in the UK or Europe. Panicked a bit as parked in a short stay parking zone so grateful to get back, find we hadn’t been booked or clamped and set off on the next stage of our journey. Crossing the fantastic causeway across the Ijsselmeer (E22 or A7 you choose) we arrived at the lovely site at Koudum , Friesland, North Holland called Vakantiepark De Kuilart, which is both a marina and a campsite with boardwalks, a restaurant, shops and a swimming pool. Here our pitch was right on the river’s edge. Keef’s converted the gas cylinder to the new one borrowing the kind Dutch guy next pitches spanner ready to cook tea, as they say we were back “cooking on gas” ha-ha. We stayed here 2 nights. Thursday 12th May 2016 Our 2nd night at the fabulous de Kuilart site in Koudum, we were on pitch B4. We had breakfast outside as the weather was so good and watched the pleasure cruiser pick up passengers from the jetty in front of us on the Johan Frisokanaal, magical times, we went for a few walks around and generally relaxed from some of the travelling. In the afternoon we went to their indoor swimming pool, very chlorinated but refreshing. Had trouble with the coins in the lockers, oh you Brits, ha-ha. Bought some nice bread and cakes in the site shop for tea. Friday 13th May 2016 We moved onto the equally nice campsite, Wiedumerhout campsite at Wiedum based on a farm and on the edge of yet another canal, The Wiedumer Feart. We ate a very classy 3 course meal there in their Michelin starred chef’s restaurant as well as having a lovely walk along the edge of the many canals’ intersection and junctions there. All in all, a very relaxing time for 2 days. We remember entering in the van just as the farmer with his muck spreader was driving in, chaos and smelly but so rural. Saturday 14th May 2016 Our second day relaxing at Wiedum. All very nice but time to move onto Scandinavia. Annie remembers the showers not being great there, indeed a little primitive. Sunday 15th May 2016 We had a 2hours 30 minutes’ drive from Weidum in Holland to Wingst in Germany ging through the Weser tunnel. We stayed at the Knaus Campingpark in Wingst Schleswig-Holstein on pitch 96 where Keef had to practise his German to get booked in. It was a nice friendly father and son in the office who greeted us and offered us some nice German Kuchen or as we say in English cake, spicy and yummy. The site itself was how can I kindly say, in need of some TLC however the flowers were lovely, rhodis, azaleas and lilacs, super smells in the air. The main towns we bypassed on our journey today were Groningen and Oldenburg, but we called into Leeuwarden first. Monday 16th May 2016 We left Wingst and made our way to wischhagen where we caught the ferry across the river Elbe, what a wonderful journey accompanied by many tourists but also a whole bunch of motorcyclists who were touring around. The other side of the elbe is Gluckstadt. When we arrived we then had to wait for the Keil canal bridge to descend, we had previously in 2004 been up the Keil canal with Mum on a cruise holiday so this was seeing it from a very different angle. We have seen loads on windmills through out Holland and now Germany, we learnt it was National Windmill day today, who knew? We called in at Rendesburg , quite an old Schleswig-Holstein town , the town square was cobbled but amazingly interesting. This town was near the nord-ostersee canal also known as the Keil canal. We then had to take the sehestadt ferry across the Keil canal. We arrived at our campsite for the night at schlei-karschau but in Germany there is a siesta lunch break, so we had to wait patiently in some serious humidity until the office reopened, they do stay open quite late in the evening to be fair. We were on pitch 7, after setting up we went for a local walk along the boardwalk to the marina, and around the town, fascinating architecture. Tuesday 17th May 2016 We left Karschau on the Baltic Sea inlet about 10 a.m. and travelled onto Mommark Marina Camping, South Jutland in Denmark through Flensburg near the border between Germany and Denmark re-joining the e45 motorway past Flensburg. At the border crossing at Ellund West the border guards were stopping most vehicles, indeed doing a thorough check on a pulled over white van man but seeing our British number plate they just let us straight through. We love the Danes. We travelled along the coastal road along the Flensborg fjord thru Sonderborg just over the road bridge that joins main Jutland to the island of south jutland. Mommark is right on the east coast looking across the little belt at the small island of Marstal. We were on pitch 63 overlooking the beach in our own walled pitch, just fabulous. When we arrived, we were royally greeted in good English by the site owner in his restaurant / café on site. A very helpful fellow. They didn’t accept our ACSI card, so we had to buy a Camping Radet / Key Europe card for Scandinavia, good value and worked for the rest of our holiday. Wednesday 18th May 2016 Spent a lovely day here at Mommark, one of our fave campsites, few issues for Annie as builders had turned off the water to the showers but otherwise just fab. They have both a harbour, lighthouse, goat pen, small animal farm and both restaurant and heritage chairs outside, reminded me of a scene in the cult series the Prisoner. Some pitches were high on the hill with great views, we were on the flat by the harbour wall. Keef listened to music on headphones outside and read, Annie crocheted and read, very relaxing. We had a walk on the beach bordering the Baltic Sea, nice white sand and even tried out the first ever of a few selfies with our new selfie stick, we were not that good at it, tee-hee. We saw lots of fish such as plaice being brought in by the fishermen as they unloaded their harbour catch. Thursday 19th May 2016 Sadly, we had to leave the truly magnificent Mommark today, we travelled across the road bridge that joined what is yet another island in South Jutland called Osterby to its far tip to visit a lovely little quaint fishing village called Sonderby and had a nice walk around there, having parked up the motorhome, the smell of wild lilacs growing in the hedgerows was magnificent. There was even a Sonderby Strand campsite there that looked nice, but we weren’t staying this early in the day. So we left Sonberby and travelled via the wonderful and interesting island of Romo , its causeway and dam, here we stopped at the lobster port of Havneby, onto Esbjerg stopping for a walk and look around the historical old capital of Denmark in Ribe, Viking capital way back when with lord angsvar circa 801 BC and modern capital circa 1400 AD, a truly interesting place, its main torvet (street and square) were lovely, the whole place had fab buildings and streets especially the famous puggaardgade, on the west coast of Jutland. We stopped at Esbjerg camping site , about an hour and a half drive from Mommark in theory but we spent all day as so much to see. We stayed at Esbjerg for 2 nights Friday 20th May 2016 Relaxing day in Esbjerg, did a bit of washing and hung it on a makeshift line rigged up between the hedge and the back of the van, nice secluded grassy pitches. Had cinnamon buns and tea outside, bliss. The campsite had a swimming pool and goats. Mostly a relaxing day in the sun reading etc. Saturday 21st May 2016 Today we travelled from Esbjerg to Farso in the North of Jutland, Denmark stopping at the wonderful town of Billund, the traditional home of the world-famous Lego. Learnt a lot about the founding father’s family, the Christiansen family still own it after Ole Kirk C the Danish carpenter started it with wooden bricks for his kids to build with, later obviously they evolved into the cheaper plastic variety we see worldwide today. In Billund we saw a full-scale house they were constructing in Lego, the amusement park, leaned lots of history and saw the Lego band. Such fun. We also visited Silkeborg, its river Gunena, bits about Hans Christian Andersen and Viborg on route. At Silkeborg besides seeing Tolland man in the museum (amazing) we saw a guy training for winter sports in summer going down the road on roller skates with ski poles. We have had some lovely Danish pasties so far, yummy, the real thing plus in Silkeborg museum we had homemade coconut cake. The campsite at Farso was OK with its traditional yellow buildings. Sunday 22nd May 2016 We went from Farso North Jutland to Skagen at the top of Jutland via Limfjorden, the ancient Viking port and city from where they launched their “rape and pillage” excursions ha-ha, it is a huge fjord, then it was onto Vilsted So, where we had a walk, Logster, Alborg, the university town and home and birthplace of the man who created the Sydney Opera House, the one and only Jorn Utzon, indeed one of the buildings there was also designed by him, we loved Alborg a fine place and a walk along the river side is a must. Plus, we visited briefly Hirtshal the port town where we would return in 2018 to catch our ferry to the Faroes and Iceland and complete seeing all countries in Scandinavia, I have both the T-shirt and proof I have been to them all, tee-hee. The journey of the E45 should take 2 hours but as we were being tourists it took all day, who cares? At Skagen we were on pitch 76. We went there after having a stroll around the harbour, quite cold and windy and we saw lots and lots of ice-breaker trawlers and ships as well as a tall ship replica. Fascinating stuff. Monday 23rd May 2016 We left the lovely Skagen high up in Jutland quite early after a refreshing breakfast, travelling on the E45 back through Alborg, the uni town, and through Randers and Arhus and Vejle , about 3 hours driving, to the road bridge, called the little belt bridge (E20) over Arhus bay onto Denmark’s middle island of Funen and the appropriately named Middelfart (tee-hee) which is where we camped for the night, day 16 of our trip. We stopped at Randers on Jutland to have a look at the cathedral and town square, very interesting. We also stopped on the outskirts of Arhus, on the way back from our Faroes and Iceland trip in 2018 we went all around the centre of Arhus, another big university town and Denmark’s 2nd largest city after Copenhagen. We stopped for most of the day at Jelling the ancient home of the Vikings visiting both the Stones and Church which are UNESCO World heritage. And the fabulous Viking Centre, known as Kongernes Jelling and National Museum of Denmark. King Gorm, His Misses Thyra and son Harold Bluetooth (who actually built the church) feature heavily in this area and their alleged burial mounds. The Middelfart site had a very nice pool but today it was a little too cold to use it. Tuesday 24th May 2016 Left Middlefart and travelled onto the town of Odense, Denmark’s 3rd city, we had a good look around the cobbled street centre, with all its lovely old traditional yellow washed buildings, not quite as nice as Ribe but almost and which there we went to visit Hans Christian Andersen’s boyhood home, this being where he was born, the gardens and museum nearby look nice as well, we peered thru the windows of both. We also had a walk and look around Svendborg close to the highway 9 bridge to the island of Tasinge. Svendborg’s marina, boardwalk and statue of the Snow Goose were all very pleasant. Svendborg’s harbour, station and crooked house were equally interesting. This is the place you catch the ferry to the island of Aero (or as I called it earlier Marstal) but it was just too expensive for us to consider sadly. My fave place there was the Hats and moustache shop, class ha-ha. We then travelled over the various bridges thru Tasinge island with its fab views onto the island of Langeland, our home for the next 2 days and camped at a very large site in one of the sections hedged out there at Emmerbolle strand, halfway up to the north of the island. A very nice and friendly campsite and right on the edge of the sandy beach. Chairs out time to relax, fact. Wednesday 25th May 2016 A day at the Emmerbolle campsite on the island of Langeland chilling and then later after lunch when the sun was beating down, we carried our chairs down to the Stand , or beach in English. Glistening clear waters, keef went in swimming, basically we had the whole beach to ourselves for the afternoon, magical. Thursday 26th May 2016 Packed up early after breakfast and went to explore the bits of Langeland island that we hadn’t already seen from top to bottom, it is however a very thin island with only a handful of roads. The island is famed for both its old windmills and grain production, anyhow once our sightseeing was complete, we went back over the various bridges back to the mainland of Funen via the titchy island of Sio first then Tasinge leaving Langeland at the bridge near Rudkobing. We so loved Langeland and would gladly return. We travelled up the coastal road to Nyborg on Funen and then to the Storebaelt Bridge , an 18-kilometer-long suspension toll bridge that connect the main island of Funen where we were coming from to Zealand Island where we were going to. It goes across the Great Belt. The cost by 2022 is about £28 or 250 Danish Kroner, just can’t remember how much it was in 2016 but it had the same effect on us as the Confederation bridge in Canada back in 2010. Long and windy, indeed it was somewhat foggy as we drove across it. I’ve often wondered if New Zealand was discovered by a Dane hence its name but know it was first Maori or Polynesians, then Dutch then English, the reality when I have looked it up is the name “New Zealand” comes from “Zeeland” (which translates to “Sealand”) in Dutch, after the islands were seen by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Zeeland is a province of the Netherlands. Why is it call New Zealand? Zeeland is a low-lying coastal area in the southwestern region of the Dutch homeland whose name translates as “sea land.” After the bridge we drove about another hour via Soro and Osted to the wonderful town of Roskilde and visited the Viking ship museum on the Roskilde Fjord, the ancients route out to plunder far off those lands, and boy were they good at it. In Genealogy I can trace one of my many family lines back to Aelgifu Elgiva NORTHUMBERLAND who married Gorm the Gormless’s father Horda Denmark (note I would certainly not have had the bottle back then to use that name direct to his face ha-ha) and therefore Viking warriors such as King Sweyn Forkbeard who ruled Britain her great grandson and by implication to Harald Bluetooth, whom I count as my 1st cousin 34 times removed, which I am well pleased with, even if latter DNA results tell me that my Viking blood has been watered down from 2% to miniscule, I’ll take that link, so proud. Anyhow at the Viking boat museum we went on the tour, saw re-enactments of fashioning the wood for boat building and some long boat reconstructions but the real treat was inside the actual original Viking longboats that had been rescued and conserved from the waters where they sank. Trading ships, coastal ships and 34 man short long boats, 67 man long longboats, all fascinating especially accompanied by the informative tour talk, lots of pictures taken obviously. The Viking ship museum is UNESCO world heritage and deservedly so. After the museum we went into the centre of Roskilde to visit the Domkirke , church inside of which were lavish mausoleums to various past Kings & Queens of Denmark. The church itself was magnificent. Harald Bluetooth and our hero, for various reasons that will remain nameless, Christian the 4th are walled up here. Chris 4 reigned the longest and was such an egoist he conquered , rebuilt and then renamed what became Oslo as Christiana after himself, wow! We then travelled to Holbaek where we camped for two nights, a bit of a slopy pitch, but convenient for visiting the local areas. Friday 27th May 2016 We were on the lovely Holbaek site today again, pitch 5, the site also had a large pool which we went in. We got great views of the Holbaek fjord which is part of the much larger Isefjord which in turn is part of the massive sea area known as the Kettegat. We visited Helsingor (or as the Bard would have it Elsinore) and Kronberg Slot or castle from here today a drive of about 1 hour and how worth it was that. We spent most of the day there seeing all things Shakespeare and of course once again our much-maligned hero Chris 4 was everywhere, in our humble opinion he is Denmark’s answer to our own Henry 8th. There were many pictures of great actors and actresses who had performed the Bard’s works at Kronborg, such as Gielgud, Olivier, Jacobi, Burton, Leigh, Compton and mostly it would for obvious reasons be The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The modern-day prince of Denmark Christian is married to Mary Donaldson from Hobart, Tasmania, which is close to our hearts as cuz John & Diana live there. We could look out of the castles turret windows and see Oresund sound where the ferry makes it way across the short distance to Helsingborg on the other side, we did not use this route. The moat well laid out castle walls, courtyard , where we saw an actor dressed as Hamlet, the chapel and remains of what was the old town area were all fascinating in equal measures. There were numerous images of Kings and Queens (Dronning in Danish) on the walls, and apart from Christian the 4th, Queen Sophie and Alexandra of Denmark who married for her sins Prince Bertie, Victoria’s wayward son who later became Edward 7th of England. That’s your history lesson over folks! Helsingor also paid tribute to Hans Christian Andersen by having its own little mermaid. Afterwards we drove back via Fredensborg Slot the royal residence that we had been to once before with Mum on our Baltic cruise in 2004 when we stopped at Copenhagen. We then drove to Fredriksborg Castle and had a walk around the lovely baroque gardens and lake all in very nice weather before returning to the campsite at Holbaek, all in all a great day out. We had a quick swim back at the site to cool off before tea. Saturday 28th May 2016 Packed up early in Holbaek. Today we left Denmark for Sweden travelling over the Oresund sound, part of the Baltic Sea on the Oresund toll bridge, we stopped ever so briefly in the middle (naughty I know but only 5 seconds) to take a picture at the same spot where that film noir scandi series the Bridge found the dismembered torso. The Bridge is the largest in Europe and don’t remember how much the toll charge was but by 2022 it is £44 pounds or 390 Danish krona. The E20 motorway then turned into the E6 motorway which we used to skirt around Malmo, deciding not to drive through such a large city. We drove through Lund but did stop on the outskirts of Kristianstad for a brief look around before driving onto our campsite at Ahus on the eastern coast of Sweden on the Baltic sea past the quite impressive clear , still and reflective Hammarsjon lake. A great place to take a pic methinks! The campsite felt like you were in the woods on the edge of the Helga A tributary and overlooking the Aspets nature reserve. After setting up and our usual cuppa we had a bit of a walk around the site, the smell of burning wood on camp fires is infectious. Sunday 29th May 2016 Before leaving we had a bit of a look around Ahus with its old building and a quick walk on the sandy beach edging the Baltic, I was not going to dip my toe in like the Great Lakes in Canada, it was freezing even at the end of May, ha-ha. Today we drove about 3 and a half hours and 150 miles up the coast of the Baltic Sea through Solvesborg, Karlshamn, Ronneby, Karlskrona, on the E22 and over to Oland Island across the Kalmar straits on the Oland Bridge, nice views all the way across. We stopped at what we affectionately named surfers paradise, or to give it its real name Beijershamn for lunch. Here we saw an outdoor shower fixed up to a motorhome so the guy could wash off his wet suit after surfing, a great idea we thought. Lots of lilacs everywhere, we went for a board walk after lunch near Morbylanga. Oland island has over 400 windmills, it is famous for them, they were everywhere. We visited Lange Jan lighthouse past Ottenby in the far south of the island. Having had a good look around the island from Grankulla in the north to Ottenby in the south we arrived at our campsite near Morbylanga. We liked Oland island a lot. Monday 30th May 2016 Left the campsite at Morbylanga and went up the west coast of Oland Island to visit Borgholm Slot, and interesting castle with lovely views at Solliden Slott. It is home of King Karl Gustav 16th. After having a bit of a walk around the lovely laid out gardens and looking in the Royal gift shop it was time to leave Oland Island, so we travelled back over the Oland bridge back to the mainland at Kalmar. From here we visited Pataholm a heritage village with lovely old buildings and great harbour views. The Baltic Sea near here seem to have a thousand Islands a bit like those between Canada and America at Gananoque which we did in 2010. See our holiday website at HOLIDAY2010 dot co dot uk. It was about an hour from Borgholm slot to the historic village of Pataholm. We then went onto our campsite at Monsteras pitch 8 using the scenic route through Kalmar County and Timmernabben which took about 25 minutes. Lovely scenery along the water’s edge. At the campsite we went through the woods down to the boardwalk jetty in the harbour. Plus our first experience of the traditional Swedish cinnamon bun, our love affair had begun and this was the first of many, yummy yummy. Tuesday 31st May 2016 Day 24 of our fab Scandinavian sojourn. Left Monsteras and travelled through Oskarshamn onto Vastervik where sadly the battery on the sat nav gave up because Keef hadn’t plugged it in properly to the cigarette lighter slot, schoolboy error, anyhow not really an issue as the route we were travelling today was quite straight forward. Keef had got a cheap old TomTom one off eBay and found and downloaded maps for Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland and added then on so having a very cheap journeys satnav. Today’s journey was only just over 2 hours travelling. We visited Sandvik and Kallvik both in Ostergotland county, out down a coastal road off the main road, a very interesting diversion. We had a walk around Kallvik and its harbour and jetty, just lovely and so peaceful. We drove on from here to our campsite at Valdermarsvik. A nice welcome at the café cum office when we arrived and the views from the site were to die for. The Valdermarsvik fjord was truly superb scenery, possibly the best we had seen so far. We took our chairs up onto the hillside over looking the fjord and sat in the sun, keef reading, annie crocheting. Wednesday 1st June 2016 Set off from Valdermarsvik using the motorway initially up to the Gota canal which we crossed via the Bjornavad bridge near Norrkoping, it counts as Sweden’s longest tourist destination, going from east to west in its entirety. We stopped off to have a look at the lock keeper’s cottage and one of the canals many locks. From Norrkoping we travelled onto our campsite for the night at Oxelosund. Quite a big site with lots of permanent campers and holiday chalets. We camped on the grass in one of the many rows, all neatly laid out. After setting up we wandered off to explore. There was a lovely harbour area densely surrounded by high grasses and very few people. We walked on its deserted beach and this time Keef even had a paddle in the Baltic. A very nice area to stay. Thursday 2nd June 2016 From Oxelosund we travelled back through Nykoping onto the E4 motorway which we used to travel into Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, the total journey to the outskirts was only about 1 and a quarter hour but then finding the campsite at Bredang in the suburbs was a little more tricky. We did eventually get there were we would stay for 3 nights to give us time to really have a good look around Stockholm. The site was large and already had a Dutch motorhome caravanserai or duckling club as I prefer to call them on it. Just like one we saw near Ullapool in Scotland once. Anyhow, we parked up in one of the tarmacked slots which in fairness had all the facilities you need, each row was hedge lined to try and create aa semblance of privacy but with the numbers of folk walking past your van constantly that was impossible, we wouldn’t be at the site much over the next 3 days anyhow as sightseeing so all good. The site prices were high as well, understandably as the capital. UPDATE, this reference on reflection was for the site in Helsinki, having reviewed our images, whilst the price was high and it was packed it was grass pitches which were far less regimented that those in Helsinki (7th & 8th of June) We walked from the campsite down to the station Bredang T-bana where we caught the equivalent of their metro into the centre alighting at Gamla Stan station. Their metro is known as the Stockholm Tunnelbana. We had a lovely long walk around, what a fabulous city seeing as much as we could right down to the harbour’s edge. Here we purchased a 2 day ticket for the Hop On Hop off sightseeing bus to enable us to get around all the attractions, we saw the ABBA museum although too expensive to go in, see the slideshows to see what we saw on day 1 in Stockholm, we had teas in the hard rock café before returning by metro to Bredang and the campsite, exhausted but truly inspired by what a great city Stockholm is. Friday 3rd June 2016 Had breakfast then headed off again to walk past the very nice apartment blocks and gardens from the Bredang campsite to the metro and caught the train back into Gamla Stan where we walked back down to the harbour area and along past the boats and statues until we were outside the Swedish Handelsbanken at Kungsträdgårdsgatan 2, 106 70, Stockholm where the Hop ON Hop off bus stop no 1 is, we used it to alight this time near the Vasa Museum i.e. just near the funfair with rides that spread out across the harbour. We were in the museum for quite a while, all very interesting and almost Sweden’s answer to the Titanic, only many years before, OK quite a lot as built by command by then Swedish King Gustavus Aldolphus in the 1620’s, a huge ship heavily over laden that sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour soon after launch. On the way to the bus, we had a look at both the opera house and the royal palace, indeed that was quite near the start bus stop. After making a complete loop again on the bus as part of our ticket you also got a harbour cruise which was a fascinating way of seeing from a very different perspective many of Stockholm’s gems, we had seen either by walking to or from the bus stop. In the harbour there were some mega Cruise ships which luckily weren’t moving else the wash may have capsized our little sight seeing boat, rather like the Vasa only maybe on a different scale, tee-hee. All day the weather was sunny and on occasions humid. We returned via train and foot to the campsite again thinking how privileged we were to have been able to spend two days in such a lovely city. Saturday 4th June 2016 A day off at the campsite catching up with things like van duties, washing and just generally chilling, had a bit of a walk around the area in the afternoon, we were recharging our batteries for the next few days travel to Finland. Some lovely sunsets in the evening. Took lots of pictures Sunday 5th June 2016 Finally left the wonderful Stockholm, would gladly come back another time. Travelled the 1 hour journey about 55 miles on the E18 to the port area of Kapellskar. Only stopped at Brevik on route for a very quick look around. Stayed at quite an interesting campsite not surprisingly called Kapellskar camping near the harbour. Our pitch was slightly up a hill, very lush grasslands with some good views. Went to sleep quite early as early morning start on the ferry to Finland tomorrow. Monday 6th June 2022 Up early to catch the ferry, was a very short drive from the site to the Ferry port at Kapellskar, waited in line to get on our Viking line ferry for what turned out to be the most magnificent cruise we have ever been on, indeed better than the Baltic one with Mum in 2004 and way better than our 40th Anniversary cruise to the Caribbean and States in 2018, Blog 125. Our ship was called the Finnfellow, run by Finnlines, all food and drinks were included in the ticket price which was incredibly cheap for 2 adults and a motorhome, about £50 return in 2016 for a 4.5 hour journey in each direction, 150 miles of sea each way, truly stunning price. We only found this out food included when I tried to pay, and the lady said no, just help yourself whenever you wish, which we did. So, we got fed and saw some of the most magnificent scenery as we travelled along from Kapellskar in Sweden on the east coast to Naantali on the west coast of Finland via the sea of Aland and all its lovely little islands, the major one of which of course is mainland Aland and we called in there at Langnas , Lumparland to let off passengers and their vehicles and take more on. It is 30 kilometers from the Aland islands capital Mariehamn. The Aland islands are owned by Finland, but the residents speak Swedish. They and there are lots of these islands the main one our ship called in at being by far and away the largest are all in the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. Maps of our ferry journey The slideshow to accompany this magnificent ferry trip is backed by Abba music, appropriately, the sea was calm, it was sunny and blissfully relaxing, we bought Finn Bear for Charlie (or Peanut as she was known in the womb!) We loved looking at Aland and its islands, eventually we came into the headlands off Turku, Finland, looking rather industrial, it is a main shipping, cargo port for Finland. It turned slightly to come into Naantali. We drove off, set the satnav to Finland and located our campsite for the night, a lush green hilly site on the edge of the Gulf of Bothnia, fab views down from our pitch all fringed by the green pines, elements of Canada here. Tuesday 7th June 2022 Day 31. Drove from the lovely site at Naantali onto Rastila camping site in Helsinki the Finnish capital. We were on pitch 13. The site was large and already had a Dutch motorhome caravanserai or duckling club as I prefer to call them on it. Just like one we saw near Ullapool in Scotland once. Anyhow, we parked up in one of the tarmacked slots which in fairness had all the facilities you need, each row was hedge lined to try and create aa semblance of privacy but with the numbers of folk walking past your van constantly that was impossible, we wouldn’t be at the site much over the next 2 days anyhow as sightseeing so all good. The site prices were high as well, understandably as the capital. The other great thing about the Rastila site was that the metro train station was right next door, hugely convenient for getting into the city centre. The journey via the scenic route which started off on Highway one through the industrial area of Turku was about 3 and a half hours, but worth doing. If we had just used the motorway into Helsinki, it would have been just over 1 hour but somewhat boring. Our first stop after Naantali was the seaside resort town of Hanko , a past holiday resort for rich Russians, it was a 2-hour drive through some very nice scenery, woodlands, hills, abundant flora and fauna, didn’t see much native wildlife, although some bird species we have not come across before. Especially remember the lovely beach walk in the sunshine, some interesting old and new architecture, i.e., villa tellina and margarita, pine trees everywhere, water tower, old church, and the formal gardens all in flower. It was about hours’ drive after a fab time in Hanko to the site in Helsinki. Wednesday 8th June 2017 Up early, breakfasted and caught the metro next door to the site, Rastila station into central Helsinki. Interesting colour scheme on the metro, all red. Anyhow it was a somewhat grey and miserable day weather wise but not on the discovery front. From the main station we found the stop for the Hop on Hop Off bus tour in the main square and having looked around both the cathedral and town hall, both very grandiose, we paid and got on for our voyage of discovery around the Finnish capital. In our humble opinion most of the architecture was drab Russian utilitarian. Had some lovely cardamom buns as a snack, yummy. The main square also commemorated Alexander 2nd of Finland who was murdered by the Russians. Still raining it was nice to get on the bus. Although the drizzle did obscure our view somewhat. Bus tours are a great way to find the things you really want to see about a city. Lots of trams, funfair and Finn sky wheel on the harbour area, market square was very interesting area, and the market was on today. Loved its Havis Amanda statue. Presidential palace, esplanade, lots of boating and rally cars (Finns are world champions at this sport) at eira beach, big cruise ships at the melkki cruise terminal, by the afternoon the sun had finally come out, so we got to see both the botanic gardens and the old Olympic stadium nearby, that where all their long distance runners are celebrated. We got off the bus after 1 and a bit trip around the circuit near the Hard Rock Café where we had a chocolate milk shake and not surprisingly Keef bought a T-shirt. Our waiter was from Hungary and had a very interesting chat with him, his English was superb, he loved living in Helsinki which was a great recommendation. We then caught the metro back to Rastila and the campsite, as now sunny went for a walk around and saw both wooden holiday chalets and a Finnish dog show a bit like cruft’s, tee-hee, pooches everywhere. We also strolled down to Rastila’ s beach called uimaranta and its marina and harbour, all very pleasant especially as so warm. The Finns love their sauna’s and we saw wooden out buildings housing these everywhere. Tea and bed early, tomorrow we are off to discover the rest of Finland, ok maybe! Thursday 9th June 2017 Day 33 left the wonderful Rastila and Helsinki and travelled onto Hamina on the E18 which also doubles as a scenic route. We firstly stopped at the village of Porvoo on the Porvoo river, it had a lovely old heritage bridge , old boats, quaint wooden houses and shops riverside and cafes. We had a lovely long walk around, indeed whilst out by the old wooden historic river bridge we met a young girl on her bike who told us in brilliant English, they all speak it brilliantly, that she did tourists’ trips around the old town. I remember one of my first experiences in a garage in Finland , just outside Naantali where I couldn’t work out how to use my credit card and the little girl behind the counter said in strident English it’s the other way up sir, amazing, so wish I had done better at languages at school. The cathedral and its cobbled square were also wonderful. The old schoolhouse was equally amazing. Anyhow we walked back along the river to the wonderful old, cobbled town square. The old Irish Embassy built 1820 was amazing. We really liked Porvoo. After Porvoo we drove onto to just before the Russian border past Vaalimaa, literally, next stop St Petersburg, which we loved when we visited in 2004 with Mum especially the Hermitage Museum, artwork to die for. Since we had no papers and didn’t want the motorhome impounded, we turned around just before the crossing in a layby and returned to Hamina town, another traditional old Finish town. It took about 30 minutes and 25 miles from the Russian border. Hamina town and its magnificent town hall had a feel of being a cross between Hanko and Porvoo as old traditional Finish towns. The Linnoitus fortress was also worth a visit. It was built by the Finns to stop the advancement of Peter the great who wanted to capture all the seaports along the coasts for Russia, maybe this is reminiscent of Putin in 2022 and Ukraine, sadly! After a good look around, we called into the Hamina campsite and restaurant, by the water’s edge and booked in. The site was quite empty, so we had the pick of the pitches. Very forestry, and we set up and went for a walk around, down to the sea and beach along one of the many boardwalks. A very nice, deserted beach. Had a long walk around the site, looking at the amazing wooden sauna buildings wood fired, must be amazing in winter. Friday 10th June 2016 Keef couldn’t sleep so up early, about 5 a.m. and went and had a shower and a good look around. The site is on a very sandy base. Back afterwards and Annie had awoken and showered we had breakfast and set off on our journey back to Naantali with a real feel that we had at least in part sampled some of Finland’s culture and scenery and we liked it. The journey back to Naantali was all via motorway and took just over 3 hours by passing Helsinki , through Espoo and Turku and back into the town for a look around which we hadn’t done when we stayed 4 days previously. We parked up and had a good walk along the boardwalk surrounding the harbour and marina, all very interesting. Weather not too bad. Bit overcast but warm. We then had a good walk around the old town, seeing many old traditional wooden houses , the town hall with its old clock tower hovers above every sight line in Naantali. Some of the streets were steep all leading back down to the harbour. A very interesting town. After that it was back to the campsite, this time we were on pitch 51, closer to the waters edge but still on the flat. Such nice views we then set up and relaxed for the rest of the day ready for our cruise back to Sweden tomorrow. Saturday 11th June 2016 Having stayed in the same campsite at Nanntali we knew our way back to the ferry terminal , the Naantali Nadendal, pronounced Natalie, and so most of the day was spent doing that lovely ferry trip via the Aland islands and multiple little islands on route back to Kapellskar. Can’t recommend this trip enough, just so relaxing, and free food and drink as well, what more could you ask for. Our ship this time was the Finneagle. We saw a lot of salmon farms on route as well. We also got to watch, heaven forbid, the Queen’s 90th celebrations on the TV delivered in Finnish, amazing, ha-ha, I of course stood to attention. In general, it is all plain sailing but there is a very rocky coastline, so we saw many lighthouses through the Gulf of Bothnia. We even went past the Finnfellow , the one we went over to Finland on, on the way back , they obviously use 2 vessels on this trip. There are many private islands with their own boat jetties along the route. We eventually got back to the Kapellskar campsite in Sweden at about 6.30 in the evening. It is quite a long boat trip, but so enjoyable, at 8hours 34 minutes. This time we were on pitch 16, tired we retired early after a snack as well fed on the ferry trip. So loved Finland. Sunday 12th June 2016 After breakfast set off reasonably early from the Kapellskar site on the banks of the sea of Aland in the gulf of bothnia. It was going to be a 5 hour plus drive today, initially back through Brevik and Norrtalje turning off the 77 onto the main E4 into the old capital of Sweden Uppsala which the Vikings used as one of their centres of governance, a fascinating place with lots of history and amazing buildings. We had a good long walk around seeing the old water mill, senate house, st olaf’s arch, the gamla or old town, the old catherdral or domkirke to name but a few and saw folk in traditional dress going to church, as it was Sunday, all very interesting. Then it was onto the turning leading to alvkarlaby where there was a huge Chinese dragon gate with lions, a rather strange find in a Scandinavian area but extremely lavish and large. We then used the coastal road onto Gavle and then on from there to the start of Siljan lake at Rattvik. This whole area counts as the equivalent of the Swedish lake district and travelling along through Mora and lake Orsasjon to our campsite for the night at Alvdalens camping, a nice site on the banks of the Osterdalalven river. There were some interesting BBQ pit houses on site for use by anyone, we had a nice evening stroll around the site and along the river, all very pleasant. The guy in the office offered me a chance to catch grayling and trout in the river, but I’m no fisherman. Tee-hee Monday 13th June 2016 Spent a lovely 2nd day here in the lovely campsite, took the motorhome out to have a look at the nearby ski resorts including the wonderful ski jumping slopes, even though it was not winter you could easily envisage them being used, fascinating. We also had a good look around the area and then returned early to the site to both chill, stroll along the river again and have a nice BBQ in the evening, chicken if I remember rightly. From a taste perspective however chicken in Scandinavia is quite different. Alvdalen has 4 ski areas using for both skiing and snowboarding. Including Grovefjall, Idre fjall and salen, it doesn’t take a great brain to realise the Fjall probably means mountain in Swedish tee-hee. Tuesday 14th June 2016 After 2 days in the lovely Swedish lake district we are moving on across the border into Norway but first we visited the wonderful town of Nusnas, Dalarna county on the edge of the huge and majestic Siljan lake. Nusnas is about an hour away from Alvdalen and is the home of the world famous Dala horse. We visited the Grannas A Olssen workshops and watched some very skilled workers creating these wooden masterpieces. From the huge to the miniscule indeed so small you could only see them under a microscope. There was also a history museum within the workshop showing Dala horses back through time to some of the very first ever crafted. These would we worth a fortune if you owned them. They have travelled worldwide, indeed we bought one for our grand daughter which she still has in her bedroom to this day. They were a hit at the 1939 world fair. This is the smallest available, fascinating, it is followed by a slideshow of all the images we took whilst visiting the Dala horse workshops, enjoy! After Nusnas we returned via the village of Sarna on the ostadalaven where I took what was possible my best picture of the holiday, just so proud of it. Sarna is in the Fulufjallet national park which has the ski mountain ranges. In essence we had returned near to Alvdalen where we had camped for 2 days but not quite. At Sarna we parked up and visited the very old cedar wood church. Past Sarna at Idre on Highway 70 we crossed over into Norway, where to be honest there was no border crossing attention from officials at all. We stopped to take some pictures. It is also worth noting and I’d forgotten this that they drive on opposite sides of the road, easy for us Brits to adjust. From here we headed on up into the Engerdal National Park and to our campsite at Hedmark. Hardly anyone was at the site so we mostly had it to ourselves, again as summer it felt like it was mostly populated only during the skiing season, the site itself was very nice and quirky. There was also a residual of snow still on the surrounding mountains, I would definitely not like to take the van here in winter, just far too scary. Wednesday 15th June 2016 From Hedmark we set off towards Haneset and Roros along the edge of the scenerific Storsjoen with its mountains surrounding the lake. We came across elk on the road. We travelled through Kvernnes, Tyldal and turned at Tynset through Tolga and Os onto our Roros camping site, a splendid journey mostly through forested areas, the air was just so clean and some magnificent scenery. The whole scenic trip took about 4 hours. We stopped at stations and saw ski jump slopes on route. The Norwegian village of Roros including the old traditional timber houses was most interesting. We learnt a lot about the heritage culture and customs. It was a Unesco world heritage site. Thursday 16th June 2016 We set off from Roros camping to as far up as we were scheduled to travel north in Norway for this trip heading for Trondheim and our campsite out along the coast at Flakk. We first called in at Storen and then to see the waterfall at aursunden in the forollhogna national park whose scenery was the backdrop for most of todays journey all the way up to Trondheim. Spectacular views all the way on Highway 30. Some of the mountains on route were positively volcanic, just look at some of our images. Highway 30 turned into the E6. We had a real good look around Trondheim, which was once a Norwegian capital, it has a lot of history. In the city we visited museums, stiftsgarden royal residence, the market, the torget (town square), the cathedral, the archbishop’s palace, the old, cobbled back street, bridges, shops, and a whole lot more, it is a fabulous place, we loved every moment of it. Prior to Trondheim, and you just must do it, we went on the road to HELL and its airport, indeed we had fish and chips there. After Trondheim and before going to the campsite we went east along the coast road to Vikhammer and its coastal railway station line, all very interesting and different. Then it was onto our Flakk campsite for the night, we got a great pitch with a sea view and as the weather was so nice Keef cooked on the griddle outside, chicken, onions and peppers, yummy! After tea we took a stroll to the harbour near the campsite and saw ice breakers and the ferry from Flakk to Rorvik. Friday 17th June 2016 We were now at the real start of the Norwegian Fjords, so travel was a combination of both roads and ferry connections, oh and quite a few tunnels, my favourite being a fan of crime fiction was the apply named Nesbo tunnel. I have read all of Jo’s novels. So today was a journey from Flakk to Kristiansund heading southwest on initially highway E6 then E39. We travelled past fjords and along them seeing waterfalls, and surprisingly a vineyard with grape vines, how does that survive in winter I wonder. This was near Klett just outside Trondheim and although they looked like grapevines may well have been another fruit i.e some sort of berry, but who knows, certainly not us, tee-hee. We caught the ferry at Halsa called the svanoy to get to kanestraum after waiting in line for a bit for its arrival. We stopped prior to this at Surnadal for lunch. We camped at the Byskogen site in Kristiansund. Saturday 18th June 2016 We were one of the very few at the Kristiansund campsite, all grass and forest and no electric hook up but pleasant enough for an overnight stay. Up early breakfasted we set off set off for loen and stryn , it was quite misty. It was a combination of bridges, tunnels and ferries again today. The Norwegians deserve a medal for some of the engineering they have made this watery area connected. I am in awe. We queued for the Sykkylvsfjord ferry at molde arriving at vestnes. We travelled along the 650 with its fab views. Along the way it was more ferries at Stranda. Our campsite for the night was loen lo-vik at stryn on the waters edge, this is where we saw a dutch couple in their dressing gowns head off for a shower is what I can only describe at driving rain and a gale force wind, it takes all sorts. The Nordfjord views and abandoned kayak from our pitch were spectacular in between showers I ventured out to take pictures. Sunday 19th June 2016 A much brighter day today, took a quite walk along the edge of the Nordfjord from our campsite, what fab views. We then packed up the van and headed south on highway 60 past the town of Loen through the Jostadalsbreen national park with its mountains and fjords through tunnels past utvik, ski centers around skei, moraines, and onto the magnificent glacier centre in fjaerland where the sun was out in force, yippee. We had a good look around the centre, saw stuff about wooly mammoths, walked out to the viewing spots via the provided platforms and took lots of photos. A really interesting place to visit to learn about the ice ages that have passed and how glaciers shape our landscape. From here it was past Mundal and onto our campsite overlooking the fjord at Sogndal, what a campsite , would recommend this one for both its facilities and its stunning location. Monday 20th June 2016 We left Campsite Kjornes in Sogndal reasonably early after breakfast having taken yet more breath-taking photos, just so love this site. Initially we crossed the fjord via highway 5 and then we used this highway through alsberg, kaupanger, nybo and then it was into the short amlatunnelen and joining the ferry at mannheller to cross to fodnes, we joined the queue at Mannheller to get on this, quite an experience today the most ferrys, tunnels and bridges we had done as our time in the west fjordlands was coming to an end. It was then through the fodnesvegan tunnel still called highway 5 and out and turn near tonjum into the E16 and join the longest tunnel in Norway called the laerdalstunnelen which stretches for 15.2 miles. We stopped in the middle which is lit with a coloured light display, all quite surreal. Having come out of the tunnel we carried on around the aurlandsfjord thru a couple of small tunnels on the E16 and at the end of the tunnel at Lunde Vestland we turned towards the Hallingskarvet national park on highway 50, past lake vassbygdevatnet , steine and then some of the most twisty switchback road bends all the while climbing through 3 dimly lit and wet tunnels with very poor worn road surfaces, the culmination of which was the Nesbotunnelen near the village of Nesbo all named after my hero crime writer Jo Nesbo, I’ve read all his books, had to stop for a photo at the start of the tunnel obviously. At the very top of this ascent was the somewhat frozen vetlebotnvatnet lake, boy it was so cold up here. Then we descended through one more tunnel and down alongside the lake standavatn , lovely views, in the national park still and onto our campsite at Hovet, which in the acsi book at the time was labelled Hol, by 2022 this site is no longer in the ACSI book , I’ve checked, sad it was a nice site. There is however a site at Flam in the book just past Lunde at the end of that long tunnel, I would suggest a great place to camp #recommended #hintsandtips #campsites Tuesday 21st June 2016 Left the site at Hovet travelling on highway 51 climbing high at Gol and then onto leira and then stopped at the stream or was it a river at dokka in the picnic area for lunch and a good look around. It was in fact the river etna which runs into the randsfjord. We then swapped onto highway 250 which was very scenic all the way into Lillehammer , the winter Olympics town on the banks of the the mjosa lake. It had the winter Olympics in 1994 but this year 2016 it was playing host again this time to the youth winter Olympics, we had a good look around, ski slopes, jumps, museums, tributes, town centre, shops and what limited buildings they had. We saw all the ski chalets at Oyer and then it was onto our site for the night at hunderflossen a nice site with views of the oyer reservoir from our pitch, we even had an ice cream from the site shop, yummy in the sun. Wednesday 22nd June 2016 From Hunderflossen and Lillehammer we started making our way to the capital Oslo where we would stay for 2 nights at the Ekeberg campsite on the edge of the city’s parkland. #campsites This is their website for bookings etc. After arriving at setting up and looking at the facilities we went for a walk around the attached park and had a good look at the 35 sculptures in the park, all very quirky but eminently photograph-able. Ekeberg is high on a hill looking down across Oslo so we walked a little down the hill past the open fields to get a great view from on high of the capital, the station, the old ships in the harbour, the bridges, the town. We had last been in Oslo in 2004 with Mum on our Baltic cruise so could see where the cruise liners arrived indeed there was one in port as we looked. The other thing I remember is that , and thank god I had researched it before leaving, is that all the roads around Oslo are toll roads so it is worth setting up an account before hand and applying your credit card, 1st time in they take £100 the residue of which was returned to me as unspent about 6 months later. The fines for not having your van registration set up are quite high so I would ensure you do #recommended. Thursday 23rd June 2016 Our second day in Oslo. We caught the bus into the city centre at the stop just down the hill outside the campsite, it was quite a quick trip into the city centre and very convenient. We got into Oslo quite early and had a good walk around, through markets that were barely open, saw posters saying Paul Simon was playing there, sadly not today and we will have left. We had a look at the main cathedral and then bought a Hop On Hop Off bus ticket for the day in Fred Olsen gata, named after the cruise ship company we had travelled on in 2004, spooky ha-ha. We used it to see most of the key sites of oslo doing our usual once around first to get our barings and then getting off at points of interest, we saw the uni area, main flower parks, the harbour, kontiki exhibition (which we saw in 2004), heritage museums, viking ship museum, fram museum including lots about Amundsen which we found fascinating, frogner park and a whole lot more. So wished we had done that back in 2004 rather than just walking which limited what we saw to just the harbour area. Saw the ski jump slope. We finally finished our bus trip at Karl Johans gata where we visited the outside of the royal palace, listened to bands playing , saw the pride concert area and listened whilst we ate in the outdoors restaurant. The only downside was what we termed “professional” beggars everywhere even pestering you whilst you ate. A lovely day in oslo we caught the bus back to the campsite, tired but happy, so loved Oslo. The other thing I remember clearly from this site was a Dutch guy on the next pitch telling us the UK had left Europe, Brexit, not that we agreed with it and being away on our scandi trip we didn’t even get a vote, not that us 2 would have made much difference to the result, we are still suffering from that decision 8 years later, grrrr! Friday 24th June 2016 We are returning to Sweden today. We left Oslo initially on the E6, very complex to get out of the capital, masses of motorways and roadworks but finally left the congestion behind us, nearly all toll roads with auto recognition to allow payment. The E6 then turned off onto the E18 near Ski and thru Solberg across the Glomma River , through yet another tunnel near Krosby through Mommarken and finally crossing back into Sweden at the bridge by the lake rodenessjoen at Orje. We carried on along the E18 in Sweden through Tocksfors past many lakes and green countryside finally arriving at our site Arjang camping and stugor on the vastra silens.It took only about an hour from the border. The lake had two islands in the middle. As it was mid summers day a huge public holiday in Scandinavia the site was packed but we had quite a good spot. It was lovely to watch families kayaking, barbequing and the may pole dance, all females were wearing a band of flowers in their hair, delightful, it was so nice to feel included in their traditions. Saturday 25th June 2016 We left the wonderful campsite at Arjang and travelled along the E18 around lake jarnsjon, and then kept on this road throughout along past many a lake and green lands until we turned off onto the E44/45 motorway into Trollhatten. We wanted to visit this town as our eldest son Craig did a school exchange with Peter Anderson when he was in what I would call the 5th year at school (now I guess it counts as year 11). Peter was from Trollhatten, so glad we went there, a very interesting place both the town and then we drove out to see the nearby gota canal and waterfalls, the viewing platform with coffee and ice cream was splendid. We then travelled about a further hour and a half from the gota canal near Trollhatten past Lilla Edet on the E45 motorway turning off at ucklumsvagen on the 170 and stopped to look at Stenungsund and its railway, and then crossing the bridge on the 160 onto Orust Island. This then turned into the 178 and headed out to Ellos on the west coast of Orust island. We travelled across multiple bridges and saw many islands to get to the campsite and saw many large American cars, a Swedish male obsession it seems. After setting up camp we had a lovely walk on the slightly shingle beach looking at the kayaks, water and across to the village fishing huts that we would take the van along 1st thing tomorrow morning, all very interesting, a lovely spot to camp and hugely relaxing. Sunday 26th June 2016 Today we visited Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg on the west coast. Up early we drove off to have a look at the fishing village, it so reminded us of our time in Newfoundland in 2010. Clearly though it was Orust island on sweden’s west coast. After this we used the 160 to cross back over the bridges to the mainland and then the motorway E6 onto Gothenburg. We parked in the paid main car park behind the town hall which was incredibly convenient and then went off to explore the lovely city of Gothenburg, truly worth a visit in our humble opinion. We saw fab artwork, the old theatre, stora teatern, hop on hop off boats on the not surprisingly Gota canal start, ferry run from this major port to most parts of scandinanvia and use to go to kiel in Germany and Newcastle in the uk, sadly for us the ferry from Newcastle stopped in 2014 as not enough traffic was using it. Trams and trolley buses operate in Gothenburg city centre, and you can hire the equivalent of Boris bikes. We had a walk through the formal gardens, admired the cities old architecture and many many statues along the roadsides, parks and Gota canal, all in all a great city. After seeing Gothenburg, we carried on down the coast to our campsite at Varberg on the E6 motorway around kungsbacka. The site was a big site backing onto a big surfing beach, we had been given a pitch number but when we went to it a family were still on it not having left as yet so rather than walk back, we chose the one nearby that was empty, indeed most of the site was empty, we thought we were being kind. A family then arrived who had booked the one we were set up on and they went back to complain, the camp commandant asked us to move even though it was still very empty, why they couldn’t go in the pitch next to us is still a mystery to me. What we should have done, lesson to self, is when our pitch was occupied gone back and complained as this family did, anyhow after a false start we went for a long walk past the crazy golf, swimming pool down to the coast, a lovely area. Had a nice meal and retired to read in bed. A very successful day. Monday 27th June 2016 Today we would return to Denmark and stay at the wonderful Koge for 3 days. We left Varberg and travelled the 3 hour trip on motorway E6 back past Helsingborg and through the outskirts of both Malmo and Copenhagen , stopping briefly at the Malmo services in Sweden for fuel and a comfort break, before returning across the Oresund bridge into Copenhagen and Denmark. From Copenhagen which we did drive through seeing both uni and tenement blocks and some older architecture as well as many statues we travelled on on the E20 / E47 motorways to our Stevns campsite in the town of Koge, our home for 3 nights. Annie did some washing, keef rigged up a line between our van and the hedge, we chilled for the rest of the day, annie completing jumpers for our granddaughters. Like many sites we have stayed at there was crazy golf and a pool, we did neither. Tuesday 28th June 2016 Today we drove the van to a carpark on the outskirts of the town of Koge, a very old traditional town with many coloured buildings. We spent the day in there walking around and seeing lots including the very old streets, we bought kunnel cake at a bakery and had a look at the churches. We then took the van out to Rodvig and Stege, both really interesting places before returned to the campsite to chill. Wednesday 29th June 2016 We spent the whole day at the site today, not bad weather, sat outside reading, relaxing and listening to music, as the weather was so nice we also ate outside using the teppanyaki to grill on for our main meal. We were forced to have some more cinnamon buns as well, such a hard life, tee-hee Thursday 30th June 2016 Packed up the van after 3 very nice relaxing days in the area and set off through the rest of Zealand on the E55 past the famous Faro bridge over the Baltic Sea which connects the islands of Zealand and Falster. We then travelled on the new Guldborgsund bridge to bring us from Falster to the island of Lolland, you rapidly begin to realise that Denmark is made up of many islands all interconnected by well built bridges. Once on Lolland we drove the E47 onto our campsite at Saskobing, quite a small site but very convenient for the ferry crossing at Rodby just 22 minutes along the road. Friday 1st July 2016 Up early we packed up the motorhome and set off the short distance to the Rodbyhaven ferry terminal and joined the queue having purchased tickets online earlier yesterday. We drove onto our ferry, quite a large ship the schleswig-holstein, run by scandlines ferries i.e named after the german state which is the most northerly of all 16 states. Its capital is Kiel the canal we passed over on the way out and that which we travelled on our cruise back in 2004. The crossing operates in high season up to 45 times a day and takes 45 minutes. We arrived relaxed and having saved miles in Puttgarden ,on the german island of fehmarn where it was quite a long tedious drive to get out of both the ferry terminal and town and back onto the main highway E47. It was then a 1-hour journey to Plon and our campsite called campingpark augstfelde plon on the plonsee nature reserve. There were quite a few permanent setups on site but very few tourers. We had the park, a short walk from the site, to ourselves and after a quick set up went for a nice nature walk along the edge of the plonsee lake, a protected nature reserve. Saturday 2nd July 2016 Set off from Plon to Garlstorf which was to be our next campsite on the journey home from Scandinavia. Endless traffic on highway 1 and crossing the Elbe delayed us by about 2 hours, these sorts of areas are always busy especially in summer. I don’t think we have ever been past Hamburg where there hasn’t been total congestion. The E26 / E22 (A1) route should have taken only 1 and a quarter hours, it took about 4 in the end. Didn’t do much at the site, called into a supermarket Aldi if memory serves and bought a lot of coffee and German sausages for home. Our campsite was all grass but felt like you were camping on a local football pitch. Sunday 3rd July 2016 Left after breakfast and had a nice drive and look around the rural community of Garlstoft, some very nice houses and expansive farms. We then drove to Hemslingen and had a look around there before travelling onto our campsite just outside the main town of Bremen. The total journey only took just over an hour, so we arrived at the site in Bremen quite early, checked in and set up pitch. It was on a farm area; we then went for a long walk around including seeing the pool and all the statue tributes to the famous story of the famous 4 town musicians of Bremen. A Grimm's fairy tale from 1819. Disney also did a cartoon of this story way back in their catalogue. Monday 4th July 2016 At the Bremen site in the morning, we saw a set of Donkeys from the farm crowd a lady in her small caravan after she had kindly or is it foolishly decided to feed them, they would not let her go with their begging, hilarious for us. We then continued our journey home today and left Germany and our site at Bremen and crossed back into Holland and onto the bulb town of Tübbergen. We used the main motorway the A1 crossing back into the Netherlands just outside of Osnabruck in the German state of lower saxony. The journey took almost 3 hours and only the last bit was not motorway. The tubbergen site had a pool and outside table tennis table and was very rural, indeed I would recommend it for an overnight stay in a pleasant location. Tuesday 5th July 2016 Left the Tubbergen site and travelled onto just outside the big city of Utrect at Bilthoven , the journey was about 2 hours along the A1 motorway around Apeldoorn, at Bilthoven we set up camp on pitch number 378 it was clearly a big site with that number of pitches, it had a pool and many facilities. However, its advantage to us was its short walk to Bilthoven station where we caught the train into Utrect central. We had a lovely long time in the fabulous and historic city walking along the canal side, admiring the architecture, later in the day we did a touristy canal boat trip whicg was just wonderful, after a full day, grabbing something to eat at the station we made our way back to the campsite by train, a very nice day. Wednesday 6th July 2016 We left Bilthoven, bypassed Utrect on the A1 and turned off onto the E25 and then E30 for the hour journey through some of the more populated areas of Holland to Delft. On the way we parked up in the car park behind the library in Gouda by the canal, the carpark doubled as an air with electricity that we would use on future European trips as very convenient for the ferry at the Hoek of Holland, Rotterdam. We had a nice walk around Gouda, saw the canals, central square with its historic town hall and bought lots of cheeses. We had a good look around the Delft town after leaving Gouda whilst driving but there was nowhere to park so having seen the green open spaces and old buildings, we set off to find our Delftse Hout campsite, what a nightmare, the satnav took us to the bridge and underpass crossing just outside the site BUT the way was prohibited but a load of large stones on the underpass. We then spent longer than it took to get from Bilthoven to Delft trying to find the site entrance, eventually we cracked the puzzle. Keef was so frustrated he bend the van keys in the lock, oh dear, I eventually got them out and straightened them, so they were usable. What a journey not one I wish to remember. The site itself paid homage to delft pottery with its entrance displays, it had a nice pool and was very busy. Exhausted after the frustration of not finding the site we went to bed early. Thursday 7th July 2016 A long day, up early, drove the 30-minute drive to the ferry terminal at Hoek Van Holland and joined the check in queue. Got on board in the usual way and then got the announcement over the tannoy that the sailing was delayed due to waiting for some commercial cargo lorries, we eventually sailed some 4 hours later. When back in Harwich the road out was closed so we had to do a massive detour and then again the A14 was closed due to roadworks so we had yet more detours to make. We eventually arrived home at 2 a.m. only to find the kitchen electrics had flicked out sometime during the 2 months we were away. Nightmare all there was was the smell of rioting food from the defrosted frozen food, so we got out lots of black sacks cleared it all out and dumped it in the outside bin, cleaned up the freezer, reset the electrics and eventually flopped into bed at 3 a. m. A great holiday but not fun coming back to that. Note go self, run down fridge and freezer before any future long trips and get son to come in and check every now and then. So we loved it all 6140 miles of it. AUDIO DIARY THAT'S ALL FOLKS

By keef and annie hellinger, Aug 24, 2014, 04:58PM Motorhome trip No17: May 14th – August 1st, 2014 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->FRANCE, ITALY, MONACO & SWITZERLAND ->NOTTS 4611 miles In late September 2022 I revisited this Blog to enhance it, it was hastily transferred from Moonfruit and was such a lovely holiday I felt it deserved the time, care and dedication to restructure and enhance it, whilst keeping much of the original look and feel. I do hope you like it. Best KeefH Web Designs HIGHLIGHTS: Gorges du Verdon, Annecy, Allemagne du Provence, Quimperle, Cavalaire Sur Mer, Burgundy, Loire Chateaus,Blois, Louhans, Chalon Sur Saone, Noyers, Brittany especially Finistere (Eckmuhl), Les Pieux, Cannes Film Festival, Monaco, Alpes & Juras, Lac Leman, Evian, Montreax,San Remo & Meeting Marco, Concarneau & Micmac (Celtic band), the number of sites with indoor and outdoor swimming pools. LOWLIGHTS: Mechanical Problems with the van, our French being incredibly rusty Read on, or if you would prefer to hear the words of this Blog as an audiobook, please click HERE, thanks Probably easier to document this holiday by showing the calendars for May, June and July 2014. See attached images to see where we were on each day. MENU Overview Images Route graphically displayed Overview text Hints and Tips for Motorhoming in France Diary Slideshow of Images Write Up of Trip Memorabilia Audiobook Map of France That's All Folks Return to Menu OVERVIEW OF BLOG STRUCTURE & CONTENTS There is also the consolidation of 26 original photo snack slideshows (a technique I used at the time for creating image slideshows, they pulled the plug back in 2017 - commentary by KeefH Web Designs 2022) creating 3 sets of 30-minute-long slideshows which show our adventures plus one additional one showing every campsite we stayed at, most of which were via the ACSI book, if you are travelling France then it is a must. Return to Menu ROUTE MAP This video was created using the phone app Travel Boast where i drew out all the places we stopped at on route in order down to the smallest villages. It then draws out the route with a motorhome driving to show where we went. I then hooked its 4 formats I had created into one You Tube video. Landscape, Portrait and square maps which were further altered to be Day, Night and soft blue just for effect. I joined them together with some relevant images using Microsoft's Clipchamp. See what you think, i think it brings the journey to life and adds to any travel blog #newfeature The thing I do find out of kilter though is its estimated distance which at 3180 miles is way less than the 4611 we recorded on the speedometer in the van. A huge 1431 miles less. About 1/3rd of the distance. Methinks the app developers need do a bit more work. But anyhow I like the moving motorhome. Return to Menu #hintsandtips HINTS AND TIPS FOR CAMPING IN FRANCE For UK folk get membership from Vicarious books in Kent http://www.vicariousbooks.co.uk/ or direct from ACSI online. There is also a book of all the Aires which are similar to the UKs CLs/ CSs (certified location/site) where for a fraction of the price and limited services you can stay overnight (or longer) on your journey. Tip take your own loo seat, paper, soap and towel in France, most sites do not provide these. Also, the reverse polarity issue is not as bad as some would have you believe, after checking the 1st 5 sites with my expensive kit I gave up, it is I believe only an issue if your internal electrical items are faulty. Don’t forget your 2-pin convertor – many of the sites are not bayonet fittings oh and most are 6 amp, 10 is becoming more the norm but they will charge you for an upgrade if their system allows it so I suggest you take that gas kettle else you will blow the fuse! Note 2021 UPDATE photosnack died a long time ago, c 2017 I combined those all into 2 You Tube videos, 1 all the slideshows, 2 the "talkies", enjoy, they are HERE, also most sites have great swimming pools often indoor as well as outdoor so that is a real plus. Note: The Index shows ALL blogs already published or you can find Blogs about a specific subject by clicking on a word in the TAG CLOUD or under these new blogs, thanks, motorhome-travels. Why not take a look Leave us some feedback here on the blog if you wish, thanks Return to Menu DIARIES Our calendar diaries for this major trip, such fun, May through July 2014 Return to Menu WRITE UP OF TRIP All in all, a nice relaxing and discovery type holiday mixed with chillaxing and tourism! Great times, we love our little motorhome. Summary of commentary posted on Facebook etc. during our travels was Around France in 80 Days - well some of it... Last slideshow shows where we camped on each of those 80 days Thanks, all folks,Love K&A 31/7 Deauville, Trouville,Honfleur beach – pont de normandie & Dieppe views,Etretat,farm campsite near Yport, Yport, Fecamp, Minnimay(-sp?),st valery sur somme, Calais, densole 28/7 Les Pieux sunset, anneville,saint vaast la hougue, ravenoville, Utah beach, Omaha beach (st Laurent-sur-mer),carhagnolles(flower camping campsite),Bayeux,Arromanches-les-bain(gold beach), falaise, beavron-en-auge, camping deauville 26/7 Breton: pointe de primel (plougasnou), st quay portrieux, dinan, st malo,domaine de la ville huchet, Normandie: mont st Michel, Granville, les pieux 23/7 Eckmuhl / St Guenole (near Penmarche), Quimper,pointe du raz, Douarnenez,Locronan,Chateaulin, Cameret sur mer/ Pointe de Penhir, Pointe des Espagnols, Roscanvel, Le Faou, Plougastel Daoulas, Landerneau, Brignogan-Plages, Plougasnol Shipping News Update 20/7 Love Bretagne *FACT* Now in Penmarche FINISTERE Wind Blowing ENE and southerly to cool the warmed skin! Visited Concarneau and Benodet today having stayed at Clohars-Carnoet last night after visiting the wonderful Doelan fishing village (used in films allegedly). Loved Guerande (old town) when we visited it and the wonderful Martin from the AA (from Liverpool) based in Nante who fixed our recurring van problem with brake lights/ engine mgt warning. Far Bretagne cake is the best yet… crème anglais, almond, black gold plums (or prunes as they are known in French), seriously yummy Off to discover the coast, Quimper, plus more delightful blue Bretagne fishing villages and head towards Brest 2moro… Love to all our lovely family & friends 2 new slideshows on the website, one at the end of this page and one on the top of a new page Update 16/7 Now on the Pays deLoire Alantic Coast – Fab weather (hooray) 33c sunny no clouds and beaches to die for Staying near historic town of Guerande. Stayed at Piriac Sur Mer yesterday, great beaches here and at La Baule. Deserted often. La Baule reminded us of Surfers in Queensland, such a huge curve of endless sand. Also went over the Loire River outlet bridge between St Nazaire & St Brevin, such a huge expanse of water. Bit like Confederation bridge in Canada going to PEI from Nova Scotia, only not quite so long. Have seen some lovely places recently. Recommend Angers, Ducs of Anjou territory. Sadly, more minor probs with van so AA / Garage out for us 2moro early. Brake lights stopped, may be tied up with earlier probs and continuous Engine Mgt system light which we had checked out in Switzerland as “minor” wait till UK, so delaying our move onto Brittany for a day or so, no real hardship as weather, area and beaches FAB 1 new slideshow on website Love K&A xxx "Not a lot of people know that".... Michael .....but we went from Deaville to St Valery Sur Somme. Normandie, Picardy & Nord Pays de Calais and you can see the pix in the latest slideshow. Only one more to go....Love K&A xxx — with Serendipity Girls Designer Dresses. Hard to believe but my photos inspired Monet - 1st 2 the Lieutenancy @ Honfleur, last 2 Port Eval at Etretat (4 photos) one in the eye for Harald — with Serendipity Girlsdesignerdresses. At Bayeax les pieux to deauville , normandy - visited all the DDay landing beaches, quite harrowing, les pieux sunset wine with our chairs on the beach just so romantic, william the conquerors hometown falaise and a whole lot more see the latest slideshow "les Pieux to Deaville" — withSerendipity Girlsdesignerdresses. (10 photos) Plougasnol Brittany to Les Pieux Normandie, oh what a beach and campsite - we will be back Another slideshow on the website — withSerendipity Girlsdesignerdresses. (7 photos) for all you clapham-ites went to abbeville (picardy), bonneville (rhone-alpes), trouville (normandy) and narbonne (langedoc-rousillon) still working on pixs One more slideshow on website, Eckmuhl to Plougasnol, All Bretagne and mostly Finistere which we loved Update 16/7 Now on the Pays deLoire Alantic Coast – Fab weather (hooray) 33c sunny no clouds and beaches to die for Staying near historic town of Guerande. Stayed at Piriac Sur Mer yesterday, great beaches here and at La Baule. Deserted often. La Baule reminded us of Surfers in Queensland, such a huge curve of endless sand. Also went over the Loire River outlet bridge between St Nazaire & St Brevin, such a huge expanse of water. Bit like Confederation bridge in Canada going to PEI from Nova Scotia, only not quite so long. Have seen some lovely places recently. Recommend Angers, Ducs of Anjou territory. Sadly, more minor probs with van so AA / Garage out for us 2moro early. Brake lights stopped, may be tied up with earlier probs and continuous Engine Mgt system light which we had checked out in Switzerland as “minor” wait till UK, so delaying our move onto Brittany for a day or so, no real hardship as weather, area and beaches FAB 1 new slideshow on website Love K&A xxx Update 6/7 Still in Burgundy (just – we are off to Loire in a couple of days) at Lac Marcenay. We really, really like Bourgogne. On the Grand Route de Cremant now. Saw Route de Grand Crus other day. Also, we saw the source of the seine yesterday, a trickle in truth. Can’t believe it is so wide in Paris! The site we are on is owned by Dirk (a Dutch ex-hippie with a French wife) – it’s so quirky, mostly Dutch here. I watched Netherlands Vs Costa Rica last Nite with crowds of screaming Dutch (and drank with them, headache!) I asked if I could be an honorary English supporter, they were more than happy bedecked in orange, lions heads and other strange attire, but what fun….We spent a fab 4 days at and in and around the site at Lac Panthier (near Commarin) – best site we have ever stayed at, lakeside pitch such views and our 1st true Burgundian meal out – gammon and parsley terrine with Dijon mustard drizzle (starter), Bouef Bourguignonne & veg (main), true eglace deux boule - assorted flavours (pud) oh and how could I forget a 1l carafe of local white burgundy, which was better than any white I’ve ever had from a bottle (honest!) plus met a whole host of nice folk of many nationalities. Spent quite a few more days in Burgundy than we originally planned but we love it. Very different to Provence, Cote D’Azur and Rhone Alps. Seen two very different Chateau’s so far (Chateauneuf des auxois & commarin), the 12th century Cistercian UNESCO Abbaye de Fontenay, the 12th century Duc of Burgandie's wine press (still working) and the canal de Bourgogne, so real tourist times with some swimming, sunbathing, reading, chillin and just fun…. Ohhh our times are going too fast, but appreciate we are very lucky to spend so much time travelling …. 1 new slide of pix on the website, 1 to come when I get time later — with Serendipity Girls Designer Dresses. Now in Burgundy, just had a fab Pinot Noir from local Vineyard (hic) in Meursault. From Annecy we went all the way around Lake Geneva / lac leman (Swiss & French sides) Loved Evian, Montreux and much more besides, then travelled over the impressive Jura mountains into Franche-Comte and into Cote D'or area of Burgundy, after another minor hiccup with the van we are fully roadworthy again. Can thoroughly recommend Loughans & Chalon... 3 new sets of slides on the website More probably when we next manage Wi-Fi.... love to all our family and friends Life is a beach.... Love the Med More pix of Grimaud Ville, so old Provence great day in St. Tropez today saw this yacht in Monaco the other day, now in St Tropez, the playground of the rich and famous, one of our fellow ferry brits referred to the helicopter as really 'taking the p', hee hee new pix of port Grimaud and Saint Topless (Tropez) now on website Del Boy and Annie doing cocktails - Hey its officially 34c 93F here today Thats hot and humid, but aren't complaining Latest Pix listening to CSN in the sun on the cote d'azur fab.... my Italian is coming on (not really), discussed, just, Mondial di calcio (football) - world cup with Nico next door, smile, off to the beach this afternoon, still someone's gotta do it... want to see more of our holiday photos, try SLIDESHOWS, enjoy love us xxx "THE END" Image of Carcassonne at night which we did visit, a magical place, this was provided by the younger brother of my old Bonneville infants and juniors school buddy Martin. His brother lives in a property below the castle. The other thing I remember is playing the board game named after this castle, which we had the pleasure of going around on this wonderful 2014 trip Return to Menu SLIDESHOWS The French slideshow areas are Overall Holiday with Images with Text descriptions Overall Holiday, the "Talkies" Folkstone (UK) to the Gorges of Verdon (Provence) Volonne (Provence) to Finistère (Bretagne/ Brittany) Clohars-Carnoet (Bretagne) to Home Every campsite we stayed at Switzerland Monaco Italy Note: Music on "Around France in 80 Days" by Micmac, a band we saw in Concarneau in Brittany, Headlines, the first 2 slideshows are the overview slideshows and videos, the more detailed ones follow Return to SLIDESHOWS This is what we would call the "Talkies" Return to SLIDESHOWS Folkstone (UK) to Gorges of Verdon (Provence) There were 1629 images taken, the first of these slideshows shows those lasting 31 minutes. They are dated from 14th May 2014 to 17th June 2014 and in sequence cover travel and images between these places. Home, Folkstone, Lempdes Sur Allegdon (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), Lunel (region Occitania ),Agay (region Provence alpes cote d'azur), all the following are also in Provence, just a fab place, I remember lavender fields, perfume, baguettes, wonderful food and produce, anyhow here are the places the images are from. Cannes, Nice, Grasse, Port Grimaud, Saint Tropez, Grimaud again including our swim in the Mediterranean Sea, Cavalaire Sur Mer, Le Rouen Salernes and finally the magnificent Gorges Du Verdon. How I remember that gorge and the panic about whether the van would stall and not restart out in the middle of nowhere #scary Take a look why don't you, Provence in the South of France is an area we cannot recommend highly enough, and the toll road motorway make it quite a straightforward drive, but remember it's a long way, and at the toll booths, well at least back in 2014 it was necessary to remember there was both a high level and low-level automatic pay booth, tee hee for vans and cars alike, very clever. Return to SLIDESHOWS Volonne (Provence) to Finistère (Bretagne/ Brittany) This was the middle part of the trip from low down in the south of France right the way back up to see the beaches of Normandie where those WW2 battles and evacuations were held so ablely mastered by Sir Winston Churchill, and many points in-between, plus we had the pleasure of visiting some of the wonderful Chateaus especially in the Loire valley. The 1st slideshow which was reconstructed in 2022 is n minutes long and includes 1678 images. It covers the following regions and details extra places in those regions, those being in no particular order, Burgundy, Bourgogne, Franche-Comte, Pay-de-Loire, Rhone-Alpes, Lac Panthier, Cav-sur-Mer, Lerueon , Vincelle, Saumur, Commarin, Marcenay, Concourson, Guerande, Volonne, Annecy, St Jerioz, Grimaud. The second slideshow from 2014 is 44 minutes long. Return to SLIDESHOWS Clohars-Carnoet (Bretagne) to Home There are 1535 images in this slideshow, and I have included all those that have text on them as well, which I have not done on the other 2 parts of the trip, basically because it is not an even third split of the images being only 13 days from 20th July to the 1st August and on the way back even though we stayed at Delsole very few images were taken, it was mostly travel. Here is a list of the places we traveled through hopefully mostly in chronological order. Carhans, Penmarche (both Bretagne), Finistère, Eckmuhl, Plougasnol, then Normandy, Le Pieux, Deauville, Concarnaeu, Benodet, Abbeville, Etretat, Valery Sur Somme, Honfleur, Miannay, Pointe De Raz, Quimper, Les Pieux, Dinan,St Quay Portrieux, Granville, St Malo (port), Mont St Michel, Huchet and its old castle campground, just fab, Deauville as well which is in Picardy. The 1st slideshow last for 1 hour 13 minutes, the 2nd 31 minutes. Return to SLIDESHOWS Campsites The following is a quick summary of all the campsites we stayed at in France on our 2014 big trip. They are as best as possible in chronological order, but the reality way back then is we didn't always take a picture on the pitch we were on, nowadays we always do. #campsites #motorhometravelsblog #motorhome #majortrip Return to SLIDESHOWS Switzerland This shows our few days camping and driving around Lac Leman or Lake Geneva as we Brits like to call it. What splendid weather and a great campsite and spring waters from Evian. We went through Montreux, Lausanne and Geneva on the Swiss side of the lake entering at Saint Gingolph and leaving again St Julien En Genevois on Highway one. The video which features some lovely music by one of my musical heroes John Martyn is about 11 minutes long, enjoy! #music #maps Return to SLIDESHOWS Monaco We spent a couple of days in and around Monaco travelling there on 3rd June 2014 by the French double decker south coast train (always busy) picking it up near Antibes on the St Tropez line at Biot Gare, station where we were staying at a campsite nearby that you could walk to the station from. Note images also include Frenes Biot campsite, listed as Antibes East. The train went from Biot to Monte Carlo, carefully misspelt in one of my texts as Morte #haha On route we passed the amazingly expensive French Riviera, views to die for, it also went through Menton a town we would take the van through on our route to Italy and Sanremo The 1st video which has all the images in it is 15 minutes long, the second with text and the wonderful John Martyn is 4 minutes long, enjoy. Return to SLIDESHOWS Italy, San Remo We crossed the border at Ponte San Ludovico on highway SS1 past Menton in Monaco which we had been passed on the train, but Monaco is entirely wrapped in France before you get to the Italian border. At Sanremo we met the wonderful Nico and Daniela who are still friends to this day, mostly on Facebook. We could not speak each other's language, but no worry, gifts, coffee, grappa and Nico's brother who could speak English, so he acted as our translator, in later times, Google translate really helps. Note Nico often returns to the campsite at Sanremo, we thought whilst the restaurant and beach views were great and we enjoyed our walk around, the site was a little too cramped for our liking. The pool however and company was wonderful. We stayed at the Villaggio Dei Fiori campsite and went for a lovely walk up the hill outside the campsite and overlooking the bay, seeing the very plush villa's and all the lovely bougainvillea in flower, just so bright and cheerful. We were lucky enough to see the Giraldo de Italia cycle race which was going past. The slideshow with John Martyn's back to Marseille is 10 minutes long, enjoy! #music Return to SLIDESHOWS That's it for slideshows Return to Menu MEMORBILIA (Phone) Our French mobile number #memorabilia #takenfromfacebook It was ordered on eBay in advance and therefore worked when we arrived, hugely useful #timeline Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK Audiobook over some of our images, a selection, with text. This slideshow is 30 minutes long and the audiobook portion at the beginning is 20 minutes long, so you have some fab John Martyn music to accompany the flags depicting which parts of France we were in. #enjoy Return to MENU MAP OF FRANCE Zoom in to find the area you are looking for. Our texted images in the very first slideshow is divided up into these regions (in alphabetical order not geographically). Note Switzerland, Monaco and Italy are included in these groupings of pictures. Around Lac Panthier, Camping Day by Day, Cannes, Cavalier-sur-Mer to Lerueon, The chateaus, Vincelles to Saumur, Commarin to Marcenay, Concarneau and Benodet, Concourson to Guerande, Deauville to Densole UK, Eckmuhl to Plougasnol, Folkestone, Kent to Agay, France, Gorges du Verdon, Grasse to Port Grimaud, Grimaud Ville, Les Pieux to Deauville, Marcenay to Vincelles, Menton to Biot, Mesnois to Burgundy, Monaco and especially Monte Carlo, Nice, Plougasnol to Les Pieux, Port Grimaud & Saint Tropez, Sanremo, Italy, St. Disdille On Lake Geneva, Lac Leman in Switzerland, St Jerioz walk to the Lake, Volonne to Annecy, what a fab place the last one is, where we could relax in the pool whilst viewing the snow covered caps of nearby mountains and then catch the bus into Annecy to see the UNESCO listed prison surrounded by the moat and stroll through the embankment market with cherries, apricots and nougat, heaven. Return to Menu THAT'S ALL FOLKS

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 3 2021 14.22 pm This is a retrospective Blog, we were away between 22nd January and 23rd April 2013. 92 glorious days on what we affectionately termed our "3rd holiday of a lifetime" well in print at least. Suggestion use the BIG TRIP maps to scale in and out if you wish Another big trip featuring hired motorhomes but this time including the fabulous wedding of our son Doug and his beautiful bride Phoenix plus in Australia we stayed with our niece Hannah and her hubby in Sydney as well as visiting lifelong friend Chris's daughter Laura who likewise lived in Sydney and rather coincidentally already knew Hannah and David from travels. We went back in 2017 with our dear pals Chris & Allyson (see Blog 168) If you want to see the full reworked site click on HOLIDAY 2013, thanks, you will also be able to listen to the Audio book of Annie's diary there as well should you so choose to do. We joined the BIG 4 campsites whilst in Australia which certainly saved us money on our overnight camping. We also signed up with Top Tourists Parks (by 2022 they have been renamed G'Day Parks) Just a couple of tips for fellow motor homers. In New Zealand we joined the equivalent site clubs which were called Top 10 and Kiwi Holiday Parks campsites. MENU Go to 1. Summary 2. Trip Calendar 3. Certificate for crossing the Nullarbor Plain #tick 4. Route, Flags & Money 5. Diary 6. Malaysia Overall 7. Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 22-24 Jan 2013 8. Malaysia, Kuah Town, Langkawi Island, 25-27 Jan 2013 9. Malaysia Langkawi Boat Trip, 28-29 Jan 2013 10. Malaysia, Doug & Phoenix's Wedding, 30 Jan 2013 🌠 11. Malaysia, Berjaya to Penang 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013 12 . Malaysia, Georgetown Penang 3-5 Feb 2013 13. Malaysia, Malacca "The Historic State" 13-14 Apr 2013 14. Old Skool Malaysia #nerd 15. New Zealand Overall 16. New Zealand , Orewa 6-8 Feb 2013 17. New Zealand, Tutakaka Coast 9-11 Feb 2013 18. New Zealand, Keri Keri 12-14 Feb 2013 19. New Zealand, Coromandel 15-17 Feb 2013 #paulmcartney 20. New Zealand, Bay of Plenty 18-20 Feb 2013 21. New Zealand, Hawkes Bay, 21-23 Feb 2013 22. New Zealand, Tongariro Area, 24-26 Feb 2013 23. New Zealand, Taranaki, 27 Feb - 1 Mar 2013 24. New Zealand, Back to Auckland, 2 - 5 Mar 2013 25. Australia Overall 26. Australia, Vaucluse, New South Wales (NSW) , 6-8 Mar 2013 27. Australia, Sydney Area, NSW, 9-11 Mar 2013 28. Australia, North Shores, NSW, 12-14 Mar 2013 29. Australia, Tasmania, 15-17 Mar 2013 30. Australia , Tasmania & South Australia, 18-20 Mar 2013 31. South Australia, 21-23 Mar 201 32. Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia, 24-26 Mar 2013 #dolphins 33. The Nullarbor Plain, South to Western Australia, 27 Mar - 1 Apr 2013 34. Last 2 visits in Australia and all of Singapore continued in Part 2 35. Diaries for Malaysia and New Zealand available in Part 3 36. Diaries for Australia and Singapore available in Part 4 SUMMARY Read the Diaries, Look at the Slideshows, See the You Tube Videos, Use the Drop down to Explore, 3 Days at a Time (mostly) Have Fun OVERVIEW 2013 We have been lucky enough to spend 3 months away again recently, firstly in Malaysia where our youngest son "Mr Douglas" got married on the lovely island of Langkawi. Our time in Malaysia included Kuala Lumpur (KL to its friends), Langkawi , Georgetown (Penang) and latterly Melaka (Malacca - the Unesco World Heritage site) via Johor Bahru (JB to its friends). We then hired a Motorhome for a month to travel around the top half of North Island New Zealand (NZ). We had already spent 4 months seeing North & South island of this lovely country back in 2007/8 and wanted to see the places we missed out on last time, namely Cape Reinga, 90 mile beach, Hot water beach and the forgotten world highway. After NZ we returned to Australia both of us for the 4th time. Starting in Sydney with family & friends we had a great time. Then Tasmania again with family we flew into Adelaide to pick up our motorhome to travel the Nullarbor plain from east to west but this time with a built in external gas BBQ, bliss! Including our previous trips to OZ we have now travelled around the outside from Cooktown (QLD) to Geraldton (WA) plus Broome, Kunnarra, Darwin (NT) and thru the middle on the Ghan including Alice & Uluru. We have been to all States and can thoroughly recommend Oz to anyone wanting an adventure. We HEART Oz & Nz big style. We finished our trip with 2 weeks in lovely Singapore with Doug and his new wife "Mrs Phoenix". If we tot up the miles / kilometres we drove on this trip we can say we drove the equivalent of the distance from London to Tashkent (Uzbekistan).It is nice being back in the UK now to our own little Motorhome with a whole host of new & exciting trips to look forward to . This blog shows some of our best pictures and Anne's diary as a memory of a truly wonderful time. Love K&A . We drove 7253 miles in total whilst away in both hire cars and motorhomes. Summary of total miles driven 7253 In Motorhomes 6369 (2559 in NZ, 3810 in Australia of which 742 were crossing the Nullarbor Plain), In Cars 884 (Sydney 187, Langkawi 342, Johor 2 Melaka 355) I suggest you read each section visited in conjunction with the appropriate days dairy, thanks for looking As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2013 site which contained our BIG TRIP in 2013 (sometimes we called it the third holiday of a lifetime 😉) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog uk site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site if I chose to. This is what the old HOLIDAY2013 home page looked like More Intro images from our 2013 wonderful trip Return to Menu CALENDAR Return to Menu NULLARBOR CERTIFICATE Return to Menu ROUTE, FLAGS & MONEY This is our Round the World Ticket (RTW) summary to show where and what Flags from the places we visited and when we visited them, it shows the duration of stay in each country Currency converters we used, obviously current way back in 2013 Here are the currencies we used on our third holiday of a lifetime (actually Annie & my 4th visit), both notes and coins Return to Menu DIARY Complete DIARY written by Annie, for ALL 91 DAYS of our THIRD HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME, thanks for looking, love Keef & Annie x The reality of course if you include our time living down under as kids this is our 4th holiday of the lifetime. Each page on the Diary video slideshow is set for 20 seconds which hopefully is long enough to read each page, clearly if it is not either rewind the page back and/or halt it playing to complete your read or if the reverse is true I suggest doing a "fast forward" Return to Menu MALAYSIA Including amongst others Langkawi,Penang, Malacca, Georgetown , 1st visit 23rd January to 5th February , then the second visit 12th April to 14 April, 17 days in total We were in Malaysia twice during our 3 months away. Initially for Doug & Phoenix's wedding on the lovely island of Langkawi and then again when we visited them at their home in Singapore where we slipped back over the border via Woodlands crossing into Johor (JB) before driving up to the Unesco World Heritage site @ Malacca (Melaka in Malay). Our 1st stay in Malaysia was initially centred around Kuala Lumpar (KL) using the Hop On Hop Off bus (HOHO) to look at various things then onto Langkawi then for 3 days at the end in Georgetown Penang another Unesco World Heritage site at Cheong Fatt Tze's Blue Mansion. Annie kept a diary and you can read that here on the website day by day as well as see the pictures we took as memories on each day. If you prefer to speed that viewing up you can view the slideshows for this country on each of those days. Malaysian HIGHLIGHTS:- Doug & Phoenix's wedding Unesco Blue Mansion Georgetown Exotic Fruits Chinatown & Little India, Georgetown Evening tour of Malacca Food @ Concorde Inn KL Mr Li's tea house Melaka Monkeys on Bunting Island & Basah Bahai Pregnant Maiden Lake Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt from Malacca & Batu Ferrighe Penang Nasi Goreng Malaysian LOWLIGHTS:- Bumps on island boat hop Langkawi Rats in roads & smells on Melaka River Now the Malaysian slideshows and the Malaysian talkies Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur, 22-24 Jan 2013 Arriving from the UK and Snow to 30c & Jet Lag & Discovery, Malaysia 22-24 Jan 2013, Kuala Lumpur , plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others concorde inn , leaving uk in snow, istana negara / national palace, menara tower, st marys cathedral, petronus twin towers, batu auch, batu linting, year of the snake, china town, burial poles, malay traditional housing, national museum, dataran merdeka square, cricket, colonialism, poverty, endless motorcycles , lovely hibiscus flowers, hop on hop off bus tour , no of images = 121 in selective slideshows KL slideshows, read in conjunction with diaries #justsayin Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Kuah Town, Langkawi Island, 25-27 Jan 2013 Arriving from KL and meeting up with family at the De Baron Hotel, Malaysia 25-27 Jan 2013, Kuah Town, Capital of Langkawi Island, plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others leaving the Concorde inn KL and flying to Langkawi island, De Baron Hotel, hire car, lovely swimming pools, sunset views and strolls, no durian in lifts, Taylor Swift's red, straits of Malacca, jacaranda trees and pods, family arriving for wedding, 1st meal of tricky curried prawns at sunset, air con, such fun! The no of images in the selective slideshow is 51 Our selective slideshows with music and / or speech will show some of the scenes we saw and record our memories, here are the Kuah Town slideshows Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Islands Boat Trip Plus Pantai Chenang, Langkawi Island, 28-29 Jan 2013 Beras Besah & Dayang Bunting Islands, Parascending and Waterworld, Malaysia 28-29 Jan 2013, Islands & Pantai Chenang, plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others palau (or islands), salat began nyior, dayang bunting, beras basah island, palau tuba, kentut basah island, underwater world, pantai chenang, family fun, lunch at yellow beach café, smelly drains, taxi, hire car, sunsets, parascending, birds, fishes, reptiles, rain forest gardens, sun burn, ice creams. No of images in selective slideshow = 126 Plus Brian's video of fun in Langkawi pre Wedding Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Tangjung Rhu Resort, Langkawi Island, 30 Jan 2013 Doug & Phoenix's Wedding, Tangjung Rhu Resort with family and friends, karaoke, food, ceremony on the beach, wedding breakfast and chinese tea ceremony , beach skittles and the band, a lovely day ,the number of images in the selective slideshows is 93, so so happy for them both The top Wedding Pictures, many many more obviously on the slideshow and now all those lovely wedding slideshows, enjoy, we certainly did That's all Folks Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Berjaya to Penang 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013 Leaving family after the Wedding, Oriental Village, Elephant rides & Lebanese meals then goodbyes and onto Penang, Malaysia 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013, Skycab, Oriental Village, Berjaya resort, Plus Reading Annie's Diary, covering amongst others airport, berjaya hotel resort, eagle quay, shops, batik, pantai chenang, pantai kok, seawed crisps, penang, bayview hotel, Georgetown, drove 225 miles on langkawi, hire car, taxi, permata kedah, Langkawi jewel of kedah, skycab, cable cars, oriental village, mount machinchang, family, parascending, Lebanese meal, farewell to Brian & Gina, Craig & Leanne, Doug & Phoenix, 51 images in the selective slideshow. The 31st January was Chinese New Year that Year and now the slideshows Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Georgetown Penang 3-5 Feb 2013 Stayed Bay View Hotel, Saw UNESCO World Heritage Mansion, plus a lot of this historic Town, Malaysia 3-5 Feb 2013, Georgetown Penang , 2 selective slideshows includes reading diary, covering amongst other the blue mansion, UNESCO world heritage, lonely planets top 10 visits, cheong fatt tze’s mansion, Penang bridge, Georgetown, bay view hotel, batu ferringhe, town hall, wedding poses, china town, little India, temples, incense, the esplanade, industry, shop houses, hard rock café, hard rock hotel, lazy river, the Beatles memorabilia, Penang, airports, Air Asia flights. There were 133 images. The Beatles #music #classy #fabfour Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Malacca "The Historic State" 13-14 Apr 2013 Stayed at Mr & Mrs Li Wee's traditional Tea House with Doug & Phoenix, Malaysia 13-14 April 2013, Malacca “The Historic State” plus reading diary, Melaka or Malacca, city of bridges, mr and mrs li wee, tea house stay, unesco world heritage site, melaka river, cruises, jambalan tan bin seng, chan koon cheng, old bus station bridge, kompung morten, wateredge walks, shop houses, bastion Victoria, jonkers walk, night market, mr li’s taxi trip, famous chicken and rice, fortress st john, chetti village, museums, Maritime museum, jonkers gallery, many churches, early Christianity, mosque by coast, sila tanggalhan, street kebabs and portugese shell fish restaurant by the harbour, orang utan shop, great to spend so much time with doug & phoenix, west ham drinks glasses, 112 images in the selective slideshows and now the Melaka slideshows OLD SKOOL MALAYSIA an example of what the old website looked like, i.e. the very first version in 2013 what Moonfruit called its V6 release, height of technology way back when 2 files 1st detailed day of Doug's wedding page, 2nd Malaysia overall, 3rd MF responsive page for Malaysia Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND North Island only , including amongst others Papamoa beach, Russell, Whangamomona and Cape Reinga, 1 visit 6th February to 5th March, 28 days in total We returned to New Zealand which we both love and found we loved it even more. We just (careful Keef, others have to work) had one month here this time as opposed to our 4 months last time and that was all spent in the top half of North Island going back to see the things we didn't have time to see last time. This meant much more time in Northlands, The Bay of Islands, MataMata & Hobbiton plus Whangamomona (the Republic's capital) - where the current president is a sheep and the previous one was a dog hee hee oh and lovely delightful days of R&R on NZ's superb beaches. Like 5 years ago this was the best summer they had ever had . A kiwi @ Orewa said you poms have history we have beaches. So true! Our Mercedes Sprinter 313 motorhome was good but not as good as the equivalent one in OZ. We picked it up in Auckland and returned it there. We definitely miss the land of the long white cloud. We drove 2559 miles in NZ. Kiwi HIGHLIGHTS:- 35th Wedding Anniversary Cape Reinga, Russell, Keri Keri & Whatuwhiwhi Forgotten world highway Art Deco Napier Lake Taupo & Kinloch The Coromandel Peninsular Hot Water Beach Hobbiton at Matamata The wonderful Papamoa beach, Ocean drive Lamb curry @ Kiwi Airport Motel And completing the NZ census Orewa beach & revisiting Waves Motel All the fab Campsites we stayed at during our 2559 miles of North Island exploration The friendliness of all the Kiwi nation, Big Tick LOWLIGHTS:- None UPDATE: this is so well known as a road sign in New zealand that it appeared on Griff Rhys Jones travel programme about NZ in 2021 #fact Campsites we stayed in in New Zealand Kiwi slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, 6-8 Feb 2013 Orewa Northlands including Auckland, Orewa, Bream Bay Area & Whangarei New Zealand, Northlands 6-8 feb 2013 auckland, orewa, bream bay area, whangarei, covering amongst others 63 selective slideshow images,auckland airport, kiwi airport motel, orewa, auckland, norfolk pines, pohutakawa trees, red fronzes,surf club, waves hotel revisit, top 10 sites at orewa and whangerei, aratoa way, bream bay, helicopters, mangawhai, mangawhai heads, info boards, maori fables, ruakaka beach, waipu cove, spolit soil contaminated by cows, sunshine, relaxation, deep joy in northlands. We were previously in Orewa & Whangarei in 2007 and then again in 2017. See blogs 162 and 168 respectively. and now the slideshow Return to Menu New Zealand, Tutakaka Coast 9-11 Feb 2013 Northlands including Whangarei, Tutukaka Coast & Russell ,New Zealand, Northlands 9-11 feb 2013 whangarei, tutukaka coast, russell, covering amongst others 133 selective slideshow images, whangarei, tutukaka coast,russell, hatea river, pouihi carvings, clapham clocks, boardwalks, top 10 sites, raeburn house, town basin, kauri factory, whangarei falls, otuihau,sandy bay, ngungunu, tutukaka marina, whangaumu bay, whale bay, church bay, beach baches, designer houses, wooley bay, posh yachts, poor knights islands,air roots on trees,pohutukawa trees, matapouri rocks, oakura campsite, whangaruru, flowers, BBQ's, the strand, museums, pompallier mission, weak, kowharewa bay. and now the slideshows Return to Menu New Zealand, KeriKeri 12-14 Feb 2013 Northlands including KeriKeri, Cape Reinga, Whatuwhiwhi & Mangonui , New Zealand, Northlands 12-14 feb 2013 keri keri, cape reinga, mangonui, apihara, whatuwhiwhi, covering amongst others 174 selective slideshow images, kerikeri, whatuwhiwhi, ahipura, cape reinga,okiato, opua, haruru, haruru falls (revisit scenes of our camping with the boys on our gap year 2007-8 see Blog 162, thanks), waitangi, waitangi river, rainbow falls, Christ church, waipekakoura river, keri keri, millionaires view, kumara, whangaroa, woodland walk, stone store, st james church 1868,kerikeri basin & woodland walks, mission house, cavalli islands,matauri bay, st pauls rock, marlin hotel, blue marlin, mangonui, doubtless bay, mill bay suites where we stayed 2007,karikari peninsular, parakerake beach and bay, waipapakauri, mitimiti stream, te kao, state highway 1, sheep, ahipara, kiwi parks and top 10 sites,awanui, kaitaia, brancott estate, BBQ's, karikari coastline and now the northlands slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Coromandel 15-17 Feb 2013 Northlands including Matakohe,Coromandel Peninsular & Hot Water Beach New Zealand, Northlands 15-17 feb 2013 matakohe, coromandel , hot water beach, covering amongst others 113 selective slideshow images, matakohe, coromandel peninsular, hot water beach, apihara, bamboo, 90 mile beach, dargaville river, arapohue, matakohe, banana bread,our new step, arapaoa river, citrus fruits, twin bridge gorge, dargaville revisit, the kauri museum , post offices, pioneer church, log haulers, helensville, art work, brynderwyn, kawau parau inlet, murawai, black sand, coromandel town, tricky roads, views to die for, matarangi, whitianga, sunsets, bruises from steps. We just so love the Coromandel, Wayne & Greg from the Greenlane Motor Inn in Remuera Auckland (from our Gap year in 2007-8 see Blog 162) ran a holiday business there before moving to Auckland, the last time I spoke to wayne they had moved back again. Coromandel slideshows coming up #withlove Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Bay of Plenty, 18-20 Feb 2013 Bay of Plenty including probably the best campsite in the world - Papamoa beach holiday resort Kiwi Camping & Holiday Parks site , #hintsandtips #campsites see the site map on Blog 168 our revisit in 2017 (tip use the menu to go to North Island), this site ranks alongside the BIG4 Lake Darlington beach in NSW Australia that we stayed at a couple of time on our gap year, see Blog 162 (tip use the menu to go to New South Wales Australia), Hobbiton, Rotorua and Gisborne , New Zealand, Bay of Plenty 18-20 feb 2013 papamoa beach, rotorua and gisborne, covering amongst others 145 selective slideshow images, papamoa beach, rotorua, gisborne, matamata, hobbiton, hobbit holes, sam wise gangee,lord of the rings, peter Jackson, hahei beach, frodo, bilbo baggins, waiha beach, james cook, farthing woods,te karaka, papamoa beach, ocean drive, fave campsite in all the world, precious, dragon inn, gandalf, party tree, mount manganui, waioeka, opotiki, top 10 campsites, kiwi campsites, whakatane, white island (smoking again in 2017 sadly a death trap dec 2019), whangamata, beaches, young nick, otahu river, ocean beach, hauturu island, maukaha rocks, karangahake gorge, paeroa, waikino, railway café, bay of plenty,i-site, maori poles. Bay of Plenty slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Hawkes Bay, 21-23 Feb 2013 New Zealand, Hawkes Bay 21-23 feb 2013, wairoa, napier, taupo, earthquake, covering amongst others 103 selective slideshow images , rotorua, mount doom, lake rotorua, boysenberry icecream, hoki poki, ruepehi, sunken gardens, art deco, black swans, fejioa, bungee jumping, wairoa, napier, taupo, earthquake, huka river, criterion hotel, 1930s, kinloch,lake tuito, marine parade, museums, artwork, hawkes bay, whaiapunga falls, pohutakawa trees in bloom, top 10 site taupo, bay view, gisborne, wairoa river, waikiki lagoon, picnics, mohaka river, viaduct, berry farm and berry ice cream, kiwi parks, fruit ice creams, yummy, kaweka forest park. Hawkes Bay slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Tongariro Area, 24-26 Feb 2013 Including Tongariro area, 35th Wedding Anniversary & the Forgotten World Highway ending at the Republic of Whangamomona, want to see an aerial view of the Republic's national celebration day, yes then click HERE New Zealand, Tongariro area 24-26 feb 2013, whangamomona, national park, ruepehi, 35th Wedding Anniversary, covering amongst others 203 selective slideshow images, whangamomona, national park, tongariro, mount doom, ruapehu, 35th wedding anniversary, day & meal, volcanoes, active and otherwise, the shaky isles, aotearoa, maori influence, chateau tongariro, black swans, lake rotiari, station restaurant, kumara, forgotten world highway i.e state highway 43, gravel roads,tranz alpine railway, tawai falls, gollums pool, makatote viaduct, waikato river, totara, pohutakawa, republic of whanga, turangi, tracks, tongariro national park, targarakau gorge ,tapu island, whakapapa village, desert well maybe, huka falls, moki tunnel, hobbit hole, ohakune, raetihi branch bridge, mangateitei stream, waimarino old name for national park railway station, tongariro river, motuopuhi, otunui riverboat landing, taumarunui, herlihy’s bluff, stratford, taranaki, whanga, tahora, republic, passport stamped, heritage trails. and now the slideshows for the alpine area in summer plus of course the peoples republic where we got our passports stamped for Nz$1 dollar #tick #fact #humour and now a special our 35th wedding anniversary, another great meal at National Parks Railway restaurant café, we went their first in 2007-8 (see Blog 162) with Craig, Doug & Phoenix.... indeed we spent our 30th wedding anniversary on South Island travelling on the Tranz Alpine #railway from Christchurch to Greymouth, use the Menu to look under south island on that blog, and our 40th wedding anniversary was our cruise covered by Blog 125 Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Taranaki, 27 Feb - 1 Mar 2013 Including Taranaki area, Whanga, New Plymouth, Waitomo, Hamilton amongst others, New Zealand, Taranaki area 27 feb – 1 mar 2013, new plymouth, waitomo, hamilton, covering amongst others 145 selective slideshow images, whangamomona, new plymouth, waitomo, hamilton, te rewa rewa bridge, douglas, forgotten world highway, tupare gardens, hallard gardens, kiwis, BBQs, cape light house, doves, east end beach, fruit wines, plum, boysenberry, whakatane, flowers, stratford, all things Shakespeare, the bard, otorohanga, strathmore, mount taranaki, cape egmont, opunake, egmont national park, visitors centers, rugby, hamilton gardens , taumarunai, whanga, wanganui national park, fitzroy beach, waiwhakaiho river, tupare house, orangery, ferns,sir ed hillary, top 10 sites, waikato river, kiwi house, bought kiwi as replacement for phoenix (lost original found in dressing gown 2019 stored in our garage ), greenslade house, hayes paddock, turtle lake, hamilton gardens, rogers rose garden, paradise gardens, Chinese scholars garden, Japanese garden of contemplation, Indian char bagh garden, Italian renaissance garden, English flower and American modernist gardens, te parapara Maori gardens. We returned to the Kiwi House in Otorohanga principally to buy Phoenix another kiwi soft toy as she had lost it, Annie found it in a dressing gown pocket in the garage much later so Phoenix now has 2 #lovely The Taranaki area is also the place on our gap year where we visited the guy who was an obsessive Elvis collector #weird #nerd to revisit these gems see Blog 162 We also camped and got soaked in New Plymouth on our Gap year when the kids joined us for a trip around part of North Island. I do remember the Came gates at the campsite there and Len Lye's wand in the wind and now the Taranaki slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Back to Auckland, 2 - 5 Mar 2013 Back to Auckland via Papamoa Beach, Karangahake Gorge & More, New Zealand, Back to Auckland 2-5 mar 2013, a lovely return visit to the wonderful papamoa beach 2nd time, karangahake, manukau city, kiwi hotel, covering amongst others 47 selective slideshow images, , papamoa beach, manukau city, kiwi hotel, Auckland, ocean drive, beach road, sunsets, chillin, 2nd visit this time to our fave campsite, kite surfing, wake boarding, mount manganui, beach strolls, ice creams, reading, tea breaks, karangahake river and its fantastic gorge, bridges, info boards, goldmining, suspended walkways, talisman mill. the truly wonderful Papamoa beach, 2nd visit on our return to Auckland, and slideshow of all the photos to go with it For New Zealand 2013 that's all folks #GIF Return to Menu AUSTRALIA Australia Overall, All States & Terroritories except Queensland, Northern & Australian Capital one visit 6th March to 6 April, 32 days in total We returned to the wonderful world that is Oz both for the 4th time, once in our youth when we lived there, Sydney & Melbourne respectively and then 3 times together as a full family in 1995 with Craig & Doug then on our own after retirement in 2008 and now in 2013. Australia is such an awe-inspiring place of extremes and vastness. We wanted to experience and see things (mostly) that we haven't done before this time. But we loved spending time with family and friends in Sydney & Tassie as well. Much love to you all , you know who you are and thanks for looking after us so well. We HEART Bondi, well maybe *smile*. On my bucket list was travelling across the Nullarbor, this was a true epic journey similar to travelling on the Ghan #railway from Darwin to Alice in 2008. NOTE as this was updated in 2020 we have also been again in 2017. Anyhow take a look at our treasured memories via Anne's dairy and our pictures. AUSTRALIAN HIGHLIGHTS:- Sydney, Tasmania - friends & rellies Coastal walk - Vaucluse to Watson's Bay Bruny Island Adelaide shores Outback Australia & Coober Pedy Opals Cromer stay and North Shore beaches, plus coastal salt water pools Port Lincoln & Coffin Bay Nat Park Crossing the Nullarbor, Ceduna to Norseman (1194 kms / 742 miles in total on the crossing - 3 days) Esperance and the fab Great Ocean Drive Peel Zoo, Pinjarra Indian Ocean Drive Geraldton & Picnic on Port Denison shores Driving in our hired Britz van 3810 miles & seeing "loads" LOWLIGHTS:- Slow puncture via cracked wheel rim crossing Nullarbor Having to pay my $120Nz fine picked up near Apihara, Northlands, NZ Australian slideshows by Keef & Annie 2013 Campsites we stayed in in Australia and now the aussie talkies video, enjoy Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, Vaucluse, New South Wales, 6-8 Mar 2013 Arriving in Sydney, Staying with Family, Vaucluse area exploration, Australia, Arriving Sydney from New Zealand 6-8 mar 2013, from Auckland, Sydney, Family, covering amongst others 110 selective slideshow images, from Auckland, Sydney, family, watson’s bay, doyles, fish and chips, posh restaurant, kookaburra, riley, hannah and david-such hospitality, vaucluse, gap bluff & Jacobs ladder lookout, banksias, bottlebrush, cat ferry, darling harbour, diamond bay, south shore road, signal hill reserve, dog walking, lorikeets, Sydney opera house, jorn utzon, shark beach, parsley bay, sydney harbour bridge, Vaucluse house, nielsen’s reserve NSW national park, ice cream, boardwalks, clarke reserve, south head signal station, fisherman's wharf, manly crossing, Robertson's park, circular quay, garden island, cruise liner, queen mary 2, water taxi, ferries, campbell parade, Bondi beach, water dragons, shark beach. Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, Sydney Area, NSW, 9-11 Mar 2013 Around Sydney area, Budderoo NP, Kangaroo Valley then on to Cromer , Australia, Sydney area 9-11 mar 2013 Around Sydney with Family then on to Cromer, covering amongst others 110 selective slideshow images, around Sydney with family, the rocks, masks, Sydney centre, darling harbour, rose bay, double bay, ferries, jet cats, spray can artist, kangaroo valley, sea cliff bridge, Bondi junction, Bondi bay, beach, sunsets, bald hill, oxford lookout, military road reserve, street musicians, camp cove, friends, family, kangaroo valley, our spray can art work bought, cromer cottage hire, minnimurra falls, southern highlands, camp cove, woolongong, lyre birds, aussie humour, opera house, lyne park rose bay, bay street double bay, coal cliff, grand pacific drive, fishing, budderoo national park, cromer, goldie the labrador, 155 willandra rd stay, private pool. We had some fun times with niece Hannah and her family and Chris's daughter Laura, especially a big feed up at Doyle's in Watsons Bay... as the Danes would say, possibly the best fish restaurant in the world 😉 🌠 ✅ SYDNEY GALLERY and now the slideshows from the Sydney area Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, North Shores, NSW, 12-14 Mar 20 North Shores Sydney, Cromer, North Bridge, Heads, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park (NP) Australia, Sydney North Shore 12-14 mar 2013 cromer, eco boat, pittwater, north heads, covering amongst others 170 selective slideshow images, north shore with family & friends, cromer, eco boat, pittwater, north heads, west head lighthouse, palm beach, ocean swimming pool, jelly fish, aboriginal rock carvings, fish, ku-ring-gai chase national park, lion island, apple tree bay, barrenjoey lighthouse, pittwater, bayview, bobbin head, church point, freshwater beach, reserves, west head lookout, commodore heights, manly beach, manly town, illawong point, whale beach, Scotland island-so love it, red gum , scribble bark, gum trees of all sorts, surfing, north heads, waratah, new south wales (NSW), northbridge, boating, battery powered eco boats, meal at lauras, hordern park, cabbage tree boat harbour, broken bay, port jackson, willungra track, black cockatoo, basin aboriginal engraving site, guringai land, hawksbury sandstone, empire marina, bobbin head inn, kalkari, birrawanna track and now the slideshows from sydney north shores going on a water picnic on Steve's eco boat, battery powered, middle harbour blissful north heads and barren joey lighthouse very burnt out by bush fires Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, 15-17 Mar 2013 North Shores Beaches & Flight Down to Family in Tasmania, Australia, North beaches & Tasmania 15-17 mar 2013 collaroy, curl curl, hobart, covering amongst others 70 selective slideshow images, collaroy, curl curl, Hobart, dee why, beaches galore, salt water pools, narabeen beach and lakes, family, cromer goodbye, flight to tasmania, hobart, family, apple juice, sorrel, ss carnival in port, huon valley, roses, stanley and florence twight reserve, long reef, aquatic reserve, ranelagh, maple tree cottage, north huon road, chicken coop, river derwent, mount nelson, lookout, howrah, hobart harbour, signal hill, truganini reserve, bicentennial park, mount stuart lookout, tasman bridge, sandy bay, wrest point, sleeping maiden range, we revisited John & Diana in 2017 as well as our earlier visit in 2007-8, these are covered by blog 168 & 162 respectively. Finish of North shore and tassie slideshow Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA & SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 18-20 Mar 2013 Visited the fabulous Bruny Island once more, we so love this place Bruny Island, Family in Tassie then Off to South Australia via Melbourne, Australia, Bruny Island to Adelaide shores 18-20 mar 2013 , bruny island, cygnet, family, hobart, covering amongst others 51 selective slideshow images, bruny island, cygnet, family, Hobart, berry ices, coal bay, lookout, skink, alonnah hotel, coal point,the neck, adventure bay, home hill winery & restaurant, eating wallaby, huon river,kettering, car ferry,cygnet, the red velvet lounge, b66 road thru bruny island, revisit from 2008, lunawanna, great bay, simpsons bay, lennon road, fish and chips, captain cook 1776, the endeavour, penguin rookery, views to die for, halloumi cheese and sweet chill dip for the first time, a lifelong favourite now, left tassie for adelaide via melbourne (rang mum), picked up britz campervan, adelaide shores campsite, south australia now the slideshow, featuring adventure bay, cygnet, bruny island, hobart, mount wellington, signal hill lookout and a whole lot more Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 21-23 Mar 2013 Glenelg, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy & Opals via Stuart Highway , South Australia, Glenelg & Coober Pedy 21-23 mar 2013, adelaide, glenelg, port augusta, coober pedy,covering amongst others 215 selective slideshow images, adelaide, glenelg, port augusta, coober pedy, roadhouses, pimba road house, joeys, milk fed, glendambo road house, port augusta, big 4 campsites, woomera, eerie, sunsets, drive in cinemas, outback, opal, mining, lake patawalonga, adelaide shores, west beach, flies, glenelg, beaches, trams, port wakefield, museums, underground houses, Serbian underground orthodox church, miners and boot hill graves, port pirie, salt water lake, winch hill, rockets, swimming pools, outback flower gardens, holdfast bay, tarniwarra park, crystal brook, john eyre, charles napier sturt, john mcdougall stuart, eyre highway, sturt highway, stuart highway, dingo, emu, eagles, roxby downs, andamooka, road trains, woodys outback resort glendambo, rfds royal flying doctors landing strip outback, stuart range campsite,big4, opal inn hostelry, blowers, murals, oasis tourist park, jospehine’s gallery bought annie opal here, coober pedy historical society and heritage trail, saint elijah’s church, minnie berrington, old timers mine museum,marree, oodnadatta track, kangaroos, in the bush saw 1 roo, 13 emus, 2 dingos, 1 fox & 10 eagles. OUTBACK TRAVELS GALLERY, on the way to Coober Pedy, Mining community #humour #outback the campsite at coober pedy, indoor pool was the ONLY way to cool off #hot baby roos cared for at the gem store what an interesting place #fact map Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, Coffin Bay National Park, SA, 24-26 Mar 2013 Coober Pedy, Port Augusta, Coffin Bay Nat. Park, Dolphins & Elliston, South Australia, Port Augusta to Elliston 24-26 mar 2013, port lincoln, coffin bay NP, elliston, covering amongst others 134 selective slideshow images, coober pedy, port augusta, port lincoln, coffin bay NP, Elliston, almonta bay, yangie bay, arno bay, avoid bay, port Lincoln, birdlife, dolphins, marinas, reefs, franklin harbour, golden island, cowell, gums, road trains, left coober at sunrise, long journey, 6 hours back to port augusta, lake eyre, salt lakes, lake gardiner, stuart explorer highway, arid lands botanic gardens, aussie humour re shark fin, 144 stuart hwy, port augusta , botanic garden, tracks, spencer gulf, whyalla, port bonython, franklin heritage hotel, mount dutton, cowell, slow puncture, turned out to be cracked rim, great australian bight, dolphin pod 40 strong magical, boston bay, south shields. the old ghan #railway was wonderful and the museum, narrow gauge stuff slideshows coming up including whyalla steel town it was probably just after port augusta that we started to get a slow flat in the front passenger tyre which we didn't really notice, longer term it became a big problem across the nullarbor eventually having to take it into Britz in Perth, note when we tried calling from the SA / WA border campsite it was Easter weekend, once fixed they told us the rim was cracked and should never have been hired out to us #scary Return to Menu The Nullarbor Plain, South to Western Australia, 27-29 Mar 2013 The Wonderful Nullarbor Plain from Ceduna to Caiguna Roadhouse, Australia, Crossing the Nullarbor Desert 27-29 mar 2013, Elliston, Ceduna, Nullarbor Desert, covering amongst others 180 selective slideshow images, Elliston, Ceduna, Nullarbor Desert,Nullabor plain, eucla telegraph station, head of bight, nullarbor lookout, border crossing, quaratine station, western Australia, southern Australia, border village campsite, caiguna roadhouse, ceduna foreshore, yalata, dingos, roe plain, trees, eagles, eagles nest, weird golf course, elliston bay,emus, coastal path, eucla, great Australian bight, pelicans, venus bay, hampton tablelands,longest golf course in the world, murphys haystacks,smoky bay, start and end of the nullabor, marked with smart signs, madura roadhouse,mundrabilla, roadkill, rfds-royal flying doctors, big 4, head of bight visitors centre, madura pass, aboriginal land, murphys haystacks, inselbergs, streaky bay, piers, diggers hats, blue tongue skink, southern right whales, flies, kondole, anangu peoples, marine park, bunda cliffs, nullarbor national park, , leeuwin way, whales, sand dunes, delisser sand hills, east-west telegraph service & station at eucla, munrabilla station, 200km from gate to farm house, cocklebiddy, highway 1 the eyre highway, moodini bluff, 90 miles straight at caiguna, nuytsland nature reserve, eucla national park 1st Nullarbor crossing gallery sadly by now the deflating tyre was a real issue and it was easter AUSTRALIA, WA, 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2013, Caiguna to Norseman, Great Ocean Drive Esperance & Albany , Completing 1,194 kms/ 742 miles of Nullarbor Crossing 2nd Nullarbor crossing gallery Australia, Caiguna to Albany,30 mar-1 apr 2013, caiguna, norseman, nullabor, esperance, albany, covering amongst others 155 selective slideshow images, caiguna, norseman, nullabor, esperance, albany, the 90 miles straight stretch of the nullarbor, balladonia roadhouse, hotel, museum,twilight bay, blue seas, old cars, fourth beach, the nullarbor plain, limestone head, seal island, great ocean drive,mistaken island, mount clarence lookout, camels, memorial gardens, founding fathers, maps, animal droppings, outback, golf course, rigs, road trains, beaches, rocks, sea swells, west beach, crossing certificates, west beach, winnebegos, redex rally, the pink lake, reflections & chemicals, great white sharks, ngadju people, quandong, shameful native citizens act, eyre highway, historical crossing, the nullarbor highway, skylab crashing over, balladonia, blue haven beach, sunshine & blue seas, observatory island, dempster head, chapman point, twilight beach road on the great ocean drive, ned kelly garden gnomes, salmon beach, twilight beach, nine mile beach, castleton beach, ravensthorpe,welstead community, board shorts, bibblemun track, clarence downhill, frenchmans bay, middleton beach, top tourist campsites, stayed multiple times Return to Menu That's all here continued on part 2 of Blog 167, last 3 parts of Australia and all of Singapore

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 2 2021 17.11 pm This is a retrospective Blog, we were in Canada between 18th May and 25th July 2010. 4/8/2010: Stayed with David & Cathy in Edmonton for 5 days but visited Lesser Slave Lakes, then picked up our campervan / motorhome (Canadreams) in Calgary and travelled for roughly 9 weeks across to the east seeing all provinces (apart from Yukon, NWT & Nunavut) plus dropped across the US border into upstate NY & Maine including the wonderful Bar Harbor, so combined with our 99 trip we have now crossed from one side of Canada to the other (it is the 2nd largest country on earth) Flew back from Halifax Nova Scotia Suggestion use the BIG TRIP maps to scale in and out if you wish See the full HOLIDAY 2010 site click HERE MENU Go to 1. Summary 2. Campsites we stayed in 3. Pre Travel 4. Canada Overall 5. Alberta 6. Saskatchewan 7. Manitoba 8. Ontario 9. Quebec 10. New Brunswick 11. Prince Edward Island 12. Nova Scotia 13. Newfoundland 14. Labrador 15. USA Overall 16. Upstate New York 17. Maine 18. Read the overall Diary 19. Listen to the Diary Audio book That's all folks!!!! As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2010 site which contained our trips to Canada in 2010 in a hired motorhome plus Florida in 1997 and our trip to British Columbia in 1997 (plus briefly visiting pals David & Cathy & family in 1999 in Edmonton, Alberta) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site. Across Canada in a motorhome 2010 when joined up with our 1999 trip to British Columbia it means we have travelled all the way from Vancouver Island in the west to the Trans Labrador Highway (TLH) in the east See Blog 92 which is associated here for more details This is what the old HOLIDAY2010 site used to look like #nerd #nostalgia SUMMARY OF OUR 2010 TRIP ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) Plus NY & Maine in the USA 92 Days travel - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles Edmonton to Halifax, west to east, including Newfoundland & Labrador, Prairies, Ontario & Quebec, Maritimes. So now been across whole of that part of North America if one includes our 1999 trip (blog 166) covering Vancouver island, British Columbia and into Edmonton, Alberta. Calendars After Trip Before Trip apologies for including folks names off our calendar sheets (oops ) Table of Days & Photos Schedule Full OLD slideshow Lets have a look at the flags of each Canadian province, just to show we have been right across Canada , Keef snapped these flags en route Return to Menu The Campsites we stayed at Return to Menu PRE TRAVEL CANADA - Pre Travel 2010, Canada & two US States (New York & Maine) Pre Planning on big trips always pays off Here's a list of some of the thinks we researched and gather pre travel Assorted pre travel documents, held here for safe keeping and nostalgic reasons 😉 🌠 ✅ Return to Menu CANADA OVERALL, across the provinces ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus NY & Maine in the USA in 2010 87 Days travel Canada - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles Highlights Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, Seeing the Harveys (dear friends), Dauphin, Wrestling with the badly sorted Steering wheel on the very windy Prairies, Maid of the Mist on Niagara Falls, Red Bay Labrador, Canada day in Fredericton, Gaspe peninsular, Mounties museum in Regina, Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, seeing Moose plus potentially more importantly achieving travelling from one side of Canada to the other - all provinces (Canada does provinces, America does states-BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island (PEI), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland (Newfie heaven) & Labrador Time zones across Canada for our trip Canada Day 2010, its a big thing, we were in Fredericton, New Brunswick Overall videos / slideshows with speech i.e the Talkies Return to Menu ALBERTA 11 Days in Alberta, Canada - 18th - 29th May 2010, 219 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective. We have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous countryine hat, head smashed in buffalo jump world heritage site, snow at high river end of may, the campsite said happy christmas (smile) when we arrived, 2 caravans were ruined by falling branches weighed down by weight of the snow, plus cardston, high prairie, staying with dear friends david & cathy and family, west ed mall, dawson bridge, perogis, tyrrell heritage centre, fort ed, winterton lakes np, bow river, border with montana glacial park,red deer, calgary, brand new motorhome, hoo doos at willow creek, blackfoot tribe and many more gems, we have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous country Alberta map, showing some of our travels Return to Menu SASKATCHEWAN 5 Days in Saskatchewan, Canada - 29th May-2nd June 2010, 79 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective amongst others we covered saskatchewan landing,saskatoon,regina,visiting the RCMP "mounties" academy, chapel and museum in regina , goodwin house, red river cart, wanuskewin heritage centre, heritage, prairies, railways, swift current, elbow, davidson,cree, matis,lakota tribes, hudson bay company, meewasin park plus we saw bears and we have now been right across canada in a motorhome and we loved it #FACT our route in saskatchewan Return to Menu MANITOBA 3 Days in Manitoba, Canada - 2nd-4th June 2010, 67 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective covering macgregor, duaphin, dryden, winnipeg , winnipeg beach, riding mountain national park, clear water (lac) lake, assiniboine river, shellmouth resevior, steinbach, bears, moose , mennonite heritage village @ steinbach and all ports in between. We have been from one side of Canada to the other in you include our 1999 trip (covered in Blog 166) Return to Menu ONTARIO 15 Days in Ontario, Canada - 4th-20th June 2010, 372 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others nipigon, wawa,elliot lake, new liskeard, musselmans lake, toronto,niagara falls,1000 islands boat trip from gananoque, percy lake, ignace, sault ste marie, wabigoon lakes, agimak lake& beach, rossport, terrace bay, pays plat, thunder bay, the great lakes-superior, huron, ontario & dipping my toe in them, niagara on the lake, Sinclair cove, mounties, ottawa,aguasarbon falls, lake superior national park, latchford, spanish, temigami, temiskaming shores, bobbie rosenfeld olympian & park,stouffville, niagara botanical gardens, floral clock, devils hole whirlpool, st Lawrence river, gananoque town and harbor, rideau falls, river and canal, byward market, haileybury the home of Annie's rellies (uncle ralph and extended family i.e. cousins in Canada and Australia and uk) & all ports in between. We have been from one side of Canada to the other our travel thru Ontario province , continuing the route west to east, like the great explorers we are 😉 Return to Menu QUEBEC 11 Days in Quebec, Canada - between 10th June & 13th July 2010, 178 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others montreal, quebec city, fort quebec, queens governors residence, chateau frontenac, saguenay fjord,tadoussac,trois pistoles,gaspe,bike race, the citadel, st lawrence river, lac timiscaming, les escoumins, bardville, ferry, grande grave, campsite juneau, cap de rosier, forillon national park, camping baie de gaspe, riviere au renard, basilica notre dame du quebec, rocking chairs, kayaks, l’heritage 1, light houses, boardwalks, musicians, rooftops, skyscrapers, robbie burns in montreal, maison maillou, point a la recommee, dolphins, possibly whales, sunsets, provisional and national parcs & all ports in between. All very french "trois service sil vous plais" which sadly is about as far as my french got asking for the campsite, very weird as we crossed the bridge from ontario to quebec province how suddenly the language in the air changed dramatically. tres chic. our route across, loved the truly wonderful quebec city and taking pictures in front of the world class chateau frontenac #majortrip Return to Menu NEW BRUNSWICK 14 Days in New Brunswick, Canada - between 24th June & 25th July 2010, 78 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others alma, campbellton, lighthouses, miscou island, lamere island, kouchibouguac np, bay of fundy np, provincial parcs, butlands lobster, beaver tails, art and art galleries, music, arcadians, micmacs, mcadam station, cape jourmain, confederation bridge, sea dogs ice hockey, covered cedar bridge tunnels, hopewell rocks, grand anse, baseball, bog walks, plant life, harbors, sun and rain in equal measures, magnetic hill, magic village, bathurst, val-comeau, cap egmont, moncton, saint john (as opposed to st johns in newfie - i.e. newfoundland ) looking for annie's rellies, petitcodiac river, possum in the road kill cafe, fredericton for canada day 1 july (a huge celebration) and lots of places in between. #humour #tshirts our route around new brunswick province, a lovely place, especially bathurst, such views, and the reality of the height level distances on the bay of fundy from high tide to low tide Return to Menu PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (PEI) the holiday island or as it is sometimes rather unkindly referred to as "spud island" because obviously of the potato growing 7 Days in Prince Edward Island, Canada - between 27th June & 25th July 2010, 90 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others PEI a holiday resort , summerside, anne of green gables house @ cavendish, charlottetown, many heritage buildings, crossing the fab confederation bridge arriving at borden-carleton, meeting up with friends - the lovely Harveys (david and cathy) friends,we made 2 visits here ,saw live music, the bottle house ,tigish,cape egmont and lighthouse, north cape, north point lighthouse, victoria, georgetown, spud radio, lobsters, energy institute, queens wharf, lucy maud montgomery (author of anne of green gables), sand sculptures and cedar cladding plus saw a lot of other places on the island. Return to Menu NOVA SCOTIA 11 Days in Nova Scotia, Canada - between 8th & 25th July 2010, 294 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others the wonderful bay of fundy, many heritage buildings especially at annapolis royal & lunneburg, highland games at antigonish, watching someone's awning bend in high winds at the campsite, wolfville, crossing the fab confederation bridge near mayfield (NB) ,cape breton NP, peggys cove @ st margarets bay, halifax and KEITHs beer (got the t-shirt) ferry from sydney to newfoundland, far too much fizzy pop in fast food joint (free refill - never again!), cap le moine,cheticamp,cape breton,cabot trail,pugwash,bog walk, pictou,glenora distillery the only single malt in canada, ingonish, broad cove campground, joe’s scarecrow visited by billy connolly and us (sadly close 2011),highland np, louisbourg and the fortress, wolfe and the french, halifax, murray-mackay bridge, pier 21, prospect,shelburne, port maitland beach, cresent beach, yarmouth, digby, lockeport and more . #tshirts #scottish #whiskey Map of our trip across Nova Scotia Return to Menu NEWFOUNDLAND lovely people, often somewhat disparagingly referred to as Newfies by the other provinicials , tee hee see what I did there 😉 plus we loved our moose sightings, there are a lot of them in newfoundland, even along highway one! 6 Days in Newfoundland, Canada - between 11th & 16th July 2010, 158 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others l'anse au claire, st johns (as opposed to st john in New Brunswick NB) fab harbour views here, moose by the roadside,t he wonderful gros morne national park, gander, bonavista, conception bay, st marys, icebergs floating past, st anthony museum and the size of a polar bear, this one we have annie standing alongside which totally dwarfed her - he the bear came in on a floating iceberg and terrorised the town, i can completely see why, ferry at st barbe to Labrador and a very early morning sailing in rain and mist, we parked in the ferry carpark overnight so as not to miss it, port aux basque, deer lake, grand falls windsor, corner brook, fab whale museum and houses at scilly cove (now winterton) home of annie’s rellie john masters, indian harbour,steady brook,3 mile rock, long beach, pynns brook, springdale, grate cove, gambo, the perlican, nymph island, portland creek, little hearts ease (such a lovely name),red rocks, noddy bay, st lunaire-griquet, the arches NP ,ss ethie, bonne & shallow bays, gunners cove, cape ray and wreckhouse brook. now a map of our travels in newfoundland what a fab place, from the bottom to the top and that very early morning ferry to labrador Return to Menu LABRADOR Misty morning ferry ride plus making it to the start of the TLH #tick 2 Days in Labrador, Canada - between 12th & 13th July 2010, 51 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others the ferry apollo departing st barbe newfoundland at an ungodly hour and arriving at blanc sablon, l'anse au clair (where we camped overnight), forteau, travelling the jersey trail, l'anse au covert, l'anse amour, red bay including the museum and look out at old whaling station,saddle & capstan islands, start of the trans labrador highway (gravel and permafrost) oh and black fly galore on the pinware river bridge. We have been from one side of Canada to the other in you include our trip back in 1999 see Blog 166, thanks for looking map of what we did in labrador especially the world heritage site at red bay, what a fab place Return to Menu USA OVERALL, only 2 states of the 50 5 Days travel in the USA - 14th-15th June Plus 4th-5th July 2010, 82 Photos, Approximately 538 miles covering Maine & Upstate New York. By 2020 we have been to the following states - Florida, Maine, New York, California, South Carolina, New Orleans, Montana Now for our 2010 Talkies video in those 2 USA states we visited, namely New York State and Maine, how could I forget some classics "trash" pardon Mam, plus the lovely "hummous" misunderstanding somewhere in Canada on this trip, oh and "bread & milk" just past the gun ammo Sir & Mam in Lincoln Maine Return to Menu UPSTATE NEW YORK 2 Days in Upstate New York (NY), USA - between 14th & 15th June 2010, 28 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others a fraught crossing at lewiston into the states because of the hired motorhome, and on return "mam I've told you to remove those sun glasses, I want to see the whites of your eyes" (smile), niagara falls (both canadian and us sides), rochester, banal local tv about geese "sh***ting on boardwalk", oh and trash can episode at the very nice campsite on the lake edge, watertown, apples & cherries, country stores, hummers plus crossing back to Canada near wellesley island, youngstown & the boss, oneida lake Return to Menu MAINE 3 Days in Maine (ME), USA - between 4th (Independence day) & 5th July 2010, 69 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others bar harbor, lincoln, bangor, crossing the border at a small centre near mcadams, shopping for milk "near the guns, rifles and bullets, sir!", 4th july at campsite near bar harbor, flags, burgers and beers, plus crossing back to canada , lobster rolls (yummy) from gas stations, miles not kilometres and cheap gas. Return to Menu