Advertisement
Published: September 5th 2014
Edit Blog Post
If there is one word to describe August it would be “wet”. We have struggled to put together more than a couple of sunny days at a time all this month, sometimes the rain goes on for days causing the rivers to run with mud. It has caused us to search out camping places on gravel or tarmac rather than the lush and soggy green grass. At one campsite in the Pitztal valley we made a last minute decision to stay on the car park one evening and we were glad of it as the unhappy campers were pulling their gear out of flooded tents the next morning.
Having said that, we have managed quite a lot of lovely walks, both in Austria and Switzerland. Most valleys seem to have guest cards which enable free or discounted use of lifts which make it easier for us to do hikes that suit Brian’s knee as well as satisfy my need for height. We have also marvelled at the waterfalls gushing, spurting, trickling and feathering out and over every nook and cranny in the mountains. One glorious day we hiked up the Krumml valley into the Hohe Tauern NP to have lunch
at a mountain hut on a sunny terrace. Nothing like a bowl of gulasch suppe washed down with a dunkles bier whilst observing a Bearded Vulture cruising the opposite rock face. On that day we scored not only the Bearded but some Griffon Vultures and a Golden Eagle (three of the biggest birds of prey in Europe).
Campsites have been a mixed bag this month. You would expect everywhere to be busy and one or two were, but we have been on some sites all on our own. We have also driven some amazing roads up to incredible high points to find the listed campsite no longer there, or the stellplatz closed to motorhomes. Campsite prices have varied considerably too, ranging from a free terrace above a restaurant with gobsmacking views over the valley 200mt below to a farm perched on the end of a ridge and full of Dutch campers for 18euro, to a motorhome stellplatz in a Swiss ski area for 42euro (which did include free use of the telecabine up to the mist shrouded peaks).
Our wanderings have taken us up some lesser known Austrian valleys such as Rauristal, Sulzbachtal and Schonbachtal all with breathtaking
scenery and well marked hiking trails. We have recrossed some of the areas we first travelled back in 2003, our first year of motorhome adventures, and it all still looks fresh and interesting.
Mid month we crossed into eastern Switzerland along the Engadine valley. And guess what, it was raining here too. We sat out a whole day of continuous rain at a stellplatz in Scuol (we have read a lot of books this summer, thank goodness for the library ebook service). Our next destination turned out to be a 5 day stay on a parking lot near the end of a stunning valley near a village called Elm. Here we met a retired Swiss couple, Ernie and Vreni, who have motorhomed all over the world and who hiked downhill faster even than me! After one walk with them we decided to go our own way as they were a bit too gung-ho with nary a moment to enjoy the views. We were joined by a Swiss motorhome club for a couple of the nights and entertained by Ernie showering naked at the back of his van using water he had “heated” in plastic bottles in the occasional sunshine
each day.
One place we had yet to visit in Switzerland was Zurich, and it is still on our list of places to visit after an abortive attempt in late August. We had parked ourselves in a pleasant campsite for a couple of nights in order to take a bus into Zurich. However the morning we headed in Brian awoke complaining of nausea and lethargy. He decided he was okay to travel so we caught the bus only to have Brian collapse part way into town. An ambulance was called and 5 hours later the doctor released him from emergency deciding it was probably a virus. In between times I took 24 trips on trams and buses to go back to camp and get his EHIC card (health insurance) so we didn’t have to pay an exorbitant fee for the treatment before they would release him. We felt sorry when the final bus stopped to pick us up on the way back to camp was being driven by the same driver as the morning one. He was very gracious and asked how Brian was, but we still had to get off the bus one stop later as Brian felt
nauseus again!
By late August we were making a dash for Calais to catch the train back to England as we were booked in for some warranty repairs on the motorhome before crossing to Ireland on 2 September. So the next update will be coming to you from the emerald isle.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.225s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 9; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0723s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb