Motorhome News from Europe 20. Italy March 2005 Umbria, Marche and northwards to Venice and the Dolomites Gubbio, Urbino, San Marino, Rimini, Ravenna, Venice, The Dolomites, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Camazai It’s been another busy week for the grey haired nomads. After leaving Perugia, we continued our tour of historic towns with visits to the delightful towns of Gubbio and Urbino. Gubbio is, like Assisi and Perugia, an Umbrian hill town with grand piazzas, palazzos, fountains and churches. Despite it being a Sunday, the town was almost empty of tourists, the only sign of locals in any number seemed to be at the local football match. We found an excellent “sosta” (dedicated parking and overnighting area for motorhomes, often with water and waste facilities and usually free) in Gubbio, but the day was still young and we ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 18. Italy. March 2005 Sicily & Southern Italy. Pompei, Herculaneum and Naples (Napoli) Our first day camped near Palermo was a rest day, catching up with the laundry and shopping. We were to stay there for the next four nights. The next day it rained heavily non-stop and we were able to get to know the neighbours. One couple from London had already been there for several days, camping in an old Ford panel-van with no insulation. The cold nights were the least of their problems. Breathing alone was causing condensation to run down the walls, soaking their matress and blankets. That’s the sort of story that makes us fully appreciate the luxury of our Autotrail motorhome! Then came the day to visit Palermo. Suffice to say that we spent about eight ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 16. France/Italy February 2005 St Tropez - St Maxime Frejus - Corniche d'Esterelle - Cannes - Nice - Monaco - MonteCarlo - Menton - Tuscany - Lucca - Pisa - Florence - Siena - Salerno ‘Au revoir,’ France, ‘Buon giorno,’ Italia! The chill of winter was still biting at our bones and we were heading east towards the Italian border along the south of France, hoping, within a matter of a week or two, to reach the warmer climes of Sicily, right down off the toe of Italy. A brief chance then, to ogle briefly at the sights of the Riviera, St Tropez, Ste Maxime Frejus, the Corniche d’Esterelle its red rocks and turquoise sea glowing in the sunshine, and Cannes - incredibly chic against the mountain backdrop, drifting by their sandy ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 14. Spain January 2005 Alicante - Mallorca - Palmanova - Palma - Valdemossa - Ebro Delta Valencia & Snow on the beaches in Palmanova, Mallorca This week has been much warmer, with constant sunshine and daytime temperatures of up to 24C. Night times became warmer north of Alicante, contrary to everyone’s predictions that we were heading in the wrong direction and it would be colder further north. The coast south of Valencia yielded loads of excellent birding, with rocky headlands, marshes and flooded rice fields. Significant new species for the list this trip included Red breasted Flycatcher, Tree Sparrow and Water Pipit. Campsites were beginning to empty again. After the bustling coastal sites in the south, this was quite surprising. Perhaps it’s because they’re also quite expensive near Valencia, as with most ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 12. Spain December 2004 Almeria, Cabo de Gata The town of Almeria is just ten miles to the west of our campsite on the coast at El Cabo de Gata, where we are keeping company with many others doing much the same; not a lot, enjoying the sunshine, taking a drive out into the countryside, or walking along the coast and generally taking it fairly easy. We have been here for eleven days now, that’s the longest we have ever been in one place, but there is plenty to do and it’s convenient for the airport on Wednesday. Our site is about a mile from the Mediterranean, smooth as a huge lake and reminiscent of our first view of Lake Huron on a hot summer’s day, and close by a nature reserve ... read more