Geo: 49.1525, 5.36557On Thursday we left Austria and Camping Grubhof, one of the most relaxing and spacious sites we have ever stayed on, but in high season this comes at a price. But hey, we're on holiday!We were soon over the border into Germany and on to the A8 motorway. I had read about horrendous delays on the stretch between Ulm and Stuttgart due to upgrading, but apart from a short standstill for a minor accident, we kept moving - with limitations, that is. When towing in Germany you are restricted to 50 mph and between certain times and carriageways there is no overtaking, so that adds to the journey, but on the positive it is toll-free motoring for the time being.However, we arrived at our overnight stop, Camping Waldpark at Hohenstadt in rain and with ... read more

Geo: 46.3607, 14.0786As we drove the transfer from Croatia into Slovenia on Monday we couldn't think of any famous Slovenians, but given that this country has a population of just 2 million perhaps that is not surprising. This is doing them an injustice really as we have since learned that since 1960 they have won several Olympic medals for rowing, and have the beautiful Lake Bled as their national training ground - right outside the gates of the campsite.Camp Bled is on the opposite side of the lake to the town but not too far, so yesterday after a drive out to our first Lidl of the trip and a bumper shop (David said he hadn't seen me so excited about grocery shopping for ages - decent fresh produce and a good range of meat seems ... read more

Geo: 44.825, 13.8589On Sunday, we took a chance, it being at a weekend, to return to the peninsula beyond Premantura which features the wild and remote Kamenjak National Park. Being in the car there is a charge to enter (bikes and pedestrians free) via rugged gravel tracks which lead off in various directions to bays and coves with rocky shorelines. Having read about it in the Lonely Planet guide, we made for the southern end at Kolombarica where above the cliffs we found the unusual beach bar, Safari, half-hidden in the undergrowth, with intimate alcoves in which to dine, decorated with all manner of flotsam and jetsam. The tables and seating created from boulders and tree trunks put you in mind of The Flintstones!After a coffee, we settled ourselves on a rocky ledge looking out to ... read more

Geo: 45.2149, 12.2948We knew before setting off to our next campsite that there was no internet provision. Somewhat unusual in this day and age, and for us it has become such a useful tool both for researching our 'go as we please' itinerary and staying in touch with friends and family, be it via Skype, email or this blog. So this entry is intended as a catch up of the past few days, though we have had short periods of connectivity at a couple of hotspots.Anyway, our arrival at Podere Sei Poorte, near Monteciccardo, in the region of Le Marche, was not straightforward as we lost the campsite signs at one point (it was 20 feet up a pole completely separate from the other brown signs advertising tourist information) but we got there eventually after much ... read more

Geo: 42.8874, 13.0147We set off on Wednesday shortly after 8am from Montecatini Alto taking the nerve wracking series of hairpin bends down to Terme where the streets were busy with tour buses leaving the hotels for the popular Tuscan city destinations. After a couple of wrong turns we eventually made it to the A11 motorway junction taking us round Florence then due south on the A1 which eventually ends up in Rome.We had travelled some of this route last year - passing Lake Trasimeno and Perugia - when we stayed at Assisi, and the imposing Basillica set into the hillside was clearly visible from the motorway. Just before reaching Spoleto, we left the dual carriageway where we feared a navigation error (dreadful lack of signage) but with satnav assistance we came across the sign for Norcia/Cascia ... read more