We have 4 free days until the experiment ends. There are no parkruns in Switzerland, so we do the only sensible thing and set off for Italy. First, we head for Lucerne. Once we have left the cordon of heavy industry along the border, Switzerland becomes much more Swiss with factories giving way to mountains and lakes. Reaching Lucerne is easy. Finding a parking space big enough for a van is another matter. Once we are finally parked, we are quite familiar with Lucerne. We walk to the river and zigzag our way through the old town, crossing the various bridges, starting with the 14th Century Kapellbrücke and finishing with the 15th Century Spreuerbrücke with its macabre Dance of Death roof murals. After, we head for our hotel in the nearby village of Bauen. In Switzerland, ... read more

Today is a normal day so we start with a second attempt at the supermarket. This time we don’t try to enter the car park. The van is allegedly 1.85m and the height limit allegedly 2.10m. One of these allegations is false as we discovered yesterday when we went clattering into the barrier. We purchase bread and cheese and set off for Switzerland accompanied by Six the Musical. Most of the day is spent driving; a total of 5 hours, with one brunch stop at a French service station. We arrive in Switzerland mid afternoon. Daughter no 2 is clutching her carnet. I have the passports. We are stopped at the border but they’re only interested that we cough up 40 Francs for a year’s Swiss road tax. We decide to go to the toilet while ... read more

It’s Saturday; parkrun day and we are going to Amagerstrandpark. It starts at 9, but we are awake by 5 thanks to a group of Chinese tourists replicating stormtroopers in the corridor. It’s raining heavily and my waterproof is in a car park near Stansted so I am going to get rather wet. The Strandpark is on a small Island in the Øresund; the strait which separates Denmark and Sweden. We walk the mile to the start, then hide out in a shelter as long as possible. The route is two laps along the island, across a bridge, along the prom and back across another bridge. To complicate matters, the first lap is anti-clockwise and the second lap is clockwise. Luckily, I don’t get lost despite being too slow to see the next slowest runner. I ... read more

Not a good night’s sleep. The hotel has my pet hate; the flimsy bed/mattress topper combo. Every time the old man turns over, it’s like riding a small tsunami. And don’t get me started on the ripple effects from his farts. And there’s no a/c so we have our own personal Swedish sauna. Today is Swedish National day, which means parkrun on a Thursday. The start is 2 miles away, so first I have to work out how to get there when walking is such a chore. Google maps suggests an electric scooter. I consider it, but can’t work out whether to lead with my good or bad leg. So opt for a good old fashioned bus. I leave in plenty of time in case anything goes wrong, which it does. My card is declined and ... read more

It’s Saturday, AKA parkrun day, and the main reason for the trip; the old man running a parkrun beginning with Z. He booked a hotel right next to the park. Unfortunately, not the correct park – that’s 2 miles away. We get up after a bad night’s sleep. The Qubus Hotel is rather flimsy; you can hear people walking around on other floors, the bed is two flimsy single beds with a double mattress topper. It’s uncomfortable and wobbly – like sleeping on a lilo. The curtains are flimsy, so by 5 am the room is flooded with sunlight and the windows are flimsy, so by 7 am the room is full of the noise of nearby building works. We get ready and I set the satnav for Zielona Gora parkrun. This takes us to the ... read more