Slovenia (4)

20 - 27 Sep 2025

Country Life

The next journey from Kobarid to Bohinjska Bistrica, near Lake Bohinj, was memorable! The road was not quite as expected, becoming very narrow in places, with lots of hairpin bends and steep ascents and descents. We were quite relieved when we finally arrived at the site.
                
                       

The reason for visiting Lake Bohinj was to experience the Cow Ball, which has taken place each year since the 1950s to celebrate the cows being brought back down from the pastures. There was a shuttle bus from just outside the site - ideal. The event was not as grand as we had expected; there was a stage with various performances (musicians, singers, dancers), and stalls with food and crafts and, of course, the highlight of the day, the parade of all the entertainers followed by a small number of cows.

                                

                                            

While in Bohinj we cycled along another dedicated cycle path to the eastern end of the lake where we ate our picnic lunch, admired the view, photographed the church and found a new delicacy in a restaurant, honey cake! I hope all our cycling and walking is burning off the extra calories!

It was then time to start the journey home. We had intended to spend one day at the Chiemsee but as the weather was forecast to be rather wet we decided to have our spare day in France instead. So the next three days were basically driving, from Bohinj to Siegsdorf in Germany (Camping Alpenkamp - sadly wet weather obliterated the view), from Siegsdorf to Camping Aichelberg, where we have stayed before. It was nice to find that they had our details on file! We walked round to the local Italian restaurant (4 minutes) - also used before - only to find they were full, but we were able to reserve a table for 45 minutes later. Excellent pizza and pasta was enjoyed by all. Then Aichelberg to Verdun in France. It had been very wet there for the last few days and the pitches were squelching. The gripper mats (to drive onto) came into their own!

In Verdun we visited three of the many sites in the area associated with the WW1 Battle of Verdun, which lasted ten months from February 1916 and during which 300,000 soldiers (French and German) died and another 450,000 were wounded. First stop was the Ossuary and National Cemetery, a memorial to the French soldiers who died at Verdun. Next was the very comprehensive museum, which covered all aspects of the battle such as rotation of soldiers, provisioning, medical care, medals .... It really brought home the complexity of war beyond the fighting. Finally we walked on the outside of Fort Douamont, a huge fortification, which, by the time of the battle, was mostly used for storage. Unfortunately we ran out of time and didn't go inside.

Part of the National Cemetery

The Ossuary

Our last night was spent at Escalles, close to the shuttle terminal, where we have stayed several times in the past. However, on previous occasions we have not ventured off-site. This time we walked down to the coast below Cap Blanc Nez, then rounded off the trip with a lovely meal at Le Cap.

Cap Blanc Nez

                            
It has been a great trip; lots of variety - lovely scenery, places of historical interest, towns, walking, cycling .... We have also enjoyed some delicious meals out and to top it all have had the company of friends.

Slovenia (3)

10 - 19 Sept 2025

A Farewell to Arms

On Wednesday the good weather gave up on us and we had torrential rain. We drove to an aire near the Postojna Caves and rushed off to book tickets for the afternoon. To while away the morning we spent a good hour at the Hotel Jama in the Secret Rooms, which were discovered during the renovation of the hotel and turned out to be hidden rooms used by the Yugoslav military and secret police to listen in to conversations. No photography allowed here because they are .... secret. The visit to the caves was fantastic; it began and ended with a 15 minute train ride, with a 60 minute walk between. The sheer scale of the caverns, stalactites and stalagmites was awesome. 

From there we moved on to Predjama Castle, only a few kilometers up the road. The castle was built into the rock face and is therefore quite different. An interesting audio tour explained how one siege had been endured for more than a year because supplies were brought in via secret passages in the cave behind the castle. There were lots of photo opportunities here.

We then travelled on to a site near Portoroz on the very limited coastline of Slovenia, for the next five nights.

On the coast we were close to the town of Piran, which we visited a couple of times by bus, exploring the lighthouse, churches and city walls. 

We also cycled to the nearby Secovlje saltpans, which is one of the last Mediterranean salt pans where the salt is extracted manually. As the salt harvesting takes place between June and mid September it was not the best time to visit but was interesting regardless. There was a glorious sunset one evening which we viewed from behind our cameras.

Salt pans

The next stop on the journey was the stud farm at Lipica, where the famous Lipizaner horses are bred and trained. We had a very comprehensive tour around the site and an afternoon show where some of the horses displayed their dressage skills. That evening we had an epic thunderstorm lasting a couple of hours, when the lightning flashed and thunder rumbled continuously.

The following three days we were based in Kobarid where there is a museum dedicated to WW1 and the battles fought in the Soca Valley on the Italian Front. There was also a very detailed section about how the Yugoslavian partisans helped downed American airmen to escape the Germans which made fascinating reading.

We explored part of a walking trail, taking us to a waterfall, along some of the Walk of Peace to the Italian Church and Charnel House, where more than 7000 Italian casualties, some named, many unknown, are buried.

Kozjak Falls

Italian Church

On our way back from the waterfall, we passed a most welcome trail marker:

Which led to a young guy in a hut, who was providing beer and soft drinks at no fixed charge; you just gave him "tips". He explained that this is quite legal, and avoids a lot of bureaucracy.

Slovenia (2)

4 - 9 Sept 2025

Highway 61 Revisited

We set off early to give ourselves time to do a bit of shopping at the local supermarket in Gozd Martuljek and also to sample the coffee and local speciality cake, Kremsnite, at its bakery/cafe as recommended by Barbara and Clive. 

Kremsnite

Then on to Bled. As we neared the town there were some disputes between Satnav and Google maps about the route. Satnav warned us of a 2.5 ton weight limit which never materialised. We headed along the north side of Lake Bled and almost got to the site when an attendant at a car park warned us not to travel down the last section as it was very narrow and vans were known to get stuck if they met another coming the other way. So we turned around, travelled around the lake on the south side, ignoring Google maps, which suggested the road was closed. There was, in fact, a barrier, but it was only to control the traffic into the site and as soon as we provided our camping reservation, we were allowed through. What a palaver!

The campsite (Camping Bled) is close to Lake Bled, a very picturesque location, but is unfortunately at the opposite end of the lake to the town, so we did a lot of walking. First port of call was the castle, accessed by many steps from the lakeside to the top of the cliff. The castle is mostly a museum now but there were some good views over the lake. 

                                  

View from the Castle

From there we continued into the town and found a nice restaurant for a meal to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Our waiter was quite a character which made the evening more memorable. I had suggested we got a taxi back to the site, but the others were happy to walk back to the site, so that's what we did, despite the fact that it was dark. We hadn't realised that sunset would be quite so early here.

Lake Bled is obviously a very commercial place but one of the things you "must" do is hire a rowing boat or take a gondola to the island. It took 15 minutes for us to be taken across the water and we had 45 minutes to ourselves before being picked up for the return journey. We opted not to go into the church, which demanded further outlay, but amused ourselves by walking all around the island, admiring the views and having coffee. 

On Saturday there was a triathlon around part of Lake Bled so it seemed a good idea to head a little further afield to the Vintgar Gorge, 1.6 km long and very pretty, with rushing torrents at the beginning, then more peaceful water later on. The walk was supposed to take 45 minutes, but photography made it much longer. Some birdspotting also featured - we saw dippers and a grey wagtail. There was a choice of route to get back and we opted for the King of Triglav Trail (4.1 km), through woods first of all and then past St Katharine's church and onto an open ridge with lovely views. We saw plenty of butterflies along the way and five hang gliders also caught our attention. 

Vintgar Gorge

View from the ridge

Next stop was Ljubjlana, only 34 miles away, along the same E61 motorway that had brought us all the way through Austria and into Slovenia. We travelled in to the city by local bus and there was plenty to see - the old town with its interesting buildings, bridges and squares, the cathedral of St Nicholas and the castle. Despite the warm weather we had Bograc for lunch, a typical Slovenian stew. 

Cathedral of St Nicholas

On our second day John and I got off the bus a couple of stops early to see Metelkova Mesto, an area known for its street art, but we didn't stay long due to a small group of intimidating men. Back in the centre we covered a few more points of interest in the old town including the peach-coloured Franciscan church, before having another traditional meal of pork steaks, bread dumplings and cabbage. After that we headed a little out of the centre to the Orthodox church on the edge of Tivoli Park where I noticed the absence of chairs and which Google advised was because standing symbolizes being a servant in the presence of God. Tivoli Park covers a large area but we confined ourselves to the main drive leading to the mansion and where there was an outdoor art exhibition.

Metelkova Mesto

Serbian Orthodox Church

Slovenia (1)

27 Aug - 3 Sept 2025

Down the Highway

The original objective for the trip had been Croatia, with just a few days in Slovenia en-route.However, the more we looked at Slovenia, the more we realised it was a destination in it's own right. So, plan B was called for. Once again we would be travelling with our friends Barbara and Clive.

We arrived in Slovenia on Sunday after three days travelling across France and Germany, with one day off in Eguisheim in the Alsace. We had a hiccup with the van, namely that the gas hob ceased to function. We called in at a motorhome dealer on our way to Eguisheim, who inspected it for us but could neither identify the problem nor fit us in the workshop as they were fully booked. The best the technician could do was hit the gas valve with a hammer to potentially dislodge any impurity which was stopping the gas flow. It didn't work!

We had two nights at Camping Trois Chateaux in Eguisheim, so had a welcome lie in the first morning, then breakfast outside in the sunshine, before heading off for a walk around the pretty, medieval town, which was only a five minute walk away. We followed the town walk through the narrow streets of half-timbered buildings, stopped at a cafe and took a fair number of photographs, including ones of the storks on the rooftops. 

We also stopped by the stork park, a small establishment, where they rear storks for the first three years of their lives as part of a successful program to increase the number of pairs. After lunch at the van, we had another walk, this time around the local vineyards, with helpful information boards dotted along the way and a lovely view over Eguisheim. The grape harvest was only just beginning and we saw only a few pickers starting their mammoth task. Towards the end of the afternoon I thought I would give the hob another try, and much to my amazement, the gas flowed and the burners lit. Hurray! A weight off our minds. In the evening we had dinner at Le Bistronome, which was the best restaurant meal I had had in ages, reasonably priced too.

From Eguisheim we drove on to Augsburg, to a site we have used before, and had a brief walk around the lake in the sunshine before dinner.

And finally to a campsite at Gozd Martuljek, near Kranjska Gora. Slovenian is pretty unpronounceable with too many consonants and not enough vowels! But German and English are widely spoken. It was lovely and sunny when we arrived and from our pitch you could see the Julian Alps. On Monday we had a low-key day, cycled into Kranjska Gora and took a ride on the chair lift, then lunch and the return cycle ride.

                       

Kranjska Gora from the chairlift

That night there was heavy rain and a thunderstorm and the forecast for the next day was dire. We thought we would be holed up in the van all day. However, it brightened up after lunch and we had a lovely walk to the Martuljski Lower Fall. It was easy terrain to begin with but then became quite difficult in places but we made it to the waterfall and took plenty of photographs between us.

For our final day at this site we cycled along the cycle path through Kranska Gora to the Italian border, which is only about 11 km from the site, and beyond. Along the way we came across a small cafe, where we had a long chat with the owner (his English was good) about Slovenian life.  Once off the cycle path there were one or two quite steep hills to negotiate, but the ebikes came into their own! A little further on we reached our destination of Lakes Fusine, "Superiore" and "Inferiore". The lower one was very picturesque and was duly photographed. The upper one was less interesting, but had a better restaurant and we enjoyed a lunch of lasagne and tiramisu / apple strudel. So no cooking necessary that evening.

Lago di Fusine (Inferiore)

Chichester

 May 20 - 24 2025

Time Passages

Time for another short break, squeezed in between family duties. The destination was again a C&CC site, this time at Chichester. Arriving late afternoon after a slow journey down the very busy A34, we were now back in the swing of getting set up on site, so were soon sitting outside the van with a cup of tea.

Public transport was to be the order of the day for the next couple of days; the bus stop is right outside the site, so we set off eastwards towards Fishbourne Roman Palace on Wednesday morning. We had vague memories of a visit here when we lived in Sussex for a time, nearly 30 years ago. The site seemed somewhat larger and more impressive than we remembered though.

Although the site had been known of since the early 1800s, it was not until 1960, when Portsmouth Water Company were digging a trench for a water main, that the scale of the site was realised. Excavations over the following 60 years revealed the remains of the largest known Roman residence north of the Alps. The mosaics are especially impressive.

The following morning we were on the bus again, this time to the cathedral city of Chichester, the county town of West Sussex. A quick visit to the tourist office on arrival yielded a map for us to begin our explorations. Walking toward the Chichester Cross, we could hear singing. It was a young lady performing opera arias – definitely a better class of busker! 

Refuelled with coffee from The Trading Post, we headed back westwards to start a walk around the city walls, dating originally from Roman times.

About a quarter of the way round there was a break in the walls near Priory park. Whilst walking across the park, we were fascinated to see an archaeological dig under way; one of the regular digs undertaken by the Sussex Archaeological Society. Further round the park a cricket match was in progress, against the backdrop of the cathedral. A quintessential English scene.

A rather nice lunch at The Ivy (we were somewhat under-dressed compared to the rest of the clientele) was followed by a visit to the cathedral. Celebrating its 950^th birthday this year, it is certainly an impressive building.

Our visit, however, coincided with the sound check for a performance that evening – the drums and keyboards seemed a bit incongruous in the surroundings. There are a number of more modern decorations in the cathedral, including an impressive window by Marc Chagall.

Friday was a more low-key day. We drove the short distance to West Wittering beach, where there is a vast grassy car park behind the dunes. We spent the day relaxing outside, interspersed with a blustery walk out to East Head, opposite Hayling Island. We marked the end of our trip with another meal out, this time at the more normal surroundings of the Travellers Joy pub a few yards from the campsite

Chertsey

 April 24 - 27 2025

 Roses are red

Post from John

It was time for the shakedown trip, to get the van and us in shape for the coming year. Having had two trips to see Ruth’s favourite sport (tennis) over the last couple of years, I persuaded Ruth to come along to watch some Rugby (my favourite sport). I managed to get some tickets for the final match of the Women's Six Nations tournament at Twickenham, between England (the reigning champions) and their old rivals France. We would make a weekend of it and base ourselves at Chertsey Camping and Caravanning Club site.

Arriving on Thursday afternoon, we were immediately struck by changes to the site since our last visit in 2020; it looked like a fair bit of refurbishment had taken place. Settled on a pitch not far from the Thames, we bought an ice cream from reception and sat in the sunshine to plan the next couple of days.

The next morning we caught a bus from outside the site, destination Hampton Court Palace, where we arrived one hour and two buses later. We spent the day wandering around the extensive grounds, interspersed with a tour of the palace; the audio guide and information boards bringing to life the pomp, ceremony and political machinations of the court of Henry VIII.

As the match on Saturday was later in the day, we had a leisurely morning on site, before setting off to catch the train to Twickenham. We arrived in plenty of time, so we soaked up the atmosphere in the fan village outside the stadium, and kept an eye on the huge TV screens that were showing the Scotland match from Edinburgh (where Steve had taken Jocelyn for her first experience of rugby). 

Once settled in the stadium, we were treated to a classic game, with a raucous crowd of 38,000 singing and cheering the Red Roses to a narrow victory over Les Bleus, by a single point: 43 – 42.

On our way home on Sunday, we decided to break our journey at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. We had seen the sign for the gardens many times on our journeys up and down the M40, but had never investigated. It turned out to be an excellent find; the site had been a horticultural college in the mid-20^th century, specialising in food production. Now, though, the emphasis is on the more ornamental side, with a series of gardens, an arboretum and a riverside walk. We can also recommend the café!

A successful short break, with a mixture of history, sporting spectacle and natural beauty.