Thursday 29 September 2016

Europe 2016 - Sites Info

Prices as at 2016

Camping Les Erables, Escalles, France
Lovely rural location 15 minutes drive from Channel Tunnel.  Sloping site but pitches fairly level, overlooking the English Channel.
Facilities: dated but clean
WiFi free across site
Price: Euro 15.90 inc electricity and showers

Stadscamping den Driesch, Valkenburg, Netherlands
Site sits high above the town- 5 minute walk to the centre. Access best from the east.  Site roads narrow and sloping. 
Facilities: excellent inc site shop
Price: Euro 29.00 inc electricity and tourist tax. Showers Euro 0.70

Alternative option is  Camperplaats Valkenburg (aire) which is adjacent.

Camping Vitznau, Vitznau, Switzerland
Beautiful location on Vierwaldstaettersee. Walking distance to Rigi Bahn.
Facilities: excellent; supermarket in town (10 mins walk)
WiFi free, but limited range
Price: SFr 43.70 inc electricity, tourist tax and rubbish tax.  Showers free.

Italy

Camping la Riva, Sorico (Lake Como)
Excellent site with pool and cafe. Footpath / cycle path to village where is mini supermarket, bank, restaurants
Facilities: excellent.
WiFi free, but limited range
Price: Euro 34.00 inc electricity.  Showers Euro 1.00

Camping Parisi, Baveno (Lake Maggiore),
Great location but very crowded.  Ten minute walk into Baveno.  Bus to Stresa.  Ferries operate from Baveno to other lake destinations including the islands
Facilities: excellent
WiFi free, but limited range
Price: Euro 18.00 including electricity and tourist tax (ACSI rate).  Showers free.

Camping Orta, Orta San Giulio. (Lake Orta)
Lovely lakeside location.  One part of site is  next to lake and the other across the road on terraces with tunnel between the two. Steep roads within upper part of the site.  Twenty minute walk (uphill) to Orta San Giulio
Facilities: excellent, including comprehensive site shop
WiFi: Euro 1.00 for 3  hours
Price: Euro 18.00 including electricity and tourist tax (ACSI rate).  Showers free.



France

Camping Tunnel, Etroubles
Located on road towards San Bernardo Pass.  Sloping site but level pitches; narrow site road.  Five minute walk to small town with bank and shop.  Good base for walking.
Facilities: very good.
Free WiFi but have to sign up to an account.  Not tried.
Price: Euro 17.36 including electricity and tourist tax (ACSI rate).  Showers free.

Les Domes de Miage, St Gervais-Les-Bain
Fantastic site with backdrop of mountains.  Site is open and lush; pitches are good size and level.
Facilities: excellent
WiFi free, but limited range
Price: Euro 20.00 including electricity (ACSI rate).  Showers free.

Camping Les Rives du Lac, Sevrier, Near Annecy
Lakeside site located 6 km south of Annecy.  On bus route to Annecy.  Ten minutes walk to either Lidl or Carrefour supermarkets.  Pitches level-ish but needed a bit of tidying.
Excellent facilities
WiFi free, limited range
Price: Euro 23.50 inc electricity and tourist tax.  Showers free

Camp Municipal Les Cent Vignes, Beaune
Site located within walking distance of Beaune.  Pitches vary in size surrounded by hedges with lots of trees; narrow site road.
Good facilities, although a bit jaded at end of season
WiFi free across site
Price: Euro 21.50  inc electricity and tourist tax.  Showers free

Camp Municipal de la Porte d'Arroux, Autun
Located approx 1 km from Autun.  Pitches of average size, surrounded by hedges with lots of trees.
Good facilities
WiFi chargeable (Euro 4 for an hour, Euro 6 for a day)
Price: Euro 17.70 inc electricity and tourist tax.  Showers free

Camping de Vezelay L'Hermitage, Vezelay
Located approx 0.5 km from the edge of Vezelay.  Sloping site but pitches reasonably level. Site divided into small groups of pitches with hedges and trees.  Narrow rough road within site.  Select own pitch and register with reception in evening.
Facilities limited in number
WiFi – none
Price: Euro 14.40 inc electricity and tourist tax.  Showers free

Camping Les Ceriselles, Vincelles
Located next to River Yonne and  Canal du Nivernais with cycle path.  Level, well maintained site with some trees; good road within site.  Pitches of average size, surrounded by hedges.  Reception open 8 am to 8 pm except lunch 12 noon to 2 pm.  Small covered pool.  Infrequent bus service to Auxerrre.
Facilities limited in number and could have been better maintained
WiFi – free across site
Price: Euro 16.30 inc electricity and tourist tax.  Showers free

Camperstop Auxerre, Auxerre
Located by river opposite cathedral.  Large, level parking area used by cars, coaches and motor caravans.  Free of charge.  No facilities.

Aire: Escale de Gurgy, Gurgy
Beautiful location for 33 motorhomes alongside River Yonne.  Close to village centre with bakery and restaurant.  Local wine available to taste and purchase each evening from hut.  Book swap.
Water available morning and evening only, drive-over waste drain, chemical disposal point.
WiFi -  none
Price: Euro 7.60 inc electricity and tourist tax.

Camping de Chalons-en-Champagne
Useful night halt
Facilities: adequate
WiFi – free near reception, otherwise Euro 4 per hour, Euro 6 per day
Price: Euro 16.00 inc electricity and tourist tax (ACSI rate).  Showers free.





Chalons-en-Champagne – Calais

26 – 27 September

Run for Home

After Gurgy there were just two nights left, the first at Camping de Chalons-en-Champagne, where there seemed to be a crowd of grape pickers staying, who left rather noisily at 6 am!  The next night we were near Calais, in readiness for the shuttle home.  It seemed strange to be back at Les Erables, from where the journey had started, after five weeks “on the road”.

And now we are home and shall enjoy reliving the trip as we sort out the photographs.

For the record:

Total number of miles - 2156
Number of nights away -  35 (3 staying with friend in Germany)
Number of sites/aire - 15

Details of sites/aire posted separately for ease of reference


Tuesday 27 September 2016

Burgundy (Autun, Vezelay, Auxerre, Gurgy)

23-25 September

The Wanderer(s)

We had decided that this part of the trip would be made up of a few one-night stops and the first was in Autun, which was one of the most important cities in Roman Gaul. But before we found the camp site, we called in at the remains of the Roman Ampitheatre, which is very impressive, and would have held up to 16,000 people.



Camp Municipal de la Porte d'Arroux proved to be a very “relaxed” site, where the reception only opens morning and evening, just find a pitch and make yourselves at home and report to the office later. After a quick lunch, we hopped on our bikes and cycled the 1 km into the town to have a look at the 12th century Cathedrale Saint-Lazarre, which is famous for its fantastic carvings – on the pillars, depicting Bible Stories and Greek mythology, and a typanum of the Last Judgement.





On the way back through the town, we stopped at a creperie; well, you can't come to France and not eat at least one crepe, can you?

From Autun the next stop was Vezelay, a tiny hilltop village and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The Basilique -Ste-Madeleine sits at the top of the village, overlooking the beautiful countryside. Another impressive typanum shows Jesus seated on a throne, radiating his holy spirit to the Apostles. The relics of St Mary Magdalene are to be found in the crypt, which led to the monastery becoming an important pilgrimage site in the 11th and 12th centuries. Today the pilgrims are replaced by hordes of tourists.




A short hop of just 30 miles then took us to Vincelles and Camping Les Ceriselles.



This site is literally yards away from the River Yonne and Canal du Nivernais and there is a 62 km cycle path which follows the water from Auxerres to the north, to Clamecy to the south. We spent two very enjoyable hours cycling here in the sunshine, and being Saturday, there were plenty of other cyclists, walkers and even roller-bladers enjoying it too.



From Vincelles we drove to Auxerre, about 9 miles, hoping it would not be busy on a Sunday and that it would be easy to find somewhere to park. We were right on both counts! There is a large parking area to the east of the river opposite the cathedral, where there were lots of motorhomes parked up (under the trees to the right of the picture).  We assume this was Campertstop Auxerre, although there was no sign to confirm our assumption and coaches and cars were parked there too. But it was free and suited us perfectly.

Abbey

A short walk over the arched footbridge, from which there are lovely views, took us into the town for a wander around the deserted streets, past the cathedral, the abbey and the Tour de l'Horloge.

Clock tower

After a spontaneous lunch stop to sample an ethnic Boeuf Bourgignon we travelled just another 6 miles north to Gurgy, where there is a delightful aire on the banks of the river Yonne.



An unexpected bonus was the arrival of a Frenchman, who sells local wine from a wooden cabin every evening. An impromptu tasting session resulted in Theodora having to accommodate a few more bottles of wine (funny how you can always find space for that sort of thing!) Monsieur was very friendly and although the conversation was in a mixture of French and English it was most enjoyable and instructive.



Thursday 22 September 2016

Burgundy - Beaune

18-22 September

Sisters of Mercy

A journey of 169 miles took us to Beaune, one of the main wine centres in the Burgundy region, where we stayed at Les Cent Vins, a municipal site. The highlight of our stay here was undoubtedly the visit to the Hospices de Beaune (Hotel-Dieu). Commissioned in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin to treat the sick and the poor, the building remained a hospital until 1971, with various modifications throughout the years. For its entire existence the Hotel Dieu was home to an order of nuns, who cared for the patients. The Gothic building has stunning turrets and pitched rooftops, covered in multicoloured tiles. Apparently this type of roof is typical in Burgundy.



Armed with our audio guides we probably spent two hours there, admiring the Grande Salle, where the patients were treated and with a chapel at one end




and taking a look at the pharmacy and kitchens.



There are also tapestries to admire plus the Polyptych of the Last Judgement. This used to be located in the Grande Salle but it is now housed in a separate room, under ideal conditions for its preservation.

While in Beaune we cycled part of the Voie des Vignes (The Vineyard Trail) which runs from Beaune to Santenay.



This is a lovely ride, with vines covering the fields and slopes for miles around, and in every village the wine-producers open their “caves” for visits and tastings. We only got as far as Mersault, which is a beautiful village. Its town hall is crowned with another pretty roof and we sat near the fountain for a while to watch the world go by. We also read that there had been a hospital in Mersault to treat leprosy, which had collaborated with the Hotel Dieu in Beaune in 1760.



While in Beaune we also visited the Wine Museum and walked along the ramparts around the town.
Although this makes for a pleasant stroll, they are not especially stunning, actually being incorporated into the edge of the town, with residences and vehicular access. They certainly don't compare to the likes of Chester or York (mes apologies, Beaune!)





Wednesday 21 September 2016

Annecy

15-18 September

For whom the bell tolls

The rain overnight quickly passed over but the mountains remained shrouded in cloud, so it was very lucky that we were at St Gervais yesterday to make the most of the good weather. Our next destination was Camping Les Rives du Lac at Sevrier, 6 km south of Annecy. Having already supported the French economy with our payment for the Mont Blanc Tunnel toll, we opted to travel toll-free. It was a journey of only 49 miles, but Snoopy SatNav predicted it would take 1 hour 40 minutes. This was largely due to the nature of the D1212 between St Gervais and Ugine, which passes through the Gorges de l'Arly. Needless to say the road was very winding and hilly. We only came across one suitable lay-by for a stop, unfortunately on the other side (north side) of the road but that fitted in with a lunch break, and gave the brakes, which were getting hot and starting to smell time to recover.

The site is located by the lake, where swimming is possible and although it is not far from the main road, it's very quiet. We went into Annecy by bus and wandered around the delightful old town, with its narrow streets and floral displays.





Later we chose one of the many restaurants for the menu de jour. Our waiter was a Daniel Craig look-alike and he was a cabaret act in himself as he attended to the thirty or so customers, manoeuvring around the closely-packed tables under the canopy.

Saturday was rained off, but we used the time to plan the next part of the journey, to go to the supermarket and to visit the museum, attached to the Paccard Bell Foundry and located only five minutes walk away. Paccard is one of just three bell foundries in France, has been owned and run by the same family for seven generations and has supplied bells to places all over the world. A film, fortunately also available in English, was very informative, detailing how the bells are made, a complicated and skilled process involving a brick inner core, sand and wax mould and an outer shell to create the mould.  The majority of the process is done manually, including paddling the mix of 78% copper and 22% tin, melted at a temperature of 2200 degrees – not sure if that was Centigrade or Fahrenheit, but either way, very hot! . It looked pretty dangerous to us! Health and Safety???



Thursday 15 September 2016

St Gervais-les-Bains

13-15 September

Clear white light

We belatedly discovered that the site we had earmarked in St Gervais-les-Bains closes on 15 September so for speed we opted to drive from Etroubles via the Mont Blanc Tunnel and tried not to dwell on the cost! Despite the hills and hairpin bends, John assured me that the drive had not been too bad; I could confirm that the scenery around Mont Blanc was breathtaking!

As we pulled in to the site (Les Domes de Miage) I was gobsmacked. We were met with large open grassy spaces and views to die for. Perhaps we had arrived in paradise!



Plenty of space!

View from our pitch 

While we relaxed during the afternoon, a single hen pecked at the grass around us and would not be shooed away. John remarked that he was surprised that the bird had not been made into coq-au-vin (or should that be coq-au-van??)




The main reason for the visit to St Gervais-les-Bains was to ride on the Mont Blanc Tramway. There were four good reasons for getting up at stupid-o'clock so that we could ride on the first train at 8.30 am; one, to benefit from clearer weather; two, to avoid the crowds; three, because there was a bus from the site at the appropriate time; and four, to benefit from a discount on the fare for the first train only!

Happy chappie waiting for arrival of the train
So by 9.45 we were sitting outside a tiny cafe/walkers' refuge overlooking the Bionnassay Glacier at about 2400m above sea level with no other person in sight. Hot chocolate has never tasted so good!

Hot chocolate time!
It was awesome, and so peaceful, except when a helicopter flew by, strangely below us. It was quite chilly until the sun's rays peeked over the mountains to the east and then it quickly warmed up.

Bionnassay Glaciier

25% gradient of the Mont Blanc Tramway

We broke the return journey to St Gervais at Col de Voza for a short walk and picnic lunch.

It appears that we have used up our sunshine allocation for the moment as there was heavy rain overnight, so we may be able to justify bringing the waterproof jackets after all.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

Etroubles, Valle d'Aosta

12 September

Higher Ground

The next part of the journey was on the motorway heading west, until we turned off through the San Bernardo valley, towards the San Bernardo pass, to get to Etroubles. This small town of 550 inhabitants is a little gem, nestling in a valley surrounded by mountains. There are many walking opportunities of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty and we had a short stroll beside the river, with the sound of cow bells overlaying the noise of the rushing water.





Walking around the narrow, hilly streets, with floral displays everywhere you looked, was idyllic.




Yet in contrast to the rustic appearance of the town,, there were all the necessary modern conveniences of everyday life, often incorporated within the old buildings.  For additional interest there is a permanent exhibition of art installations dotted around the town.


Almost forgot to mention the site; Camping Tunnel, another recommendation from a contributor to MMM,  What would we do without them?









Lake Orta

10-11 September

I can hear music

When we left Camping Parisi the site was still fairly full, and there was now a small campervan partially blocking our exit. Fortunately our Dutch neighbours were very accommodating and wound in their awning so that we negotiated our exit through the narrow gap between them, the campervan and the tree, whilst being watched by more spectators than we would have liked.




I was determined we should see one more of the Italian Lakes, so a 40 minute journey took us to Lake Orta.

The town of Orta San Giulio lies on a peninsula, two thirds of the way along the lake. It is a good twenty minute uphill walk from Camping Orta, but definitely worth the effort. A typical Italian old town with narrow streets, town square (Piazza Motta), church, restaurants, gelateria and small shops selling pasta, oils and other delicacies.

Piazza Motta


Church of Santa Maria Assunta
Having fortified ourselves with a delicious ice-cream (so many flavours to choose from!) we left the town on the eastern side and walked part of the lovely lakeside path.

Not to be missed is the Sacre Monte of Orta San Giulio, which became a world heritage site in 2003. It is situated in a beautiful, wooded area and comprises 20 chapels, which were built between 1591 and 1795.

One of the chapels


Each chapel contains beautiful frescoes and life-size statues, depicting the life of St Francis of Assisi.

Canonisation of St Francis

An added air of solemnity was provided by the bells ringing for a service at the Church of St Nicolao and once we got closer to the church, we could hear the beautiful singing coming from within.


Lake Maggiore

 5-9 September

Oh, Island in the Sun ....

We travelled down the eastern side of Lake Como where there is a better road, the downside being that it continually pops in and out of tunnels, so you don't get to see much of the surroundings. It was somewhat of a surprise to find that Camping Parisi at Baveno on Lake Maggiore was almost full. We had a choice of just two pitches at the back of the site! But at least we got in – a sign appeared later to say there was no more room for motorcaravans.

Baveno is one of the many places that the ferries stop on their routes across the lake and to the Borromeo Islands (Isola Bella, Isola Superiore (also known as Isola Pescatori) and Isola Madre. Our first tourist trip was to Stresa then up Mount Mottarone (1490 m) by cable car where you get wonderful views over the surrounding lakes and mountains.

View from Mount Mottarone


Isola Bella

Isola Bella dominates the middle of Lake Maggiore, with its palace and Italian-style gardens.
This is where the Borromeo family did their entertaining. However, we chose to visit the island where they lived, Isola Madre, which, over the centuries has been transformed into an English-style botanical garden.

In 2006 a tornado ravaged the northern part of the island, causing untold damage, and knocked down the great Cypress of Kashmir, which had been grown from seed in 1862. An engineering and botanical rescue was instigated to “replant” the 70 ton tree which, remarkably, seems to have survived.




From Baveno you can take the Lake Maggiore Express, travelling in the first instance by boat to Locarno in Switzerland . This takes two and a half hours and there is the option of having lunch on board. This, however, takes up the whole journey leaving no time to enjoy the views from the boat, so we felt it had not been the best thing to do. In Locarno you join the Centovalli Railway which winds through the many valleys that gave it its name. It rises steeply to 830 m above sea level at Santa Maria Maggiore, clinging to the cliffs high above rocky gorges and rivers, before descending to Domodossala. The final leg of the journey is from Domadossola back to Baveno by “normal” train. A total of about 150 km!




We had a leisurely final day on Lake Maggiore, exploring the narrow streets of Stresa where it was market day, before meeting up for lunch with friends John and Sylvia, who coincidentally were in Stresa on a Great Railway Journeys holiday.

Sunday 11 September 2016

Lake Como

2-4 September

Let the sun shine in






The next site was Camping La Riva at Sorico situated where the river flows into Lake Como and surrounded by mountains. There is a path along the lake and it took about ten minutes to cycle to the village of Sorico where there was a shop selling most things you needed. We made a second trip in the evening, this time on foot, to sample one of the pizzerias and had an enjoyable meal sitting outside on the square. There is a huge Iperial hypermarket a short drive away, which is part of a shopping mall, useful for a big shop or a place to hide from the rain perhaps, otherwise rather daunting.

However, there was no sign of rain and the pool at the campite, quite large and well maintained, was a great way to cool off.

While at Sorico we had a “small world” moment. The chap from a neighbouring unit came over to talk to John about the bike carrier we have. In the course of the conversation he mentioned where he and his wife, lived and the fact that for a number of years they had sailed in the Netherlands, where they kept their boat. After both John and the neighbour had had a few minutes to digest the details, they realised that the four of us had met previously in Ipswich Haven Marina, when we had our boat, and that John and Kim had sailed together for a day. It was good to fill in the missing years with Kim and Wendy the next evening, when another coincidence transpired - that Kim used to live close to Stratford-upon-Avon and still has family there.

Sunday was our Ruby Wedding Anniversary and we cycled to Gera Lario, about half an hour away, where we had a delicious lunch at Ristorante Cinque Case, overlooking the lake.



The northern part of Lake Como is popular for wind sports and on the way back we stopped for a while to watch the kite surfers. We had noticed how the wind suddenly picked up each day after lunch, to die away just as quickly in the evening.

We would have liked to have made another stop on Lake Como but the southern end is more commercial and we couldn't pinpoint a site which took our fancy, so on Monday we hit the road and headed for Lake Maggiore.


Saturday 3 September 2016

Europe 2016: Stratford Upon Avon to Italy

24 August to 1 September 2016

Come so far, yet still so far to go

24 August
Wake up Theodora! Sorry that you were abandoned for so long because of the house move, but we will make it up to you with an extended European trip, now that our holiday entitlement is “infinite”.

The Channel Tunnel was very busy in the run up to the August Bank Holiday, with an hour's delay in scorching sunshine. We are not accustomed to such English summer delights. In France it was nice to revisit Camping Les Erables for our first night, with its views across the Channel. The site certainly lived up to its description of “aire naturelle” as we went off to sleep to the sound of a tractor engine throbbing in the neighbouring field and with a whiff of fertiliser. A good night's sleep nonetheless.

Next day we headed for Maastricht for another night halt. Luxembourg had been the plan, but we decided to cut back on the miles a little, in view of the heat. Thank goodness for the aircon! The Chris Rea track “Driving Home for Christmas” seemed somewhat inappropriate until he got to the line “top to toe in tailbacks” which accurately summed up the traffic heading in the opposite direction.

After another misunderstanding with the SatNav we arrived at Stadscamping den Driesch, which sits above the town of Valkenburg, a five minute walk from the centre. The chap on reception was very welcoming and directed us to a pitch with shade from an apple tree, for which we were very grateful, despite being bombarded by the occasional piece of falling fruit! The facilities are excellent and the site well maintained. The tariff varies considerably depending on the time of year and type of pitch but is generally quite high. However, Camperplaats Valkenburg (like an aire, with optional electricity) is located next door and is a cheaper option.

Theodora adjacent to apple tree


Valkenburg is about 10 km from Maastricht, in the area of the Netherlands called South Limburg, a finger of land poking its way between Germany and Belgium. South Limburg is sub-divided into five small areas and offers a host of things to do, in addition to the inevitable cycling. It certainly struck us as worthy of a return visit in its own right. More information at www.southlimburg.com.

26-28 August
Another 200 miles under our belt brought us to our friend Silvia's home in Lingenfeld, Germany. Theodora has been parked up while we stay with her for three nights. The incredibly hot weather continues but we have managed a couple of outings. First to the Hambach Castle, home of the Hambach Festival of 1832, which was instrumental in the development of democracy in Germany.

Hambach Castle

We also rode the Rietberg chair lift taking us up through the woodland to wonderful views of the surrounding area and a perfectly situated Gasthof for Kaffee and Kuchen.

Rietberg Chairlift

Gasthof with wonderful views

29-31 August
Cooler weather made the journey to Vitznau, on the northern bank of Vierwaldstaettersee and to the east of Lucerne, more pleasant. The motorways in both Germany and Switzerland ran well and at a service station the drivers of an English coach tour engaged John in conversation and had advice to offer about whether to use the Gotthard Tunnel or St Bernadino Pass.

Camping Vitznau overlooks the lake to the west and has a backdrop of mountains, including Mt Rigi, with the Rigi mountain railway operating from the nearby station. There are many houses dotted all over the mountainside, making you wonder how people manage to live there. Early the first day we were entertained by a helicopter, which we could only guess was transporting construction materials from an accessible part of the mountainside to an inaccessible location. It made endless trips carrying goods on a long line, returning with the empty line floating behind it.

Not your average Jewson's delivery!


Once this entertainment was over, we set off on a 28 km cycle ride to Brunnen further along the lake, using the footpath rather than the road, which is both busy and meandering. There were pleasant views across the lake with passenger boats criss-crossing from one town to another.

Paddle steamer on Vierwaldstaettersee


On the way back we stopped off for a cup of coffee at a restaurant with a terrace and which quickly confirmed just how expensive Switzerland is. Good job we are just passing through. Next day dawned sunny and clear, ideal for a trip on the Rigi Mountain Railway.

Rigi Mountain Railway


The day-rider ticket is pretty expensive but enables you to ride on more than one line and at least one cable car – it seemed a little vague as to which were truly included! The second train of the day from Vitznau (10.15) was packed and we decided to ride straight to the top (Rigi Kulm) in the first instance. The views over the surrounding mountains and lake are amazing.

View from the top - Rigi Kulm


There are well-signed hiking trails and easier walking paths in every direction




We spent the day riding a second line to Arth-Goldau, which was more wooded and had less of a wow factor, taking a return trip to Wessig on the cable car, and walking a short distance between two stations, before finally descending to Vitznau. It became obvious from the dizzy heights of the cable car that the houses, which from below look so isolated, are in fact connected to civilisation by basic roads.

​​​​1 September – Our journey continued to the Swiss/Italian border and then through the Gotthard Tunnel.

Did you know that
  • the tunnel is 10.5 miles long
  • was built in 1980 and was then the longest tunnel in the world (now only the fourth)
  • although it is part of the A2 motorway, it has only one bidirectional tube, with two lanes
  • there are no tolls!

It took quite some time to negotiate our way around Lugano, then we followed the road along Lake Lugano until we reached Menaggio, halfway along Lake Como. Our destination was Sorico which lies at the northern tip of Lake Como. The lakeside roads passed through one village after the other, were often narrow and winding with occasional hairpin bends, going through many tunnels. Hats off to John who was driving – it took about 2 hours to cover the final 40 miles. We could see why this is not a recommended route for caravans.