Day 18 - Wed. 31/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Alisehof, Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, Germany (N 48.38381 E 8.30202)
Destination Campsite: Ourtal-Idyll, Gentingen, Germany (N 49.89885 E 6.23687)
Distance: 205 miles/330 km (today) 2460 miles/3959 km (total)

Got out of bed around 07:30 and had beans and mushrooms on toast before packing away. The Quechua tent was now looking a little worse for wear, with the yellow binding strap torn off. I washed up while Ali sorted the bags and boxes out. Zoe seemed to take forever in the shower. The site fee was a little higher than I thought it would be at €29.90, but not too bad compared to UK prices I guess. We collected the bread rolls we ordered the night before and left the site at around 10:30, with Ali taking the first stint at driving.

The journey to our next site, until we got to the motorway, was very tedious, despite the magnificent scenery in the Black Forest. We got stuck behind a lorry with a load of logs for a long time, and no sooner had we got past that than we were stuck behind another slow moving vehicle.

We managed to make up a little time on the motorway and stopped for our usual lunch of baguettes at an aire. I took over driving from there and Ali sat in the back with Zoe while James came up front for a change. We drove over the border into Luxembourg and the first thing we noticed was a queue of lorries at a petrol station, because fuel is about 30 cents a litre cheaper in Luxembourg. We were surprised by the scenery, very rural, almost English countryside, but obviously not as picturesque as the Black Forest. we continued the journey back across the German border and found our campsite, having only stopped in Luxembourg to buy diesel.

The campsite was very green and grassy, which was welcome as didn't see much off it at our previous sites in France. There was nobody in reception, but I spoke to someone on a phone which was by the door, arranged a pitch and also ordered bread for tomorrow.

We found a nice pitch and had a cup of tea and an apple before driving back into Luxembourg to go to a Lidl supermarket. Back at the campsite Ali heated up some garlic bread while I played Frisbee and rounders with the kids.

After tea we went for a walk around the little village and found some interesting houses, some in very good condition with flowers around the door and others in ruin. There was a nice church with very tidy graves all planted with flowers. A bridge across the river linked Germany to Luxembourg and had originally been built during the war by Germans. There were many other historic landmarks from the 2nd World War around the area including a bunker, but unfortunately we did not have the time to get to see them.

We went back to the van and a cat came over to join us as we washed up (using a kettle as there was a charge for hot water). Zoe and Ali, though, were particularly taken by a lovely retriever pup on site.

Day 17 - Tues. 30/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Les Bords de Loue, Parcey, France (N 47.01647 E 5.48148)
Destination Campsite: Alisehof, Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, Germany (N 48.38381 E 8.30202)
Distance: 232 miles/374 km (today) 2255 miles/3629 km (total)

Woke at 07:15 to a cold but sunny morning. The washing that we put out yesterday on our homemade line was wetter than when we hung it out. I took some photographs of the river and campsite while Ali prepared a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, cereal, and brioche with jam. The river looked lovely with a mist hanging over, and I just missed getting a good photograph of a heron. Zoe played with Maddie and Izzie, and James actually had a shower!

We packed up and left by 10:30, filling up with diesel and heading for Freiburg. I drove first, and we stopped in an aire for lunch and to switch drivers.

We found a campsite on the edge of the Black Forest, which looked like it might be quite nice and got so far as the entrance, but decided there was little sense in camping on the edge and then driving in for sight seeing. So we got back in the van and carried on driving toward what we perceived as the centre of the Black Forest. We stopped at an Aldi Sud to buy food for the and also filled up the diesel tank again. The food at Aldi Sud seemed very cheap, and a 50cl bottle of beer (well, plastic bottle) was only €0,29. As we followed the satnav to the campsite we picked out of the ACSI book, the Black forest scenery looked truly amazing. The temperature was a little cooler than we had got used to, but still comfortable.

On arriving at the campsite we were very impressed. The reception and shop was in an old fashioned building and the staff were very friendly staff with excellent English. After ordering bread for tomorrow, we were given a bus pass (free travel around the Black Forest) and were shown our pitch (which was a little on the small side, but fine) by the river. The immaculately clean and modern showers and toilets were in a block attached the main building. There were also dish washing facilities, a microwave, cooker hobs and a laundry in the same area. There was a second block at the far end of the campsite too.

After quickly throwing the tent up, we drove back to a town called Wolfach which looked quite pretty on the way through. We found a free car park and walked along the river before heading back through the town, stopping at a store to buy us all ice creams. We drove back to the campsite, stopping a couple of times for photographs.

Spring rolls, chili cheese nuggets and hash browns for tea (the kids had chicken nuggets). We had a walk around the site in the dark before turning in. The site seemed to extend up the mountain, but we didn't take a proper look in daylight. Ali and I planned the next couple of days with the maps before going to sleep.

Day 16 - Mon. 29/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Le Plan d'Eau, St Privat, France (N 44.61886 E 4.43212)
Destination Campsite: Les Bords de Loue, Parcey, France (N 47.01647 E 5.48148)
Distance: 214 miles/344 km (today) 2023 miles/3256 km (total)

Got up at 07:30, had cereal and croissants, and started packing down. It was a cold morning but didn't take long to warm up. The tent had dried out quite nicely after Friday's rain. We had a last look at the river from the campsite before we left, setting off around 10:50. The campsite turned out to be cheaper than we anticipated, and one we would want to visit again. The unisex toilets were clean, there was a small bar which also served food, and the wifi was free (and worked!).


Ali started off the driving, heading in the direction of Lyon towards Parcey. By now, it really felt like we were getting toward the end of our holiday. We stopped at a Decathlon store to make a baguette lunch in the car park. While James and Zoe looked in a toy shop, Ali and I went in to Decathlon to replace the sunglasses I lost in the Ardeche. we also bought some new microfibre towels and James bought a watch.

From Decathlon, I took over driving and continued on to Parcey. The landscape started to change, being greener and the houses started to look more like I imagine German houses to be. The fields of dead sunflowers we passed looked a little sad. On approaching the campsite, the satnav tried to take us down a grass track, but we found another way.

The campsite was set in quiet countryside by a pretty river, and was unexpectedly large. We were given a discount and provided with gratis electricity on producing our ACSI card, and were told we could pitch anywhere we wanted. We found a nice spot facing the river, but I think its fair to say that the campsite was not very attractive, perhaps a bit "tired" looking and seen better days. The pitches were long, lumpy grass and the toilets and showers were in need of some work. The pool looked OK (and had slides) but the kids said it was cold. As well as the pool, the site had table tennis, a trampoline, swings, and a roundabout. Zoe did a few lengths of the pool while we set up and had a cup of tea (I had to rig up both a continental adapter and a reverse polarity adapterto get the electrics working) .

Our English neighbours arrived at the site in a Volkswagen Camper and the mother came over to say that their daughters were missing other kids to play with, so we arranged that Zoe would go over to play with them a little later. One of the daughters was the same age as Zoe. First, though, we went out in search of a SuperU supermarket. We went quite a long way toward Dole, found a Lidl then a Geant Casino, but not the SuperU - we managed to get what we wanted though. Back at the campsite we cooked cheese fritters, cheese and ham fritters, chicken nuggets on the Cadac, fresh tagliatelli and sweetcorn. Zoe then went off to play with Maddie and Izzy. The children had hot chocolate and biscuits back at our tent.

Day 15 - Sun. 28/08/2011

Campsite: Le Plan d'Eau, St Privat, France (N 44.61886 E 4.43212)
Distance: 109 miles/176 km (today) 1809 miles/2911 km (total)

Everyone was excited about our canoe trip when we woke up, and we had cereal and croissants for breakfast before setting off. We found a Lidl enroute and bought some butter to go with our picnic lunch we planned for canoeing. When we arrived at the campsite where we booked the canoe we had to wait quite a long time for someone to arrive. They must have been nearly an hour late. I think I offended the canoe guy by asking him if he was English (he was Scottish!), and he took us up river in a van towing several canoes on a trailer. We couldn't have asked for better weather, sunny and 26C.

We set off down river, James in a kayak, Lee, Ali and Zoe in a canoe. We decided to take turns in the kayak. It was, of course, very enjoyable, stopping for doritos and salsa, baguettes, wine and Orangina on a tiny beach. The river was faster flowing than it normally would because of the heavy rain on Friday, and the rapids were faster and scarier than we anticipated.

I got through one set of rapids OK in the kayak, but James, Zoe and Ali came out of the upturned canoe after going sideways into them. A scary moment for them, with the bottom very slippery and rocky. People nearby helped them to recover the oars, canoe, and flip flops etc. On the next set of rapids, the tables were reversed. James, Ali and Zoe just about managed to get through OK in the canoe, but I came out of the kayak as it capsized and I was stuck underneath for a while struggling to breathe until I figured out I was going about getting out the wrong way. A really enjoyable day in all, but Ali doesn't fancy canoeing in rapids again. Next time, we must get more kayaks, rather than sharing a canoe. We managed to lose James' sunglasses, my sunglasses lenses, Zoe's shorts, and an oar. Ali, on the other hand, gained several bruises.

We didn't really come across any Brits in the Ardeche. Our Scottish canoe guy said that relatively few visit the area.

On getting back to the campsite, Zoe played in the pool for a little while, using an inflatable tyre we were given by some other holidaymakers who left in the morning. After cheese pancakes and left over onion bhajias with pasta we had an early night - everyone was pretty exhausted.
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Day 14 - Sat. 27/08/2011

Campsite: Le Plan d'Eau, St Privat, France (N 44.61886 E 4.43212)
Distance: 0 miles/0 km (today) 1700 miles/2736 km (total)

Woke up at 07:30 to much better weather and got showered straight away. We had no idea what we were going to do today, so we went over to reception to ask for some advice. The lady in reception was once again very helpful, pointing us toward some interesting local places and giving us a touristy map of the area. Vallons Pont d'Arc seemed to be leaping out at us from the map, so that's where we decided to head toward.

The temperature was still low compared to previous days, but that was fine. On the way to Vallons Pont d'Arc, Ali popped into the nearby Intermarche to get some bread for lunch (we forgot to order at the campsite the night before). On reaching the town we had a couple of failed attempts at finding a parking spot, then went the wrong way down a busy one way street before finding a large free car park.

From there we strolled back into town, which was very touristy with a lot of bucket and spade type shops, but pleasant nonetheless. Before going back to the car park to make a baguette lunch we bought some great ice creams.

Following lunch we took a drive along the gorge stopping several times to take pictures. We parked up in a free car park near the arch and went down to the beach where Zoe did some swimming. After a couple of hours in the sun we drove on a little further, stopping at a campsite to book a canoe trip for tomorrow (€56 for half a day/7km).

We popped in to the supermarket again on the way back to the campsite and bought a few provisions for our evening meal of cheese crepes. It was too late to go out again, so we explored the campsite, finding the Ardeche flowing through the bottom end of the site. It was getting dark by now so we went back to the tent and played cards before turning in for the night.

Day 13 - Fri. 26/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Moulin de Ventre, Niozelles, France (N 43.93348 E 5.86783)
Destination Campsite: Le Plan d'Eau, St Privat, France (N 44.61886 E 4.43212)
Distance: 193 miles/311 km (today) 1700 miles/2736 km (total)

Woke around 07:15 to prepare for moving on while Ali stayed another half an hour in bed. The shower did not seem to get warm until I was nearly finished. The kids went off to the pool while we had a breakfast of scrambled egg on toast. James found a watch while he was down by the pool and was given a croissant in return when he handed it in (it was me that ate it, though). The morning warmed up quickly, and we took a few photographs before leaving the site at around 10:45.

The sky turned cloudy, though it was still hot with a warm wind. As we approached our destination near the Ardeche, the heavens opened up while we were parked up on a garage forecourt having some lunch.

A little further on we found the campsite and checked in to reception, where the lady was very friendly and helpful. She pointed us to a pitch close to the pool and reception and I set about putting the tent up in the thunder and lightning, getting drenched in the process. The temperature had dropped dramatically, perhaps by as much as 20C.

We spent much of the afternoon in an Intermarche supermarket (a couple of miles from the campsite), simply because it was dry in there. We bought lasagne ready meals to try in our little Cadac oven later. After shopping we drove on to Balazuc, an interesting medieval village with lots of interconnected alleyways, some quite hidden. Well worth a visit, even when the weather isn't so good.

We got back to the site quite late for tea, and all sat in the Quechua tent while we cooked the lasagnes in the Cadac oven. We had to leave the tent door wide open for gas ventilation, but we sat with blankets on, and the Cadac generated quite a bit of heat. The Lasagna's weren't great, but the Cadac performed well. The kids finished their meals with hot chocolate and we turned in for the night hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Day 12 - Thurs. 25/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Des Gorges du Verdon, Chasteuil/Castellane, France (N 43.82285 E 6.43107)
Destination Campsite: Moulin de Ventre, Niozelles, France (N 43.93348 E 5.86783)
Distance: 58 miles/93 km (today) 1507 miles/2425 km (total)

We managed to get ourselves up a little earlier in order to pack up and move on to our next site. One of the self inflating mattresses kept losing air, so we dumped it in a bin on site. We had baguettes and croissants bought from the site shop for breakfast. After taking plenty of photographs we headed towards the Ardeche. Guessing we wouldn't make it all the way there today, we planned to pitch for the night somewhere en route. Annoyingly, our journey involved heading back south before we could make progress north west, and it felt like we were going back on ourselves. We stopped in a HyperU car park to do a little shopping and have lunch, then continued on to the Moulin le Ventre campsite avoiding the motorway.The heat was sweltering.

We found the campsite without any problem and strolled around to choose our pitch. After setting up, we spent a couple of hours by the pool listening to our ipods while the kids played in the pool. It clouded over a couple of times, but that was quite a pleasant relief from the heat. For the first time this holiday I actually felt like I was relaxing. We weren't allowed to put out a washing line, so we hung some wet clothes in the Quechua tent to dry.

Many of the pitches have at least some shade. It is quite an expensive site, but the facilities good and well maintained. On entering the campsite, there is a lake to the left, and a kids play area. The pool was excellent and beach balls and floats etc. were provided free of charge.

Baguettes and croissants were available from a rustic building which acted as a shop/restaurant/bar/reception. No free Wifi but they do have a computer which can be rented. The unisex toilets and showers were clean.

After a tea of cheese pancakes and veg we went for a short drive in the dark to Mane. We had a walk around there, but didn't really find it that interesting. When we got back to the site a disco was blaring out in there bar area until midnight, playing the worst type of euro crap to around a dozen people. Not really what we expected!

A well maintained, attractive, campsite, and good for a stopover, but not one we would use as a destination in its own right.

Day 11 - Wed. 24/08/2011

Campsite: Des Gorges du Verdon, Chasteuil/Castellane, France (N 43.82285 E 6.43107)
Distance: 61 miles/98 km (today) 1449 miles/2234 km (total)

Although it was so warm last night that we decided to sleep only in the cotton liners, and not use the sleeping bags, it turned cold enough in the early hours to put on the fleece blanket. As we were not moving site today, we got out of bed rather late (around 08:15) to a lovely sunny morning. The campsite was busy, but had a good feel to it. Scrambled egg in a baguette for breakfast.

We had read that there was a good swimming lake at Lac St Croix, so we headed off in that direction. It was a little further than thought, taking around an hour to reach through winding mountain roads, but the drive in itself was worth it.

We filled up with diesel at a petrol station in the town nearby, then found free parking by the lake. The "beach" was pebbly, but the lake good, and we spent two or three hours swimming there.

After driving back to the campsite in the late afternoon, we returned to Castellane to look around the shops again.

It was a very hot day but it cooled off in the evening and I spent a little time by the river with Zoe. We finished the evening off in the campsite bar. €6.80 for half a litre of Leffe! Needless to say, we only had one round of drinks (at €20). We used the time to make a tentative plan for the remainder of the holiday (we are now just over half way through).

Day 10 - Tues. 23/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Le Rossignol, Antibes, France (N 43.6063 E 7.11201)
Destination Campsite: Des Gorges du Verdon, Chasteuil/Castellane, France (N 43.82285 E 6.43107)
Distance: 58 miles/94 km (today) 1388 miles/2207 km (total)

It was very hot and sticky when we went to bed last night, but turned cold in the early hours. We woke up rather late and didn't leave the campsite until well after 11:00, driving off down the road with the tailgate open. Luckily we didn't seem to have lost anything. We decided to head North to get away from the intense heat and the mozzies and went in the direction of Gap, simply because there appeared to be a lot of campsites around there and the assumption was that there must be something good to see! Driving through the traffic in Grasse was quite bad, and we took a route through the mountains, which was quite slow going. We made it to Castellane around 14:00 and liked the look of it enough to stay a night, even though we intended to travel a lot further.

We parked in a large car park in the town to get a feel of the place and to make a little lunch. Some idiot in a chav car came screeching into the parking bay next to us (showing off to his female passenger), music blaring and parked so close it was difficult to open the van door. He came back later to find his tyres had been let down ;-)

After a quick walk around the town we headed off to find a campsite. We found a nice one with a river running through it and a swimming pool just five miles from Castellane. The receptionist took us on a golf buggy to choose our pitch. The staff at the site were very friendly, but the WiFi was pretty rubbish.

The ground was hard and dusty with little grass, but still attractive, and some shade from the trees. The toilets and showers were unisex, with a combination of holes in the floor and toilet pans. The kids had some trouble getting into the swimming pool because there always seemed to be some organized activity going on. Instead, they played in the river during the evening, which was now lower and slower flowing than it was during the day, when it was very strong. Apparently the gates upstream are opened on a Tuesday and a Friday and then closed again. Rafters take advantage of these times.

The on-site shop wasn't very well stocked, so we drove back to town and found a Casino supermarket. Castellane looked very nice and we decided to stay at least another day and visit it properly tomorrow. .

We had beef burgers for tea (James had something from the boulangerie instead). The temperature was much more comfortable than Antibes, but still pleasantly hot during the day, and cool in the evening.  We put up the Easi-Canopi for the first time this holiday to provide a little more protection from the sun.

Day 9 - Mon. 22/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Mare Monti, Sestri Levante, Italy (N 44.26387 E 9.44222)
Destination Campsite: Le Rossignol, Antibes, France (N 43.6063 E 7.11201)
Distance: 164 miles/265 km (today) 1330 miles/2140 km (total)

This is our last day together as a party, as we plan to go our own ways for the rest of the holiday. After a breakfast of boiled egg in a pitta pocket for me and cornflakes for Ali and the kids, we packed down for an early start to Monaco. It was another hot and sweaty morning. The air conditioning which I had serviced on the Bongo just a few weeks ago decided to pack up just before we came away. We are going to suffer for that today.

Simon set off before us, so he could pop into town to pick up some aftersun lotion. We met up with him again at the first services on the motorway along the coast, and followed him through France to Monaco. We thought we had managed to find a couple of parking spaces on the outskirts of Monaco, but a municipal worker informed us we were parked illegally (not sure why) and I went off in the Bongo to find another parking place, leaving Ali behind. She was quite happy sat in Simon's car with fully working air conditioning. I parked in the exotic gardens car park for free and then walked back to Simon's car. Simon then headed off into Monaco with Ellie to find another car park while Ali, James, Matthew, Zoe and I walked down to the harbour in 38C heat ( a glorious, but hot day). We took a number of public elevators to get down and met up with Simon and Ellie by the public swimming pool. For lunch, we bought chips, mozarella sticks, sausages, chicken wings, TexMex and cold drinks at a kiosk in the harbour, costing us around 30 euros. We walked a little around the marina looking at the expensive boats and ended up at the Prince's Palace, where we said goodbye to Simon, Ellie and Matthew. We started on the long, hot, thirsty walk back up to the car.

We picked a site in Antibes from the ACSI campsite guide and made our way there. The campsite (Le Rossignol) was not the most attractive, but functional. Mozzies proved to be a bit of a problem. We walked to a "Proxi" supermarket, which was just a couple of hundred meters away) and picked up some food for our evening meal (cheese pancakes and spaghetti with pesto for the adults and boiled egg in baguette for the kids), eating a couple of Zoom ice lollies each on the way back to the site.

Le Rossignol had a swimming pool and clean facilities.

Day 8 - Sun. 21/08/2011

Campsite: Mare Monti, Sestri Levante, Italy (N 44.26387 E 9.44222)
Distance: 0 miles/0 km (today) 1166 miles/1878 km (total)

As we were not planning to move on to another site today, we have a full day in Sestri Levente and decided to go to the beach during the day, and then into town for a pizza this evening (top of James' holiday "to do" list was to eat a real pizza in Italy).

Rather than driving down to the beach, we walked, which was quite a slog, especially in the heat (thankfully it was downhill all the way). We could have driven down, or even taken the courtesy bus which picks up and drops off passengers at each of the campsites, but we thought we would get some exercise. The beach was not the most picturesque, and the sand like a fine gravel, but the sea was great (until I saw what I think was sewerage). I had my first swim in the Mediterranean for many years, and we all got a little sunburned.

When it came time to leave, Ellie wasn't feeling so good, so Ali and Zoe stayed with her while Simon, Matthew, James and I walked back to the site. Walking back up the hill to the campsite in the heat really was hard work. Simon then drove back down in the car to collect them.

That evening, we parked up in town to find a restaurant for a pizza. We had a good long stroll around the town before choosing pizzeria. The service here was truly appalling, taking ages before we were able to place our order. When they did bring the food there was about 20 minute wait between Matthew's arriving and everyone else's. The waiter ejected another party from the restaurant for complaining about something or other. To be fair, though, the pizza tasted good. I think we also tasted good to the mozzies - we were bitten many times at the restaurant.

Day 7 - Sat. 20/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Camping du Parc, Pre St Didier, Italy (N 45.76153 E 7.00614)
Destination Campsite: Mare Monti, Sestri Levante, Italy (N 44.26387 E 9.44222)
Distance: 207 miles/333 km (today) 1166 miles/1878 km (total)

After waking up and showering, I took a stroll around the site taking photographs and found a pathway going up the mountain behind the site leading to the town we visited last night. When we paid up at the campsite reception, the guy was very friendly, shaking my hand as I left. We enjoyed our stay at this site, the only downside being there was no pool. We would certainly stay here again if in the area.


We started on our drive South to the Italian coast, splitting from Simon to make the journey a little easier. We arranged to meet up in Genoa, but the traffic was a real nightmare. There seemed to be nowhere to park (especially for a high vehicle) and there were scooters everywhere, weaving in and out of the traffic. Apart from eating lunch in the van alongside the road, we decided to give Genoa a miss and drove on to Portofino. We would love to have spent some time here, but the traffic was even worse than in Genoa, and the roads narrow; so we moved on again, this time away from all the bustle to a place called Sestri Levante. We grabbed two pitches at the Mare Monti campsite and then drove back to a Co-op in town to meet Simon and show him the way to the site. We left the kids playing in the pool at the campsite and took the opportunity to do our supermarket shopping at the same time.


The campsite was good, with a fabric mesh sail providing much needed shade. Hard standing gravel was not so good for a tent, but fine for us in the van. Cars were parked in every conceivable place, though, and it was a bit of a problem maneuvering through the campsite at times. The guy handling our check-in had a pleasant easy going manner. There was no real shop at the site, but they did have a cafe. The toilets were a mixture of hole in the floor and pans (not unisex) and shower cubicles were along the back of the building. You press a button on a control panel and all free showers displayed a flashing red light. You then press the button under one of the red lights and then go into that cubicle. You get a maximum of 4 minutes water, which you toggle on and off by pressing a button inside the cubicle. A flashing light warns you when your time is nearly up. The system actually works quite well.

In the evening we went in to Sestri Levante to look around the Riva beach area, where the kids, Ali and Simon went swimming. There was some sort of festival going on (perhaps for a political party?) and parking wasn't easy, but we did manage to find a place. We spent some time looking around the various market stalls. It was a good evening.

Day 6 - Fri. 19/08/2011

Departure Campsite: International du lac d'Annecy, St Jorioz, France (N 45.83083 E 6.1786)
Destination Campsite: Camping du Parc, Pre St Didier, Italy (N 45.76153 E 7.00614)
Distance: 83 miles/134 km (today) 959 miles/1545 km (total)

After breakfast, Ali, Ellie, Matthew, James and Zoe walked off toward the lake to find a little beach from which they could go swimming. After packing down, Simon and I went off to find them, leaving the vehicles on the site. The water was crystal clear, and it was a shame there were so many holidaymakers in the area, otherwise we would like to have returned. Ali reckons its a cheaper version of Luzern.

We walked back to the campsite to pay up and then drove off, us following Simon across the Alps and the French/Italian border at St Bernard Pass, where we stopped to take some photos and look around. Worryingly, the Bongo fuel gauge suddenly dropped to "empty" after filling up with diesel, this could cause us a few problems for the rest of the holiday.

We were heading toward Mont Blanc, to find a site at the foot of it on the Italian side. Using the ACSI campsite guide, we came up with "Camping du Parc" at Pre St Didier. On arrival, the site didn't look that impressive, but it turned out to be a very pleasant, but short, stay. The site was in the shadow of a mountain, and we noticed that the caravans all had wooden roofs added to them, to protect them from falling rocks. We were a bit concerned to find that the toilets were of the hole in the floor variety (the first site we had come across like this), but at least they were not unisex. In fact, too late, we found that there were also a few "normal" toilet pans. The WiFi on site was free and worked well.

In the evening, we drove into town and took a lot of photographs (many in the dark) of the river running through it etc. A lovely evening and we had our first taste of true Italian ice creams, which didn't disappoint. This was one of the best days so far - a great drive and a great evening.

Day 5 - Thurs. 18/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Steinibachried, Horw, Switzerland (N 47.01211 E 8.31114)
Destination Campsite: International du lac d'Annecy, St Jorioz, France (N 45.83083 E 6.1786)
Distance: 203 miles/327 km (today) 876 miles/1411 km (total)

Last night we left our folding frying frying pan in the dishwashing area, and discovered this morning that some thieving toerag had decided to pilfer it, replacing it with a grotty one. Our plan today was to drive back to France and find a campsite alongside Lake Annecy.  Our pitch in Switzerland didn't turn out to be as expensive as we thought it might be, probably because we shared a single large pitch.

We made our way separately towards France, as it was probably easier than trying to keep up with each other. We stopped at a service station in Switzerland to fill up with diesel and make some lunch. We arranged via text messages to meet en-route at a car park in Lausanne, and took a few photographs by the lake. We only stayed a short while before continuing on to Annecy, getting separated again by the traffic jams we hit as soon as we entered the town of Annecy.

We chose International du lac d'Annecy out of the ACSI campsite guide, and parked up there while we waited for the Seniors to join us. We decided it would do us for the night, although it was quite packed (I think we were quite lucky to find a couple of pitches). The facilities were very good, with clean toilets and two pools, one with slides. The kids went straight off for a swim while we set up camp and then went off to find a supermarket in Simon's car without them. When we returned we found that James had been banned from the pool for going headfirst down the slide.

After eating, we walked off in search of the lake in the dark. It was a reasonable distance, but not too far. At one stage we stumbled across a group of what we think were "travellers". We set their dogs off barking and they came out to investigate. We didn't hang around. We spent about an hour or so by the lake, and then headed back to the campsite for the night.

Day 4 - Wed. 17/08/2011

Campsite: Steinibachried, Horw, Switzerland (N 47.01211 E 8.31114)

Distance: 0 miles/0 km (today) 673 miles/1084 km (total)

Woke up early and packed cereal bars and water ready for our walk up Mount Pilatus. The plan was for Simon, Ellie, Matthew, James and me to walk up, and for Ali and Zoe to travel up by cable car and gondolas. We donned walking shoes, rucksacks, and hiking sticks and had left the campsite by 09:30 to find our way to a car park near the gondola departure point at Kriens. We left Ali and Zoe there to arrange their own ascent, and the rest of us went off to try and find the walking route up. We weren't able to lay our hands on any maps of the route, so we relied on guesswork. It was a hard slog up, as (so we discovered later) we had deviated from the established walking route.

We found a cafe a little below Frakmuntegg and stopped of for some very expensive drinks, and to refill our water bladders. At 7 euros a litre for bottled water, we decided to fill them up from a water tap in the toilets.

The walking group made it up so far as Frakmuntegg, where we heard that the rest of the route to the summit was a pretty difficult one and that mist was now starting to descend, so we decided to finish the journey by cable car. We had managed to reach 1,469 m of the total 2,128 m. Frakmuntegg is where the 4 person gondolas terminate and the 40 person cable cars take over to carry passengers to the summit.

During their trip to the top, Ali and Zoe stopped off for a while at Frakmuntegg for something to eat and drink. Zoe also had a ride on the Fräkigaudi, which is Switzerland’s longest summer toboggan run, with a steel track for fast runs on wheels through the mountain glen.

Simon had been to the summit before, so James, Ellie, Matthew and I took the cable car up to join Alison and Zoe at the peak. On arrival, we found a hotel with some expensive shops (Zoe bought a cowbell for 20 euros!) and some stunning scenery. We stayed up there for an hour or two taking photographs and then returned to Frakmuntegg by cable car to rejoin Simon. Back at Frakmuntegg, Ellie, Matthew, and James had a go on the Fräkigaudi. The 7 of us walked down the rest of the way together.

The Smiths went straight back to the campsite to cook an evening meal, whereas the Seniors decided to go into Luzern for a McDonald's. Simon left the restaurant about 50 euros down! Switzerland is certainly expensive.

This was a day that I think we will all remember. It was disappointing that we did not manage the climb all the way to the summit, but an achievement nonetheless.

Day 3 - Tues. 16/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Campeole Le Brabois, Villers-les-Nancy, France (N 48.65735 E 6.13981)
Destination Campsite: Steinibachried, Horw, Switzerland (N 47.01211 E 8.31114)
Distance: 191 miles/308 km (today) 673 miles/1084 km (total)

Our plan today was to drive from Nancy to Lake Luzern (Lucerne) in Switzerland, crossing the French border at Basel. On arrival at the border, we were ushered aside to purchase a vignette allowing us to use the motorways in Switzerland (there are no toll roads as such in Switzerland). This cost us 40 euro and is valid from December 2010 through to the end of January 2012 (so you get around 13 months to use it). The official currency is Swiss Francs, but euros are readily accepted at most places (at an exchange rate favourable to the Swiss!). Apparently, we could have purchased a vignette a little cheaper from a service station a little further back, but we didn't find this out until it was too late.We made ourselves lunch in a parking bay at the border control.

We hadn't booked a campsite in advance, but we wanted to pitch up as close to the lake as possible, and on the Western side, so that it was handy for reaching Mount Pilatus for our climb. Again, we picked a site from the ACSI guide, and on arrival found it was ideal. Reception were very helpful, and allowed us to choose our pitch, also suggesting that we take a large pitch between us instead of two separate pitches. We opted to do this, and think it was a little cheaper as a result. We were within throwing distance of the lake, and there was a swimming area a very short walk away which cost a few euros to use. We got one free pass each on arrival at the campsite.

While I set up the van, the others went down to the swimming area, and I joined them a little later. The grass bank leading down to the lake looked ideal for picnics, and it seemed to be a popular destination. Everyone except me spent a couple of hours playing around in the lake; the kids especially enjoying taking turns jumping of a high platform.

This is a great campsite, with swimming pool, all the facilities you need, and clean. You can also walk in to Horw very easily, which we did. We weren't quite sure which direction the city of Luzern was, so spent much of the time wandering around aimlessly. It was enjoyable nonetheless. It struck us how much into sport the locals were, running, cycling, playing football etc.

I think we got on the wrong side of the site warden this evening, what with Simon leaving his car on the pitch (you are supposed to park outside) and us making too much noise taking photographs of Mount Pilatus in the dark (this surprised us, as we were only whispering).

Day 2 - Mon. 15/08/2011

Departure Campsite: Hawthorn Farm, Martin Mill, Dover, England (N 51.16889 E 1.34667)
Destination Campsite: Campeole Le Brabois, Villers-les-Nancy, France (N 48.65735 E 6.13981)
Distance: 327 miles/526 km (today) 482 miles/776 km (total)

Ferry Crossing: P&O Ferries, one way ticket for two adults and two children, Dover to Calais, car height in excess of 1.8m, no trailer - £64.00 (including credit card surcharge).

Our concerns about the proximity of the railway line were unfounded, as the trains stopped running late in the evening until early in the morning. We had a good night's sleep. Woke early to catch a 09:40 P&O ferry from Dover to Calais. Latest check in time was 09:10, so I packed down the van while Ali went across to the cafe to get some hot breakfasts of sausage and bacon rolls to take away with us. It took a little longer for them to cook than we thought, but we still made it to the terminal in plenty of time for the ferry. Simon, Ellie and Matthew set off early from home and we met up with them in the queue to board the ferry. We were one of the first vehicles to board, and were lucky enough to park right up to the exit ramp, allowing us to get on the road quickly on arrival at the other end.

We docked in Calais around 12:10 local time (1.5 hour crossing) and made our way to a campsite near Nancy. The journey was pretty uneventful, but Simon had a little trouble staying awake toward the end of the journey (a late night coupled with an early start). We managed to lose each other as we reached Nancy, but used texting on our phones to meet up again. We picked a fairly random site in the area using the ACSI camping guide, and managed to get a couple of adjacent pitches without much trouble. In fact, as we left the reception several new arrivals were queuing behind us, so we timed it quite well.

The pitches on the site were a little muddy, and the area where we were was very shaded under trees. If we were staying for more than one night, I would probably have liked to move to a better pitch, but it was fine for the one night, and we would be happy to return to the site again in the future. We bought a couple of cans of beer and a bottle of wine from the site shop and went for a little walk around the campsite grounds. We were too tired to do much else.

Day 1 - Sun. 14/08/2011

Destination Campsite: Hawthorn Farm, Martin Mill, Dover, England (N 51.16889 E 1.34667)
Distance: 155 miles/250 km (today) 155 miles/250 km (total)

We left home for Dover soon after lunch, the plan being to spend the night at a campsite near the ferry terminal. Ali booked a pitch in advance at Hawthorn Farm, Martin Mill, which is only a few minutes from the terminal. Simon, Ellie and Matthew opted to drive down on Monday morning instead, and brave the early morning traffic.  Just before arriving at the campsite, we filled up with diesel, as it would be one less thing to worry about during our long drive towards Nancy, France tomorrow. The campsite turned out to be ideal for our purpose, and certainly one we will use again. The cafe on-site was fairly reasonable and meant we didn't have to worry about unpacking our cooking gear, and getting it all packed up again when leaving in the morning. The shop was also quite well stocked. All we had to concern ourselves with was making up the beds and brewing tea (our pitch included an electric hookup). It wasn't even necessary to put up our popup Quechua Base Seconds tent to store the gear. After eating an evening meal in the cafe, we went for a walk around the campsite and surrounding area. We didn't manage to find a pub, though. A railway line runs alongside the campsite, so we wondered as to how much disturbance there might be during the night.

Introduction

After two years of taking our Mazda Bongo campervan across to France and being fairly cautious, our plan for 2011 was to be a little more adventurous and visit many more countries. I say "plan", but apart from ferry bookings, a rough idea of which countries we wanted to visit, and a decision for (some of us) to walk up Mount Pilatus in Switzerland, there was no plan - not even a campsite booking for the other side of the Channel. This was to be our second year of travelling some of the time with our good friend Simon, and his teenage kids Ellie (15) and Matthew (13). I (Ali), Lee, and our two kids James (13) and Zoe (9) loaded the Bongo, said goodbye to the cat, and headed to Dover to begin the adventure.