Gandalf the VW is parked up on what I think is the cheapest site he’s ever stayed on. We’re nestled a mile in land from the Sandy beaches of Norfolk coastline, not far from Hopton on Sea at a C&MC CL, willow end. We’re paying the grand total of £5 per night for our pitch! We have a water tap, a bin and an elson point and views across the Norfolk country side. We also have a lovely horse for a neighbour, but that’s it. Otherwise we’re completely on our own here, which I’m surprised at considering it’s glorious sunshine and we’re close to the seaside.
For us this was the ideal choice of quick escape for the weekend. We had some new gadgets to test on Gandalf this weekend, before a big tour later this week, and also we wanted to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary (which actually falls on our busiest work day so is basically a write off).
We arrived after work on Friday after a smooth journey and were soon set up, once we’d found the field that was! For those coming here, don’t go to the address on the club website, the site isn’t actually at North Lodge. Turn right out of their drive, and then left and the site is quickly on the right. What three words for the gate: meanings.snuck.fraction
Once set up, we enjoyed a couple of drinks and then a bbq, enjoyed the sun set before turning in for an early night. This has been a very hectic term so far and we are absolutely exhausted.
Saturday dawned a glorious day and we wasted no time with lay ins. We made a bacon muffin for breakfast and had a go with our new gadget…..A fantastic hot water system for Gandalf! We got this via Joolca and it’s called a hottap system. I’ll talk more about it on this blog post, but spoiler alert, it’s absolutely brilliant.
After breakfast and showers and a hot water dish wash- this was going to take some getting used too! – we walked the mile or so into Hoptpn on Sea. There isn’t a great amount there, other than holidays parks but the beach is nice (accessed through the holiday village). We walked along the beach to Gorleston, about a 2 mile walk, and enjoyed fish and chips overlooking the fabulous beach here. There are dog friendly sections of beach here and the sand is really beautiful. We got our inflatable chairs out and enjoyed a relax on the beach for an hour or so before both our mums turned up – they’d been visiting Keith’s Auntie who lives just down the road in Great Yarmouth.
We nipped for a drink together at the fig bar and grill which has a terrific roof terrace overlooking the beach which was well sheltered from the wind which was increasing. It’s also Dog friendly. Then we hired Pat’s cabs – aka my mum- to drive us back to Gandalf on their way home.
We had a nap which was lovely and then cooked up a fish bbq before another early night. The evenings were still a little chilly but we were fine inside, however we are considering our next upgrade to be a diesel heater. For now though we loved used our fire pit.
We’ve had a battery problem which I talked about on our last trip away. We’ve upgraded to a 130 leisure battery and this weekend it’s worked a treat alongside our solar panel. We’ve decided that actually our old battery wasn’t up for the job, in fact upon research it suggests it’s just for motor movers. How we ended up with this I’m still not sure, but we seem to be working at full capacity now so that’s a relief.
The campsite is gloriously quiet, and we had a great lay in on Sunday morning.
After a very leisurely time of it we packed up and made the short journey into Great Yarmouth. Yarmouth has a bit of a bad reputation for being a bit ‘kiss me quick’, but we enjoyed finding some hidden gems along the historic quayside. We visited the National trust Elizabethan museum which was interesting, and rumour has it played a part in Charles 1st execution. Apparently, the decision to execute him was made in a room now called the conspiracy room- folk lore or reality who knows? We enjoyed half an hour in there admiring the superb fireplaces and walnut panelling.
Across the road I was drawn to the Lydia Eva boat – wonder why? It could have been because it was the world’s last surviving steam-powered herring drifter. Or perhaps it was because of its very excellent name.
It’s also about to become a huge movie star as the new Timothée Chalamet film, Wonka, out in December was filmed aboard it and in its engine room! We enjoyed our visit on deck and found the volunteers very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about dear old Lydia Eva.
From here we walked a short way down the quay to the tollgate museum, which although shut today, allowed for great views of the external building. This is the oldest building in Yarmouth and used to be the gaol. I bet those walls held some stories, but what a dreadful shame about the horrendous 60s library attached to it. Questionable Town planning there for sure!
It was time to head homewards, but not before doing a food shop ready for our nextadventure which is due to depart very soon indeed. In fact, once home, we unpacked, keefy washed Gandalf and then we repacked- I’ve even packed my clothes ready for an our next road trip, which commences on Friday.
Gandalf the VW is parked up behind Burstye Farm in West Sussex. We’ve got beautiful views of the Weald and it’s so incredibly peaceful.
Burstye Farm is a Caravan and Motorhome Club CL ( a small 5 van site) and this particular site has just a water tap, rubbish bin, chemical loo disposal and a single loo. It’s a no frill campsite with a no frills price tag, at just £10pn, but considering it’s May bank holiday where a lot of campsites push their prices sky high, we’re feeling smug with our bargain break.
We arrived late afternoon on Friday after a smooth journey from Norfolk. We received a warm welcome, in more ways than one- the owner Mrs Knowles was friendly, but also the temperature was about 8 degrees warmer than back in Norfolk. This made us happy as we had no electric this weekend, and therefore no heating!
Set up was quick. The tailgate awning went up for the first time this year, and Keith wasted no time in having his tailgate shower. Dinner was low key- pre heated chilli from the freezer at home in burritos cooked in the sunshine on the cadac outside. We were serenaded by birdsong- we couldn’t have wished for a nice start to our bank holiday break.
Saturday morning dawned bright and we had a bit of a lay in before cooking bacon and sausage muffins and donning our walking boots. We took the footpath from the campsite to Horstead Keynes station- a stop on the Bluebell railway. The walk took us through woodlands carpeted with Bluebells, wild garlic and even a Christmas tree farm.
We may have underestimated the distance a touch and as we were aiming for the midday train and another wasn’t until 1.15, the final mile was more of an endurance test than a saunter. Somehow, despite it looking unlikely we’d make it with just 8 minutes to go until departure and a mile still to walk, we actually made (I think the train must have been a few mins late!) and once on the steam train we spent the first few minutes catching our breath.
We decided to get a Rover ticket at £25pp, this allowed us to travel as much as we wanted throughout the day. We went north to East Grinstead, the top of the line, and proceeded to travel the full length south to Sheffield Park.
The line was constructed in 1882 and was one of the first preserved heritage lines in the country. The 11 mile journey from East Grinstead to Sheffield park is pleasant and passes woodland with banks of bluebells and lovely countryside vistas. There are opportunities to alight at Kingscote and Horstead Keynes, and each of the stations along the line are preserved with posters and memorabilia. The carriages are lovely- we rode in 3rd class, and we even bagsied a private compartment for the length of the line. It didn’t feel like 3rd class at all. Dogs travel for free and Jazz enjoyed the journey as much as we did!
At Sheffield park station there is a museum and also a cafe serving refreshments.
From here you can walk half a mile to the poplar and pretty National trust property, Sheffield Park, or do as we did and walk 10 mins to the 360 degree brewery just behind the station. We’ve visited here last year, and our pint of lager went down very well on this visit too. They now have a pizza pop up too if you’re peckish.
From here you could retrace your steps back to Horstead Keynes on the train, or do as we did and walk back to the campsite*. We took a route through Wapsbourne Woods, which were home to the most incredible blanket of bluebells we’ve seen.
It was such a picturesque route, however very very wet underfoot following months of wet weather. Unfortunately this made it hard going on my already not right ankle, and once we’d reached the pub the other side of the woods, *we made the decision to get a cab back to the site.
By now we’d already walked 7 miles and had another 4 to go and a further 3 to get back to the campsite on wet and muddy conditions, and my ankle was killing me. Had we have continued the walk, it would have looked like this..
This doesn’t include the 2.6 miles each way from the campsite to Horstead Keynes
We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine along with a bbq and some delicious lamb leg steaks. We even managed a fire pit. We adore being off electric and it was so peaceful.
Unfortunately we were a bit distracted as we’d discovered a problem with our leisure battery which we thought we had sorted last year. It doesn’t seem to be holding any charge once the sun goes down. Luckily though the weekend has been bright and therefore during the day we can use the solar to keep our fridge cold, and once the sun has set we can reply on a portable battery to power the lights. Something for us to sort on our return!
Sunday
Today we had another lazy morning and around 11.30 set off on a walk in the opposite direction, this time towards Ardingly reservoir. Luckily my ankle was better but I took my poles with me today to help. We followed a country walking route around the reservoir to Balcombe and then back over the wield dropping down on the Ouse valley way to the Ouse Valley Viaduct.
The reservoir was a multi use site and we enjoyed watching boats, paddle boards, rowers on the water, fishermen along the shore and many people enjoying the good path (for most of the way) around the east side of the shore.
In Balcombe we stopped for a quick refreshment stop
Before making our way towards Ouse Valley Viaduct.
This impressive viaduct has been on my list to visit for some time, and it really didn’t disappoint. It dates from 1830s and has 37 semi circular arches supporting the viaduct which sits almost 100 feet high and 1480 feet long. The busy London to Brighton line runs over it and as such it’s amazing to think that it’s still being used for its original use almost 200 years later.
After taking some pictures here we continued to the reservoir and then back up to the campsite, by which point we’d reached 11.5 miles and were a bit weary. Still, we’d enjoyed the walk, especially the viaduct, and our campsite had been a good base to enjoy it.
We spent the evening chilling outside the van, trying to spot some owls (unsuccessfully). I cooked up a carbonara on the cadac for dinner and we settled in for an early night.
We’d really enjoyed our time at Burstye farm and were surprised there was only one other unit with us ( and then we were on our own the final night). At £10pn we felt it was great value in a lovely area. There are loads of National trusts very close by and the Bluebell railway, whilst perhaps a tad on the pricey side, was an enjoyable experience. As it’s a heritage line and clearly the money is pumped back into the line and the trains, we didn’t mind paying. We did notice they are doing a special offer of kids for a quid during weekends and school holidays, and the kids we saw on Saturday were clearly having the time of their lives.
Before we made our way back to Norfolk after packing up on Monday morning, we visited Sheffield Park national trust with Keith’s dad and step mum. We enjoy visiting here – the gardens are spectacular at this time of year. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Whilst out and about recently we’ve been enjoying trying out our new Helinox chairs. I’ll do a separate blog post on these shortly, but here’s a spoiler. We love them!
The day had come for us to bid a very sad farewell to Switzerland, which had exceeded any of our already high expectations. As we packed up, the weather turned and our journey out of Switzerland was grey and drab. A bit like how we were feeling! We did however have one final chapter remaining of what was turning out to be a phenomenal trip, and so as we competed the 6 hour trip to Orange, France, we began to look forward to the next few days.
Travel views from the motorway
Before arriving at our campsite, we stopped for fuel and supplies at a large supermarket near to the campsite. Gandalf had astounded us – we’d completed 680 miles on one tank of fuel- this came out as 38mpg- incredible considering we had the bikes on the back. Supplies replenished we made our way to Camping Manon, on the outskirts of Orange. Whilst we had booked a pitch, we hadn’t needed to as the campsite was quiet being out of season. We settled into our lovely glade and enjoyed the sudden temperature increase- we’d gained 13 degrees since leaving Switzerland. We celebrated with a bbq!
Next morning and we were up and out early. As we’d tacked the Matterhorn on to the end of Switzerland we had lost a day at Orange. Also, tomorrows itinerary was affected by a day of strikes in France and also the star attraction in Nîmes, where we were heading was closed, so it was going to be a two towns in one day sorta day!
We walked from the campsite to the triumphal arch, and were instantly floored by how incredible it was. The Triumphal arch in Orange dates from the 1st century, and is in an incredible state. It’s listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and we could instantly see why. The intricate carvings all along the monument is largely in tact and it’s great to stand at its base and gaze up to admire it.
From here we continued down the Main Street, which is lined with many historic buildings, and oozes French character.
We made our way to the Roman theatre, and if we were floored by the arch then we were flabbergasted by the first sight of the back of the Roman theatre wall. It was huge. I mean seriously big! And what is astonishing is that a busy road runs mere feet from the base of the back of it!
We were pleased to learn that Jazz the dog could come inside the theatre ruins, as it meant that we could both enjoy the visit together. Inside the Roman theatre we got an even better view of the other side of the theatre wall, which measures 103 metres long and 37 metres high. There is still a large 3 metre high original statue of the emperor which sits high at the top of the wall. The auditorium is also very well preserved and the audio tour was particularly good. We were completely blown away, and also slightly emotional to be in such a great example of the Roman empire’s history.
From here, Jazz went into his backpack briefly to enable us to visit the art museum across the road and included in our ticket entry for the theatre. Inside this historic town house was a great example of Roman maps which had been found nearby.
We spent some time looking at the other historic sites of Orange, before going to retrieve Gandalf from the campsite. We were on a quicker schedule than intended , and it would definitely be possible to enjoy some time in Orange.
There is a Motorhome Aire right next to the triumphal arch, but we enjoyed our stay at Camping Manon. The site is a little dated, but the showers were hot and not push button ones. The glades were lovely and it was a very quiet area. We’d definitely return here to enjoy some of the cycling in the area.
From Orange, we drove the short distance to Nîmes, where we arrived at our next stop, a park 4 night stopover on the outskirts of the city. This place, names as Bernard’s place, is a wonderfully quaint private stopover in Bernard’s back garden. He’s landscaped the area to allow for around 8 motorhomes to stay over, has provided electricity and a water tap and even chairs and picnic tables. It reminded us of a certified location in the UK. The whole area was secure and situated behind a large gate so you felt very safe.
Bernard and his wife were perfect hosts and made us feel very welcome. He also provided a wealth of information on the local area, and had converted his conservatory into a map room/ tourist info area. For €20 a night – with electricity – we found this to be a good value stopover and we enjoyed meeting Bernard and his wife Sissy.
After a quick lunch, we walked the 30 mins into Nîmes. We passed some impressive street art on our way and soon arrived at the Roman Augustus city gates.
Our first stop was the Maison Carree which completely took our breath away- it’s a 1st century Roman temple and is unbelievably well preserved. Jazz was allowed in in his rucksack and we enjoyed the exhibition inside.
From here we made our way to the amphitheatre, again a magnificent example and enjoyed our visit inside (it’s dog friendly – we had Jazz in backpack as it was busy but dogs are allowed in without backpack).
The only thing we didn’t like inside was the horrible scaffolding seating which in our opinion completely ruined the lion of the original features. We understand it’s used still as a venue but there really must be a more sympathetic on the eye solution than the harsh metal!
Nether the less, we enjoyed our visit – it’s impossible not to be moved by these majestic buildings.
By now, it was most certainly beer o clock. so we enjoyed a beer with a prime position view overlooking the arena,
before walking up to the Fountains park and the Magne tour.
This is a Roman tower that was once part of the city walls, and we had the opportunity to climb the many steps (with Jazz in backpack again!) for views over the city. This isn’t an activity for those with vertigo or claustrophobia!
By now we’d covered 5 Roman ruins in 2 cities in 1 day, and our energy levels were dropping. We’d made good use of the attractions card in Nîmes which allowed entry for the three Roman sites for €17 pp. We had a last wander around Fountain’s Park, which is said to be inspired by the gardens at Versailles,
and then after a quick beer stop over looking the temple of Dianne, we made our way back to Gandalf. By the time we made it back we’d clocked up 10.6 miles of walking- But we’d had the best day!
Dinner was a simple meatball supper- we were still channeling our inner Roman- and we had an early night!
Thursday arrived, and it was time to move on. We made our way back on ourselves (not ideal but necessary because of the closures in Nîmes) to Pont Du Gard. This was a major bucket list tick for us both. We paid the €9 to park and strolled down the river 300m before we caught sight of this hugely impressive Roman aqueduct.
We spent time enjoying the views, and taking it in from every angle possible. It really didn’t disappoint! Just marvellous! In the summer months you can walk down the top tier water channel which I’m sure would be an amazing experience – and if we were in the area again, one I’d probably try to do.
There is a museum here also, but we decided to give this a miss as Jazz wasn’t allowed even in his rucksack, and we were going to move on to Arles.
On arrival at our campsite in Arles, we were hit with an inconvenience. The campsite reception was shut for two hours for lunch and therefore we had to wait to check in. We were hoping to crack on and explore Arles that afternoon, so we debated sacrificing our booking here and moving to another campsite down the road which were open all day. However in the time we were debating this we got blocked in by another motorhome also trying to check in. The owners of this motorhome went for a walk and therefore before we could do anything about it we found ourselves blocked in! We therefore had no choice but to sit out the wait for reception to reopen at the gate. When the receptionist arrived she was really very unfriendly- told us off for blocking the entry barrier, when we explained she were blocked in and couldn’t move she didn’t care- it was all our fault. Desperate to crack on, we pitched up in super speed time and unloaded the bikes off and we’re cycling into Arles.
Our first impressions at the site were bad, and during the ride into the city they didn’t improve. The cycle path disappeared and we found ourselves in an industrial estate and then through some seedier parts of town. By the time we got to the tourist info we were both agitated! Luckily, things soon improved, starting with bike parking outside the tourist info which was a relief. The town of Arles is pretty and is also home to lots of Roman ruins including a theatre, ampitheatre, baths and under street foundations. Unfortunately, unlike everywhere else we’ve been on this trip it’s entirely non dog friendly- even in a backpack. I offered to sit them out, I’d brought my kindle and was happy to find a bar and have a couple of hours reading whilst Jazz people watched- his favourite activity! We walked around the perimeter of the amphitheater, sneaking glances in where we could and Keith came to the conclusion that he was happy to just enjoy the external views- which were impressive. We could see like in Nîmes that the seating was scaffolding again.
We walked around the perimeter of the amphitheater, sneaking glances in where we could and Keith came to the conclusion that he was happy to just enjoy the external views- which were impressive. We could see like in Nîmes that the seating was scaffolding again.
We also managed to see most of the theatre site from the outside and it was no where near as impressive as Orange. The same with the baths. So we enjoyed a beer together overlooking the amphitheatre. Keith did go inside the cryptoportiques whilst I enjoyed a wine at the cafe in which Van Gogh painted in 1888. Soon he had joined me (Keefy not Van Gogh!) after his visit which he had enjoyed.
After a little more of an explore, including the town walls, we went back collect our bikes and made the journey back to our site, Camping L’Arlesienne
We found the showers there horrendous, they were outside, which I’m sure during the peak of summer is lovely but in a fairly fresh April, it was so cold- I lasted 20 seconds tops! The water was freezing and the washing up area manky. Definitely not a site we’d recommend or return to.
Given that we didn’t like the site, we made the decision to move on a day early.
On leaving Arles, we stopped at the vets (we’d pre made an appointment on the phone two days earlier). There are two English speaking vets at this practice and we were able to get Jazz’s return to England tapeworm treatment provided and administered along with the paperwork for €45.
Realising how close to the Med we were, we decided to find a sea view pitch somewhere along the coast for our final two nights. We struck gold- and bagsied the last sea view pitch at Camping la Plage, at Marseillan Plage. On arrival the site staff couldn’t have been nicer, a vast contrast to the one at Arles and before we knew it we pulled onto our glorious sea view pitch (number 100).
The best thing about European sites is that we can go on most of the pitches sidewards- rather than the regimented style of UK club sites, and this pitch was certainly made for our sliding door.
We wasted no time in cracking open a bottle of wine, setting up a cheese board and spent the reminder of the afternoon chilling outside the van and taking in the magnificent sea views. For the first time this trip, we just stopped! I read my book, Keith read some magazines and it was just perfection.
Dinner was cooked outside – we’d set the canopy out to avoid some showers and enjoyed chilli burritos for dinner, before enjoying more sea views as the light faded and it became bedtime.
Saturday dawned with glorious blue skies despite a stubborn breeze, and we spent the morning having a lazy time of it whilst enjoying the views!
We took a short walk to the town of Marseillan Plage to pick up some fresh bread and found a local wine cave offering tastings next door. It seemed rude not to partake, so we enjoyed a glass of red each and a glass of white. We were even brought out some complimentary tapas.
The town of Marseillan Plage is very small, just one Main Street sits behind the beach and there are a number of restaurants and clothing shops along with those selling hats, bags, lilos etc. there is also a small supermarket (coop) and a cash machine. It felt a very understated place to spend some time, and we really enjoyed the small scale size of the resort.
On the edge of our campsite there was a beach bar so we tried a drink in there, and enjoying watching all the French devour their Moules for lunch. We were almost tempted to join then and probably would have had we not got a kilo of mussels in the fridge ready for dinner tonight tonight.
After our drinks, we made the short journey along the beach back to Gandalf and settled in for an afternoon of chilling some more and a paella lunch.
It had been a sensational couple of weeks, but we were quite tired, and we had a long drive ahead of us, so we found this a great place to just stop and rest. Our final dinner en vacance over was moules marineres, followed by cod and veg.
Before we knew it, it was Sunday morning and after a beautiful sunrise over the sea, it was time to pack the bed away and drop the lid for the final time on this trip. As we were planning to drive back all in one go, we spent time preparing on the go snacks.
We left the campsite at 10.30 am, in very high winds, but had an exceptional journey north. With a couple of comfort stops on route we rolled into Calais at 9:30pm and straight onto a train 4 hours early. This meant we were home for 00:30- 14 hours after setting off. This style of journey home wouldn’t suit everyone, but for us it was brilliant. It enabled us to max out the time away and we just loved it!
This will go down as one our best trips yet! We cannot recommend these places highly enough. We hope you’ve enjoyed our adventures- stayed tuned as more to come soon!
After a smooth departure from the lovely Alsace region, it was time to enter a new country- and one which we’d been trying to get to since May 2020- Switzerland 🇨🇭!
We’d pre booked Camping Jungfrau via the Camping and Motorhome club website as it was Easter Weekend and we made our way there smoothly. On entering Switzerland, it was easy to get the required motorway Vignette (which cost 40 CHF or €45 payable in cash) a police officer comes to your vehicle as you cross the border, you don’t even need to get out. We also didn’t need to show any identity documents for us or the dog.
As we delved deeper into the Swiss road network, the scenery became more and more dramatic. I was literally squeeling, I’m such a mountains girl! The final 30 mins into the Lauterbrunnen valley was incredible! By the time we reached the campsite I was practically hyperventilating with excitement! The staff at Camping Jungfrau checked us in with big smiles and were extremely knowledgable and helped us with maps of the area and explaining the various passes on offer to help us explore the area.
We were shown to our pitch, and we wasted no time, managing a quick set up before a beer or two in the lovely campsite bar and a quick wander around the large site. The mountains rose from every side of the campsite and just provided a perfect backdrop for our Swiss mountain adventure.
During dinner we discussed which (if any) pass to purchase and settled upon the winter ski 3 day pass. This is only valid until the end of April and was 220CHF each (just under £200 pp). This was to give us unlimited travel on the Jungfrau network of mountain trians and cable cars, and included one journey to the “top of Europe, Jungfraujoch”. Jazz the dog was free apart from the “top of Europe segment in which we had to pay 30CHF for a dog ticket.
Thursday
Today has just been simply awesome!
We made use of our train passes and took a train from Lauterbrunnen where our campsite is, up the mountain to Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg. The views were incredible and we had perfect blue sky to compliment the green pastures and snowy peaks.
At Kleine Scheidegg we changed onto another train- a cog train, which took us to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe, one which is completely inside the mountain and gives us access to the top of the UNESCO range of mountains.
We enjoyed a couple of hours up here at 3454m high admiring the views, visiting the Lindt shop, and enjoying having a beer with a view.
before making our way back down to Kleine Scheidegg for another beer to celebrate. The hotel which we enjoyed our beer at Kleine Scheidegg was a film location for the Clint Eastwood film “The Eiger Sanctions”.
We then went uphill again to Eigergletscher where we caught the Eiger express- a cable car which took us right past the north face of the Eiger, and down into Grindlewald.
From there we ascended back up another cable car to Mannlichen and back down another cable car to Wengen, where we reconnected with our return train to Lauterbrunnen.
It’s been scenery overload but we absolutely loved every second!
Looking forward to more adventures here over the next few days but it’s safe to say today has lived up to our highly anticipated visit here!
Friday
The weather wasn’t so generous today so we decided to venture out of the valley and using our Swiss rail pass as far as Interlaken, and then an additional ticket from Interlaken to Bern, we had an (UNESCO) city day.
Exploring the UNESCO city of Bern in Switzerland 🇨🇭
We solely used trains from our campsite, Camping Jungfrau. We took Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken and Interlaken to Bern on the direct train via Spiez. All trains were running every 30 mins.
The public transport here is just so brilliant (albeit a little £££) but it runs to time, there are lots of services, has convenient connections and the trains are modern, comfortable, and clean, so in our view it’s money well spent and saves the hassle of driving our campervan off site and worrying about city parking.
We used our 3 day winter pass to get us to Interlaken and then paid for tickets from Interlaken to Bern. Don’t be like us… use the SBB (Swiss Rail) website prior to travel to book your ticket in advance as there is no time at Interlaken to purchase tickets and buying on the train incurs a 10CHF fine 😂. Dogs went free.
Bern is an interesting city to wander, we spent 3 hours enjoying the historical buildings, and clock tower, with many buildings dating back from 1500-1600s.
The city also has actual live bears in its city bear pit; a tradition dating back from the first founder of Bern, who derived the name Bern from the Germanic word bären, meaning bear, after a successful bear hunt. Bears have been a part of Bernese culture ever since. As early as 1513, the city has kept live bears on display.
It was a perfect way to spend a cloudy grey day and actually a great contrast to the spectacular mountainous scenery in Lauterbrunnen. I even got to try a Bern gin!
Saturday
I can only describe Saturday as “we’ve had an awesome adventure mountain hopping!”
I think we surpassed ourselves in levels of wanting to fit it all in(pleased to say we fitted it all into an 11 hour day!) We were keen to make use of our final day of a £200 pp 3 day rail pass, plus make the most of the glorious sunshine. So we set an alarm, left Gandalf the VW at 8am complete with food flasks full of soup and pasta pots and hit the trains!
We started by taking a train up to Wengen and transferred onto the cable cars which we took Thursday but this time did them in reverse back to Grindlewald ( peaking at 2230m and a short stretch of walk on The Royal Walk) as the first skiers of the day emerged.
We then walked a mile through Grindlewald
to get to the Cable car to take us 25mins to First (2168m) and this crazy Cliff walk elevated walkway/ bridge thing. Really loved that and the views were just awesome. You can see the cliff walk video in the middle of the video below.
After a couple of quick drinks and some lunch high in the mountains,
we made our way back down to Grindlewald,and back up the Eiger Express cable car in glorious weather and with tremendous views of the north face. We had a schnapps and apple strudel at Eigergletscher, took the train down a stop to Kleine Scheidegg, where we changed to the mountain train service back to Grindlewald. Again amazing views!
From here we took the longer loop through the valley back to Lauterbrunnen via Zweilutschinen. These last two journeys were 40 mins each and a good time to recharge for a while.. before shooting back up the hill with some Toblerone to keep us going , on another cable car then mountain train to Mullen. This time we got views high above Lauterbrunnen and although the blue skies were no longer we enjoyed the different view from the other side.
After a beer stop here we retreated back down the mountain satisfied that we’d ridden every single route possible on our Winter ski pass – some twice- and actually although it made our eyes water when we brought it, honestly it’s been tremendous value for money not to mention a fabulous way of seeing some of the best scenery we’ve ever encountered anywhere in the world – in style and comfort.
So happy to have one more day exploring this area tomorrow before we move onwards on Monday
Sunday
Switzerland really is the country that keeps on giving! I didn’t think we could top yesterday, but apparently yes- the views never do get old. Today was supposed to be a chill day, with just one thing planned, going up to the James Bond mountain of Schilthorn, and back down for a chill at the van this afternoon. Obviously with it being Easter Sunday, everyone else had the same idea and our Britishness and excellent queing skills came in extremely useful in a 2.5 hour queue (when it should have only been 30 mins journey from base to top). Once we made it to the front of said queue, 4 cable cars later and a 3000 m ascent and we were at the top and thank god it was well worth the long wait, the views were amazing.
As were the bar drinks and the James Bond Exhibition which was interesting too.
On our descent we stopped off at Birg, had another beer and then decided to do the “thrill walk” which is basically an elevated tight rope walk. Not the best move for someone as afraid of heights as me- I’m blaming the vodka martini but I got across it even if it did cost me my dignity- see video 😂
From here we had a 3+ hour queue to get off the mountain so we decide to spend some time in the bar at Mullen killing time, and watching the queue- thinking we were movie stars (the James Bond crew stayed here for 6 months whilst filming) until we realised the problem of if we didn’t get down before the cable cars stopped we’d be stuck up there!
We swiftly re joined the queue and made it down on the second to last cable car (crammed in like sardines) but then missed our bus connection, so ended up hitch hiking back to the van (it was almost 8pm by now 😂) This genuinely happened 😳😂
Luckily we had the foresight to put the lamb in the slow cooker whilst we were out today so despite our later than anticipated return, we had a fab Lamb dinner.
To visit the Piz Gloria at the top of Schilthorn, we required a new ticket as it’s not included on the Jungfrau network pass. We took a free bus from the campsite to Lauterbrunnen train station (we could have walked) then got on another free bus to Schilthornbahn at Stechelberg (about 10 mins bus ride). We then got our tickets up to Piz Gloria from the booth at the cable car because we were told dogs needed a ticket too. In fact, dogs went free so we could have got our tickets from the campsite. On staying at the campsite we were given a discount card which gave us 30% off tickets- this reduced our ticket to 73CHF rather than 110CHF (around £70pp).
The journey up (because of Easter Sunday) took ages, and we were beginning to get grumpy having spent such a lot of money on this experience, it didn’t match the efficiency of the previous days network of transport. However once at the top, and having travelled 4 cables cars a significant distance to get up there, plus the views being incredible and the James Bond experience also being free once up there, we did feel it was worth the money.
The time had come to leave Jungfrau- and we were sad! We’d had a terrific time. There’s always a lot of chatter online about this campsite – in fact many say it’s their favourite campsite in the world. Everyone of course has their own requirements and expectations- and here is our honest opinion about a Camping Jungfrau. We loved it…….
But….
I’m sad to say there is a but.
Location- 1000% brilliant.
Facilities also really great, it’s definitely a 5 star site. The loos and showers were clean, warm and had great pressure in the showers. The washing up block also good and even have dishwashers for you if you’d prefer (at a small cost). There was a lovely restaurant, bar, great transport links, laundry – you name it, it’s there.
The but comes in regarding the pitches. Now granted we were there Easter Weekend and the last weekend in the skiing calendar so I’m sure this was not helping as the campsite was full to bursting. But the pitches were relatively small and had a feeling of cramming every last space in as a pitch. When you see pictures of this site you image and it suggests being able to sit outside your van and enjoy the panoramic views however that just wasn’t our experience. We were on the row of hard standing alongside the river and had a stunning view down to the head of the valley – until a large high van completely blocked our view when it pulled into its pitch next to us. And this was the case for the whole of the site. No matter where you were pitched it was impossible to enjoy your view without invading someone else’s view or privacy, with a bbq or whatever (if the site was full ) because of the way the pitches were organised. As it happened it didn’t bother us at all because we were barely at the site and when we were it wasn’t really sitting out temperature. Plus by the time we’d got back from our explorations we had seen enough scenery for the day anyway. But if you’re going with the hope to literally just sit outside your van and take in the views, and you’re then on a busy weekend- you may well be disappointed especially if like us you get a high van parked next to you.
Having said that, it will still remain a special place for us and we’d wholeheartedly recommend staying!
Monday
We were up early and left Jungfrau at 8am. The weather was good and we were on a mission… The Matterhorn.
Our original campsite at Zermatt from our original plan didn’t open until May, so we found a campsite at Visp, which is on the train line to Zermatt, (the base of the Matterhorn and is car free).
On our way to Visp from Jungfrau, we travelled on a car train through the mountains which was a fun experience too!
Our campsite, Camping Mühleye Visp allowed for us to check in at 10am and by 11:30 we were at the train station (a ten min walk)
Our tickets were fairly pricey at approx £70 pp return, plus we had to pay for Jazz, however, like in the Jungfrau region, the train was glorious, ran to time, smooth comfortable and the journey was so scenic. We’d chosen to spend the money on the train rather than drive to Tasch, the nearest you can get in a vehicle to Zermatt, because the parking was pricey and I really relax on train journeys, plus I can have a drink if I want to. We made the most of the journey by having a train picnic and it was lovely.
When we arrived in Zermatt we crossed the road and brought tickets for the cog mountain railway to take us to Gornergrat. This was another pricey blow to the budget but one we knew we’d regret if we didn’t do it. Dogs went free.
The train journey was amazing with fabulous views of the Matterhorn from every angle and we ascended to 3089m in about 35 mins. Honestly the second we left Zermatt station we knew we’d made the right decision. At Gornergrat we spent ages taking pictures and marvelling at the magnificent Matterhorn. We spent hours up there just admiring the views. It really is the best way to get those Matterhorn views and worth every single penny.
On our descent we were lucky and bagsied the very front seats- next to the driver! Therefore we got a different angle for the descent and it was brilliant!
We had a quick look round Zermatt on our return but it was very busy and having seen the Matterhorn in all its glory from Gornergrat, Zermatt really couldn’t compare.
So if you’re thinking of visiting Zermatt and wondering if the ticket to Gornergrat is worth it. YES IT IS! It’s a beautiful and historic mountain cog railway route but it also knocks socks off the views from Zermatt. Definitely definitely don’t play it cheap!!
Our return to Visp was relaxing and we couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces.
Switzerland had been everything we’d hoped for and more. Just an incredible place- expensive yes- but the scenery was honestly staggering. The transport network brilliant. We loved it!
It was time to leave Switzerland on Tuesday but we had one more chapter left of our road trip. Stay tuned for the next part!
Gandalf the VW is parked up in France! This is a trip that we planned back in 2020 but it got postponed due to Covid. We’ve had a lot of time to think about this trip and to prepare and plan, and re plan, and 3 years later, we’re here and it feels great.
We travelled from Norfolk to Dover on Saturday, leaving late morning, and arriving at Dover around 3pm. We parked up at the National trust White cliffs of Dover car park, and had a bracing walk along the cliffs to South Foreland Lighthouse, which is a recently renovated Victorian lighthouse.
We enjoyed a trip up to the bulb (individually as we had Jazz) and even got to stand on the balcony and check out the views before retracing our steps back to Gandalf.
We then drove the short distance up the road to Folkestone, where we had booked a table in the Valient Sailor Inn, a pub stop just 10 mins from the tunnel. We both enjoyed home made pizzas – and Jazz was made very welcome with a handful of chicken and bacon! The service was good, the food nice and very reasonable in price.
It’s a popular place for motorhomes as it’s equidistant from both the ferry and the tunnel- 10 mins either way. We had an early night because we had set our alarms for 2am- ouch! Our tunnel was 04:30 and we wanted to give plenty of time to get Jazz documented out etc. Of course this all was smooth – it’s no longer the pet passport scheme anymore so we’d got a very expensive animal health certificate from our vets 6 days prior to travel and this was glanced at!
Our train was delayed by 2 hours so we actually went back to bed whilst in the queue for our train! Perks of having a motorhome/ camper van.
Eventually we on in our way! I want to point out that currently there are rules that you can’t take meat and dairy into France from England. We adhered to this and had an empty fridge, however it wasn’t checked at any point on our crossing. I’m not suggesting you break the rules by the way- I’m just saying – it wasn’t even asked let alone checked.
From Calais, we took payages (toll motorways) all the way to Colmar. We covered 480 miles in 6 hours on exceptionally smooth roads. It cost us €70 in tolls however as we’re on a timescale it was a good way to get to Colmar quick.
We arrived at Camping De ill around 3:30pm, very pleased to be here finally. Our riverside view pitch was lovely and the staff were so friendly. At £20 per night booked through C&MC prior to us leaving, it’s a real bargain.
After some well needed showers we had a quick beer before walking into the beautiful and very historic Alsace town of Colmar. Filled with lots of colourful medieval houses, Colmar is a real treat to walk around. The medieval streets are still cobbled and the buildings ooze charm.
The Petite Venice area has cute waterways and boat trips not too dissimilar to its namesake. Visiting on a Sunday evening made for a much quieter walk around the city which we enjoyed.
We managed to grab a drink overlooking one of the many little squares and we got to sample the local beer and wine. Both were tasty but by that point I’d probably have had dregs and still have been happy!
The tiredness of the last two nights began to creep upon us both though, so we made our way back to the site and settled in for a quiet night ahead.
Monday
Despite the campsite being situated fairly close to the side of the motorway, the vehicle noise wasn’t too obtrusive thankfully. We both slept well, had a mini lie in, enjoying some fresh French pastries for breakfast in bed (pre ordered the night before).
Before long though we got itchy feet and Keefy unloaded our bikes. We made use of some of the area’s fantastic network of cycle lines and cycled back into and through a Colmar
then out to Eguisheim, described by many as the prettiest village in France.
Spoiler…..
It most certainly is.
It’s just staggeringly beautiful- like being on a pantomime set with medieval charm and colour. This area is surrounding by vineyards and there were hundreds of winemakers dotted along the town walls. The town plan is still in tact in its wonderful circular shape with an outer rim of original houses which you walk along (part of the town walk available at the Tourist info). There were cheese shops, wine tastings. Cobbled streets and semis marched coloured houses. Our favourite was the pigeon loft and the pretty central square.
We absolutely loved our time wandering the streets – it’s fast become one of our favourite hidden gems.
The wine here was lovely and we tried a couple of glasses of local plonk on our way around.
After our visit we made our back by bike along the vineyard cycle path and into Colmar and our campsite- stopping briefly for some supplies at the nearby supermarchee.
What a great day we’d had!
Tuesday- exploring Strasbourg
Rather than driving to Strasbourg, we decided to travel there from Colmar as a day trip on the train. The bus stop outside the campsite took us to the train station (Gare) and then the high speed train took us to Strasbourg. There were at least 2 an hour running and on paper it all looked smooth. Which it was. However we hadn’t considered the strikes – which as it turned out didn’t affect us, nor the price – €70 return for two adults and one dog (Jazz’s ticket was €14 for goodness sake! Also the fact that dogs need to be in a rucksack in France. Luckily this later one we’d prepared for and we’d actually got Jazz a dog backpack from Amazon prior to our trip.
We swallowed the cost of the train, opting for convenience over lugging the van off its pitch into the city. Plus we love travelling by train!
On arrival in Strasbourg, we wasted no time and made our way the short walk to the historic centre and UNESCO cathedral area.
The first impression of Strasbourg cathedral is overwhelming, it stands so tall, yet so narrow and the impressive gothic architecture is fabulous. We spent some time marvelling over it as we enjoyed a beer right below it.
We went for a walk around the tourist info suggested route and enjoyed looking at the sites of Strasbourg.
A highlight was seeing an organ in which Mozart had played on, in St Thomas church.
We stopped for lunch at Petit France, a lovely charming area overlooking the river, but very popular with tourists. We managed to grab a table for lunch though in prime position and enjoyed French onion soup and a tarte flambé, a local delicacy which is like a thin flat bread crossed with a pizza. Both were delicious, and feeling refuelled we continued with our walk around the city.
To end our walk we returned to the cathedral so that we could have a look inside (it was closed for lunch when we arrived). The huge stained glass windows were stored in sand during ww2, the large rose one was particularly impressive. It really is a magnificent building.
After a final beer in our favourite position underneath the cathedral, it was time to get our train back to Colmar.
It had been a great day trip- and we’d definitely recommend a visit to Strasbourg, be it on the train from Colmar, which makes a lovely base, or by staying at the campsite or Aire de camping car in Strasbourg itself. Personally though, we really enjoyed basing ourself at Colmar and it’s something we’d definitely recommend. Just give yourself more than a day there!
Wednesday
Wednesday soon came around, and it was time to move on. We both felt really sad to be leaving Alsace, I must say. Before we did leave the area, we decided to make use of having the van off site and, after a stock up at the local supermarket just down the road, we drove north 20 mins to the pretty town of Riquewihr. This town apparently was where Beauty and the beast was inspired. It’s not hard to see why. It was stunning.
Once more, the tiny streets were lined with colourful quirky medieval houses, with wonky roofs, romantic terraces and the icing on the cake for this town- some magnificent town walls. An imposing clock tower stood proudly at the top end of the town. The whole place was brilliant. We really enjoyed an hour or so wandering the streets (we parked in one of the Motorhome aires on the edge of town).
From here, still itching to gleam every last ounce from Alsace, we made our way to the next village- Kayersbourg. This village sits beneath a castle- so it brought its own charm.
We grabbed some pics quickly,but honestly can see us returning someday.
But for now… it was time to move onto the main feature…
We adored this region so very much. If you haven’t heard of it, please save this post, add it to your itineraries if you’re heading to France. I can honestly say it’s been brilliant and we will definitely return!
Gandalf the VW is parked up on an old favourite site of ours- Deepdale Farm on the North Norfolk coast. A particular favourite stomping ground of ours- we were here this weekend with Dad and Jenny to celebrate Jenny’s birthday.
We arrived just before dark, whizzing up north after a long day at work. After a smooth check in, we wasted no time in popping the fizz in Dad and Jenny’s van, before taking a walk up to the Jolly Sailor’s pub for our dinner. Jazz enjoyed being fussed over – the pub- as with most on this stretch of coast couldn’t be more dog friendly if it tried. The food was delicious- the mussels especially (local Brancaster mussels of course).
We popped for a quick night cap across the road at the White Horse, also dog friendly, before making our way back to our vans where we enjoyed a peaceful night.
Saturday dawned a bit brighter than expected, and as such we enjoyed a quick bacon baguette, before donning our walking boots. Our destination was Wells Next the sea, 11.5 miles away along the North Norfolk coast path. The walk was cracking.
We stopped for a swift one at the Hero at Burnham overy Staithe, before continuing on for a further 7 miles to Wells. We’d packed some refreshments which we enjoyed on the beach- it was simply stunning if not a little fresh.
On arrival to Wells Next to sea we washed no time getting some fish and chips from French’s which honestly went down a treat!
After our fish and chips we had a drink to celebrate our achievement on a long but satisfying, and enjoyable walk.
This stretch of coast is served brilliantly well by the coast hopper bus, an hourly service 7 days a week. Our campsite sits right on the route and as such is a great base for this area. You can travel as far as Hunstanton one way and Sheringham in the other. Dogs are welcome on board too.
Our evening was spent relaxing and enjoying cheese and cake, before someone fell fast asleep at the dinner table (Lydia!)
Another very peaceful night followed.
On Sunday it was time to say our bye byes- we’d had a great trip.
Keith and I decided to stop at Burnham overy staithe for a dog walk before coming home and managed to notch up another 5 miles before lunch in the van overlooking the water.
It was a perfect end to a lovely weekend in our special place!
Not long now until our big European adventure! Next weekend we will start to load the van and we’re getting rather excited!
