Summer 2015 - 6th Post (Austria)

21st June 2015

Split to Sinj (Croatia)
Section 173 miles
Total 3452 miles

Picked up the motorway again for most of the drive; hit the coast again just south of Sinj. Had intended to go to a site a few kilometres up the coast; but, Sinj looked an interesting town and I found Auto-Kamp Skver - right on the Adriatic and only £7 a night - there to spend the night.

 

Footpaths all over a headland lead up to a castle and views across the Adriatic and the town. Not a scrap of litter anywhere - in the UK the place would be strewn with Snickers wrappers, used chewing gum, coke cans and goodness knows what else - Croatia, Italy, Austria and Switzerland are litter free zones.

 

Approaching Sinj - Offshore Islands and the Adriatic

Sinj - The Castle
Not a scrap of litter in sight!

Sinj  - From the castle headland

22nd to 24th June 2015

Sinj to Oberdrauberg (Austria)
Section  220 miles
Total 3672 miles

North through Slovenia into NE Italy. The weather wasn't brilliant, so I carried on to the west of the Julian Alps to cross into Austria via the Passo di Monte Crace Carnico. Only1360m high, but seemed to go up a vertical face for the last 300m or so with a series of short straights, hair-pin bend tunnels and virtually single track in places. I forgot to say what Croatian is for 'hair-pin bend' - it's 'serpentina' which I think looks pretty cool on the signs. It was about the only Croatian road sign that I could understand!

 

Stayed over at a campsite in Oberdrauberg in the Drau valley for a couple of nights. The weather was grim; but, cleared in the afternoon of the second day and I just walked down the valley for a few hours.



 

24th June 2015

Oberdrauberg (Austria) to Monte Piana (Italy)
Section  64 miles
Total 3736 miles

Looking at the map I realised that I was close to the Dolomites, never having been I decided to pay a visit. Well they certainly are amazing - awesome even - not the highest peaks in the alps typically 2000m to 3000m but jagged masses and spires of limestone. Pulled in at a parking area for the night and climbed up Monte Piana to looks at the remains of the Italian trenches on top of the mountain from WWI - what a contrast to Flanders and its flat water-logged fields, which I passed through a couple of months ago. The Austro-Italian front (1915-1918) was literally on the tops of mountains at over 2000m in places. It was cold when the sun was going down at the end of June - goodness knows what it was like for the troops stationed there in January and February.

Oh yes, I forgot to say, that I found one of the summer houses where Gustav Mahler (probably my favourite classical symphonist) composed during the summer months at the beginning of the last century. He was the Director of the Vienna Opera - but spent his summers holidaying and composing in the mountains.

Dobaccio - Formerly Austria before 1919 Treaty of St Germain
Plaque on the Gustav Mahler House



Dobaccio - Gustav Mahler House
Now a restaurant!

Dolomites - Lunch time walk around a lake

Dolomites - from top of Monte Piana

Dolomites - Monte Piana
One of the memorials to the Austro-Italian conflict above 2000m here in 1915-197

Dolomites - Monte Piana
Italian frontline trenches from 1915-1917 hewn into the limestone in the foreground

25th June 2015

Monte Piana (Italy) to Sulsana (Switzerland)
Section  227 miles !!
Total 3963 miles

I seemed to get a bit carried away with the driving today! But I do like just pottering along in the van - 'better to go than arrive' sort of syndrome.

Passed over three high passes, at about 2200m, in the Dolomites then down to Bozeno. Everywhere seemed really busy, especially with bikers. Hordes of the buggers. Probably due to the fact that it was a four day holiday weekend in Italy for some saint or other.

Then up a long valley to cross into Switzerland at the Passo dello Stelvi, 2758m, into the Engadine - the extreme eastern canton - just mountains, pine forest and the occasional village. Spent the night at a campsite near Sulsana - Switzerland is not very campervan friendly. Virtually no aires at all. And the campsites seemed to be like the UK - just wet looking green fields - at the two places I stopped they were swarming with flies (big bastards!). I have only had issue with flies once before on this trip. That and the expense put me off (fuel is more expensive than the UK and I couldn't believe the cost of food in the supermarket). In Austria the fuel is typically less than France - about 1.18 euro a litre.

Dolomites - A glorious start to the day the Tre Cimes
From the lakeside near the camper stop at about 8am

Dolomites - One of the many passes crossed today

Dolomites - There are two gondolas in this picture
The higher one appears microscopic just below the summit station ad gives some idea of scale

Sulsana (Switzerland) - Just by the campsite

26th June 2015

Sulsana (Switzerland) to Prutz (Austria)
Section  51 miles
Total 4014 miles

To avoid the flies and save money, I headed north down the Inn valley into 'tourist friendly' Austria in the morning. Stopped once en route in Switzerland, only to end up with a van full of huge flies or wasps. The fly spray from last Autumn in Spain had to come out.

Stopped at a campsite near Landeck in the western part of the Tirol (Tyrol). Well, if campsites were like this in the UK one would consider taking all one's holidays there. The restaurant, reception, showers, communal areas etc are in a huge building that is a much better standard than some hotels I have stayed in. Then, as you book in they give you a 'tourist card' that gives free use of the local buses, swimming pools and a few other places - as well as reduction on cable cars and other attractions.  For two people just 14 euros a night and kids go free!

Austria like France and Germany has kilometres of clearly numbered and way-marked footpaths. Here, there is even high up along the side of the valley for push chairs! Also, Austria seems to be well into cycle ways - both hard surfaced and off-road VTT tracks. In the Villertal area I read there are 800km of VTT routes in one valley system! I just cycled back up the valley for 20km or so in the afternoon. Storms  promised for the next couple of days.

Engadine Switzerland - A more agricultural part on the way to Austria
Do not stop here your vehicle will be swamped by flies or worse!

Prutz - View from the van at the campsite
There's a glacier some where up there.
Shame about the fence in front of the River Inn
and the German van in the way

Summer 2015 - 5th Post (Croatia)

10th to 13th June 2015

Trpanj
 
Three nights at Camping Vrila, about two kilometres from the small port of Trpanj. Basic campsite; but a gorgeous location in a small bay lined with palm trees while the campsite was mainly in an old olive grove. Only potential problems were snakes, two lived in trees on the site and scorpions No sign of the latter; but, the Germans next door woke one morning to find a 1.5m long snake basking on their ground sheet!

Pretty hot again low thirties by lunch time - cycled up to a church in the hills one morning and wandered around a coastal path to Trpanj a couple of times to take advantage of the beach on the way - well rocks and stones mainly. Even went in to the sea a couple of times!

 

Trpanj - Coastal Walk into the Port from the Campsite

Trpanj - Beach at Campsite

15th to 18th June 2015

Trpanj to Orebic
Section 14 miles
Total 3055 miles

 A short drive across the northern part of the mountain spine of the Peljesac Peninsular to arrive at Orebic and setting up Camping Nevio, about two kilometres from the town centre and harbour. The campsite is steeply terraced above the sea well shaded by pines and olive trees. Good swimming pool, restaurant and  perfectly clean sanitary blocks.

Took a half day trip boat trip across to Korcula Island, the campsite has its own jetty, to visit the old town there - traditionally the birth place of Marco Polo and where he started his long journey to China. Seems to be more Venetian influence here in windows and carvings of winged lions (like those in St Mark's Square in Venice). A a storm blew  up at lunchtime and we could not land back at the jetty - but they kindly took us into the harbour and provided a free taxi back to the campsite. I can not imagine that being done in money grabbing UK.

Otherwise, apart from walking down to the town did not do very much. I can not understand why anyone wants to visit later in the summer - the temperatures must be intolerable.

The last couple of days were the first time I have spoken to any English people for weeks - a group of students from Wales and Cornwall and a couple from 'uddersfield. There are not many UK visitors in these parts in vans and caravans - goodness knows why not it's no further than Spain and probably cheaper too - certainly , for the most part more up market as well. Although, I did hear a number of English accents over in Korcula.

 

 


Orebic - Promenade



Orebic - Promenade (again)

Korcula - Old Town

Korcula - Old Town and Cathedral

Korcula - Town Gate

Korcula - Street Scene

18th to 21st June 2015

Orebic to Dubrovnik
Section 79 miles
Total 3143 miles

Another slow drive down the Peljesac Peninsular, avoiding Bosnia, to rejoin the southern part of the Croatian mainland at Ston. Just more island, mountains, blue sea and the slow winding coastal road. If any thing after a few weeks it becomes repetitive - no real variation in scene!

Ston is odd, it is just a small village, it may have been slightly larger historically, with a 5.5km wall that mainly seems just to go around a barren hill! Large salt pans adjacent; but, I am currently using salt from the pans on Pag.

Dubrovnik was my first city for ages - possibly since Edinburgh a couple of months ago! So much traffic, so many people! The old town is a picture perfect medieval and renaissance walled town - possibly too perfect. It was severely damaged by the Serbian army in 1991/1992. It is now fully restored - odd to see so many 'ancient buildings' having brand new roofs. The old city is preserved as it is mainly because due to complete economic declined following the French Napoleonic occupation and the annexation of Dalmatia and Croatia to the Austro-Hungarian Empire as part of the post Napoleonic settlement (Treaty of Vienna 1815). So nothing much changed from about 1790 - apart from bits falling down!

Stayed at Camping Solitudo at the western end of the Dubrovnik Peninsular - about a five kilometre walk to the old town. Spend a long half day doing the circuit of the walls and walking the streets. Unfortunately, it seemed like another ten thousand visitors had the same idea. The place was packed and only one cruise ship in on that day.

Dubrovnik is expensive - bus fares are the same as Edinburgh - £1.50 for a single ticket - I walked!

Odd behaviour at the beach near the campsite - most of the tourists leave at about 4pm to 5pm to be replaced by more sensible locals that turn up at that time and enjoy the less intense sun for a couple of hours. Often do the same myself as some days it's far too hot in the early afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

Retrospective - Korcula and Orebic

Retrospective - Korcula and Orebic



Stron - Five kilometres of town wall wandering around a barren hill!



Dubrovnik - Sunset from the beach near Camping Solitudo

 

Dubrovnik - Crowds fighting to get in through the main gate to the Old City

 

Dubrovnik- Man Street

 

Dubrovnik - Old City

Dubrovnik - Town Walls and Harbour

 

Dubrovnik - Cathedral and City Churches

 

Dubrovnik - Cathedral and City Churches

 

 

19th to 21st June 2015
Dubrovnik to Split
Section 159 miles
Total 3293 miles

Back along the coast to Trapnj to get the ferry to Ploce: I just missed the 11:30 ferry - two hours to wait for the next one: no problem, no rush - cappuccino at a cafe, ice cream on the harbour front and lunch made in the van.

From Ploce I took the inland route north to Split via the motorway, mile after mile of nothing but generally wooded limestone hills and just the occasional village until  about twenty miles south of Split. Although, there was the occasional gorge and wide flat bottomed valley for contrast. Signs of abandoned cultivation terraces and field walls.

Stopped at Stobrec, a small coastal resort and harbour, about seven kilometres south of Split. Splits a large city, about 200,000 people (second in Croatia after Zargreb) - so busy and sprawling compared to other places I have been here. Took the bus into the centre to visit Diocletian's Palace which he built after retiring as Roman Emperor around 290AD. It's more of a small walled city, now incorporated into the older area of the city. A lot has disappeared or been incorporated into other buildings over nearly two millennia; however, most of the external walls remain and the four gateways. Diocletian's octagonal mausoleum, and peripheral arcade, now forms the core of a small medieval cathedral - ironic as Diocletian was anti-Christian - seems to be more or less intact. Climbing the cathedral bell tower was scary. It comprises just four masonry walls, with a bloody great hole in the middle and an insubstantial steel staircase winding up, and up, the inside of the walls - felt very exposed!

Split - Cathedral
The octagonal section and colonnade was Diocletian's Mausoleum
(circa 310AD) 

Split - 'Green Market'
Diocletian's Palace Walls on the right

Split - Diocletian's Palace

Split - From the top of the Cathedral Bell Tower
The Venetian Tower marks the NW corner of Diocletian's Palace

Split - The interior of the Bell Tower
A scary climb!

Split - Modern Living in Diocletian's Palace

Split - Egyptian Sphinx decorating the Palace (15th Century BC) 

Split - Square in the Palace

Split - Sea Font and the South wall of the Palace - with recent buildings incorporate

Split - Fashionable Plaza Austrian Occupation 

 

Summer 2015 - 4th Post (Croatia)

25th to 31st May 2015

Novalja (Pag Island)

Camping Stasko for a week. Some rain the first couple of days then dry, hot and sunny. Pottered around the local town, campsite and beaches. A touch of culture, spent an hour looking for a signposted Roman aqueduct - never found it - although, I did find some mosaics near the town church.

Cycle paths are interesting....one I followed went through the middle of a working quarry and concrete plant - looks like Croatia hasn't caught up with the rest of the EU's obsession with H&S. Encouragingly, there were signs for eye, head and foot protection. Spotted a couple of Bee-eaters, when I was out walking one evening, got a strong flash of light blue under bellies as they flew quickly past into some rocks and trees.

Pag Island and Mainland Mountains in the Background

Novalja Town - pinched from internet and horribly out of focus

 

Pag Town - from the (only) road


 

31st May to 3rd June 2015

Novalja (Pag Island) to Lozovac
Section 90 miles
Total 2907 miles

Headed south down the coast and inland a bit to stop at the Krka NP. Basically a deep wooded ria, with waterfalls, cut into a limestone plateau. Goodness, what a tourist trap! Passing through the main town, Skradin, on the way to the campsite where I planned to stay I was waved down and yelled at by people trying to divert me into roadside camping spots, car parks and offering 'trips'. Then having settled down at the campsite and walked back to Skradin, for some shopping, I found that it cost £9 to go into the NP and that only accessed a 4km track to a waterfall. Bugger that! I've got short arms. The town was interesting - big marina with loads of yachts and cruisers, Dalmatia is heaving with them, castle, church and so forth. Seemed very popular with the locals for a weekend visit. Just pottered around for a couple of days in the ongoing hot and sunny weather.

Skradin - Krka National Park
View cycling down from the Campsite

Krka National Park - River above Skradin

 

3rd June to 9th June 2015
Lozovac  to Trogir
Section 42 miles
Total 2949 miles

Back to the coast, actually hard to avoid as Croatia is long and thin. Localised developments along this part of the coast; but, all small, low rise and mainly apartments with the odd hotel.

Stopped of at Camping Belvedere, near Trogir for a week. Large terraced site eventually dropping down to a rocky beach. Sandy beaches are a novelty here - I have only seen one at  Nin. I guess it's because there are no large rivers throwing sand and silt into the sea on the Adriatic coast and that the coastline is all limestone which doesn't weather and erode to produce silica sand. Little bit of walking and a lot of just sitting around as it was extremely hot up to about 34C at lunchtimes, fortunately a few thunderstorms cooled things down to about 30C for the last couple of days. Walked along the coast to Trogir, early on the last day before it got too hot. A UNESCO heritgae site with lots of churches and Venetian style buildings (Dalamtia was purchased by Venice from the Ottamans, I presume, at the beginning of the fifteenth century) on a small island linked to the mainland on both sides by bridges.

Trogir - Cathedral

Trogir- Courtyard of one of many Churches

Trogir - Town Walls

Trogir - Town and Waterfront

Trogir - Street View

And another one

Trogir - Rocky beach just couth of the Campsite
Campsite is in the trees on the wooded headland in the centre - massive site about 900 pitches
but well hidden in the trees.

 

10th June 2015
Trogir to Trpanj
Section 92 miles
Total 3041 miles

Slow drive down the coast road (impossible to drive quickly) skirting Split - looked far to busy and congested (pop about 200,000) and therefore missed Diocleatian's Palace. After about twenty miles the coast is developed but all small scale and some gorgeous  mountain scenery along the coast - unfortunately the weather was so hazy it was impossible to take any decent photographs. Took the ferry from Ploce to Trpanj in the afternoon to get on to the peninsular that avoids going through Bosnia (no van insurance for Bosnia as it isn't in the EU) to get to Dubrokvnik (still about 100km further south). Staying at a small campsite a couple of kilometres south of Trpanj which is right on the beach in a wooded cove. Dead quite and peaceful.

Trogir to Trpanj - Coastal Mountains



Trogir to Trpanj - Coastal mountains and road south of Split (main road at the top of the cliffs)
Really heavy heat haze most of the last few days.

 

Approaching Trapnj - Staying in the cove just off the left hand side of the picture

 

Departing Ploce - from the ferry - weird apartment blocks!