Suwalki, Poland
Last stop in Poland before heading into Lithuania. Busy if not a locally chaotic town near the borders of Lithuania and the Kalingrad Oblast (which is politically part of Russia). Brand new totally spotless campsite next to the sports stadium.
14th August 2109
Kaunas, Lithuania
Vaguely northwards into Lithuania, to the new auto-stop just outside the old medieval capital. Small and interesting old centre at the confluence of two rivers. Cycled into the well preserved old town along a dedicated cycle path (we hardly know what they are in the UK) - with cathedral, town hall and castle all in close proximity.
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| Kaunas, Old Town Square |
15th and 16th August 2019
Anykscial, Lithuania
Interesting stop for a couple of nights at a great campsite next to the river at Anykcial (with various accents that i have no idea how to type). Very busy with a music festival and holiday makers enjoying the river. Before WW2 a thriving Jewish town, all killed or deported just before the german occupation, a very run down jewish cemetery on a hillside is all that remains, apart from some wooden pre-war houses in the old town. First time I have seen a Soviet War cemetery,
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| Anyscial - Old Town Church, camping was by the river along the cycle path |
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| Anyscial - Soviet WW2 Cemetery |
Rundale, Latvia
North into Latvia, a local truck driver had bought up an old farm by the river and set up a campsite in Rundale. As most other places very clean with good facilities, such as complete spotless kitchen facilities for campers to use. The town was interesting with and impressive restored castle next to the river. Nearby, the huge Rundale Palace, which was built by a French architect for the Duke of Courland, a favourite of Catherine the Great, between 1740 and 1780. Totally different history in these parts! This was part of the Russian Empire in the 18th century. Now fully restored it is an important site in Latvia and extremely busy with Latvian and other tourists.
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| Rundale Palace |
18th to 20th August
Sigulda, Latvia
Northwards again into Latvia. Not the best idea to take what looks like short cuts in the van, one that looked good to avoid driving through Riga ended up as 50km of rough unpaved road through forests and farms. But surprisingly busy with local traffic - even bus stops, but didn't see any buses. crossed disused narrow gauge railway lines a couple of time as well.The heater in the van hasn't worked properly since all that bouncing and banging around.
Sigulda was a 19th century resort town once the railway arrived, visited by Tzar Alexander II and other Russian autocrats. Still popular and very clean and green with old castles, museums and a deep wooded gorge and limestone caves. Campsite was a bit wierd; but the girls looking after it were really nice.
Went into Riga on the train for the day, hundreds of art-deco buildings in the town that I didn't know about. Fifty percent of the population is still Russian which the locals are not keen on.
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| Siguda |
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| Siguda |
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| Riga |
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| Riga |
21st August 2019
Raphinge, Estonia
Day pottering north into Estonia, much more expensive than Latvia and Lithuania. Not great distances to drive as each of the Baltic States is only about the size of Wales. Ended up at what appeared to be an immaculate landscaped garden cared for by a miserable elderly couple! All the guide books said that and they were correct!
22nd and 23rd August 2019
Saue, Estonia
To the north of Estonia to stop at a site a train journey from Tallinn on the Baltic. Brand new fast train service into Tallinn, everywhere clean and looked after. Old town has became a big tourist attraction. The middle felt like the centre of Edinburgh - all tourists and no locals! Worth a visit though.
24th August 2019
Paldiski to Kapellskars Car Ferry
Late departure to head for the overnight ferry to Sweden from Paldiski, just to the west of Tallinn. Nearly missed it! As I got side tracked looking at the memorial to a WW2 concentration camp and a Jewish massacre. Then it turned out there were two ferry ports in the same small town - I was at the wrong one. Eventually got sorted.
25th and 26th August 2019
Uppsala, Sweden
Arrived at Kapellskar early in the morning to be welcomed and interrogated by Swedish Customs for about forty minutes. Goodness knows why they hit on me - on one else got stopped! Forests and lakes, forests and lakes - so much empty space everywhere. Stayed at Uppsala for a couple of nights and took the train down to Stockholm. Never seen so many bikes anywhere, even in the Netherlands. Thousands parked at the railway station in double tier racks. And of course cycle paths! Sweden is so expensive - £2.60 for a loaf of break!
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| Stockholm |
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| Stockholm |
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| Stockholm |
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| Uppsala |
27th August 2019
Varnama, Sweden
I recall driving through loads of forests and lakes south of Stockholm on excellent free motorways. I remember that I had some how to pay the traffic congestion fee in Stockholm, as the only way south is to drive through on the motorway....but have absolutely no recollection of where I spent the night!!!
28th August 2019
Ringstead, Denmark
Down towards Malmo to take the Oresund Link across to Copenhagen - 8km bridge (viaduct and cable stay), 4km artificial island and 4km tunnel - a pretty impressive way to get into Denmark.
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| Oresund Bridge |
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| Ringstead Town Centre |
29th August 2019
Bonsvig, Denmark
Towards the south of Zealand to spend a free night on a farm near the small coastal town of Bonsvig. Found a walk though the local coastal forest and villages which even encountered a megalith. The locals seem to be into preserving and living in traditional farms and farm houses.
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30th and 31st August 2019
Ribes, Denmark
West trough Denmark, via the 11km Great Belt Bridge, to finally end up on the west coast of Jutland, at purportedly the oldest town in Denmark - Ribes. For a night then moved down to the beach and had a night at a small parking area there.
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| Great Belt Bridge |
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| Ribes |
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| Ribes Beach |
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| Ribes - Wine Festival |
1st September 2019
Salzhausen, Germany
Now to head south for some autumn sun at the coast! So south to Croatia - first, into Germany to hit a colossal traffic jam through Hamburg (3.5 hours to travel about 20km) due to a combination of road reconstruction and the last weekend in August holiday traffic! There are massive rebuilding projects all over the autobahn network in Germany and the delays can be pretty awful at times.
Stopped off at a village south of Hamburg, not so far from Luneburg Heath, where the Germans surrended to the British in 1945, which had a free stellplatz.
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| Salzhausen Church |
Hann-Meuden, Germany
Autobahn and roadworks for an aoveright stop in a quiet car park at an amazing little gem of typical German multi-storey wooden buildings at Hann just a few kilometres of the autobahn between Kassel and Gottingen.
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| Hann |
3rd September 2019
Swandorf, Germany
South along the Czech border into Bavaria to finish the day at another pleasant german town, Swandorf, with a great, green and free parking area next to the river and gorgeous ice cream in the town square.
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| Swandorf |
4th September 2019
Eisenerz, Austria
Through Bavaria, crossing the Danube a few times, to cross into Austria where I found a free parking area at the old mining town of Eisenerz.
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| Just read the sign on the building |
5th and 6th September 2019
Bad Gleichenberg, Austria
Through Austria to end up close to the Slovakian border in a free green parking area, next to the sports ground at Bad Gleichenberg. After the mountains during the day's drive a lower area of green wooded hills and farms. Organised walks through the woods and hills. Chilled out for a couple of days after the long drive from Denmark.
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| Bad Gleichenberg |
7th September 2019
Ptug, Slovenia
Took a back road route to avoid paying the motorway toll in Slovenia, via Jerusalem with its steep vine covered hills, to a perfect brand new aire next to the river just outside Ptug.
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| Ptug |
8th to 29th September 2019
Novalja, Croatia
A back route through the stunning low hills on the Slovene-Croatian border, to a small border crossing into Croatia. Actually got pulled up in the middle of nowhere, on a wee back road, by a police car and checked out before they would let me use the border crossing! Long drive on the Croatian motorway around Zagreb to finally end up on Pag Island at a new camp site a few kilometres north of Novalja. Four kilometre coastal walk into the town. Time not to do much at all - even the well equipped free gym didn't get many visits. Mainly sunny and warm with a couple of wet days in three weeks. Decided to move further south when the temperatures began to drop towards the end of the month. Some stunning coastal scenery with little vegetation.
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| Pag |
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| Like Skye - no longer an island with the road bridge at the southern tip. |
Trogir, Croatia
A couple of hundred kilometres south to stop just outside Trogir at a place I used a few years ago. Terraced camping in pine forest above the Adriatic, with low wooded islands off shore and about an hour's walk into the old town. Great for ten days!
11th October 2109
Brezice, Slovakia
A long days drive north through Croatia to cross into Slovenia and spend the night at the small border town of Brezice in Slovenia. There was a small parking area down by the river which used to be scavenged for coal according to the information board nearby. As in many places in eastern Europe a sad history - most of the towns population was deported by the Germans in 1942 to a concentration camp in Serbia and the place resettled by Austrians.
12th October 2019
Ubersee, Germany
North through Austria to cross into Germany near Salzburg and stop in the extreme south of Bavaria on a farm looking out to the Alpine foothills and into Austria. A little bit of late summer weather brought out hundreds of Germans on to the roads and camping places for the weekend.
13th October 2019
Westehofen, Germany
Up north westerly through Germany towards the Netherlands stopping off in an area of endless vineyards and smart wine merchants in the old town of Westehofen, near Worms, for the night.
14th October 2019,
Isselburg, Germany
And getting closer to home Isselburg, near Kleve in Germany and Arnhem in the Netherlands. A smashing parking area on the edge of the village next to the river. Then through the Netherlands to take the over night ferry to Newcastle from Amsterdam the next day. Arriving back in Edinburgh at lunchtime on the 16th.
