As the mornings are getting darker and the afternoons are getting shorter we had to get some plans in place for our winter trip. What to do? Before we go to the future a quick update on what we have been up to lately.

Mike has been busying himself helping a friend out with some work – project managing council house refurbishments in Norwich. It's a challenge getting up with an alarm clock in the mornings, but he's enjoying getting his teeth into something completely different.

As for me, I've just published my second book. (details here)'The Motorhome, What You Need to Know Before You Go'. This gives practical help for anyone wanting to hit the road, but to liven it up I have included more of our experiences over the years. Readers won't feel as though they are reading the first book again, this is the flesh on the bones with more anecdotes, photographs and information. It's really about what we could have done with knowing about before we set off. I'm now working hard to get the paperback version formatted and this will be available during November.

As well as researching and booking our winter trip, I'm training for my first ever half marathon. I have started from a very low base (last in the 5k Norwich Park Run). This was the catalyst for my slightly longer jog. Think of me - and my knees - on November 23rd.

Finally, what to do with December and January? This year we're going 'off piste' and I'm not talking about mountains. Not on the tourist trail, and overlooked by backpackers; we're off to Bangladesh. The flights are booked and we can't wait for the challenges ahead.

We'll be off for a couple of months, back at the end of January and what next? Check the blog for updates, it should become interesting as the plan unfolds...

Take care and keep in touch.

Below is the cover of my latest book (just so you know what you're looking for)
Thanks to Mark Kennelly for cover design.

Got to the south of France, got a sniff of Espagne and thought 'what the hell?' Poor old France didn't stand a chance after we left Millau behind us. 


I last wrote from Kirnbergsee in the Black Forest and the last blog entry was very perfunctory because I was sitting outside with the sun shining on the screen and couldn't see a thing. The source of the Danube is at Donaueschingen and it is very pretty, we saw it last year and didn't see the need to hang around as we were just waiting for Mike's stings to calm down. From there we took a scenic yellow road which looked like spaghetti on the map to Mulheim. It was single width most of the way but the villages had a bus service. Mulheim felt a bit weird for some reason and I didn't like it much.

We then headed to France and one of the first things we noticed after the hanging baskets was the lack of cycle paths compared to Germany, but nowhere could ever have that many, except the Netherlands of course. There are loads in France but they aren't as obviously by the side of the road as they are in Germany. Our first night was at Cousance. There was no lie- in in the morning as the church bells had it in for us. In fact, there were two sets of bells going, they started at 5 am but all hell let loose at 7am and I laughed to myself as it was easy to imagine I had woken up in the middle of St Peter's Square when a new pope had been announced. 

Then to Puy en Velay. This has a small church on top of an extinct volcano. It has been a place of worship for thousands of years as people believed that they could get closer to their gods in pre christian times. It was an amazing sight and a good climb up to the top and we were fortunate to be able to park right beneath it for the night. There was a large cathedral and a statue of the Virgin Mary, on another hilltop across from our pinnacle. We didn't want to pay to go into the Cathedral but there was a door open at the side and no one noticed us wander in. The old buildings were all built out of volcano stone and were mainly buildings associated with the church which I thought looked rather dark and foreboding.

Then on to Millau and to Spain. Having chatted to French people (in French!) We have learnt that we're pronouncing Millau all wrong. Its not Millau to rhyme with the noise a cat makes but Mee-Oh. 


There is a fabulous Argentinian steak restaurant in Empuriabrava, near Rosas on the Costa Brava. As I said earlier Mike gets a sniff of Spain in his nostrils, but this time we could hear the sizzle of the steak as well. We found somewhere to park near the Aero Club. The Dutchman parked next to us had been there one night already and gave us the heads up. Just as we were about to lock up and go out a local police tow truck turned up. The driver had the look of Franco's chief henchman as he gesticulated for us to get off. This we had to do and so we drove on to Platja, tastebuds unquenched by those juicy steaks. Optimistic side taken as ever though because we understand that the fine for a towaway now stands at 300 Euros. That would have been an extremely expensive steak.

As for roads we haven't paid to drive on any  and stuck with A roads when going from A to B and then the yellow ones on the map for the scenic parts. We had intended spending a bit longer in France but the forecast was poor and the views wouldn't have been good in the rain. The A roads were all clear, hardly any traffic and we didn't get lost.

Those of you that know us or follow the blog may remember that we spend a considerable amount of time here on the Costa Brava. Last year the official Aire in Platja was closed and a height barrier put in place. Feeling cheated Mike went to the tourist office today to find out why. The council have closed our car park because the toilet dump is broken and they haven't got the budget to fix it and haven't decided what to do yet. We were all supposed to pay to park there but no one did because the pay machine had broken and they didn't send anyone round to collect money. I suppose they don't have a salary budget for that either. The businesses in the town love having 40 or so motorhomes parked here and the residents didn't mind either. I wonder what the business rates are for and if accountants are making too many decisions. Anyway, the short answer was that no one minds us parked on the grid which is also officially signed for motorhome parking and Mike has worked out how to use the toilet dump safely and unmessily even though it is broken. All being well we will be here for a few days yet. Its lovely to be here while it is still hot, summery and busy. It has been during the low season when we have stayed here in the past and pretty much everything shuts down during the week and few places are open at the weekend. 

The answer to the Germany question has to be the facilities and the infrastructure. The road network is extensive and navigating is straight forward. If you're wondering where to stay many communities provide a Stellplatz to park the motorhome. In order to find them we use the Bord Atlas. A very comprehensive guide book. It's in German but we manage to translate the key words and have found it extremely useful. The link below takes you to the Amazon website where the latest edition may be purchased.

We stopped at a Stellplatz this week at a place called Gangelt. The small town didn't offer much but the park adjoining the Stellplatz was fab. Extensive cycle and walking paths and a nature park. I was transported straight back to one of my childhood favourites here on the border with the Netherlands and not on our border with Scotland, which is where I saw them last. Yes, a herd of Highland Cattle

And now for the Spain question. We have just heard from friends that the motorhome parking at Platja D'Aro on the Costa Brava has been closed down. One of our favourites. Why? I have come across an article stating the intent of the Spanish Authorities to provide more appropriate facilities for the motorhoming community. It was published in 2006 but in the current recession I would have thought it would be in the best interest of councils to encourage as many visitors as possible.

While we were staying in Platja in March our friends Peter and Chris who live just down the road in L'Estartit told us of attempted armed robberies in their community. An invasion of police were trying to track down the perpetrators.   Armed robberies-whatever next? Ironic news after our crime free visit to Mexico. Maybe as a result the police are struggling with manpower issues, or has there been a misdemeanour from a motorhome user? If you know the answer please contact me as we're mystified and disappointed to lose a really great spot to stay in a superb location. The local economy must be suffering as we all used the town and of course, in our case, the dentist. 

The chair is tipped back to horizontal, the right side of my face wedged against La Dentista´s left bosom. The Blue Danube is being played on their sound system and I open my eyes to see 3 bespectacled females, each wearing a surgical mask, faces upside down concentrating intently on me. I´m being a good patient, no Melodramatica this week. I´m actually trying not to laugh. The music is a ridiculous choice, a Strauss Waltz for the dentist chair? Not so amusing is the hand held flame thrower being used to heat  metal spikes before they are inserted into the root of my molar. I´m on an ocean of discovery as I hadn´t had the procedure explained and therefore had no idea what I had consented to. The smell of the smoke emanating from my mouth is very strange. Two hours of prodding, poking and scratching in my tooth was more than enough. If I ever contemplate root canal work in the future, please remind me of this. I´m not going to get sentimental about a molar again. 

Thanks to Peter Cowling for the cartoon.

I´m back for my final visit next week to have a crown fitted. Poor Mike lost a filling last night. Isn´t this unbelievable? They´ll have to issue a loyalty card next.