By keef and annie hellinger, Mar 8 2015 05:06PM Not the motorhome trip no.15 ( a retrospective, hence out of order) This is a retrospective of a holiday Annie & I took to the wonderful Shetland Isles in July 2001. MENU Overview Slideshows Scottish Travel Routes Retro Scottish Family Travel vids (utubeo) The End OVERVIEW Travelled up from Nottingham in our then red ford escort estate, stayed overnight in Aberdeen , picnicked in the grounds of an open prison (unbeknown to us until we were evicted) Overnight ferry to Lerwick. Stayed in a cottage not far outside Lerwick at Gulberswick Bay. Travelled thru all the islands and even a boat to Fetlar taking the car across. We visited the island of Mousa by tourist ferry and spent the day walking around and seeing the seal sanctuary. Cold and misty mostly but very interesting islands. Met a couple on Unst who had pigs etc. were very interesting. He did IT from home and she ran a craft shop, idylllic lifestyle, used to live in London Travelled on the SS Claire Aberdeen to Lerwick. Note we went back past this on the ferry to the Faroes & Iceland in 2019 Blog 135 after leaving Denmark straight past Sumner Head where we had sat on the beach in the sun all those years ago, next to the Viking settlement and the airport. The Shetlands are a lovely set of islands, much history, green, lush and rocky. Read a wiki overview here They are made up of Fair Isle, Mousa, Nista, Bressay, Unst, Mainland Shetland i.e. the one with Lerwick (pronounced Lerick!) , Whalsay, St Ninian's Isle, Foula, Yell, Papa Stour and the outer Skerries. What a wonderful memory we have of these lovely Islands, and the wonderful festival of Up Helly Aa. Read all about it HERE . Return to Menu SLIDESHOWS Redid this old slideshow in 2023, makes it a little more watchable, hopefully My original, no sound, created with the redundant Photosnack app way back when... Return to Menu SCOTTISH TRAVEL ROUTES Return to Menu RETRO SCOTTISH FAMILY TRAVELS utubeo videos recreated by KeefH Web Designs in 2023 using Clipchamp and my original Photosnack vids created way back when Return to Menu THAT's ALL FOLKS

By keef and annie hellinger, Sep 13 2018 09:18AM Motorhome trip No35 : Aug 27th- Sept 12th 2018 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog MENU INTRO SUMMARY DIARY SLIDESHOWS TRAVEL BLOG ROUTES RETRO SCOTTISH FAMILY TRAVEL VIDEOS THE END OF BLOG INTRODUCTION NOTTS->Scotland and the Isles via Lake District ->NOTTS 1313 miles Troutbeck nr Penrith, Greystoke, Glasgow, Mull, Iona, Ulva, Kintyre including the Mull of Kintyre, Bute, Arran, much of Argyll & Keswick, Lake District HISTORY OF THIS BLOG Slight boo boo - we had 2 trip 34's... Eire came first so made this Trip34A on 12/7/20, no worries , hardly matters just means in reality we have done one more trip in the van than we say , updated 5/5/22 Decided to shift this and each subsequent blog on by one up to the latest at the time which was 177 (now Trip 49, was 48) Back to MENU SUMMARY OF TRIP A fab time away visiting our dear friends Chris and Allyson in their new home at Ardtun (pronounced Hard – Ton) on the oh so peaceful Isle of Mull plus pulling in 7 ferry trips, 5 Scottish islands, a lot of miles, 2 great days out in Glasgow (which is a truly fabulous city – much better than when we cowered under the bench overnight in Buchanan street bus garage 40 years ago – city of culture now), a great Sunday dinner with friends Lawrence & Yvonne, Strathclyde country park - the old lady who had lived there all her life and not found the Roman fort (lol), classy Charles Rennie & Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh, the Glasgow Boys,Riverside Museum, Hunterian, George Square, Murals, Kelvingrove, real pizzas, Sir John Moore and true scotch food, Hard Rock Cafe, HOHO bus, Bellshill station, scotch mist,wind and rain a plenty on some of the isles plus lots of sunshine, Connel, trying to find the amphitheatre in Oban, humming Mull of Kintyre, Chris reminding me about a lift we had on Mull all those years ago where the lifter played Planxty, the burg, Cnoc Mor, tea and cakes Bunessan, a revisit to Threlkeld, Keswick and a first visit to Tarzan’s Greystoke, Fionnphort, great walk to coast on Iona in the sun (now costs to go around the abbey - progress?),learning something about crofting and de-crofting,that multi-seen french yacht, 2 busted ferries to and from the Isle of Arran, Crab & Lobster soup in the Boathouse Ulva, Shiela's cottage,Lachlan MacQuarrie's mausoleum Mull (Benmore estate - born Ulva as were Dr Livingston's grand parents) , Uisken beach and the big chair, Ardalanish beach rain and red admirals,Bob Ryan MBE Ardalanish weavers,Tarbert, Campbeltown, Mull of Kintyre, Machrihanish, views of Islay, Loch Fyne, revisiting Tighnabruaich,Rothsay, Winter gardens and harbour, Port Bannatyne, Ardrossan, Brodick and castle and grounds, shifting from the dog lounge to the coughing suite on Arran ferry, the Big stone (both Arran and campsite Troutbeck), Corrie, Lochranza and castle, hills of Sannox (lunch twice),fake sheep and a very convincing seal, my first red squirrel in the UK, seal shores views - kildonan, Kinloch, Old byre visitors centre - Machrie, wild camp A83, learning more functionality on our camera, waterfalls galore in Loch Lomond NP and oh so much more, very relaxing, we really enjoyed ourselves. Back to MENU UPDATED PLAN / DIARY DAY 1 Mon 27 Aug 3hrs 30mins 178 miles Home to Penrith (straight there 6hrs 10mins 284 miles… too much for 1 day!!!) stay at Troutbeck head site, Troutbeck, Penrith, CA11 0SS (a C&M site) Booking confirmed £33 0008542092 DAY2 Tues 28 Aug 3hrs 4 mins 155 miles Morecambe Bay to Strathclyde Country Park Caravan Club Site L&Y Bothwellhaugh Road, Bothwell, Bothwell, G71 8NY Booking 0008543275 £70.50 DAY3&4: Wed & Thurs 29 & 30 Aug 3 nights with Lawrence & Yvonne, 2 days in Glasgow… note that is 12 miles away by bus.. see Y&L tues eve , they are off Weds so we will probably do 2 days in Glasgow. Park and ride (free) at Bellshill train station, only £4.40 return to Glasgow Central station. What a fab place it is. The hop on hop off bus is only £16 for 2 days. Guess what Glasgow has a Hard Rock Cafe DAY5: Fri 31 Aug 3hrs 106 miles to Oban, stay at campsite there North Ledaig Caravan Club Site Connel, Oban, Argyll & Bute, PA37 1RU, Scotland C&M club site booked ref 2450 £28.20-£10 deposit paid. Had a quick drive up to find the Victorian amphitheatre at Oban but couldn’t find it, interesting climb on single track road. Campsite wonderful, on beach front with clear views of the isle of Mull DAY6 – 11 Sat 1 Sep – Fri 7 Sep Ferry Oban to Craignure : on Mull with Chris & Allyson. Leave Fri am 6 full days. Take tickets BOOKED leave oban checkin closes 8.10… leave craignure checkin closes 9.25 £41.20 return #wow . Drive to Cnoc Mor takes about 1 hr, allow 1hr 30 on way back because of traffic. panorama, the burg from cnoc mor, ardtun, isle of mull #bliss DAY12: Fri 7 Sep Ferry Craignure to Oban Then on way back 50 miles 1hr 30 mins Oban to Tarbert ferry via Lochgilphead (all Argyll & bute) Camp near Tarbert @ killegruer caravan park, woodend, glenbarr, tarbert, argyll pa29 6xb email sent to book/ now confirmed pay cash We called in at this campsite and it was YUCK! So carried on and stayed at a lovely site just outside Campbeltown (a great town) on the Mull of Kintyre , Macrihanish Holiday Park. Such lovely views, if a little (understatement) windy. DAY13: Sat 8 Sep Ferry Tarbert (Argyll mainland) to Portavaidie (across loch fyne) Turn up and go, see timetable then around loch riddon, drive Portavaidie to colintraive ferry terminal 40 mins 19 miles, then Colintraive - Rhubodach Ferry £5 1 way for motorhome plus passengers. Now on the isle of Bute, Spend the rest of the day on Bute… camp there then head to Rothsay. Camp at Roseland Holiday park, Serpentine Road Canada Hill, Isle Of Bute PA20 9EH email sent to book response hardstanding pitch secured. Not the greatest site but high up on the hills overlooking Rothsay so close to ferry. Hardstanding was in basically a car park £20 all in so cheap. Washrooms adequate (just) DAY14: Sun 9 Sep Ferry Rothsay to Wemyss Bay , then Drive Wemyss Bay to Ardrossan 45 mins 18 miles, Ferry Ardossan to Brodick - Isle of Arran stay 1+ full days (lots to see and much bigger than Bute)camp at Seal Shore Camping & Touring Site, Kildonan ,Isle of Arran ,KA27 8SE ,01770 820320 £23/night 2 nights.. go anti clockwise around the island… 25 mins 14 miles Brodick to Lochranza, see castle… email sent to book Take tickets BOOKED Arran leave ardrossan checkin closes 12 noon… leave brodick (11th) checkin closes 9.15 £46.70 return Update… due to crane crushing drive on / off ramp had to take a later ferry so had nice lunch and coffee in Asda near the terminal. Drove up to Lochranza – nice place, hills of Sannox fab DAY15: Mon 10 Sep Day on Isle of camp at same site Seal Shore Camping & Touring Site, Kildonan ,Isle of Arran ,KA27 8SE £23/night £20 deposit paid by card, sending confirmation. Fab views across to lighthouse on an island. Bit wet and windy though! Drove right around Arran 30 miles top to bottom so about 60 miles in all. Called in at CalMac Brodick after text re ferry cancellation. As the second ferry from Brodick to Ardrossan was also damaged (how careless, winds from storm , ramp cracked – dry dock) and no vehicles over 2.8 meters high could leave we travelled (for the 4th time) back to Lochranza and got the 5.05 pm small ferry back to Cloanaig (Kintyre), very choppy and getting off was fun. Then A83 Lochgilphead, Inveraray (nice) and wild camp just outside Cairndow with own private waterfall DAY16: Tues 11 Sep then back to mainland via drive Kildonan to Brodick 30mins 13 miles ferry Brodick to Adrossan, then drive Adrossan to Penrith Lake District 3 hrs 6mins 158 miles Stay at Troutbeck head site, Troutbeck, Penrith, CA11 0SS (a C&M site) Booking confirmed £26.80 0008542045 Update from Cairndow (up early) drive A83/ A82 past Glasgow back to Troutbeck campsite DAY17: Wed 12 Sep Penrith home 3hrs 30mins 178 miles longer time wise via M6 about 186 miles See all our Scotland Travel Blog routes HERE If you would like to seen details of our other trips to Scotland most in the wendy house please have a look at Blog 38 & 152, thanks, they are associated here for your easy navigation, plus our family trip in 1988, use FAMILY page by year, thanks for looking If you would like to see details of our trip to the Shetlands in 2001 or you would like to see Slideshows of our trip to the Isle of Lewis, the Uists and Benbecula in 1988, Edinburgh in 1993 when we holidayed in Lowick, Northumberland or Tighnabruich, Cowal peninsular which we revisited on this trip and it was Craig's 1st holiday back in 1982 visit our FAMILY page here on the site and go to the appropriate year, thanks Back to MENU SLIDESHOWS #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2018 #campsites #majortrip #timeline Back to MENU SCOTTISH TRAVEL BLOG ROUTES Back to MENU RETRO SCOTTISH FAMILY TRAVEL VIDEOS In 2023 i started to redo many of our very old you tube videos (utubeo) and here is what you get, better quality images and sound #utubeo Return to Menu THE END

By keef & annie, Jun 15 2012 02:44PM A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog Motorhome trip No3 : Scotland - May 29th – June 11th 2012 NOTTS->ALNWICK->FIFE->ANGUS->KINCARDINE->ABERDEEN->BANFF->MORAY->NAIRN->INVERNESS->ROSS & CROMARTY->SUTHERLAND->CAITHNESS->SUTHERLAND->WESTER ROSS->SKYE&LOCALSH->INVERNESS->ARGYLL&BUTE->NOTTS 1675 miles MENU Diary Slideshow Travel Blog Routes Retro Scottish holiday vids (utubeo) Audiobook That's all folks INTRODUCTION / DIARY Oh and we loved every moment of it. Scotland is such a fabulous place , breath taking views, lochs, castles to die for, interesting history and of course the deep fried mars bar. Sadly I still haven’t had the chance yet to sample this delicacy but scotch pies , white pudding etc. etc. were yummy! Pictures available under the site photos and slideshow tabs. In order to see these it is necessary to login using either your Facebook login / password or set yourself up one for our site, which will mean supplying your email address and accepting the automatic link that is sent to your inbox. EASY Remember a picture paints a thousand words! Basically keeping to the coast we travelled up the east, across top and then back down the west. As we have been to most of the islands already and the cost of taking the van over was not included in our budget we just had our memories and the views from the mainland. Maybe they are for another trip depending upon how much CalMac have ramped up the price for the multi-island passes, must check when I’ve finished this blog! So we left home and spent the night with our lovely friends Chris and Allyson in Alnwick, what a great Madar Jaffrey curry , thanks Chris. Part of this trip is inspired by a trip Chris & I did over 40 years ago when we were about 18 and we both hiked & hitched around Scotland, not been back to some of these places since and part so that Annie can get to John O’Groats as well as Landsend, I kept telling her she hadn’t missed anything and that proved to be true *smile*. Plus thanks to George & Emma for allowing us to park in Green Batt , George suggested his Auto Sleeper Executive and ours may well breed if they got a little closer. Haha – maybe an Eriba. Anyhow after a bit of shopping in Alnwick we set off for the borders. Then over the impressive Forth Road Bridge and into Fife. Did you know that Dunfermline (home of Annie’s ancestors) was once the capital of Scotland. We stopped at the Royal Burgh of Culross to visit the palace there, but sadly it was closed (something to do with a wedding and a corporate ‘do’ for the National Trust of Scotland). This didn’t stop us though and we still looked around the outside, gardens and interesting cobbled back streets. A real nice place. Give it a whirl sometime. No probs with parking the van either, 2 very big car parks that were hardly full. We discover Scotland has a lot of Royal Burgh’s an award which seems to have been bestowed the moment a Scottish King or Queen visited but I could be wrong! Then we drove onto St Andrews for the night, the home of golf, it hardly ever stopped raining. The site was a little expensive at £24 a night but they justified it by having a new indoor heated swimming pool and bar / games room. We went over for a swim but sadly it was a woman only eve, felt a bit conned. Still had a nice evening meal and some wine instead! Next day we visited Falkland and Falkland Palace, a very impressive castle. The Scots sure know how to do castles. It is also the home of real tennis, the very knowledgeable guide told us there had been a world championship there recently with the team from Ballarat , Vic, Aus represented. Blimey, we have been to Ballarat and it is the most unlikely setting for real tennis. *surprise*. It is still effectively owned by the Queen jointly with the NTS (Nat Trust for Scotland) and previously the kings of Scotland. We then left Fife and travelled into Angus staying at a lovely campsite in Carnoustie, you will need your satnav, it isn’t straight forward but Annie thought facilities wise it was the best we stayed in throughout Scotland, and it isn’t a Caravan club site. Having left there we went on through Arbroath & Montrose and visited a bird sanctuary /nature reserve in river basin with great views of Montrose. Never been in this area before but really nice, we would go back again. Whilst in the area we visited the famous House of Dun (NTS), it was owned by Lady Augusta FitzClarence, the illegitimate daughter of William IV (Queen Victoria’s dad) and his ‘actress’ mistress Mrs Johnson with whom he had 10 kids, she had over 20 in total with about 8 different partners, scandal, love it…. She never married any of them but apparently was great on the stage (or was that bed). The other things we remember were the last working damask linen handloom, big sequoias in the garden, the house had many doors that don’t open, they were just for symmetrical structure, each side was a mirror image of the other throughout, and joy of joy it had the best 1960’s stereo system I have ever seen, I want one. Mick Jagger bought the 1st apparently. It was then on into Aberdeenshire and Stonehaven which has a heated art deco pool plus we visited Dunnotair castle, are you getting it yet? castles and deep fried Mars bars with the odd Belhaven 80/- beer thrown in and a few lovely single malts and wine. Our ideal hols, hic! We avoided the city of Aberdeen as we had been there before when we went to the Shetland Isles. The onto the Feughside caravan park in Strachan Banchory Deeside, nice views, mostly a static caravan site though and a very nice pub / restaurant on the riverside less than 2 mins from the van. On this occasion we didn’t eat there however as we had fresh food to use but it looked lovely and many of the other ‘vanners’ were going there. Strachan pronounced “strawn” must be the origins of its sister town in Tasmania, Oz. The river Dee is lovely and looked like a heavily used fly- fishing area, trout apparently. Got up early the next day as much to see and big distances to travel. Visited Crathes castle & gardens nr Banchory and the craft village. There were many germans, dutch, french, italians with motorbikes, caravans & motorhomes and this repeated itself throughout our 2+ weeks in Scotland especially in the highlands, great to see! Crathes castle gardens had a floral tribute to the Queens 60th jubilee. By the time we had finished at Crathes it was getting on so I rang the Culloden Moor Caravan Club (CC) site to warn them we would be late. As long as you let them know you can arrive anytime up to 8pm in the eve. Then it was onto Cruden bay, fish & chips and Viking ships. Lovely quiet harbour and a beach to die for. Highly recommended! Then onto buller o’buchan just down the road. Similar to Pancake Rocks blow holes in NZ but not so dramatic and only one, maybe Scotland’s answer to Durdle Door in Dorset but with a wave pool. We did go thru / stop at Peterhead & Fraserburgh but not much to recommend them unless you are into industry and oil, sorry! Then turned the coastal corner into Banffshire – Macduff, don’t mention the Scottish play – did WillS really travel this far?,Banff with its own version of the Banff Springs hotel (haha – not surprisingly missing out slightly in the class / cost stakes, Then Morayshire including Portsoy,Cullen where Cullen skink comes from (a haddock soup) and thru Nairn onto Invernesshire for the 1st time this holiday. We stayed at Culloden Moor CC site for 2 days, nice setting and facilities, but v busy. From here we were able to visit Culloden Battlefield , one of the best historical presentations we have ever seen anywhere in the world and great use of technology to deliver the story. Well done them, do visit you will learn loads, we did. All about bonnie prince charlie,duke of Cumberland and what a disaster the dukes 25th b’day party was for the Jacobite clansmen. There long march and hoped for surprise (haha) just didn’t work and after 1 hour they had lost many many body. Interesting Charlie saw the writing on the wall and ran off after 10 mins (over the sea to Skye and never ever to return). The battle field is rather poignantly a war grave. In the afternoon we went in search of the Thane of Cawdor (oh no not the Scottish play again) by going to Cawdor castle, just down the road from the campsite, so all in all a great choice of site for the closeness of stuff to see nearby. The next day we called into Inverness to get fuel etc. but didn’t stay long as we have been there a few times in the past. Then it was up the A9, across the Cromarty bridge and into Rosshire, Alness (nice) and Invergordon (not so nice, oil platform restorations) there was a German cruise ship in presumably so they could visit Culloden etc., surely not Invergordon itself? Then onto Tain (brill) where there was diamond jubilee celebrations for the bank holiday including Capercaille playing for free, alas we couldn’t stay on as they weren’t playing until late in the evening but they are great and were on previously in Culross for £25. Had my 1st warmed scotch pie here *hungry* Then a visit to the Glenmorangie distillery where I bought a glass. Annie stayed in the van as she said no interest in whiskey. I bought 2 bottles of single malt whilst away, Old Pultenay & The Dalwhine, nice flavour both. Then it was onto Sutherland and many town / villages / hamlets the best of which was possibly Dornoch, nice old town and great architecture plus a good beach with the East Sutherland lifeboat station. There are also some nice lovely old towns at golspie,brora & helmsdale. Then we were into Caithness where we stayed at the Wick riverside site, quiet and cheap if somewhat antiquated facilities. The couple running it were very helpful. The SatNav guides you to the entrance under a railway bridge, watch out it is very low, We rang them and the guy came out and guided us round through the other entrance. Enjoyed our stay at the site. Found out that Caithness glass closed sadly 2006, became dartington crystal then closed in perth, may now be in crieff? Shame some great glass pieces were produced by them, real works of art! After visiting the Old Pultenay distillery in Wick (2012 whiskey of the year) and the old harbour and heritage area we set off for John o groats. There had been a fire on the heather moors the previous day that had shut the A99 but today it was open but the smoke, fire and smell still raged filling the van with an acrid stench that was fun to get rid of. We got great views of the Orkney & Stroma and did the usual tourist stuff but the craft area is not as active / busy as Landsend. We also visited Duncansby head and The Queen mums castle of Mey (v interesting) and stayed at Dunnet bay (view of dunnet head) caravan club site which has a great beach which we went for a walk on, we had it to ourselves and oh so sunny, best weather in the country. The next day onto Thurso & rain & shopping then to scrabster to revisit the ferry we used in 1987-ish for our holiday to the Orkneys when the boys were v young. Then on back into Sutherland again. Thru Coldbackie, Tongue & the youth hostel (Chris do you remember this, chores using a toothbrush before we could go to catch the one bus that left every 2nd Tuesday, Royal Mail with veg and livestock?) then round loch eriboll (wow – the best) single track with passing places and very busy then onto Sango sands campsite at Durness where we stayed for 2 days. It was windy, remote but brill views, loved it! On the 2nd day we drove down to the Durness quayside about 2 miles from site and went on a truly memorable trip to the great cape wrath (see pix – loved it) and came back to the craft village at balnakeil and visited its beach/ house/ cathedral ruins…. Walk to faraid head is rated as a must but we didn’t have time to do it so walked some of the beach, you need to be careful as families have been cut off here by the returning tide which circles round the back of the sand. Our Cape Wrath guide warned us of this. Then it was the roads to Ullapool, into Rosshire again and first Armaid and then to our Broomfield caravan park site next to Broom loch, conveniently places minutes from town and ferry terminal at Ullapool. Indeed the ferry runs past the campsite which I remember from when we went on it early 90s to Lewis & Harris. Would you believe it we couldn’t get a high tea in Ullapool although there appears to be a good Indian restaurant next to the campsite now! The next day it was the Wester ross coastline a real highlight including the Corrieshalloch gorge & suspension bridge, a lovely valley, little Gruinard beach, loch ewe (home of war time exercises),loch torridon, the brilliant Inverewe gardens nts, some of the best in Scotland based on location and plantsmanship. Then loch maree, the wonderful road to shieldaig, gairloch, loch carron and then into Skye & lochalsh. Here we saw a weird heather burn possibly that joined the smoke to the clouds, before reaching the famous road to the isles, which we have travelled many a time. Love it. We alighted at Dornie to see the most photographed Eilean doran castle, indeed Annie’s Canadian cousin Janet had this as her Facebook background pic. We stayed at Morvich CC site, very nice, for 1 night, superb beinn / mountains on all 4 sides. We left the next day to return to Fort Augustus (too touristy for us) and the wonderful Loch ness although not surprisingly Nessie was not “out to play” that day! From here it was to Fort William where the world Mountain bike champs were on that weekend at Beinn Nevis so very busy and wet *sigh*. We booked into Brumlee CC site at South Onich nearby for 2 nights overlooking Loch Linnhe. Great site great views great midges, don’t forget the spray folks! We were planning to go up Beinn Nevis on the Monday by cable car as never having been up there but sadly we had a big leak in the van overnight which mean the duvet acted as a wick and woke up wet. So rang the van people who asked us to bring it back. So sadly but sensibly we left early. Wouldn’t have been good if it had happened in Europe. We want it fixed before our next trips! So it was 400 miles back thru Argyll & Bute, loch leven , the truly wonderful glencoe, crianlarich, loch Lomond, trossachs, bypass Glasgow, Carlisle, M6 home… 6.5 hrs tired but ready to get the van into workshop the next day. UPDATE 15/6 they have found a seal leak around one of the windows so hopefully it will now be fixed. Currently undertaking serious soak test and leaving it out in heavy rain. Return to Menu SLIDESHOW 215 Photos available, go on you know you want to look , All on KeefH Web Designs You Tube ( utubeo) channel #majortrip #campsites #motorhometravelsblog #motorhome #fun #fab #weHEARTscotland Return to Menu TRAVEL BLOG ROUTE Here is roughly where we went, have a look, there are lots of other routes for our Scotland trips in our lovely Wendy house, you can see them all in the tick list here Return to Menu RETRO SCOTTISH TRAVELS Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK Return to Menu THE END

by keef & annie hellinger 15 April 2022, 9.51 a.m. A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog Motorhome trip No 49 : 30th March – 14th April 2022 NOTTS->The North Coast 500 route and Isle of Mull with Friends, Scotland ->NOTTS 1633 miles Use the MENU #hintsandtips time suggestion do the NC500 clockwise, that way you are always on the coastal side in wester ross and Sutherland, which in our humble opinion are the best bits scenery wise, means on single track you are not crossing the road for your photo opportunities, just a suggestion, of course it is entirely up to you! MENU Calendar Maps Campsites we stayed at Diary Slideshows Video (The Talkies) Audio Diary Scottish Travel Blog Routes Retro Scottish Family Holidays Tags & Comments If you would like to see the associated Image Slideshow please click HERE , thanks Suggestion , use the side menu to go directly to Blog 177 Calendar Go to Menu Campsites Go to Menu Maps Go to Menu Diary Feel free to use the Audio Diary if you would prefer to just listen to the audiobook or combine it with a full slideshow HERE This trip was the repeat of the one we tried last year when sadly our Motorhome cambelt snapped near Birnam – Dunkeld off the A9 past the gulf garage and opposite the Erigmore Leisure park. See Blog 152 . This time we paid tribute to it as we passed but our lovely motorhome, which we had a full engine service on just before the trip passed with flying colours, up hills, and down dales or should it be glens. 😉 I had no ideal Birnam was so famous. The pretty village of Birnam lies 15 miles north of the city of Perth and sits opposite the twin town of Dunkeld, across the river Tay. The village is well known for featuring in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. You can visit Dunsinane Hill, to the south-east of the village, where the ancient Birnam Oak stands as the sole survivor of an attack by Malcolm III on Macbeth. Birnam is linked to Dunkeld by a seven-arched bridge built by Thomas Telford. The village is surrounded by lovely Perthshire countryside, especially the Hermitage, a beautiful, wooded gorge. The area inspired Beatrix Potter, who spent her childhood holidays here. She is celebrated in the Birnam Institute’s Beatrix Potter Exhibition & Garden. Anyhow to the trip. I suggest you read (or listen) to this in conjunction with the Calendar. Day 1 Having packed up the van beforehand we set off and drove the 250+ miles on the way up to Berwick Upon Tweed in Northumberland. The weather wasn’t great with rain and sleet to keep us company and lots of spray from the many lorries on the M1, M18 and A1, A1M. We stopped for lunch in the snow in Darlington. A place I had bad memories from my Boots days and EPOS of logging out prescription methadone to addicts BT and here is the good news it was actually a much nicer place than I remember. The chip shop we found was in a rather scruffy area but provided the best fish and chips I have ever had, Harry Ramsdens Leeds you are relegated. It had won northern chippie of the year 2020. Yummy. Having feasted we travelled on past where Chris’s rose cottage was in Detchant and beyond Lindisfarne to the Caravan and Motorhome club (C&MC) site at Berwick. We have stayed there before with friends. The icy winds made filling up with water not very nice, anyhow we were in for the night, warm, fed and bedded. Day2 A further 230+ miles today up to Grantown on Spey in the Cairngorms National Park. We left Berwick after a healthy breakfast, it was still incredibly cold and sleety. Packed up the van wearing my Icelandic hat and gloves, it seems they are essential on this trip, indeed overnight after the heating is off, I wore both a jumper and my hat nearly every night bar one, that will give you a measure of the cold temperatures for this trip. As an aside the motorhome Therma heater is amazing, warms the van in no time, either on electric when hooked up or gas for wild camping #hintsandtips So after Berwick we used the A1 up as far as Burnmouth having stopped for photos as we crossed the border into Scotland, touristy I know but you have just gotta do it, we then turned off onto the A1107 or the Eyemouth coastal path . We loved Eyemouth both the harbour and the town centre and beach. We had a look at each which you can see in the picture show. Having left this coastal loop we came back to the A1 and left again on the scenic coastal route, the A1087, to Dunbar. When Keef was a child living at 10 Lessar Clapham the Scottish family living upstairs where named Dunbar, not sure they came from there though, sadly mum can no longer tell me. #sigh It is worth noting we travelled passed the Belhaven brewery but didn’t stop. Dunbar Highstreet we stopped in, this also contains the birth place and museum of John Muir , OK confession time, I had to look him up as well #smile Naturalist and Preservationist, but big in Dunbar by all accounts, apologies to friends of John Muir. After our Dunbar visit, we re-joined the A1 bypassing Edinburgh as best we could and crossed the 4th road bridge at Queensferry, I remember in my 20’s South and North Queensferry having a ferry crossing available for the Firth of Forth, a very distant memory. It was then on through Fife and turning off to visit Loch Leven at the Kinross turnoff. We parked up for a walk, the sun came out and sadly so did a few early midges, out damn spot! Annie remembers visiting here with her parents and them taking the hire boat out on the loch to visit the castle prison where Mary Queen of Scots was held but Anne’s Mum freaking out when the motor cut out, suck memories not. We had a good look around a very nice spot. We then headed past Birnam turnoff where the van conked out last time and onto Blair Atholl, a lovely place, stopped near the heritage area with its wood carvings, old bridge and post office, a bit of sun and a few people picnicking. Irn Bru and fish suppers. Keef took pictures of the River Tilt. We then hit some snow, pretty strong through the Grampians and the Cairngorms National Park arriving at Aviemore a tourist mecca we had never been to before, quite liked the place, especially the Strathspey steam railway station and the views of the snow-covered Grampians Boy it was cold and snowy. We saw the train being readied for the season as we left Grantown the next day outside Aviemore. We then went onto our campsite at Grantown on Spey just outside the main town, a lovely site and a very helpful warden on his Golf buggy greeted us. Set up for the night, it then started snowing quite heavily, a little worrying. Kept the heating on for quite a bit. Had our usual day 2 lasagne and garlic bread supper with strawberry yoghurt pudding, delicious. Then to bed we start the NC 500 tomorrow snow allowing. Day 3 Nice and sunny this morning which meant the snow dump we had had overnight melted quickly. When we first work and drew back the roof light the snow – ice crystals that met us were fascinating to watch from the comfort of our beds as it melted. After breakfast we parked up in Grantown on Spey near the kilt shop and walked from one end of town to the other. What a lovely place it is, with some very interesting buildings and gardens. We liked it so much we have decided in the future we will come back to this area and probably stay at the same site. It is a Caravan and Motorhome club affiliated site which means a discount is applied when you show your club card #hintsandtips We took a drive out in search of the River Spey but could not find it so returned to Grantown and started heading off to Inverness to start the North Coast 500, allegedly 500 miles hence the name but from our Odometer a bit more that that at 550 miles and we left out the steep climb over to Applecross via the Bealach Na Ba Road (Battle of the Cattle). So glad we did miss this bit out as it was snowing and it said NO MOTORHOMES 😉 We did indeed cross the Spey on quite a few occasions on our route. We travelled to the City of Inverness, then Beauly to see the town, trees, priory and Shinty ground, must look up what that is, if interested look HERE. We passed the Glen of Ord distillery but did not go in. At Marybank Keef stopped to take both his first picture of the NC 500 road signage and the wonderful old metal school gate, quite a classic. After that we joined the main A835 through Contin past the Museum of Childhood (seen one of those in Sudbury Derbyshire so didn’t stop) onto Garve where we stopped for lunch overlooking the loch. We then turned off onto the A832 past Gorstan onto Achnasheen where we stopped in front of the remote railway station. This is the Kyle of Lochalsh line from Inverness so you can join up with a ferry to Skye. Less used now the road bridge to Skye is available but we have used the Arisaig ferry and Kyle of Lochalsh ones in the past. A little about Achnasheen which we loved, the air was so fresh, the views fantastic and the oakmoss on all the trees reflected the clear air. Achnasheen Train Station is a stop on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the small village of Achnasheen. Opened in 1870, it was an important connection point for freight, mail and passenger trains travelling from parts of Wester Ross to Inverness. Today, trains from Achnasheen train station connect the village to Inverness, which can be reached in less than 90 minutes. It is a stopping point mainly for tourists and walkers who wish to visit the village or explore the surrounding area. The original Achnasheen Hotel, built soon after the station, burned down in 1994 but accommodation for visitors can be found at the Ledgowan Lodge Hotel, which is located half a mile from the station. Four trains from each direction stop here daily on weekdays and Saturdays. Sundays have one train all year round and two during the summer. The two platforms at Achnasheen station are connected by a footbridge and both have small shelters and seats. After Achnasheen we travelled through Glen Carron and on the Wester Ross coastal route past loch carron , a lovely village, very touristy where we stopped and then again on the wonderful loch Kishorn, a sea loch for many a photo opportunity. Just past Ardarroch with sleet, snow and mist in full swing we came to the start of the Bealach Na Ba Road which said no Motorhome, its possibly the steepest road in the UK. Annie convinced Keef, quite rightly that we shouldn’t do it, friends have since told us its scary enough in a car, let alone a motorhome in snow, so a good call, Keef however would love to do it one day in a car, maybe in better weather and get across the steep hills up and down to Applecross. Anyhow we took the mucg flatter single track road across to Shieldaig through the forest. We had forgot that the Torridon hotel lauded by Susan Calman, and Giles and Monica was at Shieldaig, we knew we were on the lookout for this plush hotel on the NC500, keef promising Annie via a 2nd mortgage to buy her a high tea there, sadly it didn’t happen, maybe another time. After Shieldaig it was through the Glen Torridon onto Kinlochewe and the fab loch Maree which seems endless as a freshwater loch in an area of so many sea lochs. The weather was finally beginning to clear a little making the views even more spectacular. We then went on past Victoria falls arriving at Gairloch harbour now sadly in the rain and sleet. We stopped momentarily knowing we would return tomorrow, as it was now getting late we went out along the coast road to out Sands resort campsite at Big sands for the night. Not the greatest site facilities wise but the sand dunes and views were to die for. Day 4 A nice bright but cold morning, not that we knew it at the time, but potentially the best weather of the holiday maybe bar the last day on the way back at Bolton Abbey in the North York moors, anyhow after breakfast we drove back into Gairloch, filled with diesel and Keef bought a route 500 road sign, why not you may ask. Not the tourist tat that Susan Calman is so keen on however in my defense, ha-ha. We parked up in the estate walks car park, had a look at the river Kerry from the old bridge and then crossed back over the main road to the old fishing harbour which we walked all the way along via the fabulously named sit-oot-erie, with lovely spring bulbs. Keef went to the end of the pier talking to a few deep-sea fishermen on route, mostly lobster and mussels was their catch. We called in at the little harbourside shop to buy a few things on the way back to the motorhome, we absolutely love Gairloch, what a special place. Having left Gairloch we travelled back on the A832 through the very rocky area up to Poolewe. The next bit we have done before in reverse order as we travelled anti clockwise through parts of this area on our third trip in the motorhome back in 2012 Blog 38 . So we drove past Inverewe gardens which wasn’t open anyhow and stopped once again at the WW1 lookout over loch ewe. In the current climes we by passed the Russian Arctic Convoy museum, we would have done anyhow, way too boring. Tee-hee. It was then past little sea loch Broom and then stopping at Ullapool for lunch. We love Ullapool and all of Sutherland, but the huge Viking Venus cruise liner was in the port harbour ferrying lots of American tourists off the ship into port so with walking tours led by old men in kilts it was a little too busy for us, so we moved on into the somewhat more remote and relaxing Assynt . Stopping off at the old Ardvreck castle , Annie stayed in the van after reading the tourist info boards but Keef walked along the short path to the old 1490 castle, the home of the Macleod’s of Assynt. The area also had a fascinating Calda manor house c 1730 ruin with information stating it belonged t the MacKenzies of Assynt. Some of the clear reflection in loch broom were amazing and I hope I have captured that in some of my pictures. After the castle we left onto the A837 along the side of lock assynt through little Assynt and then down 5 miles at the start of the wee mad road to our campsite at Clachtoll beach, run by the amazingly helpful Tom and Andy, a glaswegian and a yorkshireman. What a nice campsite in such a nice area. They had a fire going so you could sit out under the stars, wet suits, and body boards to borrow, plus fire pits for your own BBQs. The only downside was the stupid female couple who blocked me in on entry to the site and I had to initiate a 10 point turn to get out of it in very narrow surroundings whilst they watched, grr, no effort to move or help at all oh plus despite saying we saw 2 cases of folks lighting fires on the ground when the owners clearly pointed out that that was a no-no and you could borrow their safe grates. How silly and disrespectful is that! In the eve we took a long walk down and along the beach via the boardwalks as the sun was beginning to set, just magical. Day 5 Not the greatest weather today. Packed up and left the Clachtoll beach site early which was a very sensible move considering the challenges of the Wee Mad Road . I saw a 30-foot-long trailer pulling a caravan combo which in my humble opinion was nuts. Luckily, he went in the opposite direction and did the 5 miles back so no obstacle for us. I also did not know it was a book by Jack & Barbara Maloney. Here is a simple synopsis of that book which says more than I could. Lovesick sheep, rumours of war, storms at sea, whisky galore - a midlife escape from an 'empty nest' in America to start afresh in the wilds of Scotland. When their children grow up and leave home, authors Jack and Barbara Maloney sell their house in a Midwest suburb and run off to the Highlands. Following a one-lane track called ''The Wee Mad Road,'' they discover an isolated remnant of traditional Gaelic culture, peopled by characters as unique and memorable as the surrounding mountains. The Maloney’s settle into an old stone cottage and spend two years in repeated collisions with quaint Highland ways. Entries from Barbara's diary detail the realities of village life, while Jack recounts tales of poachers, crofters, and lairds in one of mainland Britain's most scenic and isolated corners. The Wee Mad Road is a warm and witty account of two years in the Highlands, with illustrations of everyday life in the wildest reaches of the United Kingdom. It's a 'how to' book for anyone who dreams of escaping the doldrums of suburban midlife and starting over. We were looking for somewhere to get milk along the road. We stopped at the Drumbeg viewpoint overlooking Eddrachillis bay where we met a white-haired ex-hippie who was also doing the same route as us, indeed we saw him often on our travels, next popping up at Sango sands in Durness. We exchanged witticisms about how we were only doing the NC500 to find a rubbish bin, there were none at Clachtoll beach site where we had both been the night before. We thought we would walk to the shop in Drumbeg but the wind was so overpowering we got back in the van and drove there, only to find it was shut anyhow as it was Sunday. No worries we carried on round the very twisty steeply inclined (both directions) road, its name is not without cause, but we loved it, the remoteness and views are what the NC500 is all about in our humble opinion. Back on the main road A837 at Unapool we were able to make a little more progress, we stopped at the only open shop in Scourie to get milk. After that we went to Laxford Bridge, Rhiconish then the single-track road all the way across the “rock ridges” of upper Sutherland to Durness, where we had been before in 2012 when we visited Cape Wrath. Note the single-track road was a breeze after the Wee Mad Road, I can tell you. Much of this area is a route called the rock route with tourist info boards, I read a few but rocks are just not my thing unless forgive me it is reclassified as Rock music, now you are talking! Tee-hee We checked into Sango Sands site, one we have stayed at before, choosing a pitch on the cliff edge with fab views. It was raining , we had looked for diesel here in Durness but none was available. Luckily, we had enough to get mostly across the top of Scotland. The rest of the day and night was rain, sleet, snow and what I can only describe as near gale force winds that rocked the van for most of the evening and night, not the most relaxing, and indeed our second experience of horrendous winds at this campsite. As no one was in the office when we arrived and we certainly didn’t fancy walking anywhere the kind lady came to collect our fee at the door, which almost blew off when we opened it. Not sure we will return to Sango Sands ever again although our pals from Mull went there in Storm Dennis and were the only ones on the site, not surprising, but either brave or foolhardy , I wouldn’t. We had a quick chat with the young Belgian couple next to us who were touring in his converted Sprinter van, they needed some change from us to do their washing. I think with the worry we managed to sleep at least a bit but it wasn’t great, couldn’t wait to leave. Day 6 Up early couldn’t sleep because of the wind anyhow, it had lessened a bit, we drove over to the only amenities open all the ones near us were boarded up against the weather, not great really. The two good things they had done since last time we visited 10 years ago was set up many more level graveled pitches and a breakfast bar, not that we used it but the lady who took our money was thankfully tucking into a bacon butty. We reckon the reason so much of Scottish food is grease ladened is to shut out the cold, it’s a bit like covering yourself in fat to swim the channel. It reminds me of our deep-fried mars bar experience in Blog 131 . Didn't know that there was a memorial in Durness to John Lennon. Here is a write up about the Durness stuff , indeed In My Life off the Beatles rubber soul album, which he wrote was inspired by childhood stays at the croft in Durness. We are collecting visits to John Lennon Memorials as back in 2019 just off Reykjavik on Videy Island Yoko build the Imagine Peace Tower. (See BLOG 135 ) . We then went past Smoo Caves which we still haven’t seen, to the Robb Donn trail clearance village . Then it was around loch erribol on the single-track road onto tongue across the kyle of tongue causeway which was being repaired. The famous youth hostel Chris and I stayed at back in 1974 which was a posh yoof hostel by 2012 was sadly now closed, boo! At tongue we finally found some diesel and at £1.97 a litre I had no choice, I would have paid even more. Saw castle Varrich and quite a few more clearance villages before the long scenic drive through highlands Caithness to initially scrabster where we once caught the ferry to the Orkneys back in 1985. Then into Thurso and buying some much needed provisions in Lidl there, having lunch in their car park overlooking the bay before heading on through Dunnet-to-Dunnet head and visiting the lighthouse at the most northerly point in the UK past Brough. We then returned down the awfully maintained single track back into Dunnet and then onto the wonderful Caravan and motorhome club site at Dunnet bay where we stayed for 2 days. We set up camp and whilst the weather was reasonable walked down onto the beach via the boardwalk and walked quite a long way along, it is allegedly 2.5 miles long and when the wind is up makes a great surfing beach, lovely sands, but as the tide was coming in and the wind bitter, we turned around and returned to the van for some warming soup. Then it was time to read and relax, listening to the new Bryan Adams album so happy it hurts, just wonderful. Day 7 2nd day at Dunnet Bay campsite, not great weather in the morning, rained most of the time, a clear patch mid-afternoon gave Keef time to walk into Dunnet and visit the Gin distillery there as well as walk up to the turning for Dunnet head. The gin place was closed but I was able to look into see the process and some of the Gins they sold. I was also able to stroll around their gardens where there were lots of herbs I had never heard of which they used the flavour the gin. Hugely expensive the cheapest in the shop window seemed to be £57 a bottle, wow! By the time I had walked back it was raining again but at least I got a little exercise and some learning. The viewing platform at the other end of the beach was interesting at was the displays but school kids outside the cap site. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and reading. I am reading a historical novel about Katherine De Swynford, mistress and later wife of John of Gaunt, later on in the holiday this enable us to say that Allyson and Annie are distantly related. On the site there was an auto sleeper executive very similar to ours only somewhat older, just shows they keep going. Day 8 Left the fab Dunnet bay past the Queens Mums castle of Mey (which we visited in 2012) and travelled onto to John O’Groats hoping it had improved since our last visit 10 years ago. The brochures said the quaint village of John O’ Groats, on the way we stopped at Gills Bay where a ferry goes to both the near island of Stroma and St Margaret’s Hope on South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands which we visited in 1985. The ferry is run by Pentland Firth, I need investigate whether it carries vehicles because the John O’Groats one is only passenger. It may be an alternative to Scrabster – Stromness when we return to the Orkneys which we are thinking of doing in Wendy house as well as the Shetlands assuming there are enough campsites. Sadly, John O’Groats is still a dump, and the new holiday pods look more like WW2 bunkers, note to self never go back again. This is what was in the Dunnet Bay Caravan and Motorhome Club site marketing leaflet, we looked for it honest but didn't find it, hugely disappointing. After John O’Groats we stopped near Keiss castle, went past the lovely Sinclair Bay and after that we travelled onto Wick to buy shortbread, Scottish products and visit Old Pulteney distillery to buy Doug a rare whiskey for his collection. In wick we even visited their old castle, not that wonderful. Then it was on down the A9 past Dunbeath castle, Helmsdale, Wolfstone and onto Dunrobin castle which we had not been to before. We spent a pleasant few hours there, in what seems like a French chateau, owned by successive Dukes & Duchesses of Sutherland, the earlier ones being responsible for the Highland clearances so not that popular. Loved the fact that one so rich built his own station nearby and ran steam trains to it, he was an engineer . I personally loved the old clocks of which there were plenty. The gardens were very formal, we took hundreds of pictures and tried to spot the falconry. The images were in case we decided to invest in some solid real estate, ha-ha. It was then back to the start of our NC500 trip and the Torvean campsite on the other side of the city of Inverness, by the Caledonian canal, a very overpriced campsite for what it was, we would never use it again preferring Grantown on Spey that isn’t that far away #hintsandtips Day 9 Filled the van water tank to about half, then we left for the lovely drive along the edge of Loch Ness, didn’t see Nessie but we stopped at Urquhart castle for a squint at the relic. We then stopped at the Commando monument mostly for the view of the mountains especially a snow-covered Ben Nevis. From here it was through a somewhat built-up Fort William, along the side of loch eil and stpooing for lunch just the other side of the Ballachulish bridge off the A82. From here we motored on to Oban , got some diesel did a bit of shopping and joined the ferry queue for our 4 pm departure to Mull and Craignure. Allyson had collected Chris from Oban hospital and was in lane 1 in the queue beside us. So great to meet up with our pals on the ferry. Chris was recovering from an op and as they were in a car went ahead of us who are somewhat slow in our van across the 34-ish miles of south Mull to their house in Ardtun near Bunnessan Days 10-13 lovely times with pals Chris & Allyson plus the Harveys whom we picked up from the ferry terminal in Chris’s car which I borrowed, besides friends time, escape room games, great food, chat, music - especially Skippernish - trad scottish with a hint of sea shanty, walk to Bunnessan, chic feeding , car practise to Fionnphort , seeing Iona at a distance , Annie and I first went there and to Mull in August 1976 before we were married, walks on Uisken beach, sitting on Peter Morris’s chair, walk to Ardalanish beach across the river and Dunes, near the Weavers we went to before, Annie visiting Monica from NZ with Allyson, venison and oh so many wonderful meals, they sure did look after us, just a great time spent wih pals, so loved it. Stopped for David to take this picture on the way from the Ferry to C&A's at Ardtun. Day 14 up early washed, packed and ready for the long drive back to Craignure to catch the ferry back to Oban, from there we drove via Inverary , Rest and be thankful, Loch Lomond, Fish and chip lunch in Dumbarton with its strange castle / prison riverside, The Erskine bridge and mass traffic around the outskirts of Glasgow back to the Strathclyde country park Caravan and motorhome club site we have stayed at often, a great stopping off point. Day 15 Back across the border into England today leaving Glasgow via the M74 right next door to the campsite, how convenient. Right down as far as the North York moors, pulling off the motorway past dales through Hawes, we stopped for lunch and a bit of shopping in Skipton, quite a busy place especially as the market was on, then it was onto Bolton abbey via Bolton bridge, through the low arch next to the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire plush estate and into Strid woods and the Cravan and motorhome club site named Bolton Abbey, used to be Strid Woods. Greeted by our pals Yvonne and Lawrence who are sole wardens there, had a fab evening meal and time with them catching up, we will see them again soon. Day 16 said our goodbyes and headed back through Harrogate, Weatherby, A1 , A1M to home and unpacking the van, a truly lovely holiday doing the NC500 and seeing friends. We both loved every moment of it. Go to Menu Slideshows Sites and other stuff Key moments Full Slideshow with Audio Diary Intro Go to Menu The Talkies Go to Menu Audio Diary Go to Menu SCOTTISH TRAVEL BLOG ROUTES Go to Menu RETRO SCOTTISH FAMILY HOLIDAY VIDEOS You Tube / utubeo videos recreated in a more modern way in 2023 Go to Menu That's All Folks

By keef and annie hellinger, Jan 13 2019 08:37AM Not the Motorhome trip No 11 : 10th December 2018 – 10th January 2019 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Gatwick to Singapore to China to Singapore ->NOTTS 19,346 miles Spent Christmas and New Year with Doug , Phoenix & Charlie in Singapore and China. Wonderful times and so nice to be able to spend so long with them all. It should be noted that the concept of Motor homing in Singapore (not big enough, but tent camping is possible in East Coast Park) and China (just culturally so foreign to their nature) is unlikely but who is to say in the future whether or not it will happen. When our daughter-in-laws parents visited us in the UK way back when and I showed her father around our Wendy House he asked if English people lived in them. This trip allowed us the opportunity to repay the visit by spending time with them in their home town of Foshan, Guandong province, China and most welcome they made us too. It is fair to say that language is a barrier but Phoenix and Charlie (as interpreters) and a snazzy app on the iPad meant we could communicate just a little. We loved China, what an opportunity, not somewhere I suggest westerners try without some language skills and WeChatPay and Alipay or a whole stack of cash. Most purchases are via the aforesaid app via your phone! We were extremely lucky travelling with Norwegian from Gatwick to Changi that we got a Premier economy upgrade, the extra comfort and luxury made the 14+ hours journey to Singapore a whole lot better. Top films in my humble opinion – Hoover by Clint Eastwood (way out), Bad times at the El Grande (way back) We went to Balalaki Greek Taverna in the historic Tiong Bahru heritage area for Doug’s birthday, and very nice it was too, plus a revisit to Muddy Murphy’s for Xmas dinner, although a new venue this time at the other end of Orchard Road. We flew out to China the day after Boxing day and spent time in Foshan, Guangzhou and Zhuhai (on the border with Macao). Such an experience, loved every moment. We celebrated Annes’ 65th birthday there at a local village wedding and the Western New Year (clearly not Chinese New Year.. 2019 being the year of the Pig). We returned to Marine Terrace, Singapore on the 4th and made good use of the pool etc at Nora & Michaels at Cote D’Azur near Parkway Parade before sadly saying our good byes and returning home to a somewhat cooler UK. Singapore was 34c, China sometimes 3c and UK 6c Among the many highlights in Singapore apart from seeing family were the Q8 at SAM , Singapore Art Museum's spin off for new Artists (the old colonial art museum is currently closed for refurbishment for 3 years), this is located at Bras Basah, The Singapore Heritage Museum, Muddy Murphys in Orchard Road, The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown, Parkway Parade, the ever wonderful East Coast park, Cote D'azur pools, Tiong Bahru heritage area, Gardens by the bay, Asian civilisation museum, Cavenagh bridge area of the Singapore river and the Paranakan Museum and restaurant in Armenian Street. Among the many highlights of our time in China I would list shop and chop house establishments, Starry Four Seasons Hotel, Lingnan quarter, Lion dancing, old orange peel, turtle soup, Zumiao museum, firecrackers, Titian village family wedding, Annies 65th, Nanfeng ancient kiln, Ming & Qing pottery, the Canton or Pearl river, Guangzhou south station (so busy), High speed trains, Yuwenquan hot springs resort, Macao boat trip, MGM studios (Macao),Tea, Dim Sum, cantonese food, deep fried scorpion, gooses intestines, worms, beef knuckle, Hong kong-zhuhai-macao bridge, Cold and Warmth, Rickshaws, Paw-Paw & Gong-Gong, straw hats, Air B&B, Chen Clan academy, Starbucks, Guandong museum, Fans & western trade historically, Canton Tower, young chinese girls wanting their photo with me (what an ego boost ;) ), Buddha in many forms, chinese weighing scales, crocodile and goat, buttons and zips. Looking forward to the next family meet up, “missing you already” Longer term 2020 Beijing for 600th anniversary of the Forbidden city but hopefully also before then! To see more family fun, visit our FAMILY page here on the site #family #majortrip

By keef and annie hellinger, Jul 11 2016 01:08PM Motorhome trip No27 : May 8th- July 8th 2016 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Scandinavia ->NOTTS 6140 miles Feel free to use the MENU to find specifics on this travel blog This was the longest trip so far in our lovely Wendy house of a van, she “dun great” the whole trip…. Up hill, down dale and along the flat! A travel blog to cherish! 10 ferries, numerous islands, bridges and tunnels, 61 days, 6 countries, from the fjords to the Russian border, 44 campsites, 6140 miles and a few tanks of diesel – what a fabulous experience, feel like we have experienced & learnt so much plus I think I can prove I’m related to that great Viking – Harald Bluetooth, he of the rune symbols that all later day geeks know ;) Holland, North Germany, Denmark (all 3 parts – Jutland, Funen & Zealand), Sweden as high up as the lake district, Finland across the southern end and Norway as high up as Trondheim. It was such a wonderful opportunity, such a shame that the UK no longer runs ANY ferries to Scandinavia, we only met 4 other Brits in the whole 2 months and 2 of them were from Oz!. Because of the driving distances it is unlikely we will be able to return in the van as Scandinavia is awe-inspiring for scenery, culture and people. Anyhow we loved it, and we want to share some of that with you. Feel free to let us know if you have been and what you thought of it, thanks. MENU Calendars Summary, Highlights, Lowlights Slideshows The Talkies Full Slideshows with Audio Diary (save reading if you prefer) Diary Audiobook, diaries read out if you would prefer Tags & The End See calendars below for where we were when and there is a slideshow of all the campsites day by day. Note the Numbers referenced are the campsite number in the ACSI handbook or website. #h intasandtips Want to see the SLIDESHOWS We spent 15 days in Denmark, 14 days in Sweden, 10 days in Norway, 6 days in Finland and 10, 5 and 1 days in Holland, Germany and UK respectively getting there Highlights is tricky as there we so many but if pushed I would list Hallingskarvet National Park in Norway,the fjords of Norway, the Lake District of Sweden, Langeland Island & Kronborg Castle (Helsingor) Denmark and the ferry crossing to Finland (Kappelskar to Nanntali) Lowlights not many but prices and trying to find the campsite in Delft (low bridge), chickening out at the Russian border, we had no papers for the van and was seriously worried about officialdom, so turned around in a layby right next to the border crossing and scarpered 😉 The scary tag is for my beard and many tunnels (dark and damp with grotty road surfaces) and the russian border experience 😉 Scandinavian Slideshows The one with speech (i.e The Talkies) is also associated with Blog 101 as indeed are the full sets with Audio Diary attached to the slideshows. The TALKIES Video with Speech, Also covered by BLOG 101 FULL SLIDESHOW WITH AUDIO DIARY OVERLAY For those who would prefer to listen than read , entirely up to you It is in 2 parts, the first covers 8th May to 5th June 2016 in audible diary accompanied by the complete set of images from both Denmark & Sweden back in 2016. It is 68 minutes long. The second covers 6th June to 7th July 2016 with an auduble diary accompanied by a complete set of images for Norway, Finland, Holland and Germany. It is 2 hours 13 minutes long, so beware, you can of course watch and listen in parts but its a lot of images, actually 4.9 GB worth (tee-hee) but its there for prosperity. #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2016 #campsites #majortrip #timeline DIARY Here is a quick run through of the sites we stayed at day by day that accompany the written diary Sunday 8th May 2016 Having packed the van we travelled down to Harwich and stayed at the Green Acres site at Dovercourt campsite, never again awfully run down and full of permies, in future trips i.e., that to the Faroes and Iceland completing our complete visitation of all Scandinavian countries covered by BLOG 135 we stayed up on the hill overlooking the sea, perfectly fine, great views and free and since the ferry always leaves so early in the morning to the Euro port in Rotterdam ideal. Monday 9th May 2016 We travelled on the Stena Ferry Britannica from the port of Harwich to the Euro port in Rotterdam, Netherlands named the Hook of Holland. A pleasant journey, even went to see the new Star Wars movie, Annie fell to sleep and missed the bit where Harrison Ford dies ha-ha, interesting views plus very few actual customers, mostly cargo lorry drivers, does make me wonder how much longer this ferry will survive the ones from Newcastle to Bergen, Norway stopped in 2008, it was possible for a bit to use the cargo ferry from Immingham to Brevik, Norway but they now only take commercial vehicles and the other DFDS ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg, Jutland, Denmark has also stopped so there are NO ferry crossings direct to Scandinavia, we didn’t mind as were driving there and seeing a lot on route. After getting off the ferry we travelled along the coast, getting out of Rotterdam for us is always a nightmare at the first big roundabout as our Truck Nav gets confused, maybe next time we will get it right first time, maybe not, but at least whilst getting lost we always get to see all the lovely greenhouses and bulb selling establishments tee-hee, anyway we camped that night at De Brandling site in Zandvoort on the coast near Amsterdam, lovely beach view walk in the evening. We stayed here 2 days. Tuesday 10th May 2016 Today we took the train into Amsterdam from Zandvoort which is at the end of the line. Had a lovely day out and about in the capital, walking around taking photos and generally soaking up the atmosphere along the canals, watching the boats and bikes everywhere. Some of what we saw was The Kafe Cobalt where Rembrandt once lived , Rijksmuseum, Dam Square, Henry Willig’s cheese shop, the Damrak trams, the interior of the old main post office, what an amazing building, old canal side merchant houses and bridges in prince henri kase, Amsterdam Central station, fast food vehicles selling Dutch delights, and a whole lot more. We had a canal cruise on a nice boat which gave us a great feel for the whole canal system and associated locks.We really enjoyed it and then caught the train back from Central station to Zandvoort, all very efficient. The walk back to the site took us past one of the very first Cente Parcs holiday establishments. That night whilst cooking we realised Keef had made a camping schoolboy error, the gas cylinder had run out, oh dear! To see some the the many architectural delights Amsterdam has to offer click HERE Wednesday 11th May 2016 Went into Zandvoort in search of a replacement / refill for our Orange UK Calor gas cylinder , found a camping shop but the guy said in Europe they only sold the Camping Gaz containers and we would need a new regulator to go with it as the 2 are not compatible. Expensive but essential and heavy to carry back through the no parking area of town. Still in the long run we have both types now and can mix and match for our trips either in the UK or Europe. Panicked a bit as parked in a short stay parking zone so grateful to get back, find we hadn’t been booked or clamped and set off on the next stage of our journey. Crossing the fantastic causeway across the Ijsselmeer (E22 or A7 you choose) we arrived at the lovely site at Koudum , Friesland, North Holland called Vakantiepark De Kuilart , which is both a marina and a campsite with boardwalks, a restaurant, shops and a swimming pool. Here our pitch was right on the river’s edge. Keef’s converted the gas cylinder to the new one borrowing the kind Dutch guy next pitches spanner ready to cook tea, as they say we were back “cooking on gas” ha-ha. We stayed here 2 nights. Thursday 12th May 2016 Our 2nd night at the fabulous de Kuilart site in Koudum, we were on pitch B4. We had breakfast outside as the weather was so good and watched the pleasure cruiser pick up passengers from the jetty in front of us on the Johan Frisokanaal, magical times, we went for a few walks around and generally relaxed from some of the travelling. In the afternoon we went to their indoor swimming pool, very chlorinated but refreshing. Had trouble with the coins in the lockers, oh you Brits, ha-ha. Bought some nice bread and cakes in the site shop for tea. Friday 13th May 2016 We moved onto the equally nice campsite, Wiedumerhout campsite at Wiedum based on a farm and on the edge of yet another canal, The Wiedumer Feart. We ate a very classy 3 course meal there in their Michelin starred chef’s restaurant as well as having a lovely walk along the edge of the many canals’ intersection and junctions there. All in all, a very relaxing time for 2 days. We remember entering in the van just as the farmer with his muck spreader was driving in, chaos and smelly but so rural. Saturday 14th May 2016 Our second day relaxing at Wiedum. All very nice but time to move onto Scandinavia. Annie remembers the showers not being great there, indeed a little primitive. Sunday 15th May 2016 We had a 2hours 30 minutes’ drive from Weidum in Holland to Wingst in Germany ging through the Weser tunnel. We stayed at the Knaus Campingpark in Wingst Schleswig-Holstein on pitch 96 where Keef had to practise his German to get booked in. It was a nice friendly father and son in the office who greeted us and offered us some nice German Kuchen or as we say in English cake, spicy and yummy. The site itself was how can I kindly say, in need of some TLC however the flowers were lovely, rhodis, azaleas and lilacs, super smells in the air. The main towns we bypassed on our journey today were Groningen and Oldenburg, but we called into Leeuwarden first. Monday 16th May 2016 We left Wingst and made our way to wischhagen where we caught the ferry across the river Elbe, what a wonderful journey accompanied by many tourists but also a whole bunch of motorcyclists who were touring around. The other side of the elbe is Gluckstadt. When we arrived we then had to wait for the Keil canal bridge to descend, we had previously in 2004 been up the Keil canal with Mum on a cruise holiday so this was seeing it from a very different angle. We have seen loads on windmills through out Holland and now Germany, we learnt it was National Windmill day today, who knew? We called in at Rendesburg , quite an old Schleswig-Holstein town , the town square was cobbled but amazingly interesting. This town was near the nord-ostersee canal also known as the Keil canal. We then had to take the sehestadt ferry across the Keil canal. We arrived at our campsite for the night at schlei-karschau but in Germany there is a siesta lunch break, so we had to wait patiently in some serious humidity until the office reopened, they do stay open quite late in the evening to be fair. We were on pitch 7, after setting up we went for a local walk along the boardwalk to the marina, and around the town, fascinating architecture. Tuesday 17th May 2016 We left Karschau on the Baltic Sea inlet about 10 a.m. and travelled onto Mommark Marina Camping, South Jutland in Denmark through Flensburg near the border between Germany and Denmark re-joining the e45 motorway past Flensburg. At the border crossing at Ellund West the border guards were stopping most vehicles, indeed doing a thorough check on a pulled over white van man but seeing our British number plate they just let us straight through. We love the Danes. We travelled along the coastal road along the Flensborg fjord thru Sonderborg just over the road bridge that joins main Jutland to the island of south jutland. Mommark is right on the east coast looking across the little belt at the small island of Marstal. We were on pitch 63 overlooking the beach in our own walled pitch, just fabulous. When we arrived, we were royally greeted in good English by the site owner in his restaurant / café on site. A very helpful fellow. They didn’t accept our ACSI card, so we had to buy a Camping Radet / Key Europe card for Scandinavia, good value and worked for the rest of our holiday. Wednesday 18th May 2016 Spent a lovely day here at Mommark, one of our fave campsites, few issues for Annie as builders had turned off the water to the showers but otherwise just fab. They have both a harbour, lighthouse, goat pen, small animal farm and both restaurant and heritage chairs outside, reminded me of a scene in the cult series the Prisoner. Some pitches were high on the hill with great views, we were on the flat by the harbour wall. Keef listened to music on headphones outside and read, Annie crocheted and read, very relaxing. We had a walk on the beach bordering the Baltic Sea, nice white sand and even tried out the first ever of a few selfies with our new selfie stick, we were not that good at it, tee-hee. We saw lots of fish such as plaice being brought in by the fishermen as they unloaded their harbour catch. Thursday 19th May 2016 Sadly, we had to leave the truly magnificent Mommark today, we travelled across the road bridge that joined what is yet another island in South Jutland called Osterby to its far tip to visit a lovely little quaint fishing village called Sonderby and had a nice walk around there, having parked up the motorhome, the smell of wild lilacs growing in the hedgerows was magnificent. There was even a Sonderby Strand campsite there that looked nice, but we weren’t staying this early in the day. So we left Sonberby and travelled via the wonderful and interesting island of Romo , its causeway and dam, here we stopped at the lobster port of Havneby, onto Esbjerg stopping for a walk and look around the historical old capital of Denmark in Ribe, Viking capital way back when with lord angsvar circa 801 BC and modern capital circa 1400 AD, a truly interesting place, its main torvet (street and square) were lovely, the whole place had fab buildings and streets especially the famous puggaardgade, on the west coast of Jutland. We stopped at Esbjerg camping site , about an hour and a half drive from Mommark in theory but we spent all day as so much to see. We stayed at Esbjerg for 2 nights Friday 20th May 2016 Relaxing day in Esbjerg, did a bit of washing and hung it on a makeshift line rigged up between the hedge and the back of the van, nice secluded grassy pitches. Had cinnamon buns and tea outside, bliss. The campsite had a swimming pool and goats. Mostly a relaxing day in the sun reading etc. Saturday 21st May 2016 Today we travelled from Esbjerg to Farso in the North of Jutland, Denmark stopping at the wonderful town of Billund, the traditional home of the world-famous Lego. Learnt a lot about the founding father’s family, the Christiansen family still own it after Ole Kirk C the Danish carpenter started it with wooden bricks for his kids to build with, later obviously they evolved into the cheaper plastic variety we see worldwide today. In Billund we saw a full-scale house they were constructing in Lego, the amusement park, leaned lots of history and saw the Lego band. Such fun. We also visited Silkeborg, its river Gunena, bits about Hans Christian Andersen and Viborg on route. At Silkeborg besides seeing Tolland man in the museum (amazing) we saw a guy training for winter sports in summer going down the road on roller skates with ski poles. We have had some lovely Danish pasties so far, yummy, the real thing plus in Silkeborg museum we had homemade coconut cake. The campsite at Farso was OK with its traditional yellow buildings. Sunday 22nd May 2016 We went from Farso North Jutland to Skagen at the top of Jutland via Limfjorden, the ancient Viking port and city from where they launched their “rape and pillage” excursions ha-ha, it is a huge fjord, then it was onto Vilsted So, where we had a walk, Logster, Alborg, the university town and home and birthplace of the man who created the Sydney Opera House, the one and only Jorn Utzon, indeed one of the buildings there was also designed by him, we loved Alborg a fine place and a walk along the river side is a must. Plus, we visited briefly Hirtshal the port town where we would return in 2018 to catch our ferry to the Faroes and Iceland and complete seeing all countries in Scandinavia, I have both the T-shirt and proof I have been to them all, tee-hee. The journey of the E45 should take 2 hours but as we were being tourists it took all day, who cares? At Skagen we were on pitch 76. We went there after having a stroll around the harbour, quite cold and windy and we saw lots and lots of ice-breaker trawlers and ships as well as a tall ship replica. Fascinating stuff. Monday 23rd May 2016 We left the lovely Skagen high up in Jutland quite early after a refreshing breakfast, travelling on the E45 back through Alborg, the uni town, and through Randers and Arhus and Vejle , about 3 hours driving, to the road bridge, called the little belt bridge (E20) over Arhus bay onto Denmark’s middle island of Funen and the appropriately named Middelfart (tee-hee) which is where we camped for the night, day 16 of our trip. We stopped at Randers on Jutland to have a look at the cathedral and town square, very interesting. We also stopped on the outskirts of Arhus, on the way back from our Faroes and Iceland trip in 2018 we went all around the centre of Arhus, another big university town and Denmark’s 2nd largest city after Copenhagen. We stopped for most of the day at Jelling the ancient home of the Vikings visiting both the Stones and Church which are UNESCO World heritage. And the fabulous Viking Centre, known as Kongernes Jelling and National Museum of Denmark. King Gorm, His Misses Thyra and son Harold Bluetooth (who actually built the church) feature heavily in this area and their alleged burial mounds. The Middelfart site had a very nice pool but today it was a little too cold to use it. Tuesday 24th May 2016 Left Middlefart and travelled onto the town of Odense, Denmark’s 3rd city, we had a good look around the cobbled street centre, with all its lovely old traditional yellow washed buildings, not quite as nice as Ribe but almost and which there we went to visit Hans Christian Andersen ’s boyhood home, this being where he was born, the gardens and museum nearby look nice as well, we peered thru the windows of both. We also had a walk and look around Svendborg close to the highway 9 bridge to the island of Tasinge. Svendborg’s marina, boardwalk and statue of the Snow Goose were all very pleasant. Svendborg’s harbour, station and crooked house were equally interesting. This is the place you catch the ferry to the island of Aero (or as I called it earlier Marstal) but it was just too expensive for us to consider sadly. My fave place there was the Hats and moustache shop, class ha-ha. We then travelled over the various bridges thru Tasinge island with its fab views onto the island of Langeland, our home for the next 2 days and camped at a very large site in one of the sections hedged out there at Emmerbolle strand, halfway up to the north of the island. A very nice and friendly campsite and right on the edge of the sandy beach. Chairs out time to relax, fact. Wednesday 25th May 2016 A day at the Emmerbolle campsite on the island of Langeland chilling and then later after lunch when the sun was beating down, we carried our chairs down to the Stand , or beach in English. Glistening clear waters, keef went in swimming, basically we had the whole beach to ourselves for the afternoon, magical. Thursday 26th May 2016 Packed up early after breakfast and went to explore the bits of Langeland island that we hadn’t already seen from top to bottom, it is however a very thin island with only a handful of roads. The island is famed for both its old windmills and grain production, anyhow once our sightseeing was complete, we went back over the various bridges back to the mainland of Funen via the titchy island of Sio first then Tasinge leaving Langeland at the bridge near Rudkobing. We so loved Langeland and would gladly return. We travelled up the coastal road to Nyborg on Funen and then to the Storebaelt Bridge , an 18-kilometer-long suspension toll bridge that connect the main island of Funen where we were coming from to Zealand Island where we were going to. It goes across the Great Belt. The cost by 2022 is about £28 or 250 Danish Kroner, just can’t remember how much it was in 2016 but it had the same effect on us as the Confederation bridge in Canada back in 2010. Long and windy, indeed it was somewhat foggy as we drove across it. I’ve often wondered if New Zealand was discovered by a Dane hence its name but know it was first Maori or Polynesians, then Dutch then English, the reality when I have looked it up is the name “New Zealand” comes from “Zeeland” (which translates to “Sealand”) in Dutch, after the islands were seen by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Zeeland is a province of the Netherlands. Why is it call New Zealand? Zeeland is a low-lying coastal area in the southwestern region of the Dutch homeland whose name translates as “sea land.” After the bridge we drove about another hour via Soro and Osted to the wonderful town of Roskilde and visited the Viking ship museum on the Roskilde Fjord, the ancients route out to plunder far off those lands, and boy were they good at it. In Genealogy I can trace one of my many family lines back to Aelgifu Elgiva NORTHUMBERLAND who married Gorm the Gormless’s father Horda Denmark (note I would certainly not have had the bottle back then to use that name direct to his face ha-ha) and therefore Viking warriors such as King Sweyn Forkbeard who ruled Britain her great grandson and by implication to Harald Bluetooth, whom I count as my 1st cousin 34 times removed, which I am well pleased with, even if latter DNA results tell me that my Viking blood has been watered down from 2% to miniscule, I’ll take that link, so proud. Anyhow at the Viking boat museum we went on the tour, saw re-enactments of fashioning the wood for boat building and some long boat reconstructions but the real treat was inside the actual original Viking longboats that had been rescued and conserved from the waters where they sank. Trading ships, coastal ships and 34 man short long boats, 67 man long longboats, all fascinating especially accompanied by the informative tour talk, lots of pictures taken obviously. The Viking ship museum is UNESCO world heritage and deservedly so. After the museum we went into the centre of Roskilde to visit the Domkirke , church inside of which were lavish mausoleums to various past Kings & Queens of Denmark. The church itself was magnificent. Harald Bluetooth and our hero, for various reasons that will remain nameless, Christian the 4th are walled up here. Chris 4 reigned the longest and was such an egoist he conquered , rebuilt and then renamed what became Oslo as Christiana after himself, wow! We then travelled to Holbaek where we camped for two nights, a bit of a slopy pitch, but convenient for visiting the local areas. Friday 27th May 2016 We were on the lovely Holbaek site today again, pitch 5, the site also had a large pool which we went in. We got great views of the Holbaek fjord which is part of the much larger Isefjord which in turn is part of the massive sea area known as the Kettegat. We visited Helsingor (or as the Bard would have it Elsinore) and Kronberg Slot or castle from here today a drive of about 1 hour and how worth it was that. We spent most of the day there seeing all things Shakespeare and of course once again our much-maligned hero Chris 4 was everywhere, in our humble opinion he is Denmark’s answer to our own Henry 8th. There were many pictures of great actors and actresses who had performed the Bard’s works at Kronborg, such as Gielgud, Olivier, Jacobi, Burton, Leigh, Compton and mostly it would for obvious reasons be The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The modern-day prince of Denmark Christian is married to Mary Donaldson from Hobart, Tasmania, which is close to our hearts as cuz John & Diana live there. We could look out of the castles turret windows and see Oresund sound where the ferry makes it way across the short distance to Helsingborg on the other side, we did not use this route. The moat well laid out castle walls, courtyard , where we saw an actor dressed as Hamlet, the chapel and remains of what was the old town area were all fascinating in equal measures. There were numerous images of Kings and Queens (Dronning in Danish) on the walls, and apart from Christian the 4th, Queen Sophie and Alexandra of Denmark who married for her sins Prince Bertie, Victoria’s wayward son who later became Edward 7th of England. That’s your history lesson over folks! Helsingor also paid tribute to Hans Christian Andersen by having its own little mermaid. Afterwards we drove back via Fredensborg Slot the royal residence that we had been to once before with Mum on our Baltic cruise in 2004 when we stopped at Copenhagen. We then drove to Fredriksborg Castle and had a walk around the lovely baroque gardens and lake all in very nice weather before returning to the campsite at Holbaek, all in all a great day out. We had a quick swim back at the site to cool off before tea. Saturday 28th May 2016 Packed up early in Holbaek. Today we left Denmark for Sweden travelling over the Oresund sound, part of the Baltic Sea on the Oresund toll bridge , we stopped ever so briefly in the middle (naughty I know but only 5 seconds) to take a picture at the same spot where that film noir scandi series the Bridge found the dismembered torso. The Bridge is the largest in Europe and don’t remember how much the toll charge was but by 2022 it is £44 pounds or 390 Danish krona. The E20 motorway then turned into the E6 motorway which we used to skirt around Malmo, deciding not to drive through such a large city. We drove through Lund but did stop on the outskirts of Kristianstad for a brief look around before driving onto our campsite at Ahus on the eastern coast of Sweden on the Baltic sea past the quite impressive clear , still and reflective Hammarsjon lake. A great place to take a pic methinks! The campsite felt like you were in the woods on the edge of the Helga A tributary and overlooking the Aspets nature reserve. After setting up and our usual cuppa we had a bit of a walk around the site, the smell of burning wood on camp fires is infectious. Sunday 29th May 2016 Before leaving we had a bit of a look around Ahus with its old building and a quick walk on the sandy beach edging the Baltic, I was not going to dip my toe in like the Great Lakes in Canada, it was freezing even at the end of May, ha-ha. Today we drove about 3 and a half hours and 150 miles up the coast of the Baltic Sea through Solvesborg, Karlshamn, Ronneby, Karlskrona, on the E22 and over to Oland Island across the Kalmar straits on the Oland Bridge, nice views all the way across. We stopped at what we affectionately named surfers paradise, or to give it its real name Beijershamn for lunch. Here we saw an outdoor shower fixed up to a motorhome so the guy could wash off his wet suit after surfing, a great idea we thought. Lots of lilacs everywhere, we went for a board walk after lunch near Morbylanga. Oland island has over 400 windmills, it is famous for them, they were everywhere. We visited Lange Jan lighthouse past Ottenby in the far south of the island. Having had a good look around the island from Grankulla in the north to Ottenby in the south we arrived at our campsite near Morbylanga. We liked Oland island a lot. Monday 30th May 2016 Left the campsite at Morbylanga and went up the west coast of Oland Island to visit Borgholm Slot, and interesting castle with lovely views at Solliden Slott . It is home of King Karl Gustav 16th. After having a bit of a walk around the lovely laid out gardens and looking in the Royal gift shop it was time to leave Oland Island, so we travelled back over the Oland bridge back to the mainland at Kalmar. From here we visited Pataholm a heritage village with lovely old buildings and great harbour views. The Baltic Sea near here seem to have a thousand Islands a bit like those between Canada and America at Gananoque which we did in 2010. See our holiday website at HOLIDAY2010 dot co dot uk. It was about an hour from Borgholm slot to the historic village of Pataholm. We then went onto our campsite at Monsteras pitch 8 using the scenic route through Kalmar County and Timmernabben which took about 25 minutes. Lovely scenery along the water’s edge. At the campsite we went through the woods down to the boardwalk jetty in the harbour. Plus our first experience of the traditional Swedish cinnamon bun, our love affair had begun and this was the first of many, yummy yummy. Tuesday 31st May 2016 Day 24 of our fab Scandinavian sojourn. Left Monsteras and travelled through Oskarshamn onto Vastervik where sadly the battery on the sat nav gave up because Keef hadn’t plugged it in properly to the cigarette lighter slot, schoolboy error, anyhow not really an issue as the route we were travelling today was quite straight forward. Keef had got a cheap old TomTom one off eBay and found and downloaded maps for Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland and added then on so having a very cheap journeys satnav. Today’s journey was only just over 2 hours travelling. We visited Sandvik and Kallvik both in Ostergotland county, out down a coastal road off the main road, a very interesting diversion. We had a walk around Kallvik and its harbour and jetty, just lovely and so peaceful. We drove on from here to our campsite at Valdermarsvik. A nice welcome at the café cum office when we arrived and the views from the site were to die for. The Valdermarsvik fjord was truly superb scenery, possibly the best we had seen so far. We took our chairs up onto the hillside over looking the fjord and sat in the sun, keef reading, annie crocheting. Wednesday 1st June 2016 Set off from Valdermarsvik using the motorway initially up to the Gota canal which we crossed via the Bjornavad bridge near Norrkoping, it counts as Sweden’s longest tourist destination, going from east to west in its entirety. We stopped off to have a look at the lock keeper’s cottage and one of the canals many locks. From Norrkoping we travelled onto our campsite for the night at Oxelosund. Quite a big site with lots of permanent campers and holiday chalets. We camped on the grass in one of the many rows, all neatly laid out. After setting up we wandered off to explore. There was a lovely harbour area densely surrounded by high grasses and very few people. We walked on its deserted beach and this time Keef even had a paddle in the Baltic. A very nice area to stay. Thursday 2nd June 2016 From Oxelosund we travelled back through Nykoping onto the E4 motorway which we used to travel into Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, the total journey to the outskirts was only about 1 and a quarter hour but then finding the campsite at Bredang in the suburbs was a little more tricky. We did eventually get there were we would stay for 3 nights to give us time to really have a good look around Stockholm. The site was large and already had a Dutch motorhome caravanserai or duckling club as I prefer to call them on it. Just like one we saw near Ullapool in Scotland once. Anyhow, we parked up in one of the tarmacked slots which in fairness had all the facilities you need, each row was hedge lined to try and create aa semblance of privacy but with the numbers of folk walking past your van constantly that was impossible, we wouldn’t be at the site much over the next 3 days anyhow as sightseeing so all good. The site prices were high as well, understandably as the capital. UPDATE, this reference on reflection was for the site in Helsinki, having reviewed our images, whilst the price was high and it was packed it was grass pitches which were far less regimented that those in Helsinki (7th & 8th of June) We walked from the campsite down to the station Bredang T-bana where we caught the equivalent of their metro into the centre alighting at Gamla Stan station. Their metro is known as the Stockholm Tunnelbana. We had a lovely long walk around, what a fabulous city seeing as much as we could right down to the harbour’s edge. Here we purchased a 2 day ticket for the Hop On Hop off sightseeing bus to enable us to get around all the attractions, we saw the ABBA museum although too expensive to go in, see the slideshows to see what we saw on day 1 in Stockholm, we had teas in the hard rock café before returning by metro to Bredang and the campsite, exhausted but truly inspired by what a great city Stockholm is. Friday 3rd June 2016 Had breakfast then headed off again to walk past the very nice apartment blocks and gardens from the Bredang campsite to the metro and caught the train back into Gamla Stan where we walked back down to the harbour area and along past the boats and statues until we were outside the Swedish Handelsbanken at Kungsträdgårdsgatan 2, 106 70, Stockholm where the Hop ON Hop off bus stop no 1 is, we used it to alight this time near the Vasa Museum i.e. just near the funfair with rides that spread out across the harbour. We were in the museum for quite a while, all very interesting and almost Sweden’s answer to the Titanic, only many years before, OK quite a lot as built by command by then Swedish King Gustavus Aldolphus in the 1620’s, a huge ship heavily over laden that sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour soon after launch. On the way to the bus, we had a look at both the opera house and the royal palace, indeed that was quite near the start bus stop. After making a complete loop again on the bus as part of our ticket you also got a harbour cruise which was a fascinating way of seeing from a very different perspective many of Stockholm’s gems, we had seen either by walking to or from the bus stop. In the harbour there were some mega Cruise ships which luckily weren’t moving else the wash may have capsized our little sight seeing boat, rather like the Vasa only maybe on a different scale, tee-hee. All day the weather was sunny and on occasions humid. We returned via train and foot to the campsite again thinking how privileged we were to have been able to spend two days in such a lovely city. Saturday 4th June 2016 A day off at the campsite catching up with things like van duties, washing and just generally chilling, had a bit of a walk around the area in the afternoon, we were recharging our batteries for the next few days travel to Finland. Some lovely sunsets in the evening. Took lots of pictures Sunday 5th June 2016 Finally left the wonderful Stockholm, would gladly come back another time. Travelled the 1 hour journey about 55 miles on the E18 to the port area of Kapellskar. Only stopped at Brevik on route for a very quick look around. Stayed at quite an interesting campsite not surprisingly called Kapellskar camping near the harbour. Our pitch was slightly up a hill, very lush grasslands with some good views. Went to sleep quite early as early morning start on the ferry to Finland tomorrow. Monday 6th June 2022 Up early to catch the ferry, was a very short drive from the site to the Ferry port at Kapellskar, waited in line to get on our Viking line ferry for what turned out to be the most magnificent cruise we have ever been on, indeed better than the Baltic one with Mum in 2004 and way better than our 40th Anniversary cruise to the Caribbean and States in 2018, Blog 125 . Our ship was called the Finnfellow, run by Finnlines , all food and drinks were included in the ticket price which was incredibly cheap for 2 adults and a motorhome, about £50 return in 2016 for a 4.5 hour journey in each direction, 150 miles of sea each way, truly stunning price. We only found this out food included when I tried to pay, and the lady said no, just help yourself whenever you wish, which we did. So, we got fed and saw some of the most magnificent scenery as we travelled along from Kapellskar in Sweden on the east coast to Naantali on the west coast of Finland via the sea of Aland and all its lovely little islands, the major one of which of course is mainland Aland and we called in there at Langnas , Lumparland to let off passengers and their vehicles and take more on. It is 30 kilometers from the Aland islands capital Mariehamn. The Aland islands are owned by Finland, but the residents speak Swedish. They and there are lots of these islands the main one our ship called in at being by far and away the largest are all in the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. Maps of our ferry journey The slideshow to accompany this magnificent ferry trip is backed by Abba music, appropriately, the sea was calm, it was sunny and blissfully relaxing, we bought Finn Bear for Charlie (or Peanut as she was known in the womb!) We loved looking at Aland and its islands, eventually we came into the headlands off Turku, Finland, looking rather industrial, it is a main shipping, cargo port for Finland. It turned slightly to come into Naantali. We drove off, set the satnav to Finland and located our campsite for the night, a lush green hilly site on the edge of the Gulf of Bothnia, fab views down from our pitch all fringed by the green pines, elements of Canada here. Tuesday 7th June 2022 Day 31. Drove from the lovely site at Naantali onto Rastila camping site in Helsinki the Finnish capital. We were on pitch 13. The site was large and already had a Dutch motorhome caravanserai or duckling club as I prefer to call them on it. Just like one we saw near Ullapool in Scotland once. Anyhow, we parked up in one of the tarmacked slots which in fairness had all the facilities you need, each row was hedge lined to try and create aa semblance of privacy but with the numbers of folk walking past your van constantly that was impossible, we wouldn’t be at the site much over the next 2 days anyhow as sightseeing so all good. The site prices were high as well, understandably as the capital. The other great thing about the Rastila site was that the metro train station was right next door, hugely convenient for getting into the city centre. The journey via the scenic route which started off on Highway one through the industrial area of Turku was about 3 and a half hours, but worth doing. If we had just used the motorway into Helsinki, it would have been just over 1 hour but somewhat boring. Our first stop after Naantali was the seaside resort town of Hanko , a past holiday resort for rich Russians, it was a 2-hour drive through some very nice scenery, woodlands, hills, abundant flora and fauna, didn’t see much native wildlife, although some bird species we have not come across before. Especially remember the lovely beach walk in the sunshine, some interesting old and new architecture, i.e., villa tellina and margarita, pine trees everywhere, water tower, old church, and the formal gardens all in flower. It was about hours’ drive after a fab time in Hanko to the site in Helsinki. Wednesday 8th June 2017 Up early, breakfasted and caught the metro next door to the site, Rastila station into central Helsinki. Interesting colour scheme on the metro, all red. Anyhow it was a somewhat grey and miserable day weather wise but not on the discovery front. From the main station we found the stop for the Hop on Hop Off bus tour in the main square and having looked around both the cathedral and town hall, both very grandiose, we paid and got on for our voyage of discovery around the Finnish capital. In our humble opinion most of the architecture was drab Russian utilitarian. Had some lovely cardamom buns as a snack, yummy. The main square also commemorated Alexander 2nd of Finland who was murdered by the Russians. Still raining it was nice to get on the bus. Although the drizzle did obscure our view somewhat. Bus tours are a great way to find the things you really want to see about a city. Lots of trams, funfair and Finn sky wheel on the harbour area, market square was very interesting area, and the market was on today. Loved its Havis Amanda statue. Presidential palace, esplanade, lots of boating and rally cars (Finns are world champions at this sport) at eira beach, big cruise ships at the melkki cruise terminal, by the afternoon the sun had finally come out, so we got to see both the botanic gardens and the old Olympic stadium nearby, that where all their long distance runners are celebrated. We got off the bus after 1 and a bit trip around the circuit near the Hard Rock Café where we had a chocolate milk shake and not surprisingly Keef bought a T-shirt. Our waiter was from Hungary and had a very interesting chat with him, his English was superb, he loved living in Helsinki which was a great recommendation. We then caught the metro back to Rastila and the campsite, as now sunny went for a walk around and saw both wooden holiday chalets and a Finnish dog show a bit like cruft’s, tee-hee, pooches everywhere. We also strolled down to Rastila’ s beach called uimaranta and its marina and harbour, all very pleasant especially as so warm. The Finns love their sauna’s and we saw wooden out buildings housing these everywhere. Tea and bed early, tomorrow we are off to discover the rest of Finland, ok maybe! Thursday 9th June 2017 Day 33 left the wonderful Rastila and Helsinki and travelled onto Hamina on the E18 which also doubles as a scenic route. We firstly stopped at the village of Porvoo on the Porvoo river, it had a lovely old heritage bridge , old boats, quaint wooden houses and shops riverside and cafes. We had a lovely long walk around, indeed whilst out by the old wooden historic river bridge we met a young girl on her bike who told us in brilliant English, they all speak it brilliantly, that she did tourists’ trips around the old town. I remember one of my first experiences in a garage in Finland , just outside Naantali where I couldn’t work out how to use my credit card and the little girl behind the counter said in strident English it’s the other way up sir, amazing, so wish I had done better at languages at school. The cathedral and its cobbled square were also wonderful. The old schoolhouse was equally amazing. Anyhow we walked back along the river to the wonderful old, cobbled town square. The old Irish Embassy built 1820 was amazing. We really liked Porvoo. After Porvoo we drove onto to just before the Russian border past Vaalimaa, literally, next stop St Petersburg, which we loved when we visited in 2004 with Mum especially the Hermitage Museum, artwork to die for. Since we had no papers and didn’t want the motorhome impounded, we turned around just before the crossing in a layby and returned to Hamina town, another traditional old Finish town. It took about 30 minutes and 25 miles from the Russian border. Hamina town and its magnificent town hall had a feel of being a cross between Hanko and Porvoo as old traditional Finish towns. The Linnoitus fortress was also worth a visit. It was built by the Finns to stop the advancement of Peter the great who wanted to capture all the seaports along the coasts for Russia, maybe this is reminiscent of Putin in 2022 and Ukraine, sadly! After a good look around, we called into the Hamina campsite and restaurant, by the water’s edge and booked in. The site was quite empty, so we had the pick of the pitches. Very forestry, and we set up and went for a walk around, down to the sea and beach along one of the many boardwalks. A very nice, deserted beach. Had a long walk around the site, looking at the amazing wooden sauna buildings wood fired, must be amazing in winter. Friday 10th June 2016 Keef couldn’t sleep so up early, about 5 a.m. and went and had a shower and a good look around. The site is on a very sandy base. Back afterwards and Annie had awoken and showered we had breakfast and set off on our journey back to Naantali with a real feel that we had at least in part sampled some of Finland’s culture and scenery and we liked it. The journey back to Naantali was all via motorway and took just over 3 hours by passing Helsinki , through Espoo and Turku and back into the town for a look around which we hadn’t done when we stayed 4 days previously. We parked up and had a good walk along the boardwalk surrounding the harbour and marina, all very interesting. Weather not too bad. Bit overcast but warm. We then had a good walk around the old town, seeing many old traditional wooden houses , the town hall with its old clock tower hovers above every sight line in Naantali. Some of the streets were steep all leading back down to the harbour. A very interesting town. After that it was back to the campsite, this time we were on pitch 51, closer to the waters edge but still on the flat. Such nice views we then set up and relaxed for the rest of the day ready for our cruise back to Sweden tomorrow. Saturday 11th June 2016 Having stayed in the same campsite at Nanntali we knew our way back to the ferry terminal , the Naantali Nadendal, pronounced Natalie, and so most of the day was spent doing that lovely ferry trip via the Aland islands and multiple little islands on route back to Kapellskar. Can’t recommend this trip enough, just so relaxing, and free food and drink as well, what more could you ask for. Our ship this time was the Finneagle. We saw a lot of salmon farms on route as well. We also got to watch, heaven forbid, the Queen’s 90th celebrations on the TV delivered in Finnish, amazing, ha-ha, I of course stood to attention. In general, it is all plain sailing but there is a very rocky coastline, so we saw many lighthouses through the Gulf of Bothnia. We even went past the Finnfellow , the one we went over to Finland on, on the way back , they obviously use 2 vessels on this trip. There are many private islands with their own boat jetties along the route. We eventually got back to the Kapellskar campsite in Sweden at about 6.30 in the evening. It is quite a long boat trip, but so enjoyable, at 8hours 34 minutes. This time we were on pitch 16, tired we retired early after a snack as well fed on the ferry trip. So loved Finland. Sunday 12th June 2016 After breakfast set off reasonably early from the Kapellskar site on the banks of the sea of Aland in the gulf of bothnia. It was going to be a 5 hour plus drive today, initially back through Brevik and Norrtalje turning off the 77 onto the main E4 into the old capital of Sweden Uppsala which the Vikings used as one of their centres of governance, a fascinating place with lots of history and amazing buildings. We had a good long walk around seeing the old water mill, senate house, st olaf’s arch, the gamla or old town, the old catherdral or domkirke to name but a few and saw folk in traditional dress going to church, as it was Sunday, all very interesting. Then it was onto the turning leading to alvkarlaby where there was a huge Chinese dragon gate with lions, a rather strange find in a Scandinavian area but extremely lavish and large. We then used the coastal road onto Gavle and then on from there to the start of Siljan lake at Rattvik. This whole area counts as the equivalent of the Swedish lake district and travelling along through Mora and lake Orsasjon to our campsite for the night at Alvdalens camping, a nice site on the banks of the Osterdalalven river. There were some interesting BBQ pit houses on site for use by anyone, we had a nice evening stroll around the site and along the river, all very pleasant. The guy in the office offered me a chance to catch grayling and trout in the river, but I’m no fisherman. Tee-hee Monday 13th June 2016 Spent a lovely 2nd day here in the lovely campsite, took the motorhome out to have a look at the nearby ski resorts including the wonderful ski jumping slopes, even though it was not winter you could easily envisage them being used, fascinating. We also had a good look around the area and then returned early to the site to both chill, stroll along the river again and have a nice BBQ in the evening, chicken if I remember rightly. From a taste perspective however chicken in Scandinavia is quite different. Alvdalen has 4 ski areas using for both skiing and snowboarding. Including Grovefjall, Idre fjall and salen, it doesn’t take a great brain to realise the Fjall probably means mountain in Swedish tee-hee. Tuesday 14th June 2016 After 2 days in the lovely Swedish lake district we are moving on across the border into Norway but first we visited the wonderful town of Nusnas, Dalarna county on the edge of the huge and majestic Siljan lake. Nusnas is about an hour away from Alvdalen and is the home of the world famous Dala horse. We visited the Grannas A Olssen workshops and watched some very skilled workers creating these wooden masterpieces. From the huge to the miniscule indeed so small you could only see them under a microscope. There was also a history museum within the workshop showing Dala horses back through time to some of the very first ever crafted. These would we worth a fortune if you owned them. They have travelled worldwide, indeed we bought one for our grand daughter which she still has in her bedroom to this day. They were a hit at the 1939 world fair. This is the smallest available, fascinating, it is followed by a slideshow of all the images we took whilst visiting the Dala horse workshops, enjoy! After Nusnas we returned via the village of Sarna on the ostadalaven where I took what was possible my best picture of the holiday, just so proud of it. Sarna is in the Fulufjallet national park which has the ski mountain ranges. In essence we had returned near to Alvdalen where we had camped for 2 days but not quite. At Sarna we parked up and visited the very old cedar wood church. Past Sarna at Idre on Highway 70 we crossed over into Norway, where to be honest there was no border crossing attention from officials at all. We stopped to take some pictures. It is also worth noting and I’d forgotten this that they drive on opposite sides of the road, easy for us Brits to adjust. From here we headed on up into the Engerdal National Park and to our campsite at Hedmark. Hardly anyone was at the site so we mostly had it to ourselves, again as summer it felt like it was mostly populated only during the skiing season, the site itself was very nice and quirky. There was also a residual of snow still on the surrounding mountains, I would definitely not like to take the van here in winter, just far too scary. Wednesday 15th June 2016 From Hedmark we set off towards Haneset and Roros along the edge of the scenerific Storsjoen with its mountains surrounding the lake. We came across elk on the road. We travelled through Kvernnes, Tyldal and turned at Tynset through Tolga and Os onto our Roros camping site, a splendid journey mostly through forested areas, the air was just so clean and some magnificent scenery. The whole scenic trip took about 4 hours. We stopped at stations and saw ski jump slopes on route. The Norwegian village of Roros including the old traditional timber houses was most interesting. We learnt a lot about the heritage culture and customs. It was a Unesco world heritage site. Thursday 16th June 2016 We set off from Roros camping to as far up as we were scheduled to travel north in Norway for this trip heading for Trondheim and our campsite out along the coast at Flakk. We first called in at Storen and then to see the waterfall at aursunden in the forollhogna national park whose scenery was the backdrop for most of todays journey all the way up to Trondheim. Spectacular views all the way on Highway 30. Some of the mountains on route were positively volcanic, just look at some of our images. Highway 30 turned into the E6. We had a real good look around Trondheim, which was once a Norwegian capital, it has a lot of history. In the city we visited museums, stiftsgarden royal residence, the market, the torget (town square), the cathedral, the archbishop’s palace, the old, cobbled back street, bridges, shops, and a whole lot more, it is a fabulous place, we loved every moment of it. Prior to Trondheim, and you just must do it, we went on the road to HELL and its airport, indeed we had fish and chips there. After Trondheim and before going to the campsite we went east along the coast road to Vikhammer and its coastal railway station line, all very interesting and different. Then it was onto our Flakk campsite for the night, we got a great pitch with a sea view and as the weather was so nice Keef cooked on the griddle outside, chicken, onions and peppers, yummy! After tea we took a stroll to the harbour near the campsite and saw ice breakers and the ferry from Flakk to Rorvik. Friday 17th June 2016 We were now at the real start of the Norwegian Fjords, so travel was a combination of both roads and ferry connections, oh and quite a few tunnels, my favourite being a fan of crime fiction was the apply named Nesbo tunnel. I have read all of Jo’s novels. So today was a journey from Flakk to Kristiansund heading southwest on initially highway E6 then E39. We travelled past fjords and along them seeing waterfalls, and surprisingly a vineyard with grape vines, how does that survive in winter I wonder. This was near Klett just outside Trondheim and although they looked like grapevines may well have been another fruit i.e some sort of berry, but who knows, certainly not us, tee-hee. We caught the ferry at Halsa called the svanoy to get to kanestraum after waiting in line for a bit for its arrival. We stopped prior to this at Surnadal for lunch. We camped at the Byskogen site in Kristiansund. Saturday 18th June 2016 We were one of the very few at the Kristiansund campsite, all grass and forest and no electric hook up but pleasant enough for an overnight stay. Up early breakfasted we set off set off for loen and stryn , it was quite misty. It was a combination of bridges, tunnels and ferries again today. The Norwegians deserve a medal for some of the engineering they have made this watery area connected. I am in awe. We queued for the Sykkylvsfjord ferry at molde arriving at vestnes. We travelled along the 650 with its fab views. Along the way it was more ferries at Stranda. Our campsite for the night was loen lo-vik at stryn on the waters edge, this is where we saw a dutch couple in their dressing gowns head off for a shower is what I can only describe at driving rain and a gale force wind, it takes all sorts. The Nordfjord views and abandoned kayak from our pitch were spectacular in between showers I ventured out to take pictures. Sunday 19th June 2016 A much brighter day today, took a quite walk along the edge of the Nordfjord from our campsite, what fab views. We then packed up the van and headed south on highway 60 past the town of Loen through the Jostadalsbreen national park with its mountains and fjords through tunnels past utvik, ski centers around skei, moraines, and onto the magnificent glacier centre in fjaerland where the sun was out in force, yippee. We had a good look around the centre, saw stuff about wooly mammoths, walked out to the viewing spots via the provided platforms and took lots of photos. A really interesting place to visit to learn about the ice ages that have passed and how glaciers shape our landscape. From here it was past Mundal and onto our campsite overlooking the fjord at Sogndal, what a campsite , would recommend this one for both its facilities and its stunning location. Monday 20th June 2016 We left Campsite Kjornes in Sogndal reasonably early after breakfast having taken yet more breath-taking photos, just so love this site. Initially we crossed the fjord via highway 5 and then we used this highway through alsberg, kaupanger, nybo and then it was into the short amlatunnelen and joining the ferry at mannheller to cross to fodnes, we joined the queue at Mannheller to get on this, quite an experience today the most ferrys, tunnels and bridges we had done as our time in the west fjordlands was coming to an end. It was then through the fodnesvegan tunnel still called highway 5 and out and turn near tonjum into the E16 and join the longest tunnel in Norway called the laerdalstunnelen which stretches for 15.2 miles. We stopped in the middle which is lit with a coloured light display, all quite surreal. Having come out of the tunnel we carried on around the aurlandsfjord thru a couple of small tunnels on the E16 and at the end of the tunnel at Lunde Vestland we turned towards the Hallingskarvet national park on highway 50, past lake vassbygdevatnet , steine and then some of the most twisty switchback road bends all the while climbing through 3 dimly lit and wet tunnels with very poor worn road surfaces, the culmination of which was the Nesbotunnelen near the village of Nesbo all named after my hero crime writer Jo Nesbo, I’ve read all his books, had to stop for a photo at the start of the tunnel obviously. At the very top of this ascent was the somewhat frozen vetlebotnvatnet lake, boy it was so cold up here. Then we descended through one more tunnel and down alongside the lake standavatn , lovely views, in the national park still and onto our campsite at Hovet, which in the acsi book at the time was labelled Hol, by 2022 this site is no longer in the ACSI book , I’ve checked, sad it was a nice site. There is however a site at Flam in the book just past Lunde at the end of that long tunnel, I would suggest a great place to camp #recommended #hintsandtips #campsites Tuesday 21st June 2016 Left the site at Hovet travelling on highway 51 climbing high at Gol and then onto leira and then stopped at the stream or was it a river at dokka in the picnic area for lunch and a good look around. It was in fact the river etna which runs into the randsfjord. We then swapped onto highway 250 which was very scenic all the way into Lillehammer , the winter Olympics town on the banks of the the mjosa lake. It had the winter Olympics in 1994 but this year 2016 it was playing host again this time to the youth winter Olympics, we had a good look around, ski slopes, jumps, museums, tributes, town centre, shops and what limited buildings they had. We saw all the ski chalets at Oyer and then it was onto our site for the night at hunderflossen a nice site with views of the oyer reservoir from our pitch, we even had an ice cream from the site shop, yummy in the sun. Wednesday 22nd June 2016 From Hunderflossen and Lillehammer we started making our way to the capital Oslo where we would stay for 2 nights at the Ekeberg campsite on the edge of the city’s parkland. #campsites This is their website for bookings etc. After arriving at setting up and looking at the facilities we went for a walk around the attached park and had a good look at the 35 sculptures in the park, all very quirky but eminently photograph-able. Ekeberg is high on a hill looking down across Oslo so we walked a little down the hill past the open fields to get a great view from on high of the capital, the station, the old ships in the harbour, the bridges, the town. We had last been in Oslo in 2004 with Mum on our Baltic cruise so could see where the cruise liners arrived indeed there was one in port as we looked. The other thing I remember is that , and thank god I had researched it before leaving, is that all the roads around Oslo are toll roads so it is worth setting up an account before hand and applying your credit card, 1st time in they take £100 the residue of which was returned to me as unspent about 6 months later. The fines for not having your van registration set up are quite high so I would ensure you do #recommended. Thursday 23rd June 2016 Our second day in Oslo. We caught the bus into the city centre at the stop just down the hill outside the campsite, it was quite a quick trip into the city centre and very convenient. We got into Oslo quite early and had a good walk around, through markets that were barely open, saw posters saying Paul Simon was playing there, sadly not today and we will have left. We had a look at the main cathedral and then bought a Hop On Hop Off bus ticket for the day in Fred Olsen gata, named after the cruise ship company we had travelled on in 2004, spooky ha-ha. We used it to see most of the key sites of oslo doing our usual once around first to get our barings and then getting off at points of interest, we saw the uni area, main flower parks, the harbour, kontiki exhibition (which we saw in 2004), heritage museums, viking ship museum, fram museum including lots about Amundsen which we found fascinating, frogner park and a whole lot more. So wished we had done that back in 2004 rather than just walking which limited what we saw to just the harbour area. Saw the ski jump slope. We finally finished our bus trip at Karl Johans gata where we visited the outside of the royal palace, listened to bands playing , saw the pride concert area and listened whilst we ate in the outdoors restaurant. The only downside was what we termed “professional” beggars everywhere even pestering you whilst you ate. A lovely day in oslo we caught the bus back to the campsite, tired but happy, so loved Oslo. The other thing I remember clearly from this site was a Dutch guy on the next pitch telling us the UK had left Europe, Brexit, not that we agreed with it and being away on our scandi trip we didn’t even get a vote, not that us 2 would have made much difference to the result, we are still suffering from that decision 8 years later, grrrr! Friday 24th June 2016 We are returning to Sweden today. We left Oslo initially on the E6, very complex to get out of the capital, masses of motorways and roadworks but finally left the congestion behind us, nearly all toll roads with auto recognition to allow payment. The E6 then turned off onto the E18 near Ski and thru Solberg across the Glomma River , through yet another tunnel near Krosby through Mommarken and finally crossing back into Sweden at the bridge by the lake rodenessjoen at Orje. We carried on along the E18 in Sweden through Tocksfors past many lakes and green countryside finally arriving at our site Arjang camping and stugor on the vastra silens.It took only about an hour from the border. The lake had two islands in the middle. As it was mid summers day a huge public holiday in Scandinavia the site was packed but we had quite a good spot. It was lovely to watch families kayaking, barbequing and the may pole dance, all females were wearing a band of flowers in their hair, delightful, it was so nice to feel included in their traditions. Saturday 25th June 2016 We left the wonderful campsite at Arjang and travelled along the E18 around lake jarnsjon, and then kept on this road throughout along past many a lake and green lands until we turned off onto the E44/45 motorway into Trollhatten. We wanted to visit this town as our eldest son Craig did a school exchange with Peter Anderson when he was in what I would call the 5th year at school (now I guess it counts as year 11). Peter was from Trollhatten, so glad we went there, a very interesting place both the town and then we drove out to see the nearby gota canal and waterfalls, the viewing platform with coffee and ice cream was splendid. We then travelled about a further hour and a half from the gota canal near Trollhatten past Lilla Edet on the E45 motorway turning off at ucklumsvagen on the 170 and stopped to look at Stenungsund and its railway, and then crossing the bridge on the 160 onto Orust Island. This then turned into the 178 and headed out to Ellos on the west coast of Orust island. We travelled across multiple bridges and saw many islands to get to the campsite and saw many large American cars, a Swedish male obsession it seems. After setting up camp we had a lovely walk on the slightly shingle beach looking at the kayaks, water and across to the village fishing huts that we would take the van along 1st thing tomorrow morning, all very interesting, a lovely spot to camp and hugely relaxing. Sunday 26th June 2016 Today we visited Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg on the west coast. Up early we drove off to have a look at the fishing village, it so reminded us of our time in Newfoundland in 2010. Clearly though it was Orust island on sweden’s west coast. After this we used the 160 to cross back over the bridges to the mainland and then the motorway E6 onto Gothenburg. We parked in the paid main car park behind the town hall which was incredibly convenient and then went off to explore the lovely city of Gothenburg, truly worth a visit in our humble opinion. We saw fab artwork, the old theatre, stora teatern, hop on hop off boats on the not surprisingly Gota canal start, ferry run from this major port to most parts of scandinanvia and use to go to kiel in Germany and Newcastle in the uk, sadly for us the ferry from Newcastle stopped in 2014 as not enough traffic was using it. Trams and trolley buses operate in Gothenburg city centre, and you can hire the equivalent of Boris bikes. We had a walk through the formal gardens, admired the cities old architecture and many many statues along the roadsides, parks and Gota canal, all in all a great city. After seeing Gothenburg, we carried on down the coast to our campsite at Varberg on the E6 motorway around kungsbacka. The site was a big site backing onto a big surfing beach, we had been given a pitch number but when we went to it a family were still on it not having left as yet so rather than walk back, we chose the one nearby that was empty, indeed most of the site was empty, we thought we were being kind. A family then arrived who had booked the one we were set up on and they went back to complain, the camp commandant asked us to move even though it was still very empty, why they couldn’t go in the pitch next to us is still a mystery to me. What we should have done, lesson to self, is when our pitch was occupied gone back and complained as this family did, anyhow after a false start we went for a long walk past the crazy golf, swimming pool down to the coast, a lovely area. Had a nice meal and retired to read in bed. A very successful day. Monday 27th June 2016 Today we would return to Denmark and stay at the wonderful Koge for 3 days. We left Varberg and travelled the 3 hour trip on motorway E6 back past Helsingborg and through the outskirts of both Malmo and Copenhagen , stopping briefly at the Malmo services in Sweden for fuel and a comfort break, before returning across the Oresund bridge into Copenhagen and Denmark. From Copenhagen which we did drive through seeing both uni and tenement blocks and some older architecture as well as many statues we travelled on on the E20 / E47 motorways to our Stevns campsite in the town of Koge, our home for 3 nights. Annie did some washing, keef rigged up a line between our van and the hedge, we chilled for the rest of the day, annie completing jumpers for our granddaughters. Like many sites we have stayed at there was crazy golf and a pool, we did neither. Tuesday 28th June 2016 Today we drove the van to a carpark on the outskirts of the town of Koge, a very old traditional town with many coloured buildings. We spent the day in there walking around and seeing lots including the very old streets, we bought kunnel cake at a bakery and had a look at the churches. We then took the van out to Rodvig and Stege, both really interesting places before returned to the campsite to chill. Wednesday 29th June 2016 We spent the whole day at the site today, not bad weather, sat outside reading, relaxing and listening to music, as the weather was so nice we also ate outside using the teppanyaki to grill on for our main meal. We were forced to have some more cinnamon buns as well, such a hard life, tee-hee Thursday 30th June 2016 Packed up the van after 3 very nice relaxing days in the area and set off through the rest of Zealand on the E55 past the famous Faro bridge over the Baltic Sea which connects the islands of Zealand and Falster. We then travelled on the new Guldborgsund bridge to bring us from Falster to the island of Lolland, you rapidly begin to realise that Denmark is made up of many islands all interconnected by well built bridges. Once on Lolland we drove the E47 onto our campsite at Saskobing, quite a small site but very convenient for the ferry crossing at Rodby just 22 minutes along the road. Friday 1st July 2016 Up early we packed up the motorhome and set off the short distance to the Rodbyhaven ferry terminal and joined the queue having purchased tickets online earlier yesterday. We drove onto our ferry, quite a large ship the schleswig-holstein, run by scandlines ferries i.e named after the german state which is the most northerly of all 16 states. Its capital is Kiel the canal we passed over on the way out and that which we travelled on our cruise back in 2004. The crossing operates in high season up to 45 times a day and takes 45 minutes. We arrived relaxed and having saved miles in Puttgarden ,on the german island of fehmarn where it was quite a long tedious drive to get out of both the ferry terminal and town and back onto the main highway E47. It was then a 1-hour journey to Plon and our campsite called campingpark augstfelde plon on the plonsee nature reserve. There were quite a few permanent setups on site but very few tourers. We had the park, a short walk from the site, to ourselves and after a quick set up went for a nice nature walk along the edge of the plonsee lake, a protected nature reserve. Saturday 2nd July 2016 Set off from Plon to Garlstorf which was to be our next campsite on the journey home from Scandinavia. Endless traffic on highway 1 and crossing the Elbe delayed us by about 2 hours, these sorts of areas are always busy especially in summer. I don’t think we have ever been past Hamburg where there hasn’t been total congestion. The E26 / E22 (A1) route should have taken only 1 and a quarter hours, it took about 4 in the end. Didn’t do much at the site, called into a supermarket Aldi if memory serves and bought a lot of coffee and German sausages for home. Our campsite was all grass but felt like you were camping on a local football pitch. Sunday 3rd July 2016 Left after breakfast and had a nice drive and look around the rural community of Garlstoft, some very nice houses and expansive farms. We then drove to Hemslingen and had a look around there before travelling onto our campsite just outside the main town of Bremen. The total journey only took just over an hour, so we arrived at the site in Bremen quite early, checked in and set up pitch. It was on a farm area; we then went for a long walk around including seeing the pool and all the statue tributes to the famous story of the famous 4 town musicians of Bremen . A Grimm's fairy tale from 1819. Disney also did a cartoon of this story way back in their catalogue. Monday 4th July 2016 At the Bremen site in the morning, we saw a set of Donkeys from the farm crowd a lady in her small caravan after she had kindly or is it foolishly decided to feed them, they would not let her go with their begging, hilarious for us. We then continued our journey home today and left Germany and our site at Bremen and crossed back into Holland and onto the bulb town of Tübbergen. We used the main motorway the A1 crossing back into the Netherlands just outside of Osnabruck in the German state of lower saxony. The journey took almost 3 hours and only the last bit was not motorway. The tubbergen site had a pool and outside table tennis table and was very rural, indeed I would recommend it for an overnight stay in a pleasant location. Tuesday 5th July 2016 Left the Tubbergen site and travelled onto just outside the big city of Utrect at Bilthoven , the journey was about 2 hours along the A1 motorway around Apeldoorn, at Bilthoven we set up camp on pitch number 378 it was clearly a big site with that number of pitches, it had a pool and many facilities. However, its advantage to us was its short walk to Bilthoven station where we caught the train into Utrect central. We had a lovely long time in the fabulous and historic city walking along the canal side, admiring the architecture, later in the day we did a touristy canal boat trip whicg was just wonderful, after a full day, grabbing something to eat at the station we made our way back to the campsite by train, a very nice day. Wednesday 6th July 2016 We left Bilthoven, bypassed Utrect on the A1 and turned off onto the E25 and then E30 for the hour journey through some of the more populated areas of Holland to Delft. On the way we parked up in the car park behind the library in Gouda by the canal, the carpark doubled as an air with electricity that we would use on future European trips as very convenient for the ferry at the Hoek of Holland, Rotterdam. We had a nice walk around Gouda, saw the canals, central square with its historic town hall and bought lots of cheeses. We had a good look around the Delft town after leaving Gouda whilst driving but there was nowhere to park so having seen the green open spaces and old buildings, we set off to find our Delftse Hout campsite, what a nightmare, the satnav took us to the bridge and underpass crossing just outside the site BUT the way was prohibited but a load of large stones on the underpass. We then spent longer than it took to get from Bilthoven to Delft trying to find the site entrance, eventually we cracked the puzzle. Keef was so frustrated he bend the van keys in the lock, oh dear, I eventually got them out and straightened them, so they were usable. What a journey not one I wish to remember. The site itself paid homage to delft pottery with its entrance displays, it had a nice pool and was very busy. Exhausted after the frustration of not finding the site we went to bed early. Thursday 7th July 2016 A long day, up early, drove the 30-minute drive to the ferry terminal at Hoek Van Holland and joined the check in queue. Got on board in the usual way and then got the announcement over the tannoy that the sailing was delayed due to waiting for some commercial cargo lorries, we eventually sailed some 4 hours later. When back in Harwich the road out was closed so we had to do a massive detour and then again the A14 was closed due to roadworks so we had yet more detours to make. We eventually arrived home at 2 a.m. only to find the kitchen electrics had flicked out sometime during the 2 months we were away. Nightmare all there was was the smell of rioting food from the defrosted frozen food, so we got out lots of black sacks cleared it all out and dumped it in the outside bin, cleaned up the freezer, reset the electrics and eventually flopped into bed at 3 a. m. A great holiday but not fun coming back to that. Note go self, run down fridge and freezer before any future long trips and get son to come in and check every now and then. So we loved it all 6140 miles of it. AUDIO DIARY THAT'S ALL FOLKS

By keef and annie hellinger, Aug 24, 2014, 04:58PM Motorhome trip No17: May 14th – August 1st, 2014 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->FRANCE, ITALY, MONACO & SWITZERLAND ->NOTTS 4611 miles In late September 2022 I revisited this Blog to enhance it, it was hastily transferred from Moonfruit and was such a lovely holiday I felt it deserved the time, care and dedication to restructure and enhance it, whilst keeping much of the original look and feel. I do hope you like it. Best KeefH Web Designs HIGHLIGHTS: Gorges du Verdon, Annecy, Allemagne du Provence, Quimperle, Cavalaire Sur Mer, Burgundy, Loire Chateaus,Blois, Louhans, Chalon Sur Saone, Noyers, Brittany especially Finistere (Eckmuhl), Les Pieux, Cannes Film Festival, Monaco, Alpes & Juras, Lac Leman, Evian, Montreax,San Remo & Meeting Marco, Concarneau & Micmac (Celtic band), the number of sites with indoor and outdoor swimming pools. LOWLIGHTS: Mechanical Problems with the van, our French being incredibly rusty Read on, or if you would prefer to hear the words of this Blog as an audiobook, please click HERE , thanks Probably easier to document this holiday by showing the calendars for May, June and July 2014. See attached images to see where we were on each day. MENU Overview Images Route graphically displayed Overview text Hints and Tips for Motorhoming in France Diary Slideshow of Images Write Up of Trip Memorabilia Audiobook Map of France That's All Folks Return to Menu OVERVIEW OF BLOG STRUCTURE & CONTENTS There is also the consolidation of 26 original photo snack slideshows (a technique I used at the time for creating image slideshows, they pulled the plug back in 2017 - commentary by KeefH Web Designs 2022) creating 3 sets of 30-minute-long slideshows which show our adventures plus one additional one showing every campsite we stayed at, most of which were via the ACSI book, if you are travelling France then it is a must. Return to Menu ROUTE MAP This video was created using the phone app Travel Boast where i drew out all the places we stopped at on route in order down to the smallest villages. It then draws out the route with a motorhome driving to show where we went. I then hooked its 4 formats I had created into one You Tube video. Landscape, Portrait and square maps which were further altered to be Day, Night and soft blue just for effect. I joined them together with some relevant images using Microsoft's Clipchamp. See what you think, i think it brings the journey to life and adds to any travel blog #newfeature The thing I do find out of kilter though is its estimated distance which at 3180 miles is way less than the 4611 we recorded on the speedometer in the van. A huge 1431 miles less. About 1/3rd of the distance. Methinks the app developers need do a bit more work. But anyhow I like the moving motorhome. Return to Menu #hintsandtips HINTS AND TIPS FOR CAMPING IN FRANCE For UK folk get membership from Vicarious books in Kent http://www.vicariousbooks.co.uk/ or direct from ACSI online. There is also a book of all the Aires which are similar to the UKs CLs/ CSs (certified location/site) where for a fraction of the price and limited services you can stay overnight (or longer) on your journey. Tip take your own loo seat, paper, soap and towel in France, most sites do not provide these. Also, the reverse polarity issue is not as bad as some would have you believe, after checking the 1st 5 sites with my expensive kit I gave up, it is I believe only an issue if your internal electrical items are faulty. Don’t forget your 2-pin convertor – many of the sites are not bayonet fittings oh and most are 6 amp, 10 is becoming more the norm but they will charge you for an upgrade if their system allows it so I suggest you take that gas kettle else you will blow the fuse! Note 2021 UPDATE photosnack died a long time ago, c 2017 I combined those all into 2 You Tube videos, 1 all the slideshows, 2 the "talkies", enjoy, they are HERE , also most sites have great swimming pools often indoor as well as outdoor so that is a real plus. Note: The Index shows ALL blogs already published or you can find Blogs about a specific subject by clicking on a word in the TAG CLOUD or under these new blogs, thanks, motorhome-travels. Why not take a look Leave us some feedback here on the blog if you wish, thanks Return to Menu DIARIES Our calendar diaries for this major trip, such fun, May through July 2014 Return to Menu WRITE UP OF TRIP All in all, a nice relaxing and discovery type holiday mixed with chillaxing and tourism! Great times, we love our little motorhome. Summary of commentary posted on Facebook etc. during our travels was Around France in 80 Days - well some of it... Last slideshow shows where we camped on each of those 80 days Thanks, all folks,Love K&A 31/7 Deauville, Trouville,Honfleur beach – pont de normandie & Dieppe views,Etretat,farm campsite near Yport, Yport, Fecamp, Minnimay(-sp?),st valery sur somme, Calais, densole 28/7 Les Pieux sunset, anneville,saint vaast la hougue, ravenoville, Utah beach, Omaha beach (st Laurent-sur-mer),carhagnolles(flower camping campsite),Bayeux,Arromanches-les-bain(gold beach), falaise, beavron-en-auge, camping deauville 26/7 Breton: pointe de primel (plougasnou), st quay portrieux, dinan, st malo,domaine de la ville huchet, Normandie: mont st Michel, Granville, les pieux 23/7 Eckmuhl / St Guenole (near Penmarche), Quimper,pointe du raz, Douarnenez,Locronan,Chateaulin, Cameret sur mer/ Pointe de Penhir, Pointe des Espagnols, Roscanvel, Le Faou, Plougastel Daoulas, Landerneau, Brignogan-Plages, Plougasnol Shipping News Update 20/7 Love Bretagne *FACT* Now in Penmarche FINISTERE Wind Blowing ENE and southerly to cool the warmed skin! Visited Concarneau and Benodet today having stayed at Clohars-Carnoet last night after visiting the wonderful Doelan fishing village (used in films allegedly). Loved Guerande (old town) when we visited it and the wonderful Martin from the AA (from Liverpool) based in Nante who fixed our recurring van problem with brake lights/ engine mgt warning. Far Bretagne cake is the best yet… crème anglais, almond, black gold plums (or prunes as they are known in French), seriously yummy Off to discover the coast, Quimper, plus more delightful blue Bretagne fishing villages and head towards Brest 2moro… Love to all our lovely family & friends 2 new slideshows on the website, one at the end of this page and one on the top of a new page Update 16/7 Now on the Pays deLoire Alantic Coast – Fab weather (hooray) 33c sunny no clouds and beaches to die for Staying near historic town of Guerande. Stayed at Piriac Sur Mer yesterday, great beaches here and at La Baule. Deserted often. La Baule reminded us of Surfers in Queensland, such a huge curve of endless sand. Also went over the Loire River outlet bridge between St Nazaire & St Brevin, such a huge expanse of water. Bit like Confederation bridge in Canada going to PEI from Nova Scotia, only not quite so long. Have seen some lovely places recently. Recommend Angers, Ducs of Anjou territory. Sadly, more minor probs with van so AA / Garage out for us 2moro early. Brake lights stopped, may be tied up with earlier probs and continuous Engine Mgt system light which we had checked out in Switzerland as “minor” wait till UK, so delaying our move onto Brittany for a day or so, no real hardship as weather, area and beaches FAB 1 new slideshow on website Love K&A xxx "Not a lot of people know that".... Michael .....but we went from Deaville to St Valery Sur Somme. Normandie, Picardy & Nord Pays de Calais and you can see the pix in the latest slideshow. Only one more to go....Love K&A xxx — with Serendipity Girls Designer Dresses . Hard to believe but my photos inspired Monet - 1st 2 the Lieutenancy @ Honfleur, last 2 Port Eval at Etretat (4 photos) one in the eye for Harald — with Serendipity Girlsdesignerdresses. At Bayeax les pieux to deauville , normandy - visited all the DDay landing beaches, quite harrowing, les pieux sunset wine with our chairs on the beach just so romantic, william the conquerors hometown falaise and a whole lot more see the latest slideshow "les Pieux to Deaville" — withSerendipity Girlsdesignerdresses. (10 photos) Plougasnol Brittany to Les Pieux Normandie, oh what a beach and campsite - we will be back Another slideshow on the website — withSerendipity Girlsdesignerdresses. (7 photos) for all you clapham-ites went to abbeville (picardy), bonneville (rhone-alpes), trouville (normandy) and narbonne (langedoc-rousillon) still working on pixs One more slideshow on website, Eckmuhl to Plougasnol, All Bretagne and mostly Finistere which we loved Update 16/7 Now on the Pays deLoire Alantic Coast – Fab weather (hooray) 33c sunny no clouds and beaches to die for Staying near historic town of Guerande. Stayed at Piriac Sur Mer yesterday, great beaches here and at La Baule. Deserted often. La Baule reminded us of Surfers in Queensland, such a huge curve of endless sand. Also went over the Loire River outlet bridge between St Nazaire & St Brevin, such a huge expanse of water. Bit like Confederation bridge in Canada going to PEI from Nova Scotia, only not quite so long. Have seen some lovely places recently. Recommend Angers, Ducs of Anjou territory. Sadly, more minor probs with van so AA / Garage out for us 2moro early. Brake lights stopped, may be tied up with earlier probs and continuous Engine Mgt system light which we had checked out in Switzerland as “minor” wait till UK, so delaying our move onto Brittany for a day or so, no real hardship as weather, area and beaches FAB 1 new slideshow on website Love K&A xxx Update 6/7 Still in Burgundy (just – we are off to Loire in a couple of days) at Lac Marcenay. We really, really like Bourgogne. On the Grand Route de Cremant now. Saw Route de Grand Crus other day. Also, we saw the source of the seine yesterday, a trickle in truth. Can’t believe it is so wide in Paris! The site we are on is owned by Dirk (a Dutch ex-hippie with a French wife) – it’s so quirky, mostly Dutch here. I watched Netherlands Vs Costa Rica last Nite with crowds of screaming Dutch (and drank with them, headache!) I asked if I could be an honorary English supporter, they were more than happy bedecked in orange, lions heads and other strange attire, but what fun….We spent a fab 4 days at and in and around the site at Lac Panthier (near Commarin) – best site we have ever stayed at, lakeside pitch such views and our 1st true Burgundian meal out – gammon and parsley terrine with Dijon mustard drizzle (starter), Bouef Bourguignonne & veg (main), true eglace deux boule - assorted flavours (pud) oh and how could I forget a 1l carafe of local white burgundy, which was better than any white I’ve ever had from a bottle (honest!) plus met a whole host of nice folk of many nationalities. Spent quite a few more days in Burgundy than we originally planned but we love it. Very different to Provence, Cote D’Azur and Rhone Alps. Seen two very different Chateau’s so far (Chateauneuf des auxois & commarin), the 12th century Cistercian UNESCO Abbaye de Fontenay, the 12th century Duc of Burgandie's wine press (still working) and the canal de Bourgogne, so real tourist times with some swimming, sunbathing, reading, chillin and just fun…. Ohhh our times are going too fast, but appreciate we are very lucky to spend so much time travelling …. 1 new slide of pix on the website, 1 to come when I get time later — with Serendipity Girls Designer Dresses. Now in Burgundy, just had a fab Pinot Noir from local Vineyard (hic) in Meursault. From Annecy we went all the way around Lake Geneva / lac leman (Swiss & French sides) Loved Evian, Montreux and much more besides, then travelled over the impressive Jura mountains into Franche-Comte and into Cote D'or area of Burgundy, after another minor hiccup with the van we are fully roadworthy again. Can thoroughly recommend Loughans & Chalon... 3 new sets of slides on the website More probably when we next manage Wi-Fi.... love to all our family and friends Life is a beach.... Love the Med More pix of Grimaud Ville, so old Provence great day in St. Tropez today saw this yacht in Monaco the other day, now in St Tropez, the playground of the rich and famous, one of our fellow ferry brits referred to the helicopter as really 'taking the p', hee hee new pix of port Grimaud and Saint Topless (Tropez) now on website Del Boy and Annie doing cocktails - Hey its officially 34c 93F here today Thats hot and humid, but aren't complaining Latest Pix listening to CSN in the sun on the cote d'azur fab.... my Italian is coming on (not really), discussed, just, Mondial di calcio (football) - world cup with Nico next door, smile, off to the beach this afternoon, still someone's gotta do it... want to see more of our holiday photos, try SLIDESHOWS , enjoy love us xxx "THE END" Image of Carcassonne at night which we did visit, a magical place, this was provided by the younger brother of my old Bonneville infants and juniors school buddy Martin. His brother lives in a property below the castle. The other thing I remember is playing the board game named after this castle, which we had the pleasure of going around on this wonderful 2014 trip Return to Menu SLIDESHOWS The French slideshow areas are Overall Holiday with Images with Text descriptions Overall Holiday, the "Talkies" Folkstone (UK) to the Gorges of Verdon (Provence) Volonne (Provence) to Finistère (Bretagne/ Brittany) Clohars-Carnoet (Bretagne) to Home Every campsite we stayed at Switzerland Monaco Italy Note: Music on "Around France in 80 Days" by Micmac, a band we saw in Concarneau in Brittany, Headlines, the first 2 slideshows are the overview slideshows and videos, the more detailed ones follow Return to SLIDESHOWS This is what we would call the "Talkies" Return to SLIDESHOWS Folkstone (UK) to Gorges of Verdon (Provence) There were 1629 images taken, the first of these slideshows shows those lasting 31 minutes. They are dated from 14th May 2014 to 17th June 2014 and in sequence cover travel and images between these places. Home, Folkstone, Lempdes Sur Allegdon (region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ), Lunel (region Occitania ),Agay (region Provence alpes cote d'azur ), all the following are also in Provence, just a fab place, I remember lavender fields, perfume, baguettes, wonderful food and produce, anyhow here are the places the images are from. Cannes, Nice, Grasse, Port Grimaud, Saint Tropez, Grimaud again including our swim in the Mediterranean Sea, Cavalaire Sur Mer, Le Rouen Salernes and finally the magnificent Gorges Du Verdon. How I remember that gorge and the panic about whether the van would stall and not restart out in the middle of nowhere #scary Take a look why don't you, Provence in the South of France is an area we cannot recommend highly enough, and the toll road motorway make it quite a straightforward drive, but remember it's a long way, and at the toll booths, well at least back in 2014 it was necessary to remember there was both a high level and low-level automatic pay booth, tee hee for vans and cars alike, very clever. Return to SLIDESHOWS Volonne (Provence) to Finistère (Bretagne/ Brittany) This was the middle part of the trip from low down in the south of France right the way back up to see the beaches of Normandie where those WW2 battles and evacuations were held so ablely mastered by Sir Winston Churchill, and many points in-between, plus we had the pleasure of visiting some of the wonderful Chateaus especially in the Loire valley. The 1st slideshow which was reconstructed in 2022 is n minutes long and includes 1678 images. It covers the following regions and details extra places in those regions, those being in no particular order, Burgundy, Bourgogne, Franche-Comte, Pay-de-Loire, Rhone-Alpes, Lac Panthier, Cav-sur-Mer, Lerueon , Vincelle, Saumur, Commarin, Marcenay, Concourson, Guerande, Volonne, Annecy, St Jerioz, Grimaud. The second slideshow from 2014 is 44 minutes long. Return to SLIDESHOWS Clohars-Carnoet (Bretagne) to Home There are 1535 images in this slideshow, and I have included all those that have text on them as well, which I have not done on the other 2 parts of the trip, basically because it is not an even third split of the images being only 13 days from 20th July to the 1st August and on the way back even though we stayed at Delsole very few images were taken, it was mostly travel. Here is a list of the places we traveled through hopefully mostly in chronological order. Carhans, Penmarche (both Bretagne), Finistère, Eckmuhl, Plougasnol, then Normandy, Le Pieux, Deauville, Concarnaeu, Benodet, Abbeville, Etretat, Valery Sur Somme, Honfleur, Miannay, Pointe De Raz, Quimper, Les Pieux, Dinan,St Quay Portrieux, Granville, St Malo (port), Mont St Michel, Huchet and its old castle campground, just fab, Deauville as well which is in Picardy. The 1st slideshow last for 1 hour 13 minutes, the 2nd 31 minutes. Return to SLIDESHOWS Campsites The following is a quick summary of all the campsites we stayed at in France on our 2014 big trip. They are as best as possible in chronological order, but the reality way back then is we didn't always take a picture on the pitch we were on, nowadays we always do. #campsites #motorhometravelsblog #motorhome #majortrip Return to SLIDESHOWS Switzerland This shows our few days camping and driving around Lac Leman or Lake Geneva as we Brits like to call it. What splendid weather and a great campsite and spring waters from Evian. We went through Montreux, Lausanne and Geneva on the Swiss side of the lake entering at Saint Gingolph and leaving again St Julien En Genevois on Highway one. The video which features some lovely music by one of my musical heroes John Martyn is about 11 minutes long, enjoy! #music #maps Return to SLIDESHOWS Monaco We spent a couple of days in and around Monaco travelling there on 3rd June 2014 by the French double decker south coast train (always busy) picking it up near Antibes on the St Tropez line at Biot Gare, station where we were staying at a campsite nearby that you could walk to the station from. Note images also include Frenes Biot campsite, listed as Antibes East. The train went from Biot to Monte Carlo, carefully misspelt in one of my texts as Morte #haha On route we passed the amazingly expensive French Riviera, views to die for, it also went through Menton a town we would take the van through on our route to Italy and Sanremo The 1st video which has all the images in it is 15 minutes long, the second with text and the wonderful John Martyn is 4 minutes long, enjoy. Return to SLIDESHOWS Italy, San Remo We crossed the border at Ponte San Ludovico on highway SS1 past Menton in Monaco which we had been passed on the train, but Monaco is entirely wrapped in France before you get to the Italian border. At Sanremo we met the wonderful Nico and Daniela who are still friends to this day, mostly on Facebook. We could not speak each other's language, but no worry, gifts, coffee, grappa and Nico's brother who could speak English, so he acted as our translator, in later times, Google translate really helps. Note Nico often returns to the campsite at Sanremo, we thought whilst the restaurant and beach views were great and we enjoyed our walk around, the site was a little too cramped for our liking. The pool however and company was wonderful. We stayed at the Villaggio Dei Fiori campsite and went for a lovely walk up the hill outside the campsite and overlooking the bay, seeing the very plush villa's and all the lovely bougainvillea in flower, just so bright and cheerful. We were lucky enough to see the Giraldo de Italia cycle race which was going past. The slideshow with John Martyn's back to Marseille is 10 minutes long, enjoy! #music Return to SLIDESHOWS That's it for slideshows Return to Menu MEMORBILIA (Phone) Our French mobile number #memorabilia #takenfromfacebook It was ordered on eBay in advance and therefore worked when we arrived, hugely useful #timeline Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK Audiobook over some of our images, a selection, with text. This slideshow is 30 minutes long and the audiobook portion at the beginning is 20 minutes long, so you have some fab John Martyn music to accompany the flags depicting which parts of France we were in. #enjoy Return to MENU MAP OF FRANCE Zoom in to find the area you are looking for. Our texted images in the very first slideshow is divided up into these regions (in alphabetical order not geographically). Note Switzerland, Monaco and Italy are included in these groupings of pictures. Around Lac Panthier, Camping Day by Day, Cannes, Cavalier-sur-Mer to Lerueon, The chateaus, Vincelles to Saumur, Commarin to Marcenay, Concarneau and Benodet, Concourson to Guerande, Deauville to Densole UK, Eckmuhl to Plougasnol, Folkestone, Kent to Agay, France, Gorges du Verdon, Grasse to Port Grimaud, Grimaud Ville, Les Pieux to Deauville, Marcenay to Vincelles, Menton to Biot, Mesnois to Burgundy, Monaco and especially Monte Carlo, Nice, Plougasnol to Les Pieux, Port Grimaud & Saint Tropez, Sanremo, Italy, St. Disdille On Lake Geneva, Lac Leman in Switzerland, St Jerioz walk to the Lake, Volonne to Annecy, what a fab place the last one is, where we could relax in the pool whilst viewing the snow covered caps of nearby mountains and then catch the bus into Annecy to see the UNESCO listed prison surrounded by the moat and stroll through the embankment market with cherries, apricots and nougat, heaven. Return to Menu THAT'S ALL FOLKS

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 3 2021 15.16 pm This is a retrospective Blog, we were away between 31st January and 14th June 2017. We went to Singapore for 2 weeks with family, C&A for 3 days in Hong Kong at the end of the trip, twas so sad parting at the end of a lovely almost 5 months. We have now reworked the original HOLIDAY2017 site so if you would prefer to see that instead of reading this blog (note the content is the same, but visually they are very different) please click HERE , thanks MENU Go to 1. Summary 2. Calendars 3. Diary Part 1, Jan-Feb 2017 4. Diary Part2, March 2017 5. Diary Part3, April - June 2017 5a. Audiobooks of the Diaries if you would prefer 6. Campsites 7. Distances travelled 8. Singapore 9. Australia Overall 10. Western Australia 11. The Indian Pacific Railway 12. South Australia 13. Northern Territory, Alice Springs 14. Victoria, Australia 15. New South Wales, Australia 16. Tasmania, Australia with rellies 17. The Cook Isles, Rarotonga 18. New Zealand Overall 19. North Island, New Zealand 20. South Island, New Zealand 21. Malaysia, Desaru what a fab holiday, loved every moment of it huge #tick Suggestion use the BIG TRIP maps to scale in and out if you wish and read the appropriate diary alongside viewing the slideshows. On the diaries each day is labelled so its fairly simple to find the text associated with a particular slideshow #justsayin Australia is made up of States and Territories on this trip we went to all of them minus Queensland and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) we visited those back in 1995 and 2008 respectively (Blogs 163 & 162), thanks for looking SUMMARY Another big trip featuring hired motorhomes but this time including the pleasure of travelling with our dear pals Chris & Allyson, who at the time lived in Alnwick in Northumberland, we had been to their wedding (see Blog 72). For Annie & I this was the 5th time back in Australia, we still have rellies there, I was there as a child and Annie as a teenagers, clearly we didn't know each other out there but both have a true affinity for the place. With our pals Chris & Allyson "If it moves... snap it, if it doesn't... snap it" 😉 In 2017 we explored Singapore, Australia , the Cook Isles & New Zealand with our dear friends Chris & Allyson. At the end of the trip Annie & I spent time in Singapore / Malaysia with our family and Chris & Allyson visited Hong Kong. A lot of planning and pre booking went into this adventure to ensure we had a great time. We flew to Singapore for a stop over of 2 days to break the journey down under. We visited East Coast Park and the wonderful Quentin's restaurant. We arrived in Perth a bit jet lagged but excited and cruised the Swan river to Freo and had a fab day in the Botanic gardens in Kings Park. After a few nights we picked up our Britz motorhomes and after a quick swim off the Indian Ocean Drive we initially explored Monkey Mia (sadly no dolphins due to inclement weather) then onto the tropics of Western Australia Geraldton, Northampton (gallahs and Allyson fear of the clientele 😉 and a spin in Apollo 11 at Carnarvon before doing the loop thru the Wheatbelt and Wave Rock back to Perth via Albany. Esperance and Kalgoolie at this time were off limits due to some massive rains which washed out essential roads. We then took the luxurious Indian Pacific Railway to Adelaide across the Nullarbor Plain. After that its was a quick flight to Alice Springs where we visited the fab Desert Park , ate Roo (Camel was off 😉 ) at the Red Ochre Café , avoided the cockroaches and pondered the insoluble Aboriginal problem. Then it was back to Adelaide to pick up another motorhome to explore some of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) before ending in Sydney for time with families. K&A flew down to Launceston in Tassie to visit rellies before returning to Sydney. From here we touched down in Auckland briefly before spending a fab but somewhat wet and humid week of chillin' in the Cook Isles in the Pacific ocean on the main island of Rarotonga, snorkelling, BBQ-ing or whatever took our fancy, lager at the Rarotonga brewery. Mis planned luggage allowances to Rarotonga meant a somewhat fraught early morning experience trying to retrieve K&As 3rd bag, but all OK in the end 😉. Then its was back to Auckland to pick up another pair of motorhomes to explore both North & South island of New Zealand, crossing between the two via the Interislander ferry. After much Boysenberry ice cream we returned to the UK via 2 weeks with family in Singapore and C&A 3 days in Hong Kong. Saw so much and had such a fun time shared with our pals. What an amazing journey - travel definitely broadens the mind. NOTE: All photos, videos and slideshow content on this Blog were taken by one of the 4 of us! A much more in depth appreciation of what we did and when can be gleaned from the diaries. I encourage you to use the dropdown menus to fully immerse yourselves in the Big Trip, we also have galleries by person as well as headlines by place visited whether country, island or state, #justsaying 😉 Thanks for looking. Covers Singapore, Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territories,Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania), The Cook Isles (Rarotonga), New Zealand (North & South Islands) & Malaysia (Desaru long weekend break with family) #TICK #TheBIGTRIP This is what our old HOLIDAY2017 home page looked like Return to Menu CALENDERS We show both the before and after plans. Understandable they differ slightly for all manner of reasons, click buttons below to go to each, thanks. History of what the old site pre 2020 looked like is preserved for prosperity, maybe 😉 CALENDARS - BEFORE THE TRIP Pre trip, calendar of our adventures, i.e. anticipation of where we are going and when, it was our combined plan for the travels JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 Flying to Singapore via Dubai leaving January 31st early in the morning. 2 days stay with Doug and family, maybe the 1* Michelin street hawker food, then onto Perth, WA to have a good look around. Maybe a Swan river trip. Then its pick up the motorhomes at Great Eastern Highway and go off exploring. So much to see in WA - Wave Rocks, The Pinnacles, Dolphins at Monkey Mia.... can't wait! At the end of Feb we catch the Indian Pacific Railway, Gold Star Service. MARCH 2017 Having got off the train in Adelaide we will stay in a cabin on the beach before flying up to Alice Springs and bathe in the famous Todd River. C&A are off to Uluru (Ayres Rock). We fly back after 3 days and pick up the motorhomes to explore amongst others the Great Ocean Road (GOR), koala's at Kennet River, wine in the Barossa Valley, the 12 apostles, whales at Warrnmbool, Sale, Mallacoota, Tathra, Eden and so much more. APRIL 2017 In the first week of April we will still be in Sydney, K&A in their apartment with pool in Beacon Hills and C&A off with Laura and Steve having fun. K&A visit John & Diana in Tasmania. We will then stay at the Kiwi Motel in Mangere, Auckland (did the NZ census here in 2013) overnight before jetting off for a relaxing week in the Raina Beach house on Rarotonga. On return its pick up the motorhomes in mangere and off to explore North island. MAY 2017 Mid may-ish we will leave north island and take the motorhomes across on the interisland ferry from wellington to picton, and see the fab queen charlotte sound. Captain Cook knew it well. Then its off to explore south island. Milford and no doubt(ful) sound plus dunedin and a whole lot more. At the end of the month we fly out of Christchurch together to Sydney where we say our good byes JUNE 2017 After Sydney C&A are flying off to Hong Kong for a few days before making their ways back to the UK. K&A will visit family for a few weeks in Singapore and then jet back home from Changi airport. CALENDARS - AFTER THE TRIP Post trip, calendar of our adventures, i.e. where we went and when #loved every moment of it, such lovely shared memories FLIGHT DETAILS FOR THE BIG TRIP 2017 Note the only difference is that at the end Chris & Allyson flew to Hong Kong for a few days and we went to Singapore for a couple of weeks before returning to the UK. What is shown in this gallery is the complete booked flight schedule. Luckily no dates or times changed during our 6 months away, unlike in 2013 when our flight from Perth to Changi was bought forward by 3 hours meaning we almost missed it, the company allegedly had no way to contact us to warn us "as if - internet was working!" ACTUAL CALENDAR FOR THE BIG TRIP 2017 Comparing what was planned against what we actually did, surprisingly there wasn't really that much difference in the schedule, maybe a few days here and there as we hadn't gone to that level of detail. It is worth reading Annie's diary in unison with these calendar views, if you would like to please click HERE To best view the calendars click on full screen, thanks Return to Menu CAMPSITES This is a pictorial history of all the campsites we stayed at our our Big Trip 2017 in both Australia and New Zealand in our hired Britz / Maui camper vans Return to Menu DISTANCES TRAVELLED To recap we travelled in our hired motorhomes in both Australia and New Zealand on our 2017 Big Trip 9337 Miles or 15026 Kilometres, WOW! Distances travelled by Keef & Annie. NOTE Here are the distances we drove ourselves whilst on THE BIG TRIP, HOLIDAY 2017 which by implication as Chris & Allyson didn't go to Tasmania and did far more walking than us and drove the west coast of North island, New Zealand whilst we did the east coast means their total distance is likely to be some what less but in reality probably not by that much. Return to Menu SINGAPORE Marine Parade & About in the City 2 Visits, Start of Holiday 31 Jan-3 Feb the End of Hols 30 May - 12 Jun See Diaries for Annie's write up "Family Time with Doug, Phoenix & Charlie" INTRODUCTION - 2 vists at start and end of the holiday Stay 1 - Sadly just 3 days on route to the southern hemisphere to break the journey but it was a chance to catch up with family and see our lovely grand daughter again. Plus some good eats esp. Quentins Eurasian with family and C&A. The Escher exhibition at Art/ Science was a particular favourite of mine. MRT coming 2023 to a station near you at Marine Parade. Love East Coast Park, helped somewhat in the jet lag stakes. Stay2 - A much longer stay this time around. 2 glorious weeks with family. National Gallery Biennele kids exhibition, Liao Fan Michelin Hawker centre, Singapore Zoo, Wet Wet Wet (Wild) park, Mustafas, Chinatown, East Coast Park BBQ and walks, Parway Parade, The supercool Library and a fab long weekend in Malaysia at Lotus Desaru Beach Hotel and now the Singapore "talkies" videos i.e. with speech (no performing rights necessary) 😉 Return to Menu AUSTRALIA Aussie Adventures, 4th February - 9th April 2017 "From Carnavon in Northern WA, On the Indian Pacific Railway, Thru the Red Centre and then around the Coast Adelaide to Sydney, Plus Popping over to Tassie & Rellies" #tshirts Campsites we stayed at in Australia Return to Menu WESTERN AUSTRALIA Includes Perth (3 days), Freemantle (Freo), Ledge point, Pinnacle National Park, Cervantes, Thirsty Point, Jurien Bay, Indian Ocean drive, Greenhough hanging tree, Geraldton, Northampton, Nerren Nerren, Billabong & Overlander roadhouses, World heritage drive, Monkey Mia, Shark Bay, Shell beach, Denham, Carnavon, Nanga, Hamelin Pool (where the desert meet the sea), Space Museum, Gascoyne River, Port Denison, Badgingarra, Moora, Brand Highway, Avon River, Northam, Crossing the flooded road nr Hyden, Wave Rock, Kalgarin farm stay, Wheatbelt, Snake, Blue tounged skinks, Tin Horse highway, Kulin, Dumbleyung, Bluebird, Mens Sheds, Railway, Farming, Boot fences, Kojonup - possibly the best campsite in the world NOT!, Rosellas, Mount Barker, Porongurup, Albany Highway, Castle Rock at the Porongurup National Park, Brig Amity, Princess Royal harbour, Middleton beach , Scenic drive Wilsons bay, Denmark, Greens pool, Elephant Rocks, Parry beach (for lunch) and the hippy in the van, valley of the Giants red tingle trees and tree top walk, Quokka on the path, Northcliffe eco park and roos plus roos jumping across road at dusk,Pemberton, Augusta, Cape Leeuwin and lighthouse, Leeuwin-Naturaliste national park,Margaret river, cape Mentelle winery, Lenton Brae winery plus tour and ladies picture of a family house in Lenton, Nottingham, we will try and find it, cheeky monkey brewery, Cowaramup, Busselton and the pier / jetty, Bunbury and Koombana bay , plus non dolphin watching, although in fairness Chris & Allyson did see one on their walk. Mangrove board walk, sub tropical flowers, Lechenault inlet and estuary, swimming in the site pool, sunbathing, chilling, intersting sub tropical birds, Avalon beach, Mandurah, Rockingham, Penguin island, seals, little blue penguins, board walks, conservation areas, Freemantle or Freo, Ferries, Van bumps, Rottnest island, Quokkas again, cycle rides, swims, guided tours, walks in the sun, history, lunch, cafes, ice creams, friends, fun, rocks, boats , blowholes, blue seas and skies and ice creams , royal perth hotel, lucky shag bar and aqua bar for our 39th wedding anniversary in perth See the diaries to accompany the videos & slideshows 4th-27th February 2017 SEE THE FULL WESTERN OZ EXPERIENCE, 1hr 19mins Campsites in Western Australia and now the western australia videos with speech, the "talkies" Return to Menu INDIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY (IPR) We have now been on 2 of the most significant railways in Australia, this IPR from Perth to Adelaide across the Nullarbor Plain, and in 2007-8 (Blog 162) on the Ghan from Darwin to Alice Springs, on the Indian Pacific we travelled in luxury in Gold Class, on the Ghan #railway we were overnight in Red class, i.e. sleeping in a chair but what an experience in both cases, we are so privileged Sunday 26th to Tuesday 28th February, Western Australia into South Australia, complete luxury, all inclusive luxury food, wine, beer and spirits plus some fab company along the way ✅ Very kind of the train's staff to help us celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary Return to Menu SOUTH AUSTRALIA Arrived by Indian Pacific Railway to the Adelaide Parklands station, we to BIG4 campsite, C&A started their cricket ground tour. Pool, beach, swimming, relaxing, reading. Adelaide airport, lockers,off to NT for a few days in Alice springs. Glenelg,Oyster bar, sunset walk, Tram, Fringe, Marina pier, Collect the vans, Tanunda, Barossa Valley, Wolf Blass, Stockwell, Angaston, Rowland Flats, Jacobs Creek, Hahndorf, Pioneers Park, Rubble,Everything Germanic, McLaren Vale, Tintara estate, Hardys, Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek, Milang, White cockatoos or Corellas, South Australian Light railway museum, Wellington chain ferry, Charles Sturt, Lake Albert, Salt marshes, Meningie, Chinese cigars, Birdman of the Coorong, Kingston SE, Rosetown, Larry the lobster, Cape Jaffa historic lighthosue, Norfolk pines, Robe, 9 mile beach, circular town walk, Customs House, Matt Flinders,Chinese memorial, Flag hill, Harbour, Marina, Ray, Arthur Fennell Way, Pier, The Obelisk, Millicent for lunch, Mount Gambier, Blue Lake, Crater Lakes - leg of mutton (empty), valley (green algae), Hentys Monument, Wildlife park, Centenary Tower,Limestone sculpture, Pukeko or Australian swamphen,Town centre, Cave gardens, Sink Hole, Northumberland point, Port MacDonnell, Border crossing into Victoria 28th Feb - 9th March 2017 SEE THE FULL SOUTH AUSTRALIA EXPERIENCE, 18 mins Now the other slideshows mostly with text Campsites we stayed in during our time in south australia, note that when we arrived at Britz to pick up our vans off Sir Don Bradman Way our one was dramatically delayed due to the previous occupant bringing it back late, the company received there fine, but it didn't help us as we lost 1/2 a day so when we returned I claimed it back, they reimbursed us a whole day. The thing I love about all these hired motorhomes is the built in gas BBQs at the rear of the van , just wonderful. Was one hell of a job at Ledge point western australia trying to keep out the wind though, the only downside I could find and cooking fish outside the van on the BBQs is a real blessing, no lingering smells when you are tring to sleep. #hintsandtips South Oz slideshows, read the diaries alongside Camping park on the Southern Ocean that we also stayed in in 2013 (Blog 167) $200 a bottle for the Platinum wine at Wolf Blass but we preferred the Gold version at 1/5th the price. I still haven't washed my hand since Mr Wolf himself shook it way back in 2008 (see Blog 162) #claimtofame #humour #wineries we walked out to the headlands, what an incredibly hot day in robe and now the south australia talkies videos we stayed at Adelaide Shores Big 4 campsite having purchased our site membership back in the UK at a discount #membership Return to Menu NORTHERN TERRITORY 1st to 3rd March 2017 Read more about Helen McCarthy Tyalmuty Flying from Adelaide to Alice Springs over the Simpson desert and the red centre outback, MacDonnell ranges, salt lakes, dirt tracks, Elkira motel, pool, heat, humidity, flies, cockroaches (poor Allyson), Supreme Court house-fab architecture, The residency, Queen & Prince Phillip, Heritage area, RFDS-Royal Flying Doctor Service, Aboriginal Art, Anzac park, Anzac Hill lookout, Red Ochre Grill, Todd River & boat race, Alice springs desert park, Bush Bird display, Nocturnal red centre animals, Dingoes, Many Birds, Great talk from Margaret on bush tucker and medicines, Cinema experience, Roo at the Red Ochre and Pizza , Shuttle to and from airport, Airport displays, Desert scenes and clouds, close up on Adelaide and the shores.... and back in South Australia SEE THE FULL NORTHERN TERRITORIES EXPERIENCE, 10 mins we had a fab time at the Alice springs desert park, hot isn't the word for it, sadly Annie had been unwell so we scooted back to the cool interior after a while before she fainted, she really wasn't well enough to go out for the evening meal neither. keef wanted camel at the Red Ochre grill which the chef suggested wasn't a good move back in 2007-8, still not on, only kangerroo so we settled for piazza at an Italian downtown, most amusing. Also sadly the Starlight Theatre was closed and the guy who sold me my didge and taught us a little bit is now driving the hop on hop off bus around Alice, it felt a lot more run down. witchetty grub man Return to Menu VICTORIA we knew from our previous trip here that this was the place to find these cuddly sleepy creatures, well not so cuddly when you see the size and sharpness of their claws (see Blog 2007-8 162) Entered Victoria from South Australia just after Mount Gambier near Portland, Koalas, Non Fish & Chips, Speeding fines, Frightened waitress, "Kind" man who disconnected my electrics, Cape Breakwater, Discovery bay, Petrified forest, Coastal Walkway, Wind farm, Port Fairy, Poor pies, 41st Folk Festival, busy busy, Flagstaff hill, Warrnambool, Logans beach, no whales but surfers, The Great Ocean Road including Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, The Grotto, London Bridge, 12 Apostles, Apollo Bay, Scenery and then some, bank holiday weekend, Princeton DOC, Giltbrook river, failed campsites then the 5* motorway service station outside Geelong, Echidnas, 3 Koalas at Kennett River, Snakes, Rock wallaby, Mt Macedon, The hump, Hanging rock, Reserve, Summit, Picnic at Hanging rock, Historic Woodend, Coburg, Melbourne, Federation square, Heritage Trams, MCG, Rod Laver arena, Olympic park, Shane Warne, the Don , Dennis Lillee, Greek Quarter, Chinatown, James Squire brewery , Busy drive out of Melbourne, Mornington peninsular, St Kilda, Brighton, Luna Park, Elwood (keefs old home in pine ave),Beach and pier at Mordialloc, Chris for a swim, Lunch at Mornington, Shopping in Frankton, Drive to Traralgon BIG4 on Princes Highway, Historic Port of Sale, White cockatoos, Lakes Entrance lookout, Lakes entrance connecting Gippsland lakes to the Bass Straits, 90 mile beach, Wood carvings, Fishing trawlers, Wood carvings, nice walks, Orbost, Snowy River, Marlo, Sammy the seal, Where the snowy river meets the bass straits, Banjo Paterson, Quirky Hats, Dredging, Sailors grave beach, cape Conran, Steps, MacKenzie river rain forest walk, Gypsy Point, Kangaroos, Boats, Mallacoota, Pelicans, Harbour, Nasty brown snake warning, Koala at campsite, Lucy's for brekkie, Shady Gully walk and nice plants, Tasman sea lookout, boats and more, Double Creek Victoria 9th to 19th March SEE THE FULL VICTORIA EXPERIENCE, 22 Mins Campsites stayed at in Victoria We revisited Picnic at Hanging Rock, Mount Macedon near Nagambi, this time Keef's knees were not up to climbing so we had a picnic with a guest roo doing a hand break turn 😉 Chris and Allyson did go up to the top, such an eerie place #scary Bad news we got speeding fines, only found out about them when family back in the UK let us know and they were not cheap... 30+ mph in the equivalent in kph looking for Greek restaurants in that quarter, mostly depleted although we did find a yummy one, just had to finish with a nice beer or 3 and now for the state of victoria's talkies videos Return to Menu NEW SOUTH WALES A Potted History Entering New South Wales (NSW) from Mallacoota (Victoria), Eden, harbour & whale museum, Old Tom, Ben Boyd , Whale lookout, Twofold bay, Pambula beach, fishing, roos, birds, Rosellas, Brewery (closed), Farm stores, Horse food, Merimbula, Tura beach, Tathra wharf and beach, Catching flatheads, plaice and salmon (well almost), Bermagui, Dalmeny, Central Tilba Historic Village (went there in 2007-8 but had forgotten its name), Borrell, Meeting up with Steve & Laura, Forsters Bay, Wagonga inlet, Narooma, Wagonga princess, Sexist jokes (not good!),Eurobodalla NP, Mill Bay boardwalk, Rays, Rain (lots), Overpriced fish & chips by campsite, Mogo, Batemans Bay, Kings Highway (B52), Great Dividing Range - no pics too scary driving, Braidswood, Bungedore, Bywong, Goulburn, Marulan (what a fab town especially like the current but actually old farming memorabilia), Mittagong, Rural NSW, Balmoral, Buxton, Thirlmere, NSW Railway museum, Cockatoos, Horses, Silverdale, Warragamba dam, visitors centre, Haviland Park, Narabeen Lakes again, Class driving campaigns, Handing van back at Britz in a new area of Mascot by airport , Public transport (bus/train/bus) back to Beacon hill apartment, Chilling, Views, Pool, BBQ, Movies, Food, Wine, Beer, Friends, Family, Bus to Manly, Manly Ferry, Harbour & Manly views, Voyager of the Seas cruise liner (D&P&C were on it 2 months later), Botanic gardens, Picnic, Mrs Macquarie's chair, Sunsets, Opera, Carmen, Voyager of the Seas, last ferry back, Possum in the park in the dark, Sunny pool days around the Bali hut, No 169 bus route & timetable i.e. the Manly bus from our pad in Beacon Hill, if you are NERDY enough look below to see that full bus timetable, anorak's at the ready, Opal cards, Seeing LION at Warringah Mall on a rainy day , C&As time in Sydney with Laura & Steve visiting Blue Mountains & Parkes observatory , Jervis bay, Snakes, Walking, Rain, Hannah and Connor visited and we had a play in the pool, Balgowlah, Lamb dinner (yummy), Lovely seeing David & Hannah again, heavy rain for a day, bright sunshine, day out in Sydney centre, manly ferry, circular quay, barangaroo wharf, cockle bay wharf, darling harbour, harbourside, Hard Rock Café (no surpise there eh Keef over 50 T-shirts now, Circular ferry trip, Pyrmont bridge, History, Milsoms point, MacMahons point, Balmain East, Luna Park, Emerald Princess, Maritime museum, Endeavour, Sunsets, Rained all day so watched goldstone (poor), noctural animals (good) and oz gogglebox, Train trip to Broadmeadow, Newcastle to visit Annie's cousin Susan, Gosford, Wygong, Hawkesbury river, back from Tassie, Ibis budget airport, Crispy Creme Doughnuts for tea (never again), fire alarm, Flight to NZ #tshirts we stayed 19th March - 4th April 2017, see the associated diary entries SEE THE FULL NEW SOUTH WALES EXPERIENCE, 47 mins The campsites we stayed at in New South Wales Australian ad campaigns are so much better than ours, they are hard hitting and get the message across, try these for size! 10 years apart but still hits the nerve in true oz style. Image slideshow coming up we visited the NSW railway museum , from the outside at least, it was at Thirlmere We stayed at our place at Beacon Hill Sydney near warringah mall and Chris & Allyson did some stuff with Laura, here is the highlights love my trad Bob Marley t-shirt which sadly now is a paint rag but I did wear it on the Bob Marley tour to One Love in Jamaica in 2018 see Blog 125 and now for the New South Wales talkies videos I now have a landscape image of this pool just above my head in the study at home, it was bliss #GIF However for the nerds amongst you and I'm happy to be in that classification here is the bus timetable we found years later from Beacon Hill to Manly which we did often, especially as the stop was just up the hill from our residence with the pool. We used Uber Oz on the last day we left peeing with rain v early in the morning and the guy didn't come, as outside Wi-Fi range had to go back in and get a second so we didn't miss our flight to Tasmania, the second was alovely student who got us there in time, we were understandably a little panicky as well as miffed, i still have $5 credit left on Uber Oz #myexcuse2return NERDSVILLE 169. Manly – City a Sydney bus via Narraweena & Seaforth Our stop Highlighted - full anarak 209541. Belgrave St near Raglan St, 209542. Pittwater Rd near Steinton St, 209543. Pittwater Rd near Pine St,209544. Pittwater Rd near Collingwood St 209545. Pittwater Rd near Balgowlah Rd,209546. Pittwater Rd near Eurobin Av,210030. Pittwater Rd near Queencliff Rd, 210032. IPittwater Rd near Oliver St 210033. Pittwater Rd near Riverview Pde,210034. Pittwater Rd near Western Av,210035. Pittwater Rd near Wakefield St ,210036. Pittwater Rd near Kentwell Rd 210037. Pittwater Rd near Sterland Av,2100111. Pittwater Rd near Warringah Mall,210015. Pittwater Rd near Roger St 210016. Pittwater Rd near Winbourne Rd 210017. Pittwater Rd near Pine Av,210018. Pittwater Rd near Federal Pde,210019. Pittwater Rd near Warringah Rd,209911. Pittwater Rd near May Rd 209912. Pittwater Rd near Pacific Pde,209913. Pittwater St Davids Av ,209996. Fisher Rd near Lewis St,209997. McIntosh Rd near Vale Av,209998. McIntosh Rd near Victor Rd 209999. McIntosh Rd near Beverley Job Park,2099100. McIntosh Rd near Mundara PI,209917. Alfred St near Oceania St,209918. Alfred St near Warringah Rd, 209992. Warringah Rd near Consul Rd,209993. Warringah Rd near Northcliffe Av,210067. Warringah Rd opp McKillop Rd, 210068. Warringah Rd near Beacon Hill Rd (see 24-30 March) 210069. Warringah Rd near Willandra Rd,2100141. Warringah Rd near Earl St,210070. Warringah Rd near O'Connors Rd,210071. Warringah Rd near Goverment Rd, 210072. Warringah Rd near Jones St,208642. French Forest Rd near Patanga Rd,208643. Frenchs Forest Rd near Hurdis Av (Annie's old residence), 208644. Frenchs Forest Rd near Skyline PI,208637. Wakehurst Pwy near Frenchs Forest Rd,208674. Warrringah Rd near Bantry Bay Rd 208638. Wakehurst Pwy near Warringah Rd 208655. Wakehurst Pwy,208712. Wakehurst Pwy near Manly Dam Res,208713. Wakehurst Pwy near Kirkwood St,209254. Wakehurst Pwy near Judith St 209246. Wakehurst pwy near Burnt St,209247. Wakehurst Pwy near Armstrong St,209231. Wakehurst Pwy near Lister Av,209232. Wakehurst Pwy near Castle Cct 209233. Clontarf St near Montauban Av,209234. Frenchs Forest Rd near Montauban Av,209235. Frenchs Forest Rd near Baringa Av,209257. Frenchs Forest Rd near Macmillan St 209252. Sydney Rd near Hope St,209335. Manly Rd near Heaton Av,209212. Manly Rd near Avona Cr,208812. Spit Rd near Parriwi Rd,2088186. Spit Rd near Medusa St 2088187. Spit Rd near Parriwi Rd,2088188. Spit Rd near Stanton Rd,2088189. Spit Rd near Awaba St,2088243. Spit Rd at Clifford St,2088190. Spit road near Military Rd 2088192. Military Rd near Wudgong St,2088193. Military Rd near Lang St,2088194. Military Rd near Belmont Rd,209059. Military Rd near Cabramatta Rd 209019. Military Rd near Hampden Av,208944. Military Rd near Rangers Rd,208913. Military Rd near Wycombe Rd,208959. Military Rd at Bydown Lane,208960. Military Rd at Watson St 208912. Military Rd near Watson St,2000133. York St at Lang Park,200035. Wynyard Station, York St - Stand N,208657. Cemtery Front Gate Hakea Av,208671. Forest Way near Warringah Rd 208697. Naree Rd near Rabbett St,208649. Rabbett St near Holland Av,208664. Warrringah Rd near Bantry Bay Rd,200025. Wynyard Station, Carrington St - Stand E,200021. Wynyard Station, Carrington St - Stand A 208947. Military Rd near Watson St,208948. Military Rd near Wycombe Rd,209021. Military Rd near Hampden Av,209058. Military Rd near Cabramatta Rd,2088176. Military Rd near Prince St 2088177. Military Rd near Lang St,2088178. Military Rd near Bond St,2088179, Military Rd near Cowles Rd,2088180. Spit Junction, Spit Rd,2088181. Spit Rd near Awaba St 2088182. Spit Rd near Bickell Rd,2088183. Spit Rd near Quakers Rd, 2088184. Spit Rd near Medusa St,2088185. Spit Rd near Pearl Bay Av,208811. Spit Rd near Parriwi Rd,209213. Battle Bvde near Manly Rd 209214. Battle Bvd near Seaforth Cr,209215. Palmerston PI near Alan Av,209216. Ponsonby Pde near Palmerston PI,209222. Ponsonby Pde near Panorama Pde,209223. Ponsonby Pde near Sydney Rd 209224. Frenchs Forest Rd near Ellery Pde,209225. Frenchs Forest Rd near Macmillan St,209236. Frenchs Forest Rd near Baringa Av 209237. Frenchs Forest near Redman St 209238.Clontarf St near Montauban Av 209239. Wakehurst Pwy near Castle Cct,209240. Wakehurst Pwy near Lister Av, 209241. Wakehurst Pwy near Armstrong St,209242. Wakehurst Pwy near Burnt St 209243. Wakehurst Pwy near Judith St,209253. Wakehurst Pwy near Kirkwood St,208711. Wakehurst Pwy near Manly Dam Res,208630. Wakehurst Pwy,208631, Wakehurst pwy near Warringah Rd 208639. Frenchs Forest Rd near Skyline PI 208640. Frenchs Forest Rd near Romford Rd,208641. Frenchs Forest Rd near Inverness Av,208617. Frenchs Forest Rd near Patanga Rd 2100142. Warringah Rd near Jones St 2100143. Warringah Rd near Ellis Rd 2100144. Warringah Rd near Oxford Falls Rd,2100113. Warringah Rd near Cornish Av,2100114. Warringah Rd near Willandra Rd 2100139. Warringah Rd opp Beacon Hill Rd, us again on the return journey, 2100140. Warringah Rd near McKillop Rd,2099106. Warringah Rd near Princess Mary St 2099107. Warringah Rd near Waratah Pde,2099108. Warringah Rd near Alfred St,2099119. Alfred St near Warringah Rd,2099120. Alfred St near Amaral St,2099122. Alfred St near McIntosh Rd 2099115. McIntosh Rd near Mundara PI 2099116. McIntosh Rd near Victor Rd 2099117. McIntosh Rd near Vale Av 2099118. Fisher Rd near St David Av,209922. Pittwater Rd near Howard Av 209923. Pittwater Rd near Pacific Pde,210021. Pittwater Rd near Harbord Rd,210022. Pittwater Rd near Carter Rd ,210023. Pittwater Rd near Mitchell Av,210025. Pittwater Rd near Chard Rd 210026. Pittwater Rd near Orchard Rd,2100131. Pittwater Rd near Warringah Mall Stand A,210041.Pittwater Rd near Sterland Av 210042. Pittwater Rd near Corrie Rd 210043. Pittwater Rd near Wakefield St,210044. Pittwater Rd near Western Av,210045. Pittwater near Riverview Pde ,210046. Pittwater Rd near Oliver St 210047.Pittwater Rd near Aitken Av 209547. Pittwater Rd near Eurobin Av,209548. Pittwater Rd near Balgowlah Rd 209549. Pittwater Rd near Collingwood St 209550. Pittwater Rd near Pine St 209551. Pittwater Rd near Carlton St,209552. Pittwater Rd near IRagIan St,209553. Belgrave St near Sydney Rd 209554. West Esplanade Stand B - MANLY Return to Menu TASMANIA Early morning flight from Sydney to Launceston, Car hire, Evendale, Midland Highway, Powranna, Epping Forest, Cleveland, Campbelltown, Convicts and their memorial bricks laid, Nice egg and bacon pies, Wood carvings, Sunshine, Elizabeth river, Loggers, Conara, A4 Esk main road, Avoca, Fingal, St Mary's, Volcanic Mount, Purple possum café, Break O'Day municipality, Cornwall, Gray, Chain of Lagoons, Seymour, Douglas River, Tasman Highway, Bicheno, Picnics, Views, Scuba Divers, whales (if only!), Apslawn, Cranbrook, Swansea, John & Diana - so nice to see them again, wonderful hospitality, 9 mile beach, Mayfield, Rocky hill beach, Spiky bridge & beach, Swansea pier and beach, Freycinet national park, visitors centre, Wine glass bay, Cape Tourville lighthouse, the Road rage guide, Gravel roads, Friendly beaches, sunshine, fun, walks, Surfing, pristine empty beaches, Oyster bay, The Hazards, Coles bay, Triabunna, Maria island, Ferry, Tassie devils, Orford, Prosser estuary, Café, Cricket, Raspins Spit & beach & dunes, Petanque, History, East coast heritage museum @ Swansea, Tarlton, Thylacine (now sadly extinct, lets hope the Tassie Devils and Koalas don't go the same way - please!), Convicts, Family, Up early, Say goodbye, Back to Launceston Airport SEE THE FULL TASSIE EXPERIENCE, 10 Mins and now for the Tasmanian slideshows, enjoy now for the talkies from Tasmania 2017, when we went in 2007 we hired a car and spent 2 weeks "discovering" tassie, i remember being off road and being confronted by a wallaby Return to Menu THE COOK ISLES We stayed on RAROTONGA, Raina Beach House, 10-17 April 2017 "Paradise Home by the Sea" for a change lets have the talkies first for rarotonga our evening out is on here, lovely food, lovely setting, lovely friends and now for the photo slideshows featuring the new yes album 2021 I'm getting a collection of pacific island driving licenses , I already have one from Tonga in 2007 Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND Kiwi Adventures, 9th April - 30th May 2017 "North & South Island by Interisland Ferry, Wellington to Picton" INTRODUCTION NORTH ISLAND We landed in Auckland back from the Cook Isles and picked up our motorhomes and headed north to Cape Reinga, (don't mention the tyre). Love Northlands. We also visited Orewa & Whangerai together before C&A principally did the west coast and us the east pulling in Coromandel, Port Jackson, Papamoa beach, Gentle Annie pass, Hastings before making our way south to Wellington where we met up before catching the Interisland ferry to south island. We also met up at Whakapapa village en route. SOUTH ISLAND We landed at Picton and visited the fabulous Queen Charlotte sound before taking in such places as Nelson (WOW museum of wearable art and classic cars) , Abel Tasman NP , Kaikoura , Christchurch (although sadly still devastated by the 2010 quake), Dunedin & the Otago peninsular, Akaroa, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Te Anau and a whole lot more before returning to Christchurch and a last Lone star meal before flying back via Sydney to Hong Kong & Singapore respectively. Return to Menu NORTH ISLAND NEW ZEALAND Arrived (1st time) in Auckland from Sydney, Overnight then Cook Isles, Walk, Wait, Agapanthus, Arrived (2nd time) from Rarotonga, Cook Isles. 3 days central area, harbour, wharves, ferries,coast to coast walk (for C&A) , Maritime museum, murals, tepid baths,Britomart, Queens wharf, Quay st, Federal St, Churches, slopes,Hobson west marina, Masters games, Wynyard quarter, amazing architecture,Fish market, Heritage landing, North Wharf, Sarah, Pier 4, Rangitoto, Volcanic explorer tour,Summit views, Motutapu, Lava, Sunshine, Day out in Devonport, The Arcade, Esplanade Hotel,Victoria Road, King & Queens parade, various reserves, Mount Victoria, Clarys, Haircut, Hauraki gulf, Auckland art gallery, Maoiri paintings,The body laid bare exhibition, Joseph at the Civic, Collecting vans at Richard Pearce drive, Mangere, Auckland, Extra hidden costs, Orewa, Beach, Man with tourettes, Orewa beach,Countdown/Pac-N-Save/New World,shells, historic Puhoi, Twin coast highway, Mangawhai heads, Ruakaka beach, Whangerai, Hatea river, Town basin, glassblowing, canopy bridge, Tutikaka, Matapouri, Kawakawa, Ohua, Okiato, Russell, Hundertwasser, Hangi,Clapham clocks, Waterfall , Manawoara, Rawhiti, wetlands, marae, Waimarama bay, Bay of Islands, Historic Russell, pier, boat ramps, ferries, sunshine, exotic sub tropical plants, Tapeka point, Rocky bay reserve, Weka, Paihai, Water taxis, Waitangi, Whangaroa, marlin, wharfs & jetties, Volcanic plus, 90 mile beach, Twilight beach, Tapotupotu bay, DOC, Tyres R Us, Kevin the AAman, Cape Reinga, Lighthouse, Te Paki reserve, Old Kahina tree, Views to die for, Te Paki sand dunes, Broadwood, Kohukohu, Hokianga ferry, Twin coast highway, Rawene, Opononi, Aria-te-aru reserve, South heads, historic Dargaville, meeting up with C&A again in countdown car park, Donelly crossing, loggers, fab kiwi trees, Kaiwaka, farm stay, outside loo with a view, C&A visited lake Kai Iwi on the way to Dargaville, we did east coast, they did west coast, remet Whakapapa village then Wellington, Kaipara coast sculpture park, Helensville, Ginger crunch railway cafe, flat whites, Railways, Thames, Coromandel peninsular & Forest park, Wharf, Ferry, Shelly beach, Colville, Horse, Wahine, Music festival, Buddist retreat, Port Jackson, gravel road,Top of coro, Mercury bay, Tairua, freedom camping, waves, rain (lots),fishing off rocks, Waihi beach, Katikati, murals, Mount Manganui, Pilot bay, Marine parade, Motuotou & Moturiki islands, boysenberry icecream, Papamoa beach, beach street, strelitzia,Maori sculpture, bluebiyou restuarant, chalets, sunshine, relaxing, fun, chatting to guy from england , Pikowai, Pacific coast highway, Te Puke, Thornton, Whakatane, 2 islands, Smokin' volcano, Edgecumbe floods, Mt Edgecombe, Galatea road, sickly horse, Lunch at lake Aniwhenua, autumn colours, Hydro electric dam, Kopuriki, Road only just opened due to floods, Murupara, Maori funeral, Forests, Lake Taupo, Reids Carving, Breweries, Fooderies, Outrigger boats, Tourist info, icecream, Lake lookout, DOC site, Free, Tongariro views, sunsets, fishing boats, great sleep, cold at night - getting so, 5 mile bay site, Motuoapa bay, licorice (spelling haha!) cafe, flat whites, black swans, novelty VW cabins, Desert road, Turangi,National Park, Restuarant (not this time), Tranz Alpine station, Whakapapa village, rain, meeting up with C&A again at the dump station, Visitors centre, Cafe coffee, snow, Chateau Tongariro, Taihape, Gumboots, Spooner hill road, sheep, cows, Gentle annie pass, Moawhango, views to die for, Rangitikei river, Silverdale historic bridge, Valleys, Mountains, Hastings , 1930s architecture,Queens & Railway St, Westermans, Clock tower, Te Mata peak, Ocean beach, Waimarama, Blue cod, Fish & chips St Aubyn st, Surfers, Havelock north, Duart house and gardens, Murals, Wineries, Tukituki river, Kairakau beach, reflections, Paua shells, ice creams at waipawa, Waipukurau, Lake Hatuma, Wanstead, Wallingford bridge, sheep (again), Porangahau, Never finding the beach down the gravel road (cooks tooth), Longest name of place in the world (no don't ask me to spell it ;) ) ,Pacific Ocean, Cape Turnagain, Our hero Capt Cook, Herbertville, Wimbeldon, Route 52, Pongaroa, Eketahuna, Pagans, Hippies, Sacrificing virgins (ok maybe not!), Electricity, Late at night, Kiwi country, Herberts store, Steak & Cheese Pies, Museum, Masterton, Wool shed, Joseph Masters, Queen Elizabeth park, Aratoi, Maori ripoff, Tinui, Anzac church & cross, Castlepoint, Deliverance cove, Riversdale beach, Wairarapa wine region, late night into Martinborough, Memorial square, Pain & Kershaw, lake Ferry, Lake Okone and spit, old motorhomes, Cape Palliser, Paua shells, Palliser bay, Ngawi, Tractors, Rock lobster, Road slips,Putangirua pinnacles , Wellington Top10 campsite (so changed), Harbour from Pencarrow head to Lyall bay, shells, ferries, Ward island, Wellesley college, Eastbourne, Day bay,Wahine disaster,Moa point, Middle earth, Trolley buses, Waterfront at night, Te Papa, Macs Brewery, Curry, up early for Interislander ferry, Traffic jams SEE THE FULL NORTH ISLAND EXPERIENCE, 1hr 55mins north island campsites including our all time fave papamoa beach now for the north island slideshows, there are a lot of them we were here for quite a while, the first is prior to slipping in and then off to cook isles then back such fabulous art work at kawakawa love russell and kiwi's and weka's and weta's if you can find them fun on the ferry after getting Chris's tyre fixed they returned to Britz in Auckland to get a solid repair before moving on, we took the scenic route down the quiet west coast of northlands, avoiding highway 1 a very different coalville #smile #humour loving this site Papamoa possibly the best campsite in the world, Darlington beach nsw ain't bad either #campsites #hintsandtips Met up with C&A again here, chris had his hand down the dunny sluice trying to retrieve the water tank lid I think that had how shall we say "get mislaid" loving this spelling bee and now for the north island talkies Return to Menu SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND 11th -29th May 2017, see the accompanying diaries A Summary of some of the things we did and saw Arrived in Picton from Wellington on the Interislander ferry, Early morning start, Very wet day (haha welcome to south island), Shakespeare bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, Queen Charlotte drive, Ngakuta bay, Havelock, Green Mussels (yummy), Read all about mussels opposite (please) its very informative, Lady from Auckland, Freshness, straight from the sea, Long windy wet drive to Nelson, Town centre camp site over a bridge with a stream, nice calming stream noises, WOW museum and classic cars, so many clever costumes (see the slideshows), Lippydeema, Lord Maharajah and the Star bride, Goodbye Versaille starring Mrs Du Barry's monkey, Ishmaelian wingflapper to name but a few... go on look, you wont be disappointed.... What's the line "WOW makes Lady Gaga look like a librarian", Amazing Bras, Cars were Minis , Locomobiles, Vauxhall Vivas, Shaguar and many more, Tahunanui beach reserve , Board walks, Lunch, Winery areas, Pears, Apples, Kaiteriteri, Beach front history, sunsets, Wilsons ferries, Beached Whale pub, Fire, Singing barman, Rugby - Christchurch Vs Wellington, Abel Tasman National Park, The man who emptied his loo in the water area and covered it with leaves (Yuk! Sick!), Abel Tasman boat trip, Totaroa, Awaroa, Medlands, Tonga Quarry, Torrent Bay, Bark Bay, Picnic, Coffee, Wind & Sun, New Zealand fur seal, Adele island and many other islands, kayaking, Solar panels, Tides , Motueka river, Kahurangi National park, Low cloud, Hinetai hops, Tapawera,Railways, Old police stations, Wooden Cow, Eels, Lake Rotoiti, Mr Angry and his boat, St Arnaud, Lake Rotoroa, Wet feet, nature walk, Red toadstools, Trees, colourful leaves, Buller river, Murchison, Heritage area, Fuel fillup, Buller Gorge Swing bridge, Waterfalls, Earthquakes, Floods, 2010,1929,White creek peninsular circular walk, Wagtails, Wekas, Bushline walk, Araki waterfalls, Logging on the buller,Springs junction for a pie lunch, Lewis pass, Waiau river, Kaikoura range, Road to Kaikoura Highway 70 via Rotherham and Waiau as SH1 closed due to Kaikoura earthquake 2016, Kaikoura camp site, Fish & Chips in town at No2, the best one (Tiki Takeaways) was sadly closed, Fyffe Quay, Old House chimney remains, Mountains, Snow covering, Boardwalk, The Point, Seal colony, No fishing, Smells, Views, Seals asleep on boardwalk and rocks, Road back, Many roadslips, Woodchester, Monet autumn views, man with coffee, Rejoin empty SH2 via Waiau, Christchurch, Britz office, Extra bedding, C&As van fixed - brakes/ headlamp bulb, Ours for internal light only, School party and rain at Christchurch Top10 site, Blue route bus into Bus station, Ballantynes department store, Devestation, Sad, Cathedral, Customs House, Chalice sculpture, Vintage trams, New Regent Street, Murals, Container City, Quake museum, Kiwi humour in the face of adversity, Columbo street, Mexican restaurant, Workman everywhere, often playing, Rain, Loosing each other on ring road around the airport, Sheffield pies,West coast road, Lake Lyndon, Castle Hill, snow, mountains, roads, State Highway 73, Kumara Junction, Great alpine way, Grasmere, Lake Pearson, great farming flats, Cass laggon track, Otira gorge and viaduct, Jackson tavern, Arthurs pass, Arthurs pass national park, Waimakariri river, Railways,Tranz alpine, Bridal veil falls and lookout, Visitors centre, Cobb & co stagecoach, Devils punchbowl bridge,Kumara gold town, Theatre, Hokitika, Tasman sea, Old town, Signs and chairs, Glow worms, Rainbows (lots of them), Ross Gold mining town, gaol, Heritage walk, Gold panning, Chinese influence, Jones flats, Museum, De Bakker cottage, Philip Ross May (local hero & Historian),Autumn colours, Mine shaft, Catholic church, Mining Memorabilia, New ross gold mine, Hari Hari, Guy Menzies, 1st solo flight Oz to Nz, Southern cross junior, Lunch, Whataroa river, Glacier flights, Rain, Glacier highway, Franz Josef wet walk, receding glacier, pain in knees , Lake Ianthe, Fox Glacier, Blue lake, Moraine, Haast valley, Bruce Bay, Stones for messages, Lake Matheson walks and views, Cafe, Coffee, Snow cover peaks, Knights point lookout, Whale watching, Mother and calf, Fox Glacier ski village, Pollax point peaks, Haast village, Haast campsite, Sunset, Eeerie colours on the peaks, Having to move pitches as the power didn't work at Haast Top10, Haasy-Jackson Bay road, Oturu, Harbour, Fan tails, Oturu river, Whitebait, Lobsters, Bridges (many), Neils Beach, Shearwaters, Hannahs crossing, Jackson Bay, Wharf (dodgy), Visitors centre, Whalers chimney remains, Whale (sighted by Annie), Pioneers, Fishing community, Return to Haast, Fuel station out, haast pass, Cameron Flat, Lunch, Mt Brewster and others, more snow, Mount Aspiring, Lake Wanaka, The Neck, Lake Hawea, Boundary Creek, Makarora Jack, Albert Town, Hawea, Wanaka, Snow predicted -2 it didnt arrive (hooray), Cold at night, Wanaka shore line, Luggate, Old motor cars, Town hall, Luggate - Cromwell Road, Tannersley estate vineyard, Lake Dunstan, 45th parallel, Lowburn, Mountain reflections, Cool seed pods, The Remarkables,Cromwell town - both new and old, Printing presses, Horses, Cartwheels, Paua art,Fruit town, sunshine, Goldfields, Kawarau gorge, Roaring Meg, Hydro power, A J Hackett bungy jumping, Warm outdoor fires, kawarau bridge, Shotover gorge, Queenstown campsite, Lake Wakatipu, Rainbows, Snow, Lumsden junction, Kingston, Old railway bridge, Garston, Mossburn, Stock crossing, Te Anau, lake Te Anau, Picture drome, Library, Coffee, Float planes, Kelpler track, Layby with Kea, Naughty alpine parrots - Kea, Car stripping trims, Homer Tunnel, waterfalls, Road slips, Rain, Milford sound lodge and camping ground, Milford village, Cruise terminal, Milford Mariner (our nature cruise boat), Nature cruise, NZ fur seals, Heron, Milford Sound is one of the true modern wonders of the world, Sigh loved it and nice to do it with pals, Low clouds, Mitre peak, The footstool, Sindbad gully, Many cruise liners, Massive crowds, Fur seals, Coffee, Warmth, Winds and cold,Tutoko Historic Suspension Bridge , Valley and river, Hollyford river and lookout, The Chasm walk and Kea (again) , Homer tunnel return, Mirroe lakes, such reflections, Ta Anau again, pitch where we camped in a tent in 2008, still there by the roses, Mossburn deer capital of NZ, red tussock grass, Lumsden, Gore, Clock tower and art gallery, Balclutha for a fab fish & chip lunch, Southern scenic highway, Dunedin, Otago peninsular (right hand coast), Taiaroa head scenic reserve, Royal Albatross centre, Prince Charles, Pilots beach, Blue Penguins (see video part 4), Portobello, Company bay, Broad bay, Wycliffe bay, Hooper inlet, Sandfly bay, Cape Saunders, Pilot beach viewing platform, Waiwhakeheke bay, Lighthouse, Dick Road, Allan beach, Sheep branding, Flotsam & jetsam, Lovely beach flowers, Highcliff road (scary and roadslips but great views), Dunedin city, Signal Hill lookot and memorial, University Oval cricket ground Dunedin, Baldwin street (the steepest in the world and I have the t-shirt somewhere to prove it!), Dunedin station lit up, travelling back to Portobello around the peninsular at night spectacular lights, Dunedin Vogel street murals, Blueskin Road, 19 Fathoms Foul memorial, Robert Falcon Scott memorial, Blueskin bay, Quarentine and Rakiriri islands, Waikouaiti and river, Karitane, Seacliff lookout, Pies in Waikouati village, Bushy beach reserve, Hide, Yellow eyed penguins, Oamaru victorian precinct, Jetty, Friendly Bay,Farmers market, Grain stores, Brewery, Distillery, Station, Picture frame, Steam punk (lots of it - class),Fat controller and the steam railway,Rakaia - salmon capital and goal, Banks Peninsular, Hilltop views, Akaroa, French very french, Jetty, Cinema, Passport office, Monet, Bedroom with a view, Churches, Roses, cats, Barrys bay, Little river, Silo stays, Over the hills in the rain, Gebbies pass, Dyers pass,Sugar loaf scenic reserve, Riccarton, Apollo motel (room11), Lone star last supper, Early rise, nice family, Airport off to Singapore (us), Hong Kong (C&A), tears, coffee in Sydney airport airside, Great times SEE THE FULL SOUTH ISLAND EXPERIENCE, 1 hr 57mins south island campsites To see the Dunedin Albatross live webcam, click here Albatross Cam To see Milford Sounds top 6 waterfalls click here Milford Sound Lodge and Camping was where we stayed Top 6 Waterfalls what can I say #wow museum of wearable art near nelson wow both glaciers had receded in about 10 years #COP26 Queenstown, dangerous and extreme sports watching not doing, some snow around as well especially when we were travelling time for the steepest street in the world I have the t-shirt already at the end of this we returned to Singapore and more time with the family, we all 4 flew via Sydney and said our tearful good byes Return to Menu Whilst with family in Singapore we had a luxury weekend away in Desaru, Malaysia, pretty close by ferry from Singapore MALAYSIA, DESARU Desaru Resort , Bandar Panewar,Johor Coastline 3 Day Weekend Break - 9-11 June 2017 "Family Time with Doug, Phoenix & Charlie" INTRODUCTION - 3 Day Break A long weekend away in Desaru, Johor travelling by ferry from Changi ferry port by the MV Falcon 3 to Tanjung Belungkor ferry terminal in malaysia and then transported by people mover provided by hotel 35km to the beach resort. Nice facilities, 2 pools and a waterpark plus really good food and a colonial feel to the lawn and buildings plus charlie loved the old fire engine and bird house. All in all a fab family weekend away. Lotus desaru, 113 images covering amongst others tangjung belangkor, ferry from changi, the reach, buffet restaurants, paw patrol, early swimming to keep cool, amusements, tigers, block e, last rivers, meals, seafood, mexican, boats, rickshaws, fire engines, parascending, seabass, seaside fun, holiday in the sun, 3 day long weekend, mv falcon 3, fireworks, waterfall, relaxation, palm trees, taxi rides, seaview restaurant, steep down to beach, teratai coffee house, hibiscus, limbongan maju, marina island, love prata, block e room 407 and now the fun slideshows and now the talkies Return to Menu AUDIOBOOKS

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 3 2021 14.22 pm This is a retrospective Blog, we were away between 22nd January and 23rd April 2013. 92 glorious days on what we affectionately termed our "3rd holiday of a lifetime" well in print at least. Suggestion use the BIG TRIP maps to scale in and out if you wish Another big trip featuring hired motorhomes but this time including the fabulous wedding of our son Doug and his beautiful bride Phoenix plus in Australia we stayed with our niece Hannah and her hubby in Sydney as well as visiting lifelong friend Chris's daughter Laura who likewise lived in Sydney and rather coincidentally already knew Hannah and David from travels. We went back in 2017 with our dear pals Chris & Allyson (see Blog 168) If you want to see the full reworked site click on HOLIDAY 2013 , thanks, you will also be able to listen to the Audio book of Annie's diary there as well should you so choose to do. We joined the BIG 4 campsites whilst in Australia which certainly saved us money on our overnight camping. We also signed up with Top Tourists Parks (by 2022 they have been renamed G'Day Parks ) Just a couple of tips for fellow motor homers. In New Zealand we joined the equivalent site clubs which were called Top 10 and Kiwi Holiday Parks campsites. MENU Go to 1. Summary 2. Trip Calendar 3. Certificate for crossing the Nullarbor Plain #tick 4. Route, Flags & Money 5. Diary 6. Malaysia Overall 7. Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 22-24 Jan 2013 8. Malaysia, Kuah Town, Langkawi Island, 25-27 Jan 2013 9. Malaysia Langkawi Boat Trip, 28-29 Jan 2013 10. Malaysia, Doug & Phoenix's Wedding, 30 Jan 2013 🌠 11. Malaysia, Berjaya to Penang 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013 12 . Malaysia, Georgetown Penang 3-5 Feb 2013 13. Malaysia, Malacca "The Historic State" 13-14 Apr 2013 14. Old Skool Malaysia #nerd 15. New Zealand Overall 16. New Zealand , Orewa 6-8 Feb 2013 17. New Zealand, Tutakaka Coast 9-11 Feb 2013 18. New Zealand, Keri Keri 12-14 Feb 2013 19. New Zealand, Coromandel 15-17 Feb 2013 #paulmcartney 20. New Zealand, Bay of Plenty 18-20 Feb 2013 21. New Zealand, Hawkes Bay, 21-23 Feb 2013 22. New Zealand, Tongariro Area, 24-26 Feb 2013 23. New Zealand, Taranaki, 27 Feb - 1 Mar 2013 24. New Zealand, Back to Auckland, 2 - 5 Mar 2013 25. Australia Overall 26. Australia, Vaucluse, New South Wales (NSW) , 6-8 Mar 2013 27. Australia, Sydney Area, NSW, 9-11 Mar 2013 28. Australia, North Shores, NSW, 12-14 Mar 2013 29. Australia, Tasmania, 15-17 Mar 2013 30. Australia , Tasmania & South Australia, 18-20 Mar 2013 31. South Australia, 21-23 Mar 201 32. Coffin Bay National Park, South Australia, 24-26 Mar 2013 #dolphins 33. The Nullarbor Plain, South to Western Australia, 27 Mar - 1 Apr 2013 34. Last 2 visits in Australia and all of Singapore continued in Part 2 35. Diaries for Malaysia and New Zealand available in Part 3 36. Diaries for Australia and Singapore available in Part 4 SUMMARY Read the Diaries, Look at the Slideshows, See the You Tube Videos, Use the Drop down to Explore, 3 Days at a Time (mostly) Have Fun OVERVIEW 2013 We have been lucky enough to spend 3 months away again recently, firstly in Malaysia where our youngest son "Mr Douglas" got married on the lovely island of Langkawi. Our time in Malaysia included Kuala Lumpur (KL to its friends), Langkawi , Georgetown (Penang) and latterly Melaka (Malacca - the Unesco World Heritage site) via Johor Bahru (JB to its friends). We then hired a Motorhome for a month to travel around the top half of North Island New Zealand (NZ). We had already spent 4 months seeing North & South island of this lovely country back in 2007/8 and wanted to see the places we missed out on last time, namely Cape Reinga, 90 mile beach, Hot water beach and the forgotten world highway. After NZ we returned to Australia both of us for the 4th time. Starting in Sydney with family & friends we had a great time. Then Tasmania again with family we flew into Adelaide to pick up our motorhome to travel the Nullarbor plain from east to west but this time with a built in external gas BBQ, bliss! Including our previous trips to OZ we have now travelled around the outside from Cooktown (QLD) to Geraldton (WA) plus Broome, Kunnarra, Darwin (NT) and thru the middle on the Ghan including Alice & Uluru. We have been to all States and can thoroughly recommend Oz to anyone wanting an adventure. We HEART Oz & Nz big style. We finished our trip with 2 weeks in lovely Singapore with Doug and his new wife "Mrs Phoenix". If we tot up the miles / kilometres we drove on this trip we can say we drove the equivalent of the distance from London to Tashkent (Uzbekistan).It is nice being back in the UK now to our own little Motorhome with a whole host of new & exciting trips to look forward to . This blog shows some of our best pictures and Anne's diary as a memory of a truly wonderful time. Love K&A . We drove 7253 miles in total whilst away in both hire cars and motorhomes. Summary of total miles driven 7253 In Motorhomes 6369 (2559 in NZ, 3810 in Australia of which 742 were crossing the Nullarbor Plain), In Cars 884 (Sydney 187, Langkawi 342, Johor 2 Melaka 355) I suggest you read each section visited in conjunction with the appropriate days dairy, thanks for looking As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2013 site which contained our BIG TRIP in 2013 (sometimes we called it the third holiday of a lifetime 😉) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog uk site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site if I chose to. This is what the old HOLIDAY2013 home page looked like More Intro images from our 2013 wonderful trip Return to Menu CALENDAR Return to Menu NULLARBOR CERTIFICATE Return to Menu ROUTE, FLAGS & MONEY This is our Round the World Ticket (RTW) summary to show where and what Flags from the places we visited and when we visited them, it shows the duration of stay in each country Currency converters we used, obviously current way back in 2013 Here are the currencies we used on our third holiday of a lifetime (actually Annie & my 4th visit), both notes and coins Return to Menu DIARY Complete DIARY written by Annie, for ALL 91 DAYS of our THIRD HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME, thanks for looking, love Keef & Annie x The reality of course if you include our time living down under as kids this is our 4th holiday of the lifetime. Each page on the Diary video slideshow is set for 20 seconds which hopefully is long enough to read each page, clearly if it is not either rewind the page back and/or halt it playing to complete your read or if the reverse is true I suggest doing a "fast forward" Return to Menu MALAYSIA Including amongst others Langkawi,Penang, Malacca, Georgetown , 1st visit 23rd January to 5th February , then the second visit 12th April to 14 April, 17 days in total We were in Malaysia twice during our 3 months away. Initially for Doug & Phoenix's wedding on the lovely island of Langkawi and then again when we visited them at their home in Singapore where we slipped back over the border via Woodlands crossing into Johor (JB) before driving up to the Unesco World Heritage site @ Malacca (Melaka in Malay). Our 1st stay in Malaysia was initially centred around Kuala Lumpar (KL) using the Hop On Hop Off bus (HOHO) to look at various things then onto Langkawi then for 3 days at the end in Georgetown Penang another Unesco World Heritage site at Cheong Fatt Tze's Blue Mansion. Annie kept a diary and you can read that here on the website day by day as well as see the pictures we took as memories on each day. If you prefer to speed that viewing up you can view the slideshows for this country on each of those days. Malaysian HIGHLIGHTS:- Doug & Phoenix's wedding Unesco Blue Mansion Georgetown Exotic Fruits Chinatown & Little India, Georgetown Evening tour of Malacca Food @ Concorde Inn KL Mr Li's tea house Melaka Monkeys on Bunting Island & Basah Bahai Pregnant Maiden Lake Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt from Malacca & Batu Ferrighe Penang Nasi Goreng Malaysian LOWLIGHTS:- Bumps on island boat hop Langkawi Rats in roads & smells on Melaka River Now the Malaysian slideshows and the Malaysian talkies Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur, 22-24 Jan 2013 Arriving from the UK and Snow to 30c & Jet Lag & Discovery, Malaysia 22-24 Jan 2013, Kuala Lumpur , plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others concorde inn , leaving uk in snow, istana negara / national palace, menara tower, st marys cathedral, petronus twin towers, batu auch, batu linting, year of the snake, china town, burial poles, malay traditional housing, national museum, dataran merdeka square, cricket, colonialism, poverty, endless motorcycles , lovely hibiscus flowers, hop on hop off bus tour , no of images = 121 in selective slideshows KL slideshows, read in conjunction with diaries #justsayin Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Kuah Town, Langkawi Island, 25-27 Jan 2013 Arriving from KL and meeting up with family at the De Baron Hotel, Malaysia 25-27 Jan 2013, Kuah Town, Capital of Langkawi Island, plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others leaving the Concorde inn KL and flying to Langkawi island, De Baron Hotel, hire car, lovely swimming pools, sunset views and strolls, no durian in lifts, Taylor Swift's red, straits of Malacca, jacaranda trees and pods, family arriving for wedding, 1st meal of tricky curried prawns at sunset, air con, such fun! The no of images in the selective slideshow is 51 Our selective slideshows with music and / or speech will show some of the scenes we saw and record our memories, here are the Kuah Town slideshows Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Islands Boat Trip Plus Pantai Chenang, Langkawi Island, 28-29 Jan 2013 Beras Besah & Dayang Bunting Islands, Parascending and Waterworld, Malaysia 28-29 Jan 2013, Islands & Pantai Chenang, plus a verbal reading of the diary covering amongst others palau (or islands), salat began nyior, dayang bunting, beras basah island, palau tuba, kentut basah island, underwater world, pantai chenang, family fun, lunch at yellow beach café, smelly drains, taxi, hire car, sunsets, parascending, birds, fishes, reptiles, rain forest gardens, sun burn, ice creams. No of images in selective slideshow = 126 Plus Brian's video of fun in Langkawi pre Wedding Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Tangjung Rhu Resort, Langkawi Island, 30 Jan 2013 Doug & Phoenix's Wedding, Tangjung Rhu Resort with family and friends, karaoke, food, ceremony on the beach, wedding breakfast and chinese tea ceremony , beach skittles and the band, a lovely day ,the number of images in the selective slideshows is 93, so so happy for them both The top Wedding Pictures, many many more obviously on the slideshow and now all those lovely wedding slideshows, enjoy, we certainly did That's all Folks Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Berjaya to Penang 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013 Leaving family after the Wedding, Oriental Village, Elephant rides & Lebanese meals then goodbyes and onto Penang, Malaysia 31 Jan-2 Feb 2013, Skycab, Oriental Village, Berjaya resort, Plus Reading Annie's Diary, covering amongst others airport, berjaya hotel resort, eagle quay, shops, batik, pantai chenang, pantai kok, seawed crisps, penang, bayview hotel, Georgetown, drove 225 miles on langkawi, hire car, taxi, permata kedah, Langkawi jewel of kedah, skycab, cable cars, oriental village, mount machinchang, family, parascending, Lebanese meal, farewell to Brian & Gina, Craig & Leanne, Doug & Phoenix, 51 images in the selective slideshow. The 31st January was Chinese New Year that Year and now the slideshows Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Georgetown Penang 3-5 Feb 2013 Stayed Bay View Hotel, Saw UNESCO World Heritage Mansion, plus a lot of this historic Town, Malaysia 3-5 Feb 2013, Georgetown Penang , 2 selective slideshows includes reading diary, covering amongst other the blue mansion, UNESCO world heritage, lonely planets top 10 visits, cheong fatt tze’s mansion, Penang bridge, Georgetown, bay view hotel, batu ferringhe, town hall, wedding poses, china town, little India, temples, incense, the esplanade, industry, shop houses, hard rock café, hard rock hotel, lazy river, the Beatles memorabilia, Penang, airports, Air Asia flights. There were 133 images. The Beatles #music #classy #fabfour Return to Menu MALAYSIA, Malacca "The Historic State" 13-14 Apr 2013 Stayed at Mr & Mrs Li Wee's traditional Tea House with Doug & Phoenix, Malaysia 13-14 April 2013, Malacca “The Historic State” plus reading diary, Melaka or Malacca, city of bridges, mr and mrs li wee, tea house stay, unesco world heritage site, melaka river, cruises, jambalan tan bin seng, chan koon cheng, old bus station bridge, kompung morten, wateredge walks, shop houses, bastion Victoria, jonkers walk, night market, mr li’s taxi trip, famous chicken and rice, fortress st john, chetti village, museums, Maritime museum, jonkers gallery, many churches, early Christianity, mosque by coast, sila tanggalhan, street kebabs and portugese shell fish restaurant by the harbour, orang utan shop, great to spend so much time with doug & phoenix, west ham drinks glasses, 112 images in the selective slideshows and now the Melaka slideshows OLD SKOOL MALAYSIA an example of what the old website looked like, i.e. the very first version in 2013 what Moonfruit called its V6 release, height of technology way back when 2 files 1st detailed day of Doug's wedding page, 2nd Malaysia overall, 3rd MF responsive page for Malaysia Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND North Island only , including amongst others Papamoa beach, Russell, Whangamomona and Cape Reinga, 1 visit 6th February to 5th March, 28 days in total We returned to New Zealand which we both love and found we loved it even more. We just (careful Keef, others have to work) had one month here this time as opposed to our 4 months last time and that was all spent in the top half of North Island going back to see the things we didn't have time to see last time. This meant much more time in Northlands, The Bay of Islands, MataMata & Hobbiton plus Whangamomona (the Republic's capital) - where the current president is a sheep and the previous one was a dog hee hee oh and lovely delightful days of R&R on NZ's superb beaches. Like 5 years ago this was the best summer they had ever had . A kiwi @ Orewa said you poms have history we have beaches. So true! Our Mercedes Sprinter 313 motorhome was good but not as good as the equivalent one in OZ. We picked it up in Auckland and returned it there. We definitely miss the land of the long white cloud. We drove 2559 miles in NZ. Kiwi HIGHLIGHTS:- 35th Wedding Anniversary Cape Reinga, Russell, Keri Keri & Whatuwhiwhi Forgotten world highway Art Deco Napier Lake Taupo & Kinloch The Coromandel Peninsular Hot Water Beach Hobbiton at Matamata The wonderful Papamoa beach, Ocean drive Lamb curry @ Kiwi Airport Motel And completing the NZ census Orewa beach & revisiting Waves Motel All the fab Campsites we stayed at during our 2559 miles of North Island exploration The friendliness of all the Kiwi nation, Big Tick LOWLIGHTS:- None UPDATE: this is so well known as a road sign in New zealand that it appeared on Griff Rhys Jones travel programme about NZ in 2021 #fact Campsites we stayed in in New Zealand Kiwi slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, 6-8 Feb 2013 Orewa Northlands including Auckland, Orewa, Bream Bay Area & Whangarei New Zealand, Northlands 6-8 feb 2013 auckland, orewa, bream bay area, whangarei, covering amongst others 63 selective slideshow images,auckland airport, kiwi airport motel, orewa, auckland, norfolk pines, pohutakawa trees, red fronzes,surf club, waves hotel revisit, top 10 sites at orewa and whangerei, aratoa way, bream bay, helicopters, mangawhai, mangawhai heads, info boards, maori fables, ruakaka beach, waipu cove, spolit soil contaminated by cows, sunshine, relaxation, deep joy in northlands. We were previously in Orewa & Whangarei in 2007 and then again in 2017. See blogs 162 and 168 respectively. and now the slideshow Return to Menu New Zealand, Tutakaka Coast 9-11 Feb 2013 Northlands including Whangarei, Tutukaka Coast & Russell ,New Zealand, Northlands 9-11 feb 2013 whangarei, tutukaka coast, russell, covering amongst others 133 selective slideshow images, whangarei, tutukaka coast,russell, hatea river, pouihi carvings, clapham clocks, boardwalks, top 10 sites, raeburn house, town basin, kauri factory, whangarei falls, otuihau,sandy bay, ngungunu, tutukaka marina, whangaumu bay, whale bay, church bay, beach baches, designer houses, wooley bay, posh yachts, poor knights islands,air roots on trees,pohutukawa trees, matapouri rocks, oakura campsite, whangaruru, flowers, BBQ's, the strand, museums, pompallier mission, weak, kowharewa bay. and now the slideshows Return to Menu New Zealand, KeriKeri 12-14 Feb 2013 Northlands including KeriKeri, Cape Reinga, Whatuwhiwhi & Mangonui , New Zealand, Northlands 12-14 feb 2013 keri keri, cape reinga, mangonui, apihara, whatuwhiwhi, covering amongst others 174 selective slideshow images, kerikeri, whatuwhiwhi, ahipura, cape reinga,okiato, opua, haruru, haruru falls (revisit scenes of our camping with the boys on our gap year 2007-8 see Blog 162, thanks), waitangi, waitangi river, rainbow falls, Christ church, waipekakoura river, keri keri, millionaires view, kumara, whangaroa, woodland walk, stone store, st james church 1868,kerikeri basin & woodland walks, mission house, cavalli islands,matauri bay, st pauls rock, marlin hotel, blue marlin, mangonui, doubtless bay, mill bay suites where we stayed 2007,karikari peninsular, parakerake beach and bay, waipapakauri, mitimiti stream, te kao, state highway 1, sheep, ahipara, kiwi parks and top 10 sites,awanui, kaitaia, brancott estate, BBQ's, karikari coastline and now the northlands slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Coromandel 15-17 Feb 2013 Northlands including Matakohe,Coromandel Peninsular & Hot Water Beach New Zealand, Northlands 15-17 feb 2013 matakohe, coromandel , hot water beach, covering amongst others 113 selective slideshow images, matakohe, coromandel peninsular, hot water beach, apihara, bamboo, 90 mile beach, dargaville river, arapohue, matakohe, banana bread,our new step, arapaoa river, citrus fruits, twin bridge gorge, dargaville revisit, the kauri museum , post offices, pioneer church, log haulers, helensville, art work, brynderwyn, kawau parau inlet, murawai, black sand, coromandel town, tricky roads, views to die for, matarangi, whitianga, sunsets, bruises from steps. We just so love the Coromandel, Wayne & Greg from the Greenlane Motor Inn in Remuera Auckland (from our Gap year in 2007-8 see Blog 162 ) ran a holiday business there before moving to Auckland, the last time I spoke to wayne they had moved back again. Coromandel slideshows coming up #withlove Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Bay of Plenty, 18-20 Feb 2013 Bay of Plenty including probably the best campsite in the world - Papamoa beach holiday resort Kiwi Camping & Holiday Parks site , #hintsandtips #campsites see the site map on Blog 168 our revisit in 2017 (tip use the menu to go to North Island), this site ranks alongside the BIG4 Lake Darlington beach in NSW Australia that we stayed at a couple of time on our gap year, see Blog 162 (tip use the menu to go to New South Wales Australia), Hobbiton, Rotorua and Gisborne , New Zealand, Bay of Plenty 18-20 feb 2013 papamoa beach, rotorua and gisborne, covering amongst others 145 selective slideshow images, papamoa beach, rotorua, gisborne, matamata, hobbiton, hobbit holes, sam wise gangee,lord of the rings, peter Jackson, hahei beach, frodo, bilbo baggins, waiha beach, james cook, farthing woods,te karaka, papamoa beach, ocean drive, fave campsite in all the world, precious, dragon inn, gandalf, party tree, mount manganui, waioeka, opotiki, top 10 campsites, kiwi campsites, whakatane, white island (smoking again in 2017 sadly a death trap dec 2019), whangamata, beaches, young nick, otahu river, ocean beach, hauturu island, maukaha rocks, karangahake gorge, paeroa, waikino, railway café, bay of plenty,i-site, maori poles. Bay of Plenty slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Hawkes Bay, 21-23 Feb 2013 New Zealand, Hawkes Bay 21-23 feb 2013, wairoa, napier, taupo, earthquake, covering amongst others 103 selective slideshow images , rotorua, mount doom, lake rotorua, boysenberry icecream, hoki poki, ruepehi, sunken gardens, art deco, black swans, fejioa, bungee jumping, wairoa, napier, taupo, earthquake, huka river, criterion hotel, 1930s, kinloch,lake tuito, marine parade, museums, artwork, hawkes bay, whaiapunga falls, pohutakawa trees in bloom, top 10 site taupo, bay view, gisborne, wairoa river, waikiki lagoon, picnics, mohaka river, viaduct, berry farm and berry ice cream, kiwi parks, fruit ice creams, yummy, kaweka forest park. Hawkes Bay slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Tongariro Area, 24-26 Feb 2013 Including Tongariro area, 35th Wedding Anniversary & the Forgotten World Highway ending at the Republic of Whangamomona, want to see an aerial view of the Republic's national celebration day, yes then click HERE New Zealand, Tongariro area 24-26 feb 2013, whangamomona, national park, ruepehi, 35th Wedding Anniversary, covering amongst others 203 selective slideshow images, whangamomona, national park, tongariro, mount doom, ruapehu, 35th wedding anniversary, day & meal, volcanoes, active and otherwise, the shaky isles, aotearoa, maori influence, chateau tongariro, black swans, lake rotiari, station restaurant, kumara, forgotten world highway i.e state highway 43, gravel roads,tranz alpine railway, tawai falls, gollums pool, makatote viaduct, waikato river, totara, pohutakawa, republic of whanga, turangi, tracks, tongariro national park, targarakau gorge ,tapu island, whakapapa village, desert well maybe, huka falls, moki tunnel, hobbit hole, ohakune, raetihi branch bridge, mangateitei stream, waimarino old name for national park railway station, tongariro river, motuopuhi, otunui riverboat landing, taumarunui, herlihy’s bluff, stratford, taranaki, whanga, tahora, republic, passport stamped, heritage trails. and now the slideshows for the alpine area in summer plus of course the peoples republic where we got our passports stamped for Nz$1 dollar #tick #fact #humour and now a special our 35th wedding anniversary, another great meal at National Parks Railway restaurant café, we went their first in 2007-8 (see Blog 162 ) with Craig, Doug & Phoenix.... indeed we spent our 30th wedding anniversary on South Island travelling on the Tranz Alpine #railway from Christchurch to Greymouth, use the Menu to look under south island on that blog, and our 40th wedding anniversary was our cruise covered by Blog 125 Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Taranaki, 27 Feb - 1 Mar 2013 Including Taranaki area, Whanga, New Plymouth, Waitomo, Hamilton amongst others, New Zealand, Taranaki area 27 feb – 1 mar 2013, new plymouth, waitomo, hamilton, covering amongst others 145 selective slideshow images, whangamomona, new plymouth, waitomo, hamilton, te rewa rewa bridge, douglas, forgotten world highway, tupare gardens, hallard gardens, kiwis, BBQs, cape light house, doves, east end beach, fruit wines, plum, boysenberry, whakatane, flowers, stratford, all things Shakespeare, the bard, otorohanga, strathmore, mount taranaki, cape egmont, opunake, egmont national park, visitors centers, rugby, hamilton gardens , taumarunai, whanga, wanganui national park, fitzroy beach, waiwhakaiho river, tupare house, orangery, ferns,sir ed hillary, top 10 sites, waikato river, kiwi house, bought kiwi as replacement for phoenix (lost original found in dressing gown 2019 stored in our garage ), greenslade house, hayes paddock, turtle lake, hamilton gardens, rogers rose garden, paradise gardens, Chinese scholars garden, Japanese garden of contemplation, Indian char bagh garden, Italian renaissance garden, English flower and American modernist gardens, te parapara Maori gardens. We returned to the Kiwi House in Otorohanga principally to buy Phoenix another kiwi soft toy as she had lost it, Annie found it in a dressing gown pocket in the garage much later so Phoenix now has 2 #lovely The Taranaki area is also the place on our gap year where we visited the guy who was an obsessive Elvis collector #weird #nerd to revisit these gems see Blog 162 We also camped and got soaked in New Plymouth on our Gap year when the kids joined us for a trip around part of North Island. I do remember the Came gates at the campsite there and Len Lye's wand in the wind and now the Taranaki slideshows Return to Menu NEW ZEALAND, Back to Auckland, 2 - 5 Mar 2013 Back to Auckland via Papamoa Beach, Karangahake Gorge & More, New Zealand, Back to Auckland 2-5 mar 2013, a lovely return visit to the wonderful papamoa beach 2nd time, karangahake, manukau city, kiwi hotel, covering amongst others 47 selective slideshow images, , papamoa beach, manukau city, kiwi hotel, Auckland, ocean drive, beach road, sunsets, chillin, 2nd visit this time to our fave campsite, kite surfing, wake boarding, mount manganui, beach strolls, ice creams, reading, tea breaks, karangahake river and its fantastic gorge, bridges, info boards, goldmining, suspended walkways, talisman mill. the truly wonderful Papamoa beach, 2nd visit on our return to Auckland, and slideshow of all the photos to go with it For New Zealand 2013 that's all folks #GIF Return to Menu AUSTRALIA Australia Overall, All States & Terroritories except Queensland, Northern & Australian Capital one visit 6th March to 6 April, 32 days in total We returned to the wonderful world that is Oz both for the 4th time, once in our youth when we lived there, Sydney & Melbourne respectively and then 3 times together as a full family in 1995 with Craig & Doug then on our own after retirement in 2008 and now in 2013. Australia is such an awe-inspiring place of extremes and vastness. We wanted to experience and see things (mostly) that we haven't done before this time. But we loved spending time with family and friends in Sydney & Tassie as well. Much love to you all , you know who you are and thanks for looking after us so well. We HEART Bondi, well maybe *smile*. On my bucket list was travelling across the Nullarbor, this was a true epic journey similar to travelling on the Ghan #railway from Darwin to Alice in 2008. NOTE as this was updated in 2020 we have also been again in 2017 . Anyhow take a look at our treasured memories via Anne's dairy and our pictures. AUSTRALIAN HIGHLIGHTS:- Sydney, Tasmania - friends & rellies Coastal walk - Vaucluse to Watson's Bay Bruny Island Adelaide shores Outback Australia & Coober Pedy Opals Cromer stay and North Shore beaches, plus coastal salt water pools Port Lincoln & Coffin Bay Nat Park Crossing the Nullarbor, Ceduna to Norseman (1194 kms / 742 miles in total on the crossing - 3 days) Esperance and the fab Great Ocean Drive Peel Zoo, Pinjarra Indian Ocean Drive Geraldton & Picnic on Port Denison shores Driving in our hired Britz van 3810 miles & seeing "loads" LOWLIGHTS:- Slow puncture via cracked wheel rim crossing Nullarbor Having to pay my $120Nz fine picked up near Apihara, Northlands, NZ Australian slideshows by Keef & Annie 2013 Campsites we stayed in in Australia and now the aussie talkies video, enjoy Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, Vaucluse, New South Wales, 6-8 Mar 2013 Arriving in Sydney, Staying with Family, Vaucluse area exploration, Australia, Arriving Sydney from New Zealand 6-8 mar 2013, from Auckland, Sydney, Family, covering amongst others 110 selective slideshow images, from Auckland, Sydney, family, watson’s bay, doyles, fish and chips, posh restaurant, kookaburra, riley, hannah and david-such hospitality, vaucluse, gap bluff & Jacobs ladder lookout, banksias, bottlebrush, cat ferry, darling harbour, diamond bay, south shore road, signal hill reserve, dog walking, lorikeets, Sydney opera house, jorn utzon, shark beach, parsley bay, sydney harbour bridge, Vaucluse house, nielsen’s reserve NSW national park, ice cream, boardwalks, clarke reserve, south head signal station, fisherman's wharf, manly crossing, Robertson's park, circular quay, garden island, cruise liner, queen mary 2, water taxi, ferries, campbell parade, Bondi beach, water dragons, shark beach. Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, Sydney Area, NSW, 9-11 Mar 2013 Around Sydney area, Budderoo NP, Kangaroo Valley then on to Cromer , Australia, Sydney area 9-11 mar 2013 Around Sydney with Family then on to Cromer, covering amongst others 110 selective slideshow images, around Sydney with family, the rocks, masks, Sydney centre, darling harbour, rose bay, double bay, ferries, jet cats, spray can artist, kangaroo valley, sea cliff bridge, Bondi junction, Bondi bay, beach, sunsets, bald hill, oxford lookout, military road reserve, street musicians, camp cove, friends, family, kangaroo valley, our spray can art work bought, cromer cottage hire, minnimurra falls, southern highlands, camp cove, woolongong, lyre birds, aussie humour, opera house, lyne park rose bay, bay street double bay, coal cliff, grand pacific drive, fishing, budderoo national park, cromer, goldie the labrador, 155 willandra rd stay, private pool. We had some fun times with niece Hannah and her family and Chris's daughter Laura, especially a big feed up at Doyle's in Watsons Bay... as the Danes would say, possibly the best fish restaurant in the world 😉 🌠 ✅ SYDNEY GALLERY and now the slideshows from the Sydney area Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, North Shores, NSW, 12-14 Mar 20 North Shores Sydney, Cromer, North Bridge, Heads, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park (NP) Australia, Sydney North Shore 12-14 mar 2013 cromer, eco boat, pittwater, north heads, covering amongst others 170 selective slideshow images, north shore with family & friends, cromer, eco boat, pittwater, north heads, west head lighthouse, palm beach, ocean swimming pool, jelly fish, aboriginal rock carvings, fish, ku-ring-gai chase national park, lion island, apple tree bay, barrenjoey lighthouse, pittwater, bayview, bobbin head, church point, freshwater beach, reserves, west head lookout, commodore heights, manly beach, manly town, illawong point, whale beach, Scotland island-so love it, red gum , scribble bark, gum trees of all sorts, surfing, north heads, waratah, new south wales (NSW), northbridge, boating, battery powered eco boats, meal at lauras, hordern park, cabbage tree boat harbour, broken bay, port jackson, willungra track, black cockatoo, basin aboriginal engraving site, guringai land, hawksbury sandstone, empire marina, bobbin head inn, kalkari, birrawanna track and now the slideshows from sydney north shores going on a water picnic on Steve's eco boat, battery powered, middle harbour blissful north heads and barren joey lighthouse very burnt out by bush fires Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, 15-17 Mar 2013 North Shores Beaches & Flight Down to Family in Tasmania, Australia, North beaches & Tasmania 15-17 mar 2013 collaroy, curl curl, hobart, covering amongst others 70 selective slideshow images, collaroy, curl curl, Hobart, dee why, beaches galore, salt water pools, narabeen beach and lakes, family, cromer goodbye, flight to tasmania, hobart, family, apple juice, sorrel, ss carnival in port, huon valley, roses, stanley and florence twight reserve, long reef, aquatic reserve, ranelagh, maple tree cottage, north huon road, chicken coop, river derwent, mount nelson, lookout, howrah, hobart harbour, signal hill, truganini reserve, bicentennial park, mount stuart lookout, tasman bridge, sandy bay, wrest point, sleeping maiden range, we revisited John & Diana in 2017 as well as our earlier visit in 2007-8, these are covered by blog 168 & 162 respectively. Finish of North shore and tassie slideshow Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA & SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 18-20 Mar 2013 Visited the fabulous Bruny Island once more, we so love this place Bruny Island, Family in Tassie then Off to South Australia via Melbourne, Australia, Bruny Island to Adelaide shores 18-20 mar 2013 , bruny island, cygnet, family, hobart, covering amongst others 51 selective slideshow images, bruny island, cygnet, family, Hobart, berry ices, coal bay, lookout, skink, alonnah hotel, coal point,the neck, adventure bay, home hill winery & restaurant, eating wallaby, huon river,kettering, car ferry,cygnet, the red velvet lounge, b66 road thru bruny island, revisit from 2008, lunawanna, great bay, simpsons bay, lennon road, fish and chips, captain cook 1776, the endeavour, penguin rookery, views to die for, halloumi cheese and sweet chill dip for the first time, a lifelong favourite now, left tassie for adelaide via melbourne (rang mum), picked up britz campervan, adelaide shores campsite, south australia now the slideshow, featuring adventure bay, cygnet, bruny island, hobart, mount wellington, signal hill lookout and a whole lot more Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 21-23 Mar 2013 Glenelg, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy & Opals via Stuart Highway , South Australia, Glenelg & Coober Pedy 21-23 mar 2013, adelaide, glenelg, port augusta, coober pedy,covering amongst others 215 selective slideshow images, adelaide, glenelg, port augusta, coober pedy, roadhouses, pimba road house, joeys, milk fed, glendambo road house, port augusta, big 4 campsites, woomera, eerie, sunsets, drive in cinemas, outback, opal, mining, lake patawalonga, adelaide shores, west beach, flies, glenelg, beaches, trams, port wakefield, museums, underground houses, Serbian underground orthodox church, miners and boot hill graves, port pirie, salt water lake, winch hill, rockets, swimming pools, outback flower gardens, holdfast bay, tarniwarra park, crystal brook, john eyre, charles napier sturt, john mcdougall stuart, eyre highway , sturt highway , stuart highway , dingo, emu, eagles, roxby downs, andamooka, road trains, woodys outback resort glendambo, rfds royal flying doctors landing strip outback, stuart range campsite,big4, opal inn hostelry, blowers, murals, oasis tourist park, jospehine’s gallery bought annie opal here, coober pedy historical society and heritage trail, saint elijah’s church, minnie berrington, old timers mine museum,marree, oodnadatta track, kangaroos, in the bush saw 1 roo, 13 emus, 2 dingos, 1 fox & 10 eagles. OUTBACK TRAVELS GALLERY, on the way to Coober Pedy, Mining community #humour #outback the campsite at coober pedy, indoor pool was the ONLY way to cool off #hot baby roos cared for at the gem store what an interesting place #fact map Return to Menu AUSTRALIA, Coffin Bay National Park, SA, 24-26 Mar 2013 Coober Pedy, Port Augusta, Coffin Bay Nat. Park, Dolphins & Elliston, South Australia, Port Augusta to Elliston 24-26 mar 2013, port lincoln, coffin bay NP, elliston, covering amongst others 134 selective slideshow images, coober pedy, port augusta, port lincoln, coffin bay NP, Elliston, almonta bay, yangie bay, arno bay, avoid bay, port Lincoln, birdlife, dolphins, marinas, reefs, franklin harbour, golden island, cowell, gums, road trains, left coober at sunrise, long journey, 6 hours back to port augusta, lake eyre, salt lakes, lake gardiner, stuart explorer highway, arid lands botanic gardens, aussie humour re shark fin, 144 stuart hwy, port augusta , botanic garden, tracks, spencer gulf, whyalla, port bonython, franklin heritage hotel, mount dutton, cowell, slow puncture, turned out to be cracked rim, great australian bight, dolphin pod 40 strong magical, boston bay, south shields. the old ghan #railway was wonderful and the museum, narrow gauge stuff slideshows coming up including whyalla steel town it was probably just after port augusta that we started to get a slow flat in the front passenger tyre which we didn't really notice, longer term it became a big problem across the nullarbor eventually having to take it into Britz in Perth, note when we tried calling from the SA / WA border campsite it was Easter weekend, once fixed they told us the rim was cracked and should never have been hired out to us #scary Return to Menu The Nullarbor Plain, South to Western Australia, 27-29 Mar 2013 The Wonderful Nullarbor Plain from Ceduna to Caiguna Roadhouse, Australia, Crossing the Nullarbor Desert 27-29 mar 2013, Elliston, Ceduna, Nullarbor Desert, covering amongst others 180 selective slideshow images, Elliston, Ceduna, Nullarbor Desert,Nullabor plain, eucla telegraph station, head of bight, nullarbor lookout, border crossing, quaratine station, western Australia, southern Australia, border village campsite, caiguna roadhouse, ceduna foreshore, yalata, dingos, roe plain, trees, eagles, eagles nest, weird golf course, elliston bay,emus, coastal path, eucla, great Australian bight, pelicans, venus bay, hampton tablelands,longest golf course in the world, murphys haystacks,smoky bay, start and end of the nullabor, marked with smart signs, madura roadhouse,mundrabilla, roadkill, rfds-royal flying doctors, big 4, head of bight visitors centre, madura pass, aboriginal land, murphys haystacks, inselbergs, streaky bay, piers, diggers hats, blue tongue skink, southern right whales, flies, kondole, anangu peoples, marine park, bunda cliffs, nullarbor national park, , leeuwin way, whales, sand dunes, delisser sand hills, east-west telegraph service & station at eucla, munrabilla station, 200km from gate to farm house, cocklebiddy, highway 1 the eyre highway, moodini bluff, 90 miles straight at caiguna, nuytsland nature reserve, eucla national park 1st Nullarbor crossing gallery sadly by now the deflating tyre was a real issue and it was easter AUSTRALIA, WA, 30 Mar - 1 Apr 2013, Caiguna to Norseman, Great Ocean Drive Esperance & Albany , Completing 1,194 kms/ 742 miles of Nullarbor Crossing 2nd Nullarbor crossing gallery Australia, Caiguna to Albany,30 mar-1 apr 2013, caiguna, norseman, nullabor, esperance, albany, covering amongst others 155 selective slideshow images, caiguna, norseman, nullabor, esperance, albany, the 90 miles straight stretch of the nullarbor, balladonia roadhouse, hotel, museum,twilight bay, blue seas, old cars, fourth beach, the nullarbor plain, limestone head, seal island, great ocean drive,mistaken island, mount clarence lookout, camels, memorial gardens, founding fathers, maps, animal droppings, outback, golf course, rigs, road trains, beaches, rocks, sea swells, west beach, crossing certificates, west beach, winnebegos, redex rally, the pink lake, reflections & chemicals, great white sharks, ngadju people, quandong, shameful native citizens act, eyre highway, historical crossing, the nullarbor highway, skylab crashing over, balladonia, blue haven beach, sunshine & blue seas, observatory island, dempster head, chapman point, twilight beach road on the great ocean drive, ned kelly garden gnomes, salmon beach, twilight beach, nine mile beach, castleton beach, ravensthorpe,welstead community, board shorts, bibblemun track, clarence downhill, frenchmans bay, middleton beach, top tourist campsites, stayed multiple times Return to Menu That's all here continued on part 2 of Blog 167, last 3 parts of Australia and all of Singapore

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 2 2021 17.11 pm This is a retrospective Blog, we were in Canada between 18th May and 25th July 2010. 4/8/2010: Stayed with David & Cathy in Edmonton for 5 days but visited Lesser Slave Lakes, then picked up our campervan / motorhome (Canadreams) in Calgary and travelled for roughly 9 weeks across to the east seeing all provinces (apart from Yukon, NWT & Nunavut) plus dropped across the US border into upstate NY & Maine including the wonderful Bar Harbor, so combined with our 99 trip we have now crossed from one side of Canada to the other (it is the 2nd largest country on earth) Flew back from Halifax Nova Scotia Suggestion use the BIG TRIP maps to scale in and out if you wish See the full HOLIDAY 2010 site click HERE MENU Go to 1. Summary 2. Campsites we stayed in 3. Pre Travel 4. Canada Overall 5. Alberta 6. Saskatchewan 7. Manitoba 8. Ontario 9. Quebec 10. New Brunswick 11. Prince Edward Island 12. Nova Scotia 13. Newfoundland 14. Labrador 15. USA Overall 16. Upstate New York 17. Maine 18. Read the overall Diary 19. Listen to the Diary Audio book That's all folks!!!! As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2010 site which contained our trips to Canada in 2010 in a hired motorhome plus Florida in 1997 and our trip to British Columbia in 1997 (plus briefly visiting pals David & Cathy & family in 1999 in Edmonton, Alberta) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site. Across Canada in a motorhome 2010 when joined up with our 1999 trip to British Columbia it means we have travelled all the way from Vancouver Island in the west to the Trans Labrador Highway (TLH) in the east See Blog 92 which is associated here for more details This is what the old HOLIDAY2010 site used to look like #nerd #nostalgia SUMMARY OF OUR 2010 TRIP ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) Plus NY & Maine in the USA 92 Days travel - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles Edmonton to Halifax, west to east, including Newfoundland & Labrador, Prairies, Ontario & Quebec, Maritimes. So now been across whole of that part of North America if one includes our 1999 trip (blog 166) covering Vancouver island, British Columbia and into Edmonton, Alberta. Calendars After Trip Before Trip apologies for including folks names off our calendar sheets (oops ) Table of Days & Photos Schedule Full OLD slideshow Lets have a look at the flags of each Canadian province, just to show we have been right across Canada , Keef snapped these flags en route Return to Menu The Campsites we stayed at Return to Menu PRE TRAVEL CANADA - Pre Travel 2010, Canada & two US States (New York & Maine) Pre Planning on big trips always pays off Here's a list of some of the thinks we researched and gather pre travel Assorted pre travel documents, held here for safe keeping and nostalgic reasons 😉 🌠 ✅ Return to Menu CANADA OVERALL, across the provinces ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus NY & Maine in the USA in 2010 87 Days travel Canada - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles Highlights Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, Seeing the Harveys (dear friends), Dauphin, Wrestling with the badly sorted Steering wheel on the very windy Prairies, Maid of the Mist on Niagara Falls, Red Bay Labrador, Canada day in Fredericton, Gaspe peninsular, Mounties museum in Regina, Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, seeing Moose plus potentially more importantly achieving travelling from one side of Canada to the other - all provinces (Canada does provinces, America does states-BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island (PEI), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland (Newfie heaven) & Labrador Time zones across Canada for our trip Canada Day 2010, its a big thing, we were in Fredericton, New Brunswick Overall videos / slideshows with speech i.e the Talkies Return to Menu ALBERTA 11 Days in Alberta, Canada - 18th - 29th May 2010, 219 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective. We have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous countryine hat, head smashed in buffalo jump world heritage site, snow at high river end of may, the campsite said happy christmas (smile) when we arrived, 2 caravans were ruined by falling branches weighed down by weight of the snow, plus cardston, high prairie, staying with dear friends david & cathy and family, west ed mall, dawson bridge, perogis, tyrrell heritage centre, fort ed, winterton lakes np, bow river, border with montana glacial park,red deer, calgary, brand new motorhome, hoo doos at willow creek, blackfoot tribe and many more gems, we have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous country Alberta map, showing some of our travels Return to Menu SASKATCHEWAN 5 Days in Saskatchewan, Canada - 29th May-2nd June 2010, 79 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective amongst others we covered saskatchewan landing,saskatoon,regina,visiting the RCMP "mounties" academy, chapel and museum in regina , goodwin house, red river cart, wanuskewin heritage centre , heritage, prairies, railways, swift current, elbow, davidson,cree, matis,lakota tribes, hudson bay company, meewasin park plus we saw bears and we have now been right across canada in a motorhome and we loved it #FACT our route in saskatchewan Return to Menu MANITOBA 3 Days in Manitoba, Canada - 2nd-4th June 2010, 67 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective covering macgregor, duaphin, dryden, winnipeg , winnipeg beach, riding mountain national park, clear water (lac) lake, assiniboine river, shellmouth resevior, steinbach, bears, moose , mennonite heritage village @ steinbach and all ports in between. We have been from one side of Canada to the other in you include our 1999 trip (covered in Blog 166) Return to Menu ONTARIO 15 Days in Ontario, Canada - 4th-20th June 2010, 372 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others nipigon, wawa,elliot lake, new liskeard, musselmans lake, toronto,niagara falls,1000 islands boat trip from gananoque, percy lake, ignace, sault ste marie, wabigoon lakes, agimak lake& beach, rossport, terrace bay, pays plat, thunder bay, the great lakes-superior, huron, ontario & dipping my toe in them, niagara on the lake, Sinclair cove, mounties, ottawa,aguasarbon falls, lake superior national park, latchford, spanish, temigami, temiskaming shores, bobbie rosenfeld olympian & park,stouffville, niagara botanical gardens, floral clock, devils hole whirlpool, st Lawrence river, gananoque town and harbor, rideau falls, river and canal, byward market, haileybury the home of Annie's rellies (uncle ralph and extended family i.e. cousins in Canada and Australia and uk) & all ports in between. We have been from one side of Canada to the other our travel thru Ontario province , continuing the route west to east, like the great explorers we are 😉 Return to Menu QUEBEC 11 Days in Quebec, Canada - between 10th June & 13th July 2010, 178 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others montreal, quebec city, fort quebec, queens governors residence, chateau frontenac, saguenay fjord,tadoussac,trois pistoles,gaspe,bike race, the citadel, st lawrence river, lac timiscaming, les escoumins, bardville, ferry, grande grave, campsite juneau, cap de rosier, forillon national park, camping baie de gaspe, riviere au renard, basilica notre dame du quebec, rocking chairs, kayaks, l’heritage 1, light houses, boardwalks, musicians, rooftops, skyscrapers, robbie burns in montreal, maison maillou, point a la recommee, dolphins, possibly whales, sunsets, provisional and national parcs & all ports in between. All very french "trois service sil vous plais" which sadly is about as far as my french got asking for the campsite, very weird as we crossed the bridge from ontario to quebec province how suddenly the language in the air changed dramatically. tres chic. our route across, loved the truly wonderful quebec city and taking pictures in front of the world class chateau frontenac #majortrip Return to Menu NEW BRUNSWICK 14 Days in New Brunswick, Canada - between 24th June & 25th July 2010, 78 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others alma, campbellton, lighthouses, miscou island, lamere island, kouchibouguac np, bay of fundy np, provincial parcs, butlands lobster, beaver tails, art and art galleries, music, arcadians, micmacs, mcadam station, cape jourmain, confederation bridge, sea dogs ice hockey, covered cedar bridge tunnels, hopewell rocks, grand anse, baseball, bog walks, plant life, harbors, sun and rain in equal measures, magnetic hill, magic village, bathurst, val-comeau, cap egmont, moncton, saint john (as opposed to st johns in newfie - i.e. newfoundland ) looking for annie's rellies, petitcodiac river, possum in the road kill cafe, fredericton for canada day 1 july (a huge celebration) and lots of places in between. #humour #tshirts our route around new brunswick province, a lovely place, especially bathurst, such views, and the reality of the height level distances on the bay of fundy from high tide to low tide Return to Menu PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (PEI) the holiday island or as it is sometimes rather unkindly referred to as "spud island" because obviously of the potato growing 7 Days in Prince Edward Island, Canada - between 27th June & 25th July 2010, 90 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others PEI a holiday resort , summerside, anne of green gables house @ cavendish, charlottetown, many heritage buildings, crossing the fab confederation bridge arriving at borden-carleton, meeting up with friends - the lovely Harveys (david and cathy) friends,we made 2 visits here ,saw live music, the bottle house ,tigish,cape egmont and lighthouse, north cape, north point lighthouse, victoria, georgetown, spud radio, lobsters, energy institute, queens wharf, lucy maud montgomery (author of anne of green gables), sand sculptures and cedar cladding plus saw a lot of other places on the island. Return to Menu NOVA SCOTIA 11 Days in Nova Scotia, Canada - between 8th & 25th July 2010, 294 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others the wonderful bay of fundy, many heritage buildings especially at annapolis royal & lunneburg, highland games at antigonish, watching someone's awning bend in high winds at the campsite, wolfville, crossing the fab confederation bridge near mayfield (NB) ,cape breton NP, peggys cove @ st margarets bay, halifax and KEITHs beer (got the t-shirt) ferry from sydney to newfoundland, far too much fizzy pop in fast food joint (free refill - never again!), cap le moine,cheticamp,cape breton,cabot trail,pugwash,bog walk, pictou,glenora distillery the only single malt in canada, ingonish, broad cove campground, joe’s scarecrow visited by billy connolly and us (sadly close 2011),highland np, louisbourg and the fortress, wolfe and the french, halifax, murray-mackay bridge, pier 21, prospect,shelburne, port maitland beach, cresent beach, yarmouth, digby, lockeport and more . #tshirts #scottish #whiskey Map of our trip across Nova Scotia Return to Menu NEWFOUNDLAND lovely people, often somewhat disparagingly referred to as Newfies by the other provinicials , tee hee see what I did there 😉 plus we loved our moose sightings, there are a lot of them in newfoundland, even along highway one! 6 Days in Newfoundland, Canada - between 11th & 16th July 2010, 158 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others l'anse au claire, st johns (as opposed to st john in New Brunswick NB) fab harbour views here, moose by the roadside,t he wonderful gros morne national park, gander, bonavista, conception bay, st marys, icebergs floating past, st anthony museum and the size of a polar bear, this one we have annie standing alongside which totally dwarfed her - he the bear came in on a floating iceberg and terrorised the town, i can completely see why, ferry at st barbe to Labrador and a very early morning sailing in rain and mist, we parked in the ferry carpark overnight so as not to miss it, port aux basque, deer lake, grand falls windsor, corner brook, fab whale museum and houses at scilly cove (now winterton) home of annie’s rellie john masters, indian harbour,steady brook,3 mile rock, long beach, pynns brook, springdale, grate cove, gambo, the perlican, nymph island, portland creek, little hearts ease (such a lovely name),red rocks, noddy bay, st lunaire-griquet, the arches NP ,ss ethie, bonne & shallow bays, gunners cove, cape ray and wreckhouse brook. now a map of our travels in newfoundland what a fab place, from the bottom to the top and that very early morning ferry to labrador Return to Menu LABRADOR Misty morning ferry ride plus making it to the start of the TLH #tick 2 Days in Labrador, Canada - between 12th & 13th July 2010, 51 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others the ferry apollo departing st barbe newfoundland at an ungodly hour and arriving at blanc sablon, l'anse au clair (where we camped overnight), forteau, travelling the jersey trail, l'anse au covert, l'anse amour, red bay including the museum and look out at old whaling station,saddle & capstan islands, start of the trans labrador highway (gravel and permafrost) oh and black fly galore on the pinware river bridge. We have been from one side of Canada to the other in you include our trip back in 1999 see Blog 166, thanks for looking map of what we did in labrador especially the world heritage site at red bay, what a fab place Return to Menu USA OVERALL, only 2 states of the 50 5 Days travel in the USA - 14th-15th June Plus 4th-5th July 2010, 82 Photos, Approximately 538 miles covering Maine & Upstate New York. By 2020 we have been to the following states - Florida, Maine, New York, California, South Carolina, New Orleans, Montana Now for our 2010 Talkies video in those 2 USA states we visited, namely New York State and Maine, how could I forget some classics "trash" pardon Mam, plus the lovely "hummous" misunderstanding somewhere in Canada on this trip, oh and "bread & milk" just past the gun ammo Sir & Mam in Lincoln Maine Return to Menu UPSTATE NEW YORK 2 Days in Upstate New York (NY), USA - between 14th & 15th June 2010, 28 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others a fraught crossing at lewiston into the states because of the hired motorhome, and on return "mam I've told you to remove those sun glasses, I want to see the whites of your eyes" (smile), niagara falls (both canadian and us sides), rochester, banal local tv about geese "sh***ting on boardwalk", oh and trash can episode at the very nice campsite on the lake edge, watertown, apples & cherries, country stores, hummers plus crossing back to Canada near wellesley island, youngstown & the boss, oneida lake Return to Menu MAINE 3 Days in Maine (ME), USA - between 4th (Independence day) & 5th July 2010, 69 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others bar harbor, lincoln, bangor, crossing the border at a small centre near mcadams, shopping for milk "near the guns, rifles and bullets, sir!", 4th july at campsite near bar harbor, flags, burgers and beers, plus crossing back to canada , lobster rolls (yummy) from gas stations, miles not kilometres and cheap gas. Return to Menu

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 1 2021 08.21 am This is a retrospective Blog, we were away from 26th October 2007 to 18th September 2008, visiting Fiji Islands ,Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, not quite a year but we have called it our GAP YEAR, didn't do it when we were younger as most do so did it as we retired 😉 See the Original Site Migrated HOLIDAY2007-8 in its themed Green and Yellow by clicking HERE Take a look at the overall travel blog route map here MENU Go to 1. Summary, Timeline & Calendar 2. Overall Recap Videos 3. Postcards & Letters home 4. Diary part 1 - Days 1 to 160 5. Diary part 2 - Days 161 to 329 5a. Diaries as an Audiobook if you would prefer 6. Pre Travel 7. California - USA, LA & San Jose 8. The Pacific Islands 9. Fiji - Vitu Levu but mostly Vanua Levu 10. Western Samoa - Savaii & Upolu 11. Tonga, Tongatapu & Atata Islands 12. New Zealand 13. North Island, New Zealand 14. South Island, New Zealand 15. Stewart Island, New Zealand 16. Australia 17. New South Wales, Australia 18. Tasmania, Australia 19. Western Australia 20. Northern Territory, Australia featuring the Ghan 21. South Australia 22. Victoria, Australia 23. Queensland, Australia 24. Singapore 25. Hong Kong 26. Old Site Photo Page Downloads As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2007-8 site which contained our Gap year down under in 2007-8 was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog uk site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site if I chose to. Note this is intrinsically linked to Blog 97, see the 3 associated blogs at end of post, thanks for looking OUR GAP YEAR "DOWN UNDER" - 2007-8 On the 31st July 2007 I had the opportunity to take early retirement and a redundancy package from my then employer, which afforded us the opportunity to travel and realise a life long dream of returning to Australia the place of both our youths. Whilst planning that opportunity and packing up our property (we let it through an agency to Polish railway workers, which helped provide additional funding for our adventures) we decided to also cover my cousin in California, New Zealand, Hong Kong and a few of the Pacific islands, namely Fifi, Western Samoa and Tonga (inspired initially by my love of Rugby, esp. the Fijian 7s rugby). Annie took early retirement as well, leaving her employ a couple of months after me during which time I had done most of the planning, bookings, hiring and packing, both house and travel stuff. So come the 26th October 2007 it was time for the off. What an adventure, what an opportunity to spend so much time together and the added bonus of the boys and Phoenix coming out to join us for Xmas in New Zealand. Use this website to read the diaries, see something of the planning that went into a gap year, study the timeline and most of all feast your eyes on all the supporting pictures, slideshows and videos with commentary. Note now redundant (Dec21) I have kept the original website pages created on return from the gap year but by implication technology-wise they look and feel a bit old and clunky but you can get to them if you wish through the "go to oldschool" buttons where appropriate, many thanks for looking, maybe it will give you inspiration to undertake your own gap year, we reflect upon our fab times often even now! UPDATE Jan 2022 Put a lot of effort into making the HOLIDAY 2007-8 site work so now reestablished Headline images for each place visited GAP YEAR TRANSPORTATION : Below is the detailed summary of our round the world travels in 2007-8, where we travelled on trains, boats and planes and a whole lot more for 10½ months through America, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore & Hong Kong - starting and ending at Heathrow interestingly our Round The World (RTW) ticket said we started and arrived at Heathrow Terminal 1,but by the time we returned Heathrow had been reorganised and we came back to the now infamous Terminal 3 (T3 Tears as it is known in our family) Return to MENU Recap Videos of 2007-8 HOLIDAY Return to MENU Postcards & Letters Home Return to MENU Pre Travel These words from 2007/8 were written before we left when we constructed the old photo website, which we used on our travels to let people back home know what we were doing or possibly more importantly that we were still alive. A few pictures and details were added pre-travel to show what we expected and had planned to do. The reality as always was probably slightly different but the big picture in the plan we fundamentally achieved and we are very proud of that fact! (Note our original words written on our travels are in ITALICS ;) ) You will see them at the start of each page. They were culled from our old Graphicorp website. NOTE: it was Polish railway workers who rented our house, we paid A$31 each for a 6 month Australian Visa and that Samoa has since swapped to the other side of the international date line, which makes travelling from Fiji to Samoa to Tonga, which we did a whole lot easier. “where did we lose that day?” We leave on the 26/10/2007!!!! A few things as we prepare for our GREAT ADVENTURE. It has been interesting packing, getting lodgers (we now have a bunch of Austrian engineers) and generally booking the trip. In between we have been visiting / saying our goodbyes to various friends and relatives (you may be in the rogues gallery here!!!) we will miss you all but remember a year isn't that long and technology (one of Keef's favourite words) will keep us in touch. It just ain't like Vasco De Gama's day these days....Bon Voyage, and hopefully enjoy the site All overall feedback on this site should be directed to keef.hellinger@ntlworld.com Note: You can leave ratings against any photo, we would love to see them UPDATE 2020 You can no longer do this Pre travel we had both a time difference chart and currency converters Return to MENU USA - California, Los Angeles & San Jose / Morgan Hills NOTE all words in ITALICS were either written on the trip or before we left (labelled HISTORY) Cali-Forn-I-A here we come UPDATE 31/10/2007 Now left U S of A Arrived safely in Morgan Hill, CA. It's ace!!! Comms: both phones don't work but eMail OK Visited Monterey, Carmel & Big Sur with S&T along the fabulous Californian Highway 1, now one of our New Wonders of the modern world Went for a walk in the Santa Monica County Park and ate really, really well... Went up to the Henry Coe State Park on the back of Morgan Hill (wow, xclent)..Alas have to leave 31st Flight back to LAX, then on AirNZ to Fiji 2350 HIGHLIGHTS Seeing Sherree and Trung again, Monteray & Big Sur LOWLIGHTS None HISTORY Things are starting to shape up. We are staying with my Cousin Sherree and her husband Trung for 4 days and gonna see the Beach Boys coast. Big Sur, Monterey etc. Flight Delta Airlines 7772 LAX to SJC We will be staying in Morgan Hill at the bottom end of Santa Clara County 27/10-31/10 .... "Whatever"...."Awesome"!!! California is a lovely place and the coast along highway 1 truly spectacular. Some of those views will live in the memory forever and images of fields of pumkins, wow! Summary: USA 7 days , Day 1-7, 26/10/2007 - 1/11/2007 TIMELINE See Los Angeles and San Jose for diary write ups, thanks EXTRA INFORMATION From our travels, our Holidays, The Gap Year,USA 26 Oct-1 Nov 2007 - California, Los Angeles & San Jose, with family, video now broken into 2 parts in nov2020 ,morgan hills, Monterey, highway 1, carmel, san fransisco images, Californian state parks, santa clara county, leroy anderson lake, reservoir, fishing, quicksilver mercury mine, walks, snakes, henry w coe state park, outside loos, eagles, bald headed, kingfishers, birds & plants, candlestick park, cannery row, steinbeck, clam chowder, rocky creek bridge, sunsets, the big sur, sister hazel, pacific ocean, humming birds, Harley d’s, spindrift inn, jacuzzi’s, gazebos, Travelodge , lax, airports, bush fires, pelicans, bush turkeys, sunset restaurants, compulsory tips, cousins, pumpkins, Halloween, seals, sea otters, harbours, whale watching trips, marinas, arts and crafts market, museums, sardines, garden centres, wild life, town squares, panorama, tranquil, sheep, Japanese food, grits, brekkie out, wharfs, fun times catching up, sherree & trung’s hospitality, big tick NOTE Diary days 1-7 the talkies appears under both usa and fiji Return to MENU INTRODUCTION to the wonderful Pacific Islands. From our travels, Pacific Islands Overall, 1 Nov-10 Dec 2007,featuring Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, such fun, travel to many parts on numerous islands,including 250 images being a summary of the much larger individual islands video now broken into 5 parts in nov2020, , covering plus a whole lot more the following,Savaii, aggie grey, apia, savusavu, atata island, alofaaga blowholes, my tongan driving license issued by the king (smile), captain james cook, sewaka platform, airports, harbours, town, tropical flowers, markets, music, outriggers hotel, insel fehrman hotel, vatu the dog, buses, ferries, auala harbour, salealonga, bougainvillea, boxing, fishing, breadfruit, pelehake, tongatapu main tongan island, nadi, cocktails, coconuts, cruise ships, cyclone daman, earthquakes, Richter scale 8.2, fale shook, nuku’alofa, traditional dancing, museums, cannibalism, hibiscus, local beers, water salination stations, festivals, carnivals, hot springs, Houma, tonga 5th most corrupt nation on earth signs, international dateline hotel, jean-michel cousteaux resort,kaati-ni, vunu road, kava, halafuolafa beach, upolu, seabreezes resort,banyan trees, 3 sisters café, labasa, sugar cane, lorries, conflicts, rocks, princess tui (yuk!), vailima, Robert Louis Stevenson, lovo meals, taro, kings palaces, lava rocks, garlands, vanua levu, miss pacific islands competition, maota, mapu'a 'a vaea blowholes, mongoose, urata, sopu, ports, orchids, pinapples, mangoes, guava, banana bread, samosas (best in the world), paradise cove, cross island road, outriggers boats & hotel, motootua, Savaii lagoon beach resort, pigs, restaurants, Roy & Lisa, music, black rose, roseiloa, peter the keyboard player, royal sunset island resort, rugby, leper colonies (sad!),strelitzia, bird of paradise,princesses & kings 7 palaces,traditional dress, straw skirting, viaola,waterfalls, xmas greetings 2007, coral quays, reefs Return to MENU FIJI NOTE all words in ITALICS were either written on the trip or before FIJI WORDS Bula, Bula UPDATE 13/11/2007 Now left the lovely Vanua Levu We took the bi-plane Sun Pacific flight FJ105/106 from the main island (Vito Levu) to Savusavu on the southern coast of the second island (Vanua Levu) where we stayed in Sekawa Beach Cottages for 12 days (2/11-13/11/2007) Excellent local Fijian beer and we had 2 sessions on the grog, 'mind expanding' local Kava.... Juicy in the Sky with Diamonds..with Roy & Lisa (our hosts)...comes from a pepper plant root which is poundered to a powder which is rinsed in a muslin bag with water into a trad wooden bowl with 3 legs . Although 'ceremony' is common to all South Pacific Islands the bowls are different Contact phone was 011-679-822-0460 and Anne's mobile worked only for Text 2 Wifi Internet cafes in Savasavu Hired car for 3 days Went to Labasa (capital....Very Indian) , Jean Michel Cousteau (JMC) Dive resort and part of the Hibiscus highway. Rained a fair bit but managed 3 swims. HIGHLIGHTS Roy & Lisa's company, Biplane flight (absolutely the best views ever), Tropical fruit, Trip to Vanda & Tukai's children's schools, Savusavu bay , Sugarcane Express, Banana cake and samosas at Nadi Airport LOWLIGHTS None although JMC a little overated even if it is in the 1000 places to see before you die My most vivid memories are of those clear blue skies, humidity, the rattle of thunder, greenery, fresh fruit delivered daily by Roy & Lisa, Fijian music especially Black Rose (Rosiloa) who we still listen to today and the lovely view from our balcony. Summary: FIJI 12 days , Day 8-19, 2/11/2007-13/11/2007 Days 8-19 of the diary for Fiji stay Return to MENU WESTERN SAMOA Day 19 to 34 in the diary NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip. Talofa Lava Folks! Western Samoa not American Samoa for us....... UPDATE 28/11/2007 Now left Samoa Alas!!! Final pictures for Samoa posted We are sad to leave but 15 days of this heat 90+ at night and humid, boy humid...is taking its toll We stayed 1 night on Upolu in the 1848 (that old?) Princess Tui Inn in Apai (13th) We had booked 2 but it was bad so stayed 2nd day in Insel Fehrman hotel (note previous big German influence in people and architecture) where we had lunch (if only) with the Ms South Pacific pageant, then we hired a car for 15 days and went by ferry to Savaii where we stay in the Savaii Lagoon Resort, Beach fale (idyllic). This was a beachfront cottage with its own private beach lagoon with snorkelling on the doorstep plus swimming with turtles 15mins away. 10 nights in paradise and a chance to tick off two of the top1000 things to do before you die! (RLStevenson House on Upolu, (ace) , Hotel Safua Savaii (crap). Take a look at Savaii Lagoon resort via your web browser to get an idea (2021 I unlinked it as the site is still not secure)....Then we came back to the main Island of Upolu to the Outrigger hotel for another few days and saw the whole of that island. The hire car enabled us to travel around all of Savaii & Upolu, we have seen more of it than most Samoans now (alas...they can't afford to travel) Because of the international dateline on our travels we have had no 1/11, 2 13/11's and only a smidgen of the 28/11. Our 16.5 hour epic at Falealo International Airport (45 mins from the capital Apia pronounced 'R-PEA-A') was a delight in how to get no sleep The Samoans sure know how to treat a family members arrival at the airport as a party... HIGHLIGHTS Savaii Beach, Lava flow and blow holes, Ms Samoa, Villages and their gardens (fine if not immaculate) and Robert Louis Stevensons House LOWLIGHTS Long wait at Apia airport in the heat & humidity for a 1hr flight to Tonga Walking outside our beach fale for a private dip in the sea lives on as well as the pineapples growing there and the short hop to the restuarant next door for freshly caught fish with chips, yummy! oh and the taxi driver who ripped us off, git! can i say that, guess i just have, trying to drive us to the other side of the island to a hotel when insel fehrman apia was just down the road, oh and hot being able to close the window in our red jeep, luckily no tropical downpour at that time. Summary: SAMOA 16 days , Day 19-34, 13/11/2007-28/11/2007 Return to MENU TONGA - Tongatapu Island & Atata Island NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip. The Friendly Isles - Malo e lelei UPDATE 10/12/2007 We have now left Tonga. Grim last day with cyclone and quake, plus we saw on the news from NZ some sort of coup/riot, we are investigating. Anyhow even though we enjoyed it pleased to have got out. Last day at 8.45pm house, tables and everything shook. seems to have been a quake nearby, deep underground , no tsunami warning, storms raging. Cyclone Daman. But apart from that things we did were,visted Atata , idyllic desert island, hired a car on the mainland (Tongatapu) for 3 days and leisurely went round everything over 2 days (i guess you could do it in a 1/2 day) and on the 3rd day went to the Cultural centre. Saw trad outrigger boat, Houma Blowholes (ace), National Holiday procession for King Tupou 1st on 4/12, village traditional dancing and a cultural dance eve at the International Dateline Hotel. Tonga is slightly different from Fiji and Samoa....All the ladies wear what appear to be mats over their skirts, and sometimes the chaps as well. Plus visible signs of protest against goverment in the streets. Great inequality , see some of our pictures! In Nuku'alofa town we saw the Kings Palace, had lunch in the 2 Sisters (often, its ace!) and Robinas Express cafe. She is half tongan/ quarter japanese and a quarter german and is gr8 (forceful business lady with 'high' connections) generally the town is not that inspiring but the market excellent HIGHLIGHTS Atata Island, Blowholes, 2 Sisters restaurant and village dancing LOWLIGHTS cockroach, rat, tongan tummy, dead sea krate (the worlds deadliest snake) on atata beach, cyclone daman & earthquake HISTORY Boy most of the reviews we have read of Tonga denegrade its infrastructure and believe it or not their people...bad stuff...we keep an open mind and are really looking forward to it....We will be staying at Nukuma'anu cottages, Vuna Road Sopu (check it out on Google Maps below, near the Black Pearl appartments, it may well be closed 2020 but there is still an internet listing stating " Malo e lelei and welcome to Nukuma’anu Cottages. Ideal for a holiday getaway or business trip, Nukuma’anu provides four self contained cottages, just minutes from downtown Nuku’alofa. Children are welcome. Fully air-conditioned, oceanfront views and free parking, all surrounded by the privacy of a beautiful lush tropical garden and with our friendly & helpful staff, Nukuma’anu is perfect for the discerning traveller" ) on Tongatapu (the main southernmost group of islands) in the Executive fale cos guess what they have 24*7 internet....no water (joke)....now thats not bad for reports of a decaying infrastructure...more when we arrive. We are there 11 nights 29/11 to 10/12 ...have just found Nov is close of parliament and last year at this time there was civil unrest, fires and looting....Oh dear, let's hope no repeat this year.... Remember the Fale, Robina, Nuku'alofa market - coconut drinks, Black Rose (Rosiloa) album bought in market, New Eagles album downloaded, outsized washing,tonga's stonehenge, Captain Cook monument, cockroaches, earthquake & cyclone and getting out alive. Summary: TONGA 11 days , Day 35-45, 29/11/2007 - 10/12/2007 Return to MENU NEW ZEALAND overall NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip. New Zealand HISTORY Arrive 10/12/2007 for 4 months including Xmas & New Year on the beach initially staying in the Greenlane Motel 7 nights 10/12/2007 onwards whilst we select a camper van. The best we have seen so far is a 4 berth Maui with a buy-back option on it....either you sell it privately or they take it back at a reduced price when we arrive in Christchurch North Island HIGHLIGHTS Too many but if we are forced to limit them Having the Boys and Phoenix over, Tongarira National Park, Akatarawa rd, Coromandel Peninsular, East Cape oh and trip on Vince & Greg's boat in Auckland Harbour with Phoenix LOWLIGHTS hardly any but 2 days rain in nearly 2 months, oh and the latest Nick Cage movie South Island HIGHLIGHTS Again too many but Milford Sound, Mt Cook Nat Park, Queenstown, Stewart Island, Queen Charlotte Drive, Southern Alps & Glaciers, Our 30th Wedding Anniversary, Dunedin, the Weather (best summer / autumn for 10 years), Paul Henry (journalist) & oh the Poms beating the Blackcaps at Test Cricket LOWLIGHTS Having to leave and some Kiwi drivers CONTACT Our Kiwi mobile number was +642102226963 Most remember being with Doug,Craig & Phoenix, Boysenberry, wine, Sav Blanc,Mount Ruepehi,Havelock North, Te Mata, lovely Kiwi people, sunshine,warmth,bubbling hot spings, huka falls jet and a generally great time which meant we just had to go back in 2013 . Reviewing the history we didn't buy a motorhome, far to expensive @ £76k and risky re selling it on at the end. We hired cars and bought camping gear instead which we sold onto an english couple at the end of the holiday. They lived just outside Christchurch. The nick cage movie was National Treasure. Best summer exceeded when we returned in 2013. Kiwi drivers are not that bad, no probs in 2013. We love the place even more now having been back for a second time, and now a third in 2017 . Summary: NEW ZEALAND 118 days , Day 46-163, 10/12/2007 - 5/4/2008 Return to MENU NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND Including Auckland, Coromandel Peninsular, Hawkes Bay - Wairoa/Napier/Gisborne, Tongariro Nat. Park, Raglan & the East Cape NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip. North Island UPDATE 5/2/2008 We have now left North island. Te Ika-a-Maui (North Island): Weather quite choppy as we left via the Interislander for Picton. Before that we had travelled complete length of Wellington Harbour, Eastbourne to Lyle Bay (by airport) , ace views, read for hours in sunshine. Went to Parliament buildings and art gallery plus saw National Treasure Nick Cage movie (DON'T). Saw start of IRB Rugby Sevens in Wellington Camped 5 nights at Seaview, Wellington. Went to Te Papa Museum and 7's concert Stayed o/night in Greytown, went across 42k single track mountain pass (Akatarawa rd), oh what views! plus car stuck in sand on beach(oops) Camped in Levin and visiting local beaches, went to Uni & Rugby museum Palmerston North!!! Gr8. Stayed at Havelock North, Hawkes Bay wine region outside Hastings for 3 days. Was 32c & humid. Camped at Wairoa and went to Lake Waikaremoana (ace). Travelled down East Cape in drizzle from Hicks bay to Gisborne, some interesting stuff including longest wharf in NZ. Stayed in motel overlooking Hick's bay on the East Cape having travelled from Coromandel down the splendid Pacific Coast highway (mountainous, rugged and remote). Spent 3 days camping on the Coromandel peninsular, ace weather (28c) and scenery, Driving Creek Bush railway a must!!! Chillin day spent mostly doing 'retail therapy' at Slyvia Park Mall. Went out on the harbour on Greg & Vaughan's boat and did some seafishing....gr8 fun. plus we saw World Champs Windsurfing and played crazy golf on sea front! went up the sky tower and to the ice bar (Lenin's downtown) in eve and had sushi/ sashimi. Sad day (11/1), Sir Edmund Hillary (born Orewa NZ, resided Remuera just down the road) died (we have seen his statue and tributes!). been surfing at Raglan and seen Kiwi's (live) at Otorahanga as well as glowworms at Waitomo. Also New Plymouth (west coast) - ideal for Doug & Phoenix who went to Plymouth Uni...surfing, eating and chillin. Spent 7 days camping between Rotarua & Lake Taupo then onto the Tongariro Dual World Heritage National Park (Beyond ace!) Plus spent new year in Finn McCoulls' Irish Bar in Taupo with Boys & Phoenix. Seen and done loads, boys & P did sky diving. We all went on Hukafalls Jet boat (360deg spins - ahhhh!) Nice Xmas day initially on beach surfing the waves, then rain so Xmas dinner inside. Completed working our way around Northlands, via Twin Coasts discovery route ending in Orewa. Swimming with Dolphins, Whangarai Falls , amazingly after the boys arrived they stayed up and we all visited beaches & aquarium. Doug searched in City of Angels for having a UK passport and being born in Wellington (shropshire not NZ ,LAPD!!!!), booked campsites including 'swimming with dolphins' Visited Piha and Karekare beaches (site of Jane Campion's the Piano) on Tasman coast, W.Auckland, Previously Chatted online to Doug on his B'day,plus spent day on St Helier's beach. Harbour cruise, Auckland Botanic Gardens, Orewa, Warksworth and coast from Martin's bay to Sandspit. We have just booked ourselves in for Xmas & Boxing day on the beach in Orewa with Craig, Doug and Phoenix. Take a look at The Waves Website to get an idea....Currently based in Remuera, 5 mins from downtown Auckland Its good to be back in civilisation. We love the place even more now having been back for a second time in 2013 which was spent in the top half of North island. We remember Remuera, travelling with the boys and Phoenix, under canvas for 55 nights, experts in putting up and taking down a family tent, our Toyota estate, Tongariro, shark poo, boysenberry wine, sheep shearing, Came gates and Old for New Plymouth. We also returned again in 2017 . Summary: NORTH ISLAND 58 days , Day 46-103, 10/12/2007 - 5/2/2008 MORE INFORMATION From our travels, our Holidays, North Island New Zealand, Gap Year 2007-8, 10 Dec-31 Jan, with family, summary of the much larger video now broken into 5 parts in nov2020 , auckland, family visiting, xmas, coromandel, wellington, rotorua, lake taupo, fishing, sky dive, sky tower, fishing with wayne & greg, remuera, the piano, camping, driving creek railway, Dargaville, baileys beach, mangonui, botanic gardens Auckland, marina, harbour, skytower, Papamoa beach, te papa, orwea, ohope, coalville, discos and thai birthday meal,are te uri, bottle nose dolphins, new Plymouth, sheep shearing, boysenberry wine, icecream, taupo, marina, aquarium, waves motel,the mad butcher, te kuiti, sheep, karekare, huraru falls, golden springs, waiwere, whangarai falls,raglan, surfing, hi di hi, matakohe, kauri museum, puhoi, Palliser bay, sky diving, tree lookouts, hastings, greenlane motel, waihi beach, hastings, hobbits, wairoa, strange bbqs,interisland ferry, northlands, kiwi fruit, gorges, shark poo, missing brulee, tairua, mount paka, manawatu gorge, paihai, Waitangi treaty, blue lakes, Tongariro, whakapapa village, mount doom, lower tama lakes, skydiving, napier, Gisborne, Opotiki, Wanganui, pohutakawa trees and blossom, piha,te marua, te mata, tuhirangi rugby, lake onoke, akatarawa road views & smells, wai-o-tapu geothermal wonderland, waipu cove, chicken and hen islands, waitekeri ranges, Westpac stadium wellington North Island, The Talkies i.e with speech Message home to Mum from North Island NZ, postcards via that link in the Menu Return to MENU SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND Including Christchurch (Before the Quake), Akaroa, Milford & Doubtful Sounds, Mount Cook & Queen Charlotte Sound via Interisland Ferry NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip. South Island UPDATE 5/4/2008 We have now left the 'Shaky Isles' Finished with 4 days in Christchurch. This included Hagley Park, Botanic gardens, City Centre Art gallery, Cathederal, beaches and Gondola. Sold campgear via Trade Me to Andy & Family, Rangiora. Asburton, visited Peel Forest / Mt Hutt and the Big Tree Timaru for 3 days, nice motel / restuarant..Aspen on Kings! Went to the SUPERB Mt Cook Nat Park Camped at Lake Benmore for 3 days (with own en-suite ....'bloody luxury' Camped in Oamaru (home of the penguins) for 4 days Dunedin (Celtic for Edinburgh, and yes it does have a Princes St & a Fringe) for 3 days Gr8 City Take a look at our baby royal albatross @ the Webcam Website Stayed o/night in Balclutha. Drove thru a v hot Central Otago (32c) upto Alexandra and back out. Visited the Catlins Awesome!! 4 days in Invercargill and 2 on Stewart Island We really liked SI Went to Bluff Visited gr8 museum with Henry the Tuatara@ Invercargill. Went to Milford Sound (best yet!) wet in morning/ sun in afternoon, best way to see it. We took 350 pictures, shows it was ACE!!! Camped in Te Anau (Fjordland Nat Park), for 4 days. Visited Doubtful Sound Camped in Queenstown (Shotover gorge) for 4 nights. Went on a 4WD offroad LOTRs tour (ace!) Visited Arrowtown, the great road to Glenorchy and went up gondola to the home of tandem parscending, luge, heli bike and bungy (Wow we did none of these dangerous sports!)Travelled thru the Haast pass and thru glorious Glacier Lakes in Mt Aspiring Nat Park. Stayed in Haast overnight having seen the wonderful Glaciers & Lake Matheson. Travelled thru a very wet Arthurs Pass (ace with imagination!) and spent 2 days in Hokitika on West Coast. Camped for 4 days at Akaroa, on Bank's peninsular. 30th Wedding Anniversary, really enjoyed the Tranzalpine train & our drunken meal in the eve!!! sightseeing in Christchurch (best city in NZ for me!). 5th ODI Blackcaps Vs England in Christchurch , we would have won if rain and Duckworth Lewis didnt intervene! Visited Oxford via scenic highway 72, stayed in Kaiapoa. Went from St Arnaud to Lake Rotarua (ace) and then via SH67 down to Springs Junction and across Lewis pass (again) to Amberley. Visited Marlborough wine region, Blenheim stayed in St Arnaud (ski area) near the oh-so-lovely Lake Roto-Iti. We were in a log cabin which Annie loved. Spent 3 days camping in Kaikoura . Went whale watching and saw sperm whale, hector dolphin (rare), albatross and NZ furry seals Saw Atonement in 1930's hall (with Intermission), thought film had broken! Went to Reefton Rodeo, ace! Then on thru Lewis pass to Hamner Springs. It has been wet, wet , wet spent night in 'electric light' motel in Reefton. Plus 2nd night (so far) in car after mega electrical storm. Camped in Greymouth. Saw Pancake rocks and SH6 to Greymouth - better in our opinion than 12 Apostles and gr8 ocean rd. Plus stayed o/night in Westport and then drove to Kamerea, fun area. Very wet day and night again, such bad electrical storm we had to sleep in car for 2 hrs at Pakawua. Drove to Westport via Buller river gorge (wet but superb!) 2.5 in of rain overnight in Pakewua, needed - Went on Farewell Spit Eco Tour, 6.5 hrs across sand to farest north on South Island west coast. Camping at Pawawau beach for 3 days. Caught 2 salmon on Anatoki river and ate them Visited the Abel Tasman national Park via a 5&1/2 hr boat trip in hot sunshine, spectacular Arrived via ferry, choppy in Cook Straights but gr8 views in Queen Charlotte Sound. Nelson (which we both liked) where we saw WOW (World of Wearable Art & Classic Cars) Amazingly different and classy!!! Take a look yourself @ The WOW Website to get an idea....Anne has the 2006 official programme which we will bring back with us but it has IPR so we cannot reproduce here There was also a spin off exhibition in Christchurch based on wearable flowers The Jenny Gillies Website I haven't yet made reference to the wonderful Dunedin which we both really liked and the lovely little penguins, a magical moment. Summary: SOUTH ISLAND 58 days , Day 103-163, 5/2/2008 - 5/4/2008 , incl 2 on Stewart Island MORE INFORMATION From our travels, our Holidays, South Island New Zealand, Gap Year 2007-8, 1 Feb – 5 Apr, such fun, travel all over,including 434 images plus a summary of the much larger video now broken into 8 parts in nov2020, covering plus a whole lot more the following, picton, queen charlotte sound, cricket in Christchurch for my birthday, 5th ODI Blackcaps vs England, Collingwood, Prior, Pieterson, queenstown, trans alpine railway, 30th wedding anniversary, akaroa, greymouth, holitika, abel tasman national park, Dunedin, albatross, queenstown, pancake rocks, milford & doubtful sound, anatoki, salmon fishing, banks peninsular, lake roto-iti, lake Rotorua, Kaikoura, bungee, lake matheson, mount cook, sir Edmund Hillary, penguins, Blenheim, trams, omaru, barry bay, knights point,te anua, farewell spit, blowholes,bluff, the caitlins, fox & franz josef glaciers, Invercargill, ashburton, glenorchy,hamner springs, honer tunnel, keas, weka, kawa, kaiteriteri, Cromwell,kekeno, cape foulwind, lake benmoe,moeraki boulders,Littleton harbour, Marlborough, Westport,karamea, Palliser bay, punakaiki, sir joseph ward, shotover gorge, pukawau,Amberley, reefton, rodeo,st arnaud, tew ae wae, cable cars, seals, sealions,mauhinapau walkway,waikuru beach,nelson, wow museum, Timaru, haast, takiroa, sheep street, the steepest, niagara falls nz, boot hill, cadburys Dunedin, Christchurch cathedral & city before the 2011 earthquake, ross, festival of flowers, split apple rock, whales fluking, lord of the rings @ WOW, botanic gardens Christchurch, interisland ferry South Island, the Talkies videos Video home to Mum from South Island, postcards under that on the menu Return to Menu STEWART ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND Diary Stewart Island HIGHLIGHTS Kaka bird on our balcony, hire car trip, Oban, Walk in the national Park LOWLIGHTS None A really nice place, one of the comments I remember was a plaque in the National Park saying "is there a mainland?" Day 142 - Saturday 15th March 2008,Stewart island Up early, parked up car in Bluff Then took catamaran ferry across Bit choppy but not 2 bad Took 1 hr Collected by Isaac and stayed in Kaka cottages Liked SI walked around Oban a bit and spent some time in the South Sea Island Hotel (the only pub) Then had meal Excellent in the Hotel Nice day,we met Isaacs (host at Kaka cottages) Remember the roaring 40s wind England doing well against the blackcaps as seen on TV screen in pub in Oban, which is where most travellers seem to congregate. See SI piccies mixed in with the Catlins Day 143 - Sunday 16th March 2008,Stewart Island back to Invercargill Hired a Ford Ka for 4hrs on the island There are only 27km worth of roads (most of which are gravel) even though it is the size of Singapore 98 % is forest and the Rakiura National Park Returned on 6.30 boat after time in pub (again) and then A drove back to Invercargill Evergreen motel, visited Lee Bay, Rakiura track, Braggs Bay, Butterfield beach (which we walked) Thule Bay (which we walked to) indeed all we could drive to.cost $60NZD for ½ a day, for a manual tin box which is twice what we were paying a day for the Toyota Camry but hey it was worth it Stewart island is lovely watched last king of Scotland on TV in Invercargill, spoke to Isaac our host at kaka cottages at least 3 times and a Kaka who landed on our balcony whilst we had breakfast.Shame a lovely 2 days on Stewart Island had to end. Summary: STEWART ISLAND 2 days , Day 142-143, 15/03/2008 - 16/03/2008 Return to Menu AUSTRALIA overall all States & Territories except ACT Covers both Eastern, Central & Western Australian States in Motorhomes from motorhome-travels blog NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip. HISTORY Oz Overall Australia 10 England 12 ...no no...thats just not fair to our antipodean brethren: Arrive 5/4/08 in Sydney from Christchurch Flight NZ0783 for 5.5 months Again we will get a campervan here. We are heading first down to Tasmania to visit / stay with my 1st cousin once removed Diana & John who live there. Really looking forward to seeing Tassie (I have been there once about 45 years ago) and taking their advice on what to see CONTACT Our Ozzie Mobile No is +61406837909 but after 23/5/08 +61417186533 NSW HIGHLIGHTS Sydney and everything about it, still best city in the world, Silverton, Wentworth, the Sapphire Coast esp. Tathra, Hyams Beach, Botany Bay, the WONDERFUL Blue Mts, Jenolan Caves, the superb Palm Beach, the Entrance/Norah head, Port Stephens peninsula, Port Macquarie (incl Billabong Wildlife Park), Fredo's pies, Cresent Head LOWLIGHTS Agressive driving skills(?) of some Sydneysiders Tasmania HIGHLIGHTS Bruny Island, Stanley, Great Western Tier, Mt Wellington, East Coast, Port Arthur, Freycinet Nat park and seeing Diana & John again after 7+years (We think it was that long but its a guess ?) LOWLIGHTS None really except Strahan Motel wasn't good value for money, £150+ as car rally was on Western Australia HIGHLIGHTS Wave Rock,Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Ocean Beach-Denmark, Valley of the Giants Canopy Walk, Perth, Margaret River, Freo, Rottnest island, Broome, the magnificent Cable beach & the even more magnificent Kimberley/Geikie Gorge LOWLIGHTS Great White attacking guy at Middleton Beach, not as much natural wildlife in Kimberley as we would have thought Northern Territory HIGHLIGHTS Mindil beach sunset market, Darwin, The wonderful Ghan (new & old), Alice Springs, Uluru / the Olgas, Andrew Langford Didge playing, oh and the nice meals in the Red Ochre Grill LOWLIGHTS Hardly any apart from maybe the very obvious divide between white and black, but despite being dry most towns had v drunk local aboriginals, sad! South Australia HIGHLIGHTS Adelaide North, Barossa Valley, Flinders Ranges and wild life, Renmark, McLaren Vale (home of Shiraz,Hic!), Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo island-especially the Koalas, Victor Harbor & horse drawn tram to Granite island, Mac's Fish &Chips @ Robe, Mt Gambier LOWLIGHTS Fish & Chips in the Ozone Hotel Kingscote, KI Victoria HIGHLIGHTS Mildura, PS Melbourne, the Grampians, Ararat, port Fairy, Warrnambool & the GREAT Ocean road (one of the most scenerific places in the world in our humble opinion), the eerie Hanging Rock, Mitchelton Vineyard (Nagambie), Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula, 90Mile Beach, Lakes Entrance, Snowy River, the Wonderful Mallacoota & Gipsy Point. LOWLIGHTS Only that we had more days of rain , wind and colder temperatures than we would like but hey who's complaining , we had a gr8 time! Queensland HIGHLIGHTS Surfers Paradise, Catching up with Peter Birtles, Brisbane, Australia Zoo, Glass House Mtns, Buderim, Noosa Heads, Maryborough, Bundaberg & the Coral Coast, Rockhampton, Mackay's beaches, the SUPERB Daydream island(for our 30th honeymoon), Bowen, Picnic Bay-Magnetic Island, Townsville, Rollingstone, Dunk island, Fishery Falls, Cairns esp Hogs Breathe Cafe, Kuranda, Lake Morris, Clifton Beach, Port Douglas (esp Brit winning swimming gold!), Cape Trib, Daintree River, Cooktown, Charters Towers (esp the Hospital for Annies big toe!!! Thx to them), Gem field area (Emerald, Sapphire, Rubyvale & Willows), Roma, Surat (Cobb & Co museum), Emu eggs at St George LOWLIGHTS Humidity on odd occasions, but hey we ain’t complaining We visited every state i.e New South Wales (NSW), Victoria(Vic), Tasmania(Tas), Western Australia (WA),Northern Territories (NT),South Australia(SA).We remember so much of this fabulous trip, read on but motorhome hires & camels and sunset at Broome beach is right up there with the best of it. See our 1995 trip here and we just had to go back for our 4th , but hopefully not final time in 2013.No question Annie & I love Oz both as children & adults FACT! Annie and I both love Australia from our experiences as kids & adults FACT! Summary: AUSTRALIA 169 days , Day 163-326, 5/4/2008 - 15/9/2008 Return to Menu NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA Including Sydney, Animals - Koalas & Roos,Port MacQuarie, Coffs Harbour, Up & Down the Coast, Katoomba & Outback NSW NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip UPDATE 15/9/2008 We have now left the “first state” and Oz Stayed in the Holiday Inn Sydney Airport on the last night, sad to leave but also keen to return and see folk back in the UK. A superb holiday!!!Spent last 5 nights in Sydney party-ing Stayed 4 nights at Narabeen. Had a gr8 last day in central Sydney (11/9) Walked the beach and dunes of Narabeen for a last paddle (12/9) and watched the beach volleyball in Manly (13/9). 29c Hot, Hot, Hot! Previously - camped in Diamond Beach for 2 nights...you could hear the waves! Just down the road from Forster-Tuncurry. Camped again at our favourite campsite Darlington Beach above Coffs Harbour for 3 days. V sunny for 2 days, got sunburnt. the day b4 weather was BAD. rain and floods galore on 5/9 similar to UK Camped in Armidale after an “interesting” day Koala spotting NOT! Camped in Gunnedah, Koala capital of the world, New England, NSW Camped in Dubbo o/night Before that in Bourke (you don’t know Oz until you have been to Back o’Bourke) Went on a 4WD tour of Lightening Ridge, one of the weirdest places we have ever been, nomad/hippies/miners and then did some successful fossicking in the afternoon. Rained hard all day temp dropped from 33c to 16c overnight! Crossed back over into NSW (from Queensland) for the 4th and final time near Hebel, Outback QLD. Camped at Lightening Ridge, home of the Black Opal for 2 nights UPDATE 24/7/2008 Now left NSW for the 3rd time, having moved up to the Gold Coast in Queensland, but we WILL BE BACK!!! Camped in Tweed Heads, 1k from Coolangatta in QLD Travelled here via Lennox Head, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Hastings Point,Pottsville Kingscliff. Camped in Ballina. Drove there via Grafton, Casino & Lismore. Spent 4 days at Lake Darlington Beach campsite, 25 mins above Coffs Harbour, sub tropical luxury (2 pools & 2 hot tubs)! Beach / Pool or Pool/ Beach...decisions/ decisions! Our friendly roo couple and Joey visited our campervan 3 nights running Came here from Nambucca Heads. The weather is so good and the beaches so nice we are lingering in this area. Its a hard life but someone has gotta do it. Travelled to Nambucca Heads via TR 12 & 14 from South West Rocks where we stayed for 2 days. Temps again 23c Previously spent time on Crescent Head beach. UPDATE 15/7/2008 Current - camping in South West Rocks for 2 days. It was very hot 2day, 23c and we spent a lot of it on the beach. Travelled here on tourist route 12 from Kempsey. Previously - Drove up from Port Macquarie to Kempsey after gr8 day at Billabong Wildlife park (see the piccies) and lunch in pancake house in Town Camped in Port Macquarie (PM) for 2 days, we love the place. "Life's a beach then you die" PM has 11 beaches, we saw 3 oh and temps of 22c and sun help! Also saw the Koala hospital. Take a look at The Koala Hospital website to get an idea, read some copies of Gum Tips.... Drove to PM having visited Port Stephens area where we camped at Anna bay o/night. Immense sanddunes (highest & longest in Southern hemisphere. Stretch to Newcastle. Visited the wonderful Palm beach then drove up Pacifc Hwy (Nat1) past Lake Macquarie and the Entrances area (sea lakes) Camped at Narabeen lakes, Sydney North Shore Visited Annie old school and house and place of work Snow in OZ 4 Us 9/7/2008 on way back from Jenolan Caves, bad news! Camped at Lithgow. Saw Blue Mts at Blackheath from Evans & Govetts lookouts (ace) and the overwhelming Jenolan Caves Staying in Katoomba having seen the Wonderful Blue Mts and Botany Bay . Sneaked a 2nd view of BMts on morning of 9/7 as v sunny. Beforehand we stayed overnight in a motel (luxury) in the Sutherland/ Cronulla suburbs of south Sydney as no campsites and late! Travelled all the way up the new Grand Pacific Drive (NSW answer to Vic's GOR, maybe!) from Shoalhaven Heads to the Royal Nat Park via Kiama, Shellharbour, Wollongong and Sea Cliff Bridge to mention a few sights. Stayed at Shoalhaven TT site. Travelled from Batemans Bay thru Basin view, St Georges basin, Sanctuary Point, Jervis Bay Nat Park V sunny 20c+, best day weatherwise for a while From Tathra to Batemans Bay, where we stayed. Met 2 very nice ladies whilst we watched the Dolphins off Tathra Head, chatted for an hour. Sunny & warm, 18c Returned to NSW for the 3rd time on 4/7 from Victoria Drove thru Eden, the Sapphire Coast Hwy into Tathra where we camped on the beach front. V sunny day UPDATE 9/6/2008 Left NSW for the 2nd time Drove from a very wet Outback NSW down the Silver City Highway across the border into Victoria & Mildura via Wentworth. before that we visited Silverton Ghost town (scene of Mad Max) and Broken Hill. Rained all day so went to see the new Indy movie! Arrived in NSW on 7/6 from Peterborough, SA via the rather desolate Barrier Highway, Emu count 4, Wild Goat count and Road Trains huge! Camped in Broken Hill for 2 days UPDATE 12/4/2008 Left NSW for 1st time Sydney: Gr8 days - Visited Victoria gallerys, China town & Gardens, Rozelle Bay and Paddy's market Taronga Zoo & saw Swan Lake ballet @ Opera House Plus visited Watson bay, Manly & Paramatta river via Sydney Ferries. Monorail (all stops), Endeavour and the Maritime Museum, Darling harbour & Imax Also spent the day doing the tourist stuff, open topped bus round city centre, plus to Bondi, Rose Bay and Double P(B)ay, ace weather Arrived Sydney 5/4/2008. Going to see Swan Lake ballet @ Opera House 10/4 Arrive 5/4 staying in Travelodge Wentworth, just down from Hyde Park for 7 days We visited the Opera House and saw swan lake, Palm beach we loved, Port Macquarie & the Koala hospital, Lightening Ridge quirky bottle houses and opal. See our 1995 trip here and we just had to go back for our 4th , but hopefully not final time in 2013 . It wasn't we also returned in 2017 . Summary: NSW 46 days , Stay 1 Day 163-170, 5/4-12/4/2008,Stay 2 Day 226-228, 7-9/6/2008, Stay 3 Day 253-273,4/7-24/7/2008,Final Stay Day 310-326,30/8-15/9/2008 ALSO THE 1st 6 Slidesshow reference this detail summary tuned by Men at Work #classic and now the Talkies video New South Wales – Australia 3 visits, 46 days in total Part1 of 6, during the period 5 Apr-15 Sep 2017 From our travels, gap year, New South Wales – Australia 3 visits, 46 days in total, during the period 5 Apr-15 Sep 2017, in 6 parts reconstructed Nov2020, including 297 images being a summary of the much larger collection, covering plus a whole lot more the following,Darlington beach, arrawarra, Sydney, corindi beach, gunnedah, luna park, opera house, harbour bridge, ferrys, manly, watsons bay, doyles, scotia, broken hill, Ballarat, bendigo,brewarrina, bush melons, turtles, Byron bay, cadmans cottage, camel rocks, sandunes, port stephens, diamond beach, big 4 campsites, motorhome travels,charlotte arch, jenolean caves, lightening ridge, opals, circular quay, Chinese gardens, harbourside, coffs harbour, big banana, naff ozzie icons, crocodile Dundee, outback, botany bay, darling river, bourke, pandanas, beaches to die for, tropical birds, classy ads, dingoes, ice cube restaurant,emus, billabong park, port Macquarie, woolongong, Pittwater bay,Flynn beach, pelicans,roos, lennox point, fishing, galahs, fredo’s pies, Kempsey,fruit bats, botanical gardens, gilbert st, manly, where annie lived, Gosford, govetts leap, bridal veil falls, grose river, govetts creek, the Liverpool plain, hastings point, hat head, Nambucca head, national parks, hebel, wurrumbungle NP, snakes, jubilee caves, caves house, floods, Bellinger river, imperial cave, black head lagoon, narabeen, wattle, hyams beach, squeaky sand, mrs macquaries chair, mystery bay, seacliff bridge,surfing, south west rocks, kiama, blowholes, kookaburra, ku-ring-ai chase, leura,lifeguards, bore holes, hot sulphur springs, nyngan, cobb and co, bellambi beach, Lithgow, trangie, mad max, silverton, beach volleyball,Mitchell highway,myall lakes, joeys, monorail, norah heads,north haven, camp cove, pitch d6 darlington, bbqs,cresent head,tuggerah lakes, crocs maybe?,palm beach, woy woy,possums, whitegum lookout, quoll, banksia, tahra, wapango creek, sea food platter, shark nets, shell harbour, Sherman, Sherrard falls, dorrigo, split rock, st George, sturt, tamworth, country music, terigal, ocean drive, the orphan, blue mountains, katoomba,smoky cape lighthouse, dubbo, thunderbolt kid, urella, tilba, sapphire coast,top tourist campsites, trial bay, bondi beach, reids point, lookouts galore, copacobanna beach, wicked vans, woolgoolga Return to Menu TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA Including Huon Valley, Visiting Rellies, 2 weeks exploring , Queenstown, Strahan, Freycinet & Lake Clair Nat Park, Cradle Mountain & Launceston NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip UPDATE 30/4/2008 Now left Tassie, the Holiday Isle Had a nice meal with Diana & John at Mures and said goodbye at the airport, they were both so kind! Visited Port Arthur 'penal colony' site 2day, staying last night in Sandy Bay We were in Taranna in lovely Summer Cottage for 2 days. Swansea overlooking the rookery of penguins. Had a gr8 day coming down the East coast and seeing the WONDERFUL Freycinet Nat park. St Helens. Walked to St Columba waterfall & visited Derby!. Plus stayed in Launceston for 2 days. Drove from Burnie to Launceston via Gr8 Western Tiers. Smithton out to West point, back via Stanley & the Nut to Burnie, alas Dismal Swamp closed!!! Tullah to Smithton via the wonderful Crandle Mountain- Lake Clair Nat park. Gr8 day and saw lots of 'regeneration' burns. Still xclent weather for Autumn, 21c+. Queenstown to Tullah via Strahan / Zeehan & Rosebury. Huon valley to Strahan / Queenstown. The Targa Tassie rally is on between Strahan/Zeehan & Queenstown. Previously - Visited Salamanca/Museum (Hobart) plus 7 mile beach & Opossum Bay. Bruny Island Tasman Peninsular (ace) plus finally sorted i/net in oz although Vodaphone ain't off the hook yet! Visited Mt Wellington, Mt Nelson & Hobart Pleasant days in Ranelagh/ Huonville with D&J, who have been absolutely wonderful hosts and looked after us amazingly well. Arrived Hobart 12/4/08 from Sydney (Quantas) for 2.5 weeks leaving Tassie 30/4/08 for Perth, 9.5 hrs via Melbourne (Jetstar & Quantas) We remember Huon Valley, Mures, Strahan, builders walking past our bedroom window, the lovely Bruny Island and the views from the neck and adventure bay sands, and mostly seeing John & Diana. See also our 1995 trip Blog 163 and we just had to go back for our 4th but hopefully not final time in 2013. It wasn't we also returned in 2017. You can see those blogs here 167 & 168 respectively. Summary: TASMANIA 18 days , Day 170-188, 12/4/2008 - 30/4/2008 Now the specialist wood carving we went to see outback Tassie and now the Tassie talkies video Return to Menu WESTERN AUSTRALIA Including Perth, Rottnest, Quokkas, Norseman thru Kalgoolie, Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Busselton, then fly to Broome & Cable beach, Camels & Sunsets NOTE all words in ITALICS were either written on the trip or before we left (labelled HISTORY). UPDATE 21/5/2008 We have now left Western Australia Flew via Kunnunarra into Darwin (NT) past Lake Argyle Previously - Did superb 16hr trip into the Kimberley thru Fitzroy Crossing to Geikie Gorge and to cap it all they played the Shawshank Redemption on the screen in the 4WD on the way back, bliss! Before that we went into Broome town (35c 2day) and town beach plus lovely meal at Som Thai in eve Spent 2nd day chillin by the pool, ace, 33c again, then caught bus (with other 100 people) to Cable beach and watched the sunset, beyond words, you gotta do it. Flew into Broome, hot 33c @ 8pm after handing back the campervan in Perth @ 1pm, sorted campervan for our Adelaide to Sydney incl Queensland trip Went to Rottnest (Rotto) Island, lovely day. In Freo (Fremantle) for 2 days. Travelled up from Bunbury via Mands (Mandurah) and all the beaches of the City of Rockingham. Stayed in Bunbury. Visited Margs, Prevelly, Yallingup and Busso Margaret River (wine region) after travelling from Northcliffe via Pemberton, Augusta and Leeuwin point where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. In Northcliffe stayed at an Eco Caravan Park, where we had our own friendly roos. Plus walked the lovely Valley of the Giants canopy walk. Breathtaking piccies don't do it justice Previously - Albany on the coast, before that Jerramungup (26c), travelled over 300k along SH1 in the south thru 'world famous' (supposedly) Fitzgerald River Nat Park Hmmm! Our campsite has a tame roo called Priscilla. Day+ in Esperance (28c) , what a change of colours after red plains we found deep blue oceans and supposedly the whitest sands in the world!. Stayed in Norseman (33c), start of the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor, alas we aren't doing it! Maybe in another lifetime! Stayed in Kalgoorlie for 2 days (31c but our campervan claimed 38c), Gold mining capital of the outback. We loved K-B, gr8 place! Visited Narembeen Town, then drove 71km straight single tar/dirt track to Great Eastern Highway then 350Kms thru to Coolgardie, where we camped. Hot , tired but enjoyed changing landscape 26c Visited Wave Rock (28c wow!) nr Hyden, camped in Narembeen. Picked up campervan, drove thru the Shire of York to Quairading where we camped, 22c Nice warm days in Perth (24c+) 2nd tram ride out to Burswood etc We like Perth, it has a nice feel Arrived at Hotel (not the best) after long journey, hot and tired. Slept in and then had a gr8 day in Perth , boattrip to Freemantle and Tram trip around town HISTORY Arrive from Hobart via Melbourne in 9.5hr journey on Jetstar/ Quantas 30/4, staying in the Mountway Apartments, Central City Perth Leaving Perth after 3 days city/ 14 days Campervan (Britz Elite) then on 16/5 to fly to Broome. Staying Broome until 21/5 in Ocean Lodge Hotel Cable Beach and have a organised bush trip thru Aboriginal Community North to Geikie Gorge and a Darngku Aboriginal Heritage Cruise Then flying via North Airlines to Darwin touching down at Kununurra We remember the Geikie Gorge trip, Wave rock at Hyden, the wonderful Broome, Fitzroy crossing, beaches at Esperance and seeing the start of the Nullarbor at Norseman. In 2013 we actually crossed the Nullarbor Plain (no trees) see blog 167 for details Summary: WESTERN AUSTRALIA 22 days , Day 188-209, 30/4/2008 - 21/5/2008 and now the WA talkies video, such lovely voices 😉 🌠 Return to Menu NORTHERN TERRITORY Including Darwin, Mindil Beach, a Fab Trip (Red Class) on the Ghan #railway to Alice Springs via Katherine & Tennant Creek, Buying a Didge, Uluru, the Olgas & Sunset Heaven NOTE all words in ITALICS were either written on the trip or before we left (labelled HISTORY). UPDATE 29/5/2008 We have now left the Outback State Loved NT. Nice, remote and relaxed. Flew out over the various deserts, gr8 views. Bought a Didge from Andrew made by aboriginal who lives between Katherine & Ddarwin, Top end. Also visited Old Ghan Museum, train spotters that we are! Plus had a Didge lesson and went to the marvellous Andrew Langford's Sounds in Starlight Theatre for a contemporary Didge show and joined in. Plus 19hr round trip from Alice to see Uluru & The Olgas, immense! Wildlife count to Uluru and back was 3 camels, 20+roos, 4 dingos, numerous birds and bats. Spent the day in and around Alice by Explorer bus. Arrived on the Ghan (Gr8 fun) in Alice Springs (cooler at 27c) from Darwin via Katherine (4hrs), Tennant Creek (5hrs but night) after 27hr journey, not for the faint hearted! Average 33c in Darwin. Went to Art & History Museum Darwin (we liked Darwin) Plus Gr8 day in Darwin, visited the town, did the tourist bus (tour tub), chilled by the infinity pool and went to the sunset market at Mindil beach, spectacular Arrived and met the v helpful Lorraine at our apartment in Darwin HISTORY Arrive in Darwin via air from Broome 21/5/2008 and then catching Ghan on Sat 24/5 @ 9am thru to Alice Springs stopping off at Katherine for 4 hours. (We will see the gorge + town) In Darwin we will be staying in a Central Motel (Unit 1 @ 4 Barossa Street, Larrakeyah) and taking trips out and about in NT for a few days. In Alice we are staying at the Aurora Alice Springs for 4 nights and taking a 17hr trip to Uluru & the Olgas in Red Rock country on the 27th, looking fwd to it! Darwin is a fabulous place and was my top city after Sydney. The Ghan journey we will remember for the rest of our lives and the school of the air in Katherine as well as visiting the magical Uluru (and not being allowed to take pictures, its a sacred place) and staying in Alice, seeing the Starlight theatre performance and having Andrew Langford try out our Didge before we bought it. See our 1995 trip blog 163 and we just had to go back for our 4th and 5th trips in 2013 & 2017 respectively. We visited Alice again in 2017. We travelled in 2 motorhomes in our 10½ months away, the one on the eastern side being our home for 105 days. If you want to learn more about motorhomes, click here. No question Annie & I love Oz both as children & adults FACT! Note our reenactment of the £10 POMs in 2017 western australia at Freemantle (Freo) Summary: NORTHERN TERRITORY 9 days , Day 209-217, 21/5/2008 - 29/5/2008 Day 209 shared with Western Australia and Day 218 shared with Southern Australia. MORE INFORMATION From our travels, gap year, Northern Territory Australia,9 days in total, during the period 21-29 May 2008, Ghan, Alice & Uluru, in 3 parts reconstructed Nov2020, including 159 images being a summary of the much larger collection, covering plus a whole lot more the following,Darwin, stations, tenants creek, sunset, mindil sunset market, museums, poems, artist, infinity pools, Katherine, Devonshire teas, didge, Andrew Lansford, aurora hotel, Unit 1, 4 Barossa st, Larrakeyah, Darwin, nice land lady , food, drive to ghan station, cyclone tracy 1974,museums, salt lakes, tropical flowers, Gibson and simpson deserts, aborigines, mount connor, albert Namatjira, artist, graveyard alice, telegraph & signals stations and museums, the old ghan, camels, the tub tour, stolen generation, river Katherine, sounds of starlight theatre, spray can art,the olgas, early morning coach trip, sunset picnic at uluru, cave art,school of the air, walking around the base of ayres rock (old name), red class travel, world hepatitis day, sleeping rough, red ochre café, camel steaks, roo steaks, telegraph camel men, history, traversing a very hostile terrain , baobab trees, frank gorton poetry, tea towels, ballooons, jim's place road house, singing dingoes, rock paintings and images of the past, lasseter highway, past kings canyon - coach swapping point NOTE this one is shared with South Australia plus the NT talkies video Return to Menu SOUTH AUSTRALIA Including Adelaide, Mt. Gambier, Milang, Princes & Southport Highways, Victor Harbor, Flinders Range Nat Park & Koalas on Kangaroo Island NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip UPDATE 21/6/2008 We have now left SA, the Festival (or Wine) State Good look around the Crater lakes at Mt Gambier on our last day in SA. Very sunny and about 15c. Before that a big day driving, 450+k to Mt Gambier along Princes & Southport Hwys. Annie 270+k, Keef 180+k Camped in Milang on Lake Alexandrina, the mouth of the Murray River Visited Victor Harbor (on the best side of the Fleurieu Peninsula) Stayed on Kangaroo island for 3.5 days Ace place We saw 10 koalas in the wild and had one (Cuddles) who was in a tree outside our campervan for most of the day before that we camped in Cape Jervis on the wonderful Fleurieu Peninsula Annie has put up piccies of the boys in the campervan Camped at Aldinga Beach having travelled thru Adelaide Hills/ Mt Barker, Hahndorf, the lovely McLaren Vale (Shiraz hic!) Returned to SA for the 2nd time on 12/6 arriving in Murraybridge where we stay 1 night at the Long Island Marina park from Mildura (Vic) via Yamba, Paringa, Renmark, Berri, Karoonda. UPDATE 7/6/2008 We have now left SA for the 1st time crossing over into NSW Drove from Peterborough along Barrier Hwy to Broken Hill We had previously camped in Peterborough, steamtown. Had a great day in the Flinders Ranges Nat Park. Emu count 20+, Roos 50+ and birds galore plus spectacular scenery. Previously - Spent the night in Hawker (hub of the ranges), didnt get far today thru semi arid desert because of torrential downpour Before we had camped in Quorn (capital of the Flinders Ranges) having driven up from Clare Valley thru Mt Remarkables Nat Park, across the Goyder's line into the semi arid area of SA. Camped in Clare Valley (famous for Riesling) after 2 wonderful days in the gorgeious Barossa valley, Hic (the Shiraz is immense)! Also spent 2 days including the 1st day of winter by the rooftop pool in 23c and v sunny, even managed the odd swim in between naps Strolled thru town in the eve. Plus 2 meals in new Indian opposite Hotel (ace) Went on tourist bus around Adelaide and out to seaside at Glenelg. Staying at Rockford Hotel, v central. Warm & sunny 21c We remember Cuddles & Kangaroo Island, Adelaide, the wine regions of Barossa, Clare & McLaren Vale and especially Chapel Hill port, D'arrendburg Magpie & all the famous vineyards or wineries as the Aussies call them. See our 1995 trip here Blog 163 and we just had to go back for our 4th in 2013 , and 5th with our dear pals Chris & Allyson in 2017. See blogs 167 & 168. Summary: SOUTH AUSTRALIA 19 days , Stay 1 Day 217-226, 29/5 - 7/6/2008 , Stay 2 Day 231-240,12/6-21/6/2008 EXTRA INFO From our travels, gap year, South Australia, 2 stays,19 days, during the period 29 May-21 Jun 2008, Kangaroo Island, Victor Harbor, in 3 parts reconstructed Nov2020, including 156 images being a summary of the much larger collection, covering plus a whole lot more the following, Kangaroo Island, Victor Harbor,pichi richi railway, the original ghan, tropical bird, Glenelg, milang, aldinga beach, cape jervis, ferry, sheep, difficult time reversing onto ferry, smells of animals, wine, mclaren vale, clare valley, Barossa valley, Jacobs creek, hahndorf, tanundra, buying a light, remarkable rocks, silverton, mad max, flinders range national park, emus, roos, koalas, cuddles, botanic gardens,Adelaide oval cricket ground,king William street, hop on hop off bus, metro, American river, penneshaw, flinders chase NP, sturt highway, film crew on our ferry, gramps wine, penfold wines, harbor tram, horses, chapel hill wines & ports, boardwalk, Peterborough, adventure before dementia, lake patawalonga, reeves point, mount connor, mount gambier, the mighty murray river, many naff ozzie icons in towns, lighthouses, weird terrains, tropical flowers, beer, waterfalls, mount remarkable NP, beerenburg, eagles, banksia, echidnas, wellington, ferries, wild and interesting birds, pelicans, pines, quondong pie, paranga, bread fruit, bush melons, old stuart railway station, causeway, western kangaroo island , woolshed flats, Wilpena pound, wombat poo, wolf blass wines, and the man himself, handshake, never washing again, Richmond grove wines, clair, quorn, laura, c j dennis, the sentimental bloke, orrock views, jacksons quality breads, corrugated iron shower blocks, railways, ss buffalo restaurant, col. William light plus the SA talkies video Return to Menu VICTORIA , AUSTRALIA Including Grampians, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Mount Macedon, Mallacoota, Melbourne (revisit Keef's homes), Great Ocean Road, Nagambie Lakes, 12 Apostles, Mitchelton Wines (Preece, Yummy) NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip UPDATE 4/7/2008 We have now left the 'Garden' or 'Place to Be/ On the Move' state] Spent our last day in Victoria at the wonderful Mallacoota & Gipsy Point before x-ing the border back into NSW. We camped at Mallacoota in Croajingolong Nat park, drove 320+k to get there from Sale where we camped. Drove from Mornington down the Gippy Hwy (Oz short for South Gippsland Highway) along 90 mile beach. Mixed weather, wet windy & sunny. Saw 2 huge sea eagles, one of which alas had a baby lamb in its grasp! Camped on the Mornington Peninsular @ Mornington. Stressful day driving thru Melbourne City, not easy! Visited where Keef lived as a boy at Elwood. Gr8 day in Melbourne centre plus visited Lalor where Keef also lived as a boy (as well as caulfield, now posh suburb)! Before that camped in Nagambie lakes by the Mitchelton Vineyard (home of Preece). Visited Hanging Rock (Mt Diomedes). Camped in Macedon in the Gr8 Divide ranges. Travelled up from the GOR via Geelong (past Karianda park, come on you Cats) Camped at Kennett River (Gr8 for wildlife spotting) in Otway Nat park, GOR (Koala count 9 over 2 days) Revisited Loch Ard Gorge & 12 Apostles after severe weather warning overnight and boy did we feel it The van 'rocked' ! We stayed in Port Campbell on the GOR (Great Ocean Rd) saw most of the 'world class' GOR The pictures just cannot do it justice Beforehand we had travelled from Port Fairy to Warrnambool (camped 1 night in each) where we whale watched at Logans Beach and saw the Flagstaff Hill nightime Sight & Sound show Beforehand that we toured the wonderful Grampians, oh what views! Spent day in Ararat doing the touristy things, J Ward & Gum San plus the wonderful views from One Tree Hill. Back in Victoria for the 3rd and final time. Camped at Ararat in the Grampians region for 2 days having travelled thru Casterton, Hamilton and a whole stack more familiar Scots named-towns UPDATE 12/6/2008 Left Victoria for the 2nd time, we will BE BACK! Left for SA on the Sturt Highway (A20), v sunny and warm 18c. We liked Mildura a lot, walked around the town, had great icecream sundae (MT Kosioskos) Went on the PS (Paddlesteamer) Melbourne down the Murray River Arrived in Mildura (wonderful place) on 9/6/08 (2nd stop in Vic) via Silver City Highway, 300k. Camped here for 3 days. Nice site (Apex Park, Riverbeach) by river. UPDATE 30/4/2008 First touch down for 4 hours at Tullamarine Airport on route from Hobart to Perth, rang Mum We remember the Grampians, Picnic @ Hanging rock in Macedon, Mallacoota and the fabulous great ocean road and especially getting a pic of the old car as it went under the sign. Summary: VICTORIA 18 days , Day 188 (for 4 hours) then Stay 2 , Day 228-231, 9/6-12/6/2008, Stay 3, Day 240-253, 21/6-4/7/2008 EXTRA INFO From our travels, gap year, Victoria, Australia, 3 stays, 18 days,during the period 30 Apr- 4 Jul 2008, the 1st only 4 hours at Melbourne airport en route from Hobart to Perth, a long flight, rang Mum from there, in 4 parts reconstructed Nov2020, including 223 images being a summary of the much larger collection, covering plus a whole lot more the following,Melbourne, lalor, mornington peninsular, sale, great ocean road, old cars, sale, malacoota, mount macedon, nagambie lakes, picnic at hanging rock, long climb up, painful legs, bendigo, maits rest, roos, murray steamers, mitchelton winery, preece, art work on labels, apollo bay, shipwrecks, torquay beach, surfers, kennett river, best place for koalas, lyre bird mile, London bridge – is fallen down, mornington, beach huts, picnics, 12 apostles – now only 7, visitors platform, family parks, Mildura, bay of islands, black swans, the grampians, Chinese miners, avoca, bay of martyrs, huge grey roo, mount defiance lookout, derrick street, lalor & pine ave, elwood (where I lived as a child), Ararat, federation square, flagstaff hill, Griffiths island, port fairy, gypsy point, mt Diomedes, lake entrance, tower hill reserve, emus, 90 mile beach, koala cove café, kookaburras, aireys inley, marine parade wood carvings, loch ard gorge, lock 11, logans beach, whales, warrnambool, mckenzie falls, Melbourne cricket ground, flinders street station, trams, miller falls, halls gap, mount victory, pelicans, maccabah restaurant, the ps Melbourne, seaspray, reed lookout, swampgully campsite, rosella, sale harbour, telstradome, the arch, rabbit island, stratford upon avon (ozzie version), emigration museum, tsindos Greek restaurant,william buckley, white cockatoo, woodend, the murky yarra, yorkeys knob plus the victoria state talkies video Return to Menu QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA Including Daydream Island, Airlie Beach, St. George, Atherton Tablelands, Daintree, Port Douglas, Cape Trib, Emerald Gem Fields, Cairns, Kuranda & Salties, Cooktown NOTE all words in ITALICS were written on the trip UPDATE 30/8/2008 We have now left the “Sunshine/ Smart/ Tropical/ Outback” state Crossed over the border back into NSW near Hebel. Camped in St George, 170k from QLD/NSW outback border. Previously - camped in Roma overnight and before that Emerald and Willows Gem fields for 3 days. Went fossicking 2 days running and found 13 (lucky for us though) sapphires. 1st day easy, 2nd real diggings (hard work in blistering sun 27c, wow not sure how they did this years ago) Drove to the gem field area over 500k driven down Gregory Developmental road Camped in Charters Towers for 2 days. Slowly making our way back to Sydney via Outback QLD &NSW Got to Charters Towers via a marathon 550k drive down 2 developmental roads (gravel with central single tar track) Interesting Camped in Atherton, got there via Mareeba and 350kms Before that camped in Cooktown for 3 days. Cooktown is as far north as we can get and its developmental road only opened as a sealed road in 2006. Cape York & Weipa are strictly 4WD and mostly closed in the wet season. Visited Daintree & Cape Tribulation (ace) from Port Douglas (PD). Camped in Port Douglas for 4 days. Drove to PD via Cairns North Beaches which are v good. Had a gr8 day in PD before returning for a well earned swim in the pool Hot&Humid here , 28c with humidity 48% Camped in Cairns for 3 days. Much has changed since we were last here 13 years ago, now a big cosmopolitan city! Went back to Kuranda for the day, ace place and into the rainforest to Lake Morris (amazingly steep climb) Also camped in Fishery Falls below Cairns for 1 night. We camped here with the boys 13 years ago. It has changed a lot including removing the cowboy swing doors from the local pub! Camped in Rollingstone (yes Mr Jagger it really is a place!) gr8 pool beach front location 10/8 yahoo GB gets 1st gold for cycling to rival ozzie bragging about 1st swimming gold Camped in Townsville (Woodlands) for 2 nights. Went to Magnetic Island for the day. Arrived in Townsville from Airlie beach via Shute Harbour & Bowen. Spent one of the best days ever on Daydream Island in the Whitsundays.Camped at Airlie Beach , Whitsundayshire for 3 days. V nice weather! 26-28c Even went for a numerous swims in both sea and pools plus numerous beach paddles. 19c at night whilst 20c in day in Nottingham, can’t be bad! Above the Tropic of Capricorn in Mackay and its getting hotter by the day 28c Went via Rockhampton (gr8 place) Stayed in Benaraby just below Gladstone. Travelled there from Bundaberg on Coral Coast via Agnes waters & 1770. Note this is the southern end of the Gr8 Barrier Reef. Camped in Bundaberg after travelling from Maryborough (ace place!) via Hervey Bay Travelled from Caloundra to Maryborough (home of the author of Mary Poppins) via Buderim & Noosa. Getting much hotter as we move towards the tropics, 23c to 27c Camped in Caloundra (busy, only got into 4th site) on Sunshine Coast for 2 days. Had an ace day in the best zoo in the world, Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo in Beerwah oh and saw Glass House Mountains at the end of the day. Spent a gr8 day in Brisbane. Camped in Aspley a northern “suburb” of Brisbane for 2 days. Went to visit Peter & Lorraine Birtles & family at their home in Warner for a lovely BBQ Peter is an old colleague & friend from Boots in Nottingham and it was lovely to see them. They looked after us extremely well, thx. Went to see the wonderful Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, with Miami City & the Isle of Capri!!! Arrived in QLD across the border from NSW on 24/7/2008 camped in Biggera Waters Nr Labrador on a v v wet Gold Coast We visited every state i.e New South Wales (NSW),Victoria(Vic),Tasmania(Tas),Western Australia (WA),Northern Territories (NT),South Australia(SA).We remember so much of this fabulous trip, read on but motorhome hires & camels and sunset at Broome beach is right up there with the best of it. Summary: QUEENSLAND 37 days , Day 273-310, 24/7/2008 - 30/8/2008 EXTRA INFO From our travels, gap year, Queensland, Australia, 37 days,during the period 24 Jul – 30 Aug 2008, all the way up the coast to Cooktown, in 7 parts reconstructed Nov2020, including 223 images being a summary of the much larger collection, covering plus a whole lot more the following,woombye, naff ozzie icons, Rockhampton, mackay, bundaberg, tropic of Capricorn, bernaraby, Caloundra, maryborough, mary poppins, pamela lyndon travers, pl travers author, 1770, captain james cook, surfers, surfers paradise, venice, miami, Daintree, cape tribulation, crocodiles, salties, yandina, cannonball trees, port douglas, cairns, magnetic island, airlie beach, airlie cove, daydream island, the whitsundays, scarface the croc, snakes, big 4 campsites, noosa, noosa heads, Russell crowe, bush turkey, national parks, cairns, the sunshine coast, the big pineapple, nutworks, macadamias, avos, ettamoga pubs, buderim ginger, ice creams, Atherton, tablelands, sharks, rays, sea cucumbers, starfish, daydream swimming, mermaids, sunshine galore, sugar canes, fishery falls, rollingstone, billy tea, fishery falls, cooktown, endeavour river, death by salty, yorkies knob, monitor lizard pets, breaking hired chairs, abel point marina, agnes water, strelitzia, kuranda, railway to cairns, palm cove, willow gem fields, outback, charters towers, hospitals, annies bad toe, weird cowboy with terrets, cattle markets, emerald, kent street, mission beach, flagstaff hill, elephants, watching beccy addlington win gold, mission beach, mount coot-tha, Brisbane, bougainvillea, fake sea, a j hackett bungee cairns,car stickers, tropical flowers, multi monuments, cassowary, crystal cascade campsite, Australia zoo, cardwell, hard rock café, gordonvale, surprise creek, barron falls, waterfalls, murdering point, winery, port, wonga beach, koalas, butterflies, lorrikeets, saunders beach, fish dinners, jade buddha restaurant, lake morris, isley hills, nelly bay, eagle street pier, paddlesteamer restaurant, palm cove, pine islet lighthouse, riga sister city to cairns, bowen, baz lurmahn, Australia the movie, rod laver tennis hero, suncorp stadium, rednault bar, stubbies, melons, sir Thomas brisbane, saunders beach, stingers, jelly fish, 7 mile beach, the giant mango, biggera waters, gold coast, strangler fig trees, wombats, past hartleys crocodile farm – now sadly closed, the old bruce highway, historical museum re highway, clancy, marine turtles, saphhires, banged the van, oops, childers where annie went in the 60s, promenade pool @ cairns, the meating place – tee hee, the lost $20 refund and now the queensland talkies video Return to Menu SINGAPORE 2008, a very short stop Just passing thru, touchdown at Changi Airport for refueling and change of plane We had about 1½ hours here Maybe you can argue we were doing a reccie for Doug & Phoenix in advance. Really we were just passing through both on the way out in 1995 and the way back here in 2007-08. We remember the slick fast transit monorail from one terminal to another, not eating gum and in 1995 being woken up for my 7th meal in under 7 hours. Back for 2 weeks to really see it in 2013 with the lovely Mr & Mrs Hellinger (Mr Douglas as our son became to be known by 2013) .Plus again in 2014, 2018 and 2019. Just click on the Singapore TAG to see all the associated Blogs Diary Day 326 - Monday 15th September 2008, Sydney 2 Hong Kong via Singapore Long day flying, watched lots and lots of movies on the flight Up about 4.45am , flew at 8.05am although it was 15mins late going Good airplane, Air Singapore had to swap at Changi and use posh fast shuttle train to our next gate The luggage got transferred automatically for us from one plane to the other Taxi at HK was a hoot Service guy wrote down the hotel in Chinese for the driver who we had fun communicating with by hand signals Kowloon a long way Over lovely bridge and under tunnel 45 mins drive Went to wrong hotel then had to go to New SD all fine £75 a night stayed 3 nights Hot 35c and 100% humidity, what we saw today,Airports and movies, who we met, Shuttle guy @ Holiday Inn Sydney who was annoyed we had loaded on our own bags. Jobsworth! Getting on the plane went very quickly when one considers it, taxi driving thru market to San Diego (wrong hotel) was amusing, took 1 picture of Changi airport only! Plus remembering my Dad with love, who died on this day 6 years earlier. Summary: SINGAPORE 1½ hours , Day 326, 15/9/2008 Return to Menu HONG KONG Kowloon Island NOTE all words in ITALICS were either written on the trip or before we left (labelled HISTORY) Hong Kong UPDATE 18/9/2008 We have now left Hong Kong and after a long flight and many movies & meals via Air NZ39's hospitality we are back in the UK. Greeted at T3 Heathrow on England's green and pleasant lands by Craig with the traditional taxi airport card held up saying "AGEING HIPPIES", We rest our case Great times, we will miss them but also glad to be back!!! UPDATE 14/9/2008 We are now likely to be out of online contact until after we arrive back in the UK....Intend some intensive retail therapy whilst in Hong Kong Staying at New San Diego Hotel in Mau Lam St,Jordan, Kowloon (thx D&P for suggestion) . Peak Train, Hong Kong, Amazingly steep. This travels up to the top of Mt Victoria Alas as 36c and 100% humidity the views of the harbour were very obscured . Computer nerdsville or Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, Poor annie had to suffer many hours of Keef in 7th heaven.... PS Geek status achieved. V cheap for current technology, Lunch at Bubba Gumps Shrimp House was a real highlight. Noted Wok shaped sky terrace Mt Victoria Peak and HK in World Monopoly game , and quite right too!!! It is a fascinating place. Bird Market, Prince Edward, HK with lovely original wooden cages and oh so colourful birds. Took fab picture of Light &Sound Show, Waters Edge, with science museum in background. V pleased with this shot.We saw the show at Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) HISTORY - Spending 3 nights here.....more when we get there We remember the taxi driver instructions in chinese and him trying to drop us at wrong hotel, humidity, Macdonalds for breakfast (bad news), Nathan Road, Star ferry, Metro, Bakeries,fenicular railway, smog, humidity again... nice place , birthday meal @ top of mountain DIARY Day 327 - Tuesday 16th September 2008,Hong Kong Breakfasted at McDonalds Nathan Road, Jordan Then got Urban Day pass for the MTR (Metro) ($50HK-£4) Went to TST and walked to star ferry Crossed to Central ($8HK-63p) Walked across bridge up into IFC mall Had juice and muffin then back on Star Ferry Went to Hard rock Café for drink and t-shirt then onto Sham Shui Po for Computer bits Knackered as hot and humid (36c/ 100%+) back to hotel to flake Went to sleep and only had bits and pieces from Bakery on MTR for Tea. Met loads of very nice folk who helped us whenever we looked at a map even though we weren’t lost. Celebrated Keef’s 54th B’day spent in Hard Rock Cafe (TST) and Computer Nerdsville , Sham Shui Po, plus lunch up Mt Victoria via Peak Train & saw a Wedding on Star Ferry. Probably for a magazine. Day 328 - Wednesday 17th September 2008, Hong Kong Breakfasted at McDonalds Nathan Road, Jordan Then got Urban Day pass for the MTR ($50HK) Then went up to Central and walked thru business district to the Peak Train went up to the top, alas very humid and unclear views but had great birfday lunch at Pappa Gumps Shrimps etc Then back to TST for light and sound show (spectacular) then back to hotel for a rest Had bits from bakery for t plus 2 bowls of fruit the hotel left. met loads of folk esp American gi (retired) and Chinese girlfriend from Schezhan.Enjoyed Tram ride, night lights and music show, retail therapy. Day 329 - Thursday 18th September 2008,Hong Kong 2 England and Home!!!! Very little sleep and alas Keef was sick overnight so jaded when we caught taxi back to airport K put poor guy off by giving him misleading airport terminal info Finally got to T1 gate 3 for Air NZ, long flight 12hrs 20mins which went quickly Craig collected us at Heathrow glad to be back Had fish and chips from Sandiacre fish bar at Craig’s then managed to stay up to 10pm then flopped No real jet lag at all..can’t wait for the next hols!!! THE END for now, watched 4 movies the best of which was a Kiwi movie called 2nd hand wedding, met a Nice girl from Guangzhou who was studying at Bristol (2nd year) reminded us of Phoenix. Loved Arriving at t1 not t3 Heathrow. Craig’s sign saying AGEING HIPPIES Summary:HONG KONG 3 days , Day 327-329, 16/9/2008 - 18/9/2008 kowloon talkies video Return to Menu OLD SKOOL PAGES Feel free to have a look at the PDFs from the old Moonfruit site before it vanished Dec 2021, thanks for looking Audiobooks That's all folks #GIF

By keef and annie hellinger, Jul 14 2018 12:13PM Possibly the best campsite we have stayed in the world over after many a year of camping and travelling. We can highly recommend this 5star unique site, if you want to see all the sites we have been to in the UK take a look on the home page Run by a couple from the UK, both from Cornwall, who have a motorhome of their own which gives them a great insight into what people want. It is a small family site with a limited number of hard standing pitches and the wifes attention to detail on a beach theme design is sublime. Nearby is White Strand a blue flag beach. I would have to say that the shower and washroom facilities are possibly better than ours at home. 5 STAR... If you are in the area motorhome travels suggest you give it a try. Note: For cyclists it even has a cosy bike barn where you can bed down for the night Its in the Ireland Green book campsites. There are 2 of these , suggest you pick them up from any tourist office and often the campsites themselves have them Another campsite we would recommend in Ireland because of its private beach and Eco set up by owner Chris is the Clifden Eco beach site , it only gets 4 stars however as if busy (and it was when we were there) there really are not enough showers... only 2 unisex for whole site can be tricky To see our full trip to Eire (Ireland) please look at associated blog 129, thanks Travel Route Videos associated with this trip where motorhome-travels can highly recommend this site