Beatrix is out Carthago M-Liner motorhome that we’ve owned since August 2020.
At just under 9m long and just over 6.5 tonnes she can be a bit of a handful driving on some of Europe’s smaller roads, but we’ve made it to most places, including up the steep hairpin turns into the Alps.
We decided on Beatrix for a number of reasons. Firstly, we knew we were downsizing pretty radically but we also wanted to carry certain things with us and we knew that payload would be an issue. Beatrix is based on an Iveco Daily with twin wheels at the back, so we can carry our heavier items like a scooter, inflatable kayak, skiis along with ourselves, Merlin and plenty of drinking water without the fear of going overweight. Lots of modern motorhomes are supplied new almost at their maximum limit so weight is a real issue.
Secondly, we wanted to be self-sufficient or ‘off-grid’ and not be to dependant on staying at campsites all the time as its better for our budget, and often more fun we’re finding. Beatrix has two really big batteries (rated at 210Ah each) and 500W of solar panels which means we have plenty of electricity to stay off grid indefinitely. She also has capacity for 300L of fresh water which means we can drink, shower and washup for days without needing to resupply.
Thirdly, we were really keen to find a good quality German built A-class. We always planned to spend time in the mountains during winter and having a really well insulated home with a good heating system was high on the list of requirements and we got that with Beatrix. We also knew that lots of vans (and caravans) are really designed only to be used for 4-8 weeks of the year and as we’re full timing we wanted quality components, systems and furniture so that we could be confident on reliability longer term.
So, the perfect motorhome right?
Alas, there are a few downsides. To fit all of those wonderful positives in means that we’re pretty big, heavy and slow. Cruising speed is about 55mph (85kmh) and fuel economy isn’t the best as you can probably imagine. At nearly 9m, we’re probably a bit longer than we would have liked too and this does limit some of the places we can stay and park up which is part of the reason we carry the scooter.
Our first destination is the city of Salzburg. The birthplace of one Mozart and home to the Von Trapp family….. if you believe the film.
First though, we have a little trek across southern Germany. Not rushing, we take a stop at a lake close by our route. However, reaching Salzburg the next day takes longer than we expect.
Autumn on the lake
Austria has a complicated toll system for vehicles over 3.5 tons using it’s motorway network. Last time round, we found ourselves playing ‘Go-Box Roulette’. Driving in fear that the next beep from the dash mounted unit might signal a big fine.
This time we decided to take the roads less travelled – non toll roads. Whilst this would lead to a breath taking drive along the Danube, right now it meant a 50km detour north of Salzburg.
Salzburg
Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria. Although it isn’t huge, it’s the biggest place we’ve visited for a while. Negotiating the city traffic, the commuters, and tourists takes us a minute to get used to.
Public transport in Austria seems to have evolved since we were last here in Innsbruck in 2023. Then we were confused and nearly caught out as it was only possible to pay the bus drivers in cash.
Now it seems each city has a transport app and tickets can only be brought digitally.
No less confused, we eventually sort a 3 day travel card each. As Merlin hasn’t got a phone, she rides for free.
Our destination is the Alt Stadt where we make our first impressions of the city.
The Salzach River and SalzburgCity streets in SalzburgSally in Salzburg Alt StadtMozart was born hereStatue of Mozart in Salzburg
Salzburg old town is tucked under the cliffs of the Festungsburg mountain, topped with a huge castle. The cities grand, ornate and colourful buildings are divided by the clear blue Salzach river. It’s really busy with traffic, people. and bikes. The latter has us on alert, eyes scanning every direction as we cross the roads. They’re silent and all seem to approach at breakneck speed with no intention of stopping. Of course there’s lots of tourists but plenty of locals too. The city is definitely bustling and has a great feel.
We stop for a beer and wine in Mozartplatz to watch the horse drawn carriages pass-by. Sure it’s a bit twee but somehow it works here. Safe to say we like Salzburg.
Berchtesgaden and the Eagles Nest
Regular readers might remember that we’ve been following in the footsteps of the Band of Brothers for a few years. In 2022, we visited where they parachuted into Normandy. Last year we experienced Bastogne and the woods overlooking the town of Foy. This year we’ve made it to another location on my bucket list, The Eagles Nest or Kehlsteinhaus as it’s locally known.
Legend has it that the 101st Airborne were the first to enter Obersalzburg and take the road up to the Eagles nest. Whether that’s true or not, it’s a spectacular site to experience. For me, the history associated makes it more incredible.
Our campsite is at Allweglehen and it’s a cracker.
It’s one of those amazing places that you unexpectedly come across when you’re on the road. We instantly decide to extend our stay.
After settling in, we decide to get out to visit the Eagles Nest the next day. This turns out to be a good decision. Opting to leave Merlin at home, we take the super scooter up to Obersalzburg.
It’s quite a trip as the gradient of the road up from Berchtesgaden is 24%!
Our little scooter struggles and smells pretty bad when we reach the carpark.
From the Documentation Centre, it’s a bus and then lift ride up the 800m to the summit and the Eagles Nest itself. The views are incredible and it’s well worth the trip. As we’ve come up on the first bus, it’s actually pretty quiet and we have a good wander around before it starts to get busier and busier.
The marble fire place donated by MussoliniTunnel out of the Eagles NestView back up to the Eagles Nest from the valley
Whilst there, we notice that the tables and chairs are being packed away. There’s a storm due in tomorrow and I guess it’ll probably snow up here. It looks like the Eagles Nest won’t be open much longer this year.
The Eagles Nest, Berchtesgaden
The Kehlsteinhaus
Built in 1938 for Adolf Hitler, the Kehlsteinhaus sits on sheer cliffs at 1804m. The narrow, winding road to reach it rises 800m in 6km and the final 120m ascent is by a lift built into the cliff. The road is only 4m wide and the bus ride up is pretty hairy if you don’t like heights.
Many of the Nazi leaders had summer houses in Obersalzburg and the Kehlsteinhaus was opened by Hitler on his 50th birthday. Although it’s close by his summer place, he didn’t actually use it very often.
There are some incredible photographs inside of the Nazi high command and then the American 101st Airborne using the sun terrace colonnade.
Nowadays it’s a café and restaurant.
Hitler on the sun terrace in 1939
The 101st Airborne at the Eagles Nest in 1945
View down to Konigssee
Our campsite boasts a small and seemingly ever popular restaurant. I’d been keen to have Zwiebelrostbraten, a dish I used to love when I worked in Germany years ago, and it just so happens it was on the menu here. It’d be rude not to have a try.
We hadn’t realised how busy the restaurant would be and a lovely chap kindly gave us his table as we arrived. We were served a brilliant meal, for some reason we seem to make a habit of finding amazing steak dinners for Sally’s birthday.
Don’t always like adding pictures of food but when it’s this good……
The road to Vienna
The night is stormy. The wind rocks us from side to side and rain hammers loudly on the roof all night. We wake to find the trees have lost most of their leaves around us and that snow has indeed fallen in the high alpine.
It’s a sign for us to be on our way.
Toby and Beatrix at Königssee after the storm
Today we’re back into Austria and beginning our route up to the Danube on the non-toll roads. Then we simply follow the river as far as Vienna.
Our first nights stop is supposed to be easy but somehow school holidays and last nights strong wind cause us problems. After parking up we then get moved out by the owner and finally blocked in by an RV. Altogether too much hassle.
Once we negotiate Linz the road alongside the Danube is a brilliant drive.
We find a campsite for the next couple of nights and it couldn’t be better. It’s the last couple of days of their season so it’s quiet and we pitch up right by the river. There’s even a cute little pizza place nearby.
This week we’re tackling the unusually named ‘Romantic Road’ in Bavaria.
We heard about this route from our friends travelled this way last year. Not quite sure what to expect, we did some internetting to see what we were letting ourselves in for.
In medieval times the road was a trade route although today it’s much more of a tourist thing.
It turns out that the ‘romantic’ theme comes not from activities that occur on the road but rather relate to the idyllic, almost stereotypical German towns on the route.
Officially, the route starts in Wurzburg and heads south as far as Fussen.
As we’ve got a bit of trek across from our last stop over, we decide to start our journey at the second main stop in ‘Rothenburg ob der Taub’ instead.
Finding the road turned out to be pretty straightforward but we found that staying on it was more of a challenge. There are some signs proudly declaring you’re on the route but they’re absent when you need to make key turns. In the end, we turned to an excellent article from the Gap Decaders which has a definitive guide.
Map of our route
Rothenburg
We found Christmas.
In a town.
I know. It’s a bit early but we get the feeling that it’s Christmas here all year round.
Rothenburg is one of few remaining walled towns in Germany (they’re all on this route) and in our view it’s the best.
Everything is so perfect and Christmassy that it could almost be a theme park.
Sally at Rothenburg gates
Being here in Autumn is amazing although we imagine it would be really special in Winter, with snow on the ground.
Rothenburg Town gate and clock
We were both amazed by how beautiful and well looked after the town is and, unsurprisingly, how many tourists there are.
Rothenburg streetsChristmas is everwhereCrazy doors tooand Gingerbread houses?
The next morning, we sneak in early for a quiet look around, to get some photos, and grab some breakfast out. Coffee’s are accompanied with a local pastry speciality, the ‘Schneeball’.
After watching the shops lazily begin to open their doors for the day, we’re heading off to our next destination.
Christmas in RothenburgSanta’s CarChristmas in Rothenburg
Dinkelsbuhl and Nordlingen
We slowly wind our way the few kilometers down the road to Dinklesbuhl. The Stellplatz is easy to reach here and just out of town.
We find a Beatrix sized place to stop, plug into some electric to recharge tired batteries and take a walk into town to see what’s what.
The town is of course beautiful and, unexpectedly to us, it’s quite a bit bigger than Rothenburg. It’s got the cobbled streets, traditional buildings and colourful roof tops but somehow it just doesn’t feel as magical as Rothenburg.
Perhaps we’ve been spoilt by seeing the best first.
Dinkelsbuhl wall walk
Dinklesbuhl looking our from Rothenburger Tor
By the time we get back to Beatrix, the Stellplatz is pretty much full up. Glad we arrived when we did.
Next day, the next stop on Romantische Strasse for us is the town of Nordlingen, an hour or so south.
This is the third of the walled towns we’re visiting. It is also beautiful, has it’s own different character and yet is still slightly underwhelming compared to our first experience.
As with Dinkelsbuhl, we check out the town centre but find the more interesting road less travelled is actually around the inside of the fortified wall.
Sally tries out a seat with arms and legsColourful townhall
What’s the German for fridge? Der Kühlshrank?
Returning to Beatrix, we discover all is not well.
The fridge has stopped cooling and the freezer has completely defrosted…… with the last of the bacon in it. Changing from electric to gas made no difference. It was kaputt.
After a team meeting, held with impromptu bacon sarnies, we find half a dozen or so motorhome repair places nearby. It’s time to deploy the German speaking Sally to see what she can sort.
In the end, we find a really helpful shop near Augsburg, which was our next stop anyway, who agree to have a look at it for us.
The verdict is not good.
The fridge has indeed deceased and can’t be repaired. Sadly they’re too busy to find and fit a new one for us. In the end our best option is to trek out towards a huge motorhome dealer near Munich, Der Freistaat Caravanning and More.
Unwittingly, we arrive during their annual sales week. The place is absolutely packed with motorhomes, shoppers and it seems gormless wally’s wandering across the roads without looking. Abandoning Beatrix in the chaos and leaving Merlin in charge, we battle through to the shop to find the portable fridges.
We leave with ‘Bert’ our new 40L fridge. A bit like the motorhome, Bert is massive but holds a surprisingly small amount of stuff. Nevertheless, he’s a life-saver for us and means we can head back to the road.
Fussen and Neuschwanstein Castle
After our unplanned diversion, we drive the final stretch of the Romantische Strasse. The end of the road is at Fussen, close to the Germany and Austrian border.
I’ve wanted to come here for ages. It was one of those places I’d seen whilst we were planning our escape so it’s amazing to be here now.
Although the attraction is not Fussen itself, the drive in is amazing. (obviously we forgot the photos again!) The sun is out for our journey today and as we approach the flat green landscape gives way abruptly to the beginning of the Alps. The lakeside drive has stunning views and before we know it we’re pulling into town and our stellplatz.
Really we’re here to see the Neuschwanstein Castle.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Resting on the cliff top like a marble crown, Neuschwanstein Castle embodies the Romantische part of the Romantic road. Built as a palace for the Bavarian King it’s an amazing sight.
The silhouette is pretty iconic. If it seems familiar that might be because it was the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. It’s also a massive tourist attraction and even out of season it’s packed with people from all over the world. As we arrive, that catches us out for a bit.
We opt to catch the bus up to castle and then walk down which is the perfect choice for us.
The views from the top, out across Hohenschwangau Castle is a sight to see.
The view from the top looking over Hohenschwangau Castle and AlpseeToby at Neuschwanstein
After spending a brilliant few days here, our next stop is Salzburg and Austria.
A 6 week gap has appeared in our schedule. With Eurostar tickets clutched in our hand, well in a virtual wallet, we set off for the continent.
After a British summer full of sunshine, parties, music festivals and friends, we don’t have as much time as previous years but we’ll endeavour to make the most of it!
As might be obvious from the title, our destination this autumn is Germany and then Austria.
Specifically, we’re looking forward to checking out the Romantic Road, Castles, Mozart and Vienna.
A relaxing trip across France gives us chance to dust off plans we made a few years ago. Looking at the map, we realise that we’ll be crossing into Germany close to the Black forest.
This is too good an opportunity to miss.
Baden-Baden
We arrive at the spa town of Baden-Baden, which is traditionally the northern entry to the Black Forest drive.
The ‘stellplatz’ (German for Aire) is spacious, easy to reach and pretty empty. It’s only about an hours walk into town from here but sadly the weather forecast isn’t so welcoming.
After digging out all three of our raincoats from the bottom of the wardrobe we set off. (yes, Merlin has a rain coat too and although dogs in clothes can be a bit odd, she’s super cute in it).
The weather forecast is spot on. We wonder why we left the large, new and never used umbrella in the wardrobe.
Taking temporary shelter at the Trinkhalle, we find the beautiful arcade is today filled with a bustling flea market. A break in the rain gives us chance to leg it back to the van. Sadly we’ve missed out on the old town, spa’s and a doubtless a host of other things here in Baden-Baden but there’s always next time.
Our route south through the forest is on the famous B500. The undulating, winding road is a favourite of motorbikes and sports cars so we’re sure to annoy everyone as we trundle along in Beatrix.
Nevertheless, we’re looking forward to it. There’s that autumnal feel in the air and the trees are all starting to turn orange and yellow. It should be amazing.
B500 to Freudenstadt
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. And so it proved for us the next day.
Joining the B500 in Baden-Baden, we’re greeted by an increasing number of insistent yellow ‘Umleitung’ signs.
Undeterred we keep on going, even as the rest of traffic thins out. Eventually we’re the only ones on the road.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, we come to the point where the road is closed.
There’s a collection of orange clad workers and some locals by the barriers who laugh as we approach. Apparently they’ve been waiting for tourists to ignore all the warnings. Oops.
Sadly the road had closed that morning for resurfacing after a busy summer season. It would be shut for months.
Tails between our legs, we head back into town and this time follow the clearly sign posted diversion out to Freudenstadt.
The drive into the forest is still impressive. We pass through the forest of orange and yellow trees, their colourful leaves now carpeting the sides of the road. Around the next turn, the mood shifts. Suddenly towering pines loom on the steep hills on either side of us cloaked in mist and dark shadows. This is the land that inspired fairy tales like Hansel & Gretel and Snow White. You can feel the spirit.
The road to Triberg
We have a good night at Freudenstadt although to be honest we could have found more exciting places to stay overnight with a little more research.
Today we due to re-join the B500. On the way south to Triberg, we stop in to admire the worlds largest Cuckoo Clock. After watching The Third Man, I always thought that Cuckoo Clocks were invented in Switzerland but apparently they hail from this part of Germany. Who knew.
We arrive just in time to see the Cuckoo appearUnsurprisingly, it’s a bit of a tourist trap
Parking in Triberg is a nightmare. We just weren’t expecting quite so many tourists and coaches this time of year. Pulling up and out of town, we do find space in a carpark halfway up the hill which is great. It gives us chance to take a quick walk out and see some of Germany’s longest waterfall.
Arty waterfall pictures
Titisee
Tonight we fancy staying at one of the lakes that are scattered across this part of Baden-Württemberg. We choose Titisee and wow did we make a good choice.
After several driving days, we’re ready to chill for a few days and this location and campsite turn out to be perfect. We’re staying in the Stellplatz outside the main site but have use of the showers and there’s a tasty cafe/restaurant open too.
For our cycle tour around the lake, we get a day of fabulous blue skies and sunshine. Needless to say we forget to take any photos, sorry.
Although the next couple of days are cloudier, I do find my slice of Black Forest gateau.
Black forest cake in the Black Forest. Here they just call it cake of course
Freiburg
It’s sad to leave this little gem but we decide to head to the nearby city of Freiburg.
The route out of the forest is almost all downhill with hairpin turns, amazing views and the road is an incredible drive. It’s easy to see why so many cars, motorhomes and coaches are heading up into the forest for the weekend.
Why are we heading to Freiburg? Well there’s a ParkRun here on Saturday morning and we can get our Germany badge. We both run really well, recording personal bests as well as taking part in a new country.
Rewarding ourselves with a trip into the old town we try the local delicacy, ‘Lange Rote’ from a super popular food truck in the busy market. It is indeed a long sausage!
Sunday brings a bit of drive as we’re heading for the top of the Romantic Road.
How do you squeeze a large motorhome through Edinburgh? Carefully and on a Sunday was our strategy.
After the tranquil calm of the Dunbar coastline, even our Sunday arrival in Edinburgh quickly reminds us we’re in a big city.
It’s actually pretty rare for us to venture into a city with Beatrix. We’re usually scared off by the traffic, lack of parking or low emissions zones but Edinburgh has a massive caravan club site and welcomes us with open arms.
Booking in, we find ourselves a space at the back, near the water filling point. It turns out we’re parked next to a club volunteer worker. As we’re getting plugged in we have a chat. He tells us that the Edinburgh site is one of the busiest and most profitable sites in the club. It’s easy to imagine.
After 4 weeks of coastal quiet on the half empty seaside sites, it feels like we’ve just arrived at Grand Central Station. As well as the Brit vans, there are number plates from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France adorning every type of vehicle you can imagine from Roofbox Tents to full on Adventure Trucks.
We’ve booked to stay for 5 nights. With a workday, we figure this will give us time to enjoy the city and get a proper feel for the place. Pretty quickly we realise this is longer than most, as campers ebb and flow each day like the tide.
A short walk from our base, there’s a convenient bus into town and in 20 minutes or so we find ourselves on the Royal Mile. Along with everyone else.
After a stroll up the hill, we admire the castle which is as magnificent as ever. It’s being set up for the Fringe or a concert or both. It’s typical as the last time we were here in 2016, with Rich and Ian on a motorbike tour, the view was the same! Except looking back at the photos I had a more hair.
Sally & Toby at Edinburgh in 2016
Drifting down the Royal Mile is beautiful and although it’s busy there’s so much charm. We find ourselves a quiet coffee stop in the shade to escape the crowds and then wandering on we find a perfect birthday present for our friend in a little boutique jewellery shop. Good fortune continues as we stumble across a café with a sunny courtyard for lunch which is so good we stay for tea and cake.
After a full day of exploring and with tired feet and paws, we find the bus home.
We’re both a little surprised to discover that Edinburgh has a beach.
The next day we break out the bikes and check it out. It’s another sunny day and Silverhowe beach does look inviting. We stop to watch a few brave souls go out swimming but judging by the way the get into the water, I reckon it’s pretty cold.
We cycle along the promenade to see the Royal Yacht Britannia, which appears to have been retired to Edinburgh dock. As we see it, we’re reminded of a story we heard when visiting the Castle of May in 2022.
In her summer retreat, the Queen Mother had apparently run out of gin. The story goes that she signalled the Royal Yacht and asked the Queen to sail around northern Scotland to bring reinforcements. It felt like it could have been true.
Sadly, we don’t get on board to check out the booze cupboards. In fact it’s not really possible to see much of the yacht without paying to go aboard. Given all the building works it’s not really suitable to visit unless you arrive by bus or coach. We head back.
On the way, we come across the Old Chain Pier pub which almost appears to be clinging onto the sea wall. The view from inside the restaurant is amazing and we settle for a pint and some lunch outdoors in the sunshine. Be nice to come back here sometime.
Water
So our fresh water still isn’t right.
Whilst we’re in Edinburgh, we try a Puriclean sterilisation of the system. Essentially, we fill the tank, add the cleaner and leave it for 12 hours. The tricky part is that we then need to drop the tank, fill the whole tank again to rinse then drop that. After this we can fill again for drinking.
Our difficulty is that we need 300 litres to fill the tank. This not only takes ages to fill but it also takes ages to drop. Although we are paying for services, we’re never quite sure if passing close to a ton of water through the van is going to upset them.
A benefit to parking close to the water fill point is that we don’t need to move in order to start the cleaning process off first thing in the morning….. or so we think. Our helpful neighbour politely points out that the tap next to us has a ‘no motorhome’ sign on it.
Taking a deep breath, we drive round the site to the correct motorhome fill point. Fingers crossed it works this time.
The Kelpies
After a few great days enjoying Edinburgh, it’s our turn to leave.
As we journey across to the West Coast, our first stop is really close by. We visit The Kelpies.
Unsure of how we’ll fit in, we’re welcomed by a super helpful attendant who allows us to park with coaches for motorhome rates. Brilliant.
The Kelpies are awesome.
You can see them from the motorway, as we’ve done a few times, but it’s well worth checking them out close up.
The Kelpies are a silver, steel sculpture of two horses that stand 30 meters high. Built in 2014, they are a tribute to the heavy horses that drove so much of the early industry in this part of Scotland.
In between the school visits, we’re lucky enough to have a few moments alone with them which feels really special.
Sally and Toby with the Kelpies
Culzean Castle and the West Coast
So we’re off to see friends in Ayr.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have as many days off a week as we do. So we find ourselves with a few days to spare and decide to check out somewhere new in Ayrshire.
Culzean Castle is perched right on the coast. It looks beautiful and there’s a handy club site next door. Arriving, we’re greeted by a cheerful warden wearing an uncertain smile that suggests he’s not realised how big Beatrix is.
Sure enough, we’re told they just gave away the largest pitch to a little VW van. Despite that, the wardens are a super lovely couple and help us wedge Beatrix in. We have a spot at the top, overlooking the site and out to the sea with the Isle of Arran beyond.
Although our bum is facing the sea, we break out the chairs and enjoy the sunset across the water. It’s so unexpectedly beautiful, we have an impromptu BBQ and eat out to enjoy the evening.
This turns out to be a good plan, as it’s the only dry day we get!
Culzean Castle campsite at sunset
Culzean Castle is described as a bit like the playboy mansion. It was never a defensive castle but rather built as the ultimate bachelor pad. To be fair, the Earl did a fantastic job and the castle is stunning. It has quite the history too as the upper floor was donated to the American General and then President Eisenhower who stayed here several times. Allegedly there are seven ghosts too.
Walking from the campsite, there’s a little path down to the castle that bypasses the main gate. We have the castle and grounds to ourselves which is pretty special. Although we don’t see any ghosts, we do come across a nesting Oyster Catching on the battlements which is amazing.
Culzean CastleDecorative cannon overlooking the sea
Sometimes it’s these unexpected little stopovers that are the most special.
That’s it for us this week. We’re meeting friends in Ayr and are hoping that our water system is finally sorted. We’ll pick you up in Liverpool as we go to meet family there.
As ever, thanks for reading. Love Sally, Toby and Merlin
This week we’re heading for the coast. The next destination on our Northumberland tour is to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
We’ve found another fabulous little campsite called the Barn at Beale. Just off the A1, it’s a great location right above the causeway out to the island. The elevated position gives amazing views out across the fields to the Holy Island, Bamburgh Castle and the sea beyond.
Thinking back, it’s hard to remember when we last had a sea view. I think we have to stretch back as far as North Norfolk in January which is too long.
Northumberland makes up for it though and as the sun sets, we’re treated to the full show. It’s good to be beside the sea.
Sunset from the Barn at Beal
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne’s history stretches deep into Anglo-Saxon times, shaped by centuries of faith, conflict, and visitors. From early Christian monks and revered saints to Viking raiders and Norman builders, each chapter has left its mark on the island.
The island can only be reached via the causeway that floods at high tide. As we wait for the water to recede and the road to reveal itself, we unpack the bikes and start out down the hill.
The causeway itself is quite a short cycle but there’s a stop off point and refuge in the middle. Apparently it’s needed as there are regularly stranded tourists in need of rescue despite the frequent warnings and rather obvious risk. Looking out over the marshes and mudflats as we cycle, it’s easy to imagine the centuries of pilgrims that have crossed here.
Before we realise, we’ve reached the dunes and nature reserve of Lindisfarne.
Sadly for us, we’re not the only ones. Despite it being a random Tuesday in June, we’re quickly overtaken by a constant stream of cars and coaches. It seems that a visit to Lindisfarne is as popular now as it ever was.
As we cycle past a nearby field, the cars stop and spill out their modern-day pilgrims. Unlike the seekers of centuries past, their destination seems less spiritual and more flat white focused — the row of coffee shops are bustling with activity, while the monastery stands more quietly in the background.
We take our chance and have a quick explore. Although ruins now, it seems incredible that the monastery has been home to three saints. No wonder it’s called Holy Island.
Keen Road Less Travellers’ will remember we’d mentioned that we’d see more of Northumbria’s patron saint, Saint Cuthbert. And so it turns out that he was Bishop of Lindisfarne twice and was originally buried here in 687. In 875, his body was moved by monks after repeated viking attacks and eventually he ended up in Durham.
Sally with Saint Aidan at Lindisfarne
As the masses begin to descend, we again take to the bikes and head up to the castle.
We were given some excellent advice to try and stay on the island through the high tide. As the majority of the buses and cars leave, this gives time to quietly explore the sites and to soak in some of the history of this place. I think that’s great idea and although it wasn’t possible for us to do given the tide times, I would highly recommend it if your trip allows.
Beatrix at BealNorthumberland coastline
The following day, I take a solo ride out along the coast to Bamburgh. A note for next time is that there’s a big coach park by the castle as well as several campsites on the way. We’d easily be able to stay and visit out here next time.
The cycle is 12 miles or so each way and although the route avoids the main road, the views don’t really open up until you come in Bamburgh. Still, as I arrive, the castle is magnificent and I enjoy it with a coffee and cake to rest the legs before the trip back.
The next day we enjoy a really tasty lunch out at the seemingly ever popular café / bothy at the Beal campsite and then it’s time to head out and north.
Bamburgh Castle
Scotland and Dunbar
Our next stop on the way to Edinburgh is Dunbar.
The campsite at Edinburgh was really popular and was totally booked for the weekend. It’s a bit cheaper to stay mid week and maybe the city will be a bit quieter????
Either way, we decide to stay out on the coast and book the club site in Dunbar. Not only are the views fabulous but there’s a Dunbar Parkrun on Saturday so we can collect another letter of the alphabet.
The weather is fantastic.
The coastline at Dunbar
The warden explains the easiest way to walk out to town and we exclaim to him how beautiful it is here. He agrees but suggests that it’s not always like this. Apparently, the week before the wind was howling across site and the rain was coming in horizontally.
Taking advantage of the great weather, we follow the coastal trail along the golf course and into town. Dunbar has a cute seaside town feel to it and although there’s a few run down buildings, the feel of the little working harbour and town centre is charming. Although we can’t find a coffee on the harbour, we end up in a sunlit courtyard café for lunch. It’s so good we opt for tea and cake afterward before heading home.
Lunch at the café in Dunbar
On Saturday, we get our Parkrun in and whilst our times are not fabulous we reward ourselves with bacon and eggs when we get home. We meet a couple of people from the campsite at the start of the parkrun. It seems that there are a few people who take this pretty seriously and travel for weekends away just so they can run new events. One lady we spoke to at the start had run over 500 events!
Water, water everywhere……
Whilst travel has been idyllic, the problems with our fresh water are continuing to multiply in our water tank it would seem.
We drained and refilled the tank twice at Dunbar but the tea is still tasting off. I think we’re going to have to try something different at Edinburgh to get the tank clean.
View over Dunbar to Bass Rock
Thanks for reading and we would appreciate any comments you may have and remember to click like!
With the bank holidays finished till August, this week we’re exploring Northumberland.
Leaving a hectic Durham Club site, we head north past Newcastle. Then with the motorways and dual carriage ways behind us, we turn off into the Northumberland National Park.
After booking this part of the early summer tour a few months ago, we’ve been looking forward to these stops. Not only are we staying at several 5 star campsites but we’re going to see some places we’ve wanted to for ages.
Our travels this week
What did the Romans ever do for us?
Hadrian’s Wall stretches some 73 miles across England. (80 Roman miles). The wall was begun in AD122 as the Emperor Hadrian consolidated his empire and marked the northern most point of Roman control.
Through the ages, large parts of the wall have been dismantled and reused but several sections are still amazingly well preserved after nearly 2000 years.
Dotted with the ruins of small guard towers and much larger forts, this section of the wall is some of the best to visit. Although it’s a lot smaller than it was originally, the section from Cawfield to Housesteads winds up and over the hills of the Northumberland countryside. It certainly shows you how committed the Romans were to marking the border.
I’m surprised that I’ve not been to Hadrian’s Wall before. It’s one of those things you learn about in school that somehow gets shuffled out of your head as life happens. I’m glad our lifestyle gives us time to shuffle it back in. I’m excited to see it.
For the next few days, we’ll be staying at Herding Hill Farm campsite. It looks like a cracker although we need to arrive after three o’clock.
Our route in takes us along the B6318, Military Road past Chester’s Roman Fort. Seeing as we have time to spare, we disguise Beatrix as a coach and park up. Let’s see if we can learn a little bit about these Romans.
Chester’s Roman Fort
Chester’s is the ruins of a large fort and is all beautifully presented. It was originally a base for some 500 members of Roman Cavalry. (Although I suspect they didn’t call it Chester’s when they were here). It’s built into Hadrian’s Wall and next to a bridge crossing of the River Tyne.
Down by the river there’s an impressive bath house which is apparently one of the best examples in the world. You can certainly see how it all used to work and there’s helpful guides on the information boards.
We really enjoyed a good half hour explore around. These are by far the most complete roman buildings I’ve seen and so it’s easier to visualise what it might have been like.
Merlin was less fussed about the history but loved the fresh green grass paths. She made us both laugh out loud as you can see how happy she is bouncing about like a deer.
Human and Dog approved!
Chester’s Roman FortYou can literally trip over all the Roman history walking here
After a late lunch, we drive the final few miles in Herding Hill Farm. The road in is a little bit tight and we don’t meet any traffic and pull into the reception pretty easily.
As is becoming a theme on this tour, we seem to surprise campsite wardens with the size of Beatrix when we arrive. I know she is pretty big and we do always add a comment or call ahead when we book to let them know…… it’s surprising how few of them seem to take note of it.
Thankfully, it’s all pretty relaxed here and the wardens find us a spot we can squeeze into without issue. The site is beautiful with space for motorhomes, tents and twenty or so glamping pods, with Jacuzzi’s! As well enjoying the ‘first-class’ showers, we pre-ordered local farm ingredients for a full cooked breakfast. Mmmmmmm.
IKEA style breakfast – DIYTurns out better than DIY furniture
Hadrian’s Wall
In the end, the weather makes our plans for us. The first day promises clouds but no rain so we go off to walk the wall. We know we’ve made a good decision when the clouds open up into a warm and sunny afternoon.
Today’s walk will take us up from the campsite to Hadrian’s Wall at Cawfield Quarry. From here, we follow the wall east, up and down the craggy Northumberland countryside as far as Housesteads. Reaching the highest point at Winshields and we’re out of breath. Only carrying a rucksack, I can’t imagine how much effort it took to bring all the stones up here. And the wall we see is barely half the height it was.
The walk is about 12km but the hills mean it takes us about three and a half hours. As we reach Sycamore Gap, we decide to stop for our packed lunch. We’re not the only ones.
It’s a steep and rocky descent to the sad stump which is all that remains of the famous Robin Hood tree. Happily, it’s showing signs of life and National Trust have added some fencing to protect the growth. Hopefully it’ll return to it’s former glory one day.
Sycamore Gap in June 2025
We finish our journey with a stroll down into Housesteads which advertises itself as Britain’s most complete Roman fort. It certainly looks much bigger than Chester’s which is are only real source of reference.
As we’ve approached from the wall, we find we can’t go in without first buying a ticket from the giftshop / cafe down by the road. However, once we reach the cafe neither feet nor paws have the energy to go back so we settle for a cup of tea and a cake instead. We’re not too fussed missing it as we really wanted to walk along the wall.
With the day getting on, we jump on the little circular bus home. It goes past all the main Roman sights and handily stops right outside our campsite.
All in all a cracking day out.
In search of dark skies……
The next day is a bit of a wash out but we enjoy a damp walk down into Haltwhistle. This gives us chance to check out a different road to leave on. Depending on which road sign you trust, the main road might, or might not, be closed tomorrow.
Before we leave, we fill up our water and drop our grey waste water.
In the end, we can get out the same way we came in. However, as we reach Chester’s roundabout to turn north, the road closures catch us out and we can’t go any further this way. Excellent. The road closures are really haphazard through this area at the moment.
Indecisively circling the roundabout three times is about as much as we can get away with so we head back to Chester’s to make a new plan.
As we’ve got time, we opt to head back out towards Newcastle and then head north from there. The route takes us along the hilly A68 and then up and into the Northumberland National Park. We’re slow through here but traffic is light, it’s a beautiful day and we’re in no rush.
The campsite here is part of a waterside park. There’s camping, accommodation, restaurant and bar with access to water sports all in middle of the Kielder forest.
Despite arriving a little later than we planned, we break out the bikes and get outside for cycle. There’s a route that goes all the way around the reservoir but for now we settle for a little pootle about followed by a beer in the sunshine by the lake. Well it is Friday evening.
On Saturday, our planned circular cycling adventure doesn’t quite go according to plan. For some reason Sally’s bike has stopped changing down gears properly and we find that the cycle track is perhaps a bit more of a mountain bike track. We’ve got hybrid style bikes so the tyres are probably ok for gravel but we’re less sure about the larger stones and rocks. Seeing a mountain biker fixing his flat tyre makes us think discretion maybe the better part of valour here. Neither of us fancy pushing the bikes back 20km home.
Seeing the stranded mountain biker makes us think. We actually don’t usually carry anything with us when we go out on the bikes. I’m not sure what a standard ‘bike carry pack’ would look like but I think we’d better get a pump and puncture repair kit just in case. Do they still fix bike punctures like I used to when I was a kid?
The view from Beatrix. Still waiting for the sun to go down
One of the attractions of booking into Kielder Water is the fact that it’s in a dark sky region. I’m hoping we’ll get front row seats to a star filled night overlooking the water.
Eagerly, we sit with the front open and wait for night to fall.
The first problem, we belatedly realise, is that we’ll be waiting for a long time. Perhaps coming to see the stars so close to the longest day of the year is not the best idea? Sadly, the second problem is the clouds which slowly gather but eventually spoil our star gazing.
Bad water?
The next morning, we notice that our tea does not taste at all right. Crisis.
After checking all the taps and the hot water, there is definitely something off. We’re a bit surprised that the water coming through our drinking water filter also smells and tastes unpleasant. We’ve got so used to this providing it’s consistent, slightly bland flavour no matter where we are, it’s a real surprise.
We speak to the previous campsite, there are no reports of issues although it’s hard to imagine where else it’s come from. We drop the fresh water tank and decide we’ll refill at the next campsite to hopefully cure the problem.
There’s going to be a problem if the tea doesn’t taste right.
We hope you’ve enjoyed catching up with our travels.
This week you find us heading towards Northumbria to explore a little. Before we get there though there’s something big in the way. Yorkshire.
As I’ve picked the next stop without supervision, we’re off to see another castle and without knowing it a couple of film locations.
Castle Howard and the Howardian Hills
We turn off the A1 and cruise around York taking ever smaller roads out toward Castle Howard. The Sat Nav seems determined to take us a very long way around to the campsite behind the house. Credit where it’s due though, we avoid the low arch of the gatehouse which I think would have clipped Beatrix’s ears if we’d tried to get under.
We’re staying on the estate campsite for 5 days. This covers a Sally work day and will give us plenty of time to explore. It’s grey as we arrive but we get some fresh air with a walk along the duck pond behind the house. We catch a glimpse of the house but it’s really hidden by the hills. Thankfully the weather over the next few days looks sunny, so we’ll doubtless get a good day to see everything.
The main entry to the castle is about half an hour walk from the campsite. The visitor entrance is through the original stables and there’s the obligatory cafe, gift shop and a lovely farm shop with produce from the estate.
Stables cafe and courtyard
We don’t really need much but the sunny weather tempts us into a barbecue. We pick two different mouth-watering flavours of marinaded chicken skewers to have with new potatoes and fresh asparagus. It’s our first outdoor cook for ages and it tastes fantastic.
Checking the receipt though and we discover the prices were a bit OTT. The potatoes were good but perhaps not worth £12/kg. Still, I guess these old estates must cost a few pennies to keep up.
Out and about
There’s a lovely walk right around the outside of the estate. Well, outside the bit you have to pay to go in anyway. After an hour of walking, the hills finally open up and we get our first glimpse of the whole of the house. It’s a pretty impressive pile of bricks.
Castle Howard
It’s basically a rectangular walk around that we weren’t necessarily planning to do as we left Beatrix. Reaching the last side, we discover we need to cross into a field of cows and there’s a sign on the gate that says, “Beware, Bull in field”.
Now I should add that we don’t have a terribly good record of walking through fields of cows. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that we try to avoid doing it. In the past we’ve been involved in a bovine ‘stand-off’ and on another occasion we’ve actually been chased out of a field by these creatures. The addition of the bull didn’t do much for our confidence.
Warily stalking into the field, we scan for the herd. About halfway across, we spy them on the other side of a hill. We can sense them watching us. Unspoken, our pace increases. This somewhat surprises Merlin, who didn’t read the sign on the way in and ends up being dragged across the field by her ears.
We make it safely through.
On the way back through the village of Coneysthorpe, we wander into a film set. Although there’s dozens of people around it seems pretty chilled compared to the last filming event we came across, for Bridgerton in Bath, so we check it out.
Filming of Blueberry Inn at Coneysthorpe.
The ‘chief chappie in charge’ wanders over and rather than shoeing us off, stops for a chat. Confirming it’s a cool, indie production he says there’s no special effects, explosions or super hero’s and as a result it’s real pleasure to work on. We watch proceedings for a while and chat to several members of the crew who come over to meet Merlin. At one point I think Merlin might get a walk on role but sadly not. Still, the film is an adaption of Blueberry Inn, so we’ll look out for it when it’s released.
It turns out Castle Howard has appeared in a quite a few films. Brideshead Revisited, scenes from Bridgerton as well as Garfield 2 have been filmed here.
So for our last day here, we decide to take a tour of the house. It’s pretty impressive and well worth a look around. Merlin wasn’t allowed in the house, but she did have a good sniff around the gardens.
Castle Howard in the sunshine
Durham
Is our next stop.
However, leaving Castle Howard is more tricky than we think. We take the A170 out toward Thirsk which is a road with a little surprise. Giving us just enough warning to panic but not enough to pull over or turn around, the signs announce a dangerous 25% descent ahead.
That’s pretty steep.
Certainly for us.
The Sat Nav is firmly back in the dog house.
We always find it’s a little difficult travelling in the UK at this time of year. The period of May bank holidays and half terms means that campsites are both full and expensive. This year’s unseasonable good weather seems to have compounded things and we’re finding it a little difficult to find a home for the weekend.
In the end, we get a bit lucky when speaking with a super helpful warden at the Durham Caravan and Motorhome Club site who goes the extra mile to squeeze us in.
The bank holiday weekend is indeed super busy and the site’s completely full on Friday and Saturday night. Sadly the sunshine deserts us, replaced with 50mph winds which is always a fun experience in the motorhome. We manage to fit in a Parkrun on Saturday morning, gaining a ‘D’ for our collection, and get a few chores sorted.
Monday is much brighter and so we take the super scooter into the city and check it out. Taking a walk up from the river to the cathedral is beautiful. Towards the top of the hill, we arrive at the square of university libraries, cathedral and castle. The castle is closed but the cathedral is open and we’re happily surprised to find there’s no charge to go in.
Definitely impressive, we take in the nearly 1000 years of history. There are the graves of The Venerable Bede and St. Cuthbert, whose trail we’ll be following next month. We’re surprised to find the cloisters were filming locations for Harry Potter and The Avengers movies continuing our film location theme.
The views from the tower are supposedly amazing and it’s only a small charge to walk up. Sadly though the high winds mean that the tower is closed on the day we are there so that’ll have to be something for next time.
As we leave, there’s a huge queue outside and it’s now one out – one in. Just as well we got in early.
On Tuesday, the winds have blown themselves out and our time in Durham is done. We pack up and hit the road toward our next destination and a tale for next time.
We hope you enjoyed catching up with us. Much love. Sally, Toby and Merlin.
Travel can be unpredictable. Even when you, or someone on your behalf, plans carefully, it can only take a moment for things to unwind. Quickly you can find yourself somewhere you didn’t expect.
Those that travel embrace this uncertainty as it can lead to those chance encounters and magical moments that we do this for.
When this unpredictability lands us in trickier spots, it’s important to keep a positive view and remember that these moments will be the ones you tell stories about in the future.
Of course, keeping hold of that positive view isn’t easy and is something you have to work at…. even for seasoned motorhomers it would appear.
Leaving France
We’re parked up for our last night in France. Somewhat randomly decided to check the status of the Starter battery.
For those that aren’t aware we have a battery bank for the living area called Habitation batteries and a normal vehicle Starter battery.
To my surprise I found our solar panels were charitably adding 40 volts into our starter battery. Given it’s a standard 12 volt battery this sudden surge is bad. Disconnecting the charging system stopped the issue but the damage had been done.
Everytime Beatrix started there would be a delay between the key turning and the engine turning over. Normally this would be pretty instantaneous but now there was a delay of one second, then two or three seconds.
Those felt like loooooong seconds.
I found my positive travel energy was being inversely affected by the time of delay. This was, in part, because I knew we were due to board the Eurostar in ‘four engine starts’ time and I didn’t have much confidence that we’d be able to leave the Eurostar on the fifth engine start.
I found myself thinking that this sort of thing must happen to Eurostar all the time. There’s bound to be an easy way of towing a 7 ton motorhome out of the train…… and the queue of passengers trapped behind us would doubtless be sympathetic to our plight. Right?
Luckily, Sally’s positivity saw us through the dark tunnel and as the sun crept across the carriage with the opening doors, Beatrix started on the button. Phew.
Family visits and some running repairs
Routinely our first visit was to the Canterbury Park and Ride which accompanied the now equally routine visit to The Old Gate Inn pub. Food’s ok more importantly there’s Ghost Ship on tap so……
Our plan was a quick visit to see family in Essex and then head north to Scotland.
Springfields Campsite seems to have become our second home and is a chance to catch up with family and friends. It’s also the first point where we get our post.
As we’ve been away for three months, there’s always a decent list of ‘stuff that broke’. Sally’s poor Mum had a Christmas sized stash of parcels waiting for us. So many in-fact we had to borrow the car to get them all back to Beatrix.
Top of our list was to fix the leak on the rear tyre. Then we need to replace Sally’s bike tyre, plug a couple of small leaks in the roof, sort the new internet router to work with Starlink and finally to give Beatrix a bloody good wash as it had been 4 months since her last bath. We added replacing the Starter battery to the list.
A busy 10 days working was made easier with the fantastic spring sunshine, spending some time with Sally’s Mum and a lovely Easter breakfast with all of Sally’s brothers family’s.
Before we knew it, Friday had come around. After a last dash to the doctors and a visit from the tyre repair chap, we were ready for the off.
Sunset on Friday evening in Springfields
It’s always sunny in Sheffield
With the outline of a travel plan, we make our way to the A1 and The North.
This year we’re aiming for Orkney but our first stop on the way is Sheffield for the weekend to catch up with my sister and her family.
I remembered to pay for our permit to get through the clean air zone and we cross the city to our usual haunt at Wymingbrook Farm.
We’re told it’s not true, but every time we visit Sheffield, the weather seems to roll out the red carpet and the sun shines for us. Alright, maybe it’s more accurate to say we get lucky with a brilliant day or two—but who’s counting? With the UK basking in its warmest spring on record, this weekend promises to keep our streak going.
Blue Moon cafe opening for businessBeatrix tucked in under the reservoirs
Saturday night unfolds as it always does catching up with laughter and world-fixing conversation that stretch into the early hours. Somehow, Sally and I charm a local taxi into ferrying us and Merlin home, and, in a minor miracle, we even remember the gate code for Wymingbrook.
Sunday arrives with grand-ish ambitions of a walk around the reservoirs by the campsite but the combination of glorious weather, an empty campsite, and last night’s late finish lead us to put a pin in that idea. Instead we break out chairs and make a big pot of tea. Soaking up the sunshine, the adults are subbed in and out of a game of football which is followed by ice cream from the Blue Moon Cafe.
We do eventually manage a short walk before it’s time to say goodbye.
Boy takes dog for walk…. or does Dog take boy?
Where next?
We snake our way through a busy Sheffield city centre on Monday morning and reach the A1. Before we head north, I found the motorhome dealer that originally supplied Beatrix into the UK. Premium Motorhomes is just across the way and we pull in to see if they can do some service work. It turns out we’re arriving on the last day of their open weekend and as well as complementary coffees we also get a free fish and chip lunch! Bonus.
We check out the amazing Morello motorhomes they have. Some have sides that slide out and full on car garages. Alas at over £600,000 they’re a bit out of our price range.
Happily back to our Beatrix we head on to our next stop at Melgoats near Bedale. Always a lovely place to be, we’ve planned a week or so.
Catching up with friends on the phone quickly makes one thing clear—our original ideas for May and June are looking less likely by the minute.
Time to rethink those plans.
Spreading the maps out across the table, we home in on Northumbria—a place we’ve only ever passed through and never really explored. It’s packed with history, rugged coastlines, and possibilities. Perfect.
Of course there’s only one sensible way to embrace our new adventure…. With a G&T. Cheers.
Next week, we’ll be back to our usual travelling posts but if you’ve read the last couple, you’ll know we had a fantastic time away skiing this year. Probably our best season yet.
But how much does it cost to do a ski season in a motorhome?
The headlines are that we were away for 85 days and spent a grand total of £7072. That works out at £83 per day.
Showing off my rusting excel skills, we’ve made this little chart to illustrate the breakdown of this seasons costs.
I’ll walk through some of the detail but suffice to say before we start that it would be possible to do this sort of trip much cheaper than we did. Alternatively you could spend a lot more too. This was the right balance for us.
Where did we go?
Our journey took us down through France via Merlin’s vet in Ay-Champagne to Beaune and on to a lovely new stop on the side of the Rhone at the Port of Virignin.
Most of our time was spent in the Via Lattea resorts of Montgenevre and Sestriere but as the Easter holidays started, we sneaked in a quick trip to Barolo, Italy. On the way home we had a couple of spare days which we spent cycling along the Rhone.
The breakdown
Our detailed costs are broken down below.
Item
Cost
Seasons ski pass
£ 1,512
Supermarket
£ 1,405
Eating Out
£1,208
Overnight stays
£ 880
Diesel
£ 500
Le Shuttle (Travel)
£ 390
Internet (Starlink / SIM)
£ 302
Tolls
£ 261
Travel / Health Insurance
£ 236
Merlin
£ 93
Laundry
£ 82
LPG
£ 80
Tours and Attractions
£ 47
Phones
£ 39
Supplies and Household
£ 37
Total
£ 7,072
Unsurprisingly, the biggest cost was the two seasons ski passes. This year, we opted for the wider more expensive Via Lattea pass which allowed us to ski in all 8 resorts which are connected across the region. We’re happy we went with this but it was disappointing that the motorhome Aire in Sestriere was closed this year so there was nowhere easy to stay which limited our time there.
As you can imagine, eating and drinking in the ski resort isn’t cheap and we did have a cracking time this year.
At just over £10 a night, our overnight stays were brilliant value but providing our internet was a little disappointing. We mainly used Starlink but the monthly charges have increased to £96 which explains this cost and we need a reliable connection for work so didn’t want to take any chances.
Travel insurance was expensive as we needed to get additional cover in France for our extended stay and we included Merlin’s rabies vaccinations too.
Best bits
Sally’s best bit: Overall my best bits are related to food and the great company we shared the mountain with this year. We managed to find some great eateries in Montgenevre that we hadn’t been to before e.g. Le Caesar’s and I loved just popping across to ski in Clavier – more this year than before as our wider ski passes meant we had more access and enjoying more Italian food and drink. With regards to skiing I loved skiing in Sestriere and found some of it a lot trickier than the “home” slopes of Montgenevre and enjoyed the challenge that brought for me.
Toby’s best bit: There were a lot of fab memories but I think my favourite moments were skiing together with Chris and Kim for the first time in Sauze D’Oulx which was brilliant fun. It was also amazing to cycle around Barolo and have that whole experience in Italy.
