In Summary

We were away a little later than planned and had wondered about the weather. In the end though it was fine, the only time we suffered was when it really didn't matter, and generally it was warm and dry when it did.

In the end we covered some 2500 miles in a circular route and we think using the three "way-marked" routes was very successful. We didn't see everything, but that just means there is something to go back to and we almost certainly will, possibly combining parts with a different destination. As a trip in itself, though, we can recommend it, the only downside being that the stellplatze are starting to get a little expensive, €15-20 not uncommon for what were only glorified car-parks. But we suppose you have to accept that in holiday destination areas.

So now we're making plans for our Snowbird trip. We'll post a continuation link later.

Tuesday 14 October

Very early start for us, 7.00 a.m. and after a quick breakfast we emptied the loo and headed for the Eurotunnel. We were hoping for an earlier crossing than our booked to give us a bit more time UK side, and got the first available train although it was actually only 30mins. Still every little helps.

Usual efficient crossing then onto the UK motorway system with the weather not really knowing what to do. In the end we had a bit of everything but the roads were otherwise okay and we made good time to Navenby to see Terrys mum.

After lunch the slog back up the A1, this time encountering several delays due to roadworks but we were still home by 6.30. Unloaded most of the van, leaving the rest until tomorrow before cleaning and returning to storage, probably until the service visit to Dave Newell.

Monday 13 October

We're in no rush today. After the usual servicing etc. we headed along the A16 to Calais and into Auchan, first to top off the fuel tank then finish off bits of shopping.

In the past we've stayed overnight at the Calais Port aire but after seeing the problems with illegals trying to cross the Channel - a group of them were chased off by police at Auchan as we arrived - and the warning that the Marina aire was likely to be closed we decided to try somewhere else.

We were aware of a couple of aires along the coast towards Boulogne so got the book out and headed for the one at Wissant, just 20mins south. Room for about 20 vans, it's quiet, has the usual facilities and is free too. Close enough also for our early start tomorrow morning, we settled in. And the rain started again!

Sunday 12 October

Citadel at Altzingen, near the campsite

Away early for a change as we've a long way to go. Yet another “Route Barree” diversion saw us routing straight through the centre of Luxembourg but being Sunday it was quiet although we were held up for a short while when a band turned out to see us off……………..

Keeping off the motorways we first looked to top off the fuel tank, it being some 25c/litre cheaper in Luxembourg, we were soon heading north west through a pleasant forested area and found ourselves tripping in and out of Belgium. Eventually though we settled in Belgium and its appalling roads.

Lunch taken at the only aire de repos we ever saw, we realised that time was pressing on with still a long way to go so reluctantly took the opportunity of joining the motorway system. At least the roads were better – well some of them. Our target for an overnight stop was again Gravelines so we let the satnav take over and arrived just as the rain, which had been threatening since lunchtime, got it’s act together.

Saturday 11 October

A rain free night and it looked like brightening up, ideal for a trip into the city of Luxembourg. We've tried twice before, so third time lucky. Checking on the fare with reception, the stop was only 100m away and a bus arrived right on time to take us to the recommended stop at Luxembourg Royal, which turned out to be just on the edge of the pedestrianized old town area. After being re-directed to the Tourist Office we found the stop for the City Tour bus, which we always try to use to see as much as we can without too much wandering about. Except it had moved and, naturally, a bus pulled away just as we turned the corner!

However another turned up shortly so we just had time to ponder what language we should use. The chap in the T.I. told us that all the legal stuff was in French, kids were taught in German at school but the natives spoke Luxembourgish, which we later learned was now being encouraged by the government. It mattered not as everybody speaks English anyway!

Luxembourg City is not very big, it mostly being confined to a rock surrounded by a gorge upon which there used to sit a fortress – we never really discovered what happened to it, only that it was flattened and the foundations used to redevelop the city. So the bus trip really only covered the new area of Kirchberg, where all the European (as in EU) institutions, finance houses, banks etc. had their modern buildings. A selection of photos.

One of the bridges across the gorge

Gelle Fra Memorial

Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin

Golden Unicorn

Palace of the Grand Dukes

Band in a fountain (?)

The gorge

Returning to the start, we went in search of lunch, sitting outside a Brioche Doree listening to an accordion player with very twiddly fingers (work it out for yourselves!). With the sun now out we took a walk round the traffic-free area which consisted mainly of a huge range of shops, cafes and restaurants of a very cosmopolitan nature. Luxembourg pushes itself as the shopping centre of Europe, but it ain’t as cheap as it would have you believe.

A pleasant enough place to wander around for a few hours but there is little of historical value to enjoy so mid-afternoon we went in search of the bus and returned to Bertie. With clear blue skies it was time to get the awning out and the chairs to enjoy some rays before it started to get quite cool as the sun went down.

And basically that’s our trip over. Tomorrow we must start back towards Calais ready for our return crossing on Tuesday.

Friday 10 October

Although the rain sort of stopped overnight it was still wet when we made an earlier than usual start so the screens had to be packed wet. Today we are aiming for Luxembourg so after finding that the water at the service point had been turned off yesterday (yup, that’s our luck!) we set out.

Staying off the motorways it’s not a particularly direct route but Autoroute made a decent job of it – pity some of the roads didn’t match the database and others were closed. Before long we were back in Germany, checking out a couple of stellplatze to try and top up the water, which we had actually run out of. We found ourselves driving pretty well through the centre of Saarbrucken and as the Rough Guide said, it didn’t inspire us at all. In fact it is quite industrial and commercial, straggling out along the Saar river.

Saabrucken - about the best it could offer!

Yes - more roundabout art. But Paris?

Once clear, despite no water facilities, we stopped at one of the stellplatze for lunch, deciding that we’ll use an ACSI campsite for a couple of nights and visit Luxembourg city. After lunch, again to avoid the motorway, and crossing into Luxembourg the route was tortuous, complicated again by a road closure resulting in a long diversion. The satnav helped and soon we were turning into the campsite we used a couple of years ago – actually must have been longer as they couldn't find our details on their computer.

It’s been dry, if cloudy all day, and we've taken the opportunity to get all the wet stuff out and try to dry it out. Also to catch up on emails etc. as we've got free Wi-Fi here too.

Thursday 9 October

Our plan to dry out the insulating screens went wrong again - it chucked it down most of the night and when we surfaced it was still hissing down.

So as we haven't had a break so far, we decided to stay put today, with maybe a stroll into the town or up to the Citadel we're parked beneath. In the event it didn't stop raining so we didn't move out at all.

The Citadel at Bitche

Wednesday 8 October

Day 17 and we've not had a non-driving day since we started this “holiday” so whilst we have never rushed about we could probably due with a break. Perhaps that is why are getting tired so easily. Shades of our first ever overseas trip, again to Germany, when all we did was drive.

Pumpkin display

Pumpkin & straw people

So first off a walk into town – we forgot one prezzie – but Beirenbronn is not touristy and there was nothing suitable. Never mind, we've plenty of time to put that right. So service the van and on our way.

We’re now on the last leg of the Schwarzwaldhochestrasse (got it right at last) and even had signs for it, so headed for the start/finish point of Baden Baden. Again beautiful scenery which would have been much better with some sunshine but it remained cloudy though the rain kept off. A warning sign indicated that the road was closed for repairs but as other traffic was using it we gave it a go and found it was a bridge being repaired that was temporarily being closed. We got through okay however and quickly found ourselves on the outskirts of Baden Baden. Then in a 3km tunnel underneath it, then almost onto the motorway out of it! Spotting a stellplatze we managed to divert but it was still some way out of the city so we just stopped for lunch. Perhaps next time and there will be a next time as we found the Black Forest enchanting and want to return.

Last views of the Schwarzwald

Roundabout art!

So where next? Having failed twice already to see anything of Luxembourg we decided to route that way via Saarbrucken. A little bit of motorway saw us entering France and we remained on French roads for the rest of the day. This is the Alsace Region and it felt most peculiar that all the town names were German while everything else was French!

Getting close to our normal stopping time Bren called up the Aires info and spotted a likely candidate at Bitche which turned out to be in the Citadel car-park and free (for a change). This will do us!

Tuesday 7 October

It started to rain late into the night and was still showery when we surfaced – in fact it stayed that way all day. A shame really as we are now passing through the Black Forest and with the leaves just now turning it would have been beautiful in the sunshine. Still we were told it will be better tomorrow.

Late getaway, partly due to a German in a hire van not having a clue at the service point, and then on our way, back through Titisee then continuing on the B500, which is nominally the Black Forest route. Stopped off at Triberg for some essential supplies (toilet rolls!) then just round the corner we came across “the biggest cuckoo clock in the world”. 

Cuckoo!

 As it happened Terry knew it was here, having visited with a couple of coach parties in the past, but you've got to stop haven’t you? Had a good look round, spent a fortune on prezzies etc., then had lunch in the car park. And it’s still hissing down!

Appearing on a wall near you soon!

Carried on north, using quieter roads but now keeping an eye open for a night-stop as they are a little sparse round here surprisingly. Bren spotted a proper stellplatze just a little way off our route so we programmed in the satnav and found our way to a quiet spot on the edge of the town of Baiers-bronn. A reasonable €6 was collected and included a free local tourist pass – but as it’s still raining we probably won’t bother.

Monday 6 October

A latish start because it’s Bren’s birthday, so she’s got cards and prezzies to open, but we’re in no rush. The site fees turned out to be more than was advertised, then we realised the leaflet (in English) was 4 years old! These “stellplatze” are getting a bit dear!

Our plan today is to head to the Lake Titisee/Freiburg area at the start of the Schwartzenwalde Strasse – yes another one! Thwarted initially by a closed road and consequent lengthy delays, we eventually got clear, spotting a Zeppelin on the way (they were made here and there is a museum). We also took a main road and motorway for a short  while to avoid struggling with our more usual back roads – pointless really as there was little to see.

An en-route village

After lunch we went in search of the Wutachschlucht, a forested gorge said to be a nice drive, but after having almost been thwarted again by a road closure we didn’t think it had really been worth it. So via a fuel stop onward to Lake Titisee, a holiday area which Terry visited some years ago, and which we hoped would be much quieter than at that time. The signed motorhome parking turned out to be just that, not suitable for overnighting but a check of our info identified a couple of ACSI sites on the lakeside just outside the town.

The view from our pitch

Selecting the cheaper of the two, which actually looked nicer, we found a nice pitch with lakeside views across to the town. There is a footpath, which we started along but realised it would be dark before we got back. We also saw what looked like a regular ferry service but again it would probably stop at dusk.

Sunset over Lake Titisee

Sunday 5 October

It rained quite heavily during the night (no doubt just because we’d put the screens up so they got wet!) but by our later getting up time the sun was shining from a blue sky and it stayed like that all day. The plan today was to continue to the end of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse at Lindau on the Bodensee, or Lake Constance if you’re Swiss. So a steady cruise along quite busy roads through more super countryside, including 3km of a switchback descent which got the brakes warmed up a bit!

Typical views

Roundabout Art

Lindau was built on an island jutting out into the lake so all the interesting bits are there. We parked at a stellplatze at the Park and Ride and walked to the town – the pretty way (knew I should have taken the satnav). Apart from its fine ambience Lindau does not have a lot of anything special to offer, nor is it very big. There appeared to have been some kind of road race earlier in the day but the altstadt was now relatively quiet so we enjoyed a stroll around, stopping off for a snack lunch at a street café.

The harbour area seemed to be the busiest place, not surprising really as the train and bus stations were there also. Lindau has regular ferry services all over this very large lake, including to Austria and Switzerland.

St Peterskirche

Harbour entrance with lighthouse and lion (no idea!)

We think this was the old lighthouse

Once we had seen enough we caught a bus back to the van. The stellplatze was quite expensive, would not take our cards (again!) and as we had run out of change we had only paid for a few hours parking. So after a cuppa we decided to head north west along the lakeside and look for somewhere a bit more reasonable. 

There were several stellplatze marked so after being unable to find the first we pulled into the second, which turned out to be more like a campsite attached to a hotel. It was very nice, if a bit dear, but all facilities were available at no extra charge so as it was getting quite late we settled in. At least the machine takes notes!

We think that the Deutsche Alpenstrasse is a superb route to follow (just try and avoid the public holidays) and in the autumn the trees and forests make it more so. We would not hesitate to recommend it and are quite likely to come back again. As with the Romantische Strasse, it is important to get as much information about the various places along the route as the signposting is a bit hit and miss. But we loved it.

Saturday 4 October

Dawned bright and sunny… eventually. Bit late getting going! We had intended to go into Garmesch-Partenkirchen but it’ll still be there next time. So once on the road, first task is restock the larder at a handy Aldi, then continue the Deutsche Alpenstrasse to where it meets the Romantische Strasse and the castles of King Ludwig.

Which road did you say to take?

More Bavarian Alps

Low cloud!

But on a Saturday of a public holiday weekend? Not unexpectedly we couldn't get near the place so pulled into the parking by the nearby church where we stopped before and had lunch. The nearby stellplatze we noticed was full so an executive decision was made – carry on the Alpenstrasse. We’re not sure where the two routes diverged, in fact we’re not sure we were still on either of them because the signs became non-existent and we relied on the town names to follow.

Lunch stop - it's actually a World Heritage site

But not to worry, the roads were fine, the scenery was still great and the sun was shining, although we did still encounter the odd low cloud. It appeared that Herr German was out and about with his family still so we were concerned that finding somewhere to stop overnight might be a tad difficult. Thus we started to investigate likely looking places along the way.

Ammergau mountain - as in Oberammergau, the Passion Play place

One of many mountainscapes

There's a hang-glider in there somewhere!

On one such investigation we managed to take a wrong turn and end up going the wrong direction, however Bren spotted a couple of stellplatz about 5km off our route so thought we’d have a look. The first was quite busy but had space so, on the basis we’ll get while the gettings good, we found a nice spot and settled in.

It turned out the place was bigger than we had first thought and the reception office was in a building we didn’t see. However the man was very nice about it when he knocked on our door later in the evening!

Friday 3 October

A bright and sunny day – in fact it stayed that way all day apart from the occasional patches of “low cloud”. We realised that most of the route is over 2000ft amsl and several times we topped 3000ft.

Our plan today was to include some shopping and get some LPG but we quickly noticed the supermarkets were closed and many of the town shops also. However the “tourist” spots were jam-packed full and a quick check of the diary revealed today was a public holiday – Oktoberfest of course. But it wasn't just the towns that were full; every tourist area out in the countryside was also packed with cars, coaches and of course motorhomes. However as everyone else appeared to be parked up, the roads were not at all busy, except of course in the touristy towns – which was most of them.

As a travel note, we found an automated LPG station but, as at the stellplatze last night, it wouldn't take any of our cards. For future travels we must try and ensure we have at least one EC card. We did find gas though at an open tankstelle (petrol station) where we could use cash.

Along the way we saw many old tractors, most of them pulling antiquated trailers of some sort. We have no idea what they were all about, or where they were going - but it was all quite slowly.........

We think today has been the best day so far for scenery; the autumn colours of the forests combined with the mountains, all bathed in warm sunshine made for some fantastic viewing. We've tried some photos but the usual applies.

Lunch was in a layby overlooking a lake before we were off again, dodging the motorcycle clubs who were out in packs. Later on we realised that finding a place to stop tonight might be problematical, especially as our timing showed us to be around Garmisch-Partinkirschen, a popular skiing centre. 

As predicted this largish town was very busy and we approached the large stellplatze with some trepidation. However there were a couple of spaces left so we squeezed in and discovered the parking fee included tourist passes, covering free bus travel which we may well make use of, the town being a little way off.

Look carefully, there's a mountain silhouetted against the clouds

Thursday 2 October

As forecast the rain stopped just after we went to bed and in the morning it was quite misty. But by the time we were on the road the sun was burning it off and it became a pleasant sunny day. First stop was to refuel and then take up the Deutsche Alpenstrasse. And here we met our first problem of the day; the road was closed and no “umleitung” (diversion) marked. After going round in a circle we eventually found our own way round, then discovered the diversion signs! The D/A itself is marked but not very well and we found it best to follow signs for the various “waypoint” towns on the information sheet we’d downloaded and confirm it with the brown markers.

Berchtesgaden

Quiet roads through the mountains

Alpine hotel

The roads are generally quiet and easy to drive, even for our larger than normal vehicle and the waypoints all seem to be attractive towns or villages with something going for each of them, be it an interesting building or some special facility such as a museum. They're usually quite touristy too. Most have dedicated parking for motorhomes, although it's usually on the outskirts.

These were in every village - no idea what they are!

Decorated hotel frontage in Bernau

It's the pumpkin family!

Peaceful mountain views

Lunch was taken just outside the cutely named village of Reit im Winkl before heading off and once again discovering the road was closed and no diversion shown. This time it was a bit more awkward as we were trying not to get onto the motorway but the proximity of the Austrian border made it worse. Eventually we had little alternative but to cross over into Austria for a short spell so we could get around the blockage. No big deal but we had to be really careful to keep clear of the autobahn.

This road took us up a forested pass through the mountains. Of course it is now autumn and the trees are just in the process of changing colour and the sunshine made it even better.

Autumnal colours

We rejoined the D/A at Bayrischzell where there was a stellplatz so decided we had gone far enough for one day. The machine would not take any of our cards so we were obliged to ask a couple already parked up for some change, then had a chat with the German parked next to us – nice guy. We had been warned that credit card use was not as prevalent as elsewhere in Europe, but they also seem a bit picky about what cards they do accept.

The weather forecast is fine for the next few days.