Cold, wet, windy, unfriendly and frustrating. Not words that I was hoping to describe this beautiful region of France. But unfortunately the truth of our time there.
After a busy and adventurous two weeks alone hiking and biking through the Italian Alps I finally picked Leela up from Milan airport and we made our way to Provence to look forward to some relaxed time in amazing weather and equally amazing naturist camps.
First we visited le Petit Arlane near the small town of Valensole. The day we arrived the weather was decent and still warm but then things started to immediately unravel. We had a stormy night with heavy rain but nothing that was alarming and in the morning having breakfast whilst in the van, we heard a loud crack and looked out to see that the very expensive Thule awning had collapsed. On closer inspection we saw that the support leg had completely sheared off and the awning had dropped and in doing so bent the upper swing arm and sheared off the roof mounted connection. Quite a feat in itself to cause so much damage and thus rendering it completely useless.
The rest of the day was spent trying somehow to retract it back and make it safe to drive and then beginning the insurance claim and source a replacement somewhere along our travel plan. A lot of stress that we could really have done without…
We left that campsite immediately the following day as the people working there were just unhelpful, unpleasant and the camp not much better. We booked online at Naturist Camping Verdon for a few nights as we thought we would have more chance of a replacement if we headed south and after a decent drive and arriving in very windy conditions the receptionist said that they were full. Explaining that we had booked online and had a confirmation did not move her and in a very polite yet completely arrogant manner told us to bugger off. So another unfriendly French campsite owner.
After another re-think we drove back up to les Lauzons naturist campsite after calling and reserving first and arrived whilst everything was shut for a very extended lunch. Waiting patiently we were eventually taken to a terrible pitch whilst perfectly nice ones stood vacant and told that was all they had. Take it or leave it. A pattern was developing here, was it our Austrian number plate? Surely not.
So we parked and then found out that there was absolutely ZERO phone or internet in the whole camp unless you bought their satellite wifi at a cost. Normally this would be perfect for us but as we were waiting for phone calls and E-mails to organise the insurance and replacement awning this was a large problem. I did manage to receive an email on their terrible wifi to say a company could fit a new awning the following day so we just spent a few hours at the camp and left once more first thing in the morning feeling let-down now by three different sites in the area.
Having the awning fitted the next day where the workers took very little care of our beloved home, we were able to take a short hike around the very nice Pénitents mountains. A strange stone outcrop appearing out of nowhere which has quite a tough and exposed circular walk up and over the top of them. And finally after some decent exercise we felt much better and spent the night in the ghost town of Malijai where we had a quiet evening by the river.
The next day we drove south, hopefully for the last time, and found a naturist camp just outside the Provence Capitol of Aix. It was rustic, natural, very unkempt and the owners were already D-mob happy as they were closing the camp in a few days. Thus they were also very unhelpful, although polite at least, with little facilities open and no provisions or food on offer. They even laughed at us when we asked for a Pizza from the flyer on the desk. But we had 3 nights there in vicious cold and wind and completely unable to enjoy the camp or surrounding countryside.
We tried our best to ride to Aix and take a tour nearby but the constant 70 kph winds were just battering us and the van relentlessly. We even tried to go in the pool but that was pointless and going to the shower was like taking a walk in the Artic so we mainly just hid from the terrible weather unable to enjoy any of the delights of the area.
We were dreaming of two weeks of beautiful Provence sunshine, lavender, naturism, bike rides and laying by the pool. But instead we got one week of stress, problems, atrocious weather and very unhelpful and arrogant campsite owners. Thanks Provence, that was not what we were expecting. Maybe we will have better luck next time.
Reluctantly leaving the Passo Giau I was aiming for a relatively quieter area of the Dolomites for the next days but arriving at my planned park up I found that it had been taken over by construction workers. So after a re-think I decided to call the campsite that I had pre-booked for the weekend to see if I could arrive a day early.
Palafavera
Camping Palafavera is a very old and basic camp but clean and very cheap for these parts. I needed a camper service anyway so it served its purpose for a few days and its also in a pretty good location I found out later.
Arriving in the afternoon I just sorted the van out and the next morning I was on the trail early with a beautiful hike to Rifugio Coldai and then on to Lago di Coldai which is a wonderful place for a stop before returning the same way to the camp.
After an hour break I took the bike and made my way down the pass to Pecol and then the mountain bike trail to Rifugio Pian del Crep, stopping at the picturesque and very cold waterfalls of Gavon picol and Gavon Grand on the way. Both waterfalls had deep enough pools to get into and the fresh mountain water certainly wakes you up! Returning to Pecol on some great forest MTB tracks I then made my way back up the pass and back to the van as the evening storms were coming in only getting a little wet on the way.
The next day and with bad weather forecast for the next week I was on the bike very early. First to Rifugio Col dei Baldi on some severely steep tracks before descending through the picturesque Coldai Alm and back to the camp. A short and sharp bike but perfect to get back before the bad weather.
Driving to Rifugio Marmolade Castiglioni I found a nice spot for the van and hiked the quite steep trail to Rifugio Luigi Gorza the highest I have been on this trip at 2600m. This vantage point gave incredible views of the Marmolade Glacier opposite and after a long lunch I made my way back down before the afternoon rains came.
Getting back there was so much commotion with a family of travellers arrived nearby who had at least 8 uncontrollable huge dogs that were howling constantly at every passer by. This together with more dogs and a now full and partying car park, I decided that I would not be able to enjoy the rest of my day there and moved on to my next destination.
Driving over the extremely challenging and completely chaotic Porodai, Sella and Gardena passes, I eventually and completely exhausted arrived at Santa Christina camper stop.
After a surprisingly good nights sleep considering there was a waterfall behind my head and the van was on a 10% slope even with the ramps, I was up and out the door at 6:00am for what would be the toughest hike so far on this trip.
Seceda
Seceda is one of the most famous mountains in the Dolomites for its unique jagged and angled profile. 90% of people take the cable cars there but there are the 10% who toil up this arduous track. And as I was currently parked 9km away from the summit as well as being 1300m below it, I should get my skates on.
The trek up is remarkably steep in parts and mostly boring until you reach the Alm. And in the early morning light it really looked spectacular, which was more than could be said for the actual mountain in front of me which looked quite uninspiring! This was playing with me as I had put this mountain as number one on my list of hikes and I was feeling a little let down. But the true majesty is only visible when you reach the summit and view it from the side.
It really is an incredible sight and thanks to the hard shift I put in I made it there just as the buzzer for the lifts went off meaning I had 10 minutes of truly magnificent peace and quiet in this location completely alone.
This peace was immediately undone by the 100’s of selfie-takers touching up their make-up, lipstick and straightening their hot-pants before swarming over every spare inch of sacred ground. Which signalled my time to leave and I very carefully make my way back to base camp for a well deserved cold beer…
Seiser Alm
The next day was a bike trip to the Seiser Alm. Lots had been said about this place so I was excited to see it for myself. Heading down the Valley to Oresei you take the very small mountain road directly to the Alm. Unfortunately there was a road closed sign at the bottom but as I had already ridden this far I decided to just try and if I didn’t work out I would just return the same way. As it happens there was no chance to ride a good 2 km section but as I was so early and the workmen had not arrived yet I just pushed and carried the bike through the construction site, jumped a fence, and continued on my way. No-one would ever know…
Getting to the Alm after a very tough climb, I rode around for a while taking in the scenery before heading on a MTB trail through the woods and eventually back to base. I read a lot and saw a lot of photos on Instagram about this place but to be honest I felt a little let down. Don’t get me wrong it’s extremely beautiful but after the previous day I maybe would have liked a little more reward for the extreme effort to get there. Perhaps if you drive there or used a motor-E-bike, it would be worth it. But on a real bike it’s really not worth that type of effort. But at least there was another 1200 meters of climbing in the legs.
Leaving St. Christina after a couple of days I was on my way to the final destination of the mountains. To ride the number one on the list of European road climbs that I have not yet done in my life. And I don’t have many left to climb. The famous Stelvio pass.
Stelvio Pass
Knowing that the climb would be long and also that rain was forecast around 2pm I was on the road by 6:45am as I wanted it done in the dry. The cars and motorbikes are crazy and unpredictable with dry roads and just life threatening to cyclists in the wet. So from previous extensive experience it was important to keep myself as safe as is possible on these mountain passes.
Setting off from the climbs starting point of Spondinig you have only a slight gradient until you pass through Prato allo and then it begins to ramp up through Ponte di Stelvio and Maso di Fuori. By the time I reached corner 45 I was already in my lowest gear and thinking that this was maybe going to be too much for me after only 10 days of hard exercise in the last 8 months. But the views of the 3900m Ortler glacier were distracting me from the next 44 corners!
Continuing to constantly increase in elevation and steepness you reach the Franzenshöhe hotel and corner 22 which is where the real climbing starts! Now beginning to find a nice rhythm I was thinking that I could actually make it. And apart from a slight blip at corner 8 where I had to stop and stretch my knee, I comfortably made it to the summit. But my joy was short lived as you are met by complete and utter chaos!
Honestly it was terrible. Hundreds of motorcycles, cars, people, sausage stands, tat stands, loud music, and general disrespect for the mountain. I had a very quick turnaround, a photo at the summit post, and then immediately dropped back down a few hundred meters away from it all. It is so sad to see how people behave in such incredible environments. It’s bad enough that they treat these mountain passes like their own personal race track and how there are not more fatal accidents truly amazes me. In the 5 hours I was on the road I saw only 2 ambulances but at least 50 near misses.
Positively it was nice to see many roadies making their way up as well as a few idiots on real mountain bikes so it was not only me. But I think that I may have been the only one carrying a full chicken curry in his rucksack for lunch! And after thoroughly enjoying this feast I made my way back down but now wearing what looked like winter hiking gear except for the shorts. I am so glad I took everything with me as it was an absolutely freezing 28 km descent.
Getting back to the van and after 56km, 5:30 of riding, and an elevation gain of 1810 meters, I was good for nothing. But an incredible final day in the Italian Alps. Now I will make my way to Milan Airport to pick up my beautiful girl on her return from America so that we can head to France and finally be together again.
Finally the time had come to be back on the road and the departure time had finally arrived for both of us. Unfortunately we were heading off in completely different directions, and continents…
To begin our trip Leela was heading stateside for two weeks and whilst she was there I would make my way slowly to our rendezvous point of Milan Airport through the Dolomites in Northern Italy.
So I finalised the apartment in a state to be left alone for the best part of 5 months and got the van ready. It was loaded to the max and after a visit to a weigh bridge I found out quite literally to the Max. But it was gleaming in the sun and patiently waiting for me to get my fat arse into the drivers seat again.
Cortina d’Ampezzo
After a long drive I made it to a ski lift car park about 10 km outside Cortina d’Ampezzo which would be my first base for a couple of days. The following morning I was up and raring to go.
First was a bike trip down the Passo Tre Croci to Cortina and after a look around the town which more resembled a building site as preparations were already well underway to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, I made my way out and up the very steep climb to Rifugio Mietres and on through some beautiful woodland and back to the van. The views in every single direction no matter where you are in the Dolomites are utterly indescribable so I won’t bore you on every tour. You can see yourselves from the photos.
Taking a break and putting the bike away I was feeling very good so I thought I would chance my arm for a first short hike in nearly 8 months. Donning my new fangled knee support I headed out up Monte Faloria keeping to the forest road to be as safe as possible if I needed to turn back. Hiking along I was feeling very little to no pain so I continued through the rain and ended up at Rifugio Faloria which was an amazing feat, although I still had to get back down which usually caused all the problems!
Sitting a while on this majestic view point high above Cortina you had the most amazing views of the mountains. I could also see from a distance a storm coming my way so it was time to head back down. With my earphones on, which were not drowning out the thunder all around, I made it back to the van in one piece and only a little wet.
Waking early the next day I was out on the bike making my way back down to Cortina and then up the road climb to the ski station at Pie Tofana and on to Lago Po’Druscie. Heading back down to Cortina a little later I was still left with the daunting climb back up Passo Tre Croci and after a tough first km I was beginning to find my bike legs again. Slowly… Heading up I passed 2 E-bikers and managed to hold off a group of 5 Ironmen until the last km when I was running out of gas.
Now completely exhausted from my day on the bike I was good for nothing except a shower and a sit down with a cold beer. But I couldn’t relax for long as I was back on the road and very excited to be heading to Passo Giau.
Passo Giau
The last time I was there was in 2012 to watch the Giro d’ Italia and I woke on the morning of the race with 4″ of snow covering the van, so I was hoping for better weather this time! I found a lovely flat and relatively quiet park up and took a short walk to the col. It was late afternoon and the amount of people there was really quite amazing. So I took a few photos and milled around for a while before returning for an early night.
The following morning I was on the trail at dawn and heading back up the col and deep into these incredible mountains toward my planned destination of Forcela Ambrizzola. It was a very difficult climb to Forcella di Giau but I think that the sublime early morning beauty took my mind off it as I seemed to be at the top in no time at all!
Walking down this majestic alpine scene after already covering over 6km and with my destination still quite far away I decided not to push my luck as going back down was going to be tough on the knee. So after hearing the Marmot’s screaming their alarm bells off in a distant meadow I decided to try my luck with some wildlife photography!
Not ever having seen one of these furry creatures in the wild didn’t put me off. So I wondered slowly way off piste until I saw some things scurrying in the distant scrub. And there they were, 5 or 6 just playing in the morning sun.
After locating the entrance to their Den I set the phone on a tripod as close to the entry as possible and then retreated as far as my bluetooth remote trigger would allow and waited. And waited. And waited. Then finally not one but two heads appeared to take a look around but they were way to cautious and retreated back to safety very quickly.
Calling it a day I turned around to see a much more inquisitive one watching my every move from behind me the whole time, so I set up station outside his home and waited. And after no time at all he was up and out and I managed to have my first wild experience with these amazing creatures.
I took one more detour to a remote location away from the gathering hoards and just lay in the sun for a while before returning to the path and the long hike back to the van. A truly exceptional day on the mountains and time to think about moving on. Where to next?
It’s been a long time in the making and it seems even a longer last few months of waiting but the time was finally upon us to get underway. Our 2024 travel has been in the planning for nearly three years yet at the last minute we still seemed to have too much to organise. But at 5:15pm on Friday March 1st, St. Davids day for those who are in the know, we locked the apartment door, climbed into our van that had been waiting patiently through the last 5 months of Winter in Austria, and set out for the first leg of our two planned trips this year.
First stop after a few hours was a gas station north of Salzburg, not too glamorous a start, then a tortuous drive north through very bad weather to the border with France. And finally after a calm ferry crossing and another 5 hours drive we were at my mothers home in South Wales.
We stayed with her for a few days for her to get to know Leela a little as it was the first time they had met. I spent some time cleaning and fixing things around the house and we took a few runs in the rain around my old village and area that I grew up. As well as a cider in the local bar where I was still sticking to the same carpets 20 years later.
Leaving for our small tour of wales on the first dry day of our stay, we first headed into the Brecon Beacons and hiked to Llyn-y-fan Fawr lake. This remote and difficult to navigate hike was my favourite spot in the Beacons and maybe even the whole of Wales. We were very lucky as the weather held for us and we could enjoy the beautiful surroundings and actually see the lake which is not often the case!
After a quick bite to eat we set off to Dinas Rock and had a wonderful afternoon walking the waterfalls of the Neath valley. The highlight being able to walk behind Swyd-y-Eira waterfall when it was in full flow. We were soaked through but it was worth it!
After a quiet night in Dinas Rock we headed through Penderyn, where the Welsh whiskey comes from, to the storey Arms at the foot of Pen-y-fan, the highest mountain in South Wales. The weather was absolutely ridiculous with winds knocking us of our feet but we headed out and made it to the summit. We didn’t hang around for fear of being blown off it and also we couldn’t see a thing so we returned to the van to warm up and have a coffee. Then a quick stop and walk around Brecon town before heading to Nant-yr-Arian mountain bike area as we had hoped to bike the following day.
We had a beautiful park-up but unfortunately the wind threatened to tip the van over. So after no sleep and no chance of biking we headed North, by-passing a few days of plans, straight to Beddgelert.
Staying at the old forestry Commission campsite was really disappointing. I had used this camp in Snowdonia my whole life and it was amazingly natural and cheap. But with the new camper and instagram boom it has been taken over by a private company and was now only for the rich weekend warrior. So after apologising to Leela for building it up so much we headed out at lunchtime to try and climb Snowdon via Rhyd Ddu. But the wind and bad weather were hounding us and we had to turn back to the campsite.
Leaving early the next day we headed toward Anglesey as there was a dry and bright day forecast there even though the wind was still not letting up. First stop was Caernarfon Castle and town which was lovely then across the Menai bridge to:
Stopping at the train station of the longest town name in Europe and second in the world, we then headed to Holyhead south stacks for a lovely afternoon walking the coastline.
As the weather, and especially the wind was too bad to stay there, we returned to the mainland and a lovely location just below Caernarfon and directly at the sea. We had some dinner and settled in for the night but at 1:00am the wind was battering the van so badly we had to move a few km down the Coast to a more sheltered location. Waking to a moderately calm day we went for a very breezy coastal run and as the rain came in we settled in for a day in the van with some TV and computer planning!
The following days forecast was for dry weather and manageable winds, the only one in the next 7 days forecast, so we headed back to Snowdonia this tine near pen-y-pass and got ready to try Snowdon again. And this time we were successful having an amazing day even though there was snow, zero temperatures, and zero views at the summit!
Leaving early evening we were once again hoping to have spent longer in Snowdonia but the weather was so bad we made the decision to just head south spending the night in mid Wales near Aberystwyth and waking once again to cloud, horizontal rain and 50 kmh winds. Just how I remembered Wales living here the best part of my life.
With no let-up in sight over the next 7 days our patience was wearing thin and all of our plans were gone. But we gave it one last go and drove to the gower to look at the coast. This also did not go well and after a failed attempt to walk the coastal path in torrential rain and wind, we walked along the beach and decided that it was time to move on.
Driving back to my moms we spent the night with her and enjoyed a nice meal together then the following day headed back to Folkestone and on to the channel Tunnel for our journey back to Europe. Saying goodbye to Wales for maybe the last time.
It did not go as planned and the Welsh weather had beaten us up badly. But I think that Leela had had a good feel for the country and its people in the 10 days or so that we were there and at least now she believes me when I have spoken of how terrible the weather was growing up an outdoorsman in the country.
Summer had gone by without even noticing it was here in the first place. Terrible weather, storms, devastating local flooding. So it was time for us to take a break and spend some time together away from our area. I was in a situation to take some longer time away but Leela not so much, so we had to make a Tour Plan.
Part I – Millstättersee
First was a weekend at Millstättersee to try to unwind for a couple of days. We visited this FKK campsite last year (diary entry) and liked the views and the Lake side bathing area. This time we didn’t do any cycling but only ran in the mornings, spent the day at the lake, and the evenings at the van. Nice and simple and just what we wanted.
The campsite was as the previous time and we had a lovely couple of days together and at 5pm on Sunday we said our goodbyes. Her returning to home and me heading in the opposite direction to continue to my next destination.
Part II – Italian Dolomites
Leaving Kärnten late on Sunday afternoon I had quite a lovely drive through East Tyrol to the Italian border at Cillian and then into the Dolomite Mountain range where my first stop was to see the towers of Tre-Chime.
I had a nice plan to park-up at a location where it should have been quiet and hike up to the hut and around the towers the following morning. Wow was I in for a surprise! It’s the second week of September and already off-season with the kids back in school. So I fully expected to only see like minded outdoor enthusiasts and maybe some retired people on tour, but I was not prepared for the sensory onslaught and sheer amount of people on the mountain. I did eventually find a parking place and enjoyed a couple of beers watching Wales win their first game in the World Cup, before going to bed way too late for me and slightly drunk!
Waking early it was full gas to have breakfast, make sandwiches and be on the trail by 7am. But incredibly the toll road was already queuing for over a KM at this time. Fortunately my hiking path took me away from the road and a very pleasant hike through lush forest to the hut. And heres where the fun starts.
I have no actual idea how many cars, vans, campers and buses were parked up there but I have never seen anything like it before. There was also every conceivable person here as well. Everything from flip flops, trainers, sweatpants, jeans, a girl in a dress, the Instagram hunters in full matching luminous gear all the way through to complete winter mountaineering packs. Not to mention the E-bikes, dogs both on lead and being carried in handbags and a Chinese man in full black Burka. Presumably to stop the sun. Quite unreal if you weren’t there. Oh and didn’t I mention the Drones… The F * * * * * G drones! Even though there is a complete ban on them in the national park.
The views up there are quite spectacular in every direction. The mountain range is quite unique from any other with the rock formations giving an incredible vista against the crisp blue morning sky. The weather was just perfect and although it was still relatively early it was getting quite warm. So after a quick sandwich to re-fuel as I had already hiked over 5km, I began the circular walk around the towers so you can get a full idea of how large these rocks are.
The path begins like a road which takes you to the next hut but then its a short climb to the viewing platform from where you get a first glimpse of the 3 towers. It really is an incredible piece of rock and well worth the physical effort of getting there. Or just drive there like everyone else.
As you drop down some meters you get an even better view of the scale of them and as the sun was still behind, a marvellous view of the outline against the blue sky.
From here the main path (basically a road) heads further away to the Instagram photo platform but by this time I had enough of the crowds and took the more difficult path through the boulder field and re-joined the masses again at the next hut before a last gimps of the rocks and returning to the start.
By now it was swarming there with bus fulls of tour groups and the late sleepers. The noise for me was getting too much as a group of 20-30 German Porsche “enthusiasts” were hearing up and down the street showing off their overly priced and quite pointless private parts. So it was time to head back into the forest, eat the rest of my food by a beautiful river and make my way to the van.
I guess you should take the time to visit Tre Chime if you are in the Dolomites as it really is truly magnificent. But if you love nature and peace and quiet. You are going to be very disappointed.
After a shower and a cold beer by a lovely lake I had a couple of hours in the afternoon sun deciding what to do next. And after a nice hot meal with a view I put everything away and was on the road to my next destination.
Lago di Sorapis is probably second behind Tre Chime on the Instagram to do list so I was fully not expecting to be alone there. Nevertheless I took the short evening drive to where I was expecting to park but as per the previous night there was just no chance. I have never seen so many cars and campers on a mountain pass and I have followed the Tour de France many times! So I drove 2 km further to the huge car park of the ski lifts and although there was a lot of construction work going on, had a very peaceful night with a spectacular view from the van window.
Up a tad later than I would have liked due to the previous days energy output and a couple of beers, I was packed and on the trail a little before 8am. The extra couple of km’s done and I was at the trailhead reasonably alone still with just a few people who generally looked like they knew what they were doing.
The trail starts, and indeed continues, in just the most spectacular scenery. The mountains are incredible in every direction which means making progress can be a little disjointed due to all the stopping to look at the views and photo taking. The first sections are through lush forest on easy going paths before it becomes steeper and more technical in places as you get closer to the lake. But easily manageable if you are fit and have a good head for heights as well as sure footing.
The weather once more was perfect with very warm temperatures no wind and blue skies and on reaching the lake these conditions made it look even more picture perfect. I was a little surprised to see the amount of people already hanging around but most I think had been staying at the hut and were viewing it after their breakfast.
I stopped for a while to eat my lunch and take in the surroundings but unfortunately again the peace and tranquility was spoilt by the general loudness of the new generation in such environments, but by far the worst is the constant flying of drones. What an absolute nuisance to the mountaineer and nature lover. The bans and fines should be somehow enforced. But after my lunch I took one last walk around this majestic lake and made my way back down the mountain and back to the van for a welcome shower and food.
It really was a fantastic trail and to have that lake at the end of it a delight. Both Tre Chime and Lago di Sorapis are must sees if you are visiting the Dolomites and are a mountain lover. Just have the patience of a Saint whilst on the trail, even in so called off season.
Over my dinner I could see that the weather was really changing for the worse the next two days so I decided to leave a day earlier than planned and head to the ocean for the next part of the plan.
Part III – Baška or maybe Punat…
It was a beautiful drive down through the Dolomites on a lovely evening. The traffic was kind and even the Highway was no stress all the way to Traviso, even if there was a little anxiety with the fuel range reading zero and me having a further 50km to get to the border with Slovenia for 50 cents a litre cheaper Diesel.
Stress over and as it was still early enough and a lovely evening I decided to continue driving to Croatia and stopped for the night at a lovely spot under the KRK bridge and watched the sunset drop slowly behind the boats in the Harbour.
The next morning was an early start so after a coffee I was on the road down to the south of the island. First stop was to wash the van as it had taken some collateral damage the last weeks driving then to a supermarket just outside Baška where I was very surprised that at 8am they had no fresh produce and very little alcohol. So I just bought the very basics and made my way to Bunculuka camp site a further few minutes down the road and when I arrived I realised why the supermarket was so empty. The place was absolutely rammed.
We both have been going to this camp for many, many years, and I have never failed to get a choice of pitches at any time of the year. But the receptionist said “No” absolutely full, every single pitch taken or reserved and already a queue of vans lined up to take the next one out’s pitch. Just total and utter chaos and a very unpleasant atmosphere everywhere.
So I hung around for a couple of hours, used the showers, took a dip in the amazing ocean and bought some bread from the bakery. Wondered around searching for a place but to no avail. Enough was enough so I returned to the receptionist who could not understand why I was leaving, picked up my passport and was unexpectedly on the road again a lot sooner than I would have liked.
Next on the original plan would have been to go to camp Konobe in Punat which is only 30 minutes drive to the west of the island. There we have also been many times and indeed we got engaged there last May. So after a normal arrival, a choice of nice pitches, and a quick look around, I was already setting up in a beautiful pitch with an amazing view and hopefully not moving for the next week or so.
The rest of the day was spent doing chores that a week on the road and in the mountains catch up on you. Camper service, washing clothes, essential shopping and a clean up of the van so that it was at least respectable for when Leela arrived for the weekend.
I spent the next couple of days in very pleasant weather, running, SUP, listening to music, reading and just hanging around in this incredible location. And when Leela arrived, we done exactly the same. A wonderful time together that went way too quick and a sadness when she had to leave on Sunday evening.
I spent the rest of the week there alone in sometimes nice but mostly bad weather with a very wet font all around. But nevertheless it was very nice just to sit and enjoy the view and do some planning for our Trips in 2024.
Summer has passed by in a blur, it’s now September and already it feels like Autumn has its firm hand upon my shoulder. But before it completely disappeared I did manage to have a beautiful night enjoying the magic of the outdoors.
The new and hip term for it these days among men who have groomed beards, spend their weeks in suits and weekends in expensive outdoor gear is ‘Micro Adventure’ I believe. I just call it a night in the hills…
Spending the night in the mountains is quite daunting for some and I can understand this as I recall my first ever evening in the wild. A very young man, alone on a Welsh hillside, lying awake all night listening to every single noise and wondering when I was going to be hacked to death by some lunatic ice axe wielding mountaineer or worse still savaged by an out of control rabid Welsh Sheep.
The truth though is that its one of the most rewarding and fantastic ‘free’ experiences that you can have. You don’t have to do it alone, go with a friend or in a group. If you pick your location wisely and are confident with the weather then you don’t need too much expensive gear or expert knowledge, just make sure that you think it through and then enjoy it for what it is.
Late one hot afternoon I drove with the car to the Eisenkappler Hutte, which sits on the south slope of the Hochobir, enjoyed an ice cold Beer, and then made my way along the testing path for around 90 minutes to the summit at 2142m.
The Hochobir is a really beautiful mountain with views all through southern Carinthia. The weather was immaculate with 25 degrees for the late afternoon hike and after passing everyone making their way down the mountain, I found myself alone on the summit.
Setting up camp didn’t take long as I just had a tarp, thermal mat and sleeping bag to lay on the ground and then I could sit back and enjoy the majestic summers evening and the solitude of the mountain.
As the sun and the temperature slowly faded, I dived into my sleeping bag and watched the sky change through a myriad of colours before the Milky Way finally made its appearance. The night sky was just so unbelievably amazing that I found myself trying to stay awake all through the night to gaze at the colours across the horizon line and the incredible clarity of the stars from this high altitude vantage point.
The night went by way too fast but soon I had the excitement of waiting for the sunrise… For this the silence and solitude on the mountain was broken by some early hikers making their way to the summit who had made the effort to experience it from this viewpoint.
Packing up my gear after the sun was already blazing its way through the sky, I made my way back down in time for the first coffee at the hut and I was able to sit in the early morning sun and think about this amazing night under the stars. Sitting there I realised something that has been nagging me all year. Stop looking for excuses. Just go out and do it.
