France -> Italy -> Greece -> Turkey (-> Syria-> Jordan) (1 Viewer)

time-to-go

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I'm looking for winter campsite recommendations en route, and indeed some scenic routes. In fact any tips available.

(not interested in large towns or cities unless they have decent sites well out of town purely for stoppovers)

I'm not looking to do more than 200 miles in a day. So I'll probably cross the channel and get my continental bearings by pulling over at a campsite for a night somewhere within an hour or so of Calais if there is anywhere open in late November.Then stop again south of Paris?

The only fixed part I have is down through France to follow the coast round past Nice into Italy. From there on I want milder rather than altitude stops to end up in Bari. I haven't been to Italy before so it doesn't have to be motorway routes except maybe in the colder north. I don't know whether it pleasanter to go down the west coast and then cross, or over to the east coast and then down.....or indeed diagonally, or part way down and then cross ::bigsmile:


Across Greece I think I will make fast passage on the new northern motorway (is it completed?) and then explore at my leisure in the warmer weather on the return journey.

For Turkey I haven't decided yet whether to cross the - cold - interior straight to Syria and meander back round the coast or meander both outward and return journey's along the coast?


Thanks
 
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Feb 22, 2008
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Can't help with your route but sounds like a great trip

Good luck

Larry
 
Jul 28, 2008
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Everyone is different in what they like... Good luck on your trip.

My personal site, link in sig, has our route through Italy and also a GPS list of all aires and wild camping places we found (Feb/Mar this year). This may be of use to you.

West coast is Rome obviously, and there is a campsite just (5m) outside with train in. Very good site but expensive, but also takes camping cheques....

East coast does have some nice surprises.

Hope this is of some use.

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hilldweller

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I'm looking for winter campsite recommendations en route, and indeed some scenic routes. In fact any tips available.

WOW what a trip. Respect. Though 200 miles a day seems a bit tame, it'll take a long time. But I'm a wierdo, yesterday I did 600 miles.

Surely you can't do Italy without Florence then Rome then Pompeii and then cut across.

Pompeii is really good because there is a campsite right outside the gates. Check it's open.

Florence, look at Link Removed

Rome don't know, there are dozens, but are they open ?
 

Judge Mental

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and be VERY security conscious in tourist areas...everywhere really! crime has always been there but thieves know that campers are full of goodies and an easy target:Sad:

What motorhome are you using?? this looks like a very exciting trip. have driven all the way to Greece and Crete many years ago but thats as far as we got. and agree 200 miles is nothing and will take forever::bigsmile:
 

hilldweller

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and an easy target:Sad:

Make that *very* easy.

Windows made out of plastic with plastic locks glued to them. Nowhere to hide your goodies. So 5 minutes - in - out - and by their standards they are rich.

At least have a small safe screwed down to beat this five minutes barrier for your passport and the like.

A sacrificial wallet with some old CCs and some money not too too well hidden.

An alarm may help but only if parked very close to other people.

I suggest one or two small cans of insect spray handy, would you like that in your face and it's legal.

Cross fingers and sacrifice chickens regularly.
 
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time-to-go

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Thanks a lot for the good wishes and tips, :Smile:

I did south of Agadir 20 years ago and found it a bit of a short drive. Plus I wanted some more variety and I hear it has gotten far more crowded with snowbirds since then. Spain and Portugal I didn't enjoy in winter, many sites were like sardine cans 15 years ago and again I hear that wild camping motorhomes are far more prevalent there now also.

I said 200 miles a day to give myself plenty of options to stop and change posture and stop my backache from coming on. We have plenty of time, but we'll bump up the average getting to turkey on the odd day here and there if feeling fine.

Re security, as I mentioned, if possible I am steering clear of main touristy place stops en route to turkey From the web traveller's accounts I have read about turkey, syria and Jordan apart from a few places they are mostly safer and friendlier then europe. {not going anywhere near the troubled se of turkey)

My docs and passports etc var always well hidden, think engine rather interior

I have a converted Peugeot boxer van, not so roomy and convenient as motorhome but a bit more mobile and secure, tho' that is relative and I don't take any chances, even in England where I can help it.

Nature, has more appeal for us than the main tourist watering holes, I'd far rather drive along a scenic coast or valley and stop for a picnic with hardly anyone around than visit a monument or notable building. Or just enjoy a pleasant campsite before moving on.

Thanks very much again, any more stops and routes welcome.
 
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dosomethingdifferent

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aires and stopovers on route to bari

south of paris is easy, plenty of aires & sites on route, the route via nice is hard, motorway (peage) is the only way to make progress, coast is all traffic and holdups, promenade des anglais in nice is 6 lanes of ugh (depends on time available) west coast italy is also hard graft ss1 aurelia is not well sign posted and slow (Genoa is a nightmare, stress or what!) come off autostrada at massa carrara and head for pisa then dual carriageway through to siena, over the mountains to bari is wonderful but hard work and time consuming (great on a motorbike::bigsmile:) stay north of aquilia, aftermath of earth quake still causing trouble.
when are you travelling? cheers j

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hilldweller

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(great on a motorbike::bigsmile:)

Another one. Has anyone else noticed the HUGE proportion of bikers owning MHs. Biking is a relatively small percentage of the road users yet here the percentage is way up.

Out MH story is quite simple, after years of touring by bike we did Scotland and before we'd dried out we were MH owners. Still got the bike, that's not negotiable, but the mileage is pathetic now. We just can't do both justice. Big plus for me, we can share the driving.

Talking of bike / Rome, we did cross the mountains from Rome via Rieti because we were heading north, possibly the scariest thing ever for me, pouring rain and the road had edgebanding way over six inches wide between each lane. I crossed it once and the front nearly went, so we stayed in that lane 'till the edgebanding ran out. Glorious weather once we'd crossed the mountains.
 

Kanberlingo

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Another one. Has anyone else noticed the HUGE proportion of bikers owning MHs.
Still got the bike, that's not negotiable, but the mileage is pathetic now. We just can't do both justice.

I was in the same situation when I retired. Prior to that event my 'bikes were well used. I put 38,000+ mls on my 900 Triumph in 4yrs. But since retiring the MH is first choice, so the 'bike I had at that time just had to go, along with all mine & SWMBO gear. Ooops, sorry to semi-hijack the thread. :Doh:

Beejay
 

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