Lenny's 2016 Trek South (2 Viewers)

[Robert Clark]

Heard about the knobs before (not mine) I think they have cured that problem. Always amazes me how big companies like Thetford Dometic etc., get it so wrong so often.

Delivery early March last two Hymers have been ready a week or two earlier than given date. Means we will have to suffer a cold wet winter at home.

On the 3 thing found out if you change networks you can get away with tethering for about 30min and often if it's not 3's partner it is a lot quicker. After what people have said about them throttling the speed we have not noticed this, often faster than the UK.

Ah but you're comparing speeds with UK (which is third world)
We bought a Vodafone sim in Germany and it was the fastest internet I ever saw!
Result with the tethering !

 

[Lenny HB]

Ah but you're comparing speeds with UK (which is third world)
We bought a Vodafone sim in Germany and it was the fastest internet I ever saw!
Result with the tethering !

Youngest daughter lives in Bangkok broadband is 1gig there.

 

[Lenny HB]

@Robert Clark I'm trying hard, ordered fish soup got the beef soup, main was pork special with potatoes Mi had hand made pasta with venison, only the camp site restaurant. Having to have more beers than necessary to dilute the salt.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Robert Clark]

Having to have more beers than necessary to dilute the salt.

I've never used that excuse before
Have noted for future reference
Thank you !

 

[Lenny HB]

Pudding or what posh people like @Robert Clark call desert.
Ice cream with hot sour Cherry's.
Priorities right here, me three courses, Mi one.

 

[StitchesnFluff]

Great new van on order then. Enjoy your last long travels in this one while you plan for the new.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Now we have got over the food porn bit back to the trek.

Driving out of Italy into Slovenia avoiding motorways is a bit of fun, you really notice the much calmer driving style once you leave Italy.

Spent the first night at Basanija on Istria Peninsular, there was a nice green car park by the beach listed in our POI’s, a big N&B parked up with EP jacks down & sat dish up. We were confused by the signs even though they were in English. On sign said Motorhomes 120kn 8:00-20-00 sign underneath said 1st May – 31st Oct 2017 (looked like an old sign) said 240kn without a ticket and there is nowhere to buy tickets, another sigh said parking no camping and a table & chair crossed out, then on the other side of the carpark a sign saying no motorhomes 20:00-6:00. Confused so we didn’t risk it and went into the campsite.

Asked about parking signs was told it’s winter no charge after the 15th, bum, could have had a free night. De-camped to the carpark for lunch, the N&B was still there. Then it got interesting a couple of black 4x 4’s arrived a load of guys got out with loads of gear they started setting up and along came a smart BMW soft top with “BMW Coast Drive” written on the side. The guys were assembling an expensive looking drone, they then proceeded to take about an hour and a half filming the BMW for about 2 minutes.
More interesting a couple of German girls went swimming in bikinis, then proceeded to strip off to dry themselves, at times like this I really do like Germans.

On Mi’s post she did on Facebook see said “First night in Croatia had to pay for a campsight so it may be the last”

 

[Lenny HB]

Friday drove down the west coast to Rovinj, stopped at the Aire but not for long 25kn per hour Ouch! and didn’t have any local change, found a campsite within walking distance of the town not too expensive €21 first night additional nights €18 and when I produced my Camping Card so they didn’t hang on to our passports told 10% discount (also got that at the last site). The card was well worth the 3 quid much better value than ACSI which I have never been able to get a discount with. The site in Austria was listed in ACSI at €19 cheapest they would let you on the site for was €28 so we used their stellplatz.

Rovinj has a nice old town but the harbour front is a bit commercialised.

 

[2657]

Friday drove down the west coast to Rovinj, stopped at the Aire but not for long 25kn per hour Ouch! and didn’t have any local change, found a campsite within walking distance of the town not too expensive €21 first night additional nights €18 and when I produced my Camping Card so they didn’t hang on to our passports told 10% discount (also got that at the last site). The card was well worth the 3 quid much better value than ACSI which I have never been able to get a discount with. The site in Austria was listed in ACSI at €19 cheapest they would let you on the site for was €28 so we used their stellplatz.

Rovinj has a nice old town but the harbour front is a bit commercialised.

View attachment 125835

View attachment 125834

View attachment 125833

View attachment 125832

View attachment 125830

View attachment 125831

If you have been refused the ACSI discount at an ACSI Discount Scheme site (which display a CC logo) as opposed to an ACSI Inspected site then I would report that to ACSI.

We have had the ACSI Camping Card Book (Discount Scheme) for the last 8 years and it has saved us a fortune at times, we once stayed in Spain over the Easter period and it must have saved us at least €200, most sites in Spain charge high season rates at Easter but a few still offer the discount (La Aldea at El Rocio).

The site we are on at the moment in Deiva Marina is €17 with ACSI, €23 without, 3 nights we have saved €18.

The CCI card, which I presume is what you mean, is always worth having for the ID as well as Public Liability Insurance and a lot of sites give 10% discount when producing it.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Moved down the coast to Pula to have a look at some old Roman rocks. The Aire was a car parking area on the harbour side next to a busy road junction no dedicated spaces and 100kn for 24hr so we headed for a campsite at Stoja the whole island/peninsular is a campsite, nice big pitches but I still prefer decent Aires.

Eddie (the late Judgemental) would have enjoyed taking the P out of me taking photos of old rocks.

 

[Lenny HB]

Made the effort to cycle down to the town in the eveninmg to watch“The Spectacular Light Show” lighting up the dockside cranes with an amazing light show with 16,000 programed light patterns. Yer right, a few cranes lit up with coloured lights that occasionally change colour.

Fishing boats setting out while we were waiting for the faboulous light show.

 

[Granjan]

Enjoying your reports and pictures Lenny, cheers.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Tourist menu for us paupers.

 

[scousebird]

€38

 

[Robert Clark]

€30

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

We are paupers can't aford those sort of prices.

 

[Lenny HB]

139kn for the food 214kn including beers & coffee'

 

[scousebird]

139kn for the food 214kn including beers & coffee'

Is that about €17? Have I got that right?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[StitchesnFluff]

139kn for the food 214kn including beers & coffee'

Blimey! No need to take your own food on this hols at that rate

 

[Robert Clark]

Is that about €17? Have I got that right?

 

[Robert Clark]

139kn for the food 214kn including beers & coffee'

Does that mean I'm the winner (again)?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Started following in Roberts footsteps and headed over to the Plitvicka National park, used motorways and toll roads to get there a bit pricey as over 1.9m high you get charged HGV rate cost 20 quid same distance in Italy would have been less than a fiver. The last 40 miles we did on small D roads that took us through numerous small villages often seeing the battle scarred houses. Seems odd to us that they are living in these houses and yet they don’t bother to repair them. The D road was very good until we got to the park boundary then it became narrow & twisty with some big drops off the edge luckily only met a few vehicles coming the other way. Stayed at a camper stop in the park.

Next morning up early, I’m lying “we don’t do mornings”. Packed lunch, check, first aid kit, check, walking sticks, check, additional warm clothing, check. Set of to the park on bikes all that packing waste of time, big carpark loads of coaches, restaurants, café/bar, souvenir shops, yuck. Far too much commercialisation for me. The lakes & falls were pretty but with gravel trails and boardwalks everywhere all full of Chinese tourists and their bl**dy selfie sticks. I thought we were going for a walk in a national park with nature not half the far east.

 

[Lenny HB]

You lot will like this, had our first water disaster in the evening (I’ll tell you about the other one later).
I put the kettle on the sink cover and turned on the tap to fill it up, 5 min later “why are my feet getting wet” another couple of mins “ my feet are still getting wet”. Then it clicked, I hadn’t turned off the tap and water was pouring out the kettle spout over the worktop down the front and inside the draws and out onto my feet! Spent the evening sitting surrounded by piles of junk that was in the draws whilst drying them out. Great fun this Motorhoming lark.

 

[Lenny HB]

Next day while driving across the high planes between mountain ranges came across a grave and memorial that was miles from any villages or houses, took a couple of photo to see if we find out more info later. Behind the memorial the was a large gravel area with a couple of bits of concrete remains was wondering if it had been the family’s farm buildings.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

 

[Lenny HB]

I have to own up the bears were in a refuge, rescued after their mothers died either through accidents or killed by poachers when they were less than a year old.
Dosen't this photo make you want to give him a big cuddle.

Finally managed to get a free/wild night in Croatia, were going to stay in the village parking area by the refuge , asked the girl we were talking to if there would be any problems and she said bring your van down to our little car park. Later we were joined by a young French couple in a DIY PVC, it was getting dark they were setting up to do their cooking on a single burner in the dark.
We had a big pot of casserole on the go in the pressure cooker so we invited them in for dinner, they brought over a bottle of Pastis . A good evening, Pastis followed by tomato and mozzarella salad, chicken & tomato casserole and a bottle of the local red. Forgot the photos for Robert.
Next morning one of the volunteers invited us inside the outer safety fence so we got really close to the bears.

Water disaster No. 2, after drinking the Pastis I when to rinse the glasses ready for the wine, "what no water", water tank empty waste tank full! Me thinks what happened was when washing the broccoli before cooking I left the tap on, couldn't hear the pump running because of the pressure cooker hissing absolutely no water left at all arrrg! Now if I had one of those Carthagos with their ridiculously noisy water pumps I would have known.
Lesson No. 2 don't pump water over from spare containers until you actually run out.

 

[Lenny HB]

Now off towards the Dalmation coast, had a short walk up one of the lower mountains before descending to the coast.

Spot the Hymer.

Stop over by the sea for the night.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

We spent 2 nights at Tribanj-Krusica as the weather changed with thunder storms forecast. There was a severe weather warning forecasting 20 knot winds, 20 knots! that's a sea breeze where we live. The winds never happened but did get some very heavy downpours.

Monday weather cleared by midday so we headed down the coast to Zadar the site recommended by @Robert Clark the Lenny HB score was minus 500, they wouldn't even let me in, you could have told us it closed at the end of September. Didn't give opening dates on the POI's I had downloaded and even though the Camper Contact app was up to date on Mi's crapPad that site is not shown on the app.

Found a nice camper stop about 8 miles down the coast, Filco camping.

 

[Robert Clark]

Let's try and get to the bottom of these issues you're having.

Failing to plan = Planning to fail.

Stop trying to blame other people for your mistakes and Man Up

 

[Robert Clark]

Is hunting bears still legal in Croatia!?
I think we read somewhere that they were supposed to hivdit up when they joined the EU

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}