Lake Bled, Slovenia – Day 15 of our European Adventure
Well, Day 15 turned out to be a bit of a surprise.
We had originally joked that we were “staying in Bled all day”… and, well, that’s exactly what we did! 😂
After nearly two weeks of travelling, moving on and seeing somewhere new every day, it was actually rather nice to slow things down and simply enjoy where we were.
And when your home for the night is parked up near Lake Bled, you’re not exactly short of things to look at!
The morning started with a bit of drizzle before the rain decided to make a more serious appearance. The dogs, Tilley and Frankie, were sorted, and we got on with a few jobs around the motorhome.
We also made a few changes to the website, including putting all our daily podcast chats onto one page. It should make it much easier for anyone following our European adventure to scroll through and pick up each day's ramblings.
Because let's be honest, there are plenty of them! 😂
Eventually, around lunchtime, we headed out for a walk around Lake Bled.
And what a walk it was.
The girls weren't particularly interested in going into the water at first, but once we got the stick out, everything changed.
The same stick we'd been throwing the night before became the most important object in Slovenia.
Tilley and Frankie went into their usual routine – one stick, two dogs, swimming together in perfect unison.
We've seen it countless times ourselves, and sometimes it drives us mad when they start arguing over the stick afterwards, but today there was an audience.
And not just one or two people.
There were around 20 people watching them!
It turns out our two dogs have become something of an entertainment act. 😂
By the time I got my phone out, a few people had wandered off, but I still managed to record some of their aquatic antics and put it on Facebook.
We even bumped into a couple we'd previously met who had been recording the girls themselves.
Apparently, Tilley and Frankie have their own little fan club!
We continued our walk around the lake, stopping for lunch and taking in the scenery.
Lake Bled really is one of those places that looks almost too perfect.
The little island and church sitting in the middle of the lake make for an incredible view, and every time you turn around there's another photograph waiting to be taken.
We also spotted a campsite on the far side of the lake that looked absolutely perfectly positioned.
Unfortunately, it was fully booked.
Typical.
We completed the full circuit of the lake, although by the end my feet were letting me know that perhaps I should have chosen more sensible footwear.
I had my rather “spongy” trainers on rather than my proper walking shoes.
Suzanne reckoned she'd have been fine.
I'm not convinced! 😂
By the time we got back to the motorhome, it was around half past six and we had a plan.
Get the chairs out.
Get the dog bed outside.
Have a beer.
Then head out for something to eat.
Simple.
I got everything set up, sat down with my beer and started scrolling through my phone – only to realise my phone was nearly dead and needed charging.
Then the sky changed.
And when I say changed, I mean changed!
The black clouds rolled in, followed by thunder, lightning and a serious amount of rain.
We just managed to get everything packed away and back into the motorhome before the heavens opened.
Within no time at all, the motorhome park looked like a small lake of its own.
So our grand plan of going out for dinner was officially cancelled.
Neither of us fancied heading out in that!
After nearly two weeks of eating outside, we finally found ourselves eating inside the motorhome.
We even cooked fish.
Which may or may not have been a terrible idea.
At the time of writing, the van doesn't smell of fish… although we're probably too close to it to tell. 😂
The windows were opened, everything was cleaned up and hopefully tomorrow morning we won't wake up feeling like we're sleeping inside a fish and chip shop.
After dinner, we settled down and watched Road House on Amazon Prime.
It was a decent film, although right at the end Suzanne announced:
"I think I've seen this before."
Brilliant.
Still, it was a nice, quiet evening after a busy day.
Tomorrow is another travelling day.
Before we leave Bled, I've got one important job to do – fly the drone!
I've checked the rules and, thankfully, I'm allowed to fly around Lake Bled, although not in the national park area.
So the plan is to get the DJI drone up and capture some footage of the famous church and island from the air.
Then we'll get the bikes out, cycle around to one of the cafés and, hopefully, sample a local cake and coffee.
Because obviously, all serious touring research requires cake.
After that, we'll head off towards Italy.
The plan is to travel towards Trieste, then start making our way towards the Dolomites.
We've got the motorway arrangements sorted, although the various tolls and road charges continue to make us wonder just how much European road travel actually costs!
As usual, we don't have a completely fixed plan.
We'll see where the road takes us.
And that's rather the point of this adventure.
So, Day 15 was supposed to be a day of staying put.
And that's exactly what happened.
A leisurely morning, a full lap of Lake Bled, two dogs entertaining the locals, a thunderstorm, an unexpected fish dinner and a film in the motorhome.
Not a bad day at all.
Lake Bled has definitely been one of our favourite stops so far – and tomorrow we're heading for Italy.
Where will we end up?
Honestly…
We haven't got a clue! 😂
Follow Steven, Suzanne, Tilley and Frankie as our European motorhome adventure continues.
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Sunday 16th August 2026
Well, Day 14 turned out to be another one of those days where you cover a ridiculous number of miles, cross three countries, get very wet, slightly confused, accidentally overpay for things and somehow still end the day thinking, “That was a pretty good day!”
That’s touring for you!
After a lovely stay at Berchtesgaden/Königssee Lake a bit of a squashed-up parking spot, but with everything we needed, we packed up the motorhome and took Tilley and Frankie for one last swim before heading off.
And then we were off towards Slovenia and the famous Lake Bled.
Today was another proper European road trip. We skirted around the outskirts of Berchtesgaden, joined the motorway network and headed towards Salzburg before crossing Austria and eventually making our way into Slovenia.
The scenery was absolutely stunning, although the weather decided to add a little drama.
At one point we hit some seriously heavy rain and thunderstorms, with so much water coming down that Steven had to pull the motorhome over because he simply couldn't see where he was going. Then a car came flying past and threw a huge wave of water over us. Just what you need when you're already trying to see through a biblical downpour!
Eventually the rain eased and we continued towards Bled. And what a place to arrive at.
Every day on tour brings a lesson. Today brought several!
One of today's biggest tips for anyone touring around Europe is to remember that countries such as Austria and Slovenia require a vignette to use their motorways. These can be bought online and effectively act as a road tax.
We had ours sorted, but we also discovered that some of the major tunnels have additional toll charges.
And when we say major tunnels, we mean proper tunnels. We travelled through several, including one around 7.9km long, another around 7km and another roughly 6.5km. That's a lot of mountain to drive through!
Then came Steven's parking-machine adventure. Let's just say he didn't read the instructions properly.
He managed to pay for the wrong thing, including a coach ticket, and ended up paying around €50 without actually getting the electricity he thought he'd paid for. The electricity also managed to run out twice.
Cue much laughter from Suzanne and, of course, the immortal words: “I'll sort it tomorrow.” Famous last words!
We also had a slight water-related misunderstanding. We thought we'd had 50 litres in the tank, and asked for another 50 liters to top it up to full, only to discover that we'd actually ended up with around 75 litres. How does that equate?
Then there was the €2 toilet emptying charge... and it still clean it properly.
By the end of it, we were beginning to wonder if the motorhome was simply eating money.
Once we'd arrived and settled in, there was only one thing to do.
Take the dogs out.
We walked down towards Lake Bled, and this was one of those moments where you realise why you're doing all this travelling in the first place. The lake was beautiful, the weather had improved and we even managed to go for a swim.
And, of course, we got our first proper look at the famous Church of the Assumption of Mary, sitting on its little island in the middle of the lake. It really is one of those views that looks almost too perfect to be real.
We're hoping to spend a full day exploring Bled tomorrow, so we'll hopefully get to see much more of it. Although getting into town wasn't exactly straightforward...
We've established something on this trip.
Steven does not always trust Google Maps. Steven 'knows' better
And today, Google Maps had the last laugh.
What should have been about a ten-minute walk into town turned into something closer to 45 minutes because we decided that our own route looked more direct. It wasn't. We ended up heading through a wood.
At this point, we're beginning to think that maybe Google Maps actually knows what it's doing.
Maybe!!!... But don't tell Steven.
One of the things we've set ourselves on this trip is to try local food and drink wherever we can.
Today we had what we thought was some sort of Bavarian sausage, something a bit like a kabanos, which was actually very tasty.
There was also a slightly suspicious-looking processed meat experience at lunchtime. It looked a lot like spam.
Suzanne was not impressed by the suggestion that it might be spam.
Whatever it was, it tasted pretty good with tomato ketchup and mustard in a bread roll. So we're calling that a win!
We also spotted some Slovenian cakes that looked rather tempting. We're thinking one of those might have to be investigated tomorrow.
Purely for research purposes, obviously.
Another important event today: we finished our audiobook!
We'd been listening to The Stone Sisters, which was a freebie, and we both really enjoyed it. Neither of us managed to work out the ending, which is always a good sign.
Now we need something new for the next part of the journey. We're thinking another Ken Follett might be on the cards. Because nothing says relaxing motorhome journey quite like a gigantic audiobook full of murder, secrets and intrigue!
There's another little reality of motorhome touring that you don't necessarily think about before you set off.
Dogs take time.
And we're absolutely fine with that. But, when you're travelling all day, then stopping to walk the dogs, taking them for a swim and generally letting them enjoy themselves, suddenly it's 10pm and you're standing in the motorhome thinking:
“Should we be cooking dinner now?”
Tonight we ended up having sausages with our tea because we'd planned to have fish but simply ran out of time. It's all part of the adventure and to be honest, Tilley and Frankie are having a brilliant time.
Today also marked the halfway point of our trip.
We've travelled through Germany, Austria and Slovenia, and we're now beginning the journey back towards home through Italy and France.
Tomorrow we'll spend another day in Bled before continuing our journey south. We also need to find a vet somewhere along the route, so we can make sure everything is sorted for the dogs before we eventually head home and, naturally, Steven says he'll “ask Google”...
Although given today's navigation performance, we're not entirely sure whether we should trust him, or Google!
Tomorrow should be a more relaxed day.
We're hoping to spend the day exploring Bled, see more of the lake and possibly even manage another swim. There was also some discussion about taking the SUP out onto the lake.
The only problem? Getting the thing down there! We removed the trolley from the motorhome because we decided we didn't need it. We're now discovering that we probably did. Typical.
We're still trying to work out whether one of us can walk while the other cycles, or whether someone is going to have to carry the SUP. Knowing us, we'll probably come up with a ridiculous solution and somehow make it work.
That's pretty much how this trip has gone so far!
Countries visited: Germany 🇩🇪, Austria 🇦🇹 & Slovenia 🇸🇮
Destination: Lake Bled, Slovenia 🇸🇮
Dogs: Tilley & Frankie 🐕🐕
Weather: Sunshine, thunderstorms and biblical rain ⛈️
Google Maps score: Still questionable 🗺️
Parking-machine score: Don't ask 💶
Local food: Sausage… and possibly suspicious sausage 🌭
Audiobook: Finished 🎧
Swimming: Yes! 🏊
SUP: Maybe tomorrow! 🚣
Halfway point: Reached! 🎉
Another day, another three countries, another collection of stories, and another reminder that the best adventures are rarely the ones that go exactly to plan.
Join us tomorrow as we explore Lake Bled and continue our European motorhome adventure!
Follow along with Steven, Suzanne, Tilley and Frankie at Touring Ideas for more motorhome adventures, travel tips, campsite discoveries, food, tech, dogs and the occasional expensive “booboo”! 😂
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If there’s one thing we’ve learned on this European adventure, it’s that nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it looks on the itinerary!
Day 13 saw us tackle one of the places we’ve been looking forward to most, The Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) and, once again, Steven managed to make getting there considerably more complicated than it needed to be!
We’re still parked up at the beautiful lakeside spot at Königssee, and because we’d decided to stay another night, there was no need to rush off first thing.
The lake is absolutely stunning yes, Suzanne, I know I use that word a lot! and the water is so clear you can see right down into it.
So, at about 10am, we took Tilley and Frankie down for a swim.
The girls absolutely loved it. They spent the morning chasing sticks and generally entertaining everyone around them. They’ve become something of a travelling attraction themselves, with people stopping to watch them.
And, to be honest, they were probably better behaved than us for most of the day!
We eventually headed off towards the buses around lunchtime.
Now, we'd booked our tickets and had been told to arrive half an hour before our allocated bus.
Simple, right?
Apparently not.
We misunderstood where we were supposed to be and ended up needing two buses just to get to the place where our booked bus actually left from.
Then we waited around 33 minutes for the second bus, only to find that when it finally arrived, a load of people appeared from absolutely nowhere and suddenly seemed to have forgotten how queues work!
Eventually, we made it to the Eagle’s Nest transport hub with plenty of time to spare.
So naturally, we did what any sensible touring couple would do...
We went for lunch and a beer.
Currywurst, chips and a rather large Bavarian beer later, we wandered around, browsed some jumpers, visited the toilets, basically doing everything except going to the bus we were supposed to catch.
Then Suzanne spotted the sign.
“Eagle’s Nest – 150 metres.”
Our bus was about to leave.
Cue two people, two dogs and one increasingly panicked Steven legging it up the road!
And Then We Missed The Bus… 🤦♂️
We arrived just in time to watch our bus drive away.
Yep.
We'd come all this way, negotiated two buses, waited in queues, had lunch and a beer, and then managed to miss the one bus we actually needed.
I went back to the kiosk, where the lady quite rightly pointed out that the terms and conditions clearly stated that missed buses weren't refundable.
Brilliant.
I was convinced that the Eagle’s Nest was destined to remain on my list of places I’d never actually manage to visit.
Fortunately, there was a tiny bit of hope.
We were allowed to change our return bus, and the next bus driver took one look at us, dogs and all and basically said:
“Come on, get on.”
What a legend.
And just like that, we were finally heading up the mountain.
The journey itself is spectacular.
The road winds its way up the mountain through tunnels and a series of incredible switchbacks. Historically, this was also the same mountain road that was sabotaged as the Nazis retreated, and later had to be cleared by Allied forces.
At the top, you enter the famous long tunnel before reaching the lift.
The lift itself takes you up through the mountain, and the arrival area has an impressive circular room with a domed ceiling. It was designed to create an imposing and intimidating entrance for visitors.
Even the dogs weren't particularly impressed with the echo!
Tilley's tail was firmly tucked away.
Once at the top, though, the real attraction is the view.
And wow.
This time I'm allowed to use “stunning”.
The views across the Bavarian Alps, Germany, Austria and the lake below are absolutely incredible.
It’s one of those places where you can stand there for a while and just think about what happened here and the enormous historical significance of the location.
The actual building that stands there today isn't the original building as it was during Hitler's time. Much of the original structure was destroyed, and the building is now essentially a restaurant and visitor destination.
That was slightly disappointing for us because we'd expected more of the historical building to be accessible.
But the original tunnel and lift remain, and standing there certainly gives you a sense of the history surrounding the place.
One thing we definitely weren't expecting was just how slippery the rocks were.
Years and years of people walking over them have polished them almost like ice.
There were people wandering around in sandals and flip-flops, which seemed slightly optimistic!
Even Steven, wearing sensible trainers, managed to slip.
So if you're planning a visit, wear proper footwear.
The views might be spectacular, but the rocks clearly have a sense of humour.
Because it was so hot, there was no way we were leaving Tilley and Frankie in the motorhome, so they came with us for the whole day.
And they were absolutely brilliant.
We kept them well hydrated, found shade wherever we could and eventually managed to let them off the lead for the first time.
They were fantastic.
After everything they'd been through; buses, tunnels, crowds and mountain walks, they deserved their swim when we got back to the lake.
And that's exactly what they got.
This time, we came prepared!
Swimming gear, water shoes and even a chamois-type towel.
Very professional.
After walking back down from the Eagle’s Nest, we caught the last bus down and eventually made our way back to the motorhome.
By then, everything was closed and we were shattered.
So naturally, we went for another Bavarian meal!
This time it was pork steak with gravy, sauerkraut and a proper Bavarian bread dumpling with herbs.
And surprisingly, Steven actually liked the dumpling!
It wasn't the soggy, heavy dumpling you might associate with a winter stew. This was more like a piece of bread that had been shaped, seasoned and served up as a proper side dish.
Add another beer to the equation and it was a pretty good end to a very long day.
On our way back to the motorhome, we spotted another couple doing something really clever.
They had a projector set up on the side of their motorhome, effectively turning the van into their own outdoor cinema.
What a cracking idea!
We've got a projector ourselves but had never thought about using it like that.
Definitely one for the Touring Ideas list!
That's one of the things we love about travelling, you see what other people are doing, pick up ideas and think, “Why didn't we think of that?”
Over dinner, the big question was where to go next.
We'd originally been thinking about spending more time around Berchtesgaden and perhaps visiting Salzburg.
But after chatting to another couple, they recommended heading straight towards Lake Bled in Slovenia.
And when someone describes somewhere as having spectacular scenery, blue water and incredible views, we're easily persuaded!
So...
Slovenia, here we come! 🇸🇮
Although Steven is already thinking about whether we can squeeze in a quick visit back through Berchtesgaden to finally buy that fridge magnet.
Because obviously, no European adventure is complete without one.
What started as a day where we thought we'd completely blown our chance of visiting the Eagle’s Nest turned into one of the most memorable days of the trip.
We swam in a beautiful Alpine lake, travelled by bus, nearly missed our booked bus, drank Bavarian beer, ate Bavarian food, explored one of Europe's most historically significant locations and watched our dogs become the stars of the show yet again.
And now we're sat back in the motorhome, Starlink is up and running, the battery is complaining about something, and we're hoping to watch a bit of Reacher before an early night.
Day 13 — done and dusted.
Tomorrow?
Lake Bled. 🇸🇮
Bring on Day 14!
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Day 12 of our European adventure, and today we’ve travelled from Innsbruck into Germany and arrived in the beautiful area of Berchtesgaden.
It’s been another one of those touring days where you get a bit of everything: a repaired motorhome, a slightly stressful journey, beautiful scenery, a stunning lake, a bit of shopping, and the promise of something pretty special tomorrow.
And, thankfully, the motorhome is now running beautifully.
After yesterday’s discovery that something wasn’t quite right with one of our tyres, we found a fantastic garage and got it sorted.
The tyre had actually started separating from the carcass, something we simply hadn't spotted despite travelling nearly 1,000 miles. Looking at the old tyre afterwards, it was obvious that it could have become a serious problem if we’d continued driving on it.
Once the new tyre was fitted, the difference was incredible.
All those mysterious vibrations and rattles had disappeared. The motorhome was suddenly running smoothly, and we could finally relax a little. It was one of those situations where you think, How on earth did we not notice that earlier?
Still, we’re very glad we found it when we did.
The journey itself was around 120 miles, although with the tyre repair, shopping and various stops, it took us a good part of the day.
One of the interesting things about this route was crossing the borders between Austria and Germany several times. It felt like we were constantly popping from one country into another.
We eventually made it into Berchtesgaden, our fifth country of the trip after France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria.
The campsite / motorhome park up is certainly compact, though! There are motorhomes packed in everywhere, although luckily our neighbours have given us enough room to breathe.
Parking costs €25 a night, and we’re staying for two nights because tomorrow is going to be a big one.
Once we'd parked up, we took Frankie and Tilley out for a walk and headed towards Königssee.
We hadn't really planned the walk. In fact, we were barely prepared for it at all. We simply grabbed the dogs, followed a little path and ended up discovering this absolutely beautiful area.
Königssee is stunning.
Surrounded by mountains, pine trees and crystal-clear water, it was one of those places where you stop and think, Wow, we've actually made it here.
There’s a waterfall further along the lake which appears to be accessible by ferry and then a walk, so perhaps that's something we'll investigate another time. But, even just seeing the part of the lake we reached was more than enough. And then, because apparently we're completely normal people, we decided to go for a swim!
Yes, we stripped off and went swimming in our underwear. Sometimes you just have to embrace the moment!
There was something quite special about standing there.
Part of the reason is the scenery, but there's also the history attached to this part of Germany. We were now very close to one of the most significant historical sites of the Second World War. Tomorrow we're heading up to the Eagle's Nest, high in the Bavarian Alps.
It's something we've wanted to do for years. In fact, the idea originally goes back to our motorbike touring days. Steven had wanted to visit the area with Suzanne's brother, James, for around 20 years while touring the European battlefields.
Trips, plans and life always seemed to get in the way. Even today, with the tyre problem threatening to derail things once again, it looked like we might not make it. But we did.
And that makes finally arriving here feel even more special.
Today's other little lesson from travelling through Europe?
Bring cash.
We'd already discovered this on previous trips, but it was reinforced again today. Card payments aren't always as straightforward as we're used to in the UK, and sometimes there's a minimum spend.
We even came across a situation where we were just a euro short of the minimum amount needed to pay by card!
So our Touring Ideas tip for today is simple:
Don't rely entirely on your bank card when travelling around Europe. Keep some local cash handy.
You never know when you'll need it.
We also took the opportunity to get ourselves properly sorted.
The fuel tank is full, the fresh-water tank is full, the grey-water tank is empty and the toilet has been emptied and cleaned.
Basically, we're ready to go. Although the toilet-cleaning part isn't exactly the glamorous side of motorhome touring, it has to be done!
We also filled up with fuel in what turned out to be a rather expensive garage near Innsbruck. Of course, after leaving the city we suddenly spotted several garages selling fuel cheaper.
Typical.
You really do have to take your chances sometimes when you're running low.
And now for the really exciting bit.
Tomorrow we're heading up to the Eagle's Nest, the historic mountain retreat associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi leadership.
The site sits high in the Bavarian Alps and, weather permitting, should give us incredible panoramic views across Germany and Austria.
It's also an important place to visit from a historical perspective.
Berchtesgaden and the surrounding area were a significant Nazi stronghold during the 1930s and Second World War, and the Eagle's Nest has become one of the best-known historical sites in the region.
We're looking forward to seeing it, but we're also very aware that places like this aren't simply tourist attractions. There's a huge amount of history attached to them, and tomorrow will be about taking that in as much as enjoying the spectacular mountain scenery.
So that's Day 12 complete.
We've travelled from Innsbruck to Berchtesgaden, crossed into Germany, fixed the tyre that had been worrying us, explored Königssee with the dogs, had an impromptu swim, stocked up on supplies and got ourselves ready for tomorrow.
And what a place we've ended up in.
Beautiful mountains, forests, rivers and lakes everywhere you look.
We're not quite halfway through the trip yet, and already we're wondering how we're ever going to go back to reality!
Tomorrow should be another memorable day as we finally get to visit somewhere we've wanted to see for around 20 years.
The Eagle's Nest awaits...
Route: Innsbruck, Austria → Berchtesgaden, Germany
Distance: Approximately 120 miles
Stay: Berchtesgaden
Highlights: Königssee, tyre repair, crossing the Austrian/German border, motorhome maintenance and preparing for the Eagle's Nest
Travelling with: Frankie & Tilley 🐾
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Day 11, and we’re still in Innsbruck, Austria. It’s about 11 o’clock at night as we record this, and what started as a fairly ordinary morning turned into one of those days where absolutely nothing goes quite to plan!
Suzanne was up at the incredibly early time of 7:10 this morning, apparently the earliest she’s been up since we left Plymouth. There were important jobs to do, including getting some washing done because she was apparently running out of underwear!
There was also the usual morning tea and coffee debate. Suzanne has officially given up making tea because, according to Steven, she’s never been able to make a decent brew. Steven, meanwhile, is quite happy to make the tea himself, although Suzanne describes his tea as being about as strong as “Nat’s piss”!
Anyway, the important stuff started when Steven decided to check the motorhome tyres.
Yesterday, while driving the roughly 200 miles into Innsbruck, we’d both noticed that the motorhome didn’t feel quite right. There was a slight vibration and the vehicle felt as though it was pulling slightly to the right. It wasn't dramatic, but it was enough to make us think something wasn’t quite right.
And when you're driving a big motorhome, that's not something you really want to ignore.
When Steven looked closely at one of the tyres, he spotted something very strange. The inner tread had a much larger gap appearing in part of the tyre, around three centimetres, before returning to normal further around the tyre. The tyre was also starting to bulge.
Neither of us had ever seen anything like it.
The tyres had only been replaced last year, and we estimated that they’d done somewhere around 4,000 to 5,000 miles. So, understandably, we wanted it sorted.
We contacted the breakdown service through our insurance at around 8:50 in the morning.
And then we waited. And waited.
We had to call them back several times, and it wasn't until around 3pm that things finally started moving. Fortunately, an Austrian garage contacted us shortly afterwards, came out to inspect the tyre and agreed that it needed replacing.
The problem? They didn't have one in stock. A replacement had to be ordered from elsewhere and delivered to a local garage, hopefully ready for us tomorrow. So, most of Day 11 ended up being a tyre saga!
Steven also contacted the company that originally supplied the tyres, and even posted some photographs on Facebook and in a few motorhome groups. As you can imagine, that resulted in a variety of opinions about what might have caused the problem.
Some people suggested tracking, others suggested hitting a kerb, and there was the usual Facebook debate that comes whenever you post anything remotely technical!
Whatever the cause, we're just hoping the new tyre sorts everything out tomorrow.
With our plans for the day effectively put on hold, we decided to make the most of being in Innsbruck.
We took Frankie and Tilly down to the river for a good run and swim. They absolutely loved it – although Tilly decided to disappear downstream at one point, which caused a minor panic!
The river was flowing incredibly fast, and for a few seconds we were wondering exactly how we were going to get her back if she didn't manage to get herself out. Thankfully, she did.
Both dogs came back absolutely exhausted, which was exactly what we'd hoped for!
We also managed to spend some time updating the Touring Ideas website. It's one of those jobs that is easy to put off when you're travelling because there's always somewhere else to go or something else to see.
But, if we don't write things down while they're fresh in our minds, we soon forget the names of places, what we did and all the little details that make the trip interesting.
So, the tyre problem actually gave us the opportunity to catch up with the website and add more blogs, photos, videos and the voice recordings that go along with them.
You can follow along with our adventures at www.touringideas.co.uk
Once the girls had finished their swimming session, we decided we'd had enough of sitting around.
We got ourselves showered and cleaned up, got the electric bikes out and headed into Innsbruck.
It was roughly five kilometres each way, although our bike computer suggested we'd actually covered around 13.5 kilometres by the time we'd finished because we'd been riding around the town.
And that's the thing about exploring somewhere on bikes, you end up seeing far more than you would on foot.
We had a wander around Innsbruck, found somewhere to eat and stumbled across what looked like a small festival or street-food gathering. There were long tables with people sitting around eating and drinking, which immediately looked like our kind of place!
We couldn't resist trying some of the local food.
First up was a spiral of fried potato. Basically, a giant potato turned into something resembling a very long, curly chip!
It was absolutely delicious. We probably didn't need two of them, but when something is basically a giant fried potato, it's difficult to say no.
Then came the bratwurst and currywurst.
We had to ask what the difference was, but once we'd figured it out, both were excellent. The currywurst came with a sauce that was so good Steven was practically mopping it up like gravy.
It's funny how travelling works because you end up eating things you probably wouldn't normally buy at home and sometimes they're the things you remember most. And yes, we're still slightly obsessed with kebabs too!
After a few drinks, some food and plenty of exploring, it was time to get back to the motorhome.
One thing that is worth mentioning: we are very strict about drinking and driving. If Steven is driving the motorhome, he doesn't drink.
The bikes, however, are apparently a slightly different matter!
The ride home was eventful enough, including a moment where the route seemed to take us somewhere that looked suspiciously like a field. Thankfully, we made it back in one piece.
And by the time we sat down to record this, we were enjoying a glass of sangria and reflecting on what had actually been quite a good day, despite starting with a potentially serious tyre problem.
The plan for tomorrow is simple.
As soon as we get the call to say the new tyre has arrived, we're heading straight to the garage to get it fitted.
We'll also get the motorhome sorted with water, empty the tanks and then hopefully get back on the road.
Our next destination is Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany, in the Bavarian Alps overlooking Austria.
It's somewhere we've wanted to visit for a while, and we're hoping that tomorrow will finally see us heading that way.
Our original plan for Innsbruck had been to go up into the mountains, but the tyre problem put paid to that. We're not staying an extra night just to do it, though. There's plenty more of the journey still to come. And knowing our luck, there will probably be another obstacle waiting for us!
So that's Day 11.
What started with a dodgy tyre and a whole day of waiting turned into a surprisingly enjoyable day exploring Innsbruck by bike, taking the dogs swimming, eating some fantastic Austrian street food and getting the Touring Ideas website caught up.
Not exactly the day we'd planned, but that's touring for you. Sometimes the best days are the ones you didn't plan.
Tomorrow, hopefully, it's a new tyre, a full tank of water, empty waste tanks and the road to Germany.
Let's see what happens!
Follow our journey:
🌍 www.touringideas.co.uk
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Distance Covered: 200 Miles (Andermatt to Innsbruck)
Countries Crossed: 3 (Switzerland ➔ Liechtenstein ➔ Austria) in under 1 hour!
Major Landmark: 15.5 km Arlberg Tunnel (Arlbergtunnel)
Travel Companions: The crew, Steven, Suzanne, Frankie & Tilly 🐶🐶
We kicked off Day 10 of our European motorhome adventure leaving the high-mountain pass town of Andermatt, Switzerland, bound for Innsbruck, Austria. Cruising along Route 8 across Switzerland offered scenery that was nothing short of spectacular, immaculate chalets, serene alpine lakes (often dubbed the Swiss Riviera), and pristine mountain slopes.
One thing you notice instantly while touring Switzerland is the proud local culture: every village, town, and city is adorned with Swiss flags. But equal to the scenery is the motoring culture. The sheer volume of sports cars and motorbikes whipping around the mountain passes was unbelievable! In a single convoy, we spotted a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, and Aston Martin tearing up the mountain bends alongside Ducati and BMW motorbikes.
"We wouldn't even know how to travel on these roads in Britain, they'd be blocked up! The road engineering here is built purely for purpose: efficient, clean, neat, and smooth from A to B."
The absolute headline highlight of today’s drive was crossing three countries in less than an hour! We journeyed from Switzerland into Liechtenstein—a tiny alpine principality—and then directly into Austria.
It sparked a lively debate in the motorhome about Liechtenstein's unique status as a sovereign country versus a regional territory (like Catalonia). Crossing into Austria brought an immediate visual shift in architecture and housing compared to the traditional Swiss chalets.
Another major milestone was driving through the massive 15.5-kilometre Arlberg Tunnel (Arlbergtunnel) in Austria. Navigating a 7.5 meter motorhome through subterranean mountain passages is always an exciting experience!
Fuel Gauges & Range Anxiety: Always keep your fuel tank topped up when crossing remote borders in the Alps. Diesel prices averaged around €2.25/L in Austria.
Motorhome vs. Caravan: Navigating steep mountain passes is vastly easier in a motorhome than towing a caravan, no burning brakes on steep descents!... if you have some sort of retarder!
Campsite Pitching Quirks: Popular alpine hubs like Innsbruck can operate on a first-come, first-served "bun fight" system.
Cash Savings: Pitch fees for larger motorhomes (over 7m) can reach £70 (€80)/night, but paying in cash saved us money down to £65/night.
Off-Grid Power: Utilizing solar panels, leisure battery setups, and inverters allows you to recharge laptops, phones, and devices smoothly.
By 18:00, we safely checked into our campsite near Innsbruck after a full 200-mile leg. Finding a spot for our motorhome was a bit of an adventure, but once parked, Steven cooked up a delicious BBQ. After walking the dogs (Frankie and Tilly) near the river and pouring a cold gin and tonic with plenty of ice, it was time to relax.
Tomorrow’s plan is simple and scenic: a 4 km walk (50 minutes) along the riverside straight into the heart of historic Innsbruck. After tiring out the dogs, we'll stop for lunch in town, explore the alpine city, and check out the local mountain ski slopes!
#MotorhomeRoadTrip #AndermattToInnsbruck #SwitzerlandRoadTrip #VisitAustria #LiechtensteinTrave l#CampervanLife #ArlbergTunnel #VanLifeEurope #AlpsRoadTrip #InnsbruckCamping #SwissPasses #DogFriendlyTravel
Day 9 and Day 10 of our ambitious 6-country campervan tour across Europe. It has been a whirlwind of high-altitude mountain passes, breathtaking glacier views, charming Swiss villages, and the funny realities of life on the road with our two dogs, Tilly and Frankie.
We kicked off Day 9 in the beautiful alpine village of Kandersteg. Before tackling the mountain roads, we did a spot of morning shopping in town. While it wasn't high-end luxury shopping, I finally treated myself to something I’ve wanted for years: a proper, genuine Swiss Army Knife, bought right in the heart of the Swiss Alps
After shopping, we took the girls for a good stroll. Life on the road with pets always brings a few comedy moments: Suzanne put a bag of dog poo down on the ground while picking up dog waste, and a local came over to give us a bit of a telling-off, thinking she was littering! Misunderstandings aside, it was a lovely morning before hitting the open road.
Setting our satnav from Kandersteg to Andermatt, we deliberately set the route to avoid motorways. Doing so kept us off big highway loops and put us right on one of Switzerland’s most iconic alpine routes: the spectacular Susten Pass (Sustenpass).
Rising to an incredible 2,224 meters above sea level, the climb features endless twisty, winding roads and dramatic hairpin turns. Driving it was the absolute highlight of the day. We managed to pull over at several scenic viewpoints along the pass to capture some unbelievable pictures on both our camera and phones.
🏔️ Highlight Moment — The Alpine Glaciers:
Looking out across the pass at the alpine glaciers hanging between the peaks was an awe-inspiring moment. Photos hardly do it justice, but we’ve uploaded our high-res photographs of the glaciers directly to our website gallery, make sure to check them out.
Driving tight mountain passes takes serious concentration, and by the time we rolled into Andermatt, I was mentally exhausted from navigating all those twisty turns.
Andermatt is a unique mountain spot with a strong military history. As we walked around, we spotted heavy restricted doors leading straight into the mountainside with warning signs! While Andermatt is best suited for a longer stay focused on summer hiking or winter skiing, it gave us a great chance to stretch our legs. Best of all, the dogs enjoyed a well-deserved swim in the clear mountain river, leaving them happily exhausted for the evening.
Travelling in 31°C summer heat in the mountains brings incredible weather, but also classic van life maintenance challenges! After enjoying the views (and watching sheet lightning roll through during night-time thunderstorms), our top priority for Day 10 is finding a campsite with full hookup.
We need to charge up our leisure batteries, transfer camera photos off our SD cards to the laptop, and most importantly, drain our grey waste tank! In 31-degree heat, even a tiny bit of trapped waste water starts humming, sending an unpleasant blast coming back up through the sink plug holes. Ah, the glamorous side of motorhome travel!
Having experienced the authentic Switzerland, complete with chalet houses, Swiss cows, local cheeses, and dramatic mountain passes, so we are now crossing into Austria.
Our next main destination is Innsbruck. We’re heading for a campsite called Kranbittenhof (Cramm-bitterhof), where we plan to stay for two nights. This will give us time to recharge, explore Innsbruck properly, and prepare for our next leg into the Bavarian Alps toward Berchtesgaden in Germany.
On our drive over to Austria, we are also hoping our route lets us sneak in a quick detour through Liechtenstein, adding yet another country to our grand European tour!
#SustenPass #SwissAlps #RoadTripEurope #CampervanLife #VanLifeSwitzerland #Kandersteg #Andermatt #Innsbruck #AustriaRoadTrip #OverlandTravel #TravelWithDogs #DogFriendlyRoadTrip #AlpineDrive #Liechtenstein #BavarianAlps #EuropeanTour
Right, day eight! What an absolute belter of a day it’s been.
Our morning started high up in the hills over 1,000 meters above sea level. As we made our way down to 300 meters, our ears popped, the only real clue we had dropped so far, so quickly! We joined a magnificent elevated motorway that swept high above the shoreline, offering panoramic views across the whole of Lake Geneva.
We arrived in Montreux on the far banks of Lake Geneva. Parking can be tricky, but luck was on our side and we managed to score three hours of free parking in a blue-zone bay.
We took the dogs straight down to the main promenade, hands down the best, most beautiful promenade we’ve ever walked along. The town exudes pure opulence and luxury, yet feels completely warm and welcoming at the same time.
Walking past the iconic Montreux Jazz Festival venue, we made our way to the famous Freddie Mercury statue on the water's edge. Steven is a huge fan, and the statue is an absolute belter!
After some photos, we sat down for lunch, Caesar salads, chips, and drinks. Being Switzerland, lunch set us back 70 Swiss Francs, but enjoying it right by the water made it worth every penny. To top it off, the dogs had a lovely swim in Lake Geneva (catching the attention of everyone passing by, as usual), and we grabbed some Crème Brûlée and Caramelised Pecan ice creams for the walk back.
Before leaving England, we set a rule: try a local delicacy from every region we visit. Passing through the region, we picked up authentic local Gruyère cheese and garlic sausage for tea.
However, my Northern husband Steven took one bite of the Gruyère and declared he prefers Lancashire! In his words: "You can't beat Cheddar, Lancashire, or Primula for that matter!" (He also thought the local sausage was far too fiddly because of the skin). Still, washed down with a cold beer and sangria, we’re glad we gave it a go!
After a quick discussion on where to head next, we bypassed the main motorways and followed a scenic mountain route suggested by ChatGPT: the Jaun Pass (Passo del Jaun).
What a drive! The views coming down the pass were unbelievable. It was 31°C, yet right in front of us was a massive, glistening glacier that we couldn't take our eyes off. We even had a weird mountain shower where rain fell while the skies in front were bright and clear!
Pro Driving Tip: Keep your vehicle in low gear coming down mountain passes to avoid using your brakes too much! Our front wheels were black and our brakes were thoroughly toasted by the time we reached the bottom!
We’ve parked up for the night in the stunning village of Kandersteg. We scored a great parking spot for 30 Swiss Francs (great value for Switzerland!) that keeps us covered through tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow on Day 9, we’re taking the ski gondola up to a lake at the top of the mountain, continuing across the Swiss Alps, and Steven might finally treat himself to a Swiss Army Knife!
Montreux • Lake Geneva • Freddie Mercury Statue • Swiss Road Trip • Jaun Pass • Gruyere Cheese • Kandersteg • Campervan Europe • Dog-Friendly Travel • Swiss Alps Driving
#SwissRoadTrip #VisitSwitzerland #Montreux #LakeGeneva #FreddieMercury #JaunPass #Kandersteg#VanLifeEurope #TravelWithDogs #AlpineDrive #SwissAlps #RoadTripEurope
Sunday 9th August
Day seven of our European motorhome adventure started with a bit of wildlife drama, and we hadn't even left the pitch!
As we started the morning, a fox casually ran across the field in front of us. It stopped, looked straight at us for a moment, and then scarpered off towards the trees. Not a bad way to start the day!
And then there were the cowbells.
Lots and lots of cowbells.
One of the things I had asked ChatGPT about before setting off on this trip was wanting to experience the "authentic Switzerland", rather than simply sticking to the obvious tourist routes. Well, I think we've definitely managed that.
We crossed into Switzerland from France via a much quieter route rather than coming through Basel or Geneva. The road eventually brought us towards Lac de Joux, and what a beautiful part of the world it turned out to be.
We stopped at the lake, where Suzanne had a paddle and the dogs' had a swim in the warm water. What's slightly strange is that, right beside us, there was a ski lift and everything was already set up for the winter season. In the middle of summer, the place looked almost like a ghost town.
There were plenty of walkers around, though, and we took the opportunity to have a good walk with Frankie and Tilley. The girls even got themselves a swim. They have travelled incredibly well so far, and by now we'd covered around 750 miles – possibly a little more.
Now, this is where the day's navigation skills came into question.
Somebody – who shall remain nameless – took a wrong turn.
That somebody was me.
Despite the navigator (also me) saying we should be heading north, I somehow managed to head south on the D25. Suzanne eventually pointed out that none of the places on the map seemed to be appearing, which was probably a fairly big clue!
We pulled into a lay-by, checked the map book and, yep… we'd gone the wrong way, sometimes getting lost isn't such a bad thing.
The detour took us through some absolutely stunning scenery, with traditional Swiss-style houses and beautiful lodge-style buildings scattered across the countryside and pastures. It was one of those journeys where you can't really complain about getting lost because the views were spectacular. Eventually we looped back around and got ourselves back on the correct route.
The weather had looked a little dodgy when we got up. We had planned to get out on the paddleboard and have a play on the river before setting off, but the clouds were building and thunderstorms were threatening.
So, rather than waste the day waiting around, we decided to hit the road.
And what a change!
Only around ten miles from where we'd started, the weather completely transformed. The clouds disappeared, the skies turned bright blue and the temperature climbed to around 39°C.
It was absolutely roasting.
Not exactly the weather you expect when you're travelling through Switzerland with ski lifts and cowbells in the background!
After travelling for a few hours, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch, and by "treat", we mean McDonald's.
We don't normally eat it, and neither of us could remember the last time we'd had one – Suzanne reckoned it had been nearly two years.
Let's just say it wasn't exactly the highlight of Swiss cuisine! Especially when, not long afterwards, we passed a lovely-looking bar and restaurant with people sitting outside enjoying drinks and food in the sunshine. We definitely felt like we'd made the wrong lunch decision at that point!
Finding somewhere to stop for the night proved interesting.
Switzerland isn't exactly famous for being cheap, and we quickly discovered that free overnight stops aren't particularly easy to come by. We ended up using a public car park next to the road and paid for the night. It's not glamorous, but sometimes that's motorhoming!
We got the girls settled, cooked sausages on the barbecue and enjoyed a couple of drinks before settling down for the evening.
And then there was the sound of the cowbells. They seemed to be everywhere. As we sat outside, the bells provided a rather unusual soundtrack to the evening. We're not entirely sure how well we're going to sleep with them going all night, but it's certainly an experience!
Before calling it a night, I also got the drone out and flew it over the lake.
The timing was pretty much perfect, with the sun beginning to go down and the light looking fantastic across the water.
Unfortunately, the drone decided to tell me that obstacle avoidance was unavailable, and I have absolutely no idea why. Flying the drone over water always makes me a little nervous anyway, because that's generally when you get the best shots. Getting warning signs / messages is not exactly what you want when there's a very expensive drone involved! Still, the footage looked promising, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we captured.
So that's day seven done, and we're officially in Switzerland.
Tomorrow we're hoping to head down towards Montreux, where we're planning to see the famous Freddie Mercury statue and explore a little of the area around Lake Geneva.
According to Meta AI, it's only about an hour and a half away.
Which probably means it'll take us about three hours!
We're looking forward to it, and hopefully we'll find somewhere nice for lunch or dinner along the way.
For now, though, we're going to sit back, recharge everything, listen to the cowbells and enjoy our first proper night in Switzerland.
Day seven complete. 🇨🇭🚐
#Mcdonalds#TouringIdeas #MotorhomeAdventure #MotorhomeLife #MotorhomeTouring #EuropeanMotorhomeAdventure #Switzerland #SwissAlps #LacDeJoux #LakeJoux #SwissAdventure #FranceToSwitzerland #MotorhomeTravel #MotorhomeEurope #CampervanLife #CampingLife #TravelEurope #EuropeanRoadTrip #RoadTrip #TravelVlog #TravelBlog #YouTubeVlog #DogFriendlyTravel #FrankieAndTilley #DJIDrone #DronePhotography #SwissScenery #AdventureTravel #ExploreSwitzerland #Cowbells #FreddieMercury
When people ask me what the highlight of my trip to Switzerland was, they usually expect me to name a famous mountain peak or a luxury chocolate shop. But if you truly want to connect with the soul of the Swiss Alps, you have to slow down, step off the main tourist path, and just listen.
For me, the moment time stood still was when we arrived at our overnight parking spot near a sun-drenched alpine meadow. Below the towering peaks and crisp mountain air, a rhythmic, metallic chime began to echo across the valley; the unmistakable sound of traditional Swiss cowbells... and they didn't stop until very, very, very late at night!!!
Day 6 of our European motorhome adventure turned into another proper travelling day, as we continued making our way across France without touching a motorway for much of the journey.
We'd already covered a fair bit of ground, but decided to stop for the night at a small free stopover we'd found along the way. We thought it was beside a river or stream, but when we had a look around the following morning, it turned out to be more of a small stream than the river we'd imagined! Still, it did the job for a night's stop and gave us somewhere to rest before continuing south.
One of the highlights of the day was travelling through the Forest of Tronçais, a huge oak forest famous for its ancient trees, some of which are around 300 years old.
We didn't spend hours exploring it, but we did stop long enough to let the dogs have a good run and give the drone another outing. It's one of the things we love about travelling in the motorhome, you never quite know what you're going to find when you take a different route through the countryside.
And then came another opportunity to put the drone to work.
We found a lovely open stretch of road and decided to try out the #DJI ActiveTrack on the motorhome. The result was some fantastic footage of us travelling along the long, straight French roads. It's a completely different perspective from the usual dashboard or windscreen footage and really shows just how beautiful the French countryside can be.
Another big moment of the day was Suzanne taking over the driving and she didn't just drive around the corner either, she carried on for several hours!
She successfully drove through the centre of Moulins, which was certainly a bit more challenging than cruising along the country roads. There were roundabouts, navigation decisions and even a point where we had to turn around and retrace our route.
At one stage, Steven's map-reading skills weren't quite as impressive as he'd like to admit, and we ended up taking over the driving and navigation roles!
Eventually we stopped for lunch before carrying on south.
As the day went on, we found ourselves making good progress towards the Jura region. Eventually we pulled into a lovely spot near the Jura River where the dogs could stretch their legs and, importantly, have a swim.
It was a great way to finish a long day on the road.
We sat down, relaxed and enjoyed a glass of wine, although, judging by the conversation the following morning, perhaps we enjoyed slightly more than just one!
We stayed near Le Châtre in a small village, another one of those little places that probably wouldn't have appeared on our radar if we weren't travelling by motorhome.
By the following morning, we were now in the Jura area, close to the foothills of the Alps. The scenery was changing dramatically as we moved away from the flatter landscapes we'd been travelling through earlier in France.
The weather was still very warm, although we'd had some rain overnight.
We were now getting ourselves organised for the next stage of the trip – Switzerland.
There was just one small problem we'd forgotten about...
It was Sunday!
That meant the shops would be closed!!! With Swiss prices being what they are, it seemed like a sensible idea to do the shopping in France! - That backfired!!
We also needed fuel, as we were down to around half a tank.
So, with fuel on board and Switzerland getting closer, it was time to head off again.
Day 6 had given us plenty of driving, some fantastic countryside, a drone adventure, a successful stint behind the wheel for Suzanne, a swim for the dogs and a relaxing evening with a glass (or two) of wine.
And now the Alps were getting closer...
Switzerland, here we come!
This is all part of our ongoing European motorhome adventure with Touring Ideas, where we're sharing the places we visit, the roads we travel, the technology we use, the good bits, the unexpected bits – and occasionally the questionable navigation!
Follow along with our videos, photos, blogs and podcasts as Steven, Suzanne, Frankie and Tilley continue their touring adventures.
#TouringIdeas #MotorhomeAdventure #MotorhomeTravel #EuropeanMotorhome #Motorhoming #MotorhomeLife #France #TouringFrance #FrenchRoadTrip #ForestOfTroncais #Troncais #Moulins #Jura #JuraMountains #Switzerland #SwissAdventure #MotorhomeTour #VanLife #TravelEurope #ExploreFrance #FrenchCountryside #MotorhomeDogs #DogFriendlyTravel #DJI #DJIActiveTrack #DroneFootage #MotorhomeVlog #TravelVlog #EuropeanRoadTrip #RoadTrip #AdventureTravel
Sometimes, when you're travelling around Europe in a motorhome, you have to accept that not every day is going to be packed with sightseeing, adventures and exciting things to report.
And Day 4 was definitely one of those days!
After the previous few days of travelling and exploring, we decided to have a proper lazy day on the campsite at Colombier.
And by lazy, I mean properly lazy.
We didn't really do anything.
We went for a decent walk through the forest, which, once again, was absolutely beautiful. There's something about being surrounded by nature that just feels incredibly liberating. I seem to have got that word stuck in my head on this trip because it really does describe how we've been feeling.
We walked through the forest, enjoyed the peace and quiet, came back to the motorhome and generally did... well... not much!
Dinner was chicken skewers again, although there was a slight problem.
Apparently, I hadn't learnt from the previous night's cooking disaster.
The chicken skewers went on, things started heating up and before long, they had basically caught fire.
They were cremated.
Suzanne they were alright.
I disagreed.
I hadn't trimmed the oil and fat off properly from the night before, and it all caught fire. So, another successful evening in the Touring Ideas kitchen!
Other than that, Day 4 was simply about relaxing, enjoying the campsite and getting ourselves ready for the next part of the journey.
And sometimes that's exactly what you need.
Today we packed up and hit the road again.
Our aim was to make our way across France, heading towards the French-Swiss border, and according to the map, we're now pretty much in the middle of France.
We've been tracking the whole journey using Polarsteps, which has turned out to be a brilliant way of keeping track of where we've been and the route we've taken.
It also makes you realise just how far you're travelling when you actually see the journey plotted out.
We stuck to one of our travelling rules today too – no more than six hours of driving.
That's plenty for one day in a motorhome.
We also made our first fuel stop of the trip. We're getting somewhere around 400 miles from a tank, although we're driving a little slower than we might normally do, so that obviously helps.
Fuel isn't exactly cheap either. We found Super U was around €2.05 a litre, which is more expensive than we're used to paying back in Britain.
Still, you've got to keep the wheels turning!
One of the slightly surreal moments of the day came while we were listening to our audiobook.
We're currently listening to Ken Follett's Jackdaws, and as we were driving through France, we suddenly found ourselves approaching a small town called Le Châtre.
And guess what?
Le Châtre is mentioned in the book.
As the characters were being dropped off there in the story, we were actually entering the town ourselves.
It was one of those bizarre travel moments where fiction and reality suddenly collide.
We're trying to finish the book while we're travelling, so it was a particularly good coincidence.
We also stopped for some food and did a bit of shopping at Aldi before continuing our journey.
Along the way, we passed through another medieval town and decided to pull over alongside the river.
Naturally, this was an opportunity that Frankie and Tilley couldn't possibly miss.
The girls got to have a proper swim in the river, with us throwing sticks in for them to chase.
They were absolutely loving it.
The locals, on the other hand, seemed to find the whole thing rather entertaining!
By the time we reached our stopping point, the dogs were pretty tired. We took them out for a quick walk and they were soon ready to collapse for the evening.
We're currently staying at a free motorhome parking area, which is perfect for what we need tonight.
We'll have a quiet evening, finish listening to Jackdaws and get ready for another big day tomorrow.
We're now five full days into the trip and, looking at the route ahead, we're starting to realise that our original four-week itinerary might need a little bit of tweaking.
The map makes everything look reasonably close together.
It isn't!
Croatia, in particular, is starting to look a little further away than we originally thought.
That's one of the realities of travelling this way. You can plan everything on a map, but once you're actually driving the distances, things look very different.
So we may have to rejig a few destinations as we go.
That's not necessarily a bad thing though.
Part of the fun of travelling in a motorhome is being able to change the plan when you need to.
Tomorrow we're heading towards the Forêt de Tronçais, which has been recommended to us as somewhere worth visiting.
We'll head down towards Moulins and then continue towards the French-Swiss border.
It's going to be another fairly big driving day – around the 200-mile mark – so we'll see how we get on.
For now, though, that's Day 4 and Day 5 wrapped up.
Day 4?
Did absolutely diddly squat.
Day 5?
Drove across France, went shopping, walked the dogs, stopped at a few medieval places and discovered we'd accidentally driven into the setting of our audiobook.
Not exactly the most action-packed couple of days...
…but that's motorhoming.
Sometimes it's about exploring somewhere new.
Sometimes it's about driving through beautiful countryside.
Sometimes it's about letting the dogs swim in a river.
And sometimes it's about sitting outside the van with a beer and doing absolutely nothing.
And we're quite happy with that!
One of the greatest joys of motorhome travel is discovering places you never expected to visit. Sometimes those places become the highlights of the entire trip.
There’s something quite surreal about how quickly life can change.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned on this European adventure, it’s that nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it looks on the itinerary!
Sunday 16th August 2026
Lake Bled, Slovenia – Day 15 of our European Adventure
From Spain to the Alps: How Our Four-Week European Motorhome Adventure Came Together
When we started planning our long European motorhome adventure, we knew we'd have to make a few big investments. One of the biggest wasn't a new gadget or luxury accessory—it was something that would completely change the way we travel.
Before setting off on our European motorhome adventure, we decided to treat ourselves to a couple of upgrades. One of the biggest and hopefully one of the best was investing in Starlink.
Well, today has been a bit of a “let’s see what happens” kind of day!
