Greece 2010.
27th May to the 4th July
This story starts a few days before we left on Monday the 24th May, when Pat smelt a gas leak in the Motorhome, all you need a few days before you leave. I spent hours trying to locate it and failed. In the end I purchased a device that sniffs gas . Within 5 minutes I had identified that the gas valve on the Fridge was the culprit. The end result was a new valve for £150.00, an unwanted expense at that time.
Thursday 27th May
We were all packed and ready to set of later that afternoon. Fully loaded, scooter, water, shoes etc. when Pat had the idea of taking the motorhome to the local weighbridge just to see what we weighed. I ( for obvious reasons ) wasn't as keen on this idea. We got it weighed and discovered that we were in fact 200 KG over weight. This wasn't as bad I thought so a bit of re packing and water dumping and we were quite happy that we were all above board and good to go so we set of early.
The tunnel people were very accommodating and we we arrived in France about 5 hours ahead of time..
Our first night was at after about 365 miles near Namur in Belgium at Le Roptai ( ext 23 on the E 411 ). A pretty large but uninteresting site, clean and tidy and at 13 euros per night and 3 mile off the motorway was just the ticket. We left the next morning heading for Switzerland making sure we filled up in Luxembourg on the way ( 98 Cents p/ltr )
Friday 28th May
With a good start we managed to get about 460 miles under our belt and eventually pitched in at " Camping Paradiso" in Melano on the bank of Lake Lugano in Switzerland . A well situated site with slightly small plots but right on the bank of the lake. ACSI price 15 euros plus a sneaky 4 euros local tax added on.
Saturday 29th - 30th May
Lots of Toll roads and narrow lanes later we arrived at a Dutch run campsite in the beautiful countryside near Monteciccardo in the Le march region of Italy.
Camping "Pondere sei Poorte" was a newly terraced large site that was set in a beautiful valley. The swimming pool was fantastic after a long days drive. The entrance onto our plot was quite a steep grassed area. The very large Dutchman said " you will be alright there as long as it doest rain " That night it heaved down and sure enough the ground turned to mud and we got stuck. Luckily a very accommodating man next to us took down his awning to allow us to escape by a different route. We stayed two nights and spent the second night parked on the main path to avoid getting stuck again. On the 31st we drove about 50 miles to Ancona caught the ferry ( Anek Lines ) to Igouminitsa in Greece. It was wet and windy most of the way. They allow you to camp in your motorhome , we hardly came out.
To see photo info go to full screen and click "Show Info " at the top right corner . Esc to return
Tuesday 1st - 5th June
Despite the disappointing weather we landed at Igouminitsa early on the 1st June. Last year we went to Greece with a big checklist of places we wanted to see such as Delphi and Olympia. This year there was no plan so we set of south with no real idea as to where to stop. Pat had read about Ammoudia, a small town on the coast and we headed for there.
When we arrived we expected to see loads of campers on the headland, but only saw one Italian van parked on the other side of the road. To our dismay a large new sign saying " No Camping" had gone up. We spoke to the Italians who told us that the local Mayor had put the sign up a few days before and all the campers had been moved on, much to the annoyance of the local bar owners who liked our money. We stayed for two nights in the road without incident. However, during the second night one of the local bar owners ripped the new sign down and threw it in the river. He then told us we could now camp on the headland. Well it seamed rude not to so we moved over there and stayed another couple of nights, until the Police turned up and served a letter on us saying we had to go or pay 147 euros fine each. So on the 4th day we left.
During our stay at Ammoudia we met some great people. Jelle and Jorine from Holland and Max and Hans ( who later started to stalk us ) from Holland. Max and Hans were members of the same Motorhome Club in the UK as us. ( M.H. Facts )
Ammoudia was a great place with a fantastic beach. It was also the estuary of the Acheron River. We Kayaked about 10 Km up the river and saw loads of wildlife including Terrapins, Kingfishers, an Adder, and a Beaver.
At night the reeds by the river came alive with birdsong which we later discovered were Nightingales. Ammoudia was a great place to stop.
From Ammoudia we drove up into the hills to see the start of the Acheron river at a place called Gliki.
To see photo info go to full screen and click "Show Info " at the top right corner . Esc to return
We then got a call from our fellow evictees "Max and Hans" saying that they had discovered a great place at Kanali beach further down the coast so we set of for there. ( Maybe we were the stalkers ) . When we arrived there were about 12 campers parked on the upper headland facing out to sea. However, after one night we discovered that we were competing for this area with the local Paragliding club who asked us to move to the lower area so that they could run of the cliff. The lower level turned out to be a much better location and was only a few yards from the sea. We stayed here for 8 Nights during which we went on the scooter to nearby Preveze to eat Kebabs and did a whistle stop tour of the Island of Lefkada, which was very nice, especially the west coast and the famous Porto Katsiki Beach
We had a great time here celebrating Max's 50th Birthday ( She only looks 49 ) and meeting some new friends Maria and Ger from Holland.
We did however discover that our bit of beach was in fact the gay cruising beach and we spent many an hour trying to crack the code . What does standing in the middle of the beach reading a newspaper mean or wearing red shorts. We didn't quite work it out.
Sunday 13th - 15th June
Max and Hans had already moved on and had found a good spot on the edge of a large bay between Paterios and Pogonia. So we followed them there. ( Honest, we are not stalkers )
This was great place but after two nights Pat was defeated by the Mosquitoes which had two seats and some had tattoos and knives. We did however kayak across the bay to Paterios and back, which was good fun
Tuesday 15th - 23rd June
From the outset we had planned ( I know I said we didn't have a plan ) to go to the island of Kefalonia but were unsure as to whether we could justify the additional ferry prices.
Having been bitten to death in Pegonia we thought sod it lets go, so we took the one hour ferry from Vasiliki at the bottom of Lefkada to Fiscardo in the north of Kefalonia. ( 92 euros ). The minute we arrived in Fiscardo we knew that we had done the right move. Kefalonia was beautiful and the far cleaner than the mainland Greece. We drove to the town of Asos which is still in the North. Asos has two parts, a pretty little town and bay and a large hill with a castle on the top which sits on a peninsular past the town. We parked in the carpark at the neck of the peninsular and had two great night there. We ate Kefalonian Meat Pie and Beef Stiffado in a fantastic taverna in the town called Platanos ( recommended. ) This town was clearly on the tourist coach route it was very relaxing although we didn't take the 45 minute up hill walk to the castle as the heat was very intense. The air was very still here and it was intensly hot . Pat found the heat and the smell of the flowers a bit over powering at times.( 40 Dec and very humid )
Whilst in Asos we met a man who was photographing the island. He recommended a small beach in the north west at Atheras. So the next day we upped sticks and moved. His description was right, it was a beautiful bay and we managed camp within a few meters of turquoise water and golden sand . We stayed there for 1 week and even got to know a few locals who dropped vegetables and figs in as the passed by. From here we used the scooter to discover the island. We watched the sun go down at Petani Beach and made a few visits to the local town of Lixouri. We even took a ferry from Lixouri to Argostoli so that we could ride over to a campsite on Sami to see the stalkers "Hans and Max. "
We loved Kefalonia and would love to return someday.
On the 23rd the weather changed and it started to rain so the decision was made to return to the mainland via a ferry to Kyllini. This ferry ( Although Longer ) cost less because we discovered that the Greek's can't measure and in their eyes everything is 6 meters long . If the driver of a huge coach was asked it's length he would say 6 meters. So declaring that we were 8 meters on the way over was a mistake . This ferry cost us 90 euros.
From the outset we had planned ( I know I said we didn't have a plan ) to go to the island of Kefalonia but were unsure as to whether we could justify the additional ferry prices.
Having been bitten to death in Pegonia we thought sod it lets go, so we took the one hour ferry from Vasiliki at the bottom of Lefkada to Fiscardo in the north of Kefalonia. ( 92 euros ). The minute we arrived in Fiscardo we knew that we had done the right move. Kefalonia was beautiful and the far cleaner than the mainland Greece. We drove to the town of Asos which is still in the North. Asos has two parts, a pretty little town and bay and a large hill with a castle on the top which sits on a peninsular past the town. We parked in the carpark at the neck of the peninsular and had two great night there. We ate Kefalonian Meat Pie and Beef Stiffado in a fantastic taverna in the town called Platanos ( recommended. ) This town was clearly on the tourist coach route it was very relaxing although we didn't take the 45 minute up hill walk to the castle as the heat was very intense. The air was very still here and it was intensly hot . Pat found the heat and the smell of the flowers a bit over powering at times.( 40 Dec and very humid )
Whilst in Asos we met a man who was photographing the island. He recommended a small beach in the north west at Atheras. So the next day we upped sticks and moved. His description was right, it was a beautiful bay and we managed camp within a few meters of turquoise water and golden sand . We stayed there for 1 week and even got to know a few locals who dropped vegetables and figs in as the passed by. From here we used the scooter to discover the island. We watched the sun go down at Petani Beach and made a few visits to the local town of Lixouri. We even took a ferry from Lixouri to Argostoli so that we could ride over to a campsite on Sami to see the stalkers "Hans and Max. "
We loved Kefalonia and would love to return someday.
On the 23rd the weather changed and it started to rain so the decision was made to return to the mainland via a ferry to Kyllini. This ferry ( Although Longer ) cost less because we discovered that the Greek's can't measure and in their eyes everything is 6 meters long . If the driver of a huge coach was asked it's length he would say 6 meters. So declaring that we were 8 meters on the way over was a mistake . This ferry cost us 90 euros.
Looking back I think that Kefaloni was the highlight of the trip.
To see photo info go to full screen and click "Show Info " at the top right corner . Esc to return
To see photo info go to full screen and click "Show Info " at the top right corner . Esc to return
Wednesday 23rd June - 1st July
We arrived in Kyllini, on the Peloponnese, and it was still pretty overcast so with the aid of a local hotels WiFi we located the sun in the south and set of for a place called Gialova. We went there last year and wanted to return. Gialova is a nature reserve on the coast and no wild camping is permitted so we had to bite the bullet and book in at a fabulous modern site called " Camping Erodios". This site is good for water sports , especially windsurfing and the beach front plots are always in demand and mostly unavailable. We parked away from the beach in a shaded area. As luck would have it our area was invaded by the Greek "Africa Twin Motorcycle Club" who although very nice were quite noisy ( Simply because of the numbers ) so the campsite manager offered to move us and we managed to get one of the well sort after beach front plots for the next few days.
Again we discovered the area by scooter and had a morning on the beautiful beach at Voidokilia.
We did however have the slightly humiliating experience of being the only brits in a bar full of about 50 Germans when England got knocked out of the world cup. ( By Germany )
We stayed here for 5 nights then drove back to Kyllini to a wild camping area that we discovered last year.
The beach at Kyllini is fantastic and can be flat calm one minute and then huge waves the next. We met some great people here including a German couple called Gunther and Ingrid, a french couple called Fabrice and Sarah and a Belgium couple called Ingrid and Johanas. A united nations meeting was called and over many beers we put the world to rights. A great evening.
Sadly on the Thursday we had to set off to Patras for the ferry back to Ancona in Italy. Patras is not the easiest town to navigate through so we latched onto some Belgium motorhomes, who appeared to know where they were going, outside the town and the took us right to the port. As usual they crammed us all into one end of the ferry leaving enough room to host the world cup at the other. ( Greek Logic I guess ). Loading was slow as every vehicle was searched for refugees ( I think they were Albanians or Romainians ) who were crowding the port area. To my surprise a few were discovered hiding in lorries and vans. On the ferry we were lucky enough to get an outside place which meant a sea view from the motorhome. We also found that we were parked in front of a Belgium couple, Marc and Pia, who were parked next to us on the way out. ( Spooky )
Friday 2nd July - 4th July
We arrived in Ancona mid afternoon and the long haul home commenced.
In the first leg managed to get back to "Camping Paradiso" on lake Lugano Switzerland. We turned up late and i had been a bit worried that we might not get in. However, upon arrival I saw that the main camping field was almost empty, strange I thought. I presented my ACSI discount card expecting the same price as on the way down ( 19 euros ) only to be told that discount season was now over and it was in fact 45 euros for the night. No wonder the field was empty. I politely declined. As luck would have it the Swiss are quite lenient about staying in service areas which often have a parking limit of 15 hours, perfect for a nights kip. We stopped in a layby service area that we have used before, about 50 miles south of the Gottard Tunnel. Little did we know that friday night was Gay cruising night and our layby was all action. We had about 15-20 men wandering about all night. They clearly had a different code to the Greeks and there were no newspapers or red shorts in sight. However, white tea shirts appeared to be significant. despite the action we did get a good nights sleep.
The next leg got us to "Camping Krounebierg" in Luxembourg. I was annoyed when I discovered that my sat nav had fed me off the motorway one junction too early in Luxembourg. However, having never really looked at Luxembourg at anything other than a big cheap petrol station, i was very pleasantly surprised. Luxembourg was fantastic, very clean and pretty. The next day we decided to stay off the main roads for the first hour to see some more . We will definitely return here.
We got to the Channel tunnel early and they were again accommodating and we managed to get back home about 5 hours earlier that expected.
What a fantastic journey and holiday.
We discovered some great coastline and met loads of wonderful people.
It was totally relaxing which was just what the doctor ordered .
You Can't get better than that.
We discovered some great coastline and met loads of wonderful people.
It was totally relaxing which was just what the doctor ordered .
You Can't get better than that.
Additional Information
For those of us who are a bit geeky or maybe planning a similar trip, we have added some additional information that may help you.
Total Number of Nights 38
Wildcamping Nights ( inc boat ) 28
Payed Campsite Nights 10 ( Total Cost £147 )
Total mileage door to door ( Essex ) 2578
Ferry/ Tunnel Costs
Euro tunnel Return £152.00 ( Free via Tesco Clubcard )
Ancona-Igouminitsa/ Patras- Ancona £300.00
Lefkada - Kefalonia 92 euro
Kefalonia - Kyllini 90 euro
The total spend for the whole holiday including food, fuel and gas etc was £2000.00.
GPS Locations
Campsite "Le Roptai" Belgium N50.6410 E05.8200
Campsite "Paradiso" Lugano Switzerland N45.5524 E08.5845
Campsite "podere sei Poorte" Italy N43.4840 E12.4918
Wildcamp "Ammoudia" N39.1417 E20.2077
Wildcamp " Kanali" N39.0332 E20.4198
Wildcamp " Pegonia" N38.7963 E20.8533
Wildcamp "Asos" Kefalonia N38.3768 E20.5378
Wildcamp " Atheras" Kefalonia N38.3357 E20.4114
Campsite " Camping Erodios" Gialova N36.9524 E21.6960
Wildcamp " Kyllini Beach" Peloponnese N37.8745 E21.1077Wildcamp" Layby on E35" Switzerland N46.1443 E08.9457
Campsite " Krounebierg" Luxembourg N49.4438 E06.0524
We hope you have enjoyed this blog and if you are planning a similar trip and you think we can help then get in touch
Best wishes
Neil and Pat
