Last year we bought our Motorhome at the end of June and having only had one night in UK we headed to Croatia in July. We loved it so much that we’ve been back twice more since! There are a few different routes you can take, but this our favourite.
We leave the UK via Eurotunnel and drive South to the French Alps, stopping on a small, friendly farm with a little donkey, chicken, sheep and of course, local wine.
Taking the picturesque drive to Mont Blanc (depending on the season, if you’re lucky you may see snow on the top of French Alps) we use the tunnel to cross into Italy stopping at Lake Idro or Lake Garda. My preference is Lake Idro with its unique, beautiful surroundings. The ground can get very wet if the rain has not stopped for three days and on the first night we actually got stuck on the pitch… Shovels and gravel helped us to get out and beautiful sunshine the next day made it all a distant memory.
We travel across North Italy, sampling Prosecco and regional wines and stop at vinyard. Local family run restaurant serving high quality meals and its own wine of course. Just perfect.
Next day after a refreshing dip in the ice cold river nearby we head to Slovenia and then, Croatia.
Making a longer stop near Pula we were able to sample some delicious Istrian food and wine and also to swim in an underground cave hidden on the slightly spooky peninsula with an old run-down refugee camp. We enjoyed some really beautiful sunsets and strolling in old town of Pula, before beginning our travels homeward via the mountains of Austria, stopping at family run campsite with super tasty food. The Village of Maria Luggau is full of history, but what I love the most are homemade products - honey, cheese, wild flower tea and of course schnapps! I can write enthusiastically about Austria all day as it is one of my absolute favourite places. Well stocked up with schnapps we headed to Germany and before stopping for a night we visited an outstanding family run restaurant, mentioned in the Michelin guide #gehrleinshardtwald. An unassuming place in a residential area, but undoubtedly one of the best meals we've ever had! That night, again, we stayed on a farm surrounded by horses at on Mosel River - one of 13 wine regions in Germany famous for its Riesling.
I am lucky that my husband likes driving as all the beautiful places I want to visit require quite a bit of travelling! The problem is trying to maintain a healthy diet whilst travelling for long periods. It is always far too easy to end up snacking unhealthily at fuel stops etc. I like cooking and we nearly always have some form of cooked breakfast (full English if I’m in the mood) as well as a cooked meal for dinner, but on the road enroute to the first overnight stop with everything packed away it is so tempting just to snack.
Otherwise, we just love it, the world outside your window as they say. Even on a rainy day it’s nice to sit inside, playing table games, listening to the rain, and feeling all super cozy. We travel in Europe, it is so diverse, and you can have breakfast in Austria, lunch in Slovenia, and dinner in Croatia lol
Since travelling Iryna has created a group on Facebook specifically about motor homing around Europe! Check it out and join Motorhome around Europe