A few final thoughts

Snowfall at our final campsite

The trip is over, I am at Heathrow filling in more than a few hours before we fly home via Dubai. This morning we drove to Southampton docks, handed Chausson over to the shippers and caught a taxi to the coach station then on to London.

We left Spain on a Brittany Ferry arrived in Portsmouth and spent the rest of our time visiting with my Mum, Dad and other relatives in and around Herefordshire.  It was cold but not as cold as Spain had been when we were at altitude.

Now is a good time to reflect on the past 8 months and how we spent our time and the countries we visited.

Run down:

United Kingdom - Spent about 3 weeks kitting out Chausson and testing everything.

Loved the Elan valley in Wales.

France - 5 weeks in Normandy, Loire, Burgandy, Alsace areas in June/July
Another 5 weeks in the Alps, Dordogne, Pyrennees in Sept/Oct

Loved the food, wine, mountain areas, cycle paths, great aires and municipal campsites
Good roads, easy travelling except some of the smaller squeezy streets

Italy - only a week
Great food and wine
Not very good roads, dusty and a bit littered in places, also security worries so we were careful when selecting places to park.
Loved the Dolomites, Lucca, Montepulciano, Ravenna, Brunico and Venice

Austria - two weeks, but what weeks! Mid August peak holiday time in Europe but not crowded.
Pristine everything
Loved the mountains, rivers, cycleways, GrossGlockner High Alpine road

Southern Germany - 3 weeks in July/August
An unexpected delight, great cycleways, 
Loved Fussen, Deutsch Alpenstrauss (German Alpine Road), Bavaria.
Was hot when we visited
Food a bit too schnitzel and chippy, not to mention sausages

Portugal - Only a week - in November
Probably not the best time for Portugal. I have visited Portugal twice now and still think I should like it more than I do.
Enjoyed the Douro River area, cheap eats, friendly people 
Roads so bad we were forced to pay tolls!

Spain  - 11 weeks, November, December, early January - the longest time spent in one country
It was our first proper visit to Spain and it exceeded expectations.
Great heritage sites, fantastic roads, good wine, Best spots - Segovia, Granada, Avila, San Sebastian

How was our life on the road made easier?

The big fridge, running on gas, battery, mains

The refillable gas system, Gaslow, so we didn't have to worry about incompatible cylinders in different countries.

Howard and Hilda, the bikes from Halfords, - until stolen - made getting around easy-peasy

Large drop-down bed. A full size super-comfortable bed that dropped from the ceiling at the press of a button - no sore backs.

Webasto diesel heater that ticked away quietly in the colder times.

Big separate shower

Gas pull-out bbq, no cooking smells inside the little house.

Stuart's custom made shelf that held my morning cup of bed-tea and the dirty dishes at washing up time

Satnav, good maps

Mifi - our roving internet connection

What would have been better - some more space in the kitchen  . . . . 

Can you see Stuart's shelf and the secret photographer?

We will be home soon and looking forward to seeing Chausson again and planning some more trips.

See you later alligators

Campsite in French Alps, near Italian border