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What was New in Previous Years: This website started in 2005 so there are several previous 'What's New' linking to articles and images still on the website. |
What Was New in Previous Years |
| | Looking Out 2016: Resurrected after a long rest, we share some of our experiences, opinions and views of the world since January of this year. | |
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Website MagBazPictures: This growing website holds photographs from some major past journeys and all our photos from January 2012 onwards. Several thousands of pictures remain on MagBazTravels and are still used to illustrate articles. |
MagBazPictures |
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Motorhomes, White Vans and Caravans: For 16 years we lived and travelled in two American motorhomes (a Ford-based Four Winds and then a Chevrolet Fleetwood Flair). For 3 more years we experimented with two white vans (a Mercedes Sprinter and a VW Crafter) and three caravans (a Compass Rallye, Bailey Ranger and Lunar Quasar). Since July 2014, we have settled on and in a 7-metre Hymer-based Carado T337 motorhome. Here are pictures of the complete stable. |
Four Winds
Fleetwood Flair
Mercedes Sprinter
VW Crafter
Compass Rallye
Bailey Ranger
Lunar Quasar
Carado T337
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| Camping Sakar Hills for Sale in Bulgaria: The Jeffes family (Martin, Shirley and Matt) built the campsite and its large house, currently divided into two apartments, and have
managed it for over 10 years. Within easy reach of both Greece and Turkey, the site is fully described, mapped and
illustrated with 27 photographs. | Sale of Sakar Hills Camping |
| 27 Dec | 31 Overnight Camping Spots in Greece: A Nomad has given us this list based on her Greek tour in November and December 2016. As a woman motorhoming alone, A Nomad has added to our knowledge of where it is safe to park for the night in Greece's midwinter. | 31 Overnight Camping Spots
in Greece |
| 18 Dec | Travels in Sweden and Norway 2016: Having motorhomed through the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Sweden into Norway, reaching as far north as Tromso and Senja Island, we turn east and south into Sweden on the Silver Road. Making our first overland return to mainland Europe from Sweden, we return to Rotterdam via Denmark, Germany (including the Elbe ferry) and the Netherlands. | Travels in Sweden
and Norway 2016 |
| 13 Oct | Sensitive Travelling in Morocco: Jason and Julie Buckley were kind enough to remind us of an article we wrote in March 2012 about their account of a motorhome journey in Morocco. It had obviously left a lasting impression on them and we wondered why. Best judge for yourself! | Sensitive Travelling in Morocco |
| 28 Sep | Hammerdal Camping: Here is a description and photographs of this great English-owned and run campsite, following our 2-week stay. Next to and half-way along Sweden's 750-mile (1220-km) Inland Road (Inlandsvagen), it is ideal both for a stopover and for a longer exploration of the surrounding wilderness. | Hammerdal Camping in the
Heart of Sweden |
| 28 Sep | Words from the Vikings: Here are 117 English words which derive from the Old Norse language spoken by Viking invaders and settlers. "Without the Vikings, English would be missing
some awesome words like berserk, ugly, muck, skull, knife, die, and cake!" | 117 Words from the Vikings |
| 28 Sep | New UK Campsite Guide: Martin Smith has created this website with some great features including
exhaustive information about each featured site and a very useful and thorough
search function which works through name, geographical location and clickable
maps. |
UK Campsite Guide |
| 17 Sep | Scandinavia in Pictures: MagBazPictures is where we keep some of the images we have captured on our travels by motorhome and bicycle, most recently in Sweden and Norway. | MagBazPictures of Summer in Sweden and Norway |
| 17 Sep | Romania Campsite List Addition: Ella Dediu has given us detailed information on the Dorna Eco Campsite she has developed near Vatra Dornei in Moldavia, the far northeast of that fabulous country. The site is listed under JUD SUCEAVA. | Details of a New Campsite in Romania |
| 17 Sep | Romania Campsite List Updates: Following a summer visit to Romania with his partner, Bill Nicholson has updated the information we have on campsites on this relatively unexplored country. | Details of 75 Campsites in Romania |
| 17 Sep | People Prefer Campers to Houses: Katie Tombs has written with news of a survey among 25 to 35-year-olds on their prferred alternative place to live. Nearly a third of them chose a campervan, a figure that rose to two-fifths for those living in Wales. Click for more details. | Campervans versus Houses |
| 17 Sep | Motorhome Insurance Agents: The addition of AIB Insurance brings the total number of motorhome insurance agents in our list to 33, along with some general comments based on our experience of using several of them over the years. | 33 Motorhome Home Insurance Agents |
| 17 Sep | Readers' Comments: A recent trawl of the website's inbox realised another 11 comments from readers, many of them resulting from queries to which we have been able to respond. The comments are certainly most encouraging, particularly when we are working in a cold dark field with a failing WiFi signal! | 737 Readers' Comments |
| 17 Sep | UK & Ireland Free Camping: Thanks to the contributions of a number of motorhoming readers, our list of free camping places in the UK and Ireland has been updated with new places and (sadly) a number of closures. | Free Camping in the UK and Ireland |
| 22 Aug | Travels in Sweden 2016: Arriving in Karlskrona, we make our way to Sweden's Inlandsvagen (Inland Road), a familiar route through the centre of the country north towards the Arctic Circle, | Travels in Sweden |
| 15 Aug | Travels in Poland 2016: Continuing our journey through the Netherlands and Germany, we motorhome from Frankfurt an der Oder to Gdansk, paralelling our 1990 cycle ride from the UK to Tromso. This time we take a ferry from Poland to Karlskrona in southeast Sweden, rather than to Helsinki. | Travels in Poland |
| 5 Aug | Travels in Germany 2016: Entering Germany from the west near Venlo, we motorhomed about 500 miles to exit over the Oder River into Poland to the east. Meanwhile we enjoyed many miles of cycling in parts of Germany's excellent network of long-distance riverside cycle paths. | Travels in Germany |
| 20 Jul | Travels in the Netherlands 2016: Landing at the Hook of Holland we made our way east to the German border, motorhoming, cycling, walking, talking, watching Dutch TV, learning more of the language and following reactions to the extremely ill-advised UK referendum. | Travels in the Netherlands |
| 8 Jul | Guide to Dutch Cycling: The most comprehensive 4,700-word guide to riding in this cycling-friendly country includes a detailed map of all the official cycle paths with every junction number. It also provides routes between any two places you name, or click on, with distances, directions and the route marked on the map. Simply Splendid! | Guide to Dutch Cycling |
| 25 Jun | Reactions to the UK Referendum: Recent exchange of emails with friends in England, Scotland, Ireland, France,
the Netherlands, Bulgaria, USA, Australia and Indonesia, expressing disgust
at the nature of the referendum, the manipulated result and the consequent
paralysis and collapse of our self-styled democratic system. If this is 'taking
back control', we'll go for anarchy! | UK Referendum Reactions |
| 24 Jun | Return to the UK from Greece 2016: After the long motorhome journey from Greece through Sicily, northern Italy, France and Ireland, we take the Stena Ferry from Dublin to Holyhead and arrive back in the United Kingdom. But how much longer will it remain United! | Back in the UK |
| 9 Jun | Residence Status in the UK: There are over a dozen facets of life in the UK that work on the assumption that a person is 'resident' in the country. What are these essentials and how does the British traveller retain this important status of residency? | Residence Status in the UK |
| 27 Apr | Travellers' Websites: Details and a link to Australian Michael and Pam's excellent website, bringing to 42 the number of motorhomer's travel logs that we can recommend. | 42 Travellers' Websites |
| 16 Apr | How Travellers Measure Up: This is our review of all the measurements that travellers are likely to encounter throughout Europe and beyond. Where necessary, we show how we have developed our own way of measuring things with the Scun and the UDO. | How Travellers Measure Up |
| 16 Apr | The Barkers in Iceland: 1972 & 2016: With their usual thoroughness, Paul and Sheila prepare for their 2016 journey through Iceland in their VW Campervan. 48 pictures from their 1972 student expedition to that amazing country give them and their readers points of contrast! | The Barkers in Iceland
1972 & 2016 |
| 16 Apr | The Barkers in Finland 2015: This is their detailed, well-researched, well-written, fully-illustrated and mapped account of the Barkers' 19-week return motorhome journey in Finland in 2015. The account includes several illustrated articles in the fauna and flora they found and the complete listing and appraisal of the campsites they used. | The Barkers in Finland 2015 |
| 16 Apr | Early Travels in Scotland: Recently unearthed, we copy two short pieces from our past. An account of student Barry's climb on the Sron Na Ciche face of the Cuillin Mountains in the Isle of Skye, and a 9-day, 360-mile ride through the Outer Hebrides during a Spring Bank break from our work in Huddersfield. | Climbing & Cycling in Scotland |
| 7 Apr | Return to the UK from Greece Spring 2016: This is Margaret's detailed account of our current motorhome journey from Greece to England via Sicily, northern Italy, France and Ireland. | Greece to the UK 2016 |
| 19 Mar | New Camper Stop on the Gulf of Corinth: John (Giannis) Karvelis now has a Camper Stop with facilities for motorhomes at his long-established beach café, En Plo. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Corinth at Nikoleika Beach, between Aigio and Diakopto. | Gulf of Corinth Camper Stop |
| 19 Mar | A Greek Taverna Menu: The menu was translated by Margaret for a taverna in the small town of Vartholomio in the northwest of the Greek Peloponnese. The dishes are those you will find in many a Greek tavern, supplemented by specialities that have been developed by an old friend, the owner/manager Michalis. | A Greek Taverna Menu |
| 25 Feb | Websites for Campsites: After a thorough check and a couple of changes, Margaret reports that there are now 23 recommended websites, each of which gives detailed information on thousands of campsites throughout Europe. | 23 Websites listing Campsites |
| 25 Feb |
Overnight Parking/Stopovers in Greece: Peter Jenkins (PJ) has added more locations to his very full List of Stopovers in Greece, using some of our places and descriptions. He now has 120 places in the Peloponnese alone! His clickable map will be even more crowded after his visit to Greece which starts in March. |
Overnight Parking/Stopovers in Greece |
| 24 Feb |
More Great Cycle Rides: Now totalling 36,730 miles (58770 km), we have added links to accounts of 55 recent rides totalling 2,000 miles (3200 km) on the excellent cycle paths along the German rivers Danube, Elbe, Fulda, Lahn, Mosel, Neckar, Rhine, Saale, Spree, Werra and Weser.
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Our 33 Greatest Cycle Rides |
| 24 Feb |
64 Useful Links: Margaret has tidied up our long-standing list of links to websites useful for motorhomers, cyclists, caravanners and other travellers. Dead links have been removed and another 17 live ones have been added. |
Links to 64 Useful Websites |
| 21 Feb |
Jeff's Short Walks: Our old friend and personal hero, Sheffield quadriplegic Jeff Mason, gives a full description of 88 level walks in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire suitable for wheelchairs, prams, learning to cycle or for just a good walk, away from traffic. |
Jeff's Short Walks in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire |
| 28 Jan |
Motorhome Insurance Agents: Margaret has carried out a thorough review of our list of motorhome insurance agents. Websites, contact numbers and major features have been updated and failed agencies removed. |
32 Motorhome Insurance Agents |
| 21 Jan |
Travel Quotations: There are now 311 travel-related quotations in the section called 'Ramblings'. |
311 Travel Quotations |
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21 Jan |
Travellers' Websites: Having removed 14 sites which no longer worked (a sign of travellers settling down again), and added 6 new ones, there are now 41 recommended non-commercial websites that have been produced by long-distance motorhomers, cyclists and other travellers, with plenty of room for more. |
41 Recommended Travellers' Websites |
| 14 Jan |
2015 A Year in the Round: This is both a summary of our travels in 2015 - based on a 14,722-mile (23550 km) circuit of Europe - and a list of some of the highlights that mark and celebrate the achievement of 20 years on the road. |
2015 A Year in the Round |
| 6 Jan |
Baltic Republics & Eastern Europe 2015: Following our 72-day, 4,300-mile (6880 km) motorhome tour of Scandinavia in the summer of 2015, we sailed from Helsinki to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. We then headed south through the three Baltic Republics, into the eastern borderlands of Poland and so through Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Greece beckons |
Summer in Norway and Finland 2015
Baltic Republics & Eastern Europe Autumn 2015 |
| 6 Jan |
A View from the Baltic Republics: Barry's reflections on the fifth motorhome journey through the three Baltic Republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) in the Autumn of 2015. |
A View from the Baltic Republics |
| 6 Jan |
A View from the River Bug: This river forms part of Poland's border with Belarus and Ukraine. Along its banks are three of Germany's WW2 extermination camps: Treblinka, Sobibor and Belzec which we visited as well as the Majdanek camp near Lublin. What lessons are there for further European Union? |
A View from the River Bug |
| 6 Jan |
Fines for Free Camping in Portugal: Ali Kingston warns that heavy fines may be imposed on free-camping motorhomers in Portugal. You could even be fined without your knowledge and then have the penalty doubled to €250 for not paying immediately. |
Fines for Free Camping in Portugal |
| 1 Jan |
Summer in Norway and Finland 2015: Margaret has completed her full account of our motorhome journey across northern Norway well above the Arctic Circle and then south through Finland to Helsinki and a ferry to Estonia. |
Summer in Norway and Finland 2015 |
| 1 Jan |
Summer in Sweden 2015: Margaret's detailed account of our summer 2015 motorhome journey 1,630 miles (2600 km) through Sweden from its southernmost to its northernmost point on the border with Norway. |
Summer in Sweden 2015 |
| 1 Jan |
A New Campsite in the Greek Peloponnese: Here is a full description of a splendid new campsite at Plaka Beach near Leonidio in Arcadia, with a map, photographs and co-ordinates. If only a few more Greek campsites were like this. |
Camping Semeli near Leonidio |
| 1 Jan |
Images of the Ultimate Peloponnese Tour: Exactly paralleling the Tour, a gallery on our MagBazPictures website has a slide show of 54 images taken along the length of the journey. |
Images of the Ultimate Peloponnese Tour |
| 1 Jan |
Full Description of the Ultimate Peloponnese Tour: Running to 12,000 words, this is the full day-to-day description of our 15-day, 1,250-mile (2000-km) tour of the Greek Peloponnese by car in November, with maps and images. 56 locations are described which can be the basis for a wide range of tours, long or short. |
The Ultimate Peloponnese Tour Fully Described |
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Life After Marquis: July was wasted extricating ourselves and our money from the clutches of Marquis Motorhomes. Thereafter we bought a motorhome from Brownhills of Newark, equipped it and took the ferry from Newcastle to Ijmuiden near Amsterdam and re-entered the world of motorhoming. |
Life after Marquis |
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Marquis Malpractice: This is the almost unbelievable story of how Marquis Motorhomes failed to deal with any of the complaints we made arising from their mis-selling of an overweight motorhome and how they refused to refund the money we had paid without inordinate delay and draconian conditions. |
Marquis Malpractice |
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Readers' Comments: Collecting a few more Readers' Comments brings the total to 737. Thank you very much. If you would like to add your comment, please just Contact Us. |
737 Comments from Readers |
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53 Bicycle-Related Quotations: We have selected 53 bicycle-related quotes from the 86 collected by bicycle historian Carlton Reid for his proposed book 'BikeBoom'. They range from Boris Johnson to Jean-Paul Sartre and from Iris Murdoch to Michelle Pfeiffer! |
Bicycle-Related Quotations |
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Motorhome Insurance Agents: The need to renew our motorhome insurance encouraged us to resurvey the jungle of motorhome insurers. This led to the revision and updating of our findings.Contact Us to share your experience. |
Motorhome Insurers Reviewed |
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78 Fellow Travellers have contributed articles and images to this website, sharing their experience of long-term, long-distance travel by motorhome and/or bicycle. |
77 Fellow Travellers |
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64 Useful Links: Selected from the many, here are a number of links to websites useful and relevant to the long-term, long-distance traveller by motorhome and/or bicycle. |
64 Useful Links |
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147 Books for Travelling: 16 more books for our travelling in the summer of 2010 brings the total to 147, including some recommended by readers of this website. There are guide books, cook books, fiction and relevant non-fiction. Why not share the contents of your motorhome's bookshelf/ bicycle pannier?Contact Us! |
147 Books for Travelling |
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The Collections of 3 Fellow Travellers: These fellow long-distance, long-term travellers and motorhomers have each contributed a good number of articles to this website; enough to form a personal Collection. Click on their name to see a clickable list of their wide-ranging articles. |
Don Madge Collection (33)
Webb Collection (17)
Dr Bob Collection (17) |
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Our 33 Greatest Cycle Rides: Gathered together here are brief descriptions and links to detailed accounts of 33 of what we consider to be the best of hundreds of our cycle rides over the years. The chosen rides add up to 36,730 miles (58,770 km). |
33 Greatest Cycle Rides |
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