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In March 2021, we had to say Goodbye to MagBazTravels which had been our travelling companion for sixteen action-filled years. Its ageing technology means that it is no longer possible for us to add to its vast collection of words, pictures and links. However, it does remain as a resource for travellers of all kinds with the emphasis on just being out there on the road. All its functions will continue to operate as well as they ever did: menus, links, searches, copying, printing, browsing.
On 25 March 2020, we had celebrated being On the Road for Twenty-five Years.
Click here for the story of the website, the reason for it being archived and details of our other websites. | MagBazTravels
Lives On! |
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What
was New in Previous Years: This website started in 2005 so there are many previous
'What's New' linking to articles and images still on the website.
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What Was New in Previous Years
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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.
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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 travel in a 7-metre Hymer-based Carado T337 motorhome. Here are pictures of
the complete stable.
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Four Winds
Fleetwood Flair
Mercedes Sprinter
VW Crafter
Compass Rallye
Bailey Ranger
Lunar Quasar
Carado T337
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Marquis
Malpractice:
This is the almost unbelievable and continuing 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.
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Marquis Malpractice
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| Marquis Strike Again: In about 13,500 words, we summarise the results of a random walk we took around the World Wide Web in February 2017, gathering opinions from people who had used the services of Marquis Motorhomes. None of the comments are favourable, but not as a result of us being selective. It is just that none of the comments are favourable! This is raw data and we have done no editing. | Marquis Strikes Again
& Again |
Memorial for Murdoch MacKenzie: Barry devised this website to contain and share the writing, pictures, reviews, sermons and inspiration of the man I knew when he was the Minister of St Andrews Kirk in Madras in the 1970's. He died too young in 2015 and the site became a memorial to his inspirational life and work. Not least it holds Murdoch's account and that of his three young children of their return to the UK from India, through Afghanistan, overland and by public transport. Two great pieces of travel writing. | Murdoch MacKenzie
Memorial
Overland India-Scotland 1
Overland India-Scotland 2 |
Memories of Journeys Past: For many a long day of Coronavirus-evading lockdown, we have been marooned in a flat on Lancashire's Fylde Coast after 25 years on the road in a variety of motorhomes, caravans and vans - but always with our
bicycles. For protection against the
threat of encirclement and encroachment by English suburban values, we surround ourselves with walls of artifacts, books, pictures and memories of many a European and
worldwide journey, with the hope if not the promise of more to come. | Journeys Past |
| The Greece Beyond Reach: Since Covid means that we can't travel to Greece by motorhome at the moment, we can at least reminisce about the many times over the last 33 years we took that enormous privilege for granted. | The Greece Beyond Reach |
| On the Road Again?: As the rate of viral infection rises and falls and rises again, we reflect on the effect it has had on our way of life, on our travels and means of travel and the small world within which they are now contained. | On the Road Again? |
| Finikounda: Cycling Capital of Greece: Based on our cycling experiences over many years, here in text and 61 pictures we make the case for Finikounda being the very best place in Greece for the cyclist to be. It is also the location of Finibikes, the very best of Greek bike shops and workshops. | Finikounda, Cycling
Capital of Greece |
| 27 Free Internet Campsite Guides: Our popular list of website guides to campsites throughout Europe and beyond has just been supplemented with information on JetCamp. Covering over 20,000 sites in 49 countries, searching is by text and/or a clickable and zoomable map. | 27 Internet Campsite
Guides |
| 32 Pictures of the Three-Country Ride: The focus of the pictures is on the towns of Didimoticho and Edirne as well as the journey through the Rhodope Mountains. | 32 Pictures of the
3-Country Ride |
| The Three-Country Cycle Ride: Starting and ending the ride at Camping Sakar Hills near Biser in southeast Bulgaria, this 8-day, 7-hotel ride took us through the Thracian borderlands of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. The highlights included cycling in the Rhodope Mountains, exploring Greek Didimoticho and, of course, the time we spent among the soaring minarets of Ottoman Edirne. | 3 Countries, 8 Days
& 7 Hotels on our Bikes |
| Ten Tales of Woe: More stories in the actual words of ten people who were unfortunate enough to buy a new motorhome from Marquis. Their stories of what happened afterwards when faults and problems arose beggar belief. Why are Marquis being so uncaring, so confrontational, so obnoxious? Alan Doherty is the After Uncare Manager. | Marquis Motorhomes
Ten Tales of Woe |
| 70 Places in Greece for Overnight Stops: Margaret has updated her list of places in Greece for 'Stopovers', 'Overnight Parking', 'Night Halts' - whatever you want to call them. Most of them we have used and all but two of them are free! | Updated List of 70 Stopovers
In Greece |
| 33 Campsites Open All Year in Greece: Margaret has updated this very popular article with information from our most recent experiences. For example, Camping Drepanos at Igoumenitsa still has a manager who is clearly in the wrong job! He should try prison warden! | Updated List of 33 Campsites
Open All Year
In Greece |
| Published Reviews of 19 Campsites in Greece: These are Margaret's honest and accurate comments and facts about campsites we have used over the years in Greece. All have been published on the ACSI website and in some cases, a more recent review follows an earlier one, showing clearly any improvements or further deterioration. | 19 Greek Campsites
Reviewed for ACSI |
| Published Reviews of 40 Campsites: At the end of our Summer 2019 journey (7,710 miles or 12,340 km) we arrived in Greece thanks to the Venice-Igoumenitsa ferry. Behind us lay 55 campsites, 40 of which Margaret has reviewed for the very popular ACSI website. All these reviews are also published on this website in the order of our journey. | 40 European Campsites
Reviewed |
| Furthest North and East: A global map, co-ordinates, words and pictures illustrate the Northernmost Point of Finland and of the European Union (bordering Norway) as well as the Easternmost Point of Finland and the Mainland EU (bordering Russia). We have cycled to both locations in Finland several times over the years; the most recent rides were in the Summer of 2019. | Finland & the EU
Furthest North and East |
| 19 Post-Brexit Problems for the Traveller: Expanded and updated in the light (?) of recent developments(?) this is a sad litany of unnecessary problems that could face the traveller. If you voted leave you deserve it all, but it is not too late to recant: support Remain (the best deal of all) and live to regret the time and money which continues to be wasted chasing a chimera (='wild fantasy').. | 19 Potential Post-Brexit
Problems |
| Summary of our Summer Journey 2019: We travelled 7,710 miles (12,340 km) by motorhome from England to Greece, staying in 55 places in Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Czechia, Austria and Italy. We also rode some 2,500 miles (4,000 km) by bicycle. | Our Summer Journey
2019 |
| Reviews of 37 European Campsites: Here in full are the reviews that Margaret has written for the ACSI website in the course of our Summer 2019 travels in Eastern and Northern Europe, linked to our Summary of that Journey. | 37 Published Campsite
Reviews |
| Photographic Highlights of Travel in 2019: From England to Finland via Greece, Turkey, Eastern Europe and the Baltic Republics, 57 photographs present some of the highlights of that journey by motorhome and bicycle. | Highlights of Travel
in 2019 |
| Looking Out 2019: These reflections have now been brought up to date at the end of July, taking time out camped behind the Kohvikann (Coffee Pot) restaurant in the Lahemaa National Park on the northern coast of Estonia. | Looking Out 2019 |
| The Jeffes Double Land Rover Journey: Martin, Shirley and Matt Jeffes, owners and managers of Camping Sakar Hills in the far southeast of Bulgaria, drive their two Land Rover Defenders from Bulgaria to the UK. This is Martin's understated (he is a modest man) account of the journey along with 7 photographs. | Land Rovering |
| Readers' Comments: The number of Readers' Comments has now reached 827. | 827 Readers' Comments |
| 49 Campsites in Bulgaria: Margaret has updated our longstanding detailed list of campsites in Bulgaria following our visits to Campings Batak (Chris), Sakar Hills (Matt) and Veliko Tarnovo (Nick and Nicky). | 49 Campsites in Bulgaria |
| 76 Campsites in Romania: Margaret has updated our longstanding detailed list of campsites in Romania following our visits to Campings Oude Wilg (Manette and Tudor) and Eldorado. | 76 Campsites in Romania |
| Eco Camping Batak, Bulgaria: This is our review following a visit to this campsite by a lake high in Bulgaria's Rhodope Mountains. The word 'Eco' is a cover for very simple facilities and we were disappointed by the limited opportunities for cycling, but the coolness of the location in the heat of the Bulgarian summer was very welcome. | Eco Camping Batak
Reviewed |
| Post-Brexit Problems for the Traveller: Here are 18 unintended(?) consequences among the hundreds of others initiated by the 'Will of the British People' in the EU referendum. Taken for granted by British travellers by car, van or motorhome throughout Europe, these fundamental necessities all stem from our membership of the European Union. | Problems for the
Traveller Post-Brexit |
| Looking Out 2019: Month by month, these are Barry's comments and reflections on the passing scene. | Looking Out 2018 |
| Brexit, the EU and Cycling: In the context of both Brexit and Cycling, we pose the question: "How can balance be found between informed argument and ignorance?" | Brexit, the EU and Cycling |
| MagBazTravels in 2018: Our account of 2018 which summarises another year of motorhoming and cycling, with a focus on ten highlights out of many experiences along the way. | MagBazTravels in 2018 |
| Volt Shimano STEPS Bikes: A full description of how we transformed our cycling, from that of long-distance travellers on traditional English touring bikes to riding electric bikes with 28 features completely new to us. In cycling 400 km (250 miles) climbing 2400 m (8,000 ft), we used only half a kilowatt hour (or 8 pence) of electricity! | A Change of Pace |
| Greece-England-Greece Express: Margaret's breathless but rich account of our 2,200-mile, 4-overnight-ferry journeys to and from England to collect our new Volt Electric Bikes from Paul Hewitt's excellent shop and workshop in Leyland, Lancashire. | Greece-England-Greece
Express |
| Seven Welcoming Cats: After our Express return journey to England, seven cats were waiting for us back at otherwise deserted Camping Drepanos just outside Igoumenitsa in northwest Greece. Having missed their festive season treats, they settled contentedly for helpings of Lidl's Complete Pet Food. | Welcome Back to Greece |
| The Ferry Port of Igoumenitsa: In the far northwest of mainland Greece on the Adriatic and very near the border with Albania, Igoumenitsa never lacks a ferry leaving for or arriving from five ports in Italy and the nearby island of Corfu. | Ferries to/from Corfu
& Italy |
| Greek Wave Blessing: Throughout Greece on 6 January every year, the waves are blessed and the seas pacified by a priest throwing in a cross which is then retrieved by the winner among a competitive group of young men. Can this date back to the days of Poseidon? | Epiphany on the Dock |
| Minoan Overnight Ferry Italy-Greece: Unique among our experience of ferries, for a very competitive price Minoan offer a place for the motorhome with an electrical hook-up (for the fridge), a double cabin and 30% off meals. | Adriatic Voyage |
| En Route to Greece 2018: Margaret's account of this autumnal journey to Greece as we pass through Belgium (pausing in Bruges) and visit First World War battlefields south of Cambrai. Our search for the grave of Scottish War Poet E Alan Mackintosh proves more successful than we could have imagined! | En Route to Greece
Autumn 2018 |
| Images of the Journey through Belgium & France: Here are the photographic results of a visit to Bruges in Belgium. In France, we explored the World War One CWGC cemeteries south of Cambrai. The focus was on the grave and memorials to the Scottish Poet E Alan Mackintosh, killed on 21 November, age 24, at the start of the first ever tank battle. | Bruges
War Poet Alan Mackintosh
Cantaing Memorial
Cambrai Tank Museum
Orival Wood Cemetery
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| Double Land Rover Journey: Martin Jeffes of Camping Sakar Hills fame writes a fine, detailed and illustrated account of his double Land Rover journey (assisted by wife Shirley, son Matt and friend Shaun) from southeast Bulgaria to the south coast of England. | Double Land Rovering
Across Europe |
To Russia and Beyond: Living
in and driving their Globecar campervan in the Summer/Autumn of 2018, Jamie
Walker and Sylvie Mabille de Poncheville travelled from the UK through France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia,
Georgia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and so into Greece. Their full account and photographs do justice to this amazing achievement. | To Russia & Beyond |
| The Referendum Revisited: Using published statistics, we attempt to answer the question: 'Who are these British People whose Will must be Honoured?' The answer is as surprising as any other part of this crazy attempt at national self-harm. | The Referendum Revisited |
| 6 Looking Outs: Month by month, we record our thoughts, experiences, writings and impressions of the passing scene: places, travel, people, Brexit, politics, events, questions, answers . . . . | Looking Out 2018
Looking Out 2017
Looking Out 2016
Looking Out 2013
Looking Out 2012
Looking Out 2011 |
| 5 Websites: Here are the stories behind the five websites we have developed over the last 12 years. Starting with this site, conceived in Johor Bahru, we went on to develop sites for the college where Barry once worked, for a Scottish Minister of the Kirk met in India, for the art and design work of the Macdonald sisters and finally a place to house hundreds of the photographs from our years of travel. | The Story of Five
Websites |
| 69 Overnight Parkings/Stopovers in Greece: Margaret has updated this article listing places we know and have used. It also links to other websites, such as that of Pete Jenkins (PJ) and a French website (in English) listing over 800 places in Greece. | 69 Overnight Stopovers
in Greece |
| 32 Greek Campsites Open All Year: Margaret has updated this popular article ensuring that all sites now have GPS co-ordinates. Australians Bob & Lyn Smith have shared their experience of six of the sites as well as adding two new ones: Camping Mani Beach near Gythion and Camping Tsolis near Lampiri. | 32 Greek Campsites
Open All Year |
| 44 Travellers Websites: There are two new entries in our list of recommended websites by and for long-term, long-distance travellers. Sue and Nigel our out for a year in their classic Hymer, visiting every EU country; Australians Michael and Norma have been travelling the roads of Europe in their campervan every year since 2007. They have also made amazing voyages in their 37ft yacht! | |
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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).
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33 Greatest Cycle Rides
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26 Website Guides to European Campsites & Stopovers: This has been refreshed and updated and now has links to 26 websites which in turn list campsites throughout Europe, including an English Language French site with over 50,000 stopovers - over 5,000 of them in the UK.
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26 Websites
listing
Campsites
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33
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.
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33 Motorhome
Insurance Agents
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311
Travel Quotations: There are now 311 travel-related quotations in the section
called 'Ramblings'.
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311 Travel
Quotations
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44 Travellers' Websites: There are details and links to 44 recommended
non-commercial websites that have been produced by and for long-distance
motorhomers, cyclists and other travellers
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44 Recommended
Travellers' Websites
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834 Readers' Comments: Collecting a few more Readers' Comments brings the total to 834. Thank you very much. If you would like to add your comment, please just Contact Us.
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834 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!
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Bicycle-Related
Quotations
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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.
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78 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.
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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!
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147 Books for Travelling
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Fellow Travellers' Collections: 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.
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Don Madge Collection (34)
Webb Collection (17)
Dr Bob Collection (17)
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