HEADING SOUTH: NOVEMBER 2006

FROM DENMARK TO THE ADRIATIC & MEDITERRANIAN SEAS

This daily log gives an account of our motorhome journey south through Europe towards the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas, starting from Denmark after a summer and early autumn in Scandinavia.

Denmark was our 18th European country in 2006. After a winter and early spring in Greece, we left the UK in mid-May 2006 and travelled 1,650 miles via France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary for a 5-week, 1,000-mile journey in Romania. In mid-July we left Romania to travel a further 1,500 miles to Finland via eastern Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Baltic Republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. We entered Finland by ferry from Tallinn (Estonia), arriving in Helsinki on 4 August 2006.

For a further 1,400 miles, we enjoyed some of Finland's 187,888 lakes, its limitless forest (covering 70% of the land area) and glimpses of its 180,000 islands! After a canal trip into Russia, we crossed the Arctic Circle (see right), spent time in the northernmost town in the EU, reached Kirkenes on Norway's far north-eastern border with Russia, visited Vadso and Vardo on their lonely Arctic peninsula and, of course, struggled as far as Nordkapp (North Cape), the northernmost point in the world reachable by motorhome - or bicycle (see left).

After more than 6 weeks and 2,400 miles within the Arctic Circle, we travelled south from Norway's fiord and glacier-indented coast, into northern Sweden for a 1,000-mile journey down to the port of Goteborg and a ferry to Denmark.

Now we are now heading south and east for the shores of the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.

Distances are given in miles; heights in feet; and costs in Euros. 1 mile = 1.6 km; 1 foot = 0.3 metres and, at present, 1 Euro = about 0.7 Pounds Sterling. The current exchange rate for each non-Euro country is given in the log. The daily rate quoted for campsites generally includes an electrical hook-up.

A Table of Distances, Fuel and Costs will be included at the end of this journey.

For daily logs of all our travels in 2006, click: Travel in 18 European Countries 2006

To view a slide show of our journey through Finland, click: Images of Finland

To view a slide show of our journey through Norway, click: Images of Norway

To view a slide show of our journey through Sweden, click: Images of Sweden

To view a slide show of our journey through Denmark, click: Images of Denmark

The End of our Scandinavian Journey; the Start of the Next

At Skaerbaek we found shelter from Jutland's storms on a small simple friendly quiet campsite, a couple of miles east of the town. Open all year, it has free WiFi internet access, hot showers and is a member of the ACSI off-season discount scheme (visit: www.campingcard.com). Being 4 miles inland, devoid of beach, tennis court, swimming pool, go-karts, etc, it's much cosier than the pretentious and over-priced holiday parks we'd seen in Denmark so far. There is no-one here except Henrik (born on the top floor of the adjoining house, 45 years ago!) and his menagerie of pet goats, rabbits, ducks, geese, birds and dogs. Settling in, we quickly retuned the cab radio when it started speaking German (not far from the border, now).

We took time for writing, emailing, planning - and for counting. We have travelled 8,700 miles since leaving the UK in May and 4,600 miles since entering Scandinavia via Helsinki at the end of last July. Denmark is our 18th European country this year - and we have only 4 days until our motorhome insurance expires. This prompted a search of the internet, which also produced lots of data for the survey of Motorhome Insurers we're preparing for this website (click this link for more) and for a proposed MMM article on the subject.

Our own insurance quotes varied enormously and for no known or obvious reason. One agent quoted exactly double that of another, even though they both use the same underwriter (Norwich Union) and breakdown operator (RAC), and the cheaper one offers slightly better foreign travel arrangements. Metaphors such as 'minefield', 'jungle' and 'pitfall' come to mind. The surveys carried out by 'Motor Caravan Magazine' (link) and 'Which Motor Caravan' (link) both helped and confused us. Comparing their findings with our own internet searches simply demonstrates that none of the data comes anywhere near being hard fact!

Planning our onward route, we considered calling at Ardelt in Wettringen (a German motorhome dealer specialising in American RV's who has given us good service in the past). Sadly, neither their phone number nor their website now exist.

Checking cross-channel ferries, with a view to taking a day-trip to England without the motorhome, we found a new line operating from Ostend to Ramsgate (once our favourite route with the late-lamented Sally Ferries). Transeuropa Ferries only take vehicles (no foot passengers or cyclists) but they currently offer a 48-hour return for a motorhome up to 12m long, including passengers, for the one-way fare of ₤60 (!) We quickly booked a mini-break in Ramsgate – time enough for shopping and road fund licence renewal. See www.transeuropaferries.com for more info.

Our account of Ian Hibell's cycle ride from Bangkok to Vladivostok reached completion, when we received his last email filling in the final piece of the jigsaw, as he crossed the Chinese/Russian border. John and Sally Watson's cycle ride from London to India continues to captivate us.

The barometer swung from low pressure (windy, wet and muggy) to high (cold and crisp, with clear blue skies and overnight frost). We had to 'rug up' (as the Australians say) for a walk: through the woods, past the pig-processing works (its chimney smoking and the smell not reminiscent of frying bacon), across the railway line and into the small town of Skaerbaek. It had a good shopping centre, bank, library and old church. We bought a map at the Boghandel (bookshop)!

We left Henrik to look forward to his regular February break in Morocco, escaping Denmark's coldest month. It's pretty bleak now, very wet and windy again.

After pausing in Skaerbaek to spend our last 60 DKr at Netto, we headed south on road 11, which changed its number to 5 on crossing the German border into Schleswig-Holstein after 21 miles. In Suderlugum, the first town on the German side 3 miles later, the supermarkets were all open (despite being Sunday), their car parks packed with Danish cars – including one Lidl and two Aldi stores! Food or alcohol are obviously cheaper this side of the border, though there was little difference in fuel prices and no queue at the filling station.

The landscape was unchanged (indeed, this area once belonged to Denmark) – flat, damp, misty fields with cattle and windfarms and an occasional old thatched house. We crossed the railway line that runs west to Sylt, a long thin peninsula forming part of the North Friesian Islands. Sylt, belonging to Germany, has no road access, though cars are put on the train. It also has a ferry link with Romo, to the north, which is Danish and reached by causeway from the coast near Skaerbaek.

Our road swung inland to bypass the port of Husum, 37 miles from the border, then crossed the wide estuary of the Eider River 11 miles later, near Tonning, where we stopped for lunch with a blustery view. After another 9 miles at Heide, road 5 became a motorway, the A23, turning south-east with, surprisingly, no services along it. We crossed the broad Nord-Ostsee-Kanal 17 miles along, the waterway linking the Elbe estuary (North Sea) with Kiel on the Baltic.

A short unfinished section of motorway slowed us down as we came to Itzehoe (103 miles from today's start), then we had a clear run for the 40 miles to Hamburg. Most of the cars were registered HH - Hansastadt Hamburg – a reminder that Germany's largest port (40 miles inland on the mighty River Elbe) was a member of the Hanseatic League. The well-signed Autobahn took us smoothly across the city and under the river, via the Elbe Tunnel (free of charge and no lorries between 5 am and 11 pm). The traffic flowed so well that Barry drove through the whole way on cruise control, though it would have been a different story on a week-day rush-hour!

We emerged from the tunnel on the A7, alongside the massively impressive harbour, dense with ships, bridges, canal wharves, railway lines and freight parks. A huge container ship with Chinese lettering was in port, stacked so high it looked about to capsize. We recently heard on the BBC World Service in short wave that the world's biggest container ship had reached Felixstowe from China, carrying Christmas goodies. This must be its twin, come to stock the Lidl and Aldi shops! The port is right in the city centre: arriving on the ferry from Harwich in the summer of 1989 we cycled straight off and headed NE through the Alster Lake park, the start of our long ride to Istanbul via all the Iron Curtain Countries – except East Germany, whose borders our wheels were not allowed to cross.

South of the Elbe (in Lower Saxony), we turned off the A7 (which continues to Hannover) and headed south-west, joining the A1 (towards Bremen) at junction 43. It was now raining hard and dusk fell early. At exit 46 we left the motorway for the village of Heidenau, following campsite signs to an extensive holiday centre, about 3 miles south of the Autobahn. With mobile homes, wooden cottages, sauna and pool, fishing lake, pony rides, etc, it also offers 80 pitches for tourers in a lovely woodland setting, complete with ducks and red squirrels.

We had a quiet night (just one Dutch caravan in sight), with non-metered electricity and brand new facilities. The site is in the ACSI discount scheme in Spring and September, when we'd have paid €2 less! Nice to be back in a Euro-spending country with a language we understand (if not the inhabitants).

A few arrangements came together this morning. We phoned Bakers of Cheltenham to take out their motorhome insurance and breakdown cover for the next 12 months (the premium being half that of Comfort Insurance, who have covered us for 10 claim-free years). Also phoned Taylormade windscreen covers (our original is wearing thin after 10 years' service) and Edward will kindly make and post us another by the end of the week.

This done, we were back on the A1 heading south-west on a dry overcast and windy morning (10 degrees C). At Grundbergsee, the last services before Bremen, diesel cost €1.07 per litre or ₤0.75.

We bypassed Bremen, bridged its River Weser and soon left the A1 at junction 58, after 50 miles driving. Five miles of slow dual carriageway linked to the A28, which continued to Oldenburg, with a lunch break at Hasbruch Services on the way. Continuing west across the flat lowlands for 58 miles to Leer, we joined A31. After 3 miles, a free tunnel took us under the Ems River, which has the German port of Emden on the north bank of its estuary, the opposite bank being Dutch.

Another 14 miles to the Dutch border – welcome to the Netherlands, you are now on the A7! We turned off at the second exit for Winschoten and its suburban campsite, a couple of miles south of the motorway. The site 'formerly a castle' is fairly cramped and mean, with a minimal 4-amp hook-up (which wouldn't run the microwave) and extra charges for showers, cooking plates or hot water at sinks and basins, counted via a pre-paid key, with a €10 deposit. The couple in charge didn't have a word of English (or German) between them and it took some time to unscramble the unnecessarily complicated system! Not a place to linger.

For the continuation of our journey south - through Germany, Holland, Belgium and a side trip to England, click: Southwards and Onwards