Vikos Gorge

We moved on from Meteora to the Vikos Gorge, billed as the largest Gorge in the world, where we have been exploring it from various access points over the last few days. Inland Greece continues to impress us and by all accounts our guide book informs us we haven't reached the best bit yet. It is largely deserted except for the occasional out of season coach tour forcing their way down the narrow roads, something we knew we wouldn't see any more of when we almost had to fold our mirrors in to cross a narrow bridge in the Vikos–Aoös National Park.

The Gorge itself is almost too big to comprehend and it took a good few minutes standing at Oxia view point at the top of Monodendri for it all to sink in. Wild Camping seems easily achievable and indeed tonight we are parked in a small village of Papigo enjoying a fantastic view and guilt-free internet since the village, despite being at the end of a dead-end road, has it's own free communal Wifi connection!

The villages around the region are known for their traditional stone buildings with slate rooftops and cobbled paths, all constructed from local stone. There are also lots of old stone bridges dotted in and between the small villages along the Aoos River. There are plenty of single arched bridges which can be seen from the road and there is one near the village of Kipi which has 3 arches.

It's hard to believe in glorious 30 degree heat, although we have had a few occasional drops of rain, that it is almost October. Nature has a way of reminding you and some of the trees are already starting to lose their leaves, so we'll leave you with an autumnal scene.

Monodendri GPS: (39.87834, 20.74323) Parking just outside village where Vikos Gorge walk starts, ramps needed - good access to viewpoint of gorge. 

Meteora

Just to let you know we have updated the Wild Camping page and we will be updating the country guide over the next few weeks to be in a much simpler format with all the information and experiences we have had.

It's hard to believe we've been in Greece two weeks and we've only just filled up with Diesel for the first time. Fueling our van has never been an issue however we've found that many large forecourts don't accept credit card (a first, since every eastern European one did) and many don't even bother to display the fuel price outside which can vary as much as 20c. Many stations situated in towns are two pumps with long hoses which reach out onto the road and getting someone to come out and fill up your van can be a challenge!

We've had 24 hours of storms so we battened down the hatches and had a couple of duvet days just outside Thessaloniki. We'd read some fellow bloggers Lesley and Rob having enjoyed a visit there and we were keen to make an attempt to get into the city which we did but we concur it was a nightmare and once we pulled up to see some of the attractions were surrounded in 'Looky Looky Men' with their fakery we bid a hasty retreat.

We instead decided to drive across to Meteora and we rolled up to Pension Arsenis which we had heard of from a number of tips for the area. The hotel has enjoyed some success in the German motorhome community after it was published in a guide or magazine there as allowing motorhomes to stay over night. We had thought that the 'catch' would be that you would need to buy a meal, however after a long drive we didn't feel like cooking. Immediately upon arrival, in the company of three other vans, a large guy rolled up on a Moped and was very friendly and asked did we want Chicken or Pork! It transpired that rather then walk 50m from the hotel to our van he had chosen the Moped as his preferred method of transport!

The food was delicious, a large Greek Salad and chicken in his mothers special sauce as well as a mountain of chips and local wine. We coined a new phrase, which he kept using after every item was delivered "Best for you!". Sophie didn't quite take to having her hair and her face stroked by the guy each time he walked past and so when the other guests had left and we were invited for Ouzo's we made our excuses and headed back to the van. Total cost €25 which I suppose isn't too bad as he said he was happy for us to stay two nights no further purchase required!

The Monasteries themselves are unlike anything we've seen as most date back to the 14th century. You approach from an otherwise totally flat landscape and see these huge rock faces appearing before you in all kinds of strange and narrow formations. It is only when you start to climb up to them do you start to see the small buildings that have been perched and cut into the rock. 20 Monasteries existed at the beginning of the 14th century, however today only 6 remain preserved and inhabited by monks and nuns but are mainly tourist attractions.

From what we saw today we would recommend an early start or perhaps doing them in reverse, the furthest one first, since even out of season as it is at the moment they were flooded with coach parties. We went inside the Holy Monastery of Rousanou but they are so small and not designed to accommodate the huge numbers of tourists that push through them and as photography is not allowed we decided not to enter any other ones, they are best viewed from the outside.

Meteora GPS: (39.70859, 21.65441) - Parking at Pension Arsenis catering for motorhomes, very friendly. Great access from here to the monasteries. 

We're in Greece!

Just two of our Wild Camping Locations so far.

We've arrived in Greece perhaps a little earlier than we originally anticipated, having spent six months travelling through Europe now is the time for us to relax and reflect on our journey so far. The purpose of this trip was not to see everything, but to leave something to return to and we have already begun thinking about future routes possibly taking into consideration some aspiring EU members.

Istanbul was high on our to do list, however we've decided to put that on hold for the time being. As the gateway to Asian Turkey we will have to pass through it to explore that part of the world in the future so we've put it on hold until then. Our current insurers don't cover us for the Asian side anyway and we are wary of our vans residuals if we do too many miles. That said we are considering spending christmas in Spain! With that in mind and with work picking up for me (Adam) we have been slowly travelling around the Greek coastline from Stavros to Porto Koufos in just over a week.

First impressions of Greece are that despite arriving in September to heat in excess of 35c it is very much out of season with many restaurants and villas closed up locked down. The beaches are deserted despite warm waters but we have had other motorhomes for company most nights - but typically no English!

Prices are also more then we anticipated, as loyal Lidl-ers we made a bee line for the first store. Lidl is largely the same wherever you visit but the prices in Greece are easily 40-50% more then what we have been paying with meat nearly double that of neighbouring Bulgaria. This explains all the Greek registered cars in the car park at Lidl in Petrich (just over the border in Bulgaria) selling Greek Feta and Olives back to them at prices cheaper then home. In fact the roads were lined with Olives and Cheese all the way. Diesel is also 20p dearer at £1.28 vs £1.08 in Bulgaria.

Our only real barometers of expense are Supermarket food and diesel and having spent several months in Eastern Europe we need them re-calibrating since I'm sure these prices are on par with the likes of France and Spain. The roads are certainly better and Wild Camps are easy once again. We've seen no resorts on the scale and madness of the Black Sea and the waters are warm and clear - we're not really beach people but its been great to be able to unwind. The only question remains - why aren't you here yet?

1st Panorama - Akti Koviou GPS: (40.19102, 23.68961) - Fantastic cliff overlooking amazingly clear blue sea and nice beach - lots of other campers - showers on the beach

2nd Panorama - Ierisos GPS: (40.41805, 23.85992) - Parking on the beach - level parking on some ground - strange rock formations in sea. Gravely beach, nice to swim in. Lots of fish.

Rila 7 Glacial Lakes

We took the road from Sapareva Banya towards the start of the 7 Lakes Walk and initially thought we were on the wrong road. We had read about this fantastic new EU funded road leading up to a brand new Ski Lift which in peak season entertained coach tours and queues lasting upto an hour just to get to the top. The road was single track at best and giving way to oncoming traffic required on occasions the equivalent to bumping down a drop kerb. But, unexpectedly after several kilometers in this vain, the road widened to two lanes and brand new barriers for the rest of the way! There are plenty of free camping opportunities and we opted for one of the last pull ins before the ski lift car park.

There are several options for taking the walk, the most popular of which involves getting a 1.6km Ski Lift which takes around 15 minutes each way and is priced at 30lev return. This takes you up circa 600m and given the heat of the day we decided this was a sensible option to ensure we got down in one piece.

Sophie hadn't realised the ski lift would be of the open type, having previously traveled on enclosed lifts in Slovakia but she overcame her fears and only when we reach the top did she reveal she had hated the whole experience - but not enough to choose to walk down on our return!

The walk itself is a well marked trail and takes you a further 500 meters to the viewpoint from which you can see all of the seven lakes at the same time. I'm afraid to say we didn't make it quite this far as we were slowly being cooked to a crisp it wasn't really ideal to be trekking up mountain sides! But never the less the views we achieved were breathtaking and we managed to see 6 of the 7 lakes (although not at the same time).

Rila 7 Lakes GPS: (42.25408, 23.30440) - Small layby/carpark near chalets about 2 miles from the ski lift which takes you to the Rila 7 Lakes walk. 

Rila Monastery

Our route through Bulgaria, essentially travelling from the North East corner and exiting via the South West means that we are going to miss a couple of what would otherwise be the 'must see's' - those being Nessebar and Belogradchik. We've also decided on this occasion to miss out the capital Sofia - the first time we have missed a capital city in any of the countries we have visited. After nearly 14,000 we feel that we're ready for the second leg of our trip - which is to relax and unwind from the stresses that prompted us to embark on this trip in the first place. As much as we love touring around it is nice to have some down time also and for that reason we're ultimately making our way to the sun in Greece.

Bulgaria has presented us with a bit of a challenge. Unlike some of the other countries we've visited where you roll up and instantly absorb the culture and architecture by comparison Bulgaria is taking a little getting into. That's not to say that it's not a worthwhile place to visit, but it doesn't smack you in the face and a little effort is required to scratch the surface - but do as we did in Veliko Tarnovo and you will be rewarded.

After a long drive in our daytime rain storm of the trip and typically just after Sophie had taken over driving we arrived at Camping Zodiac. Typical of an Eastern European campsite it catered largely for wooden huts and motor homes have been a bit of an afterthought. With hindsight we could/should have wild camped but we were tired and everything looks a bit grimmer in the dark.

Rila Monastery was impressive and by this point we have seen countless places of worship. This one, like many others, has made it onto the UNESCO list and given by the amount of armed police present with their own little watch hut inside the main compound Bulgarian's take its importance seriously. We felt a little out of place admiring it for its architecture rather then it's religious significance. Fresco's adorn most of the exterior walls and the interior (no photography allowed) was equally impressive. We were also surprised to find that entrance was free, except for parking should you wish to park right outside the door.

On the road to Rila there is a small yard with some really interesting old cars stacked two high and other salvaged materials such as fire places and wooden carts, I daren't go in because I could have probably spent a day photographing the inventory!

Rila GPS: (42.14248, 23.35804) - Small campsite 1 mile up the road from Rila Monastery.

Camping Veliko Tarnovo - The Best Campsite in Bulgaria

 

We finally left Romania and travelled a mammoth 270 miles down the Black Sea coast and towards the town of Veliko Tarnovo to a campsite we had read about on MagBaz. Probably one of the longest drives so far on this trip and we were having a bit of nightmare with both our dash mounted laptop and our TomTom GPS dropping signal and sending us down farm tracks!
Eventually admitting defeat we called the campsite and Nick came out to meet us in the village and escorted us back where despite swearing blind their GPS co-ordinates were wrong (they're not, sorry guys!) we were relieved not only to find a great camp site waiting for us but also a bar with draft beer and an outside terrace. We've never felt the need to endorse anything so publicly with our blog but credit where credit's due Camping VT is probably the best site we've stayed on at home or abroad.


After six months on the road with desperately few native English speakers it was a surprising relief to be able to have conversation with people other then ourselves! In that respect Nick and Nicky were the perfect hosts and have plenty of stories to tell of their own road trip around Europe and the journey that lead them to setting up a camp site which has got to be the best in Bulgaria. You find that the kind of English people who make it this far into Eastern Europe all seem to be of a similar mindset and we got on well with all the other campers we spoke to, often chatting late into the evening.

The site consists of a shower block which wouldn't look out of place in a luxury apartment, 40 pitches each with their own 16A power supply and drinkable water supply, a swimming pool built for the 2011 season not to mention breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. We paid £11/night out of season without electric but still enjoyed heat in excess of 35c. One of the biggest bonuses for us was the Cafe Bar which serves a mix of Bulgarian and English cuisine with local wine and beer at Bulgarian prices so there really is no excuses for not treating yourself.

I can't begin to tell you how good a full English breakfast tastes with real bacon after such a long time away from home! You realise just how welcoming Bulgarian's are when you see how the locals have warmed to both the Cafe and Swimming Pool which I can imagine can get quite busy in season but the pool is open to residents only in the evening if you fancy a quiet dip.

 

The nearby town of Veliko Tarnovo is a great place to explore and the campsite has a local English speaking taxi driver named Dimitar who is able to take you into the centre for a fee of just £4.40 and provide you with excellent commentary and recommendations en route.
We probably didn't see half of what the town had to offer since we were suffering a little in the heat and so retreated into a local restaurant where we stuffed ourselves for under £15. It's hard not to get side-tracked by the estate agents offering properties for next to nothing by UK standards and indeed a couple of the residents on the campsite were in the process of doing just that.

Sat here checking the bill I've noticed that I've not been charged for two portion's of Nicky's delicious chocolate cake! Keep the tab open guys, we'll try and be back soon!

For more information visit Camping Veliko Tarnovo's website and don't get it mixed up with another local campsite who's underhand tactics have seen it taking on a similar name to cash in on their reputation. Ask for Nick or Nicky by name and tell them Europe by Camper sent you!

Romania in a Motorhome - Summary of our Trip

We ended up spending 16 days and covering in the region of 1200 miles through Romania in August 2011 and what an experience it has been. The intention of this trip was to provide us with a 'taster' of Eastern Europe as I think it's impossible to attempt to see everything on a single trip and indeed would leave nothing for future trips so in some cases we intentionally missed places which were too far from our planned route.

Romania has been everything we had hoped for and more besides - from the moment we crossed the border at Satu Mare from Hungary it was hard to believe we were in Europe at all, never mind still within the European Union. Horse and carts were everywhere, the villages were unlike anything we had seen in previous countries and in some places the roads were terrible!

If you are travelling in a motorhome of any value it is worth taking some time to carefully plan a route especially when the intention is to deviate too far from main roads. These can vary greatly in quality and in many cases do so irrespective of the grade of road which ranges from A, DX, DN, DJ and to DC. For us the worst strech was when travelling from the top of the Transfagarasan Highway towards the Virdu Dam - a video of which can be found on the bottom of our blog post here which is surprising given it's popularity with tourists.

Wild Camping is something which is practices by thousands of Romanian's who think nothing of pitching up a tent at the side of the roads or on a hairpin bend! Expect a few curious glances and walk pasts but usually friendly and we had many Romanian's coming up to us offering to share their food, home brewed whisky or asking to borrow a tow rope to pull their Dacia out of a ditch! We would recommend this for mixing with the locals and some of the spots we used are on our Wild Camping pages.


Our strategy for Romania and Bulgaria has been to plan a route to a campsite and then look for a free location en-route. This for us takes the stress out of ending up in an area with no free opportunities and in most cases camp sites were well under £10. Invariably a decent free camp will be a little way off the main roads and usually found next to water or more often a dam. This strategy always worked for us and we were always in company of other campers, usually Romanian's in tents but sometimes a small group of Spanish or German van's would roll up too.

The produce available at the roadside is fresh and a great way to interact with the locals, although we are yet to find out what the yellow liquid in recycled plastic bottles was - answers in the comment section please!

To read more about our trip, click here to see all our Romanian Posts.