Our Adriatic adventure... from Calais to Croatia and back again

Last year we, the Philpott family, aka the Overnighters, took our first European motorhome adventure down to the South of France in our Bailey of Bristol Advance 76-4. But this year we fancied a more epic road trip and after much family discussion we settled on Croatia on the Adriatic Coast as our final destination.

Unlike your bulk-standard package holiday, touring in a motorhome is SO much more than finally arriving at your resort. In a van the entire journey is an adventure, so planning our route & stop-overs was as exciting as the end goal.

And this is where those 5 ‘p’s were crucial. Our trip was all about the planning. It was peak-season and we were going to busy destinations. It wasn’t rocket science, we needed to book! And book we did, many pitches more than 6 months in advance.

But with time on your hands and the freedom to tour outside school holidays, you can make the most of the aires & stellplatz dotted throughout much of Europe. Touring in your motorhome can be a magical mystery tour, you can go wherever the mood takes you. But we had just 23 days in mid-summer, so our itinerary needed to run like military clockwork.

Organising such an epic trip can seem a little overwhelming at first. There is so much to consider; road rules, local laws, language barriers, tolls, vignettes. Warning triangles, high-vis jackets, headlight deflectors… Aaargh! Maybe we should just stay in good old Blighty.

But remember, Google is your friend. Read blogs, watch vlogs. You just need to do your research & ensure you have the correct equipment & documentation. We belong to the Caravan and Motorhome Club and their website has all the rules & regulations we needed to know. Plus, the AA & RAC provide detailed lists for each European country.

Of course, even the best laid plans can’t prevent unexpected problems but that’s where the correct break-down, accident and health insurances are vital. Once again, we booked these all through the C&M Club.

So, after months of researching rules, booking sites & planning routes we were finally good to go.

Our first night on the France/Belgium border was reassuringly familiar, fresh baguettes from the camp shop and a game of boules with the locals. It was the perfect way to ease gently into our 2000 miles+ road trip. But from here on it would all be new territory.

The second night found us pitched up on the banks of the river Rhine. Rudesheim turned out to be everything we’d hoped from a German tourist town; Christmas shops, cuckoo clocks, sausages, beer and lederhosen a plenty. Very quaint, but we were in search of some thrilling outdoor pursuits. Our third site, Kleinenzhof in southern Germany ticked all the boxes. Situated in the Bavarian Black Forest we could take our pick from the miles of hiking and cycles routes throughout the region. We chose to take the Sommerburg Funicular railway which took us to the top of the mountain and gave us a leg-saving view of the valley.

As we walked through lush green forest, the ski lifts and cable cars reminded us how different the scenery must look in the winter months. Initially Germany had been a place to briefly stop-over, but as we left beautiful Bavaria, we vowed to return in the future and explore further.

We had high expectations of country number 3, and it didn’t disappoint. It sounds gushing, but there are not enough adjectives to describe the beauty of the Austrian Tyrol. My favourite phrase is ‘breath-taking’, because it is. I lost count of how many stops we made to snap yet another incredible vista (many of which looked more like film backdrops than good old Mother Nature). Natterer See campsite is a 5* family resort near to Innsbruck and worth every penny. With spa hotel style wash-blocks, a stunning lakeside restaurant and uninterrupted views of the surrounding Alps, it was a winner with us all. We walked for miles, swam in the lake and breathed the cleanest air I’ve ever experienced. The whole stay was just, well, breath-taking.

But the best was yet to come. Slovenia, a country I had no prior knowledge of, turned out to be my favourite place of all.

Wonderfully welcoming people, cheap but delicious food and scenery that blew me away. Rowing, paddle boarding and swimming in the azure waters of Lake Bled was my idea of the perfect holiday. And there lies the beauty of touring. Our 23-day trip took in mountains, lakes, rivers, pools, shopping, walking, trains, boats & bikes! Something for everyone, even a stroppy teenager.

Then finally, to our end goal, Croatia. The sun-drenched Adriatic coast gave our 14-year-old the beach holiday she had dreamed of. And whilst soaking up the Croatian culture and sunshine, we basked in the joy of knowing our return journey was still to come.

We used the Michelin free route guides to plot our journeys, trying to avoid driving more than 200 miles at any one time. Using a combination of our sat-nav & iPhones allowed us to avoid narrow roads, low bridges and (most) major traffic jams.

And despite the odd hic-up (chucking an unattached anchor overboard in Croatia/forgetting to take our gas spanner/miscalculating Kuna & giving a £50 tip instead of £5) we had a stress-free holiday of a lifetime.

Putting the 5 ‘p’s into practise definitely paid off!

Grandpa would be very proud.

Our campsites were all booked through the Caravan & Motorhome Club:

France – Le Mont des Bruyeres, St Amand Les Eaux.

Luxembourg – Gritt, Diekirch.

Germany – Rudesheim am Rhein, Rudesheim.

Germany – Kleinenzhof, Bad Wildbad.

Austria – Natterer See, Innsbruck.

Slovenia – Camping Lake Bled, Bled.

Croatia – Zelena Laguna, Porec.