Departure

Shaped by the heatwave in June, this year we are heading north again.

A long time ago, we took an Interrail trip through GB and Ireland, back then without kids. However, like the weather, our memories of Scotland have faded quite a bit, so it was time to take a closer look at the area.

Usually, our camping trips don’t start without problems. A broken water pump, a lost roof window, or a hole in a tire. There has been quite a bit of stress accumulated over the last few years.

But one learns (sometimes) from mistakes. The few challenges this year were a missing mattress and blackout for the roof window, along with a broken lid on the external power socket.

Therefore, a detour to Graz and Gratkorn was necessary to procure the items. And of course, we also had to pick up Anita, who decided to squeeze in a bit of work before our afternoon departure.

Warning: Spoiler Alert! On the 1600 km journey between home and Scotland, we were stuck in traffic in Graz longer than on the entire rest of the route. More than an hour on the Triesterstraße was not a good start 😕.

Our travels usually start off very leisurely, and it takes some time to get going. Three hours after our departure, we were only in Gratkorn, but we did see what was probably the most beautiful rainbow of our lives near Stift Rein.

After dinner around 9 PM, our stopping point for the night was significantly reduced, and the plan was to sleep at least outside Styria for the first night. We barely made it to the highway rest area Nationalpark Kalkalpen.

On day two, we started gaining speed. Passing by Passau, Regensburg, Nuremberg, and Würzburg, our next stop was in Andernach. We had never heard of it before, but from a reliable source, we learned that it is home to the highest cold water geyser in the world. We had to check that out.

Located at the northern tip of Rhineland-Palatinate right on the Rhine, Andernach is a sleepy little town with over 2000 years of history. From the camper parking lot directly by the Rhine, it’s less than 300 meters into the fairly nice town center and to the well-prepared geyser museum. We took a boat to the geyser, which, right on time during our visit, spouted a huge fountain nearly 20-30 meters high. Brief but spectacular. Definitely worth a visit if you’re nearby.

We continued through the Ruhr area into the Netherlands, where the ferry in Rotterdam was already waiting.

The evening/night on the ferry flew by as we passed the time with beer, women’s football, and entertainment including a fantastic live band.

At 7:00 AM local time, we arrived in Hull in Central England. Upon disembarking, we met a nice, drinking-capable Scottish couple who laughed loudly when we told them we were planning to spend our summer vacation in Scotland. The lady mentioned that they were fleeing from the Scottish weather to the south while we were heading up. Our smiles were a bit frozen when we saw the gray drizzle outside.

But just as the gray clouds cleared, so did our thoughts on the way north. By chance, we ran into the Scottish couple again at a rest area about 300 km from Hull.

Our destination was Balloch in the south of Loch Lomond, north of Glasgow. A lovely spot with a nice campsite and plenty of options for hiking, cycling, and boat trips.

To be continued...