We left the camping area at Baden Baden around 10:00am on Thursday morning with the destination of Triberg. Triberg is famous for its cuckoo clocks and waterfall but we were absolutely fascinated by our choice of accommodation for the night.

Without various road closures and diversions, the journey should have been an hour and a half. We followed the famous B500 route south through the Forest. Part way through the journey, what can only be described as a small hamlet appeared and there were just masses of people, cars and buses. We had “discovered” Lake Mummelsee, which is a 17m deep lake in the northern section of the Black Forest. Wikipedia says it’s a very popular place for tourists travelling along the Black Forest High Road.

Once located in complete isolation, this 800m (in circumference) lake is surrounded by a number of myths. According to legends, mermaids lived beneath the surface of Mummelsee, possessing supernatural powers.

We walked around the lake and purchased some “schinken” bread for lunch.

After our arrival at the campsite (more later) we received yet more Black Forest “Guest cards” which would lessen the impact of the 26 Euro fee for our accomodation location.

We set off for the waterfalls, which were free, courtesy of our Guest Cards.

We then followed the red route back into town, past a pretty pond and the Baroque church for an early doors beer in the marketplace at Restaurant Tresor. The main door to the church was a work of art…

Early afternoon refreshments turned into several beers and a very nice meal. Stunning temperatures and despite the traffic (the main B500 runs right through Triberg) we had a very pleasant late afternoon and evening.

We arrived back at daheim camping to find all the motorhome places full. There were some units parked on top of the building (in the carpark) that had arrived later but since we had pre-booked our spot, we had one of the 6 motorhome spaces in the ground floor car park. Electricity was included but wasn’t necessary. The building was formerly a metal fabrication business and the brutality of the building contrasts with the picturesque town of Triberg. There is very little information about the former company but it folded or relocated a number of years ago. SMK (I guess) fabricated materials or equipment used for cooling. That was about all we found out.

Given the lack of accommodation in Triberg, daheim have “converted” the factory into Indoor Camping, a pub, a Gymn, an events centre and possibly an equivalent of a “bunk barn”. The toilet and shower facilities were modern, clean and lots of the cubicles have been fabricated from sheet metal. Ancient metal presses remain on show, highlighting the past use of this building.

The indoor camping is a selection of themed caravans located in the main, former factory floor.

Wednesday morning and we packed the camper van with some basic supplies, a change of clothes and set off – destination Baden Baden. Baden Baden is noted as a Spa and Bathing town as well as a media, art and international festival city.

The city is located some six miles from the French border and the river Rhine, in the North Western corner of the Black Forest.

The Romans made use of the hot thermal springs and in 2021 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the category “Great Spa Towns of Europe”.

Our journey to Baden Baden took us through Freiburg and then north on the Autobahn. At least for some of the way as there were significant hold-ups which Google managed to Navigate around. We arrived around 1pm at a Stellplatz north of the City and not far away from the Railway station. Room for a couple of dozen campervans, the site was close to bus routes and cost 12 Euros for the night. With the 12 Euros came the usual Black Forest guest pass, allowing free transport on trains and buses within the Black Forest. We already had one from the Campsite at Schluchsee so we used that to catch the bus into town. Bus stops are a 100m or so away from the Stellplatz and take twenty minutes to travel into the city centre.

Shortly after boarding the bus, the heavens opened with a powerful electrical lightning storm coupled with torrential rain which persisted for an hour or so after our arrival in the centre. Thereafter, it was a lovely afternoon and evening.

We walked around the old town and visited the church and the “new” castle. Entry was not permitted to the castle and it is not worth the walk up the hill!

Much of the wealth of the city is down to the building below.

Baden Baden casino is the oldest Casino in Germany and is is reputed to be the most beautiful casino outside of Monaco. Unfortunately they operate a dress code somewhat different to the UK and we weren’t able enter.

What was also spectacular, was the funicular railway – the Merkur Funicular Railway. The railway ascends the Merkur mountain (some 668.3m) high above the city and with spectacular views of the city and suburbs below. There’s a cafe and bar at the top and if we had had a little more time, we would have walked the 4.5km back down the mountain.

After the storm, the evening continued to be walm and barmy and we enjoyed a beer and meal at the Lowenbrau bierhouse, before catching the bus back to our camping area.

Now that the weather has improved a bit, it was time to explore Lake Schulchsee – one of the largest lakes in the Black Forest. Sunday we set off walking from the campsite, anti-clockwise from Schlucsee to Aha and then on to Unterkrummenhof where there is a cafe and a boat dock from where you can catch the scheduled boat service which calls at all the major stops on the Lake.

We enjoyed a beer at the cafe in Unterkremmen and then caught the boat back to the town of Schluchsee, where our caravan site is located some 20 minutes walk away.

Monday was another dry and warm day and Joe set about fixing his bike. A trip to Titisee – Neustadt and a very helpful bike store, Joe came away with some fresh inner tubes and rim tape. He asked them where he could buy some disposable gloves (our bikes are filthy) and they appeared with an armful from their workshop for no charge. Brilliant service – Renz Radsport in Titisee-Neustadt.

The cycle around the lake was around 12 miles and all off-road. Some amazing cycle routes around here.

Tuesday morning and it’s a stay-at-home day, taking care of the laundry and packing our Cali, Nellie, for a trip North. We have England’s final Euro group game against Slovenia to watch tonight, with a BBQ in the baking heat first.

Thursday morning we left Beaune around 10am for the 5 or so hours drive to Lake Schluchsee in the Black Forest. Thankfully, another uneventful tow of some 200 miles and we arrived at Camping Schluchsee just after 3pm.

The campsite is close to the lake with tiered terraces and ample space for our Cali, Caravan and awning. The site itself has an appearance of being somewhat disorganised and isn’t a pretty site, with uneven pitches poorly delineated.

The facilities, which are relatively new and pristinely clean come with all the latest high tec features. Very typically German!

We have an obscured view of the lake itself, when the rain isn’t beating down and the fog dissipates!

Since we have arrived, it has rained heavily for much of our stay. During occasional breaks in the weather we managed to erect the awning and give the caravan a bit of a clean. It needed it!

The rain stopped last night and we took a short walk around a section of Lake Schluchsee.

Summer finally arrived as we pulled up outside the municipal campsite at Beaune. Temperatures are in the late twenties with a “feels like” high of around 34C.

We were greeted by a line of caravans and motorhomes snaking out of the campsite and along the road, with signs saying “Full, Complet, Voll”. Fortunately these signs weren’t entirely accurate as we apparently managed to claim the last available pitch, which just happened to be a “Grande” pitch at the grand price of 37 Euros for the night. Pitch and two people.

After the last days of travel, we were thankful for an uneventful day’s travel of 228 miles, over 220 of which were on the autoroute at a cost of 72 Euros. Moe wasn’t prepared for the price as she counted the bag of one and two Euro coins. When the machine became irate and started demanding the money with various shrill sounds, Moe told it to be quiet, at precisely the moment a human voice appeared over the tannoy!

We were not expecting the municipal site in Beaune to be a sell-out but a sell-out it is. I’ve never been to Beaune before but some of my favourite French wines originate from the Cote de Beaune.

We headed into the old town and grabbed a beer in the centre before heading back to the campsite and a meal at the campsite restaurant. This was also reservation only, but fortunately we had asked reception to book a table for us.

Yesterday we left Camping TY Nenez at Port Scorff, Lorient, Brittany. We chose a “toll-free” route to our campsite next to the River Loire in Blois. We were on the road by 08:30 (which is impressive for us) and the 280 mile journey had us arriving at Blois just before 4pm which was the time we were assured a pitch would be available.

We weren’t helped by the whacky road signs… I’ll leave the comments open if anyone knows why these have been erected upside down…

We were within 4 miles of the campsite, on a busy dual carriageway, when the Tyrepal alarm greeted us with a pressure loss in one of the caravan tyres. We managed to limp into an off-road area to assess the damage. It was’nt fixable for us so we then had to replace the wheel. It took a whole hour. Tools we needed were in the boot of the Cali, which meant we first had to remove the bike locks and the bikes. The spare wheel was buried under “stuff” in the caravan.

We finally arrived at Camping Val de Blois just before 5pm and after checking-in, we sought a tyre repair shop. The recommendation from reception for Mr Speedy proved fruitful – the failed valve was repaired in 5 minutes and no charge. We left the guys a nice tip to buy a few beers of course!

By 8pm we had everything restored and Joe was ready for a cidre or two.

Moe had also tucked away a couple of French eclairs into the fridge!

During the night, heavy storms and rainfall descended on the area and we wondered for a while whether or not we would be able to extract ourselves from the already soggy grass pitches.

Sunday – fathers day – we drove to the Quiberon peninsula and as far south as is accessible to – Quiberon port and beach. Parking a few miles along the coast, we walked into Quiberon along the coastal path. Weather started off grey and murky but by late afternoon we were bathed on lovely sunshine with some terrific views of the ocean.

This weekend was the start of the Euros 2024 and we were able to watch the England v Serbia game via live stream from BBC iplayer – using a VPN, of course!

Tomorrow we will pack up the awning etc ready for an early departure and a 300 mile journey East on Tuesday.

This was a recommendation from the staff at the restaurant l’Entre at Saint Scorff and is around a 1 hour drive from the campsite. The town of Josselin is known as “Petite Cite de Caractere medievale” and both the Chateau and the town live up to this description.

Josselin Castle is a medieval castle at Josselin, Brittany and was first built in 1008 by Guéthénoc, viscount of Porhoët. The town and castle were named after Guéthénoc’s son, Goscelinus, and rebuilt at various times since. The current castle was built by Olivier V de Clisson after 1370. He had acquired the land as part of the dowry on his marriage to Margaret of Rohan. It has been designated The castle remains a residence of Josselin de Rohan, fourteenth Duke of Rohan, who was President of the region of Brittany from 1998 to 2004. It has been designated as a monument historique since 1928.

The castle remains a residence of Josselin de Rohan, fourteenth Duke of Rohan, who was President of the region of Brittany from 1998 to 2004.

There are several different themed gardens and one of the floors of the Chateau is open to visitors.

A selection of photos of the castle and the internal areas open to visitors.

And from around the gardens

Finally a selection of photos from around the town of Josselin.

We left Hayling Island on Monday afternoon for the short drive to the Brittany Ferries docks at Portsmouth Harbour, arriving some 4 hours prior to our scheduled departure. We always hope first on first off but despite being almost first in the queue, we were most definitely last on, boarding only a few minutes before the scheduled departure.

Our ship, the Bretagne, departed more or less on time so just a few minutes after our boarding. We had only managed to book an inside 2-berth cabin which was dark and claustrophobic but still, only one night to spend in it.

This ship was built in 1989 and certainly looks dated in comparison to the very latest LPG fired ferries operating on the UK – Spain route.

In the morning, we were however, one of the first outfits to disembark. We were straight through passport control and saw no other signs of customs, animal health checks or anything to delay our onward journey. In fact, we hadn’t even taken time to set up the satnav nor familiarise ourselves with the journey…

The journey to Pont Scorff took around 3 hours to cover the 110 miles or so to travers Brittany, North to South.

Our Campsite at Pont Scorff, TY Nenez, is located inland in a rural area and is quiet. We were greeted personally as we walked into reception, suggesting we were the only arrivals that day. Still, everyone was helpful and we were directed to a very large pitch, in the middle of the site.

Pont Scorff is a small pretty Breton village, with a few shops, bars and restaurants. Its a two minute drive to the Super U where we stocked up on essentials. Basically Baguettes and Red wine!

Wednesday we cycled into Lorient. There’s a dedicated cycleway or via verde right outside the campsite and we rode into the edge of Lorient on a very peaceful and pleasant journey. Lorient itself was a nightmare. Traffic everywhere, plenty of cycle routes, some segregated and some not. Every roundabout was a challenge!

As the afternoon wore on, the temperature dropped further and we had made it as far as the centre of Lorient. With menacing skies up above, we decided to head back to the caravan before we were wet and cold.

If the weather (which has been and is forecast at best to be mixed) improves and we get the chance to cycle again, there looks to be a nice route to the coastal village of Le Couregant, accessible from the edge of the town of Lorient.

Our Tuesday cycle…

Thursday was another wet day and between showers, we walked the 2/3 miles to the far side of Pont Scorff for lunch at a delightful riverside restaurant. Specialising mainly in burgers, there were other options, such as the lamb, which Moe ate, as part of the Menu.

The staff were very friendly and spent ages after the meal talking through places we could visit during our short stay in Brittany.

We walked back through Pont Scorff, visiting the church and village square.

Alison organised the highlight of the weekend, a Saturday trip on the SS Steamship Shieldhall.

SS Shieldhall is a heritage / preserved steamship operating out of dock 110 at Southampton docks. It is one of the last reciprocating steam engined ships built, using technology that dated back to the late 19th Century. Her working life was based on the River Clyde in Gasgow making regular trips from Shieldhall.

In 1976 after 21 years of service on the Clyde, Shieldhall was laid up, and in the following year was bought by the Southern Water Authority. Once at Southampton, Shieldhall would take sludge from the areas of Marchwood, Totton and Woolston, then dump the sludge in an area south of the Nab Tower.

All the areas on the ship were open for public viewing including the Bridge and Engine Room. The steps to the Engine room are very steep and the room is extremely hot…

Some pictures and video below from the engine room, click on an image to see it in detail.

As it was D-Day, we passed an army barge, watched a Red Arrows show and a padre was onboard to conduct a short service.

On our return journey, we passed several large cruise ships, including the P&O ship IONA and several vehicle transportation ships.

It seemed to take ages docking on our return journey but that gave the opportunity to watch the loading of one of the worlds largest container ships “ONE INGENUITY”. Fascinating watching the endless trail of containers being driven across the docks and then hauled into position, 25 high, onto the deck of this behemoth.

She carries around 11,000 forty foot containers…

We ate at a restaurant called El Toro in Southsea in the evening. Excellent food and service. Moe and Alison enjoyed the burgers!

Sunday and Chris and I set out for a car show at Port Solent. For a moment, I thought I would be experiencing a ride in his Hot Rod, but sad to say, it just wouldn’t start…

Sunday lunch at the Bosham Inn, Bosham was excellent.

Monday evening we will board the ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo. The docks at Portsmouth only a short drive from Hayling Island.