Where Have You Been In Your Van Today?
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Silo art Dunedoo, New South Wales, Oz. and nice little camp-site at Gilgandra. NSW,
Further to my last post (#10,834), we left Koroni yesterday morning and did what turned out to be a near 5 hour drive over the mountains to near Leonidio and am now settled into Camping Semili, probably until next week (first time we've deployed the Kiravans Railsail instead of the Debus awning). Although we've not paid yet, I think it's about €30 per night and I've got to say it's brilliant. Our pitch is right on the beach and the'facilities' are excellent. There's also an lovely old fishing harbour about 300m down the beach (or quiet road) with a couple of harbourside tavernas, a couple of bars and a couple of small supermarkets with all the essentials. There's 5G coverage even on the beach (which is more than we get at home in Gloucestershire!) and free wifi on the site.The second picture shows our pitch and the entrance to the beach indicated with arrows. The sharp eyed will see the very small but familiar shape of an old bus in the top RH corner of the 3rd picture which I have cropped for the 4th picture - it's now a small beach bar. As an aside, we haven't seen a single Brit tourist or car since we entered Greece. Loads of the usual Dutch and Germans with quite a few driving VWs but no Brits. The two pitches to our left contain a Grand Cali and a T6 conversion, both German.
Revs4evs! I need to get back there now it’s reopened.
@Ricardo T
'Guess the temperatures are cooling a bit now?'
If the temps were in the 40s (C) before we arrived then maybe but if they've been in the mid to late 30s then no (and it's only going down to mid to late 20s overnight).
Mrs AJ doesn't particularly like fans but last night I kept one positioned so that it sent a gentle breeze down my upper half until I turned it off at about 0430hrs. That said, we're both fairly tolerant of high temperatures as during my working life we did 5 year tours in Cyprus and I've spent a lot of time around the Middle East (but contary to popular belief, it gets bleeding cold in Cyprus and across ME as well).
I'll keep the reports coming but suspect the next will be from AirBnBs in Poros Island, Athens (maybe) and Patras as we're starting the homeward journey next week.
'Guess the temperatures are cooling a bit now?'
If the temps were in the 40s (C) before we arrived then maybe but if they've been in the mid to late 30s then no (and it's only going down to mid to late 20s overnight).
Mrs AJ doesn't particularly like fans but last night I kept one positioned so that it sent a gentle breeze down my upper half until I turned it off at about 0430hrs. That said, we're both fairly tolerant of high temperatures as during my working life we did 5 year tours in Cyprus and I've spent a lot of time around the Middle East (but contary to popular belief, it gets bleeding cold in Cyprus and across ME as well).
I'll keep the reports coming but suspect the next will be from AirBnBs in Poros Island, Athens (maybe) and Patras as we're starting the homeward journey next week.
Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, St Austell.
We're in the poverty pitches (grass, no EHU, not beachfront), but the ground is nigh-on level (no need for the ramps), the pitch is huge, they don't care how many awnings/ tents/ canopies/ gazebos you have (at least not on our pitch type) and it was less than £150 for 7 nights.
The weather was benign when we arrived Wednesday evening, but it turned during the night and the rain was heavy and relentless on Thursday. The forecast was for more of the same today and we briefly contemplated packing up and sodding off home, but glad we didn't - the Met Office got it wrong and we're currently sat on the beach, drying-out in the sun after a swim in the sea.
We like quiet sites and that usually means few, if any, amenities, so we were a little dubious about this site given the bars, restaurants, indoor pool and water sports available here, but actually it's worked out very well. The kids are back at school, but all the facilities are still open and, whilst the site is by no means empty, it's currently quiet and peaceful.
We're in the poverty pitches (grass, no EHU, not beachfront), but the ground is nigh-on level (no need for the ramps), the pitch is huge, they don't care how many awnings/ tents/ canopies/ gazebos you have (at least not on our pitch type) and it was less than £150 for 7 nights.
The weather was benign when we arrived Wednesday evening, but it turned during the night and the rain was heavy and relentless on Thursday. The forecast was for more of the same today and we briefly contemplated packing up and sodding off home, but glad we didn't - the Met Office got it wrong and we're currently sat on the beach, drying-out in the sun after a swim in the sea.
We like quiet sites and that usually means few, if any, amenities, so we were a little dubious about this site given the bars, restaurants, indoor pool and water sports available here, but actually it's worked out very well. The kids are back at school, but all the facilities are still open and, whilst the site is by no means empty, it's currently quiet and peaceful.
The Mrs organised a 4 week trip from Surrey to Scotland and back. They drove up slowly and I flew up a week later to meet them in Glasgow, we then travelled around Scotland/Isle of Mull for 2 weeks and then back down home for the 3rd week. Weather was pretty terrible oop north where as it was great down south.
Only problems we had were on a couple of nights it rained so hard that the canvas started letting water in and it was so windy that we put the roof down and we all slept on the bed downstairs.
Only problems we had were on a couple of nights it rained so hard that the canvas started letting water in and it was so windy that we put the roof down and we all slept on the bed downstairs.
If you're going to say 'oop north' then you also have to say 'daarn saarf' - it's the law don't you know!
I’ll vouch for the cold in Cyprus and ME! Had two sleeping bags in Akrotiri and still froze. Sat in full combats inside a sleeping bag in the ME and shivered with the cold. Also been very, very hot in both.
@davecdjt. We lived in a hiring in Kolossi village and one March morning a couple of weeks after we arrived there was a really hard frost on the windscreen which I got rid of by leaving the car running for a while. On the way to work at Epi, I stopped in a shop and asked if he had any ice scrapers. The guy was surprised and said something like 'sorry no but where you live' and when I responded 'Kolossi', he simply said 'you not need scraper'. He turned out to be right as we never had frost again in Kolossi or subsequently Epi where we moved into a MQ about 4 months later. The next time I was up the mountain, I picked one up from the stores and it sat unused in a series of cars. Happy days though.
Kipping on a hangar floor by any chance?
As I recall we had bunks. We were waiting to join the adventure they called gulf war 2. I was on Hercs out of Lyneham. The freezing in sleeping bags was the first gulf war attached to 17sqn from Bruggen operating out of Bahrain.
My previous trips to Akrotiri had been 2 six week armament practice camps with Phantoms in 84 and 86. I was in Akrotiri when it was attacked by terrorists in August 86. Those were fun times.
I never got to do Cyprus but my Dad was there with 43RGJ during the 'emergency' in the 50's. I was (much) later with 1RGJ and never drew a tour there. If I'd stayed in I'd have got a turn in 94(?) but got knocked off my bicycle and driven over by a twit in a Transit and broke my pelvis badly so I ended up medically discharged out at 4 1/2 years and joined the police.
Strangely the dibble weren't bothered - I passed the fitness tests and had a letter from my consultant saying I was good - but the green machine wouldn't have it. I know about it 35 years on though and need a stick to walk any distance.
Strangely the dibble weren't bothered - I passed the fitness tests and had a letter from my consultant saying I was good - but the green machine wouldn't have it. I know about it 35 years on though and need a stick to walk any distance.
@Sasquatch, @davecdjt and all who have served/are currently serving, I do hope you're all aware of the gratitude of right-minded folk for your service to this country.
Of course, there's no fathoming what wrong-minded folk might think!
Of course, there's no fathoming what wrong-minded folk might think!
Motor racing at Cadwell in the Beemer. We were fastest in practice and qualified on pole. Looking towards a a win only for the race to be called off due to dense fog and drizzle. So very disappointed
