Czech Republic and Germany, September 2012.

The Czech Republic and Germany. September 8 – 24, 2012.

We left home on Saturday Sept, 8 on our way to Dover to catch the 22:00hr sailing to Dunkirk arriving a 01:00hr, the BBC traffic report for the M25 was referred to as a ‘car park’, we did have plenty of time, so no concerns. It did clear and had no traffic problems with a good crossing, however on arriving in Dunkirk there was thick fog, which stayed with us for the first few hours of driving. We knew the A40 was closed at Essen and had been given an alternative route which was very good with no hold ups, it was 9.30am on a Sunday morning and of course no HGV’s on the German roads, they are all parked up in rest and service areas, a good time for travel. We reached Dransfeld just North of Kassel at 1.45pm for an overnight stop and had to spend time in the beer garden until reception open at 3.00pm, a most welcome drink after a 713 mile drive from Yorkshire.

Next morning we set off towards Leipzig and Dresden then on to Prague, getting our motorway vignette at a rest area before the border, a new section of this motorway had not yet opened. We arrived at Camping Praha, Klanovice at 4.00pm, after a slight detour when I over shot the junction to stay on the Prague Ring Road. A good road map comes in handy to find some minor roads to the site and from a different direction. 318 miles.

Camping Praha is only a small site and new (55 touring pitches), but does have holiday homes, and is on the outskirts of Prague, we had booked in for 7 nights. On arrival at reception we were greeted by pleasant and friendly staff who explained where everything was and gave us an information pack. They explained the location of local shops, garage, and options for bus and train services to Prague. Explanations were given on the types of ticket to buy which could be purchased at reception, which also sold bread, milk and a small range of essential items. To the rear of the site is a large forest, in the small town there are a few shops, a larger Lidl supermarket is about 2 miles further down the road.

On the first day it was time to relax a nice gentle cycle ride to see the small town, find shops and cycle along the country lanes, adjoining forest and stop for a drink if we found a bar. We found the shops and after 3 miles at the edge of the forest found a small bar; the sky was blue with a yellow thing! and 29c, so we stopped; 3 hours later forget the cycle ride and let’s get back to site. Further visits did take place, but the next time, the ride was to be a short cut through the forest, did take a few wrong turns in the forest and 11 miles later found the bar!!  3 large beers and 3 small beers for a grand total of £4.10!

Next day was raining the only bad day of our holiday, so a visit to Mlada Boleslav to see the Škoda factory and museum. My Octavia went back to its birthplace.

We then had 2 visits to Prague which was very easy and quick to get into the centre; the bus stop was outside the site gate with a 5 minutes drive to the train station, the modern ‘City Elefant’  train took 20 minutes to Prague centre and then lots of time see the sites of the city and a couple of bars.

We also had a few more cycle rides along the country lanes and forest, stopping at some very nice refreshment stops! and also making use of the swimming pool.

Then it was time to move on for another 6 nights in Germany, we took the Southern and West Prague ring road, which had new road, bridge and tunnel construction and on to Plzen,  Nurnberg  (with a traffic hold up on the A3), Wurzburg and finally Azur Camping, Wertheim. 309 miles

 

Azur Camping is a large site on the banks of the River Main, west of Wurzburg and just off the A3. A German couple did save us a premium riverside pitch, supplement to pay on top of the Camping Cheque price. Again the site was good, however shower facilities not as good as Praha, but acceptable. The old small town is just down the road with a large supermarket, but the attraction of the area is the cycle tracks, countryside and the Main and Tauber rivers.

Our German friends had arranged some cycle rides alongside both rivers. The first was a ride to the nice town of Markt-Heidenfeld on the banks of the Main, after a refreshment stop we cycled back the same way. The river is busy with long cargo boats and cruise boats and lovely views all around, we cycled 32 miles.

The next was up the Tauber valley and it was decided to take the train, very different from our trains, lots a space to carry bikes and at a cheap price, four adults with bikes 15 euro for the 40 minute journey to the small town of Lauda. From here we cycled back down the valley through apple orchards and hops! a couple of refreshment stops at some nice cafes that seem to cater for the lots of cyclists. 30 miles.

The next day a visit to the old town of Wertheim, it’s old half timbered buildings, a very nice market place and a castle over looking the confluence of the two rivers.

With our pitch on the river bank, we were close to the passing river barges and large cruise boats, which were going up and down the river where it joins a canal and then the River Danube. The river link is between the North Sea and the Black Sea.

Our last cycle ride was taking the train down the Main River to Miltenberg and cycling back, again riverside cycling, good views. No stops this time, plans were made to go to a café in Wertheim market place for drinks and cake, it was Sue’s birthday. 28 miles.

Another enjoyable stay in a good location, then time to go and catch the ferry at Dunkirk with another overnight stop in Belgium.

The weather changed and the last 40 miles to Dunkirk was slow due to buffeting by the strong winds and rain which was causing lots of problems back home. The ferry was on time but could not dock in Dover due to the winds, after an hour the Captain announced he had been given a slot to dock and the wind was easing. Off the ferry and onto the A20/M20 and the wind had dropped and rain stopped; in Yorkshire the A1M and A19 where closed due to flooding. We carried on up north to Yorkshire in good clear weather conditions, then at 5.00am it started again; rain, wind and only an hours drive to caravan storage.

We used Camping Cheques and got free booking with no deposit using the Gold Card, at Azur Camping a 5 euro pitch supplement was paid on top of the Camping Cheque.

Towing miles 2,038

Total mileage 2,155 we used our cycles a lot

Diesel cost £370.00

Average 34mpg but at one point between Kassel and Prague, 318 miles I did fill up with Ultimate diesel and got 37mpg! Figures taken from the cars trip computer. I did cruise at 50-55 mph and found it very relaxing, the speed limit for towing in both counties are 50mph/80km.