24 April : We leave Prague, we like Slovakia

After our two nights in Prague we set off east, the motor way became very bumpy, it’s the concrete slabs which get misaligned by too many heavy lorries. We had a really nice camp site by a lake (Vidlak) near Opatov. The camp site is run by a Dutch couple, we were the only guests until late at night when a Slovenian camper van turned up, they had been on the same site as us in Prague and the guy greeted mike like a long lost friend, despite only having nodded previously. We had a really pleasant walk round the lake the next morning. The bird life is now distinctly eastern Europe with Black Stork, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Serin , Hoopoe to name a few, we also had a Stone Martin in the woods, a few Red Deer and Wild Boar had been digging up the ground in some places. On eastwards we went and ended up at Roznov near the Slovakian border. If the lake site was the best camp so far then this was the worst. It looked as thought it was a communist era holiday camp where commissars sent the workers who had met their quotas. It seemed not to have had much paint since. The fences were a bit too high to be comfortable, there was a dog barking somewhere and one expected searchlights on the campers at night. We were the only visitors that night, perhaps all year? There were Hawfinches in the trees so the place was not a complete write-off. It rained all night and in the morning we did not feel inspired to go for a walk so we packed up early as our washing continued to dry on a clothes line from Pyj to a nearby Hazel tree. We got to Slovakia very soon after setting off, we still have not seen a proper border post with checks etc, since we left home. But we got pulled over by the police after a few miles. Carol had to show her license, PP and vehicle papers. They were just checking - something about a break out at a camp in Roznov!! Slovakia has an attractive alpine, rustic feel about it. Lots of pine forests and meadows its beautiful with snow capped mountains (Tatra range) . The last camp site going east in our book was at Levoca which we pulled into at 1450 hours. Lovely setting in a quite side valley with pine forests and a good outlook. Nice couple running it but not much English around. We make do with a spattering of German. In both Czech and Slovakia we have seen huge arrays of solar panels - the farmers here are on to a nice little earner it seems.  (Please see the Europe page for extra photos of our trip so far).

20 April: Prague in spring

Really helpful German footpath sign, why can't we
have these at home?

  

Our second camp site in Germany was just after Nuremberg at a little lake called Murner See, probably a bit touristy in season but nice & quiet right now. The fine weather holding and the days have been quite warm but it drops to near zero at night. Thirty five bird species at the camp site including Goldeneye and Egyptian Goose. The latter was a surprise - they are an East Anglian and Fenland specialty but we did not know they occurred here too. We arrived in Prague late afternoon on 19^th at a campsite about 25 minutes from the city by underground. Did a bit of shopping at Lidl - didn’t feel like the extra walk to Tesco! A thunderstorm hit us in the evening, our first rain. We did Prague on 20^th. Lots of tourists around but then it is a very pleasant place. We walked round and saw the sites, there is a huge tower in the city centre, probably got a name but we had no guide book, with a huge ornate clock with lots of moving parts that come into action on the hour. We could not understand why 300 tourists had gathered to look at the clock, just before 11 am. Then it all began, skeletons ringing bells, figures appearing at windows etc, quite a show but we thought the clapping an cheering was a bit over the top for a clock. Lots of other grand buildings in the city, we loved climbing to the top of the tower (Carol points out it had a lift which we used!) for the city scape. We also loved Charles bridge and we especially loved the ancient street buskers. One guy playing a saxophone must have been 90.

One view from the tower





Come to Prague and cheer the clock



Young busker fan

 

18 April: So far so good

We left home after lunch on Sunday 14^th April in a typical April shower - just enough to spoil the departure photo. As we moved south down the M11 some of Mike’ family came out to wave to us from a road bridge. Our camp site in Kent was only a few miles from the Dover ferry to make an easy journey in the morning. Some woods nearby were full of primroses, Wood Anemones and some really early bluebells (by Cambs standards). An Eagle Owl calling in the night got Mike quiet excited until he found it the next morning in an aviary! The ferry went to Calais at 0735, formalities were non existent at either end and so even with an extra hour for the continental timing we were on our journey by 10 am. We made good time to Belgium and our first continental camp was near Genk just on the Dutch border, a big camp site but off season so eerily quiet. The site was right next to a nature reserve where we had a good walk the next morning and heard our first Cuckoo of the year, we also had fine views of Red Squirrel and Roe Deer. A pair of Greylag Geese on the lake were perhaps about to nest and feral just as they are on our pond at home (ours laid eggs for the first time just a couple of days before we left). We made a decision before we left not to exceed 50 mph (quite fast in a Land Rover) this not only keeps fuel consumption down but also we have found more relaxing - we have not overtaken once - and we have more enjoyment of the journey for its own sake, rather than just as a means to getting there. Pity about all the tractors overtaking! We camped twice in Germany once almost at the Rhine near Mainz, and again near Amberg on the road to the Czech republic.

Eve of departure

Well all the planning is done, all the listing of things to do, and get, and mend, and install are ticked off and we are on the eve of departure.

At this point in our 18 month plan we would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who has helped us and encouraged us at every stage.  We have especially had a very large number of well wishers in the last few days since we went public.  To all those who responded please accept our apologies that we have not had the time to reply individually.

When we have told people what we are doing we have always got a reaction.  It is true many have doubted our sanity but mostly it has been one of pleasure and excitement for us.  There has also been a lot of nice envy - from those who would like to do something similar but perhaps do not have the circumstances to do it. To those we would say, ‘why not’,  maybe you can, but you need to think big and be brave.  Start planning now and follow us.

Love,

Mike and Carol

All kit and stuff assembled, weighed and trial packed

Our kit - now you see it...

...now you don't

The big day looms and yesterday we got all our equipment together for the first time and fitted it into the Tab and the Land Rover.  See picture ‘Our kit’, the items not in the picture are lubricants and spares.  By the way to save time and  a few key strokes we call our Land Rover ‘Pyj’ after its registration number.  It all fitted in easily as we had planned it carefully, as you can see in the second picture. Mike then nipped round to the local gravel pit to get it weighed on their weighbridge. The complete unit was 3.320 tonnes and individually the Land Rover was 2.5 tonnes and the Tab  0.820 tonnes. The caravan nose weight was only 63 kg, all within specifications.  However the water jerrycans on the front of the Tab were empty at the time.  When they are filled up the nose weight goes up to 93 kg - not quite so good.   Pyj was a bit down at the back when loaded and in the afternoon the roof box of lubs and the diesel jerrycans (one empty at the moment) were moved forward on the roof rack to try to even up the overall load. Later, a  re-examination of all our stuff revealed that several of the heavy but not so essential items could be discarded  to save a bit of weight - in fact we shed about 40 kg of kit and tools.  This included the bird table! Not such a daft idea - we started using a bird table last September in Scotland and on our first day we had Crested Tit on it!

Opening for business soon

We will start blogging soon.  Please see our 'Home' page for details of our plan and trip.  There are also pages on preparation stuff, visas and things close to us.