UK to Bosnia via Germany and back

Tanya Gander · Aug 11, 2018

We drove from West Sussex and overnighted in the Canterbury Aire. On the plus side, the pub next to it was ideal for dinner and a G&T, and had a decent vegan menu to cater for out teenage son.
On the downside the loos were locked and they now charge from midnight to midnight, so £7 for the car park..... anyway left the UK by Euro tunnel this morning. Took up the advice of using the auto check in and were put straight on the next train at 08.06. Breakfast in the Call while the train did it's thing, and we were well underway by 09.30 in Calais.

We decided to take the northern route up through Belgium and into Germany. We are staying tonight just south of Frankfurt, at Nibelungen Camping in Fürth. 32euros, had to pay 3% surcharge for using a UK debit card (shape of things to come?) And showers are an extra 50c each. It is clean and well kept though, as well as right next to the village swimming pool.

Heading for Austria tomorrow, will keep you updated.

sidepod · Aug 12, 2018

Make sure you cross to Slovenia via the Gross Glockner. Well worth the toll.

sapto · Aug 12, 2018

Look forward to read more of your adventures! Keep them coming, your reports!

Tanya Gander · Aug 13, 2018

So yesterday saw us get as far as Camping Inzell just north of Passau in Southern Germany. Beautiful spot on the edge of the Danube and gave us a great reason to inflate the paddleboards and paddle about.
The only downside was the passing cruise ships and their horns...

Camping Inzell was great value, we paid 45 euros which included camping, dinner for two and some very welcome drinks. It was very tucked away at the end of the cycle path and took us a few attempts to find, but worth persevering. Lovely showers and facilities included in the price. A free swim in the Danube was priceless.

Filled up with diesel at 1.25euros.

We had to overcome the challenge of our house sitters leaving with 12 hours notice, with our two dogs in the house. Luckily our friends stepped in and saved our holiday.

So onwards to Maribor in Slovenia. Vineyards for us and a Wake park for our son. It's what the Cali is made for.

Tanya Gander · Aug 14, 2018

Day 4, we stayed last night at camping Kekec near Maribor in Slovenia. We have clocked up just over 1000 miles since leaving home and today saw torrential rain. So a day for museums and staying out of the rain.
Found the world's oldest vine, enjoyed a selection of local wines and are relaxing with a cup of tea back at camp.
Rain has stopped at last and the temperature is climbing again.

Campsite is fairly basic but does have a washing machine and drier, essential when travelling light.

We have taken an awning with us this year, opting for a Vango Kela. Really easy to inflate and put up, gives us an extra space for our son to sleep in which makes for easier tea making in the morning. It's handy to have a dumping space for the day too.
We are also carrying two inflatable paddleboards, so not much room for any extras.

Still figuring out where my post Brexit stockpile will fit in once I reach the Calais supermarkets.. .

Tanya Gander · Aug 18, 2018

We stayed at Camp Zagreb for a couple of nights. It offered decent sized pitches and modern facility blocks. Would have been better with more of a clean, but on the good side of acceptable.
The campsite was on a lake and we had high hopes of getting the paddleboards out and littering around. However the lake was full of algae and looked less than inviting.
There is a pizzeria onsite but we didn't try it. It was easy to get into Zagreb itself, and the city was small enough to walk around in a couple of hours.

Leaving Zagreb we headed down towards the Bosnian border, not knowing what to expect. We drove down the A3/E70 and picked up the E661. There were no signs in Croatia for Bosnia and Herzegovina until 500m from the junction. The politics of this region run deep and it would take a better mind than mine to explain or understand it fully.

The border crossing itself was pretty straightforward. A bit of a queue, then passport control leaving Croatia, passport control entering Bosnia and then Customs. We are insured through the NFU and were given a green card without any extra charge. We presented this along with our V5 document and passports, and on we went. Almost an anticlimax....

Driving on through Bosanska Gradiska was Ok, not too challenging. We stopped at a Mercator and used the ATM to get local currency. We then drove down the toll road which was very quiet and a lovely stretch of tarmac, cost was about 20 BKM or £10.
Once off the toll road it all got a bit more interesting.
The local drivers will overtake without warning, and there are a fair few German and Austrian Audi drivers who love to sit on your tail.

We made it into Banja Luca and tried to park up for coffee. All I can say Is, avoid underground car parks at 2m. They are narrower than you would like and completely unlit. We escaped, just, but learned a valuable lesson. Leaving the city,
we found ourselves heading south to Kamp San. It was a lovely overnight stop alongside the Vrbas river. New and spotless facilities, free WiFi. Near the road but that seems unavoidable so far. We paid about £25 for the night.

It was also right next door to a Rafting centre and restaurant, so we had a great meal and bottle of wine for about £20. Very humid with thunder rolling around the hills, but lush countryside and hills.

We have pitched up tonight at Autokamp just south of Jajce.... definitely not a 5 star but ok for a stop over. Hoping for better as we head to Sarajevo tomorrow.

kurienp · Aug 18, 2018

Happy travels. Thank you for taking us along.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Tanya Gander · Aug 18, 2018

Edited duplicate post....

Bramco · Aug 18, 2018

Sounds like you are having an interesting time - as expected.

Thanks for posting all the info - as I think we said on your thread on insurance we're planning on heading to Romania next year and will come back (hopefully) on roughly the reverse of your route at the moment.

What's the weather like? Not too hot?

Tanya Gander · Aug 19, 2018

We are now in Sarajevo, weather is thundery with the odd down pour. We struggled a lot to find Camp Sarajevo. I forgot to pack the sat nav, Google maps wasn't available, Park 4 night helped vaguely but in the end we stopped at a 5 star hotel and logged into their guest Wi-Fi long enough to load a map.
We were welcomed with Apple schnapps which would probably remove paintwork and got pitched up.
The plan is to stay here a couple of nights and get taxis into the city centre.
Our teenager is living from Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi and is desperate to go rafting.

If you are heading this way don't stay at Autokamp near Jajce. I tried 7 shower cubicles before finding one with a shower head and a lockable door.... toilets were the same, but without paper or soap, and the wash up area was beyond grim. Lots of road noise too so very little sleep was had....

Hoping for better tonight.

Tanya Gander · Sep 2, 2018

After a struggle with directions and a lack of Google maps, we stayed at Camp Sarajevo for three nights. Very secure and safe feeling, we were happy to leave the Cali there and travelled into the city by taxi and tram.
The owner was so friendly, we had a welcome drink of Apple schnapps which was more like firewater than the sickly sweet Archers peach schnapps I was expecting. He drove us into the Old City on the first day, made sure we understood the tram and taxi to get back, gave us maps and guides.
The facilities were spotless, washing machine available (and they put our washing under cover when it started to rain).
They even gave us homemade baklava to take when we left. Highly recommended if you are in the area, really lovely people.

We did see a VW Camper with the drivers window smashed, this was parked in the street outside the national museum, so I think the warnings we read to be extra cautious about where you park are right.

In Sarajevo itself there is so much to see and do, we barely scratched the surface. The evidence of the recent war is still apparent and quite shocking. We went to the Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide 1992-1995 and were all quite speechless and overwhelmed by it.
After a days rafting on the Neretza River, we went south and stayed at EkoSelo camp on Baracko lake. Driving over the mountain roads was stunning, and well worth it. Beautiful location, plenty of space to spread out. We had the paddleboards out on the lake all afternoon and first thing next morning which was perfect in this hot weather.
Only downsides were the facilities which needed a good clean, and only one shower outside with a curtain round for privacy. Lots of wild dogs which barked all night too, so not the best nights sleep. We paid about £20 for the night.

Currently south of Mostar staying at River Camp Agonavac. It's very small and basic, but the owner is really friendly and keen to help you with as much information as he can.