25th – 27th June 2011

Left Calw and followed the road that runs along the river down to Wildberg, it is very scenic and twisty! It really does follow the river and winds its way along with some very sharp hairpin bends. We soon saw signs for the campsite which took us down a narrow single lane road, luckily we only met one car coming the other way, which didn’t have to reverse far.The camp’s pitches are not that large so we took a place on the hard standing, not far from everything and it has the sun in the afternoon. It is in a very lovely spot, alongside the river in the bottom of the wooded valley.

Sunday (26^th) the locals close the road from Wildberg to a town about 35k further south, to all motorised vehicles from 8am to 8pm. So we joined the hordes of locals and set off on the bikes towards Nagold. The road was busy with cyclists and roller bladders of all ages, families with youngsters as well as some serious cyclists. Roller blades are obviously very popular here as lots of people again of every age were out on them and boy can they move!

As you reached a town you came across food and drink stalls and in Nagold, where we stopped for a drink they had a band playing and kids’ activities, as well as stalls showing local activities like gliding. Steve you and Mark would love it here, there is a gliding club/school just down the road and it’s meant to be a good area for it. Given the number of birds of prey you see circling around I can see why! We continued on for a few more kilometres before stopping for lunch in a small town. We had some fun ordering our red sausage in rolls (plus the obligatory beers) and were clearly an amusement to the locals serving us! The food was very really good as were the beers and it was fun relaxing watching the locals go by. It seemed everyone was out, some serious, some on blades for the first time! Occasionally someone sitting in the food hall would recognise someone passing and shout out causing some chaos as they tried to stop and come over! Each junction had either a policeman or fireman on it to let the cars cross the road, but given that this is the main road connecting the towns and villages we were surprised they closed it off. No one seemed to be bothered and everyone was clearly enjoying the day and making the most of it, it was really great to be able to cycle along the road without having to worry about the cars etc. they obviously start them young here as there were lots of youngsters out about who could only just ride.

On the way back, the road was busier which made it interesting at times, but the atmosphere was great, everyone was having a good time. When we reached Nagold we decided to stop for a break and sat at a restaurant in the square, eating fantastic ice creams! The place was packed and great for people watching!

We returned to the van, slightly tired but having had a great day, it’s a shame we don’t do this sort of thing back home but I guess not enough of the population are into cycling etc.  



Monday we’re spending doing a few jobs and then cycling into Wildberg.

24th june 2011

Left the stellplatz in Filderstadt and set off for Calw on the Nagold river, the book said it took 30 motorhomes but on arrival there were only four places and one of those was already taken by a large motorhome. We had just decided to park next to it when another van arrived, so we quickly moved into the pitch. Within half an hour the fourth place had gone and other vans were still arriving!

After a coffee Lynn and I walked into the town and spent the afternoon wandering the streets lined with wonderful old buildings, typically German, five or six stories high with decorated wood and plaster fronts. Even the new ones kept the same style. The town was having a lot of building work done, with one street been totally dug up, but it was a very attractive town with the river running through it. One of their most famous sons (Hermann Hesse) was a nobel prize winning poet & author and has a statue on one of the bridges and a museum in the town. During the war he helped a lot of Jews escape the Nazis and was an outspoken opponent of that regime.

As we walked around we saw adverts for lots of concerts etc including one where the lead act was Suzi  Quatro and backing her up was Sweet, I kid you not!

We sat in the town square at a strube  and ordered two beers, only to be brought two half litre jugs! Lynn pretended to be shocked at the quantity, but as we sat in the sun admiring the buildings, her glass went down the same as mine. However, she is now sitting opposite me (back at the van) fast asleep!

23rd June 2011

Spent the morning giving Bella a much needed clean, she had got very dirty and we hadn’t been able to give her a wash for a while.

In the afternoon we took Sarah to the airport for her flight home, it seems strange seeing her go and no one coming the other way. Now it’s just Lynn and I we’re going to have to talk to each other!

22nd June 2011

Caught the train into Stuttgart, about 30 mins and a family ticket was only 14 euros! Having bought a route map we walked around the historical buildings only getting lost a couple of times! Stuttgart started off as a humble stud farm, before becoming the royal capital of Wurttemberg. This has given it two impressive palaces, the old one resembling a castle with a wonderful courtyard and the newer one (the Neues Schloss) built in 1746 being much grander. King Wilhelm I resided here and has an impressive statue in a square near the palaces, with him sitting astride his charger. On either side of him are obelisk pillars with dates and place names, mostly French, which we wondered were towns he had conquered? If so he was very good at it.

The locals obviously like shopping as the town centre is one huge shopping complex, dotted with wonderful old buildings. The local men also like their beer as we saw a few sleeping it off lying on the grass in the park!



On the way home it began to rain and then tipped it down, mixed with a little thunder and lightning. When we left this morning it was clear blue skies and very hot, so we’d not brought any waterproof jackets! We are learning that the weather here can change very quickly!

20th & 21st June 2011

Checked out and used the aire facilities to empty and refill Bella. Easily found our way back onto the dual carriageway and out of Freidburg. Set off towards the hills and the forests, before long we were winding our way up them through some stunning scenery, hairpin bends that were over 180 degrees and high bridges were exciting as we entered the Black Forest. At one point just passed Tittisee, we saw two ski jumps on a hill, they looked very high and scary even at this distance.

Came off the motorway and found the Stellplatz on the outskirts of Rottwiel, only 5 euros per night, 8 hrs electricity one euro, Lynn found my attempts to ask for a pitch in German hilarious, as did the young guy in the office! After lunch the drizzle stopped, so we walked into town and did a quick shop at Lidle, before hunting a cash machine. Most wanted to charge 5 or 6 euros, which for a prepaid card sort of defeats the object, so we moved on. We eventually found one in a small bank in the pretty town centre which was full of traditionally decorated buildings, old churches and pedestrian areas. 

21^st June 2011

A quick run down the motorway took us to a town Filderstadt on the outskirts of Stuttgart and a stellplatz in a large carpark. No other motorhomes here as yet but there are a couple of caravans that look lived in as well as an old coach conversion. Only 5 euros for the night, which is just as well as we filled up today and it was 1.47 a litre, the most expensive yet. Had a walk into the town centre and easily found the train station, which we can use to go into the city tomorrow and take Sarah to the airport on Thursday. Had lunch in town before returning to the van and enjoying some sun!

19th June 2011

Woke up a little late after a rainy night had kept us awake, to find Sarah already up and having laid the table for breakfast complete with card wishing me happy father’s day, a complete surprise! The weather cleared a little so we walked back into town and began our tour of the old part. The place was very quiet, most shops were shut, only the restaurants were open. The old town was lovely, very Germanic old buildings some dating back to the 1300s, including the square with the cathedral (under renovation), cardinal’s palais and a very impressive merchant’s house, small back streets, some with a small canal running through them and a lot of art galleries, bars and restaurants. The town has a university and the campus is right on the edge of the old town, a great place to be! Sarah treated us to lunch back at the same café, this time it was very busy mostly with students eating breakfast! Afterwards we continued our walk, where we bought some delicious looking cakes for later, before making our way back to the van.

By the time we got back the sun had come out and Lynn and I sat outside having a coffee and enjoyed some sun. Internet ok but skype was very poor, no real signal at all.

18th June 2011

Left Cernay and joined the motorway, it wasn’t long before we had crossed the Rhine and the canal next to it and had entered Germany-not that you’d know as the sign was disappointingly small! A quick stop at a services to buy a more detailed map book and we were soon leaving the motorway on the outskirts of Freidburg, the gateway to the Black Forest. The satnav was working well and the signage for the “Stellplatz” was easy to follow, so we quickly found it. It was fairly busy but we found a parking place which was big enough and easy to get out of. The Stellplatz are like the French aires, just parking areas with water and waste disposal. This one had a small reception where we paid for two nights, 8 euro’s a night and were given an electric meter to record what we use, you pay for it when you leave.

After a coffee we walked into town, about 10 – 15 mins, and had lunch at a café. The town is covered with tram tracks and has a major railway station, so getting about would be easy but the trams are fairly quiet, so you have to be careful as they go through the pedestrianized part as well! Found a tourist info where we obtained a map/walk around the old town which we will use tomorrow. Outside was a square with the town hall on one side and a grand old church covering two others, in the centre was a fountain. Every street seems to have a deep water gutter about a foot wide & deep going down it, sometimes in the middle sometimes on one side, I bet that’s fun after a couple of beers! As we came out of the info shop there was a wedding reception being held in the square, bride, groom and guests all drinking bubbly and eating snacks whilst mixing with the shoppers! I’m not even going to ask Em!

On the way back Lynn walked into a hairdressers called “ Killer hair” and had her hair done, wash, cut and blow dry all for 13 euros, Germany does seem a little cheaper than France. Now she can say she has had her hair done in each country!