Currently traveling
  • Clare Palmer
  • Nigel Palmer

Europe with the Mighty Conan

Dragging Conan the Coachman from the UK to Eastern Europe & the Balkans hopefully 🙏 Read more
  • Eastern Croatia

    September 14 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Another longish day driving, not helped by torrential rain, sticky caravan brakes & very bumpy Hungarian back roads! We have arrived in the region of the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park in North Eastern Croatia. We are staying at a small campsite in the sticks run by an eccentric old German couple who don't speak English. The husband looks after the campsite and the wife runs a one woman restaurant, which we, along with several other German couples attended this evening. It was a long wait for our home cooked meatballs, during which time we polished off a litre bottle of the local vino, but it was worth it in the end. Plus Nige has now passed out so I get a bit of peace for the rest of the evening 🤪Read more

  • Slovak Paradise National Park

    September 12 in Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Our last day in Slovakia, we visited the Paradise National Park for another hike. The park is full of gorges, waterfalls, lakes etc and you have to negotiate your way through using the ladders & metal steps. I had a 'hug a tree' moment after I reached the top of the longest ladder and looked back down again (you don't dare look down while you are climbing) 🫣 We finished off with a well earned beer by the lake. Tomorrow we are heading for Bosnia via Hungary & Croatia, or that is the plan so long as we can get some car insurance at the border. 🤞Read more

  • Vlkolinec UNESCO Village

    September 11 in Slovakia ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    A day off from hiking today. It was a choice between sight seeing or going to the aqua park, neither of which Nigel was particularly excited about 🙄 Sightseeing won so we headed off to Vlkolinec which is a mountain village comprised of a church, school & different coloured painted log houses, unchanged since the 14th century hence the UNESCO listing. I can imagine it gets very busy in the summer but today there was only a handful of people there. The downside to this being that the café & restaurant was shut so we had to go hunting for lunch in the nearest town, which was a bit like the Slovakian version of Waterlooville 😂 As you can probably guess, Nige very much enjoyed his day out learning about the local history 😜Read more

  • Strbske & Popradske Pleso, High Tatras

    September 10 in Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today we got up late again (this is becoming a theme already) so got breakfast from Lidl and then drove an hour north to the high Tatras. We were planning to do a hike that took in 3 glacial lakes but as we didn't arrive until lunchtime we cut it back to 2. Still, we did 10k there & back & quite rocky paths so the legs have had a work out. Dark at 7.30pm already & another weather warning for tonight, this time it is going to be raining cats & dogs for 12 hours! Once again we are feeling smug that we are in a cosy caravan and not a tent 😀Read more

  • Banska Stiavnica & Hiking the Low Tatras

    September 8 in Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Yesterday we got up too late to go hiking so I consulted my guide book and read that Banska Stiavnica, an hour's drive from the campsite, was 'worth a trip'. It wasn't 😂 It is built in the bowl of a collapsed volcano and looks impressive as you drive in but once there, it took us 10 mins to look around. Lesson learnt! Once back at the campsite, we just finished tea in time before an almighty storm came in. Let's just say, we were very happy not to be in a tent as some other unfortunates were! Today we went for a very pleasant 15k hike in the low Tatras - we are not fit enough yet to attempt the high Tatras but this time next week, I'm sure we will be 😃Read more

  • Sedliacky Dvor Campsite

    September 7 in Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Wasn't going to post today as we have just been chilling but what was a lovely quiet campsite last night & most of the day has this evening been invaded by lots of newcomers, including one of those women that has to broadcast their conversation with their grandchildren on facetime or whatever to the entire site 🙄 So we have retreated inside the caravan! Started today off with waffles made by the campsite owner, made a few friends (of the 4 legged variety of course) and went for an afternoon hike around the hills from where we could spot Conan before all the newbies arrived 🤪Read more

  • Heading into Slovakia

    September 6 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    After a quick stopover at the inappropriately named Camping Paradise Gardens just south of Vienna, we headed onwards to Slovakia. That was after Nigel was shouted at by the owner for following his wife's instructions on how to negotiate an exit from the pitch. A full on argument ensued between the owner and his wife, none of which we understood as it was all in German, but our money was on the wife so we made a hasty exit. Nigel wanted to check the caravan brakes as they keep sticking but he ended up having to do it in a lay-by instead! Heading through Slovakia we were driving on route 66 towards some big storm clouds and thought we would get caught as soon as we arrived at the campsite but unlike the previous night, we escaped the rain. We are now staying at a Dutch run country/farm campsite out in the sticks where thankfully there are not so many people. We have been invited to sit round the firepit with the other campers but that is far too sociable for us so we will watch the sun go down over the cow fields instead 😜Read more

  • Zell am See

    Sep 2–5 in Austria ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    After a dirty dash across France & Germany we have arrived in Austria. We decided not to spend too long here as we want to get to the Balkans before the summer season finishes & all the campsites close. However it turns out that the randomly selected Panorama campsite is in rather a good location. Right on the lake & 1/2 hour from the Kitzsteinhorn Cable cars & the Grossglockner Pass. Bonza! The great location comes with a cost though - we are rammed in like sardines & surrounded by noisy Czechs & barking dogs 😭 The town is full of very rich Arabs staying at the posh hotels (We did have a lovely meal in an Iranian restaurant). It's a lovely area but maybe a bit sterile.Read more

    Trip start
    September 1, 2025