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Europe with the Mighty Conan
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  • Clare Palmer
  • Nigel Palmer

Europe with the Mighty Conan

Dragging Conan the Coachman from the UK to Eastern Europe & the Balkans hopefully 🙏 Read more
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    🇭🇷 Grad Buzet, Croatia
    Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Not so Hum Drum

    50 minutes ago in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Today didn't quite work out as planned - we set off on what should have been a fairly short hike from the small hilltop town of Hum to Kotli and back again. Hum is billed as one of the smallest towns in the world - not sure of it's qualifications for this but the label certainly brings the coach loads of tourists 😕 We decided to leave looking around until we got back from the walk by which time the coaches should have buggered off. About 3k into our walk, we were supposed to cross a small stream but due to the recent rain, it had turned into a 3ft deep raging river. I was willing to get my boots wet but Nige wasn't so we turned back and took a diversion. Unfortunately the diversion route had suffered from a few landslides 🤦We could see that at least one overland vehicle had been through (and maybe a bear or two judging by the paw prints) so we persevered but eventually it became too steep and wet to continue so we had to admit defeat and turn back again. By this time we had walked for longer than the original route and I had put my foot in it more than once 🤣 As we approached the town, we were puzzled to see security guards and cars parked everywhere - it turned out that it was Hum's annual grape festival! We were obliged to buy a ticket to have a look around the town but with that ticket we were given a shot glass with which to sample as many of the spirits as we fancied, bearing in mind that one of us (me) had to drive back to the campsite afterwards 😵‍💫Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Pula

    October 24 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    It continued hammering it down last night until around 2am, then the thunder storms started and the wind whipped up - we thought the caravan was going to take off so we didn't get much sleep! Luckily the sun returned this morning for our visit to Pula, which we wanted to see last year but ran out of time. The main draw is the Roman amphitheatre and it doesn't disappoint. It is quite earie to sit on the steps and imagine what it was like to watch death for fun 🤔 The rest of the city is a strange mix of Roman, Venetian, Art Deco, awful tower blocks and a working port! There are also lots of olive oil shops and an interesting market hall where the locals go for coffee ❤️Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    From Biokovo to Buzet

    Oct 22–23 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    We were sad to leave Biokovo yesterday to make the longish drive back up to north Croatia. Even the young girl that looked after the campsite had a tear in her eye as I gave her a bunch of flowers to say thanks for being kind & helpful (she was probably thinking thank christ they are off at last) 🤣 It was raining most of the way, but the drive was made more bearable by the stunning colours of the countryside. We are now camping in a small Istrian hilltop village called Roc. The site has stunning views apparently but we haven't been able to see them yet because it has been covered in cloud and raining cats & dogs since yesterday evening. In fact it is raining so hard on the caravan roof now, it is giving us a headache 😵‍💫 This afternoon we drove to the nearest big town, Buzet, which is famed for its truffles. Another hilltop location, it attracts coachloads in the summer but today it was empty and mostly closed! We had a wonder about and a nice lunch. We also came across an off-road trials meet up - if they didn't get muddy enough on a normal day, today was certainly going to test them!Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Hiking in Omis

    October 20 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Omis is a town on the mouth of the Cetina river canyon. Today we managed a 11km hike up the mountain and back down via the coastal path with great views out to Brac. It was cloudy so the pictures aren't the best but the coastal path in particular was spectacular, with lots of heather and other flowers still in bloom - more than there were at the botanical garden! The paths are empty but then it is olive picking time and it seems even the kids are roped in on their half term to help! Back at the campsite, we have a guessing game of how many campers there will be when we arrive back from our days out - because of where it is near the motorway, nobody stays more than one night so there are different people every day. Today we were both wrong as there are zero other campers here tonight! We feel bad as we think maybe the owner just wants to close up for winter but she has since told us that she is very pleased that we have stayed so long and are enjoying everything the area has to offer ❤️Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Makarska

    Oct 18–19 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We've had a fairly chilled weekend, making the most of the weather - there is a bit of a nip in the air now but I still managed a swim in the sea today 👍 Yesterday we visited the coastal town of Makarska. First we had a steep climb up the mountain to the botanical garden which was lovely but probably at its best in spring as most of the flowers are long over. After a fishy lunch, followed by ice-cream pancakes, we just about managed a wander around the town! Most of the shops and the market were closed which seemed strange on a Saturday afternoon. We came across an apartment entrance that has been decorated by the owner with mosaics made of pebbles and then finished off with a beer on the promenade, watching what seems to be an odd local custom - a long line of cars driving along slowly with their hazard lights blinking and their horns honking in celebration of a family wedding. Maybe that's where the shop keepers were all afternoon! 🤔Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Hiking the Romantic trail

    October 17 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we enjoyed the autumnal colours on the Romantic trail near Lovrec. For once there were no dramas - we found the parking & the start of the trail easily and didn't take one wrong turn 👍 I even came across a bath or two, something I have been missing for a while, although it looked like someone else was already using them ☹️ The pictures probably don't do it justice but it really does take your breath away just how diverse the flora & fauna is around this area. On the way back to camp, we made a stop off at the green lake, which we missed earlier in the week!Read more

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    More Biokovo

    Oct 15–16 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Nige has recovered from his bug - I can tell as he keeps exclaiming 'ooh, donuts' every time we walk past a bakery 🤣 We have decided that we like this area and the weather is also very pleasant so we are hanging around for a few more days. Yesterday, we managed a shortish hike from the coastal town of Basta Voda, up the mountain and down again to Brela before walking back along the promenade and watching the sunset. We liked the look of the beach so returned this afternoon for a swim, but not before visiting the Biokovo Nature Park. Here, you can drive through the park, which encompasses the Biokovo massif, the highest point of which is 1762m. The road is very narrow so they only let 20 cars in per hour. There are lots of trails to follow and a diverse amount of trees, many of which are starting to turn lovely autumnal colours, but the biggest attraction is the skywalk which protrudes 11m out from the side of the mountain and is 1228m high - definitely not for those that don't like heights 🫣😬Read more

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    Back to Biokovo

    Oct 12–14 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We're making our way back through Croatia after having decided that Albania was a step too far for Conan - the roads in Montenegro were bad enough and we were starting to struggle to find campsites that we can get to easily with the caravan. Lucky we made that call as Nige has since gone down with a bug & a fever so we have ended up back at Biokovo campsite where we are sitting it out until he feels better. Not necessarily a bad thing - I got a chance yesterday to get my watercolours & the hammock out, plus also made friends with the campsite cat 😉 This afternoon, we drove half hour to Imotski which is high up in the Biokovo mountains on the Bosnian border. Nige sat on a bench whilst I investigated the blue lake, the red lake and the fortress - hopefully you can see which is which in the pics! Apparently the lakes were made by sinkholes and are some of the deepest in Croatia. I also came across Imotski football stadium which was named by the BBC in the top ten of stunning football stadiums in the world! A great town with amazing scenery which I would definitely go back to ❤️Read more

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    The bird's the word at Lake Skadar

    October 11 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today we took a boat trip from Rijeka Crnojevica, through the tributaries out to Lake Skadar and back up the 'Amazon' to Karuc. It's the largest lake in Southern Europe, two thirds in Montenegro and a third in Albania - you can see the Albanian mountains on the horizon. I was hoping to see some birds and I wasn't disappointed, if a little slow at capturing them for photos! We saw lots of cormorants, herons, egrets, marsh harriers & a few goats and I loved the amount of lily pads ❤️ We arrived back at the campsite before dark for a change and made the most of the lovely location by the river, as did the mosquitoes on us 😟 We were joined by the campsite dog and I was chuffed to see my very first kingfisher, though ironic to see it at the campsite rather than Lake Skadar 😄Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Tara River Canyon & Ostrog Monastery

    October 10 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Today we drove north via panoramic route 1 to the Durmitor National Park and the Tara River Canyon which, at 1300m, is apparently the second deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon. After our epic walk yesterday, we cheated and drove to the tourist car park so that we only had to hike up the last kilometer to get to the view point. It was warm and sunny at the bottom but unfortunately, as we ascended, the cloud got thicker & it started to drizzle. We couldn't see perhaps as clearly as we would have liked but certainly got the wobbles when standing next to the edge! Next, we were intending to drive the 'Durmitor Ring' which is another panoramic road around the national park but by the time we had descended down Nigel's 'short cut' route, we were running out of time. Instead, we drove back to the campsite via the Ostrog Monastery which is built 900m up into the side of the mountain in the valley where we are staying. We have been looking at it from the caravan all week so figured we ought to go and see it! It was yet another white knuckle drive to get there and just as we were leaving, the bell started ringing and we knew it must be beer o clock 😉Read more

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    Hiking the Mrtvica Canyon

    October 9 in Montenegro ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We still haven't got the hang of getting up early so we didn't start our hike until lunchtime! The drive there was stunning, one of Montenegro's four panoramic routes. The walk was also fantastic despite it being a 'there and back' route. We walked as far as the 'Gate of Wishes' (I won't say what I wished for 😉) and the narrowest part of the canyon. The trees with their covering of moss made it look like a fairy forest! We arrived back at the car park to be greeted by a local who told us it was his carpark and we needed to pay him. It seems to be a theme here that all the carparks are owned by locals and not the authorities 🤔 As this guy was only charging 3 Euros and offered us a swig from his bottle of plum brandy, we didn't think it was worth arguing 😄Read more

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    Detour to Perast

    October 8 in Montenegro ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Yesterday was a chill day as we are the only people on the campsite - not as nice as it sounds as it was blowing old boots & about 8 degrees! Today in search of some warmer climes, we drove to Kotor bay, hoping to visit Kotor itself. Unfortunately it really is as busy as they say and we couldn't find anywhere to park - there were long queues for all the car parks and nowhere to park outside the city & walk in. We nearly left the car on the pavement in a residential area as all the locals do but then a kind lady warned us that if we did that, we were likely to return to slashed tyres so we gave up & turned round. Instead we went just along the coast to Perast, which I also wanted to visit anyway. It's a pretty old Venetian town overlooking the Lady of the Rocks. I'm sure we probably could have got a water taxi to Kotor from there for an extortionate amount but by the time we had wondered about, had a fishy lunch & ice cream we were done & ready to face the drive back, contending with all of the crazy local drivers overtaking on blind bends 🫣🤣Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Made it to Montenegro... just

    Oct 5–6 in Montenegro ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    As it turned out, we didn't need to worry about getting car insurance at the Montenegro border, it was easy. What we didn't anticipate was the customs officer asking for the registration document for the caravan 🤷 We both shrugged our shoulders (when I checked on gov.uk it was only needed for outfits more than 3.5 tonnes which we aren't). He wasn't going to let us through but then Nige stuck his bottom lip out... he asked us where we were going and for how long and said "don't do it again as I will be in trouble" 😅 We just made it to our campsite in the Zeta valley before it began raining cats & dogs for 12 hours straight. When we got up this morning, there was a moat around the caravan! Today, after the rainclouds had cleared, we went to Lovcen National Park where we hiked up the Jezerski Vrh mountain & visited the Njegos Mausoleum - you climb 470 steps through the tunnel & pop out the other side of the mountain for 360 views of Montenegro, Kotor Bay, Lake Skadar & the Albanian Alps. Quite stunning if also a bit vertigo inducing! On the way back to the campsite, the cops had shut the main road due to an accident so we thought we would detour via the smaller mountain road. What a mistake that was - it turned into a 2 hour 'worlds most dangerous roads' in the dark, with no passing places. That's quite enough adrenaline for one day thank-you 😬Read more

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    Hike from Cavtat to Mocici

    October 3 in Croatia ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    It has been a rather chilly 14 degrees today & very windy - definitely not a day to go for a swim ☹️ Instead we hiked from Cavtat, a touristy but pleasant town just south of the airport. We had our lunch on the side of the cliff with no one else around 🙂 The obligatory lager at the end of the walk became an IPA for Nige - I would have had a hot chocolate if only they had sold them! Back in the caravan now with the heating on & a spag bol bubbling on the hob whilst the van-lifers are all sitting outside shivering 🤣Read more

  • Europe with the Mighty Conan

    Around Dubrovnik

    Sep 30–Oct 2 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We are camping in Molunat bay, a tiny fishing village just south of Dubrovnik. Although we have a nice little spot looking out to sea, it is really busy with camper vans rolling up until well after dark. Just when you think they can't squeeze any more in, some monster truck turns up and parks in the middle of the campsite! On Tuesday it was hot so we hired a little boat so that we could explore the bay & swim. Yesterday & today, the temperature has dropped by about 10 degrees - hope winter is not coming just yet. Speaking of which, we couldn't camp so close to Dubrovnik and not visit (Game of Thrones fans, see what I did there?!) As expected it was very busy. I have to give Nigel some credit as we have done 4 cities within the last week now & we all know how much he loves city tours 😄Read more

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    Back to Croatia

    September 29 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Yesterday was a bit of a wash out in more ways than one! We wanted to go for a hike and take in the Kravica waterfalls, which are supposed to be Bosnia's answer to Plitvice. They're not ☹️ Next, we set off along the Komoot route we had planned and found that the bridge to get across the river was missing & there was no other way to continue. So we sat down to eat our picnic just as the heavens opened & absolutely soaked us 😭 We had to admit defeat, go back to our rustic campsite and put the heating on! This morning, with everything still wet, we set off down Herzegovina's rather lovely 'Herbs and Honey' route, intending to cross into Montenegro. We had to double back into Croatia as we needed to buy car insurance but as we drove down the coast road, we decided it was too nice not to stop and we found a nice little campsite on the beach to spend the night - Montenegro will have to wait!Read more

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    Mostar

    September 27 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A day of two halves today! This morning, Nige lost his wallet with all of his cards & driving licence included 🤦We both spent a good few hours searching the car & the caravan several times over to no avail. On the off chance, Nige asked the campsite owner if it had been handed in and he suggested to look in the chemical toilet - obviously things got lost in translation 😂 So a glum Nigel set about freezing all of his cards & it was late afternoon by the time we got to Mostar. Upon arrival, he reached into the car door compartment for his sunglasses and guess what - the wallet was there after all🥳 Glum Nige turned into happy Nige & I was able to drag him round the tourist filled bazaars & Stari Most without too much complaining 👊 It's another city of great contrasts which really makes you think. We finished with dinner, Bosnian coffee & great views to watch the sun go down over Stari Most before walking back to the car past the Sniper's Tower 😟Read more

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    Sarajevo via the Neretva Canyon

    September 26 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We arrived in Bosnia yesterday and found a very 'rustic' campsite in the village of Blagaj, just outside Mostar. Down the road is the 'Dervish' monastery, built into the mountain on the Buna river. Historically it was a serene spot but now it seems it attracts coachloads of tourists coming on day trips from Mostar & Dubrovnik - not sure what the locals think about that ☹️ Today we drove to Sarajevo via the scenic Neretva Canyon road. Sarajevo is bustling and pleasant, particularly the Bascarsija, which is the original Ottoman centre full of mosques, bazaars, lanes & shops. On the western side it is more European, with a strange mix of buildings from different eras, the Latin Bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination kicked off WW1 and the museums dedicated to the wars & genocides. It's certainly a cultural melting pot & it feels strange to be walking down the street listening to the call to prayer coming from one direction and the angry Bosnian drivers honking their horns from the other!Read more

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    Stormy Split

    September 24 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    We spent the day in a very stormy Split, as did about 10000 cruise passengers! It is a big city so fairly easy to get away from the crowds if you need to but also fairly easy to get lost in the small lanes of the old city. We started off dry, with a coffee on the hill overlooking the city but by the afternoon, the thunder & lightning was upon us and the souvenir shops were doing a roaring trade in ponchos & brollies 😂 We tried to escape the rain by visiting the underground vaults of the Diocletians Palace - a few years back, it was the dragons lair in Game of Thrones but today it was a sanctuary for wet golden retrievers!Read more

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    Biokovo campsite

    September 23 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We felt sad to leave camping Lika - it was quite basic but a great location for lots of day trips and the plot sizes were very generous. Today we drove the short distance down to Biokovo. On the way we stopped at services with fantastic views over the river Krka. The campsite however, has not such fantastic views over the motorway - trust us to get things the wrong way round 👊 My 'old lady' bruise is coming on a treat - caused by hanging on for dear life whilst negotiating the rock climbing last week and not, as many would suspect, by Nigel losing his rag with me 🤣Read more

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    Zrmanja River

    Sep 21–22 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    It's been extremely hot the last couple of days so we decided to chill at the campsite on Sunday. We felt bad about not doing any walking so in the evening, we diced with death and walked 45 mins down the main road with no pavements to the local restaurant Tomic. Forgetting how quickly the sun goes down, we got parped at by a few angry drivers on the way back 🙄 On Monday we headed out 1/2 hour down the road to the Zrmanja river, intending to do a short hike to the waterfalls. This time we found parking but couldn't find any signs for the trail. Good old Google sent us down the road on the wrong side of the valley and we ended up in someone's drive 🤦We had to walk back the same way (which is a pet hate of mine as I have to do circular walks 😂) by which time we were absolutely melting in the hot sunshine. We didn't get to see the waterfalls but consolation prize was a lovely dip in the cool river & a beer whilst watching the kayakers👍🤪Read more

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    Sunset in Zadar

    Sep 19–20 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    It's not that we don't love the caravan, but that holiday feeling is still a bit elusive so we decided to treat ourselves to a night in a hotel in Zadar 🤩 It was a fairly long walk into the old town but once we were there, we were on a mission to get drunk as neither of us was driving! Easier said than done however, as the Croatian waiters are not exactly proactive! Nige took to ordering 2 drinks at a time to avoid the long wait to get served 🙄 Later we joined the crowds at the sea organ (where the steps play a tune as the waves hit them) to watch the sunset that Zadar is famous for. The pictures probably don't do it justice 🫶Read more

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    Krupa River Gorge

    September 18 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We set out mid morning to do a moderate hike around the Krupa river but we couldn't find any parking for our starting point so we ended up a few miles down the road at the official car park for the downhill hike to the Kudin Most bridge which takes about 40 mins. As I wasn't content with doing the short trail we took a different trail which an hour later ended up cut off by a landslide 🤦 Instead of walking all the way back, we waded across the river which went up to the mid thigh and ended up with very squelchy boots 😫 Later after a picnic by the bridge, we didn't fancy the tourist path back up so we chose the longer trail - we couldn't read the sign at the start but have since translated it - let's just say if we knew what was coming, we would have stuck to the tourist path 🫣 Of course, Nige had to settle his nerves with a beer at the end of the climb 🤣Read more

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    Close but no Cigoc

    September 16 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we visited Cigoc which is famous for being the stork village - almost all of the houses have storks nests on the roofs as they come here to breed & raise their young over the summer. Unfortunately they all buggered off back to Africa about 2 weeks ago! So we had to make do with the fake stork, some cows & some horses 🤣 We also spotted a few 'doer upper' properties for sale within the park area - you can purchase a couple of acres with a rotting wooden house thrown in for around £20k. We are tempted....🤔Read more

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    Twitching in Krapje

    September 15 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We all know Nigel loves a bit of bird watching, so today we went to Krapje, a small village on the Sava River which is renowned for the 200 yr old wooden houses and its ornithology reserve. When we arrived at the tourist office, the young guy said that today was really good for spotting birds - we weren't sure if he was being sarcastic or not - there was nobody else around and maybe the birds had already left for the summer 🤷 Anyway, it was quiet to start with but later I spotted two white tailed eagles, some egrets and grey heron - hurrah! No pics as I wasn't quick enough & Nige was already bored by then so we mooched on back to the campsite to cook on the BBQ & watch the sunset whilst all the newbies were recruited into the one woman restaurant 😂Read more

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