Reset search
Scudamores On TourScudamores On Tour
SatelliteEdit route

Scudamores On Tour

April - August 2019
With our eldest starting school in September, we are following our hearts for one more big adventure before term times begin. We hope to explore as much of Europe as we can taking in mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches & islands across 8 countries... Read more
+1
  • 80footprints
  • 9countries
  • 146days
  • 719photos
  • 1videos
  • 6.8kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 60

    Orbetello - the spit

    May 30, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We arrive at a lovely campsite after driving through some pretty little towns on the way onto the spit. The children are immediately impressed by the park - I am impressed by the safe-ness of the park!

    There’s a lovely pool area with lots of very cold pools to test out on this very hot couple of days! Coen excited by the site of them goes running off through the entrance not realising there is footbath - tumbles straight into it head first and fully clothed is now soaking wet.

    The beach is just across a little road so we go to have a look and it is a beautiful sandy beach, with lovely, warm sea. We are not quite prepared though and Coen in his new dry outfit goes straight in the sea, followed closely by Amelia who has at least managed to take her t-shirt off! We have a lovely play in the sand, before a big black cloud starts to loom. We head back to camp just in case, but it’s a false alarm, so the children get a quick dip in the pool (wetsuits on!) and play in another park.

    Nighttime brings the one downside of this place - the campsite is next to a little B road that leads to the small island connected by the 3 spits jutting our from mainland. This island must be full of industry and/or nightlife as the road noise made it sound like the m25 the whole night through!

    Amelia has spotted that there were two young girls speaking English when we arrive so was very excited to learn that they were English.

    We chatted to their parents and found that they were also on a big adventure coming the exact opposite route to us. We had planned to only stop one night here, but as Amelia was excited to have made friends, we spent the next full day at the beach, the weather was so lovely, the sea was perfect for the children as it stayed shallow for a way out, Amelia tested out her bodyboarding skills, while Coen tested his jumping skills in the shallows. We finished with a lovely (cooling) swim in the pools, then pizza and wine with our new friends - sharing travel stories, highs and lows - and also getting some great recommendations of places to go! The children fully test out the safe-ness of the new park, with a few face plants, we leave with a few extra grazes and bruises, but happy!    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    1
    Day 62

    Nature's wonderful Terme Di Saturnia

    June 1, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    So we hear about this place from an Aussie family we met on the ferry from Croatia, we find it on instagram on their recommendation, but there is hardly anything about it on the internet! So we’re not sure exactly what to expect but as we bear around a corner, just over a couple of fields is a turquoise steaming set of pools with many little waterfalls bubbling over the edges of the semi-circular pools. Even though seemingly not well publicised, there are many people and even tour buses, clearly attracted by this mini paradise.

    Luckily there is a camp spot 1k up the road. Basic camping but there is a park (which we park right next to to keep the children happy!).

    We head down to the thermals with the children in the Croozer, it’s hot again today, and we look forward to a dip.

    The pools give off a slight sulphuric “eggy” small and remind us of our travels in New Zealand and the thermals around Rotarua. It’s a weekend and it seems this is a place where people come to relax, sunbathe and chill out in the pools, mainly locals but there are many tourists also that have found this little gem.

    We are prepared with our water shoes which are good idea as you can see a few with bear feet struggling a little.
    There are so many pools and waterfalls to explore! There is a huge waterfall at the top which is like a hot shower. The water in the pools is 37 degrees celsius...including the huge waterfall!

    The edges of the many pools have deposits of lime and sulphur which create beautiful edges that the water trickles over like infinity pools. Apparently many years ago the walls were built with bug blocks to make the separate pools, but it hasn’t taken long for them to be covered in the sulphur deposits and they now look as though nature put them there. We actually thought it was completely natural but it seems humans have helped a little. This place is completely free and we think in most other places there would definitely be a charge for this experience.

    We have our dinner on a blanket in the park and an early night, the pools were very relaxing and have made us all totally sleepy, especially in this heat.

    We have another dip the next morning and hit the road heading for Sienna...    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 63

    Beautiful Tuscany - Siena/San Gimignano

    June 2, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We wind north through the beautiful Tuscan countryside - lovely rolling, green hills as far as the eye can see. The sat nav does its usual trick of taking us up some roads too narrow for our van, down some dead ends and off the main road for a few miles of country lanes for no apparent reason.

    We arrive in Sienna and after a few trips around the roundabouts on the outskirts, we find a stopover where we can walk into town from. Summer is in full swing now, so it’s a hot walk up a short road to reach the city walls. This place is unique in that there are escalators in the edge of the walls that you can hop on to ge up to the top of the city - we go up 4 elevators which is a great treat for the children (although we almost take the stairs for one set as we think it’s broken, and then realise it’s just stopped while no one is on it). We enter the top of the city and walk down through some small streets to a beautiful church in a piazza.

    We grab a map and find a little snack shop, where the children choose a sweet treat, and carry on down the narrow streets. We have promised them ice cream so we find a little place on the corner, queue order and then get a big surprise when the lady asks for 13euros for the 2 single scoop comes we’ve just ordered! Ok children - DO NOT DROP THAT ICE-CREAM! We even have to take it back when we find they’ve left the paper cone wrapper inside Coen’s ice cream - for 6.50, we feel within our rights to get a new one! It is amazing ice-cream, second only to our first gelato in Rovinj, Croatia.

    We turn the corner and find the big Piazza Del Campo and realise this is why the ice-cream was so expensive. This is the set of a Bond scene. A beautiful sloping open Piazza, set in a circle with shops, restaurants and cafes around the edge and a big church as it’s centre piece. People watching people, tourists and locals side by side, every nationality can be found in these tiny tourist draws, which always amazes us! We hear some music and see a marching band from one of the churches are marching through the narrow streets dressed in their church gowns. Amelia loves this and watches until the very last one has gone past. We then wander through to find some other beautiful buildings and then look for restaurants that have been recommended to us. We order pizza and pasta from a very nice waiter who the children are quite taken with (especially Coen who keeps asking for ‘man’ to all the others), and enjoy food (and Prosecco) with a lovely panoramic view of the city.

    The next morning we head over to San Gimignano, another beautiful city contained within its old city walls. We find a place to park which has a bus that takes us to town, and head into the old city. The city is perched on top of a Tuscan hillside so that you get amazing panoramic views the whole way around. Inside there is a central piazza with a large well, we find out this was a very important place, during war time when the city walls would have been closed, there was no other way of inhabitants getting water (we learn this as we are sat next to a group of American students who have a tour guide with them...Nic decided to follow them for a while to learn a bit!!). Amelia has her scooter so enjoys the open space, Coen chases pigeons and then argues with Amelia to have a go on her scooter. We get to a beautiful viewpoint to see beautiful Tuscany, and decide it’s too hot to be here, get back down to the bus and head out to Florence...    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 64

    More Tuscan culture - Florence/Pisa

    June 3, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We find Florence pretty easily, but have a bit more trouble finding the parking space we are looking for. First one has no water or electricity, so we programme the next one into sat nav, but it cuts us through some crazy, tiny, private roads...we reach a point (on single track with cars coming the other way) where an Italian lady in a car asks where we’re trying to get to and tells us there’s no way we’ll fit our van down there, so we have to try and wiggle out a different way...I even measure the road width to see if we’ll fit, we can just about make it and we finally ignore the sat nav and find the camp spot, basically a big field full on vans, but a really nice man shows us how to get to the city and they have electricity so we’re all good. We hop on the bus just outside the site and get off at what we think is the centre (limited maps again!), and have a wander through the beautiful city.

    We come out in a big pasta with the most beautiful church - palace like in its beauty. We head to more of the attractions, and at his post we decide we’ve probably seen enough of the beauty of Italian cities - there are only so many churches, statues and artwork, however wonderful the architecture and construction, that we can take in such a short space of time. We see the beautiful statues in the outdoor museum and then chance across the highlight of this trip. A big queue and crowd has formed outside two little take away sandwich shops. We ask what’s going on and some Americans tell us that these are he best sandwiches in Florence. Well, you don’t have to tell Nic twice, we are straight in the queue, no idea what we’re ordering (due to my hideous Italian!) and come away with two of the most amazing ‘sandwiches’ we have ever eaten! I say sandwich, but this is definitely an Italian take on the classic, amazing focaccia, meats, cheese, truffle, and who knows what else, totally delicious, and worth the extra walk. We grab some take-away pasta (again, amazing) for the children and head back to the camp spot. We need to make an early start the next day to make it to Pisa, and we’re already late back...

    We hit the road early and decide to park in the big supermarket in Pisa (this is closer than anywhere else we’re allowed to park in the motorhome. It’s a hot walk into the centre, and as we’re ‘cultured out’, we’ve decided we are just going to see the leaning tower and get back on the road. Sometimes there is just too much to try and see everything.

    As we round the corner, Amelia’s reaction is brilliant, ‘oh my word, that really IS leaning, it might fall over!!’ It really is a beautiful piazza, with the tower, beautiful statue and large church too. Obviously the crowds here are pretty crazy, but we get the obligatory ‘holding the tower up’ pics, and then grab a (very bad and very slow) pizza on the way out and try not to melt as we get back to the car park. Luckily we are at a supermarket so can restock on the essentials - ice-cream and cold drinks! We hit the road to reach the Cinque Terra region before dinner...a long, tiring day!!    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 65

    Cinque Terra National Marine Park

    June 4, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Cinque Terra

    We’ve had lots of recommendations to come to this world heritage site, but have been wanted the camping is going to be expensive - so we were not too surprised to find that it’s more than double what we have been paying so far, even with our discount card, but it’s a cute little campsite set amongst a vineyard just a short walk from the beach. Amelia and coen obviously find the lake within minutes of us being here, and we get the bbq on and prepare for a day out on the train.

    The weather is really heating up now, after a pretty cold and wet May in most of Europe, so we know it’s going to be a hot one, and we are told to take the back pack rather than pushchair - Coen’s going to have a nice relaxing day while Nic sweats it out!!

    The only way to access the Cinque Terra NP is on foot (hiking - although they are very strict that you wear walking shoes or boots - you will actually get fined and asked to leave the trail if not in appropriate footwear!), or by train, which is what we do. Again the children are excited by another form of transport, and this train is even a double decker to add to this. There are 5 stops within the Cinque Terra - each only a 5 minute train journey from the next. Each is accessed through a little tunnel in the cliffs and really, it is the most amazing thing that these towns even exist, surrounded - and blocked off - by mountains, perched on top of or at the bottom of cliffs, with such limited access, and they are each tiny (and bustling with tourists!).

    We head to the furthest one first, Riomaggiore. Each town also has a long foot tunnel to walk through to get to the town from the train station. Amelia loves the pretty mosaics in the first one, Coen loves testing the ‘echo’ again! We meander through the little path and find a little port, tiny shops, and lovely views of the colourful buildings set aside the cliff, the ocean stretching out in front of us, and the cliffside walks that hikers are bravely taking in the heat. We then check the train time table and realise we have 7 minutes until the next train - cue a sprint back through the tunnel and under the track to reach the platform with a minute to spare.

    The next town, Manarola, has a similar tunnel and has another bustling street lined with seafood restaurants, gelataria and cute beach shops leading down to a big harbour wall. We have to wait for a photo here as there is a few Chinese tourists perfecting their poses and apparently we are in their shot. Another quick sprint back to the train platform - this time at least 5 minutes to spare, and we head to the third stop - we must be getting quicker!

    As we get off the train at Corniglia, and ponder which way we have to go, we watch people walking up a little path that takes them to the top of the cliff in the baking heat - before realising that isn’t the hiking trail, that’s the path to the town. Wondering how Amelia is going to make it up without melting, we get started; the first part is mainly in the shade, but gradually the path gets steeper and the shade disappears. Amelia’s little legs do a fantastic job, as we overtake adults that have had to stop and rest and she dodges from bits of shade at each end of the winding path. At the top we find a tour guide buying rehydration sachets for his tour group who are struggling below us!

    We find a lovely part of the town with tiny, narrow streets dotted with more restaurants, Italian take aways (where we sample some more lovely local cuisine), and geletarias, and we get to some beautiful panaoramic view points looking out to the wide ocean lining the park - before heading back to sample the ice cream. And it is amazing ice-cream. Now full of energy, Amelia makes the walk back down the cliff side look easy whilst Coen takes a nap.

    We head to the 4th (and our final) stop, Vernazza. We wander down through a lively street towards the little port and there is a sandy bay where Amelia can cool off on the sea, while Nic walks a bit further around with Coen still sleeping, and on our way back up we find another rocky bay where we watch as the waves crash in and Amelia enjoys building rock stacks.

    We board the train for the final time and head back to Levanto, where he children convince us to stop for a play in the park before we make t to the beach. A lovely sandy bay with a beautiful backdrop of the town set in front of the mountains. The sea is lovely and calm and the children enjoy swimming and splashing to cool off from the hot day of walking.

    Next stop, north to the lakes...a windy drive back up where we get overtaken by another bus...    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 67

    Lake Garda

    June 6, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    There are so many campsites around the lake to choose so we have to just pick the one with nice pictures, this one looks pretty cool with a nice pool for the children. We get one of the last pitches (uh-oh, that means our days of not having to think about whte were going ahead of time are ninbered!) and all the pitches are a little squashed but it’s perfect, right but the lake. We realise that it is a bank holiday for Italians and Germans so are lucky to have come without a reservation!

    We were going to do two nights here but stay three in the end as it was so good.

    We take a walk along the shore, and find in the shallows of the lake a little cray fish struggling against the little waves of the windy lake, it’s pretty cool for us all to see, we had literally just eaten some crayfish from the supermarket earlier in the week, which feels a bit weird but we pick it up and help it on it’s way back out deep!

    We decide this is a good place to hire a peddelo (especially as they have flamingo ones which Amelia is determined that we get - the children are really excited thinking they are ‘parks’ on the water as they have slides) but see you can hire speed boats too, proper ones! Fast ones! Nic vs Amelia on the pedalo vs speed boat argument - who wins?! Both, we get the bright pink flamingo first and then hire a speed boat and check out the lake a bit further afield. Coen barely come up for air from stuffing his face with biscuits and Amelia is living a life of luxury sunbathing on the bow of the boat. That was good fun!

    In Italy most swimming pools have an odd rule about everyone wearing swim hats, and this is one of those pools that really enforce it - so much so that the lifeguard even sells swim hats to those that don’t have them. Although when we ask he doesn’t really know why the rule is in force - is it hygiene, safety, fashion??! It’s a very odd rule. We pop a normal cap on which does the trick. The pool is great with a splash park with water cannons and very shallow water for Coen to run wild in too. Even a water see-saw! We spend the days between the parks, lake and pool and enjoy the sun. There is a jetty that we can swim off the end of, where he water is beautiful and clear, with lots of patches warmer by the sun - the children are never convinced with getting straight into deep water though and Amelia is adamant she wants to swim in the shallows (merky Algae water), so she’s on her own for that one!

    On the last night, Amelia finds another girl that speaks English and immediately they hit if off and she begs us to stay longer at the site - but alas, adventure beckons, there’s more to see ahead. So many friends, so little time!

    On a morning walk down to the lake, I (Sarah) see some fish much bigger than the ones we’ve seen before in the lake, so go out onto a rock jetty to have a look, excited to tell the others....and suddenly a fish at least the size of a whale swims up to me...I don’t know whether to run back and get my camera or just stand and stare and try to figure out what it is. I decide to stand and stare, then quickly head back to get the family, but by the time we get back, this fish is long gone. In hindsight it may have been more the size of a big fish than than a whale but it was definitely a few feet long and wide! And needless to say no one believed that it existed! Luckily, I ask another couple if they’ve seen it, they’ve been coming for years and show me a picture they took a few years back of it, so I can show the others!

    The lake has been beautiful, and has a real holiday feel, which means we’ve had time to unwind and relax, of course there’s a huge park for the children to play in at every opportunity, and we’ve enjoyed our time here. Definitely one to recommend. We decide as it’s been good and we’ve already done so many beautiful lakes that rather than driving out of our way to more lakes, we’ll head for the med and see what awaits...    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 70

    Hitting the Med - Pietra to Monaco

    June 9, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We make a little stop before reaching Monaco as the journey is long (and very winding along the beautiful coast, it’s also a windy drive in and out of tunnels that cut through the cliffs; every time we come out of a tunnel we get blown a little towards the edge of bridge that takes us to the next tunnel.

    We pull up to a tiny campsite, the weather is warm so luckily there’s a pool and the beach is just down the road.

    Quick dip in the sea, dinner, bed and a swim in the morning and we’re off to find Monaco. We also get bitten to pieces by the mosquitoes on this overnight stop!

    We head to Monaco and wow the roads are crazy, tunnels under and over other tunnels, sharp corners, confusing roundabouts make this an interesting drive! After a few wrong turns (even the sat nav couldn’t work out the road system) taking us up some steep single tracks with little option to turn, we eventually (and after some strong language from Nic which the children ‘can never hear’!) figure out which road to get on. We find a place to park right by the harbour thanks to our “Park4night” app (motorhomes are pretty limited here!!) and go to check out the amazing yachts! The path takes us around the cliff edge which has beautiful views of the sea and tiny coves below and a lovely viewing area for sailing races at the hard our entrance where teenagers are playing and jumping into the huge waves.

    As we round the corner we are met by a view of millions of pounds of amazing yachts!! We find it amazing how every harbour you go to is always pretty full and have to think “there is a lot of money about” - just to figure out how to create it to buy one of these beauties (nic writing - Sarahs not sure about owning one!). The Grand Prix has just finished so there are still barriers up from the course, amazing to think the speed to cars would have been driving around this town, we get a pic on the starting line up, wave to some Ferrari’s, Bentley’s, and Lambos and get out of this tax haven playground.

    Onto be next one, Nice...    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 71

    Cote D'Azur - Antibes

    June 10, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    On to Nice, which seemed Nice but there wasn’t any campsites really close by so we drove on through stopping just before the town of Antibes.

    The campsite is cool with a giraffe bouncy castle, little park, table tennis, petanque and a pool so the children are immediately happy.

    We decide to head to the beach the next day, just across the road, however you have to cross a train track, Nic has a run in the morning to check it out but it is a bit pebbly too so we hop on the bikes and Croozer and head to a lovely sandy beach. Haven't quite checked the route, and thinking we were going the most direct route, we end up ata dual carriageway, think we'll just skirt underneath it but a few wrong turns, steep hills and check the map - we finally make it to the beach, pretty sweaty. Realise we should have come straight through the town. It is a beautiful beach though, perfect white sand and bright turqouise sea, with more amazing yachts off the coast, one huge, the biggest we’ve ever seen.

    We have a great time on the beach and sea, the children love testing out their new ‘bodyboards’ and the sea is perfect for them (although Coen does find the little ledge where it goes a bit deeper and needs a quick rescue!). We spend the day in the sun and sea, a lovely unwind. The cycle home this time through beautiful Antibes, a mixture of posh casinos, high end designer boutiques and the old city - churches, city walls, harbour walls and many tiny, sandy coves dotting the little peninsula, before it opens to a grand harbour full of more expensive yachts; the coastal route is much more scenic than the journey in, and soon the long stretch of pebbly beach leads us back to our campsite. We are definitely glad we made the effort to get to the beautiful beach!

    A quick swim in the lovely covered pool the morning, Amelia is really building confidence now to swim further on her own, and they are both loving their new inflatable boards (Decathlon, of course!) and onwards we go...    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 73

    Cannes - turquoise bays

    June 12, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    As we drive through Cannes it gives us a good chance to see all the boutique designer shops, luckily we don’t stop!
    We head along just on the outskirts where there is a small campsite close enough to the beach. The site is great, we’re right by a river that leads to the ocean and lots of boats are moored up. We grab our beach gear and walk down to a cove. There are a few kite surfers out, and riding on hydrofoil boards, making going upwind seems like a downwinder!
    We swim and play then head back for a swim in the pool and wash the sand off!
    A couple of English motorhomes on the site love it and head into the glamour of Cannes but that’s not for us, on this trip anyway.
    The next day we head west.    Read more

  • Scudamores On Tour
    Day 74

    St Tropez in summertime

    June 13, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We hit some traffic as we come into the stretch of coast leading to St Tropez, and the first campsite we reach, which looks highly recommended, is full - with the exasperated campsite owner telling me off for not being here at 8.30am to get a pitch (err, does he actually think we can get off of a pitch by 8.30, let alone drive over an hour to our next stop?! It’s now 1pm. Maybe in the pre-children days). He tells us there’s another site a few hundred metres down the road, and we’re pleased they have space - although they still tell us to be quick to choose our pitch before they get booked up...people are pulling in one after one by now.

    We pull in to our space and check out the beach, just a few metres from most pitches on this beach-side site, and see the same huge yacht in the bay from yesterday; apparently owned by a Russian worth £10 billion!

    We were expecting the bay to be smaller and even possibly to SUP over to St Tropez (we are on the opposite side of the bay), but it was way bigger than expected. We have a play/swim on the beach, Amelia gets told off by the campsite people for being naked (she’s been naked for 4.5 yrs so this is a big shock for her) and the next day get a taxi boat over to Saint Tropez. It’s a windy day and as we baorf he taxi boat, the captain tells us he’s not sure if they will be coming back because of the winds, here’s quite a swell - I’m not sure if he’s joking at first, but we get on anyway. On the way over we decide which super yacht we would have (when we figure out how to afford one) and then check out the town. It’s funny, there is not a staggering harbour or buildings in comparison to what we have seen on our travels, but a lot of designer shops! Cute little streets. It’s a really hot day and the children are starting to melt, we decide it’s not our cup of tea but have a nice walk around and buy an amazing chorizo loaf - thank you France!

    Ice cream for the children and 2 hours is enough, back onto the boat, we get a lovely view of Grimaud (named mini-Venice) and head back to the van. Amelia gets to fly her kite as the wind is so strong, and we bbq at the van. We meet a lovely German family next door with a young girl and Amelia makes friends, and the children find they have an amazing toy collevtioonwth them which entertains them for hours. We also go over to see the park where there are deers which the children can feed (pretty tame!).

    This was one of the more expensive stops (a big shock when we check out!) so two nights was enough. Next inland (to water!)...    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English