Welcome to the November edition of the newsletter with a special welcome to all of you who signed up at the motorhome show last month. What a great show!
Although we have not had any tours out this month, there is lots to report, with a full review of the NEC Motorhome Show including our meeting with yet another minor celebrity. There is also some good news for motorhome buyers as prices have finally started to drop.
We also have two tour reports from our September Tours that we have not had room for in previous editions. Read on for a full roundup of our Croatia & Slovenia Tour and our Provence & Ardeche Tour.
As usual, we have another great cut-out-and-keep recipe and this month's motorhoming tips are a follow up on last month's tips on Adblue.
NEC Motorhome Show review
I know I have said it before (and I will probably say it again) but the NEC Motorhome Show in October is the biggest and best show of its kind and we absolutely love it.
Regular readers will know that I have an unhealthy obsession with minor celebrities, although this has not led to any restraining orders (at the time of writing). There were actually some quite big names this year, but don't get too excited as they don't let us anywhere near them.
For those of who of a certain vintage who used to enjoy alternative comedy, you may remember Rowland Rivron, comedy actor / drunken drummer. Rowland was ably compering the Inspiration Theatre. He is a very professional man so there is no gossip I can spill on him whatsoever. Kate Humble on the other hand...
Here is a gratuitous picture of Wendy and myself with Rowland enjoying a "Crossings cupcake". (Tuesday is cupcake day).
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who came to see us at the show, which included lots of regulars and lots of new customers. We think that this year was probably the busiest show we have ever been to. We would also like to say thanks to everyone who came and endured my dad jokes at the Inspiration Theatre. We did two talks (one on Italy and one on France) and both were very well received despite my casual racism towards our continental cousins.
There is also some good news if you are looking of buy a new motorhome. Prices have finally started to fall and in some cases, by quite a lot. We get to speak to lots of the dealers and also lots of buyers and there are definitely deals to be done. Rimor were knocking out brand new motorhomes for less than £60k and some of the more expensive marques were also doing deals - £15k off a Coachman for example. Some of the deals only seemed to be for new buyers (they don't want to trade in your old one as they have too much stock). However, it seems like the bubble is starting to deflate (not burst completely).
The next NEC Motorhome Show is in February and we will be previewing that in the newsletter early next year: https://ccmshow.co.uk/
2025 Tour Update
Having had a very busy time at the show, we now don't have much left for 2025. As I write we have spaces in the following two tours:
Lake Garda & Venice: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/lake-garda-venice-2025
The Loire & Burgundy: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/loire-burgundy-2025
If you are interested, please get in touch soon and remember that our early bird discounts run out at the end of next month. If you have any questions about any of our tours, or wish to be added to the waiting list of full tours, please contact us.
Croatia & Slovenia Tour Review
Thanks for Rebecca and Andy for running the tour and for the following report...
The trip to Croatia and Slovenia was Crossings final trip of the 2024 season. In traditional fashion we met our fellow travellers near to Dover the night before our Channel crossing. Having spent our first night in the Champagne region we proceeded to Strasbourg where many of the group took advantage of easy cycling and walking routes into this cultural capital.
Our next site in Germany near Augsburg was a total contrast as it was adjacent to a lake suitable for both swimming and circumnavigating. It also had the advantage of an easy route into town. Leaving here some of our guests took a route via the nearby site of Dachau concentration camp for a very thought provoking visit. From here we moved on into Austria where Gmund and its Porsche museum were visited as were the waterfall and dams high above the town.
Our next transfer between sites was only short but it took us to yet another country, in this case Slovenia and the attractive town of Bled. Here the group proceeded to walk and cycle the area with visits to the castle, gorges and of course the iconic church on the island in the middle of the lake. We also shared an excellent group meal including traditional Kremna rezina otherwise known as Bled cake which being on holiday came in the traditional calorie free version!!!
More activity followed Bled as we moved on to the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. With its surfeit of museums every interest was catered for from puppetry to railways. It was also a chance to eat dishes such as Prekmurska Gibanica, a dessert prepared using nuts, cottage cheese, raisins, poppy seeds, apples and walnuts as well as complete loaves filled with thick stew. Predjama castle and the Postojna caves were also popular places to visit.
After our cultural exertions it was time to relax so we moved on to the Croatian coast. Our first site had the benefit of several restaurants but was also an easy walk into the town of Fazana. A quick bus ride away was the town of Pula with its extensive Roman ruins and well-preserved amphitheatre. Our next site was only a short drive away, the island of Krk. Again sea swimming, cycling and walking were the order of the day as well as visiting the town of Krk with its harbour, castle and churches.
An inland journey followed to the Plitvice National Park and a much more rural site. The weather gods were well and truly on our side when we visited the lakes. The sun shone continuously and the waterfalls became ever more spectacular as we walked, sailed and and rode the land train around the park.
Zagreb was also seen at its best in the sunshine. Many of our guests joined walking tours around the city and were amazed by how much could be seen in this small capital. The numerous museums allow this city to claim that there are more museums per square foot than in any other city in the world. One popular one visited by our guests was the Museum of Broken Relationships, fortunately with no known negative results!
Sadly, it was then time to commence our journey home. Excursions were made to many places enroute with diversions including to the Romantic Road, Nancy and various WW1 and WW2 sites. Some guests checked out the wine sellers prior to our ferry home. And so ended a very enjoyable trip as we all returned to Dover.
Our Croatia & Slovenia 2025 Tour is fully booked but please contact us if you would like to go on the waiting list. We will be running the tour again in 2026.
Provence & The Ardeche Tour Review
Ian and Linda were out in September with our Provence & Ardeche Tour. Here are the highlights:
Provence and the Ardeche are perhaps two of France's lesser known regions. Despite this, they offer loads of attractions for the visitor, especially those wishing to steer clear of the over-commercialisation that you sometimes come across.
After a couple of driving days down through the Champagne and Burgundy regions, our first stop in the Ardeche was our five-star campsite with pitches right on the river. At this time of the year the Ardeche is fairly tame and warm enough to swim in. For the more adventurous it is possible to hire a canoe from the campsite and then paddle (drift) downstream to the mighty Pont d'Arc. This massive natural arch has been carved out of the rock by years of rushing water. Perhaps the best way to see it is from your canoe and you paddle underneath its massive 100ft canopy.
Now you might be wondering how you are going to get back to the campsite and this is the best bit. You simply paddle into one of the pick-up points by the side of the river and young person in a minibus comes and picks you up and drives you back to where you started - genius.
It was time to get into Provence now with a few nights in the ancient walled city of Avignon. Home to the unfinished bridge (they still haven't finished it) and the grand papal palaces, Avignon is a delightful place to wander round with its open squares and network of narrow shopping streets. A highlight is walking up to the Jardin des Domes and looking out over the Rhone (France's third longest river). A handy feature here is the free boat service that takes you from the foot of the ramparts back across the river to the campsite.
Our next stop was in rural Provence, specifically in the Luberon. This area is characterised by large open plains, bordered by dramatic escarpements and ridges topped with hilltop medieval towns. The pick of these is Gordes (as seen on many postcards), which is also home to the famous Senanque Abbey. This area is home to loads of pretty towns and villages and you can take your pick really. Our group particularly liked Lourmarin, a fairly small town packed with restaurants, cafes and art galleries.
It was time for a change of scenery now as the tour headed up into the Haute Alps (High Alps) around Sisteron. Although only a small town, the location is stunning with the dramatic Rocher de La Baume (volcanic rock formation) dropping down into the Durance river. The highlight of the town is the Citadel just across the river from the rock.
The group then enjoyed the best driving day of the tour as they headed north through the mountains before arriving back in the Ardeche region near the small town of Crest. As the drive progresses, the land starts to level out a bit more and gets a bit more lush and green. This area is characterised by dramatic mountain ridges, valleys and wide sweeping rivers. You will also see plenty in the countryside here with vineyards, orchards and mushroom farms among lots of other agricultural activity taking place in the fertile land in the valleys.
Our campsite for the next few nights sits on the confluence of two rivers where guests were able to get out and about on foot, by bike and using the local bus service. An interesting spot around here is the "abandoned" village of Mirabel et Blacons. In fact, Blacons at the foot of the valley is still a thriving little place, once home to a massive papermill (the building still survives) whereas Mirabel (at the top of the hill) became largely deserted in "the old days" as it was so difficult to get water up the hill to the village. These days you can walk up to Mirabel and wander around the largely deserted village although a few people have bought houses and are starting to bring it back to life.
It was now time for the group to head back towards Calais with a couple of stop-overs along way including a great night in the capital of Burgundy, Beaune. At this time of year the town is completely buzzing with the grape harvest. Pickers from all over the world are drawn in to be part of the experience. As you drive in the countryside in this area the fields are literally packed with groups of folks picking the grapes and tractors with trailer-fulls of them. The smell is beautiful (and I don't even drink wine).
Our Provence & Ardeche Tour is having a rest in 2025. If you fancy a bit of France in 2025, we do still have spaces on our Loire & Burgundy Tour in September: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/loire-burgundy-2025
Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)
Italian Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
20 ml olive oil
4 chicken thigh cutlets
4 drumsticks
1 red onion cut into 8 wedges
1 red capsicum/bell pepper deseeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic smashed with the back of a knife
70 g pitted olives
27 g sundried tomato strips in oil
1 g dried basil
1 g dried oregano
6 g fresh parsley , finely chopped
200 g long grain rice
400 g can chopped tomatoes
375 ml chicken stock (or 1 ½ cups water + 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder)
freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve
chopped parsley to serve
Method
Heat oven to 200c | 400F. Heat the oil in a large, shallow ovenproof cast iron skillet/or pan. Add the chicken and fry for 3-4 mins on medium-high heat. Turn and fry again until golden all over.
Add the onion, red capsicum/peppers and garlic and fry for about 3 mins or until lightly golden and onion is transparent.
Transfer the chicken onto a plate; stir the olives, sundried tomato strips, basil, oregano, parsley and rice into the pan; allow the rice to soak up all the juices.
Return the chicken pieces back to the pan on top of the rice; add the tomatoes and stock. Bring everything to the boil, rotate the chicken in the sauce before transferring to the oven.
Cover with foil and allow to bake for about 40 minutes (depending on your oven) until the rice has softened. Remove cover and change oven settings to grill/broil on medium heat; grill/broil for a further 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is crispy and golden.
Season with a little salt to taste and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (optional).
Motorhoming Tips
Sometimes when I do the motorhoming tips, I get lots of folks emailing me with extra information (for which I am extremely grateful). This normally happens when the tips have anything to do with toilets. However, Adblue also seems to prompt plenty of responses. So following on from last months' tips, here is an update:
Some petrol stations here and in Europe are starting to put in petrol-style pumps on their forecourts. These are NOT the high pressure ones designed for lorry drivers, but low pressure pumps with a narrow nozzle designed specifically for cars and vans. Look out for them in your supermarket petrol station too.
It takes bleedin' ages to fill up as it comes out so slow, which is perhaps one of the reasons that we don't see more of them. I found some at a Carrefour Supermarket in France and left a healthy queue behind by the time I had filled up.
It you can get it on the pump, it will be about the cheapest you can buy, usually less than £1 per litre. Avoid buying it in plastic bottles on the forecourt as this is the most expensive way of getting it.
Adblue is NOT made from pig's urine. It is a synthetic substance.
I am not going to disclose which of our tour leaders uses a "she-wee" to fill up his tank!
Keep in touch
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Please feel free to contact us at any time. When we are away, calls will bounce to our mobiles at no expense to yourself.
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