Day 5

A disturbed night. Having just fallen asleep, we were awoken by the arrival of very noisy vehicles parking right beside us. I thought they were motorbikes, but on emerging from the Land Rover this morning discovered we were surrounded by a posse of Volkswagen camper vans of indeterminate vintage. They looked only fit for the scrap heap, but Dennis assures me they are “all the rage” and their vintage appearance is the “in thing”. Raised just a couple of inches from the ground, the suspension has not collapsed, as I thought, they have been deliberately lowered.

VW Rat Rods.

While we were packing up, a young German guy came over to chat. He had read our blog and asked why on earth we had come to a backwater like Dottlingen (where we were camped), if we were on an adventurous overland journey. I explained it was just the closest campsite we found to stay that night. Sometimes the backwaters we stop at can be fascinating. Just the mixture of people on the campsite and modes of transport were remarkable. Parked on the other side of the Volkswagen posse, were a British couple. On chatting to them last night they advised they had just retired and were spending two months travelling around Norway with their border collie. Their mode of transport, a brand spanking new camper van. At our lunch time stop, a motorway parking area, a pretty aged Citroen camper pulled in behind us.We passed another shortly after getting back on the road. Amazing the different types of vehicles used for camping.

Classic Citroen camper.

Another lovely blue sky day spent once again on motorways. Miles of roadworks and closed off lanes, but no one working. It dawned on us that it must be a public holiday and google revealed it to be Whit Monday. Perhaps just as well no one was working as we had no hold ups for road works, just had to slow down because of the amount lane closures.

While stopping for fuel this afternoon we met a Danish journalist driving a Land Rover TD5 Discovery complete with map on the side and fully kitted out for overland travel. He has just driven through the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He is intending to travel in the US next year. I wonder if we will meet again?

Tonight we are camped in Kolding and have spent the evening with a Danish couple, Karen and Erik, who were passengers on one of Dennis”s New Zealand tours last year. They wanted to meet and to show us Kolding on our way through. A whistle stop tour of Kolding’s old centre with its cobbled streets, the castle and lake were all we had time for, followed by a very convivial evening over pizza and wine at Karen and Eric’s home.

Hopefully we can get the Land Rover starting problem fixed in the garage just down the road tomorrow.

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