Oozing Rather Than Driving

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Clunegapyears

Fanari Walk

20/10/2025

We had bolted from Georgia and across Turkey to get van repairs done, doing some long driving days. I woke and had a revelation. An epiphany. We don’t need to drive today. We are in a lovely place. Let’s stay another day. So we did.

We walked along the beach and around the lagoon.

*And cotton fields! Google revealed that Greece is the largest cotton producer in Europe, c. 9% of the world’s production.*

*And fell into a bar … a couple of Aperol Spritz for me. Wine for J*

We elected to eat in, but joined Mary and Tony for drinks before supper in their van. Lots in common and very easy to chat too.

On a Spit

21/10/2025

The BG van hogging the spot by the water tap departed, so we were able to use the hose to fill. Said goodbye to Mary and Tony. Quick shop and short drive to between another flamingo lagoon and the sea. Several walks, but limited by the geography. And knitting. But you can have too much downtime. I was a tad bored.

A Busier Day

22/10/2925

Not having planned spending any time, other than travelling through Greece, I’ve no guide books. We spotted a cruise ship at Kavala across the sea, so googled why it was a cruise stop. Kavala is pretty and an aqueduct that was only decommissioned this century. And an ancient site. So that’s the plan then.

Filipos is named after Philip of Macedon. St Paul created the first Christian church here and was imprisoned. Sadly it was full of American cruise ship tours and all the local schools must’ve been empty, as they were all here. Signage and info boards lacking.

We couldn’t park in Kavala, so only got a flash retina image of the aqueduct and pretty painted buildings.

*Big Lidl shop. It had gin … our first in 3.5 months. I can’t tell you how fabulous it tastes, even if I forgot to buy a lemon.*

We came onto the Mount Athos finger on Chalkidiki to Ierissos. A spot recommended by Brian and Gillian.

*Just lovely with our wheels almost in water.*

Ierissos Walk

23/11/3025

A non driving day. A walking day.

*Up past unmanned Akanthos C7th BC … not a lot here*

*It doesn’t look overgrown or steep, but it was!*

The path disintegrated and we could have done with a machete. We came down a steep section on our bottoms! The route then took us along a ridge so we could see both sides of the finger.

Salad and smoked mackerel at a lovely taverna. And a couple of glasses of wine. Our solitary spot has become a little congested as we’ve been joined by 3 other vans.

We will stay again tomorrow and walk over to the west side. Then, I think we will then need a campsite with a washing machine. We tried the laundry in town, but he claimed to be too busy with hotel laundry. Poo to him.

Both Sides of the Finger

24/10/2025

After a leisurely start, we walked over the spine to the other side of the finger. Maps aren’t always correct. Well, they are in that there is a path. But maps don’t show when there is a house, wall, gates and barking dogs. So we had to retrace and divert at one point.

*Bigger olives than Crete and lovely views. Glimpses of a cloud covered Mountain Athos*

I washed our knickers in the afternoon, before we run out. Knicker chandeliers deployed.
Supper out. J had pasta. I had a perfectly cooked Blue Fish … new one to me. Apparently it’s a cross between mackerel and sea bass

*Just one of the many boat builders at Ierissos.*

*A government notice to our Greek phone. Not sure how I feel about this.*

And so to Greece

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Clunegapyears

Food and Shopping

18/10/2025

We stopped at a large mall to spend the £170 we had left over from the van repairs. J came away with jeans and a top.

*We had our last Pide*, *not the best version but possibly the best of Turkish food*

*Coming around Istanbul we crossed a long bridge. My bridge expert passenger was able to tell me combined cable stay and suspension cable construction.*

Still with cash left we stopped at a seaside resort next to a C15 bridge built by Sinan the architect to carry Ottoman troops. He features in a book club read … The Architect’s Apprentice.

*Sinan the architect and his bridge to carry Ottoman troops. I ceased carry vehicles in 1970s.*

Dinner a lot more expensive and very disappointing. I had Roquefort salad, but the cheese was flabby and tasteless. It certainly had never been to Europe, let alone France. Perhaps we should choose destinations by the food!

Fantastic Fanari

19/11/2025

Filled with diesel just before the border, as it’s just under £1/ltr. Paid cash. A quick two item purchase in a supermarket got rid of the rest of the cash.

At the border, James was allowed to stay in Jez rather than walk through as a pedestrian. Issue with the van reg … the vehicle had not been registered as entering Turkey from Georgia. We have had this issue at some motorway tolls. The 1 is a number not an i, said I. Aah, never seen that said he. I didn’t bother explaining about a private plate. Two cursory glances inside from the hab door. Didn’t even open the garages. We could have illegally imported the dog I had liked, as no one was interested in Corrie or wanted to see her passport. Took just over an hour.

Onward to Fanari where we stopped on the way to Tr. Two BG vans that later departed and a UK van. We’ve not seen a UK motorhome in 3.5 months. Mary and Tony joined us for a drink whilst we ate. And then for a nightcap in Jez. Lovely evening.

I WhatsApp called my father’s 89th birthday party.

We had a great time in Turkey, but we decided the SE corner that we missed out on due to van repairs in Ankara, could stay missed. I had particularly wanted to see the stone heads at mount Nemrut, but just not worth the driving distance. We may re-visit Istanbul at some point by plane, but out of tourist season!

Georgia we would bolt back to anytime. Loved it. Amazing diverse scenery for such a small place. And fabulous food.

Return to Ankara for Repairs

Posted on October 18, 2025 by Clunegapyears

Will I be Arrested???

13/11/2025

A loooong driving day. Over 11 hours with a shop stop, lunch and the border back into Turkey. Sim replenished and cash obtained. 560km, most of it in driving rain.

J, as passenger had to walk through the border. I nearly got arrested for smuggling. Stupidly I hadn’t checked the regs for importing wine from Georgia. Only 1ltr pp!!! After an hour, I was allowed to keep 10 bottles. 9 were confiscated. I hadn’t tried to conceal the other 4 boxes in the door well. But once I realised, they’d not been spotted, my fleece was flung over them. I also stashed another bottle in the fridge! I can collect the confiscated wines within 3 months, on re entry to Georgia 😂. I nearly suggested the border guards might drink it, but remembered this may be insulting to Muslims!

We finally parked up at a place we stayed at before. It’s so much easier going somewhere you know after a long day. A takeaway in the van so we could have a glass of the contraband!

*Horrendous wet driving conditions. And some more mad overtaking / undertaking*

And Repeat

14/11/2025

9 hr driving day. Another 590 km. Stopped for lunch and diesel/LPG. My neck and shoulders are suffering.

Çorum our overnight stop, is modern with a lovely park, where we spent a super quiet night.m. With doing all this driving, I’m refusing to cook. And J can’t / won’t cook. So supper was in a pretentious restaurant called The Suits 😂. Food good though.

*Corim parking perfect for Corrie walking*

Ankara: Ada Karavans

15/11/3025

Only 233km today to our lovely repair chaps. We went shopping and for some lunch. Sat inside whilst a man on the roof. Another in the shower. And the little one said Roll Over.

*Really messy mastic removed and neat new sealant applied to the rooflight.*

We spent a good hour with them trying to work out why the heating works on electric but not gas. Erfan phoned a friend. Eventually they said we would have to go to an Alde dealer in Istanbul. We didn’t really want to mess with Istanbul traffic. I put a post on wildcamping.co.uk. Woke in the night and checked for answers. One suggested a tick box under installed settings on the control panel. At 0400 I did this. By 0500 we were warm, too toasty! I can only think it had been fiddled with on the last service.

Airbag repair 1

16/11/3025

A wasted day really. I imparted the good news about the heating. We had to wait for the son to return to pay up. £265 for new shower drain, resealed skylight, a window frame turned the correct way and gas investigation. Again, very happy to pay for quality workmanship at such a good price.

ADA Karavans had rung the airbag people so they were expecting us. After a few checks, it is a new problem. A relief that the airbag glue from our last visit held up. But he needed to order parts and to return tomorrow morning.

We looked on P4N, but the nearest was the lake campsite 65k north. So we returned to this peaceful sanctuary. Ducks, geese and a strange looking rabbit. £13.34 with all services and free to use the washing machine. A needed relaxing afternoon.

Airbag Repair 2

17/11/2025

Up early, walk around the lake and services done. The 65k back south to Ankara. We were 6 hours at the air suspension place. But they had to identify the problem and buy parts. Fortunately not the same air bag leaking. It was the inlet to the bellows (Google translate). We walked to the nearby shops. Had coffee. Walked Corrie around a park. Took out another wedge of cash not knowing what the bill would be. Paying 20% extra is a plastic card deterrent. I knitted and caught up on Strictly. J napped and read. It was a long 6 hours. We had thought we would need to go to Zampatas Brothers in Thessaloniki, as they are a Goldschmidt agent, but now we need not.
The bill was only £123. We’ve a lot of Turkish cash to spend in the next two days. Maddy, my daughter, suggested it has become free money!!!

We drove 2 hours to a lake side picnic area. Supper out was only £10.67 for fried carp and koftes. Not made much of a dent in our wedge of cash.

*Nothing wrong with the cooking, but uninspiring. Missing the tastes and choice of Georgian food.*

Gremi, Temi & South

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Clunegapyears

11/11/2025

We felt we couldn’t leave our parking at Alaverdi Church without visiting.

*Much of it again under skaffolding and expansive grounds. They must own a lot more land as they produce and sell very expensive wine*

*Strict dress code here, so even was J loaned trousers to cover his shorts*

Shame no photos inside allowed as the height of the cupola was impressive.

*Driving up to Gremi castle we encountered the usual animal traffic jam*

*And passed various trucks and tractors with grapes. The harvest is nearly over. When we were in NE Turkey the trucks dropped tea leaves, these leak grape juice!*

Gremi castle had a tower to climb (me not J) and good frescoes in the church. Busy with Sunday tourists and christening photo shoots.

*Whilst J napped, I shelled and roasted windfall walnuts, collected at our lovely winery stay … the owners suggestion!*

A short drive to Temi Community. A virtually self sufficient small holding and winery to support special needs people. A wine tasting and supper had been pre ordered. We stayed over night on their grounds.

Temi Tour, Davit Gareja & Azerbaijan border

12/11/2025

We had a tour of Temi Community this morning with Jonas, German, working here for a year. They have their own bakery, using largely home grown indigenous wheat. Poly tunnel for veggies. Fruit and nut trees. And, of course, vines. 3 varieties producing 3-4 wines. 4000 litre qvevri. Grapes have to stay in them for min 6 months to obtain qvevri label. Organic. No additives. No added yeast or sulphates. White is quite yellow. Distinctive.

Drove south to the Davit Gareja monastery. The scenery changed again. For such a small country, it really has incredible and diverse scenery.

*Half of the Davit Gareja is in Azerbaijan. A disputed monastery origin: Georgian orthodox Christian or Albanian Muslim? At one point we were 50 m from the border and could see a guard tower.*

*A bit touristy as in full of tourists,* *and no sign of the frescoes the guide book talked about*

Then back a little to a Polish owned restaurant and field – Oasis Club in Ubadno. Supper was amazing. Chilled place.

Kakheti Wine Region

Posted on October 10, 2025 by Clunegapyears

Drive to Sighnaghi

08/10/2025

I slept really badly due to the barking dogs in the car park. Consequently we were up late and aborted the short walk I’d planned. It was a slow 5 hour drive back down the Military Highway m, and we elected to drive around Tbilisi as the road surface would probably have been better than cutting across. This is more important now as the repaired air bag on the rear suspension has gone again. Enquiries are out for a repair in Georgia but I don’t hold out much hope … it’s a country of 3.67 million. It’s looking likely that we will have to abort Armenia and limp back to Ankara.

*The landscape east of Tbilisi is much flatter and is the main wine growing region.*

We parked up in the centre of Sighnaghi. Known as the city of love … apparently you can get married here 24/7. We didn’t … just went for supper.

Sighnaghi and Ibero Winery

09/10/2025

We wandered Sighnaghi and had a coffee. It’s on the must see list, but tbh we were underwhelmed. Possibly as I had another bad night, due to dogs barking, bins emptied, people. But it was touristy and all about wine tastings. I checked the web to see if we were missing something.

A 45 min drive to Ibero winery. On P4N. They have built a services. Super clean shower, toilet, and kitchen. The outside tap even has a hose. £12.50 for a tasting with a light supper, cold pork, salad, cheeses, dried fruit …. The tasting was 4 white, 1 red, 2 port style, 3 chacha (grappa). All the wine is fermented in the clay pots (qvevri) with the skins. This supplies the tannins, so no need for oak barrels. It has relatively low acidity. Apparently Georgian wine should be drunk young. We bought some, each bottle was c, £10. And the washing machine … free! Fantastic hospitality, especially as it’s the harvest season. Our host was setting his alarm for every 3 hours to stir the mashed grapes, as the top parts must not dry out.

*The qvevri here hold 2000 litres. The empty one was due to be filled tomorrow. Steel containers to store the wine.*

Tsinandali Winery and Alaverdi Church

10/10/2025

We used the shower and hose pipe to fill up supplied by Ibero Winery. A good overnight wind dried the laundry. And we cleaned the inside of Jez. So peaceful, we didn’t want to leave.

We stopped at Tsinandali Winery. It’s one of the big ones. So big, it has a Radisson Hotel on the estate. Having been redirected several times, we eventually found the ticket office. A museum in the house of Alexander Chavchavadze, a poet, a Prince and General in the Russian army. The rooms felt contrived, although I read that it was his furniture. The wine tasting was one glass of uninteresting 6 blended grapes made in the European Style. Not what you want to taste in Georgia! J managed to consume both glasses, as I was driving. We did see the first ever bottled Georgian wine dating back to 1841. All very soulless compared to our last nights family winery.

*Extensive gardens – tunnel of love and the wishing tree*

*Alexander Chavchavadze house, contains a few rooms, shop and wine bar*

*The wine museum was just dusty bottles, so old I’m sure the wine must have gone off. And the first ever bottled Georgian wine*

We had wanted to stop at Telavi, but couldn’t find parking, so came onto Alaverdi Church. Instead of visiting the church, we did our own wine tasting at the Badogoni Bar opposite!

Clune Gap Years

A journal and reflections of our motorhome travels

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