Welcome to the packed March edition of the newsletter. We would like to say a hearty hello to everyone who signed up at the very busy NEC Motorhome Show last month. We have a full report of our NEC experiences later along with details of some minor celebrities that we actually met in the flesh. The picture shows a packed audience (well at least 20 people) enthralled as I show them a picture of Wendy and myself with Santa in Lapland.
We are also delighted to announce the 2025 Tour Schedule. Read on for full details. We are also continuing to plot out our grand tour to the Arctic Circle and we have more details on that too later on.
We have had a cancellation on our 2024 Budapest, Prague and Vienna Tour, so please contact us if you would like to take it up. More details below.
We have another great one-pot recipe and this month’s motorhoming tips are all about van security.
The NEC Motorhome Show
Regular readers will know that we love the NEC Motorhome Show. It is the biggest and best motorhome show in the country. We have been going to the February and October incarnations for ten years now and have a great time seeing customers old and new, fellow tour leaders, fellow exhibitors, the lovely organisers and people you half recognise off the telly.
This year was a bit different as we were given the opportunity to speak at the Inspiration Theatre with a presentation on the delights of travelling to Sweden. The talks went quite well with the audience pretending to enjoy my “dad” jokes while eating their sandwiches (there aren’t many places to sit at the NEC). This also generated a lot of interest in Sweden and the Arctic Circle as a destination, which has prompted us to come with a new idea for a tour there in 2025 – see below for more details.
My highlight was the brilliant Simon Calder, the UK’s best-known travel journalist. He came to our stand (on free cupcake day) to interview us for the Independent newspaper’s podcast. You can hear it here: https://x.com/SimonCalder/status/1757456186394169472?s=20
Just for information, Simon prides himself on paying his own way and therefore refused the offer of a cupcake. He is one of the loveliest people you could hope to meet – just like he is on the TV. The picture shows me, Colin and Simon (it's like the Goodies all over again).
In other show news, we always like to have a sniff around the dealers at the show and see the lie of the land. Our opinion is that although the price point remains high on motorhomes, they are now looking to do deals. This means getting more for your van on trade in and also getting more in terms of accessories etc. It could be a good time to buy.
The 2025 Schedule - time to Express an Interest
It is that time of year again when we release next year’s schedule. I know, it’s only March! However, it seems that folks plan early in the world of motorhoming tours and we have to get the details out early as retired people (as a lot of you are) are so darned busy.
Attached to your email reminder, you should have received a link to our previews brochure. At this stage, we have seven (eight actually) tours planned. We have worked out the routes and the prices with the precise dates being finalised later this month.
We will be opening the bookings in April, but as usual you can express an interest now. For the new readers, the way this works is that if you send us an email we will put you onto “the spreadsheet”. What this means is that before we open the bookings we will come to you first to see if you want to take up a space. There is no commitment to do so, it just gives you first dibs. You can express an interest now, simply by emailing us with the tour (or tours) that you are interested in.
If you have any questions about anything on the schedule in 2025, please get in touch. The full 2025 brochure will be out in late Spring as usual. Remember that as newsletter subscribers, you always get to the chance to book on our tours at least a month before the general public.
Sweden and the Arctic Circle (with a little bit of Finland and Norway)
Regulars will know that we have been toying with the possibility of an Arctic Circle Tour for a few months. Our original plan was for a mammoth 6-week tour that focussed on Norway with bits of Sweden and Finland. For various reasons we have moved away from this idea, mainly because every other motorhome tour company in Europe offers it in May/June and we think it will be a complete bun fight.
We have a new plan, which is a 30-day tour taking place in August 2025. The focus will be on Sweden with the chance to pop into both Finland and Norway. Our furthest point north will be the Arctic Circle.
We will head up through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany before arriving in Denmark . After a couple of days in Copenhagen (pictured above), we head over the magnificent Oresund Bridge (pictured below) and across to the east coast of Sweden via Karlskrona and then onto Stockholm for a few nights.
From there we start our drive to the Arctic Circle following the Gulf of Bothnia via Lulea. On the Arctic Circle we drive into Finland. More specifically, we will visit Lapland (where Santa resides all year round).
We will then come back via the western side of Sweden with the chance to dip into Norway. En route we take in Sweden’s largest lakes (Vattern and Vanern) and the next two largest cities of Malmo and Gothenburg. We then spend a few days getting back through Denmark, Germany , the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
The tour will leave at the end of the first week in August and arrive back in the first week of September. The total driving distance from Calais to Calais will be around 4000 miles. This is a driver’s tour and you would need to be comfortable with some long driving days where we cover maybe 250 miles. The total price will be £3950 for the Early Bird, which will include the Dover-Calais ferry as usual.
We are taking expressions of interest now on this tour so please drop us an email if you are interested. More details will be available over the next few weeks and will send you these via email as they become available.
2024 Cancellation space available
A space has become available on our Budapest, Prague and Vienna Tour in May/June this year.
In addition to the three main cities we spend time in the Czech Republic and Hungary. The picture shows the the amazing multi-layered Cloak Bridge in Ceske Krumlov in Bohemia.
Full details of the tour are available here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/budapest-prague-vienna-2024
If you would like any further information or just fancy an informal chat, please get in touch. If you would like to book, please give us a call or complete an online booking for here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/book-now
Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)
Meatball and greens creamy pasta
Ingredients
450g linguine pasta
200g fresh greens, thickly sliced, large stalks removed
150g frozen peas
1 tbsp olive oil
450g of minced meat
1 large red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
150ml white wine
1 lemon, zested
2 tsp Dijon mustard
150ml whipping cream
40g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve (optional)
1-2 tsp crushed chillies, to serve
Method
Cook the pasta to pack instructions, adding the greens and peas for the last 4 mins. Drain well, reserving 100ml cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Divide your mince into 8 equal sized balls and fry for 8 mins or until browned all over; transfer to a plate. Drain away excess fat, leaving about 1 tbsp in the pan. Reduce the heat to low-medium and fry the onion and garlic for 6 mins until softened.
Return the meatballs to the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and pour over the wine, bubbling for 2 mins until reduced by half. Stir through the lemon zest, mustard and cream, reduce the heat and warm for 1-2 mins. Mix in the Parmesan; remove from the heat.
Stir the pasta, greens and peas into the sauce with a little cooking water. Toss together, then set aside 460g pasta mixture and 8 meatballs. Serve with black pepper, crushed chillies and extra Parmesan, if you like.
Motorhoming Tips
The following tips with regard to vehicle security are courtesy of our insurance company and I thought they were worth sharing. The key message is that you should consider a range of security measures and that these should including physical and visual methods as well as smart technology.
Physical / visual security:
Steering wheel locks
Wheel locks/clamps
Gear locks
Bollards
Park in a difficult position e.g. park your car in front of your van, or park nose in to prevent towing
Display security stickers e.g. to show you have a tracker, alarm or immobiliser
Smart security:
Alarms
Immobilisers
Trackers
VIN Chip technology
Smart water
Window etching
And finally, protect your keys. We take ours with us when we are on holiday and not in the van. Also, you can use a Faraday pouch to prevent you key being cloned.
Keep in touch
Facebook: crossingsmotorhometours
Instagram: CrossingsMotorhome
Please feel free to contact us at any time. When we are away, calls will bounce to our mobiles at no expense to yourself.
