October Newsletter
- Bob and Wendy
- Oct 4
- 8 min read
Welcome to the October edition of the newsletter.
The touring season has now ended at Crossings with three tours having just returned from Croatia & Slovenia, Lake Garda & Venice and The Loire and Burgundy. We have tour reports on the latter two of this list in this edition. The full tour report for Croatia & Slovenia will be ready for next month. Our main picture shows the lovely Annecy, en route to Italy on the Garda Tour this year.
It is NEC month so we have a preview of the show with a new special guest announced and some extra talking slots for us at the Inspiration Theatre (and a discount code if you haven't got your tickets yet).
As usual we have another “cut out and keep” recipe and this month’s motorhome tips are about fire extinguishers.
2026 Bookings Update
If you want to guarantee your spot for next year, you can get in before the NEC. At this time of year availability is quite limited, but as I write we do have spots on:
Brittany & Normandy: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/brittany-normandy-2026
Tuscany & Rome: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/tuscany-rome-2026
Lake Garda & Venice: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/lake-garda-venice-2026
For the other tours, please contact us before booking. Although we do get full, we often put on extra tours to meet demand. We also get cancellations from time to time and operate reserve lists to offer these spaces.
NEC Motorhome Show
The NEC Motorhome Show is on this month - our favourite show of the year. The dates are 14th to 19th October. We will be on Stand 9.34b in Hall 9. We have quite a few of the team in attendance this year with Colin & Sue, Rebecca & Andy, Ian & Linda and Rob & Chrissie making an appearance on some or all of the days.
As usual we will be presenting at The Inspiration Theatre. We are actually doing two different presentations across nine slots over the six days. Our main presentation will be on Tuscany & Rome. We are also covering a few graveyard slots with a presentation on Hungary and the Czech Republic. The full timetable is below (which has changed a little bit from the original plan). Please come along and laugh at my Dad jokes and I will give you a shout-out.
We have a discount code that you can use if you are booking your tickets online. This is EX1, which you can use when you check-out. This saves you £5 off the door price and includes free parking.
Famous people attending the show include Ben Fogle and Susan Calman (off the telly) so look out for gratuitous selfies with Wendy in next month's edition.
Finally on the show, regulars will know that Tuesday is usually cupcake day. However, this year, every day of the week is going to be "Crossings Cookie Day" instead. If you are a customer, come and claim your cookie!
Tour Report - The Loire & Burgundy
Thanks to Linda and Ian for the following tour report:
We left Dover early on 6th in glorious weather and a calm channel, and arrived at our first campsite in the afternoon after a bit of shopping at the nearby supermarket. It was still a lovely warm evening so we held our welcome drinks and nibbles around the van sitting
in the evening sun. A perfect first day.
We moved on to our site near Le Mans with some of our group visiting the 24H Le Mans Museum & Track en route. Many took the bus he next day into Le Mans and explored the Old town centred around the stunning cathedral.
Our next site at Brissac near Angers started with a wine tasting evening held by local guide Valerie, who is incredibly knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about the wines we tasted. The next day was market day in Brissac, so some browsed the amazing food stalls before exploring Brissac Chateau. Many took the bus into Angers to see the incredible fortified chateau and grounds along the river.
Stopping near Tours allowed us to get the tram into the centre or alternatively, drive to Villandry Chateau renowned for its gardens. The recent rain wasn’t going to deter the intrepid explorers in our group who sheltered in various bars and restaurants until it was safe to head back to our site.
En route to Beaune some of the group stopped off at Amboise to visit Clos Luce, which was the home of Leonardo Da Vinci and is now a museum housing some of his reconstructed inventions. Others took the opportunity to visit the Chateau Savigny le Beaune which has the most spectacular collection of fighter jets and every conceivable form of transport down to tractors.
However, everyone managed to get to our site in Beaune in time for the group meal in the excellent restaurant. Thoroughly enjoyed by all. The weather is glorious again, reaching 29c !
From here, guests could walk in to the walled area of the town or get the train to Dijon or Chalon sur Saone. On our last evening in Beaune some of us visited the local winery which was holding an wine and food event, mostly for locals, but were happy to include us. A very pleasant and very French evening for all the family.
The weather was kind while we travelled to our last site for our farewell drinks and then on to Calais for our return home.
Our Loire & Burgundy Tour is having a rest next year. If you fancy a tour to France, we will be running our Brittany & Normandy Taster Tour in May. Full details on the website: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/brittany-normandy-2026
Tour Report - Lake Garda & Venice
This tour has been a staple on our Tour Schedule ever since we started Crossings. We have fine-tuned this one over the years, so it was with some excitement that we set off with the group.
Our first two stops saw us diving deep into France with overnight stops close to the historic city of Reims and then another in the heart of the Burgundy wine growing region on the might Saone River near Chalon-sur-Saone.
It was time to head into the mountains and more specifically the French Alps where we enjoyed an extended stop-over in Annecy. This is a picture-postcard place with a beautiful old town made up of narrow streets and canals, bordering the stunning Lake Annecy. Add to this the mountain backdrop and lovely weather and no-one really wanted to leave!
However, it was onward and upward (literally) as the group ventured over the dramatic Mont Cenis Pass, choosing to go over the Alps rather than through them. Our destination was the Italian region of Piedmont and specifically into the Asti region famed for its fizzy white wines. The vineyards were in full swing with the harvest and we had a wonderful evening amongst the vines.
It was now time for main event as the group moved onto the southern shores of Lake Garda. Our very well-equipped campsite is laid out in avenues and we were able to take over a whole on, which was renamed "Crossings Street" for the duration of our stay. We even got the bunting up and closed the road for a get-together.
In addition to the wonderful Lake Garda there are numerous attractions around and about this area. Guests were able to walk, cycle, paddle, bus and train to various places. Locally there are the pretty towns of Peschiera del Garda and Sirmione (with its white castle). A little further afield is Bordalino and Garda itself nestling between the lakes and the hillside.
Guests were also able to make use of the cheap and efficient rail service venturing into Verona (of Romeo and Juliet fame) and the mightily impressive Venice. Folks really made the most of their day out to Venice with gondola rides proving very popular.
After a few days on the south of the lake, the group has a wonderful drive up the east side of the lake to the northernmost point at Riva del Garda. There is a very different feel up here where the lake seems even more dramatic with the mountains as a back drop.
Again, our intrepid group made the most of the opportunities presented to them. Everyone ventured out onto the water in some form, with many taking the paddle steamer to Limone and onto Malcesine. Some even took sailing lessons!
At Malcesine, in addition to the pretty town, you can go up 2000m on the cable car to the top of Monte Baldo. Here you are rewarded with absolutely fantastic views of the norther part of the lake all the way back up to Riva del Garda and the Dolomite mountains to the north.
Our adventurous group were off and about everywhere during our stay here. One group even walked up the old mountain road to nearby Pegasina where they were rewarded with cold beer and amazing views back over the lake.
Many people chose to swim in the lakes and the campsite pool to cool of as we enjoying temperatures in the high 20s. Overall, we had been very lucky with the weather and this stayed with is the whole time we were on the lake.
Things took a slight turn on the return led of the journey as it started to feel decidedly more Autumnal as we head back across Italy and into the Savoie region of France. Here we stayed on a lovely (fairly remote) campsite where we treated to one of the best group meals we have ever had on tour. A beautiful countryside setting, three courses, wine and even a "Crossings Pudding" provided by our lovely campsite hosts.
From here we made our way back north with time for a quick stop-over in pretty little Beaune (where they sometimes light up the buildings at night), one of the most important wine towns in Burgundy. Folks were able to enjoy a stroll around the old town and most enjoyed a final local meal before we had to head towards Calais.
By the time we got to the ferry the weather had gone very English, but we had all had such a good time that it would be churlish to complain.
Wendy and I ran this tour and we would just like to thank everyone on the tour for making it such a pleasant experience.
Our Lake Garda & Venice Tour is running again next September. Full details are on the website here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/lake-garda-venice-2026
Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)
One-pot South West (Tex-Mex) Chicken
Ingredients
580g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Texan BBQ seasoning
100g frozen diced onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g frozen sliced mixed peppers
3 courgettes, trimmed and finely sliced
400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
200g tin sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
1 lime, juiced, plus extra wedges to serve (optional)
2 tbsp frozen coriander
cooked brown rice and soured cream, to serve (optional)
Method
Toss the chicken with half the olive oil and the BBQ seasoning. Put a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add the chicken (you may need to cook in batches). Fry for 6-8 mins until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, peppers and courgettes and cook for 10 mins, stirring regularly, until the veg is softened.
Return the chicken to the pan along with the kidney beans and sweetcorn. Increase the heat for a few mins, stirring regularly until everything is mixed through and piping hot.
Stir in the lime juice and coriander. Serve with extra lime wedges, cooked brown rice and a spoonful of soured cream, if you like.
Motorhoming Tips
One of our guests showed us this handy little gadget. It is a simple to use fire extinguisher called a "Fire Safety Stick" that works on any type of fire.
You set if off with a simple strike plate method so no messing around trying to get it to work half way through a stressful situation! Also, there is no confusion over whether it is an electrical fire, or an oil-based fire or whatever. Just set it off and point it at the fire. It lasts for 50 seconds and you can even leave it behind and evacuate and it will continue to extinguish the flames.
More information here: https://firesafetystick.com/
Keep in touch
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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.
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