September Newsletter
Welcome to the September edition. It's a busy month with three tours out in September and one just coming back. In this month's edition we have a full tour report on our Sweden & Arctic Circle Tour (pictured), which returned today.
We also have a bit of news about the NEC and a brief update on bookings for 2027. Also, we have the final count for the charity abseil with massive thanks to everyone who contributed.
As usual we have another “cut out and keep” recipe and this month’s motorhome tips are on dash cams.
NEC October Show
Regular readers will know that Wendy and I have been in attendance at the show since records began. However, in a shock to the system, we are having a year off!
We thought it would be worth telling you why. In the next few months, we are both coming up to big birthdays – the sort with a zero at the end. Therefore we have decided to have a bit of an Autumn break somewhere warm, rather than spending it in Birmingham. That’s not to say that Birmingham isn’t delightful in October and we remain big fans of the show and will miss meeting all of you.
If you were planning on coming to the show to see us, particularly if you are looking to book for 2027, then please contact us direct as soon as possible. We are now quite full but do still have a couple of places remaining on some tours.
Full details of the 2027 Schedule are here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/tours
Sweden and the Arctic Circle Tour Report
This is the second outing for our epic grand tour up to the Arctic Circle. At the helm were Gary and Eleanor, ably assisted by Ian and Linda.
It was a bright and sunny morning that greeted our full complement of happy campers as they began their big adventure.
First stop was deep into the Netherlands close to Eindhoven where the group got together for a drink and a chat. It was a lovely evening with one guest even managing to do a bit of washing (too soon)! On the way, several folks wandered off to explore various bits and pieces en route including the old canals in Zwolle (pictured) and the Hoge Veluwe National Park.
Day Two saw the intrepid group taking a few excursions on their way up to Bremen. Some visited Arnhem and its famous bridge. Others went to Munster with its medieval old town. On arrival, the group were pitched around an enormous swimming lake (pictured below) complemented by a rather nice restaurant/bar.
Next stop was on the coast near Kolding in Denmark. The tour leaders put on a cheese and wine evening to welcome everyone to Scandinavia.
One of the many highlights of this tour are the bridges. In Denmark there is the Great Belt Bridge (10 miles long - pictured) and then the Oresund Bridge (9 miles long) that links Denmark to Sweden. Both are awesome feats of engineering with the latter providing wonderful views across the Baltic Sea.
At the far end of the Oresund Bridge is our campsite for the next few nights, close to Malmo, Sweden’s second largest city. In a serendipitous moment, our visit coincided with the solar eclipse. Our group was able to sit on the foreshore and watch the event with the bridge as a backdrop. Picture shows the sunset over Oresund Bridge.
Malmo proved popular with boat rides taken by most. There was also a music festival on at the time (we would like to claim that we planned this but we didn’t), which added to the atmosphere.
For the next few days the group were advised to ignore their satnavs and follow the delightful Route 8 that hugs the whole of the south coast of Sweden. Along this route, folks visiting Sweden’s most southernly point at Symgehuk, followed by the Ale’s Stones, Sweden’s equivalent of Stonehenge, set on a cliff overlooking the Baltic (pictured below).
The road then heads north, still hugging the coastline. Along this stretch there are countless places to stop off, with our destination being the old naval town of Karlskrona. A particular highlight is the Maritime Museum and many guests also took to the archipelago to do a bit of island hopping.
Our campsite is located right next to a charming little village called Brandaholm (pictured below) where a small group of traditional cottages nestle along the rocky coastline overlooking Karlskrona. The village is traffic free making for a pleasant evening stroll.
Our next stop along the coast is the delightful little town of Soderkoping, sitting in the Gota Canal (pictured). This town is most famous for ice cream. All famous people in Sweden including Benny from Abba and the Swedish King and Queen have had ice cream from here. Apart from that it is a pretty place made up of old wooden houses with a distinctive church and bell tower.
Next stop is the magnificent Swedish capital of Stockholm (pictured below). There are too many things to mention here so let’s give two extremes. In the morning you can go to the Abba museum and dress up as Agnetha (everyone’s favourite). In the afternoon you can visit the Vasa, the world’s only complete 17th century ship. It sank on its first outing!
After Stockholm things change a bit as the group followed the shoreline of the Gulf of Bothnia, which would ultimately lead into Finland. On the way there are a couple of decent sized cities, but you do really notice how small the population of Sweden is. En route, guests visited the Hoga Kusten (or High Coast Bridge), a wide-span suspension bridge spanning a dramatic gorge.
Another highlight on this stretch is the “church town” of Gamelstadt (pictured). This is now a UNESCO world heritage site. It is called a church town because people came from miles around on a Sunday to go to church. Cottages were built to provide accommodation for church-goers on the Saturday so that they could go to church on the Sunday. 400 of these cottages still remain.
Along this remote stretch, two guests were lucky enough to spot their first moose in the wild. The reindeer were a bit less shy so quite a few people managed to see these (pictured below). Some guests also came across some locals doing some pole fishing where they stand by fast-flowing river with 20ft poles with a net on the end. This method was surprising effective.
The group then arrived in Finland. Their home for the next few nights was the Christmas town of Rovianiemi. Here, we decided to celebrate the event by taking the whole group in a bus to see Santa Claus. “Santa’s Village” is a bit touristy as you might imagine, but is a different proposition in August!
Guests fed reindeers, went to see Santa, wore stupid jumpers and enjoyed a buffet lunch together in a log hut. The photo shows Linda and Eleanor hard at work on the line of the Arctic Circle. We were pleased to see that everyone was able to channel their inner child and enjoy the experience.
It was time to head south. Rather than coming back the same way, the group headed back through the hinterland. This is characterised by large swathes of forest and broad vistas across undulating hills.
One of the main stops on this inland route is Ostersund, famed as Sweden’s Loch Ness. Although no monsters were spotted, the group did enjoy a private evening tour around a moose farm. You can’t go to Sweden and not look at a moose. It's the law.
After a couple more nights in the wilds it was time to get back to the land of the living. Next stop was Sweden’s third largest city, Gothenburg. The festival was on, which was great, with lots of street performers and arty activities. A highlight was a comedy walking tour around the city.
Time to go back across the bridges, although a couple of guests decided to the crossing on a ferry, just for a change. On the other side of the stretch is the Danish capital of Copenhagen, where the group spent a couple of nights. Again, there are many attractions here including the Little Mermaid, the Roundhouse, the Tivoli Gardens, the Botanical Gardens (complete with red squirrels) etc. Thee picture below is the colourful Nyhavn harbour. After Copenhagen, you might think that our travellers were exhausted, but many of them found the energy to go to the Viking Museum in Roskilde to row a viking ship!
The group now retraced their steps back to the Danish coast, through Germany, Holland and ultimately back into France. On the final evening, the whole group got together again for a final meal and fond farewells.
Our personal thanks go to everyone who made the tour/expedition so much fun and to our tour leading team who worked hard covering around 4000 miles. Spare a thought for Gary and Eleanor who now have to get back to Aberdeen!
Our Sweden & Arctic Circle Tour is going again in August 2027. Full details are available here: https://www.crossingsmotorhometours.com/sweden-the-arctic-circle-2027
Please contact us for availability before booking.
Charity Abseil Update
Just a quick update to thank everyone who donated to the Coventry Mission for the charity abseil last month.
There were six abseilers in total and between us the amount raised was just over £4000. This is a really useful amount for the mission, who work with vulnerable families in the Coventry area.
Many thanks.
Coq au Van (the amusingly titled recipe feature)
One pan creamy chicken and bacon
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500g Chicken Thigh Fillets
1 brown onion, finely chopped
125g middle bacon rashers, trimmed, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
300ml cooking cream
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
1/2 cup frozen peas
60g baby spinach
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
Crusty bread, to serve
Method
Step 1
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook, turning, for 5 minutes or until golden and browned. Transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to pan. Add onion and bacon. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens and bacon is golden. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Transfer 1/4 of the bacon mixture to a bowl. Cover to keep warm.
Step 3
Return chicken to pan with cream, stock, parmesan and 1 1/3 cups water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Step 4
Stir in peas and spinach. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon rind. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with reserved cooked bacon. Serve with crusty bread.
Motorhoming Tips
This month, it's dash cams. Is it just me or do lots of drivers seem to be doing almost anything other than drive their vehicles? Messing about with phones, playing with the satnav, doing their make-up...and that's just the fellas.
After a couple of near misses we decided to get a dash cam. You do need to be aware of the rules though:
Dash cams (legally) must be positioned so that they do not obstruct the driver's vision.
Keep the wires out of the way so that they do not interfere with anything else.
Do not mess about with it while driving.
Be careful how you use the footage. You can upload videos to insurance companies and the police (Operation Snap) in the event of an incident. You should get permission from whoever you filmed to upload it anywhere else.
We also use our dash cam to record some stunning driving, mainly when we are in mainland Europe. If you do this, be aware that it is illegal to use them in Portugal, Austria and Luxembourg.
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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