Ive located this in Zurich but out campsite is a good 20 km from Zurich, at Ottenbach on the river Reuss, but the blog functionality wont let me locate myself there !
Woke to another stunning blue sky day so packed everything up and drove Smart car and motorhome separately to the motorhome service point so we could empty grey waste, fill with clean water and then hitch Smart Arse onto the back of the motorhome. Easy Peasy and we were off.
Bob had chosen a route which was a little let windy and than when we drove over the mountains 2 days ago. It did though involve going via Gerardmer especially as needed fuel. Gerardmer was a nightmare again. Still heaving with people and lots of roads still blocked off. We had to do a nasty little detour round a small square with barely room to clear Smart Arse on the corners but Bob made it safely round and we were glad to leave Gerardmer well behind. Couldnt see any attraction in that town really. Possibly because our two visits went round blocked off streets and we barely saw the lake but it didnt appeal anyway.
So over the mountains we went but further south than if we had gone via Munster, the idea also being to use a little less motorway that we would otherwise need. Had easily concluded that the only safe way to get into Switzerland was using the motorway. Mullhouses looked and Basel didnt bear thinking about.
We had a really pleasant drive over the mountains heading due South for quite a way and driving through long sprawls of towns, some ski resorts with pretty houses on either side. By the time we got nearer the border it became very industrialised and we were glad to get onto the motorway. Motorways in Switzerland involve tunnels, lots and lots of tunnels. One minute you are admiring a mountain view, the next you are underground and only emerge to the view of a a totally different mountain.
All fine though and we headed from Basel towards Zurich but then turned away and headed slightly West as our campsite was the nearest Bob could find to Zurich which had pitches available. All was going swimmingly up that point. We had about 5 km to go when the road was partly cordoned
off so Bob hesitated as there was another road to the side which the truck in front of us swung onto. The car in front though went on through the cordon so Bob did too. Mistake. Cul de Sac sign and the road was not wide enough to do a Ended up in a builders yard where we tried to persuade Smart car to reverse the way it needed to in order to turn round but the Aframe does odd things to its steering so it refused. Simple and far quicker solution. We unhooked it, pushed it back, turned the motorhome round and hitched them both together again. Road from that point was totally confusing as a brand new road was being built and Tomtom got cross. So did we.
My phone maps was better and took us to the campsite along a real road but the turn in was pretty shockingly tight and Bob missed the tiny turn down to the actual campsite so we had to unhitch again and I drove Smart car down to the campsite and Bob took the motorhome.
more permanent homes than weekend, holiday statics. Since arriving in Switzerland the weather had gone pretty hot and the sun was blazing down. Im going for a swim I said having noted the campsite had a pool. Pool closed. Not a happy bunny expecially as the Acsi book said pool open until the15th. Oh well not the first campsite which has done this.
