Day trip to Montenegro

Gateway to Kotor

Montenegro has got to be a cool upcoming happening place in the next few years and is already getting rave reviews. I notice that in the Independent today (Sunday 21st October 2012) the travel section has Montenegro as one of the places to see in the coming year. Blessed with nature's bounty, it packs a big tourist punch for such a small nugget of a nation.

There are a number of companies that do this trip from Dubrovnik for between 300 - 360 kuna which might be an easier option than organising your own trip. By all means hire a car as an alternative, or if you take the bus, you can leave relatively early in the day, but the problem with this is getting back at a reasonable time. The last bus back was inconveniently early. In the end I went with 'Adriatic Explore' (http://www.adriatic-explore.com/index.php) who proved to be very professional, with a pretty young guide by the name of Anastasia who spoke excellent English and looked after us with great care for the whole day. Right from the start she gave us a non-stop and very informative commentary on everywhere we were passing through together with a comprehensive history of this part of the Balkans



Bay of Kotor

We set off down the coast from Dubrovnik with two women, an Australian guy and myself on board. We sped down the spectacular coastline with a running commentary on the surroundings. On arrival at Cavtat we picked up eight people at a hotel so were almost full. Cavtat by the way is a lovely little resort at the extreme south end of Croatia, enough of a centre for a holiday in itself. You can get to Dubrovnik easily from Cavtat by bus or boat. Cavtat by the way is a great place to spend your last night in the area before flying home as it's just shy of the airport and you can continue to soak up the holiday atmosphere with one foot on the airport concourse! You climb out of Cavtat for a short distance, then past Dubrovnik airport on your immediate left and you are passing through the last bit of Croatia with good views of lush agricultural valley surrounded by hills. Be warned that there are also horrendous road-works in this last bit of Croatia with traffic lights and some really bumpy stretches of road. This slowed us up a little but eventually we crossed the border and stopped at a garage for a refreshment break. Take note that Montenegro does not accept Croatian kuna. You have to take euro or use the ATMs, so I had to take out 20 euro for the day being a profligate spender! With my newly acquired euro I bought a tiny coffee not worth the money (mistake!) before boarding the bus again. After a ride though the green Montenegro countryside, the scenery became increasingly spectacular as we neared the coast and majestic mountains fall into the sea. A fjord like landscape opens up as you enter the bay of Kotor past a narrow inlet into a wonderful mix of steep mountain sides and sea-lochs, all decorated with little hamlets and the ancient town of Kotor itself which sits on the bay within its old city walls. Kotor is on the far side of the bay from where you enter from the northwest. It's a long way around the bay as the road hugs the shore.

Imagine a bird's eye view and the bay looks like the two wings of a butterfly which taper southwards to a tiny neck of water that opens out again into an enormous twist of loch that finds its way between impressive heights eventually to the sea. Following the lakeside the road twists around this brace (butterfly wings!) of huge water stretches and then back on itself at the other side of the inlet. It is here that a ferry can save you the journey round, but who would want to miss the scenery! This part of the journey is a real highlight of the tour, made for snapping to distraction, although you can get duff photos through a bus window! However, our driver did stop at a convenient point to disgorge us for proper shots.

Main entrance to Kotor old town



Kotor

A guide is provided in Kotor, in this case a buxom and jolly young lady who took us on a tour of the old streets and architecture. You enter through the Sea Gate (West Gate – 1555) from the Harbour side and find yourself in a wide impressive thoroughfare that runs parallel to the walls. Here is the Town Clock Tower (1602). The town is shaped like a triangle, a beautiful jumble of old buildings sandwiched between the high hills and the water, and surrounded by old walls that hug the city and then stretch like a diamond necklace out and up into the hills with interspersed fortifications. I did not have time but it would be well worth trudging up the hill to trace these ancient walls.

Kotor

The town has a harbour, and there was a pretty impressive large boat in dock when we were there. The town has the usual clutch of old churches. I visited the Church of St Nicholas (1909) and the Church of St Mary (1221 – a little older!). Definitely a place worth coming back to.
I was a good boy and returned to the minibus at the scheduled time. (I have been known not always to do this!).The last people to return to the bus were a Portuguese family we had picked up in Cavtat.



Views of Kotor town

 

Carrying on along the coast you head towards the Montenegro Riviera which has a much shorter season than Croatia, so by September things are really winding down. Negotiating the mountainous coastline, our minibus skirted up the hill side above Jaz Beach, an inviting curve far below which looked like a hip, hop and happening kind of place. Must get the shades out.




Montenegro Riviera

Budva is the business end of the Riviera, a rather commercial and concreted resort which stretches significantly around the bay and is one of the places to be in the summer for youngsters. You can check out the nightlife on You Tube and it's pretty brazen in the summer. A nubile young American takes viewers on a tour of the hot places to visit at night. If you get through to the other side of Budva, the coastal road takes you high onto the cliff top for a view of St Stevan (Sveti Stevan), a little settlement on a peninsula reaching out into the Adriatic. It is one of the top attractions of Montenegro, although you cannot now access it unless you book into the hotel there. Shame! From the road it looks a glorious spot, a jumble of terracotta roofs interspersed with greenery, encased in a neat little island joined to the mainland by a raised roadway on an isthmus. Casino Royale was filmed here, although there was no sign of James Bond! It looks like a cool place to play poker if you're an international criminal with an eye-patch and a facial scar!

Sveti Stevan of Casino Royale fame

We retraced our steps by returning to Budva for a couple of hours break. Here we were free to wander, have lunch and visit the beach. I investigated the old town, the best bit of the area, and found myself in a lovely spot to eat. Here were four older members of the party, two English couples who invited me to join them for lunch. Cue to have a seafood salad for twelve euro as a bit of a treat. We watched people having their photo taken with a backdrop of the old walls of the town. A blonde dressed in white sat lazily on a ledge sunbathing for all the world looking as if she was modelling the latest range of TK Max clothes. I took the liberty of leaving my lunch acquaintances early to catch a few rays on the beach and go for a swim. We had been asked to return to the minibus a little earlier than the original schedule had said. A little annoying but our driver had a home to go to and it was September! Funnily enough the Portuguese family were the last to return to the bus again.

Budva

Budva old town

The lengthy ride back took us right past Tivat Airport, gateway to the sun for those visiting Montenegro from the UK. It is conveniently close to all the areas I mention here so I have duly noted it for the future. 

Driving back to Croatia we took the ferry to cut out the long ride around the Bat of Kotor. This is a car and passenger ferry and takes a mere seven minutes or so to cross the nape of this seaway.

Montenegro is now on my radar and promises to be a worthy standalone holiday destination. It looks unbeatable with its mix of Norway type coastal scenery plunged into a Mediterranean context of hot temperatures, beaches and classy old towns. Unmissable!

Dubrovnik

‘Three countries in four days’

Dubrovnik with Lokrun in the background



Rocky coast in Dubrovnik

 

Well here we are again in Croatia, I’m like a man on an elastic band, four trips in the last two years. This time I’m doing the southern bit, that little strip of land that snakes south east down the Dalmatian coast and peters out into Montenegro, containing the jewel of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is a must see, a wonderfully preserved medieval walled city that must be contender for most beautiful town in the Mediterranean, sitting as it does with its massive ramparts and terracotta roofs on the sparkling Adriatic. It is an ideal destination for a weekend city break. If scousers can nip down to Barcelona from John Lennon Airport for an evening meal and come back the same night, then a Friday to Sunday in Dubrovnik is a ‘can do.’ Monarch airline is worth considering. They were doing about the cheapest tickets for when I wanted to fly out on a Tuesday and back on a Saturday for about £221.

Dubrovnik has an illustrious history as a great trading republic, once called Ragusa and a prestigious rival to the Venetian republic. Surviving on trade, it also has a history of liberal politics and a passion for freedom. It even escaped the yoke of the Ottoman Empire with whom it was able to do a deal by paying tribute to the Turks. In 1667 there was a bad earthquake that razed most of the buildings to the ground, so much of what you see is the medieval new build. The only time it ever fell was when Napoleon’s army was invited in, as long as it respected the city’s independence. In more recent history it was bombed by the Yugoslav army quite badly for no apparent strategic reason, guaranteed not to make them popular with the rest of the world! At various points around the city are displays showing how much damage afflicted Dubrovnik, with a map of where the shells fell.





Water fountain at Pile Gate

 

Stride the bridge over the moat and through Pile Gate, and you are nearly at the beginning of Stradun, the spiritual centre of the city. Just inside the gate is also a hub for the city, with the ancient Onofrio Fountain, a circular affair which was part of the original water supply system. It still pumps water through sixteen taps into a channel running round the outside of the structure where you can fill your bottle. On the left is the Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor and the Old Pharmacy. Here you can wander the cloisters with its colourful old frescoes, then dip into the museum bit with its artefacts and manuscripts. Perhaps the most interesting part is a mock up of the old pharmacy where I was told off for taking photos! There is actually a working pharmacy at the point where you enter the complex, in fact the oldest working pharmacy in Europe. Also on the left of the street here is the Church of St Saviour, built about 1520 as a symbol of thanks by survivors after a bad earthquake. It is now used for concerts and suchlike.



Franciscan monastery frescoes

Dubrovnik church

 

The Stradun, the main walking thoroughfare, scythes through the centre of the city in a dead straight line from Pile Gate in the west to Ploce Gate and the harbour in the east. Above the main gates are reliefs of St Blaise, protector of the city. At night Stradun is like Darth Vader’s lightsaber, straight as a rod, dazzling amongst the surrounding settlement, jammed with promenaders and fed by ravine like alleyways that cascade down steep stone stairways from the north and trickle in from the south on the flat. Head down the Stradun and turn right at the bottom to face another mix of classy buildings. On the left a little further up is the impressive Rector’s Palace which also has the Cultural Historical Museum. On the right and marking the end of Stradun is St Blaise Church which is named after the saint protector of Dubrovnik. The present church was built in 1717 in Baroque style, and a statue of the saint stands above the church entrance holding a scale model of the old town.



There he is! St Blaise above Pile Gate

 

Here at the end of Stradun the street also opens out into a square which centres on Orlando’s column in front of the church of St Blaise. There is a carving of Orlando, nephew of Charlemagne. An interesting aside is that Orlando’s right forearm was the standard for the unit of measurement for trading fabric – the Ragusan cubit. Over to the side is Onofrio’s small fountain, as opposed to Onofrio’s big fountain at the other end of Stradun! This area was once the marketplace and is still the political centre of Dubrovnik.

If you have turned right at the end of Stradun and are heading south you hit a set of stairs up to a plaza on which stands the cathedral, built between 1672 and 1713 by Italian architects. I popped in at night when there were very few people in there. The treasures within include reliquairies of St Blaise, with golden caskets supposedly containing the saints head and foot. From the plaza are great views down the series of stone stairways into the bowels of the city, especially evocative in the evening when the streets teem with tourists, and restaurant tables everywhere spill into the streets.

You have to do the city walls walk, all the way round for 70kn, a two kilometre stretch up and down with a treasure chest of great perspectives, whether it’s across the city skyline, picking out the monastery, cathedral and great churches, or another view of the massive walls falling into the rocky shores of the Adriatic and out to the island of Lokrum. For another 50 kn you can get an audio guide to accompany you around.



Lokrum from the city walls
 

The walls are seriously huge all the way round, jumbo ramparts that must have provided a formidable barrier to anyone who dared to invade, particularly the Ottoman Empire which lay just a few kilometres inland. They were built between the eighth and sixteenth centuries. The perfectly preserved walls encircle the city in an impregnable envelope and provide some great camera scopes. One of the highlights is Minceta Fort north of Pile Gate, one of the highest points on the wall with its stylised battlements. It’s a favourite and crowded spot for photographers. Meanwhile at the eastern end of the walls you can nip into the Maritime Museum on the way round. In the summer heat it’s quite a stroll! So take plenty of water, although there is at least one water seller and later a cafe on the way round.



View over Dubrovnik

 

Lovrijenac Fort is part of the city defences but is adrift of the main walls to the west and sits on a headland. It’s well worth a visit and don’t forget is included in the walls ticket, although be ready for a steep (short!) climb up to the main gate. It was once used as a prison but now is surrounded by parkland.




Lovrijenac Fort

View on the walls walk

 

The Dominican monastery stands at the north east corner of the city but is also a worthy visit. A 20 kuna entrance fee gives you access to a calm gothic and renaissance cloister with a luxuriant carpet of grass in the middle. Side doors take you through to exhibitions of icons, old Masters, and various cases of jewellery and religious artefacts such as reliquaries, chalices and flagons. Through another door is the large church auditorium, quite an uplifting building as it is decorated in white and lacks the overdone, dark and rather depressing trappings of many European Catholic churches. An atmosphere of light is enhanced by brightly colourful and modern paintings on a religious theme. But what capped the visit were a group of white robed monks and assorted lay people practising the singing of ‘Amazing Grace,’ repeating the verses with brief interludes for some tweaking. It was life enhancing to hear a Roman Catholic Order singing such a massive theme tune of Protestant Christianity. If you visit one church in Dubrovnik this is the one I would go to.

 Pile at the western end of the city is your transportation hub, just outside Pile Gate. Here you can catch buses and taxis to the main bus station (a few minutes journey) for long distance buses and to local destinations, as well as the port where you get seriously big boats – Dubrovnik is a big cruise destination. It is a non-stop centre of activity with buses flowing through by the minute true to Croatia’s excellent bus service. It is surrounded by shops, kiosks and eating places. It’s right on the seafront so you can jump off the bus and be on the beach within minutes.

Dubrovnik has various beaches in the vicinity. You can go to Lapad just to the west of the old town, whilst to the east is Banja Beach. The latter is commercialised with music playing, deckchairs and umbrellas, a bar and sports areas for volleyball, etc. So if you’re a babe or a hunk this is perhaps where you would go! Another alternative is to walk down to the water from Pile just outside the city walls where there are very small stretches of beach and sunbathing areas around Lovrijenac Fort, or go a little further around the headland to find a lovely stretch of rocky coast with sunbathing platforms and a little cafe. This is where I ended up, an unhindered spot for late afternoon sun and where you are likely to find the locals. Unfortunately I had to leave promptly at 4pm to catch the bus to the airport.



Dubrovnik Harbour

The harbour on the east end of the city is like the mouth of a giant sea monster where people pour out of the city onto the quay. Here you can trace the outside of the walls for some distance around to the south, and dodge the stray cats that pop up everywhere. From here also you can catch the boat to Lokrum, a heavily wooded island and Nature Reserve a mere fifteen minutes away which transfers you out of the incessant hubbub into peace and quiet. Here you can climb the hill to the highest point on the island where an old French fort (1806) gives you great 360 degrees views across to the city and down the coast. Peacocks wander all over the place, there is a monastery (founded in 11^th century), botanical gardens, a pool, and cafe/restaurant. When you get off at the jetty, if you fancy bathing in the buff there is an FKK beach specially set aside for nudists and discreetly placed away from prying eyes. I had no wish to pursue this and instead crossed the narrow island to find a sunbathing spot on a rocky shoreline fully exposed to the afternoon sun in the west. The gentle sea could be entered by a strategically placed set of metal steps. There are numerous beaches around the island and Lokrum is one of the best spots for a swim.




Harbour with Lokrum island in the background

You can get a Dubrovnik Card valid for 1, 3 or 7 days (130, 180, 220kn) which allow entrance to museums, galleries and the City Walls, up to 20 rides on public transport, with a free guide and various discounts (children under 12 free if parents have Card). There are numerous museums and churches which I did not have time to see, but I did see from the outside the old synagogue (1352), the second oldest in Europe after Prague, on Zudioska, one of the steep alleyways tumbling down to the Stradun. It has a museum and was once part of the Jewish ghetto. The Jews settled here at the end of the fifteenth century after leaving Spain and Portugal, and enjoyed relative wealth and freedom despite some restrictions. Meanwhile on Od Puca south of the Stradun is the Serbian Othodox Church (quite big and built 1865-1877) and Museum of Icons which I just observed from the outside. I was not really in the mood to look at lots of old icons.




Great view of Dubrovnik

 

 I stayed in Bosnia-Herzegovina, just over the border from Croatia and about 8km from Dubrovnik. High in the coastal hills overlooking the Adriatic is the village of Ivanice where Katrina rents out an apartment on Airbnb. The apartment is part of a building inhabited by the family, mother, father and grandmother. Up some stairs and on the first floor, the rental apartment is virtually self contained and ideal for a couple or family. There are great views out over the village and to the Adriatic. To get to Dubrovnik you have to cross the border, which means negotiating both the Bosnian and Croatian border posts, so you must carry your passport at all times. With Kristina driving and being a local it was a pretty easy crossing. I read somewhere that even within Croatia you are supposed to carry your passport but I have never been asked to produce it within the borders.

My whole experience with airbnb was positive. I stumbled upon the company looking for a room in the Dubrovnik area on the internet. Airbnb is a worldwide venture which provides private households with an opportunity to rent out their property to tourists and make a little extra cash. It is designed to be a safe value for money alternative to staying in a hotel. The web experience is well designed to allow a client to search for a room, review various alternatives which advertise full details together with photographs, and then communicate their preferences. The company provides software to swiftly communicate with possible renters in security and safety. Once a final decision has been made payment can be arranged by credit card. I was impressed with the watertight process and quick communication with my choice. Being the first time I had used this service one was a little apprehensive, but I was much reassured by an article in the Monarch Airline in-flight magazine on this very company.

 

Some prices for this late summer, Croatia

 Bus ticket into Dubrovnik: 15 kn
Bus ticket Dubrovnik to Gornji Brgat: 15kn
Lasagne, salad and fanta: 141 kn
A spinach pie and a lemon fanta: 28kn

Supermarket apple, banana, small water, small bread, portion of cheese and tomato: 30.79kn
Supermarket water: 10kn
Large icecream: 16 kn
Coffee at Pile Gate: 15 kn

Water at airport: 20kn (take note!)
Baggage charge at main Dubrovnik bus station 11.15 - 16.30: 12.50kn

 Some bus times, September 2012:

Pile to Bosanka: 13.35, 14.45, 16.30, 18.30, 19.30, 20.30, 21.30

Dubrovnik to Herceg Novi, Kotor, Budva 10.00

Mostar: 8.00, 15.15

Arrival in Dubrovnik from Budva, Kotor, Herceg Novi: 17.00

From Mostar: 21.00

Adriana excursions near the main port do boat trips to the Dubrovnik Riviera, Cavtat, Lokrum, the islands Lopud, Sipan and Kolocep (Elafiti islands -full day tour with fish picnic).

 

The Stanton-Snowshill -Stanway triangle

I have just been to the Cotswolds for a long weekend with a university friend who has never been to the Cotswolds. The proper way to tour the Cotswolds of course is in a 1930s Bentley wearing slacks, pastel jumper and goggles, maybe a pipe protruding from your mouth, but we had to make do with our own state of the art modern cars. We spent a day hovering around Snowshill, Stanton and Stanway, a gaggle of villages that encapsulates what the Cotswolds is all about. Take your pick which is your favourite, all would qualify in some way.

We set out from Mickleton, nipped into Broadway for a little shopping, returned to the B & B so I could change into shorts as the weather was getting a little warm for jeans, then headed for Snowshill.  We approached  the village  from the north along a lane bordered by lavender fields. First we visited Snowshill Manor, an ancient pile sitting on the edge of the village with a gate that spills onto the village green. It has great views across the valley that encases Snowshill,  and belongs to the National Trust family, so charges a tidy sum to get in unless you are a member, which I was.



Snowshill Manor

You approach the house by a path of some length which trails across the front of the property grounds and then snakes up the right hand side to a gateway. Here we were met by a well-spoken  English gentleman wearing a fetching straw hat and carrying a parasol, offering a 20m tour of the outside of the house. We joined the tour and were told all about Mr Charles Paget Wade (1883-1956), the owner of the house who during his life collected all sorts of stuff to fill up his mansion with. Of course folks like him would have had the time and income to do this sort of thing, and now it gives substantial visitor numbers lots of pleasure.  And it was seriously busy. Mr Wade actually lived in one of the outbuildings where you can see his living quarters, bedroom and bathroom complete with all fixtures and fittings, and  the outdoor pool where he bathed. There is also a sizeable kitchen garden sloping down from the attractive formal gardens. In addition he had a miniature village built alongside one of his pools.

The house itself is a pleasant jumble of rooms filled with all sorts of paraphanalia. One room upstairs is full of Samurai warriors, another has on display myriad different bikes from a bygone age, including a huge penny farthing. A further room is devoted to weaving and spinning, with various bits of machinery  for the manufacture of clothing, another has sets of old tools presumably used by Mr Wade. One indoor visit like this on a long sunny weekend is just about all the human psyche can endure,  my friend referring to ‘fusty old rooms.’  Only a certain number of which can be observed before the overwhelming desire for fresh air on a glorious weekend takes over.  Having said this, the house is well worth a visit and the outside talk was entertaining.

What does one do at midday but find some food, although midday was morphing into mid afternoon by the time we finished with Snowshill Manor. Down to Stanton we drove to visit the Mount Inn which must have one of the most  ‘right on’  views of a pub garden in the UK. http://www.themountinn.co.uk/index.php.

The inn stands slightly above the main village, at the end of the main street, just on the Cotswolds scarp slope, and has great views across the valley  to the west and to distant hills. We found a viewpoint and I went to order, but the waiter informed us they closed at 3pm, a time which had transpired a few minutes earlier.  You cannot sit in such a spot and suddenly leave, so we had water, crisps and an apple between us before moving on to Broadway to grab a very late sandwich.



View from the Mount Inn

Broadway as you would expect on a sunny August Saturday was absolutely teeming with tourists. It is the place to bring your mum for afternoon tea, take note. We met  one of our fellow B & B guests, a splendid Italian chap brandishing his camera and indicating his surroundings with cries of ‘bella’ and ‘bellisimo.’ He evidently liked the place. We raided Budgens PS (posh supermarket) for a sandwich and grabbed a welcome coffee from the machine. Much as Broadway is a pull, we had to keep to our plan as the jungle and fierce wildlife in the triangle between Stanton, Snowshill and Stanway awaited us. You may laugh, but just days ago a driver on the Winchcombe – Cheltenham road spotted what looked like a panther on their journey. There is even an article about big cat sightings in Britain in the July issue of Lonely Planet.

This is the link for the recent sighting if you don't believe me: http://cryptoville.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/beasts-of-britain-new-sightings/



Stanton

Returning to Stanton, we donned walking boots and headed up through the village, past the Mount Inn and up the Cotswolds scarp slope heading towards the hidden gem of Snowshill.  A little white terrier appeared in front of us and led the way up the footpath for some considerable time, occasionally looking behind him to check we were following. He obviously realised how important we were, but unbelievably disappeared into a sheep field later on, and we were left to find the route on our own. But we had a great map, and it would be easier to lose yourself in your own front room. After climbing the scarp slope, allowing a school of horse-riders to pass,  and negotiating some woodland, we found ourselves in a meadow looking down on Snowshill, a perfect English summer afternoon’s picture to feast on as we sat down for a break.



Our view of Snowshill



Snowshill cottage

Reaching the village later we had a drink in the pub beer garden, although it was a little shame that vegetation hid the best of the valley’s views from us. Snowshill of course fulifils all the clichés, and Bridget Jones Diary used the village for filming, although there was no sign of men in bright jumpers with pictures of reindeer on them. After taking a few pictures around the village green, we set out towards Stanway back at the bottom of the scarp slope just south of Stanton. A foray across the fields and then through extensive woodland on the scarp brought us back down past Stanway House. Here there appeared to be a large social event going on in the gardens, looking suspiciously like a wedding. It called for white slacks, a striped blazer, a straw hat and an invitation, so we just peeped into the impressive grounds and continued on past the cricket pitch to the left and followed the Cotswolds Way along the scarp slope.



Entrance to Stanway House

Returning to  Stanton we really had to eat at the Mount Inn and indeed found outside seats with that view. Just made it before 9pm cut off this time and enjoyed sausages, mash and vegetables plus drinks, although the sloping table caused the gravy to overflow my plate and drip onto the ground!  A tray of tea (really pushing out the boat!) later rounded off an excellent day as we watched the night descend on a relatively warm evening.

The walk is an easy two to three hours depending on how quick you go, but of course you cannot fail to stop at some cosy pub or killer viewpoint to use up a bit more time.

Kit List for World Travel

This is my kit list for relatively low maintenance trips at home or abroad. I've used it for the last 20 years or so and it's pretty foolproof for a single guy travelling but obviously needs adjustment for families, couples, etc. It will also change according to type of trip, whether you are travelling at home, abroad, by car with extra space, etc. You'll need a bit more for jungle trips! And you won't be able to take it all unless you clone yourself!

Grooming:

Washbag 

Comb

Earplugs - useful for noisy city centre locations, youth hostels and snorers

Soap

Razor plus spares

Shaving gel

After shave gel

Flannel

Hairshampoo

Hair gel

Contact lenses plus spares and solutions

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Towel

Deodorant

Toilet paper

Nail clippers

Small scissors

Tweezers

Vaseline

Elastoplast

Mouthwash

Blisteze - for chapped lips

Toothache tincture for dental pain

Nurofen tablets for toothache, etc

Mosquito milk//insect bite ointment

Jungle juice - essential in hot climates!

Suntan lotion

Cotton wool

Diorrehia tablets - you never know!

Paper tissues

Spectacles

Medicines

Mirror (for reflective surface freaks)

Clothing

Singlets

Jumper

Shirts

Underwear

Socks

Caghoul

Training shoes

2/3 shorts

I pair trousers/decent trousers

Hat

Jacket

Extra pair of shoes/decent shoes

Tracksuit

Pyjamas (can be considered redundant!)

Jellies - good for rocky shorelines like Croatia

Camping (basic list)

Tents plus pegs plus mallet

Sleeping bag

Sheet sleeping bag (tradition in Youth Hostels)

Pillow - only if travelling by car!

Lilo plus repair kit

plus pencil - useful for bunging air nozzles

Spare tent pegs

Camping information

Smaller lilo pump

Bungy

Sustenance - for campers and self caterers

Tea bags

Sugar

Mug

Tin opener

Knife

Saucepans

Spoon

Plate

Flask

Waterbottle

Money

Wallet

Travellers cheques - I don't use anymore (does anyone?) despite their distinguished appearance

Cheque book - optional these days

Foreign currency

Debit/credit cards - I recommend a Fairfx currency card for pre-loaded currency, they give excellent rates

(Natwest) card reader

Documentation

Passport

Diary

YHA card - if you are planning on some hostelling

Notebook plus texts

Language dictionaries

Bible

Insurance policy

International driving licence - check if country of destination needs one

Ordinary driving licence

Interrail pass

Maps

Lets Go

E111 card

International timetable if train travelling

Miscellaneous

Money bag

Alarm clock - redundant if mobile phone alarm

Pens

Small rucksack/day bag

Calculator - redundant if mobile

Torch plus batteries

Sunglasses

Camera

Charger for camera

String

Matches

Goggles - for swimming

Snorkelling gear

Tape

Scissors

Beachmat plus picnic chairs - if travelling by car!

Tennis racket plus balls

Plastic bags

Lilo pump

Spare bag

Frisbee - showing my age!

Football

Mobile phone

Mobile charger

Adaptor for plugs abroad

Laptop/notebook computer

Headphones

Memory stick

Charger for laptop

Camera – laptop lead

Walking boots plus socks

Wet gear

Cold climate

Handcream

Gloves

Scarf

Winter hat

Bicycles

Oil

1 inner tube

Tyre levers

Lights

Pump

Puncture outfit

Screwdriver

Spanner

Spare spokes

Cycle clips

Panniers