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A life less complicated

Featured / freedombird / 13 Comments

Having completed a large chunk of the British coastline and visited 1467 beaches on the way, ventured into the unknown, crossing the English Channel for the first time and seeing what the coastline of France has to offer and adding a further 459 beaches to our tally, we are off again. This time, as a complete change we are on the pursuit of stunning scenery and again crossing the channel and meandering down the core of Western Europe to see what we can see…

If you would like to see our earlier journeys around the UK, they have loosely been grouped together by location and you can find the links below.

NB some of the links below are not yet working properly as it is a work in progress….

Beach Guides:

To catch up with our earlier adventures in:

  1. North coast of Cornwall from 5th October 2017 to 11th February 2018 –   Freedombird in Cornwall
  2. Back in Cornwall at various times to complete the coastline – Freedombird back in Cornwall
  3. North coast of Devon from 11th February to 19th March 2018 – Freedombird in North Devon
  4. Somerset from 19th March to 29th April 2018 – Freedombird in Somerset
  5. South Wales coast from 29th April to 14th August 2018 – Freedombird in South Wales
  6. West and North Wales coast from 14th August to 21st October 2018 – Freedombird in West and North Wales
  7. North West England from 21st October to 26th November 2018 and 27th January to 4th February 2019 – Freedombird in North West England
  8. Cumbria from 27th January to 5th April 2019 – Freedombird in Cumbria
  9. South Coast of Scotland from 5th April to 25th May 2019 – Freedombird on the South Coast of Scotland
  10. West Coast of Southern Scotland from 26th May to 17th July 2019 – Freedombird on the West Coast of Southern Scotland
  11. Edinburgh and surrounding area from 18th July to 30th July 2019 – Freedombird in Edinburgh and surrounding beaches
  12. East Coast of Southern Scotland from 28th July to 15th September 2019 – Freedombird on the East Coast of Southern Scotland
  13. North East England from 12th September to 20th November 2019 – Freedombird in the North East of England
  14. Yorkshire from 14th January to 22nd February 2020 – Fredombird in Yorkshire
  15. Lincolnshire from 23rd February to 13th March 2020 – Freedombird in Lincolnshire
  16. Norfolk and Suffolk from 15th to 24th March 2020 and 28th June to 18th July 2025 – Freedombird in Norfolk and Suffolk
  17. Inland England on various dates travelling through – Freedombird in inland England
  18. West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1 from 11th September to 14th October 2024 – Freedombird on the West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1
  19. North Coast of Scotland and the Orkneys from 15th to 27th October 2024 – Freedombird on the North Coast of Scotland and the Orkneys
  20. East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1 from 28th October to 15th November 2024 – Freedombird on the East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 1
  21. In the Highlands of Scotland from 15th to 26th November 2024 and 10th to 21st June 2025 – Freedombird in the Highlands
  22. West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2 from 8th to 17th April and 31st May to 5th June 2025 – Freedombird on the West Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2
  23. Outer Hebrides Part 1 from 22nd April to 12th May 2025 – Freedombird in the Outer Hebrides Part 1
  24. Outer Hebrides Part 2 from 10th May to 30th May 2025 – Freedombird in the Outer Hebrides Part 2
  25. East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2 from 15th to 18th June 2025 – Freedombird on the East Coast of Northern Scotland Part 2
  26. North and West Coast of France from 11th September to 7th December 2025 – Freedombird on the North and West Coast of France

Thursday 14th May 2026 – a wet and soggy day in Lienz….

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We were so lucky with the weather yesterday as it was so much better and clearer than forecast – today however it is running true to form with the rain setting in during the night and staying with us most of the day. Sure enough the Grossglockner road is closed today.

By mid afternoon it was still a little damp but we needed to get out for a bit and set off northwards out of town to enjoy the greenery and spring flowers….

Shortly we began to catch glimpses of Schloss Bruck and followed the footpath to get a closer look….

We were able to get up to the front door, unfortunately nobody home, though it does open to the public in the summer months and had a little nosey….

The rain started to come down again, not heavily, but enough to scupper any plans of going any further – on the way back we marvelled at the low whispy clouds hugging the mountains behind the site….

Thoughts of the day:

  • Whilst walking I was just thinking about the difference in the properties in France and Italy where shabby chic with the emphasis on shabby exterior wise is so different to the perfectly smooth, precisely painted decorated and very angular properties in Austria….
  • The weather in Austria looks a little unsettled for the next few days which could potentially cause us issues on higher ground so we are going to start to make our way across to Switzerland and try our luck there.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 5
  • O/N – £26.11

Wenesday 13th May 2026 – driving the Grossglockner High Alpine Road Part 2…

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Making the most of this wonderful afternoon up here high in the sky we work our way up and over the Hochter Pass – the highest point of this road being 2504m taking the opportunity to pull in just after the road tunnel at the top and capture the stunning scene in front of us and looking down on the road that we have climbed to get here….

Here the snow is banked up at the side of the road where the snow ploughs have kept the road clear and where they have started to pass through and clear fallen or collapsing snow banks – I have set myself a time limit of 5pm to start to make the return trip to ensure that I don’t get caught up in any freeze and I think the park closes around 6 anyway – since 4pm there has been an increase in the arrival of sports cars (the price goes down slightly at 4pm) and we played tag for awhile with these to soft top metallic Golfs….

A little further on, it wouldn’t be a proper road trip without at least one ‘Room with a View’….

By now we are three quarters of the way along this spectacular drive and it is now 5pm, I make the executive decision to turn around and start to make our way back because if we get caught at closing time at the far end the alternative route home is a massive detour….

Having found a nice wide parking area to turn in, we take a last wander and marvel at the sheer beauty of this snowy landscape and how amazing it is to be admiring all the 3000m + from such close quarters. One of my bucket list items is seeing a frozen waterfall now I know that this is not the trip for such a sight but I was still pretty impressed with these icicles clinging onto the rock face….

Of course there were a few more stops on the way down and just look at that road ahead….

What an amazing experience and day, I’m not sure what Tilly makes of the views or even appreciates them at all but she had plenty of opportunity to walk, have a little play in the snow and of course sniff out a couple of Marmots so a good day all round.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 85
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Entrance ticket – £40.46
  • O/N – £26.11

Wednesday 13th May 2026 – driving the Grossglockner High Alpine Road Part 1….

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As a fine sunny day dawned we suffered a little indecision, I am quite keen to drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road but after a long driving day yesterday had planned an easy day just wandering locally, however the weather forecast for the next few days is not good with snow likely on the higher ground which will inevitably mean that the Grossglocken road will be closed – so let’s go for it….

We drove the 20 or so miles from Lienz up to Heiligenblut and paid our entrance fee to drive the High Alpine Road to Grossglockner – starting with amazing views down the lush green valley before heading above the snow line…

The driving was challenging with multiple switchbacks constantly either climbing or dipping back down into the valleys but the road itself was good and plenty wide enough for two way traffic so not too daunting and fortunately plenty of lay-bys to pull off and really enjoy the views…

As we crept up higher and higher – reaching 2500m above sea level on several occasions – that is 2 and a half times the height of Snowdon! And still the 3000m + peaks soared above us. It certainly got colder, hovering around 1 or 2 degrees and the views more stunning as the snow deepened, with glimpses of frozen lakes….

At the top of Kaiser Franz Josefs Hohe (2369m) with views across to Grossglockner Peak only just visible – Austria’s highest mountain at 3798m and down onto the mostly frozen Sandersee.

Here we also spotted, well to be fair Tilly sniffed our their presence though she couldn’t see them, a couple of Marmots going about their business – I last saw these in the wild up in the mountains in Canada…

This section of the road ends here and we made our way back down to the main roadway and then continued our trip heading further north and higher still….

To be continued tomorrow….

Tuesday 12th May 2026 – leaving Italy behind and moving on to Austria….

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Pretty wet overnight though drying up nicely for a final walk down to the beach as we bid a farewell to the stunning Italian coastline and head up into the Dolomite Mountains and eventually into Austria….

Whilst driving through the Italian Dolomites we pause for a while at the stunning Lago di Croce….

Take several quick photo stops at Via Valgrande, Cascata de Pissandalo and on the Passo Monte Croce….

A little further along the Passo Monte Croce we stop to get out and stretch our legs at the Sesto Ski resort (all closed for the season) and enjoy stepping into the snow (in very appropriate footwear) for the first time in a while….

From here it was downwards all the way into Lienz in Austria to our campsite for the next few nights – Camping Falken with 360 degree mountain views….

As it is such a beautiful (if a good few degrees cooler than we have become accustomed – 12 degrees as opposed to 20+) afternoon we take a slow wander down into Lienz for a mooch around….

In the short distance that we have travelled through Austria, we have spotted a few of these tall wooden poles with Christmas trees on the top in the villages – as far as I can google they are an advent feature symbolising Light and Life and decorated and lit up for Christmas – a little odd….

An absolutely stunning drive, interesting with lots of switchbacks and serious climbs and descents but so worth it.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 146
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Country No – 5
  • Fuel – £67.88
  • Groceries – £45.18
  • O/N – £26.11

Monday 11th May 2026 – and on to Murano and Burano (Venice Part 2)….

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We continue our visit to Venice with a trip to the Island of Murano – famous for Murano Glass and yes pretty much every shop was selling glassworks of some kind. Tp be honest a lot of it was touristy tat and easy to ignore but there were some outstanding pieces at a fairly outstanding price too….

Murano was like a smaller and much quieter version of Venice, without the gondolas and magnificent buildings but to my mind prettier and more authentic….

And we enjoyed a lovely stroll around the main and back streets until the weather took a nose dive and we decided to seek respite on a water taxi taking us to another island – Burano….

Still raining quite heavily when we arrived so we took shelter until the worst had passed over before wandering around the brightly painted streets and pretty canals….

What an absolute delight – I wonder who decides what colour the houses are painted?

A lovely way to round of our day in Venice and begin to make the longish journey back to site.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 9
  • Trip – £29.45
  • O/N – £15.38