travel

Monday 12th October 2026 – a quiet day just mooching…

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The weather forecast was for a wet day, so even though it was wrong and apart from a few spots here and there it was fine, we had rather got used to the idea of a quiet day.

Early afternoon though we were both ready for a walk and set off in the direction of the nearest resort (heading back towards Salerno). As the sea is still a bit choppy and there is very little wet sand to walk on we chose to walk along the footpath. I will say it was not the prettiest walk as on our left is a series of closed either seasonally or permanently cafes and bars, obscuring our view of the sea and beach and to our right is the main road, not massively busy but not attractive either!

I will also at this point mention the fact that I am rather shocked and very disappointed with the amount of roadside rubbish that is in my opinion a real blight on this journey through Italy. The main roads are just littered all the way along and most lay-bys have piles of sacks of rubbish in them such that a few times where I have wanted to pull in to take a scenic photo, I just haven’t. Why? and what a real shame.

We walked as far as Pontecagnano with more derelict buildings and litter before joining the beach Spiaggia del Sud….

And choosing to walk back along the beach, much to Tilly’s disgust as it is significantly more appealing than the alternative.

The beach at the campsite, Spiaggia di Magazzano was pretty empty so I did encourage Tilly to have a bit of a play, before a big white dog appeared in the distance and she decided enough was enough!….

The highlight of our day was being treated to this stunning sunset….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 4
  • Beaches – 2
  • O/N – £21.00

Saturday 10th October 2026 – a wet day in Sorrento….

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Quite a bit of rain overnight and light rain throughout the morning and some pretty torrential downpours, however, we have a plan and so late morning we made our way the short distance to the train station just as the heavens opened….

and caught a very busy (standing room only) clanky old train into the heart of the gentile town of Sorrento….

A gap in the rain allowed us to wander the busy streets lined with eateries and soak up the the atmosphere….

Find a little respite from the crowds in the Cloisters of San Fransisco….

And walk down the quieter back alleys…

The sun came out right on cue for us to enjoy the amazing coastal views, spot the crusie ships in the bay, accounting for at least some of the visitors and the turquoise seas and the smidge of sand that is Spiaggia de San Fransisco…

After a bit of ferritting around we did also find the forgotten ‘Valley of the Ferns’ with its derelict old Mills which were cut off from the sea in 1866 when the main Piazza Tasso (first photo above) was built and closed down by the 1940’s because of rising humidity and industrial obsolescence….

Having had our fill of wandering around the town we headed back to the station and is still relatively early bought bus tickets to visit Positano. However at this point our luck ran out as the queue was quite shambolic with people jumping in where ever they felt like it, no actual pavement to stand out of the the way of arriving and reversing buses, Tilly having to be carried to prevent her getting trodden on or run over, no indication of when the next bus would arrive and to crown it all, a half and hour in the rain came – seriously!

We gave it another 15 minutes by which time it was nearly 4pm and we were both soaked and there was a return train just after four, so we hurried back to the station and luckily managed to get a seat on said train.

Slightly disappointed to have not made it to Positano but thankful to be out of the rain and in the warmth of the van by 5, we settled down for a nice cosy evening.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 7
  • Train / bus tickets (which I did get to use in Amalfi) – £8.99
  • O/N – £20

Friday 9th October 2026 – moving south to visit Pompeii…

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Thunderstorms again during the night and a rather wet morning as we left this little gem of a location taking a last walk along the beach before heading south again….

The road hugged the coast for a while, but for the most part any views down to the sea were obscured by trees, though we did manage one quick and rather wet stop to look down on the old town of Gaeta and it’s beaches….

After one accidental wrong turn leading us down into traffic chaos in Napoli which was very much a case of just nudging our way into the traffic in order to get back onto the correct road and cost us a good half an hour of sheer stress and then somehow ending up going through the same toll booth twice costing us 2.40 euros a time we arrived on Camping Zeus, a pleasant enough site, if a little impersonal, right by the entrance to Pompeii….

As it was only early afternoon and the skies have cleared we decided to head straight out and visit Pompeii….

As I’m sure you are aware, Pompeii is the ancient roman city frozen in time as it was buried under 20 feet of ash from nearby erupting Volcano Mount Vesuvius on 24th October AD79. Excavations began in the mid 18th C and are still ongoing. Between 10-20K people were believed to have been living in this wealthy city and historians believ some 2000 would have perished therein. The vastness of the area surprised me and it took us a good 3 hours to just wander around roughly the perimeter….

The theatre and Ampitheatre are impressive structures largely remaining intact….

A project to restore a vineyard is underway with Mount Vesuvius visible in the background….

The ever present mountains of the Appennines running down the spine of Italy providing a backdrop to the ancient ruins and the odd glimpse of life outside the city….

As we wander down street after street, many of them residential and wonder at the stories they can tell….

A few of the properties still retain some of the original interiors which was fascinating….

We wandered through the more sombre exhibition of the casts that have been made of recovered bodies all depicting signs of the trauma they experienced….

An very interesting afternoon….

Today’s stats :

  • Miles driven – 87
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Fuel – £99.92
  • Entry ticket – £16.98
  • O/N – £19.04

Wednesday 7th October 2026 – an unexpected gem in Sperlonga….

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A few spots of rain during the night but bearing in mind rain was forecast for most of the day yesterday and again through the day today, we carry on being lucky! We are away by 10 and the journey was uneventful, travelling around the ring road of Rome was much better than I expected, less traffic and less mental!

As we head back towards the coast we are surrounded by olive groves and increasingly polytunnels (tomatoes) but as always it is good to get our first sight of the sea and by lunch time we are settled on our site for the night – Camper de Sperlonga on the edge of the coastal hilltop village of Sperlonga.

On site the olive harvest is very much underway and we watch fascinated for a while as they agitate the branches to shake the olives down onto the awaiting nets before heading across the road and onto the beach….

Spiaggia Di Sperlonga, what a beautiful long sweeping sandy beach, the waves are a little frisky and the mountains hold some fairly heavy clouds, but for us the sun is shining and the gentle breeze keeping the temperature just right for walking as we set off along the sand to Sperlonga…..

There are days where photos don’t seem to cut it but today the ‘money shots’ just kept coming as we climbed up to Torre Tuglia, looking back along the beach and up to the Old Town perched above and out to sea….

From Torre Tuglia, originally a 16thC coastal watchtower (though it has been destroyed on various invasions with the current version having been rebuilt in 2009) perched on the limestone headland we wandered up the many steps to the old village, pausing to capture more images (and catch our breath)…..

Looking down on the small marina and Spiaggia Grotta Di Tiberio stretched out to the north of the village….

The village itself – well just enchanting – I’m not sure what else to say….

Pretty murals, brightly hand painted tiles, impossibly narrow archways leading to yet more steps, bars and shops tucked away in little alleyways and incredible views – oh my what a delight….

Reluctantly making our way down we happen upon the little Chapel of San Rocco….

Finally down on the promenade we enjoy this spectacular view of the sea and sky….

I will say whilst I appreciate the wonders and historical value of yesterday’s outing in Rome – this was way more interesting, enjoyable and beautiful – in my opinion of course! Oh yes and no crowds, in fact not many people at all.

I have only planned to spend the one night here as the weather looks pretty shocking for tomorrow but if they keep getting it wrong?

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 86
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Beaches – 2
  • Wow factor – 10/10
  • O/N – £25.93

Wednesday 30th September 2026 – a walk to Rochette and Roccamare….

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Today we opt to walk southwards along the cycle / footpath to take a closer look at the prominent Fort on the rocky headland that we can see along the far end of the beach. After about a mile we have to turn off the path and then cover another mile or so along the side of the road which isn’t very pleasant, though fortunately the road is not busy, to return to the coast. There actually isn’t any village here just a string of holiday parks which is a bit disappointing but Spiaggia di Rochette is a welcome sight….

Forte delle Rochette looks pretty impressive as we sit in the shade of some rocks at the waters edge to cool down….

Now that is what you call taking your work with you!!!! Strangely this stretch of coastline has been my first encounter with these beach traders in my travels around Europe. I cannot imagine how uncomfortable and soul destroying it must be just trudging up and down the beach all and everyday carrying your wares which must be heavy and most people don’t want….

Having not particularly enjoyed the walk here we opt to return via the beach which though tough walking and in the full sun is probably about half the distance….

About half way back on Spiaggia de Roccomare there are a number of bamboo roofed shelters (belonging to one of the holiday parks which is closed for the season) along the way for us to stop, sit, cool down and have a drink (as always I am armed with cold water for Tilly and a flask of coffee for me). We are in no rush….

A bit further along we have to leave the beach to cross a stream and that involves wandering through another deserted holiday parks which in the semi shade before rejoining the beach at Spiaggia Pineta di Roccomare….

Wow that was certainly a work out and a bit of recovery is required before taking a latish dip in the sea to complete our recovery before calling it a day.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles walked – 7
  • Beaches – 3
  • O/N – £18.75