Where's Bertie? He's in a motorhome parking space (I hesitate to call it a Stellplatz considering its nature and location) on the S side of Karlsruhe. Exact location: 48.987795, 8.404055
Weather: Sunny and hot (32 degrees)
Our decision to stay by the motorway bridge last night was based on our assessment that the likelihood of being disturbed by a constant hum of traffic was less than the likelihood of being disturbed by people partying in the park, had we come straight to Karlsruhe, as our experience of parking next to parks on a Friday night hasn't been great. There was a short period when we thought we were going to have the worst of both worlds, when a large group of lads chose the benches immediately behind the hedge, behind Bertie, to consume their vast quantity of bottled beer, but then at 9.30pm, the went off somewhere else. And, I'm happy to say that the motorway didn't overly disturb us; I heard it briefly at 4.45am when there seemed to be a whole string of vehicles going 'thunk thunk' over the join between grounded roadway and bridge.
After an early breakfast we came to this 'Stellplatz' which is just two spaces on a service road, adjacent to a dual carriageway. I hadn't been optimistic about finding an empty space here at 8am, as 50% of the reviews on Park4Night said that the spaces had been full of cars, so I figured there would either be motorhomes in residence or cars. We arrived to find once empty space, and the other effectively blocked by a car parked in it.
Given that these two spaces are the only dedicated motorhome parking in Karlsruhe (the larger area we were in last night is also intended to serve the city, but it is 9km away), it was incredibly convenient for us, being within 300m of the start of this morning's parkrun.
The parkrun, on a lovely shaded route through the forest, mainly comprised Germans (as it should be), with just three other British tourists, all from London. They disappeared as soon as they finished, but we stayed around first for water, biscuits and watermelon laid on by the parkrun volunteers, after which we walked the 1km up the road to their café of choice. There we happened to find ourselves sharing a table with an American woman from Boston, and her German friend who spoke good English. It was approaching noon by the time we got back to Bertie.
We talked about the pros and cons of places we could go for the rest of the day, but it then struck me that, despite being next to a dual carriageway, this park up was really quiet, and I had a video intro and outro that I needed to record by the end of the day, so we opted to stay here whilst I did that.
By the time I'd finished the recording and editing, uploaded the video, had a late lunch and done a crossword, it was approaching 4pm and there was no point going anywhere at that time, particularly as it was nice and shaded here.
The shade didn't last (not enough tree cover to the W of us!), but as it got unbearable in Bertie, we went out to walk the 1.5km to the nearest supermarket for a couple of supplies for tea. Once again, we loitered in the air conditioned aisles, before baking again on the way back.
We have a vague plan as to where we're going tomorrow, with the only question being how many detours, if any, we are going to make on the way.
Not a flattering photo (Mick should have suggested that I smile!), but I include it to show not just the food/drink but the brutality of yesterday's haircut. No worries, though, it'll grow!
Interesting array of sports on offer at the local sports facility, particularly the penultimate one on the left hand side
Weather: Sunny and hot (32 degrees)
Our decision to stay by the motorway bridge last night was based on our assessment that the likelihood of being disturbed by a constant hum of traffic was less than the likelihood of being disturbed by people partying in the park, had we come straight to Karlsruhe, as our experience of parking next to parks on a Friday night hasn't been great. There was a short period when we thought we were going to have the worst of both worlds, when a large group of lads chose the benches immediately behind the hedge, behind Bertie, to consume their vast quantity of bottled beer, but then at 9.30pm, the went off somewhere else. And, I'm happy to say that the motorway didn't overly disturb us; I heard it briefly at 4.45am when there seemed to be a whole string of vehicles going 'thunk thunk' over the join between grounded roadway and bridge.
After an early breakfast we came to this 'Stellplatz' which is just two spaces on a service road, adjacent to a dual carriageway. I hadn't been optimistic about finding an empty space here at 8am, as 50% of the reviews on Park4Night said that the spaces had been full of cars, so I figured there would either be motorhomes in residence or cars. We arrived to find once empty space, and the other effectively blocked by a car parked in it.
Given that these two spaces are the only dedicated motorhome parking in Karlsruhe (the larger area we were in last night is also intended to serve the city, but it is 9km away), it was incredibly convenient for us, being within 300m of the start of this morning's parkrun.
The parkrun, on a lovely shaded route through the forest, mainly comprised Germans (as it should be), with just three other British tourists, all from London. They disappeared as soon as they finished, but we stayed around first for water, biscuits and watermelon laid on by the parkrun volunteers, after which we walked the 1km up the road to their café of choice. There we happened to find ourselves sharing a table with an American woman from Boston, and her German friend who spoke good English. It was approaching noon by the time we got back to Bertie.
We talked about the pros and cons of places we could go for the rest of the day, but it then struck me that, despite being next to a dual carriageway, this park up was really quiet, and I had a video intro and outro that I needed to record by the end of the day, so we opted to stay here whilst I did that.
By the time I'd finished the recording and editing, uploaded the video, had a late lunch and done a crossword, it was approaching 4pm and there was no point going anywhere at that time, particularly as it was nice and shaded here.
The shade didn't last (not enough tree cover to the W of us!), but as it got unbearable in Bertie, we went out to walk the 1.5km to the nearest supermarket for a couple of supplies for tea. Once again, we loitered in the air conditioned aisles, before baking again on the way back.
We have a vague plan as to where we're going tomorrow, with the only question being how many detours, if any, we are going to make on the way.
Part of the parkrun course - the shade was appreciated as it was 23 degrees
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