Hi! We’re Laura and Rodrigo, a Spanish and Portuguese couple who have been living in the UK for over ten years. For our summer holiday this season, we had our hearts set on visiting somewhere warm, but we were also looking to try something new.
So, we had a fantastic idea: a motorhome road trip through some of the most iconic places on the continent. We’ve been on car and motorbike road trips before, but this would be our first ever motorhome tour.
Sirmione, Italy
Bailey of Bristol gave us the Adamo 75-4I to drive across the continent on our tour. With its Ford 2.0 litre, 160 bph engine, we were really lucky to get the chance to take it on an adventure.
The four-berth motorhome has a parallel front lounge, a central washroom and kitchen, a rear bedroom with a double island bed and even an end garage. It’s safe to say the Adamo is a pleasure to drive.
We’re very excited to share our experience with you, including our feelings about driving the Adamo through some amazing countries, including France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and Belgium.
Getting started
Laura and the Adamo 75-4I
Seeing the Adamo for the first time was a wonderful feeling and we were amazed by how quickly we felt at home inside it. The number of things you can fit into a small space is unbelievable. Packing our clothes was an easy task and hanging them in the bedroom, setting up the kitchen and getting settled was so much fun.
Although we had no idea how to fill up the water tank, a quick how-to guide on the Bailey of Bristol YouTube channel was our saviour. Funnily enough, Rodrigo was the cameraman, so it’s a shame he didn’t absorb more information from the shoot!
The ease of mind of having Red Pennant Overseas Holiday Insurance policy through the Caravan and Motorhome Club (CAMC) was very reassuring, as it was our first time driving a motorhome, as well as taking it across several countries, so we wanted to be certain that we’d be covered in the worst case scenario.
Days one to four: the M25 to Lake Como
With salsa music playing on the stereo, we were ready to set off in the Adamo for the very first time. We drove from our home in Hitchin, near London, down to Dover to catch the ferry that would take us over the Channel to Calais, easily booked through the CAMC website.
Dover, UK
Arriving late in France, we made our first home for the night in an aire, which is an area where you can park and sleep along a major motorway. Unfortunately, we quickly realised that sound insulation was not the strong point of a motorhome, so ear plugs became essential. Luckily, our double bed was very comfortable and we slept until morning.
On day two, the sun came out as we prepared to make our way to Switzerland. It’s a little embarrassing, but for any other novices reading this, we didn’t realise that without being hooked up to a power supply, the motorhome wouldn’t have electricity.
France
Despite no functioning kettle or coffee machine, we survived the day. Soluble coffee and water boiled on the stove got the job done as we made it to the border. France doesn’t require a vignette (a physical sticker to be displayed in the window) but remember, tolls can be expensive.
Switzerland
Crossing into Switzerland, we were immediately taken aback by the views, as well as the complete absence of any passport controls. The wide-reaching mountain landscape was a scene we’ll always remember. After a long day, we made it to Préverenges, a lovely and quaint town near Lake Leman, where we met up with some friends who were eager to see our motorhome.
Lake Leman, Switzerland
We stayed in the area for the third day, enjoying lots of cheese, walking, cycling and a refreshing, cold swim in the lake. Then, we were ready to move on. Our only Swiss souvenir was the vignette. A little expensive for a few hours of driving on the motorway, but it will surely become a nice fridge magnet in the future.
On the fourth day, we entered Italy via the Great St Bernard Pass. Words can’t do it justice, but here’s one: breathtaking. Rodrigo had a lot of fun driving along the twisting, winding roads. He was probably imagining himself riding a motorbike instead.
St Bernard Pass, Italy
After a few quick stops to take pictures and admire the scenery, the dream of eating authentic, regional pasta soon became our reality. Yes, we were in Italy, so we stopped to buy Italian goodies for the rest of the day.
This happened to be in the beautiful town of Bellagio, where Lago di Como proved to be a challenging destination to manoeuvre a motorhome around. Regardless of the road width, Rodrigo expertly guided us through, despite some grumpy hand gestures from local bus drivers.
Bellagio, Italy
Our final destination for the day was Bellagio. It’s a small town and the limited camping facilities weren’t suitable for a motorhome. Luckily, we managed to find a car park for large vehicles within a five-minute cycle from the town centre. Here, we met a lovely American couple with whom we shared travelling stories over a glass of Italian red.
Stay tuned for part two next week!
