New Van since August 2025
Hello friends,
After not being heard from for a while, I'm back with a new campervan.
After a wonderful tour, first via Rushden and then further southwest in the UK, and trying out van life with our son's campervan, we bought our own new campervan in August.
Of course, we've already been on the road with our new van here in Germany and have already covered 3,000km from the beginning of August to today.
For next year (2026), we're planning a three-week tour to central England and Scotland. After arriving in Dover, we want to head first towards the Cotswolds, then further north. But of course, all of this still needs to be planned in detail.
Here's something for your eyes.
Best regards from North Rhine-Westphalia (DE) Edgar & Kerstin
At the mouth of the Ems into the North Sea
In Wildeshausen at the amateur radio campsite of Achim DL3EBB (Auecamp / HamCamp)
The most important thing is already stuck to the rear of the van 😁
Comments
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Hello 'Wherenext' (sorry, I don't know your first name), 😉
I'm doing well for my age. I hope you're doing well too?Well, we've been on the road every two weeks so far. We went to the North Sea, where we did the so-called 'Störtebeker Tour,' and to the Baltic Sea, although that was our first tour with the van. The reason was a promise to my little brother who died. We also did a Sauerland tour. Otherwise, we're just returning from the Harz Mountains. There's so much to see, even in Germany. But as true UK fans, we'll be back on your beautiful island in 2026.
Best regards, Edgar
I hope you like travel photos. If not, please let me know.
'Kahler Asten' in the Sauerland, the highest mountain in North Rhine-Westphalia 841.9 m / 2762.1391 ft
A scheduled steam locomotive of the HSB, station 'Drei Annen Hohne' (Harz narrow-gauge railway / 1m track width)
The 'Drei Annen Hohne' train station
(Drei Annen Hohne is located at an altitude of approximately
520 meters above sea level)
The so-called 'Upper Basin' in the Sauerland region. It is used for energy production. (Elevation: 570 m above sea level)
Here we see the old Asel Bridge. This bridge belongs to a former village that was relocated. The reason for the relocation is the Edersee. At normal water levels, the bridge lies approximately 20 meters below the water surface. The location at the time of the photo was taken is approximately at the normal waterline.
The Edersee again, pretty empty.
On the left of the picture, you can see the foundations of a sunken village. There's also a cemetery there. The dead were left there, and the graves were sealed with concrete slabs. Oh well...
The normal water level is approximately where the bushes are at the back left of the picture.
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Oh please continue your travel posts!
Sadly we are not touring at present, I miss it lots. 🤞one day we may again.
You hit the nail on the head when you said you did it for your little brother. Health is wealth. Cease the day, tomorrow isn't promised 😪
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We've never been to Sauerland but have to all other areas of your lovely country. Particularly enjoyed the Harz Mountain area. We stayed at a campsite in Halberstadt, visiting Quedlingburg (gorgeous) and Wernigerode. We decided to walk up the Brocken. The view that day was glorious. We also enjoyed travelling along the North Coast/Baltic Sea area. Not that many visitors from the UK, which is a shame as it was worth the effort.
We miss getting over the Sea to Europe but have may happy memories to fill our soul.
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Nice to see you again, Edgar.
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Hi Edgar
We have toured extensively in Germany including the Baltic Coast.Unfortunately now unable to tour. On that tour of the Baltic I was surprised to come across some new houses with thatched roofs. I thought that was an English thing!!
David
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Good morning,
Thank you all so much for your lovely posts. I'm very happy that you've shown interest in my photos.
As I said, we'll be going back to the UK in 2026. A trip from the mainland to the UK, or vice versa, is always an extra expense due to the ferry. So, you don't do it every day... unfortunately. But your beautiful island is and will remain my dream destination, and we'll do it as often as possible. You only learn in old age how important it is to fulfill your dreams. Kerstin and I are working on it.
My little brother Dietmar was three years younger than me and also drove around the country in a campervan. Unfortunately, he passed away on December 17, 2023. I miss him very much. My wish was that as soon as we have our own campervan, the first trip would be to his grave in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Dietmar wanted to be buried in a nature reserve up there, at his own request. We granted his wish. Unfortunately, it's so far away from us that we can't just drive there.
The next sad tragedy was the death of my father on January 1, 2025.
Shortly before his death, he told me we should live our lives and use our inheritance to travel the world. I told him I had other ideas and would rather explore the world in a camper van. He told me to do it, treat yourself, don't wait until it's too late.
Well, a small part of the inheritance is now at our doorstep and will take us to where we feel comfortable.
So, just as we're touring the UK, feel free to come to us in Germany, and anyone who's in our corner is always welcome at home. A quick call is enough... we'd be happy.Please excuse my long post, but this was very important to me.
Best regards from Ostbevern (North Rhine-Westphalia)
EdgarMy other hobby
Amateur radio, here with friends at a mini field day for German Unity Day (October 3, 2025).
And another hobby... drone photography
Who will find my camper?
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Hi @Edgar - lovely to read your posts and to see the photos, some which remind me of our visits to Germany. I have to admit... we haven't been over to Germany/ France/ Italy since 2016... we really must visit again soon. We stopped when we had a dog - who got distressed in the warmer temperatures. We used to visit the Mosel (used to stay at a site at Bergen - between Koblenz and Cochem), and the Black Forest. Years ago I played the organ for the wedding of a distant family member somewhere further north....
The new campervan looks great - I think I managed to find it on the photo... 🙂. Enjoy your travels.... look forward to reading about the places you visit.
David
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tnx David. We have two dogs, and they have to come with us whether they want to or not. But they both always want to come along. Our Rosco (the slightly larger black one) is always a bit anxious during the trip, but he's always happy when he can sniff around new things. At night, the two dogs sleep under our bed in the rear garage. They feel very comfortable there.
Edgar
Doggies
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@Edgar - I would suggest that you ask members of this forum for advice about visiting Scotland. At certain times of the year some places can be extremely uncomfortable with Midges, little flying, biting insects that swarm. There are several seasoned travellers who know when and where to go to avoid them.
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@Edgar - If you plan on visiting Scotland, I can recommend the Outer Hebrides (Lewis with Harris). You'd be fine with the campervan.... our daughter/ son-in-law/ grandson live on the Island and have a campervan which they use often. The only problem is, once you have caught the ferry across the channel, you would then have another ferry to catch across to the island.. 🙂
David
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and also Orkney and Shetland - the Northern Isles.
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Ask away. I’m happy to help. We went twice and it’s quite a trek from Cornwall.
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Hi everyone, I haven't gone away, I've just been somewhere else. 🤣
I have some more impressions for you. This time we did a tour of North Holland.
Our first stop was Ditzum at the mouth of the Ems River, still in Germany but right on the Dutch border.
In Ditzum there are two campervan pitches, both of which are really good. Everything you need is there. Due to the time of year, it wasn't very busy anywhere. We were almost always alone on the pitches. German campers seem to be wimps. Not us.So we continued from Ditzum to Delzijl in the Netherlands. Delzijl is a small coastal town at the mouth of the Ems River on the Dutch side. It's also worth a visit. The next day we drove on to Leeuwarden. There we stayed overnight in a small marina within the city limits. The location is truly beautiful. The following day we continued towards Ülsen (Lower Saxony) in Germany. There, too, we found a wonderfully well-maintained campervan site with plenty of space for our two dogs to run around. Unfortunately, it was then time to head home, as Kerstin, unlike me, still has to work. So, whenever possible, we like to take short weekend trips.
By the way: I'm currently deep into planning our next trip to the UK. In June, we're heading to your beautiful island via Harwich. As soon as I've made more progress with the planning, I'll let you know exactly where we're going. We're planning for a three-week stay.
Here are a few impressions from our short trip to Holland:
DitzumMotorhome pitch
Ditzum Harbor
Ems Barrier. This is where the large new ships from the Meyer shipyard pass by.
Delfzijl (NL)
Motorhome pitch
Delfzijl city
The Ems estuary into the North Sea. The German side is in the background.
The famous Emshotel. It looks a bit like an oil platform. 🤣
The small beach of Delfzijl
Leeuwarden (NL)
Motorhome pitch
Almost all properties have their own boat dock.
And now our last stop on the short tour
Ülsen
I hope the photos aren't annoying you. Otherwise, please let me know.
Warm greetings from the continent
Edgar & Kerstin6 -
Hi David, our plan so far is to travel via Harwich and then stay with good friends in Rushden. From there, we want to make our way up through Yorkshire to Inverness. The return journey will take us west via Glasgow towards the Cotswolds. We'll see if we can manage it all. It's supposed to be a stress-free trip. We'll probably stay mostly in CLs (Civilian campervans). We'll see... there's still time to finalize the trip plans.
Last year, we had some serious problems with paying our Dart Charge. Although I accidentally paid it twice, I was fined in November 2025. I had to pay 125 pounds. I initially wanted to appeal, but then decided to let it go. The effort seemed too much. Anyway, if we come in via Harwich, we won't have anything to do at Dartford Crossing. Besides, we'll save quite a few miles towards Rushden and have a nice time at sea. Best regards from a rather cold Germany at the moment.Edgar
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