Well we never though we would be doing this this winter. Italy

[Deleted member 967]

Well we have had a nice few days wilding down to Preston from the North East however while travelling there we had our generator fail again. So after repairs to the rear heater (Truma S3000) we set off to Birmingham instead of Dover to get it serviced. That turned into BAD news as the bearings had gone slack and were allowing the shaft to contact the motion sensors and when it did the motor stopped. We thought it was getting a bit noiser than it used to be. Well they replaced the two outer bearings and a piston as the top ring was seized and they were not able to free it. They could not get at the centre bearing or big ends as these are sealed onto the crankshaft and con rod at the factory as one unit. On reassembly it ran but there was still a lot of vibration. Conrad Anderson contacted the Gasparini factory for advice and were told to return it to them for service. This would need to have the whole generator put on a pallet to Italy by courier and the cost would be half the cost of driving to the factory in Bologna. So we decided to have them put the generator back in place on the motorhome.

After discussion we decided that our trip to the med would still happen but we would now turn left and head for Bologna to the Gasparini factory and Steve arranged for them to sort it out for us.


So this is where we need your help folks, as we haven't been to Italy before.


Route:

Dover to Calais then in arc north of Paris down to Marseilles turn onto the coast road round to Pisa in Italy then turning inland to Bologna.

We don't want to be travelling in snow or on roads that require snow chains over mountains. We have looked at the map and decided to head down France to the Med then turn left along the coast. Are there any places on this route that would need snow chains? (We are not taking the car and trailer). We will be using motorway most of the way on the route down.


Our Hymer is an old plodder which is the reason we are avoiding the mountains. We want to get down to the factory quickly so that we can then enjoy the rest of the trip returning in May the slow way.


We have fitted a BtoB charger so will be able to be off hookup so do not need sites as we will use Aires.


Thanks in anticipation


John & Joan

 

[MOS]

Hi John & Joan
the route you describe is prety good ,except for the route through france ,i would prefer to take the west route around paris ,rouen /orleon /toulouse /carcasson/ bezier ,just simply to avoid the mountain passes beyond clemont ferand ,this route allso favours plodders as lots of it can be done off the tolls without too much detouring
good luck ,happy travels
MOS

 

[walkingsoul]

Hi John & Joan
the route you describe is prety good ,except for the route through france ,i would prefer to take the west route around paris ,rouen /orleon /toulouse /carcasson/ bezier ,just simply to avoid the mountain passes beyond clemont ferand ,this route allso favours plodders as lots of it can be done off the tolls without too much detouring
good luck ,happy travels
MOS

We take the Calais route to Belgium, Luxembourg,Strasbourg,San Gottard throught Switzerland entering Italy at lake Como Milan.
The father in law has done this route for 30 years avoiding tolls in France and from our own experience requires no snow chains although you have to pay the Swiss pass which is 40 euros.
We dont know this ourselves personally but others have said the other route suggested is more troublesome with criminals where as the route we have done is more of a main route.
We would certainly like another route to try that has less hills as our van did'nt like the route we did and is a plodder.
All the best.

 

[Deleted member 3011]

others have said the other route suggested is more troublesome with criminals

Hmmmm! This sounds pretty serious. Can you give us any more information on exactly what the problem is.

 

[walkingsoul]

Hi Tony.

I must say I am only repeating what I have read elsewhere but Ive read it enough times to stick with the route I know already which I have been personally doing for ten years or so.
The claims are break ins and robberies and one male lorry driver was raped.
I read this about a year ago after seriously contemplating avoiding Gottard and the steep climbs in our van.

The only thing I could recommend is not sleeping in layby stop overs where there are loos over night but its not a petrol station.
The ones with petrol stations are safer in our experience if you park where the cars are not with the lorries.

Naturally finding a camp site on route is the best place to stay over night.
Im just talking from a getting from a to b journey where you have to get somewhere in a few days.
Obviously if you are touring and chilling towns and villages with the usual awareness is the way to do it.

All the best.

 

[Deleted member 967]

John, your route is Ok, I have used it many times with a truck, although I was on toll roads. The RN runs alongside most of it and good wine growing area, the Rhone. The border is at then Vent (Ventimillia) not sure of spelling.
Alternatively, you could go via Frejus Tunnel or Mont Blanc Tunnel or Switzerland and through the Gothard.
All of those routed will be quite passable.

Thanks everyone for your replies. We will keep you informed of our adventure. We are curently at Medway Services on our way to Folkstone to visit Vicarious Books to pick up a Sosta guide and then will overnight at Canterbury P&R Aire. I am just about to check for ferries online.

We have always travelled by Sea France (RIP) but will now try P&O. Will will now go east of Paris as suggested.

Edit:

Change of plan we are going to stay at Dover tonight and sail 07:30 Tuesday 24th with P&O. The tunnel was twice the price.

John

 

[watchthis]

Hello John
just read your last updated post--If I new you was at Farthing corner (Medway services) I would have come up and said hello:wave: as I live only about 2 miles away anyway have a good trip and please keep us all up to date with your trip/ journey. Keep Safe

Bye for now
Freddie

 

[walkingsoul]

Hey!
Any news?
Did you get the generator sorted and take a good route for a plodder?
I could do with some directions myself to avoid the mountains!
Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 967]

Hey!
Any news?
Did you get the generator sorted and take a good route for a plodder?
I could do with some directions myself to avoid the mountains!
Thanks.

Hi walkingsoul

Yes, we got sorted at the Gasparini factory. The power unit and alternator had to be replaced. We were told we had over used it and that it was only designed for light use of about 100 hours per year we had clocked to 400 last year and 300 the year before. Ours had 800 hours up and Sen. Gasparini said it was expected to last about 1800 hours.

We travelled down through France via Calais, Buchy Aire, Vouvray Aire, Magnac Bourge Aire, Carcassonne (Aire is now in the coach park) to Narbonne Plage Aire. Then took the Autoroute over the Maritime Alps past Nice and Monte Carlo to Ventimiglia and into Italy. We stayed at service areas along this road and in Italy. While in the area of Piacenza and Bologna we stayed in store car parks. Our trip through southern France was in temperatures of minus 6c to minus 11c and in blizards. A lot of the service areas had toilet dump facilities near the coach parking areas.

On the way back from Narbonne Plage we crossed the Masif Central and Mileau Bridge with no problems.

John

 

[johnmac185]

Bologna

Hi walkingsoul

Yes, we got sorted at the Gasparini factory. The power unit and alternator had to be replaced. We were told we had over used it and that it was only designed for light use of about 100 hours per year we had clocked to 400 last year and 300 the year before. Ours had 800 hours up and Sen. Gasparini said it was expected to last about 1800 hours.

We travelled down through France via Calais, Buchy Aire, Vouvray Aire, Magnac Bourge Aire, Carcassonne (Aire is now in the coach park) to Narbonne Plage Aire. Then took the Autoroute over the Maritime Alps past Nice and Monte Carlo to Ventimiglia and into Italy. We stayed at service areas along this road and in Italy. While in the area of Piacenza and Bologna we stayed in store car parks. Our trip through southern France was in temperatures of minus 6c to minus 11c and in blizards. A lot of the service areas had toilet dump facilities near the coach parking areas.

On the way back from Narbonne Plage we crossed the Masif Central and Mileau Bridge with no problems.

John

John
glad your not in Bologna this weekend ,,, massive earthquake
very serious,, my mate on truckstop near there for the weekend says he never heard a thing
John

 

[DRoader]

Hi John how did you find it generally? I always assume it's going to be a bit too busy for me but that is an assumption.

As I headed up the east coast of Spain and into France I toyed with the idea of heading for Italy but got caught up in the beauty of the French med coast and the midi-pyrenees.

 

[Deleted member 967]

Hi John how did you find it generally? I always assume it's going to be a bit too busy for me but that is an assumption.

As I headed up the east coast of Spain and into France I toyed with the idea of heading for Italy but got caught up in the beauty of the French med coast and the midi-pyrenees.

We didn't find it busy. However you must bear in mind that this was the coldest winter Italy has had in 27 years. We were driving in blizard conditions. The police were putting all trucks and large vehicles (including our motorhome) off the road into holding compounds. They were then letting them go behind rolling snow clearing team relays.

They had pressed cement mixers into use as ploughs, one in each lane includng the hard shoulder. These were followed by gritters and then the waggons behind them in all lanes compacting the spread salt into the road. Only where they were approaching a change over point did they let the trucks overtake them. The next services the trucks were diverted off the road and the whole process started again.

The autoroute roads were great to travel on, even in those conditions. I didn't envy the Italian police officers who were standing out on the road directing the traffic in those conditions.

Once off the autoroutes it was like driving on the "Ice Roads". It warmed up to minus 6c and the coldest I saw was minus 11c but it was colder during the night when we were a sleep. We had been told the trip would take one day. We did it in four. We did the return trip to Naborne Plage in two days.

The French med coast was equally as cold. Our waste tank froze up at Narbonne Plage and we were unable to dump the waste water all the way through France and southern UK. I was only thawed enough to dump when we got to Birmingham.

We saw little of Italy as it was covered in a white blanket with even the trains having difficulties running.

John

 

[jennyp19]

Geez - that sounds cold - we were going to go early in the year, didn't get away until 22nd mar. Headed down to Southern Spain & slowly headed back up. We are in Poland now - and although yesterday it was warm today its quite cool & just started raining in Zakopane.

 

[vwalan]

italy in the winter can be freezing most years .even right down south its still not hot . spain is the warmest place in europe really . even then its hit and miss . you have to go very south. morocco is the easiest place to travel to and be warm in winter.

 

[landyrubbertramp]

yeh i had a quick look at some wether history stuff the other day and soythern spain and morocco in terms of how south it is is warmest in copariosion to itlay

 

[vwalan]

to be honest a good atlas with a map of the med and lat/long itude lines gives a good idea. even tunisia isnt as warm as most think. nor turkey . been all of them made that mistake myself . once you look at the details they speak for themselves. even egypt you have to go south to be warm.
having said that .the inland of many countries is high . they get real deep snow in morocco .but you can be several thousand feet up. as it is we see snow on the hills as we get to santander in spain in november .and end of april it very often snows on the hills the night before we leave sits amazing to see. antander .

 

[DRoader]

Sounds a bit nightmarish but on reflection do you think it was the right decision to take your hymer and gennie down there rather than pay the extra to have it sent to Bologna? It's difficult when something like this crops up that threatens a carefully balanced and planned out budget. It's also an incredible little adventure as well, and they can be seen as priceless...

We didn't find it busy. However you must bear in mind that this was the coldest winter Italy has had in 27 years. We were driving in blizard conditions. The police were putting all trucks and large vehicles (including our motorhome) off the road into holding compounds. They were then letting them go behind rolling snow clearing team relays.

They had pressed cement mixers into use as ploughs, one in each lane includng the hard shoulder. These were followed by gritters and then the waggons behind them in all lanes compacting the spread salt into the road. Only where they were approaching a change over point did they let the trucks overtake them. The next services the trucks were diverted off the road and the whole process started again.

The autoroute roads were great to travel on, even in those conditions. I didn't envy the Italian police officers who were standing out on the road directing the traffic in those conditions.

Once off the autoroutes it was like driving on the "Ice Roads". It warmed up to minus 6c and the coldest I saw was minus 11c but it was colder during the night when we were a sleep. We had been told the trip would take one day. We did it in four. We did the return trip to Naborne Plage in two days.

The French med coast was equally as cold. Our waste tank froze up at Narbonne Plage and we were unable to dump the waste water all the way through France and southern UK. I was only thawed enough to dump when we got to Birmingham.

We saw little of Italy as it was covered in a white blanket with even the trains having difficulties running.

John

 

[walkingsoul]

Good to hear you got sorted.
Is your generator diesel?
thanks.

 

[Deleted member 967]

Good to hear you got sorted.
Is your generator diesel?
thanks.

The Gasparini Energy20 is two stroke LPG. Uses about a litre of 2 stroke fully synthetic oil every 100 hours.

It is 12v at 20 amps. It senses the state of the leisure batteries and when they drop below 12v it start up automatically and runs until they reach 14v then it stops automatically.

Snr Gasparini explained to us that the expected use is about 100 hours per year, so it is only a backup to solar. We didn't realise this and flogged ours to death in 2 years of full timing.

We have now fitted 2 x 130w (Solara) panels (Max 15 amps in test conditions) and and dual regulator (Morningstar Duo - 25 amp max - 90:10 split between the battery banks) and use the generator very little now (4 hours since february). Today the panels have been topping 10 amps for the past 3 hours and no LPG/oil being used or wear and tear on the generator.

John

John