Austria almost Autumn

Climbing at Oberried - nice

 The drive from Rotterdam to Austria was as unpleasant as expected with horrendous traffic and pouring rain, but we made it after two days on the road. Ten days in and it has been as pleasant as we were hoping. We are stopping in the small hamlet of Burgstein on a jutting shoulder above the main Öetztal valley. The place is a busy working farm with lots of cattle (and kids) so a bit smelly and occasionally noisy but otherwise very pleasant.

Most places are still very warm but up at 4,500' the days have been warm (low/mid 20s) and the nights have been superbly cool at 10/12C - perfect sleeping conditions. Everywhere is still very busy - hopefully the start of September will see a change as Europeans push off back to work

We have climbed, hiked, explored and chilled - all in all, a great start to our extended trip. Another week here then onwards towards France and the autumn.

In the Starting Blocks

Mucky weather across Europe

It in nine weeks since we got back from Croatia and it has definitely felt like kicking out heels waiting for the autumn to come. We have had three trips away, a couple of weeks in the Yorkshire Dales, ten days at Rhyl on the North Wales coast and six days above Holmfirth, just sixteen miles from home. All were very pleasant, but it made us realise that the flat in Sheffield is certainly a quiet place to be - no tractors, seagulls, cows or sheep waking us at the crack of dawn.

 Anyway it is mid-August and we decided it is time to go - ferry Hull to Rotterdam this evening and onwards to Germany and then Austria. The forecast looks pretty poor for our travelling days but much better beyond 

Then we have our 180 day French Visa to look forward to - bring it on :-)