The senior Mr and Mrs are a wonderful pair – they came to see us! I mean, not that they need any excuse for a holiday, but still!

And better yet we have even been staying in their lovely apartment complete with pool, air con and our own bathroom. Feeling somewhat of a fraud to van life, but hey, when given the option of not having to share a shower with numerous other strangers I’ll take it! (Not sharing at the same time tho, obvs. That would be weirrrrrd).

We’ve been exploring the Bay of Kotor, and lots of lovely little villages over the last few days. Seen some pre-historic drawings and climbed a clock tower.

We are celebrating the mother’s birthday today and took her out for a paddle! Had a chilled morning at the beach and probably will have another taxing afternoon at the pool before heading out for dinner later… definitely no complaints from me today!!

When one of your best mates is a pilot and can get flights whenever and wherever, it would be rude of they didn’t come to see you!

We picked him up and made our way down to the beach. Everything went our way – nice campsite with lots of shade under centuries old olive trees, cheap beer and fresh pizza, three minutes walk to the beach…perfect!

We spent a few days catching up, getting the boards out on the sea and napping. It was amazing.

Montenegro certainly has varied wildlife. In the last week or so we’ve seen more snakes than I’ve ever seen in my life, a cicada the size of a humbug flew into the van and down Ike’s back, cows in the road everywhere, so many different butterflies and this morning we rescued a wild tortoise from the road to save him getting squished!!

It’s easy to take it for granted, as we all do with our vehicles, but this isn’t just our mode of transport. It’s our home. It’s our chill out zone, it’s our kitchen, it’s our bedroom, and it’s also where I win all the games of gin rummy (haha).

It’s currently basking in the sunshine and glory somewhere in the middle of Montenegro and we are loving it.

Is it cramped? Definitely. Is it tidy? Certainly not. Does it do the the job? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Hours of work went into this project and we often forget how far it has come since it was the empty shell of an old BT open reach van. It took a stranger in a campsite to comment and praise it and say how much they love it for us to say, yeah, we built that!!

So really, even if there is a project you’re waiting to do, or wanting to do, but something is holding you back…just go and do it! Even if you think it won’t work, how will you know if you don’t give it a shot? After all, look how far we have come!

It’s not all epic hikes and crazy road trips. Sometimes we just hang out and do the washing. Exciting, huh…

The sun has decided to come out and we’ve already been on a four hour hike this morning so this afternoon we are cleaning…everything!!

Today started much like any other, except I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time!

We made it to Montenegro and the Durmitor mountain range which I’ve wanted to hike for aaaages, ever since I saw it in, and don’t judge, the Waitrose travel mag! There was this amazing photo of what turned out to be the Tara canyon and the blue as blue Tara river. The Tara canyon is only 200 metres smaller than the Grand canyon and has a rather majestical river running down it; we actually did a rafting trip down the river the other day.

Anyways, it’s been on my list for a long time and I was super excited to do a big old hike. We got ourselves a map at the local tourist office and prepped up for a long trek through the range. We ended up choosing a hike up to veliki meded (big bear) going past mali meded (little bear) on the way down.

We started at the Black Lake, a short walk from our campsite, and started to climb the 2287 metres to the summit. Through forests and meadows and stony paths we made our way up. The weather was gorgeous, about 18 degrees and a good mix of sun and cloud; perfect hiking weather.

Then it got to a point where I looked up to take stock of what was to come and I saw a sheer drop and a teeny tiny stony path running up the other side. Wait. Really. That path?! I think my actual words when I saw it was, to quote, ‘no fucking way, absolutely not, 100% no!’

I realised my choices were back the way we came, or up here. I already started to feel sick. I said to Ike I couldn’t do it but with some gentle encouragement I said I would try the first bit and see how I felt. Not wanting to let him down I soldiered on. Knowing you’re over 2,000 metres up does not make for a fun walk when you’re not particularly fond of heights.

There were some, shall we say, rather hairy moments and parts you had to use a rope to pull yourself over. I panicked and actually got quite hysterical…luckily Ike was there to help me along. There were two points where my legs buckled underneath me and several moments of sheer and utter panic when I felt myself glued to the rock not knowing where to go. Emotions took over and the tears came. I felt like a wimp but I couldn’t help it! Ike was so supportive and guided me up, with me crushing his hand in the process, and we finally made it to the top. I think he is part mountain goat.

Unfortunately that was not the hardest part over…I looked forward and it dawned on me – the map of the route I had looked at earlier and the view in front of me clicked together. We had a ridge to walk. No descent just yet! Some more ropes and only a few minor panics and we were over to little bear, just 2223 metres high.

The walk was massively enjoyable and I certainly felt a sense of achievement, even if the whole way down my legs felt like jelly!! I’m not sure I’d be keen to do something like that again…I was the most scared I have ever been and thought so many times I was going to fall off the edge. I even wondered how much it would cost to get mountain rescue to come up and get me as I couldn’t move!! Anyways 7 hours later, I am done.

Goodnight all!

Our first night in Bosnia and Herzegovina saw us camping at an epic free camping place at the top of Mount Hum, just outside the city of Mostar.

Wild camping is legal here so we had no worries about trying not to be seen, which was handy really as the site was pretty busy with visitors; from the newly married couple having their photos underneath the giant cross when we arrived, to local hostel groups and couples looking for the romantic views.

Whilst we were taking in the beautiful sunset and 360 views around us one of the locals informed us to not stray off the well worn paths as there still might be landmines around. We had read about it but it certainly brings it home to you the recent atrocities that happened in this region! Apparently the Croatians used Mount Hum as a base to bomb the old city.

After the best night’s sleep in a long time (about 10 degrees lower than were used to and no mosquitos!) We woke up to have breakfast overlooking the city. Not a bad start to the day!

Wandering down into Mostar to have an explore we came across the old ‘front line’ of the 1990s civil war where bombed out and bullet holed buildings still stand, as some kind of memorial. They’re everywhere. You don’t need to look too hard for a pockmarked building or a concrete skeleton; it was a wonder that some of them were still standing. Down tree lined boulevards and even in the tiny streets of the old town there was no escaping it, especially going past the cemeteries with the majority of graves looking identical and all reading the year of death as 1992.

That said, the old town was really something with it’s cobbled streets and the infamous Stari Most bridge, which was rebuilt in the same style as the 1557 original as it was bombarded in the nineties. They have a tradition now of jumping off of it. Speedo clad men stand on the edge, and once their friends have collected enough money from the eager crowd (I think they aim to get 50km/25 euro) they make a show of it and leap off the top, falling 24 metres. As they emerge from the clear blue water below a quick wave ensures a big round of applause.

A row of shops selling the same old tourist tat as the shop before, touts trying to get you on their day tours and people trying to get you into their restaurants by shoving a menu in your face. It definitely had a buzz.

Ike had a traditional Bosnian coffee, served from a copper pot, and we got a new rug for the van. And after lunch we decided it was time to leave – onwards to our next destination!!

It was only supposed to take an hour but as we left Mostar we suddenly came across a load of people in the road…a protest as it turns out. Something to do with a local metal company giving better rates to Bosniaks rather than Herzegovinians. Whatever it was, it had literally just started and we were on the front line. That morning they had been at a road block from 9am-1pm and we were informed by many of them that they would be there til midnight. It was 3.30pm. Oh joys.

The road was full of men drinking beer and smoking, seemingly without an agenda – I’m not sure these guys could organise a piss up in a brewery. They were generally in good spirits at this point and no particular aggression; if a car tried to get past they would surround it. They were letting cars with young children through but they weren’t budging for us. They wouldn’t even let us turn around. The police were there but didn’t seem to be doing anything, one of them was even laughing and joking with the guys. Great! I was hoping for the rain to start soon, or for them to drink the local stall dry so they’d get bored and go home. There was even a branch of NATO peacekeepers there.

An hour or so later something took the men’s attention further on down the road…we took our chance and asked another guy and a police officer if they would just let us turn around and they said yes. Hooray! Somehow we managed to get out. We were going completely the opposite direction of where we wanted to be but at least we were out.

After looking at the map we realised we could take a pretty long detour but we could go on the smaller roads to get round. But putting the route into the sat nav, every single time it was saying to go back the other way and seemingly not the way we wanted to go. We plowed on. I was certain you could go this way…checking other destinations along the road showed up on the maps so we just decided to go for it.We started off winding up a tarmac track, up and up into the mountains. The rain began. Big, fat rain. We were passed by some touring motorbikes and thought well, if they can make it so can we. Up we went. Up and up. All fine until we got to an unpaved bit of road. Ah. Shit. We know the van isn’t great on these kind of roads especially if it’s steep. The rain had started to run down the track creating some kind of gully. The motorbikes were there. Is the road okay? I asked. Yes, go slowly, slowly he said. Well then, we gave it a go.

A relatively sketchy, potholed, bumpy ride followed but we finally made it down that bit and then got to more tarmac. Yay we thought, that was interesting but we made it! Little did we know that was just the start.

Several more unpaved sections followed, each steeper and more unlevel than the last. Water gushing down, big boulders where they shouldn’t be and sheer drop offs the otherside of the road. I genuinely thought we might not make it up and would get stuck, or even worse, go off the edge. We appeared to make it to the top, at last! We were treated to a 🌈 rainbow at the top and the sun came out. Phew!

It wasn’t over yet though, we had reached the top but still needed to get to where we wanted to be. Second gear and about 10mph for the foreseeable future and we trundled along a road barely passable for one vehicle, let alone two when we met someone coming the other way (where were they going?!). Fallen stones, big pot holes that saw the van lurching from side to side, and again a sheer drop off the other side into a beautiful valley; the road just seemed to be stuck into the side of the mountain.

Vertigo took hold and I was terrified, holding on tight to my seatbelt and the door handle my stomach was in bits. Good job Ike was driving – he was having the time of his life!

We finally got to tarmac, and I finally relaxed and we could finally get into third gear. Not long now. Winding down the mountain again to our campsite we came across and old artillery gun on the side of the road. As you do. Another remnant of the war.

Got to the campsite four hours later, right on the water’s edge, and a huuuge thunder and lightning storm was brewing. We had about 20 minutes to set up before the rain started. We treated ourselves to a beer and sat under giant pub umbrellas, enjoying the cooler air, when we were joined by a cat.

The friendliest cat in the world and I wanted him to come and live in the van. Then we heard the call to prayer from the local mosque; we’re certainly in a different part of the world now. When it was time for bed we watched the lightning streak across the sky from the safety of the van. Then brap, brap, brap! We looked at each other. Was that? Yes it was. Gun shots. Wtf?! Someone was getting trigger happy in the storm. Again, as you do. A few more rounds then they went silent.

What a day. Bosnia has been bonkers.

We changed our plans slightly over the last few days and decided to head to Bosnia sooner than later. We were pretty excited to be on the road again, after a chilled few days, and we were going to be able to tick off a new country!

Got to the border, got asked for our green card, handed it all over with our passports only to be told it wasn’t valid. Immediate thoughts – wtf?! Turns out it’s not valid for Bosnia and Herzegovina and our insurance would be invalid if we drove through. Shit, we thought. Back we go! We were informed that we could go to another border crossing and get it all sorted there…phew!

So, off we went thinking we would have to go drive another hour to get to one but luckily we noticed there was one round the corner. Result! Through we went with no issues…wait…hold on…we didn’t get insurance and didn’t get asked for the green card. Shit…back we go. Turns out we have to go to another border crossing to sort it out.

Off we went. Arrived at the other one and we got asked to pull over to be searched. And I mean searched. They looked in every nook and cranny we have. Cigarettes? They asked. No. Alcohol? They asked. No. And with a smirk on his face… marijuana? The final question. No! I’d like to think they were admiring the van build and seeing if they could get any good tips, but was quite odd seeing three border police having a rummage, each packing a gun (or two), and one sat on my bed!!

Anywho…they seemed satisfied that we weren’t smuggling anything through and waved us on. We managed to get the new green card (from the least official looking place ever…the guy was clearly smoking in his hut and I’m sure I spied a beer) and we finally got through the border!!

Country number 8 – nice to meet you!!

Ahhh Split. You’ve captured my heart.

Beautiful. Expensive. Busy. Beautiful. Dirty. Old. New. Flats. Palaces. Vegan food. And more importantly vegan ice cream! A city of many things where I have been glad to spend a few days.

We arrived in Split in the heat of the day, (a standard 33 degrees or more), trying to find our apartment amongst the grubby, graffiti covered communist era tower blocks and we finally found our tiny slice of air conditioned paradise. Okay, so hardly paradise but it has AC and a fridge and a free washing machine (hey, these things matter!).

An apartment! I hear you say. Well, I know we have come away for an adventure in our van but when it’s generally in the mid-thirty degrees heat, and the campsites are fricking expensive you may as well spend €10 more and get a place within walking distance to town and with AC. Did I mention there is air con? Soooo gooood. And a bathroom I don’t have to go outside for. That said, with just two nights ‘indoors’ I’m already craving outdoors and the fresh air…

Turns out the outer edges of Split are an absolute dive, and as we were taking the 15 minute walk into town, past some more shitty graffiti and some questionable fast food joints, we were wondering what lay in-store.

Luckily for us, and the bazillion other tourists, the center of split is built upon and in the palace of Roman emperor Diocletian (AD245-313). Within the palace walls are a maze of tiny streets, jam packed with restaurants, shops, guys dressed as gladiators, souvenir stalls selling more crap than you could ever imagine, singers, painters, nuns…the list goes on.

The floor stones have been worn away from thousands of years of footfall; I don’t think this city has ever lost its buzz. We’ve come in high season and there has been live music happenings every eve and barely a quiet street in sight but still, I loved it. Considering we’ve spent most of the last month just in each others company it’s a surprise we didn’t hate it, but it certainly has some kind of vibe about it. The underground archways with the market stalls ignited my imagination for the hundreds of years that market sellers must have been there; my favourite bit of the palace.

One of my favourite things to do on a holiday, and it does feel like we’re on an actual holiday here, is to decide where to go for dinner. Inevitably you walk past the same places with the usual ‘ooh that looks nice’, ‘wonder what they have on the menu’, ‘let’s just walk around that corner and see what else there is’. On the first night I spied a small bar called Mad Dog, which we didn’t end up going in straight away, but on our second evening in town we thought we would seek it out.

We were greeted by a lovely waitress, who served us with a big smile and advised on the best wine in the house. Not only was she friendly but she seemed to go over and above. It was fairly quiet when we got there and we were having small talk here and there whilst ordering drinks. I commented on how I was enjoying the music, which she delighted in telling her colleague who, apparently ‘only listened to shit Croatian music’ (she had on Boney M, in case you were wondering!). Her name was Angela and she lives, and grew up, in a local town about 6km away. Her parents are Bosnian but had to move to the area when the troubles began in the nineties. The recent, violent and turbulent, history of this country and its neighbours is never far from the surface; we even drove past a few bullet ridden buildings on the way here.

Anywho, she was bloody lovely. Inside and out. We tipped. Not much as we don’t have much but we felt she deserved a bit extra for being so nice. She appreciated my attempt at Croatian (I asked her name in Croatian and said nice to meet you), and I do believe we may have changed her mind on English tourists. We may even have persuaded her to visit Salisbury if she ever comes that way!

Today = 14.26km | 1029 elevation gain | 7 hours | 1 pizza | a shit ton of rocks

Those who know me will know I have a fear of heights, sometimes quite debilitating. I hate it. My head spins. My stomach turns and I feel like I will fall off the edge of wherever I am. However, today I faced those fears…many times!

Our first stop in Croatia is a place called Paklencia National Park where we decided to do a big hike.

Getting up at sunrise, mainly to avoid the heat of the day (or so we thought) we walked from the campsite up to the national park. It’s barren. Lots of rocks. So many less trees than we have been used to through the Alps and Slovenia!

Up we climbed…at first just an uphill path of loose rocks, where we saw a chamois cross the path, to the first view point, then the second where we spotted a golden eagle. And then it got interesting.

The climbing really began. Up massive boulders of karst rocks (in this case super sharp limestone) with lots of crumbly rocks in between, at the edge of a seemingly HUGE drop on my right hand side. I hit the first section absolutely fine but as it got steeper, and more slippery, I literally thought I was going to die. Maybe slightly dramatic but I felt sick and dizzy; my head was spinning. The ground continued to climb but the edge got further away so I started to feel a bit better.

Then. The crash. General lack of food due to the early start, and the insurmountable heat (at 0930 in the morning!) made me feel weak as a kitten and I actually started to feel a bit faint. Maybe the first adrenalin was wearing off. Shadows were few and far between but we managed to find some to rest and to pour some of the precious water over my head to bring my core temperature down!

It seemed to do the trick. Ike supported me the whole way up with encouraging words and I made it up…even the bits with a ‘handrail’ to help.

So, in standard Rooney fashion ‘a small hike’ around the national park turned into something rather a lot bigger. And the downhill. FML the downhill. About 600 metre descent of medium boulders, unlevel footing and scorching sunshine made for a epic battle to sea level. NEVER underestimate the descent.

Treated ourselves to a cheese-less pizza🍕 which was less than amazing but exactly what was needed…and now, I am going to have a nap 🤙🏼