Horsens, Central Denmark - Wednesday, 27 July

Geoff
It's been a mainly driving day today, keeping off main roads and, thereby, ignoring the sat nav (which we've named Sally - or, occasionally, if we violently disagree with her directions, "madam"). We followed the road down the east coast for a while (which is what we had intended to do last night but, by this morning, had forgotten and mindlessly followed Sally's directions until we remembered and turned round and found a delightful cross country route back to the coast). We just ambled along, never doing more than 50 as that is the limit for the type of road we were on. Traffic is generally very light over here. Driving along a long straight road, it is quite usual for there to be no traffic in sight in either direction.

Having filled up with fuel before leaving the UK, thinking diesel would be more expensive in The Netherlands and Germany and filling up in Germany before we entered Denmark, we find that diesel is cheaper in Denmark than anywhere else so far. We paid 8.71DKK a litre which is something like 90p; we've seen it a little cheaper than that as well.

I learned today, with a little help from a Norwegian, how to operate an automatic pump dispenser where, on the forecourt, a credit card is inserted in the machine and PIN entered and card removed, the pump and fuel type chosen and the fuel is then put in the tank in the usual way. The payment is then taken by the machine automatically. If a receipt is required, you have to go in to the shop to ask for it.

We stopped for lunch in a very quiet picnic lay by, surrounded by woodland. What we have noticed over here in these areas and, really, everywhere else, is the total absence of litter. There are litter bins but they are generally empty so, presumably they are emptied very often.

We have stopped for the night at Horsens marina. It is busy with some sort of regatta taking place involving lots of youngsters. It is quiet though. There is room for five camper vans only. There were two here already and that's probably it now (correction, two more have now arrived together!). Access to the very good bathroom facilities is by means of a Tallycard for which we have paid a 50DKK deposit.

After having been a sunny, not too warm day, we have been overtaken by rain this evening.

Amanda

Last night's site was very lovely, and we were not joined by any other Campervans. Most of the harbourmaster's house, we discovered, was given over to facilities for those moored in boats, and which were available to us as well. So a large kitchen with table and chairs, and an upstairs lounge area, gave the place the feel of a youth hostel. Very pleasant and comfortable. It was still light after 10 pm.

After a very leisurely start, we made our way down the coast heading for tonight's stop at Horsens. We have already learnt to programme the SatNav to avoid ferries (except if we want one of course) after she tried to send us up the west coast via a ferry. We weren't prepared to reach a dead end only to find that ferries ran twice a week. This time we made sure to programme to avoid motorways, and enjoyed a very pleasant journey. The speed limit is 50 mph almost everywhere on the A roads, but they are wide and with relatively little traffic. It may take longer, but the journey is all part of the enjoyment, and these routes are much more relaxing and interesting. Lunch and a snooze in a wooded layby was enjoyable, too.

The site in Horsens is a bit of a change. Think edge of Car Park. A fifth campervan has just arrived to take the last place, and we are all quite closely parked. I am happy now that we have moved from our first position, next to the waste/loo disposal, and, being only little, we have done relatively well for space either side. It is a busy harbour, with a number of clubhouses and a restaurant, and a regatta of some sort was in full swing when we arrived. It is also the most expensive site so far, although the facilities, again shared with the boats, are good, and there is free wifi in the services building. G says we will have to find a free site tomorrow night to make up for it!

I don't think I have mentioned the third element of our navigational equipment. In addition to the SatNav (we have tried to give her a name but nothing seems right) and a road atlas, G has installed the Pocket Earth app on his iPad, and downloaded the countries we are visiting. This is a truly amazing app, and also means that I am not entirely redundant as a navigator. Without the combination, I cannot imagine how we would find these Camperstops. Using the app you can zoom out for an overview and in to get all the street names. I can also check that SatNav is not trying to take us down a dead end, which has happened a couple of times! The downside is that it is quite heavy on battery, so daily recharging is necessary.

After getting a bit humid, it is now raining in earnest, so crisps and a glass of wine call, I think, before supper. It's a hard life.