Before you leave Italy, you must purchase and display a vignette, this is available at petrol stations in Italy prior to you crossing the border and is 15 euros and lasts a week. It is a tolling sticker that enables the usage of Slovenian motorways and expressways, it is advisable to do this as the penalties for not having one are severe with the fine being 300-800 euros.
We left Italy and crossed the border into Slovenia, travelled only a short distance approx. 30 mins, across Slovenia before we arrived at the Croatian border. Border control was quick, even now having to go down the customs route of a non-EU citizen. Make sure you get your passport stamped, as evidence of the date you left Schengen, as this was not automatically done, and we needed to request it.
We entered Istria, the largest peninsula of the Adriatic Sea and located northwest at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and Kvarner Gulf shared by three countries Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. It is a green oasis of pine woods and rustic coastline. There is a string of small picturesque medieval towns along the coastline, Umag, Novigrad, Porec, Vrsar, Rovinj, Pula and Rabac. The Istria region offers rocky beaches, ports with a lively fishing boats vibe, crystal clear seas and secluded spots are plentiful.
UMAG
Our first stop was 7 km north of Umag a small town and port, only 20 minutes from the border. We had chosen a lovely small campsite call the Lighthouse, offering only a few well-kept spacious pitches overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
There is a Lighthouse, and it was built in 1818 and is the oldest along the Adriatic sea. An amazing sight along this part of the coastline are the numerous characteristic boat lifts call Grues. These wooden constructions use ropes and pulleys to lift boats to safe mooring. The boats were flat bottom wooden boats called Batana, intended for individual coastal fishing rowed in a standing position.
We spent a couple of days exploring the start of our Coastal adventure along the Istria shores. We hiked, had coffee, played with the dogs off the rocks, took many photos, visited restaurants, drank cocktails, and watched the amazing sunsets.
Prior to us leaving our first stopover Graham came down with a bug that rendered him to his bed for a few days. Firstly, thinking this was food poisoning we later discovered it wasn’t after I came down with it the first day of our next stopover in Camping Finida nearer Umag.
Camping Finida was another sea view pitch where we could watch the world go by and admire more amazing sunset views from our van. The campsite was an 1 hr walk into Umag. Most mornings we would hike along the coastal path that bordered the pine forests and discovered some quaint beach bars where we would relax and drink coffee. Alfie enjoyed jumping, Jerry carefully negotiating, the rocks whilst chasing and retrieving balls from the sea.
We unloaded our mountain bikes from the van and set off on several rides along the coastline. Although the terrain is so much easier than Tuscany and nowhere near the challenge, I still enjoyed cycling the routes. Croatia caters exceptionally well for cyclists with maps outlining a variety of routes ranging in difficulty and distance and all areas have separate cycle paths. Also, if you have an electric bike there are many a charging point along the way.
NOVIGRAB
Next stop was Novigrab in a campsite called Aminess, a much larger site than we are used to however spotless and clean with atmosphere and lovely beach bars. We had a good pitch on the edge in a quiet secluded area, providing us with a sea view, all the facilities, without any noise or hassle.
Novigrad was approximately a 45-minute walk or as an alternative there was a cute little road train that takes you into the centre. It was a lovely coastal walk into Novigrab where we would stroll through the narrow streets of the town, have a meal, or just sit at a sea front bar drinking cocktails and then have the choice of walking or catching the train back to our site.
We have both started sea swimming and aim on improving our time and distance each week. There are quite a few jelly fish which makes it a little interesting swimming whilst scooping jelly fish out the way, good thing is they don’t seem to sting! I am also keeping up my Yoga and Hiit and have entered the 600-minute September challenge on my Fiit application.
More hiking, swimming, dog playing, eating, and drinking. I just love the beach bars and the relaxed evening atmospheres; we can’t get enough of the sea views and stunning sunsets. Next stop over is Poreč.
UMAG
NOVIGRAB
Travel adventures 