Day 31 – at Santa Maria, Switzerland

It’s was the van’s first birthday a day or so ago, 27th April. The same day I picked it up we headed to Glentrool. It seems longer than a year actually.

I bought the van from Leicester Vans in late January, just after the sale was completed on my Lytham flat. An empty train trip down to a snowy Leicester in lockdown.

It took 5 weeks for the conversion, and I was lucky to get it booked in with Jack at GV Conversions in mid-March. I had investigated two other conversion businesses. Jack was by far the best customer service, with answers and discussions around every question, no matter how minor, and those 3D images.

Since 27 April, I’ve spent 167 days in it; Scottish Wild Histories, Spain and Portugal, and now over here in the Alps. And yet, it’s only done 7,500 miles in that time. I hardly drive it when at home.

Rather than describe it as a second home, I prefer to refer my Bampton Grange cottage as my second home, the van as my first..

Living in it certainly gets easier. There is, pretty much, every luxury.

This morning I explored the valley here, Val Müstair, on another fine day. The temperature in the afternoon went up into the 20s, so much so I needed the new tarp I picked up in Udine for shade for the dog. Cumbrian dogs get too hot once the temperature is above 12C..

My first loop got down to the village shop and cafe at 12:15 pm, too late, as they had closed at midday. Not that I needed anything, but a coffee would have gone well.

From there I crossed the river, and followed a circuit that appealed greatly to the dog, and gave some good views up to Stelvio. This area is the Biosfera Val Müstair, a regional nature park since 2011. It’s the other side of the peaks I was looking at two days ago at the refuge; in Italy Stelvio National Park, here the nature park.

I was back for a late lunch, and my annual treat of a book by the great American author, EL Doctorow, this time Loon Lake. I’ve read almost all his books now, and this is one of the best. My review, as ever, at Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1820358.Loon_Lake.

The tarp works well, and will attach to the van with some minor tweaks.

Rugby night also, some great entertainment with Saints and Quins.