Rügen 2014

On 26 June we headed north. The weather forecast promised sunshine and warmth for the weekend, so we wanted to spend it on Rügen.

On Thursday evening we drove to Karls strawberry farm in Rövershagen near Rostock to spend the night. A great service from the strawberry farm is that motorhomes can stay overnight in the car park free of charge (no facilities).

When we arrived the farm was already closed, and we looked for a quiet spot in the glow of a beautiful sunset. We weren't the only ones taking advantage of the offer: 6 motorhomes spent the night in the car park. On 27 June at 8 a.m. we had breakfast at the strawberry farm: 2.60 euros with all the trimmings including unlimited coffee. We couldn't pass up that offer. The beautifully converted barn with thousands of teapots takes you back to another time. In the park itself you'll find everything to do with strawberries, plus lots of other attractions that I won't go into here, because there are simply too many. More at www.karls.de

In the early afternoon we drove on to our actual destination for the weekend. It was only 90 kilometres from the strawberry farm to the pitch on Rügen.

Our pitch for the weekend was the Wohnmobil-Oase Rügen. This top-rated site has won awards from several well-known magazines. The pitch is very easy to find if you follow the directions on the website exactly. You don't need to register: simply take a ticket at the barrier when you drive in and validate it when you leave, like in a normal multi-storey car park. The pitch has all amenities. There are pitches on grass or concrete, and all have electricity meters (1 euro = 1.5 kWh). There is also a washroom with showers, and everything is clean and in good condition. You can even rent a private bathroom. Another plus is that every guest gets a free bus ticket each day.

A downside we noticed is that you have to pay extra for every little thing, e.g. emptying the cassette (0.50 euros) or draining grey water (1 euro). You always have to carry money, and the pitch already costs 14 euros in the high season.

On Friday afternoon we cycled to the beach (about 3 kilometres), right by Prora. The day was simply beautiful, and some people on the sandy beach were even in the water. In the evening we tried the strawberry wine we had just bought, and Lutz and Katharina arrived.

On Saturday, 28 June 2014, we first welcomed the little newcomer Luna. Luna was just 12 weeks old and had been the newest member of Lutz and Katharina's family for 2 weeks. Then we took the bus to Binz.

20 minutes later we reached the centre of Binz and headed for the beach promenade.

On the way we passed every woman's dream: a wedding with a horse-drawn carriage and everything that goes with it. The promenade in Binz is beautifully laid out, and the houses make an impressive backdrop.

On the way back we were caught in a downpour and got soaked to the skin.

Back at the pitch, the first thing we did was take a hot shower. In the evening a visit to the Störtebeker Festival was on the agenda. Lutz's dad picked us up from the pitch, and we drove to the festival together by car.

The show is really impressive. On Sunday morning we left the pitch at 8 a.m., as we had planned about 5.5 hours for the journey home. We made very good progress with no traffic jams (except near Soltau), but still needed 6 hours.

Lutz and Katharina set off 2 hours later and needed more than 2 hours just to get off the island.

We will definitely see the Störtebeker Festival again – but without the motorhome, as the journey from Hanover is very long.