We headed to the Dalmatian coast to celebrate Mr G’s birthday. Luckily, the Croatian powers that be had invested in a brand new motorway. So, after swinging down the mountains on hairpin bends, we zipped to the Split area in record time. With the empty roads and statuesque mountains, Mr G felt like he was a driving god in an episode of Top Gear. 

Birthday boy

Croatia is unbelievably well set up for camping and van-life. There are sites everywhere and they’re mostly massive, with several pools, waterslides and a selection of restaurants. That’s fabulous if you’ve got a family, but we were looking for something that was a bit less of a megalopolis. The Facebook group ‘Dubbed-out’ has been an excellent source of information, as well as a big drain on finances because of all the Amazon click through recommendations. Someone pointed us in the direction of Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage village with a castle, winding streets, turquoise seas and a marina. Heaven. and proof positive that no amount of aimless Googling can beat a personal recommendation.

I panic bought Mr G a bespoke boat tour for his birthday. We’ve been together so much, there’s been no chance to nip out to the shops- desperate times! I couldn’t quite stretch to £3,000 for a yacht, but we had a fabulous day island hopping in a little white speed boat with our skipper Nano. He even came to pick us up from the jetty on our campsite.

We snorkelled in a turquoise lagoon, dived down to a sunken boat, pulled onto a jetty to have sea bass and rose for lunch, and visited picture-perfect harbours that I’d sailed to back in 1985. We also nearly froze our butts off being buffeted by the wind when slightly damp after swimming, but no pain no gain! It really was a pressie for me more than for Mr G, but he didn’t dare say so.

Quick campsite comment: 

We stayed at Autocamp Rozac, just outside Trogir. 

The good bits: A great location on a small peninsula, so most sites had a sea view. We managed to get a front line spot, which cost €24 including electric and WiFi.  We walked into Trogir in half an hour and there were  supermarkets nearby. The site had great facilities and a small restaurant that was pretty good. 

The bad bits: The pitches were a bit higgledy-piggledy with no hedges, so not very private but we liked the relaxed vibe. The second loo block was closed, so we had a bit of a schlep to go- but it wasn’t a big deal.