Day 26 - Verzasca Dam & Martigny, Switzerland

03/07/2016

I fired up the van and was excited to be stopping off at Verzasca Dam which is where 007 Goldeneye was filmed. Most of the journey was pretty standard with a few hills until I took a wrong turn (following the satnav) and ended up and a ridiculously steep road with a dead end at the end. The van crawled all the way up in first gear but I was now purched on the side trying to decided whether to reverse back down or try spin it round. After nearly mounting the pavement and a burnt clutch I somehow managed to squeeze it round and go back down facing the right way, which was definitely a good idea!

Verzasca Dam, Switzerland

After wandering on the dam for an hour and watching some people bungy jump off it, it was time to hit the road again. I was very tempted to book on and try it out but the cost was 250CHF which worked out at £200 which was too much for me. Maybe that was my excuse haha. The roads were pretty tough on the van chuggin' up and over the mountains and winding around the side of them. It was a day spent mostly doing 20 mph as the roads twisted around so much and the slow gradual ascent meant the van was giving all it had. I'm impressed it didn't overheat considering what it went through!

Truckin' through Switzerland

Coffee break on Simplon Pass

Got a bit carried away on my break

After easing the van the last bit of the journey I found the first free spot in Saillon which was quiet and decent side spot however it was very exposed to the elements. I already wasn't keen on popping up the roof and the sun was directly on the van. After a short debate I decided to try the next one along in Martigny.

First spot in Saillon, which was better than paying for a campsite

Next spot in Martigny, Switzerland

I decided to opt for the second spot as it was in a big parking area in the town of Martigny. I went for a long walk around the town and it had a very busy square. Once I was back it was time to get some food cooking, I opted for a Carrot and Corriander tin of soup I brought with me which was very nice.

Carrot & Corriander Soup

The car park was completely packed by 9pm and it turned out I was on a museum parking where they were holding a Picasso Exhibition. It felt weird lay in bed reading my book whilst people were all dressed up off to see an Exhibition. One lady walked straight into my wing mirror who was parked next to me, maybe she had a few too many.