The Amalfi coast

We were really looking forward to exploring the Amalfi coast having heard so much about it so we set off early on our scooter hoping that the rain we'd had during the night would hold off for the day.

We rode the entire length of the Amalfi, from Positano to Solerno and back which was around 100km. In Solerno we stopped for a coffee and to warm up as it was quite chilly riding.

Positano - a village popular with the jetset clinging to the cliffs above the sea

The village of Praiano

The Amalfi was nice but not quite what we were expecting as the majority of the narrow winding coast road was taken up with hotels, bars and restaurants. I guess we thought it would be a stretch of wild unspoilt coastline...

We returned to the campsite around 3pm and decided to move on rather than spend another €30 for a second night - this is the most expensive place we have stayed!

The way out of the camping place was very narrow and at 90deg to the track which then went steeply uphill. As we turned onto the track disaster struck or rather we struck.... a tree..... Kiki now has a nasty scratch along her side and a hole in the plastic trim on her offside rear. Having extricated ourselves from the tree we then attempted to drive up the track which was steep, green and slippery - no chance - wheelspin and smoke ensued! After a couple of minutes we gave up and then the owner came down to us with his 4x4 lorry and with the aid of a long rope, pulled us up the hill.

Having extricated Kiki and covered up the damage with Duck tape we drove on to Cava de'Tirreni and the Ariee di Sosta where we planned to spend the night.

Again we didn't have an address, just a town and a road name. Fortunately as we got close the the Sosta we spotted a sign (pointing uphill again) which we followed for a little until we got to a T junction - there were no signs here and the had road started to narrow so we stopped and I walked along both roads but found nothing. In the end I walked back down to the sign to check the direction and asked a local guy who had just walked down the hill where it was - he pointed back up the hill - I acted dumb and he walked all the way back up with me and into what looked like a private carpark. He asked someone else if it was the right place and sure enough part of the carpark is available for motorhome parking. We tucked ourselves in a corner and enjoyed a well deserved supper of Lasagne and chippy potatoes (an Em special).