RAOC Gazette - page 128
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1978 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1978 |
| Late date | 1978 |
| Transcription |
Sapri. Driving along these roads, one can really see how poor some Italians are as they sit on the doorsteps of their little terraced houses wearing rags and some without shoes. The sun continued warm and brilliant and after pitching my tent, I relaxed on the beach, the Mediterranean being only fifty metres away. Next day, I drove toward the tip of Italy where 1 caught the first available ferry from Reggio. Soon after arriving at Messina 1 found myself driving down the narrow coast road towards Catania passing through several dirty, littered villages. A five day stay here was to be the climax of the holiday but after five hours driving through the not very clean and crowded villages 1 decided I had seen enough and was glad to be on the night ferry back to Italy. Early next morning, I returned to Sapri, where I spent two glorious days in the sun, lying on the beach. On the third day, thinking I was feeling the effects of sunstroke, E decided to make a move so I crossed Italy to a campsite near Pescara on the Adriatic coast. I stayed only one night but could not sleep because of the biting mosquitos, so at 3 am, I took a blanket down to the beach and sat on the stones to watch the waves roll in. The sights of the crashing waves in the light of the moon was unforgettable as each wave brought a beautiful blue fluorescence all along the seashore. I arrived in San Marino at about noon the next day after a long drive up the Autostrada, and soon found a campsite. Within half an hour the tent was up and I was walking around the old town. Like Andorra and Monaco* San Marino thrives on tourism and I was told by one of the stall-holders that there are over two hundred and fifty souvenir shops in the small town. I walked round the very interesting castle admiring the panoramic view it offered of the surrounding hills, then after a walk round the shops and pubs, I returned to the tent where I sampled the local wine. Later I drove North to Switzerland, crossing the border near Como, and stayed for three hot, sunny days at a delightful little campsite on a mountainside just a few miles from Bellin- zona. Only two hundred metres from the campsite a wide cascading waterfall poured freezing water hundreds of feet onto the rocks at the bottom of the mountain from which it flowed. I followed a goat track through the woods to the top from where I could see the whole valley (The Val Blenio Riviera) and Bellinzona in the distance. I then drove North over the San Bernadino Pass, through the four mile long tunnel and down the other side where, despite it being midsummer, some dirty snow was still trapped in crevices in the mountains, I followed the Autobahn until a diversion led me along a narrow road to the Viamala Gorge through which the Romans had once built a road. I arrived at Lindau on the Bodensee in scorching heat and took a swim in the rather murky water. The next day I made my way towards Austria once again, crossing at Fussen, driving over the Fernpass and finally arriving at a campsite near Innsbruck. That night I drove into the city centre, and during a quiet stroll through the beautiful palace gardens watched a game of chess with giant two foot pieces— which incidentally ended in stalemate. I also enjoyed a stroll through the beautiful old city which, for the benefit of the magnificent and unique Austrian architecture, had been turned into a pedestrian zone. Later, driving back to the campsite I saw one of the best sights in Europe—Innsbruck illuminations from the Autobahn, with many different lights shining over the city as far as the eye could see. It rained all night and on into the morning so I moved back over the Alps into Germany hoping it would change, but even as far as the Black Forest it was still raining. I camped by the Titisee, a small lake in the south of the forest and when I awoke in the morning the sun had returned and the sky was once again a pastel shade of blue. I decided to go to Lorrach near Basle on the German side of the Swiss border where I had camped a year earlier en-route to Spain. I arrived at the site by mid-morning and spent three beautiful days in the sun. On the fourth day it became overcast so I moved on and by dusk I was in Luxembourg pitching my tent, having first driven through the north-east corner of France and along the German Weinstrasse, where one can see the green vines stretch- ing for miles over the surrounding countryside. I drove into the city of Luxembourg and took a walk into the old city, bought an English newspaper and sat in a cafe where I was served English tea. Because it was raining when I left the cafe I decided to drive North to Vianden on the German border, where I toured the old castle ruins to explore the turrets and rubble-filled dungeons. 1 then took a chair-lift to the top of a nearby mountain where the view of the little town in the valley and mountains in the distance was quite exhilarating. 1 later drove on through the Eifel to the Mosel River and camped on an island at Winningen, near Koblenz. On the next day I travelled to the Westerwald, the other side of Koblenz where I found a campsite by a lake, but after waiting three days for the miserable weather to change, 1 gave up and returned to Lubbecke. In all, it was a most enjoyable and rewarding trip, which took me through some of the most historic and famous cities in Europe. On the journey I covered almost five thousand miles and saw hundreds of very beautiful and very memorable sights, $etrf)ale 77 By CAPTAIN KEN JACKSON FOR their annual camp 16 Battalion spent two weeks last year at Penhale Camp near Newquay in Cornwall. The Camp was taken over for six weeks and three two week courses were run for all Sergeants and below. Everyone did one week's Regi- mental Training and one week's Adventure Training. Penhale lends itself superbly to this sort of annual camp; the sea is only four minutes jog away, there is a fine harbour at Newquay for canoeing and excellent beginners' climbs on the beach rocks by the Camp. There was also a breathtaking one hundred and fifty foot abseil which served as a finale to the climbing. Those who chose to walk in their adventure train- ing week, trekked the breadth of Bodmin Moor under the watch- ful guidance of Sergeant Bob McGregor, Major Jim Ashcroft ran three sailing courses from RNA5 Culdrose in the early stages of the camp but cold and bad weather forced these to be discontinued. Corporal Proctor, Sergeant McGregor and Second Lieutenant Maginess relax at Penhale after erecting a two man ' bivvy' without consulting the manual. Many took the opportunity on their day off of availing themselves of the excellent deep sea fishing in the area. Some regretted this course and spent much time trying to contact " H u e y " beneath the waves. Lieutenant Peter McGhie managed to conjure up some heli- copters from somewhere and two of the courses successfully moved one hundred and fifty A10 cans of beans about the training area much to the horror of Sergeant * Pip * Porter ACC who feared the pilot would drop the load into the sea. This was followed by sections being roped down in the training area —from fifty feet for the beginning of an exercise. Altogether, the camp was a huge success, most people en- joyed themselves and found some challenge in their stay, with many lessons learnt. The Battalion looks forward to Penhale 78, 344 — |
| Book number | R0246a |