The originally predicted 5 hour journey from Salzburg to Heidelberg expanded to 8 hours as we hit the end of the German holiday traffic. This weekend was the weekend to avoid travel wise, but we only realised that when we were sat in traffic wondering why the heck it was so busy. We arrived at Heidelberg and after the usual supplies replenishment courtesy of Lidl, we moved on to our camp site.
We were a little apprehensive on arrival as some of the reviews were hit and miss largely related to it’s close proximity to the road, and the subsequent noise as a result. We were restricted to a location away from the reception because we didn’t require an electric hook up, and I think this made all the difference. All of the hook up pitches were near reception, but these seemed disorderly and congested. Not very pleasant at all.
But this is the beauty of not having to reley on mains electricity. Much more flexibility, and in this case a nicer, grass pitch in a quieter part of the campsite on the bank of the River Neckar.
Heidelbergs only campground is located down riverside in the district named “Schlierbach”, about 5 km away from the “Old Bridge”. To city center it’s 10 min by bus (directly at the site).
Quote above from campsite webpage
After a spell of rain on the first evening we both had one of our best nights sleep due to the drop in temperature. The morning was partially cloudy, but there was also plenty of sunshine so the thermometer had crept back up to the late 20s come midday.
We opted for a morning at the campsite as the Sunday bus service didn’t really start until lunch (other than a pure 9am bus that I can only assume is for shop staff). We could have cycled into Heidelberg at approximately 5km, but the travel cost weren’t expensive and we wanted to save our energy to explore without being sweaty on arrival.
We’ve been to so many places over the last few weeks, and I feel that one city break after the next is a recipe for becoming immune to the beauty of these places. Some might call it boredom, and there is a danger that you can have too much of a good thing. So to do Salzburg then Heidelberg in short succession we felt this could be a big mistake. They both share a similarity that they are on a major river, but as we were to find out, they are both very different.
What we saw of Heidelberg on the Sunday was amazing . The temperature steadily crept up to an almost unbearable level with next to no breeze So after three weeks on the road, and the rush of of our last stop in Salzburg, moving on to another high profile city meant we couldn’t sustain a second day of sightseeing without it feeling like a chore as the temperatures reached the mid 40s. Traveling can be a blessing, but you also have to be realistic about your physical and mental ability to be able to enjoy your surroundings.
So we made a decision on Monday morning to have a chill out day. The campsite had cleared of the weekend bustle and we almost felt that we had the whole place to ourselves. Early on i made a feeble attempt to clean the camper of the dirt dust and grime accumulated over the previous weeks travels, but it was just to humid and any exertion lead to a sheen of sweat all over my body. Very uncomfortable. So I ended up spending most of my time in the van updating my travel blog and watching Formula E and drinking beer (With ice pops to cool). Mandy finished her third book on her kindle as she moved between sun and shade.
Our options for Tuesday were to explore the old castle that lookes down on the city of Heidelberg, or go for a river cruise. It was set to be another scorching day so we chose to do the boat trip as we thought it would be a good way to catch the breeze. Although it was a great trip there was absolutely no breeze and the heat was relentless. Suffice to say I had to have a nice cool beer or two to try and keep my temperature down :).
We finished our trip to Heidelberg by perusing the shops for one last time and had a final meal in a restaurant. Proof that the temperatures were abnormally hot came from our waiter who said he had not known heat like this before , even in the height of summer. Not just us then!
Next and final stop France.
Camping Heidelberg
Schlierbacher Landstr. 151
D-69118 Heidelberg
Phone +49 6221 802506
Fax +49 6221 802506
info@camping-heidelberg.de
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