There is nothing like getting outside, returning to fundamentals, and cooking across the campfire. It becomes at this factor, my maximum whimsical, I realized the “moon” turned into the light from any other campervan. Oh.
I became camping on the Triglav National Park in Slovenia, surrounded via mountains, in an orange Ford Nugget. This new campervan is full of all of the camping necessities you could want and has the area for four sleepers, as well as a kitchen, eating table, and numerous nooks and crannies to load with meals and components. We have been testing out the smaller version. But with the lengthy-wheelbase model, you get an integrated restroom, sink, and dresser, piling on even extra camper luxurious. To check the Nugget completely, you need to take it into its natural habitat.
A remote, picturesque camping floor, hours from the capital Ljubljana, was simply the region. So, arming myself with a water-proof poncho, a playlist heavy on Fleetwood Mac, and some Slovenian strength drinks of dubious ingredients, off I went. If you haven’t been to Slovenia, cross, you have in no way seen such blue water as that within the lakes right here. One, Lake Bled, attracts vacationers from close to and far, but it is not the handiest to find it irresistible in Slovenia. Nevertheless, almost all of us of water on this Eastern European u. S. A . — which you may pass from east to west in about 3 hours — seems to glow an unearthly blue inside the summer season. This is thanks to a combination of the water’s readability, minerals within the soil, and the blue sky above being reflecting down.
After a short dip in Lake Bled, my pal Charlie and I were off to our first camp spot. The nighttime changed into spent at Ukanc, an appropriate tenting floor in the national park. Here, you are surrounded by the aid of a bunch of hiking trails that let you explore the park’s beauty. One became sign-published the “fairy path” and advised us to “step into the forest, kneel and smell the soil.” I can’t say I placed my nostril into the dust. However, I did recognize getting the dirty London air out of my lungs. The next day we had been off once more, this time heading similarly into Triglav National Park. Staying on the well-equipped Kamp Jelincic (which includes moon-like lighting fixtures), we had warmish showers, bathrooms, resident donkeys, and exceptional of all, Slovenia’s nature on full display.
Surrounded by using snow-capped mountains and once more with lots of nicely marked trails to address, it was the correct vicinity for paragliders, cyclists, motorcyclists, and campers. As someone who struggles with cooking on the fine of instances, a tenting dinner is commonly baked beans or tinned spaghetti, observed with the aid of a mini Mars bar for dessert. But on this trip, we had the journey chef Kieran Creevy, who prides himself on making connoisseur food in challenging conditions. If you need to whip up a deconstructed apple fall apart at 2,400ft or serve reindeer loin with smoked beetroot, Skyr, and pine needle salt inside the Arctic, then he’s your guy. It turned into a way to Kieran that we had a scorching plate of potatoes dripping with butter and carrots infused with orange juice. Next to it, a hunk of pork and salmon fillets sat seductively, bringing hungry campers ever closer. Dessert became a jaffa-fashion mousse we ate using torchlight, all digging spoons into the pot to keep at the washing-up. It was a busy day, full of hiking and exploring the valley, so I became eager to hit the hay. Tucked away within the campervan’s bed, I gazed into the night and eventually spotted the sliver of the moon above the dark Slovenian mountains.
