The Owl & The Pussycat: Ancona to Split

After spending two months exploring a pretty big chunk (excluding the North) of Italy its time to bid farewell to the rolling hills packed full of sunflowers, the endless gelaterias and the 50 potholes we hit daily on Italy's infamous horrendous roads.

We excitedly boarded at Ancona Ferry Port on the east coast of Italy, feeling like we were starting an adventure all over again. The Italians are notoriously late for everything so it was no surprise that we boarded an hour late. We left the camper van, Oscar in tow and headed for Deck 6, the 'dog friendly deck'. We were directed to the kennel area and after navigating through a maze of corridors and plush pre-booked cabins we spotted six wooden boxes stacked on top of each other. The 'dog friendly' area. Oscar looked less than impressed and tugged on his lead in the opposite direction.

With ten long and uncomfortable hours of sailing ahead of us we agreed that we wouldn't subject poor Oscar to this doggy hell and found a table to set up camp at, albeit still on the outside deck. We set sail at 9pm, by 9.15pm we had eaten our pre-packed picnic and I was sent off to find Haribo to get us through the night.

By midnight, most people had retired to their cabins and those that hadn't were dancing the night away at the on board 'disco club'. We however were huddled, on the floor, in the corner of Deck 6 with a blanket between us, not ideal.

At 4am I am counting down the minutes until we arrive whilst Jac and Oscar snore away loudly next to me. At 5am I smell breakfast and stand with my nose pressed against the restaurant window until it opens. At 6am the sun starts to come up and I am no longer tired, grouchy and cold but excited at the prospect of a cup of tea and a shower.

As the morning sun burns away the chill and the water turns turquoise we pass Drvenik Mali, Drvenik Veli and Ciovo, three small islands off the coast of Dalmatia. We dock at Split, the second largest city in Croatia, around 8am and we have no idea what to expect. We pass through border control and head to the nearest campsite. After almost 4 weeks of wild camping we are both longing for hot water, some electricity and unlimited showers. We drive 7km to Stobrec and arrive at our first campsite, we check in for 4 nights. The campsite sits wedged between the Biokovo Mountains and the waters edge.

We spent 4 days relaxing, walking Oscar, visiting the beach (and the bar) and chatting and swapping stories with some friends we made at the campsite, Christine and Jngeborg and their dog Mairam from Regensburg in Bavaria. We celebrated our last night (and belated anniversary) with a meal at the Horus restaurant. We shared a Cold Dalmatian Platter to start, this included prosciutto, smoked tuna, anchovies, olives and capers. Next we had Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce and vegetables and a Summer Fruits Cheesecake for afters, all washed down with a litre of red wine. We left the restaurant and headed to the bar where there was a band called Acoustica playing. The perfect end to our time here. Next stop, Krvavica.