Iseo: campsite, lake and town

We’ve had a couple of fairly easy days. The first was spent driving from Lake Garda to Lake Iseo. We took the scenic route, firstly through busy charming towns along Garda, then through pretty and quieter countryside.

We reached the campsite I’d booked by about 2 o’clock, at about the same time as Dan and Jackie. We parked up in our respective pitches and had lunch, before exploring the large campsite and going for a dip in the lake. The water was lovely… a bit warmer than Garda was. Finally, Jackie made us a beautiful ‘sexy’ salad for dinner.

The following day, we had planned to paddle to Monte Isola, an island in Lake Iseo. However, it started raining so we changed our plans and walked into Iseo town instead. Thankfully the showers stopped before we left.

Iseo is a pretty medieval walled town with a castle, cobbled streets and alleys, arcades and pretty squares. Ferries leave regularly from the harbour.

We had lunch in a restaurant with a view of the lake, then a delicious gelato ice cream, before wandering back to the campsite.

As the rain had stayed away and it was sunny (despite the poor forecast!), we blew up our packraft and joined Dan and Jackie for a paddle on the lake.

John and I jumped in from our boat to cool off and swim in the beautiful green-blue water. Getting back in was very inelegant. Thankfully, only Dan and Jackie witnessed the spectacle!

Having showered and changed, John and I cooked dinner, and once again, we sat chatting until it was time for bed.

At 3 o’clock in the morning, we were woken by torrential rain and quickly closed the roof vents. John checked that everything outside the van was sheltered and dry under the awning, while I made a cup of tea. Finally, the rain subsided and the distant thunder and lightning stopped, and we went back to sleep.

It’s been raining heavily again this morning, so we’re having a lazy day and pottering around, catching up with various chores. Tomorrow, we’ve booked a ferry to visit Monte Isola. I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, the sun will be shining again.