Wait, how should I start this? Well, let me begin by saying that our original journey from Scotland to Slovenia took us 3 days of driving or roughly 1,700miles (2,700km). We would start early in the morning to get the late afternoon ferry to Calais or Dunkerque. The first leg from Dundee to Dover would normally take roughly 8 hours and this excludes a ferry journey plus a few additional miles in France and Belgium. Well, careful planning of the journey can make a huge difference particularly when driving down the busy British motorways. M6 is known to be notoriously congested around Manchester and Birmingham areas. OK but I can tell you that apart from one occasion (accident on M6 near Penrith in Cumbria) we never experienced any traffic problems. The key is in timing. To avoid congestion around Manchester you need to be there around 10am which means starting in Dundee at about 6am. We would normally drive via Glasgow [A74(M)-M6 towards Carlisle] and starting at 6am gives you head start to avoid heavy traffic around Glasgow too.

We would also have a short stop just north of Manchester before heading towards Birmingham where nowadays you have to take M6(Toll) or else you hit a permanent congestion on M6 through Birmingham. Yes, you’ve got to pay but then again M6(Toll)  is a wonderful, wonderful motorway with pretty good services. The crucial point after that is to get to M25 (via Dartford crossing) before the 5pm rush hour. Only a few minutes can make a huge difference but we managed to get through pretty well even after 5pm (westbound is far busier during that time of day). The rest of the journey to Dover is plain sailing I would say.

The best place to have a break before heading on towards Germany is definitely Brugge in Belgium. This fantastic little gem is on the UNESCO list of world heritage centers and it truly deserves this prestigious title. The historic center is just fabulous. The stunning medieval architecture turns back time and the feeling is fantastically tranquil in spite of the buzz. Canals, river boats, historic shops, hotels and pubs make everything even better. Once there you’ve got to visit an absolutely fantastic  Brugs Beertje bar where they serve more than 230 bottled Belgium beers plus a few draughts but they don’t sell lager or pilsner beers. As for hotels there are so many and prices can vary from really cheap and dodgy to 5* marvels. We would normally select something in between and Lybeer Travellers Hostel proved to be just right (inexpensive and quite decent). The best are its owners who actually introduced us to the ‘t Brugs Beertje bar owners and made a late takeaway breakfast even though we didn’t ask for it.

Roads on the Continent are normally less congested but it can get really nasty around Brussels so make sure you don’t drive on its Ring road during the rush hour. There is an important message here: We never use Services on the Belgium side unless absolutely necessary because they are nowhere nearly as good as German Services where food can be really delicious. Germany is a beautiful country and their motorways are excellent but can get congested during summer due to millions of tourists like you and me driving towards the southern Europe’s coastline (I don’t blame them). The town you need to visit in Germany is a tiny cute Miltenberg. Follow A3 motorway south of Frankfurt and then take the exit following road 469 (this is a motorway but is marked as a B road just past Aschaffenburg). Miltenberg is a historic market town with a magnificent castle but you also have to see their terraced vineyads that are meticulously built using abundant red sandstone. Looking east you will see a fantastic white building in the middle of vineyards. That’s Engelberg monastery in Grossheubach and this isn’t just an ordinary monastery. The wine, beer and food they’ve got is a result of centuries of knowledge and testing so you can really expect heavenly flavors.

From Miltenberg there is around 8 hours of driving to Maribor but the motorways are going through some of the most beautiful areas in Austria so you will truly enjoy the drive and by the way there are some 32 tunnels. I agree, some might want to drive elsewhere from here with Vienna, Graz, Ljubljana and Budapest all close by but staying in Maribor may give you a chance to see them all because it is really centrally located.

Oh yes, there are also a few additional tips:

- make sure you’ve got Euros with you (including 50cents coins as you will need them for toilets)

- take water, sandwiches, fruits and fruit-bars (you never know when you might need those!)

- do not overtake other vehicles using the fastest lane on German motorways unless you’ve got a really fast car!

Here we go, that’s our journey and I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do, if you ever decide to take the journey of course.

Dominika is probably your typical work at home mom (WAHM) that spends her time developing websites and helping people to live better lives. She lives in England and regularly travels to various European destinations experiencing various modes of travel first hand.

http://www.maribor-slovenia-travel-guide.com

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