Post It from Camping Natterer See, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. Sunday 3rd May, 2015.

Please forgive me if I write a little more about this campsite but as you read you will understand why, also the information for those who need a Go Box for the toll roads will find it useful. We left Fussen in Germany in the rain and headed along the main 179 road into Austria to cross the Fernpass. We passed through a tunnel over two miles long and came out the southern end to cross the pass itself with its tight winding roads. We managed to negotiate the roads with ease although I must admit I took my time despite our maximum speed being only 44 mph in any case. The traffic behind us was very patient, as were the cars travelling north behind some of the HGV’s we passed. I now know that all those yellow flowers you see in the Alpine meadows are actually weeds, Dandelions by the score, I always had the impression from the movies that they were wild flowers and I am sure some may be but we saw Dandelions everywhere. Our first stop in Austria was to get our Go Box. I had communicated for some time by email with the company Go Maut who administer all the tolls and because of us being over the magic 3.5 tonnes we could not get away with a simple screen ticket. They were helpful but I can see why many larger motorhome owners avoid Austria because of the toll roads. I could not get an account where I pay by direct debit from my bank each month as I use it, or from my credit card because they were not Austrian issued or an American Express card so I had to rent the box and put the minimum 75€ credit on it. A total charge of 80€ which I did pay for with my Mastercard! And I would have to top it up with another 75€ should I need to. I think my charges for a Euro IV engine and only two axles meant my toll charge was around 20c a kilometre. I did not particularly intend to use the motorways but I wanted the option so had to get the Go Box. I had send by email a copy of my registration document proving the vehicle details and also the Certificate of Conformity showing the engine class. In return Go Maut had made an initial contract for my vehicle details. Had I not done this I would have had to email/fax them the documents within 14 days of collection of the box or face a heavy fine! I knew where the first point of sale for the Go Box was at a service station called OMV Tyrol Tours at Nassereith and there was plenty of space for us to park with the Lorries and Coaches, as one would expect. The young lady who carried out the purchase was extremely helpful and explained everything to me as well as registering the Go Box and activating it, you never switch it off after then and the battery will run for around 2 years. All I had to do was produce my V5 and C of C again with the email from Go Maut confirming the details and I fixed the box to the windscreen with the sticky Velcro pads. You get instructions and a registration slip you must carry all the time in the vehicle and I learned that to top it up you have to take the full box to another point of sale for them to attach it to the computer to Go Maut. I did go on the motorway unnecessarily to ensure it worked as you cannot see the digital LED’s as it is really meant for an almost vertical HGV windscreen not a sloping Ducato’s. It gave one beep to indicate it was working correctly as I passed under the gantries spaced about 4 kilometres apart. I think most would agree that the system is not very welcoming for tourists such as us when large cars with caravans don’t need one, now enough of that so back to the story. The directions to the campsite in the ACSI book were best followed and we arrived in the most beautiful valley surrounded by views of snow-capped mountains. I recall Peedee saying in his blog that this was probably the best campsite he had ever stayed on and I must agree. The family owned and developed site is spread over a landscaped setting with two man-made lakes for recreation. The main reception building is huge and on two floors. The facilities are the best we have ever used and better than many would have at home, there are also some luxurious touches with private bath rooms but the normal ones have to be seen to be believed. There are rows of hair driers in special areas with palatial mirrors and work surfaces. The private shower rooms also have sinks and are as large as a normal small bathroom and the fittings are top notch. There are fantastic facilities for your every needs and even a dog washing room. The whole building has displays of caravans and motorhome models, the largest collection in the world, and the views of the mountains are fantastic from the top floor. The pitches are separated into different areas throughout the campsite giving a feeling of space. We had a terraced pitch overlooking the lake with the restaurant at the far side. The very helpful Ann-Marie in reception said our 8m length would not fit on the standard pitch properly so offered us an upgrade. We chose a comfort pitch which was fully serviced and had an increased electric supply to 16 amps. There was TV connection on the bollard as well for Sat TV but I could not get a signal, probably because I did not know what the dish settings were. The total extra cost for this was only 1€ a night and the electric is not metered at all! The site also provides a free club card which gives unlimited rides on the bus from the gate into Innsbruck and back, they even run every hour and the journey is 20 minutes. Another free thing they provide from June onwards are guided mountain walks with a registered club, their bus comes and collects you and brings you back. There are 6 different walks a week, some a full day and others half a day. I enquired about this for the benefit of Dave on the forum whose wife Carol is a very keen walker. They allow dogs on the site in June but not July or August and the dogs can go on the busses but it is dependent on the driver who may want it muzzled. From the site you can see lots of mountains; one is across the lake called Mt. Patscherkofel at 2248m. You can see the ski lift station below the weather station, or whatever it is on the summit, and you can easily make out the green Olympic ski slope coming down between the trees. The brochure you get on arrival shows the site in winter and they provide lots of facilities for the skiers, again free. It is certainly a very customer focused family business and we shall stay again if ever we are in this area. Free Wi-Fi would have been the icing on the cake but at a reasonable charge you do not mind paying really. We took advantage of the bus to get into Innsbruck on the Sunday and managed to have a good walk around the town, which is not very big. All the shops were closed because it was Sunday and only a handful of tourist shops were open in the Old Town. Some cafes were open but many were closed. Clouds had covered the mountain tops that morning so we were not enticed into taking the Funicular and cable car ride up the Alpine terrain to the north of the city. We saw all the important buildings in the Old Town which were very ornate and impressive and decided we would go back on the Monday when the shops were open as they seemed to be a very good selection of quality shops on offer. Sharon had her eye on some crystal vases and glasses I think. The rain has not gone but we have had some good breaks of dry and at times sunny periods so the weather seems to be improving. The limit of only 5 photographs on the forum stories section cannot do the whole area justice and I must admit I do not want to mess around an upload others to photobook etc. to add more, sorry, you will just have to come and see it for yourselves you will not be disappointed. We shall move on Tuesday across the Brennerpass into Italy and not sure where we shall end up staying before we arrive at Villach on the south Austrian border with Slovenia later in the week. Hopefully we shall meet up with DianneT and her husband there and have a chance to chat and pick their brains about Austria and Germany. Regards, Roy

sorry but pasting from word does not leave the paragraphs these days and lots of problems trying to upload photos & location this time as well?