Dubrovnik, Croatia

Due to the little sliver of Bosnia which reaches the coast, me and Jacob had to cross the border three times instead of just once and the border gurads were pretty thorough - stopping just short of a full cavity search on each occation. Eventually we were on the wonderful coastal road to Dubrovnik though and I dropped Jacob at the bus station before heading to the only campsite in the city - Solitudo Camping.

On arrival I found the campsite had locked up for the winter that morning but a few stragglers were still camping outside the site. I squeezed in between a French couple who were worried about the police towing their van away and a Slovenian couple who assured me it was a safe place to camp. Either way, without any facillities I spent the next 4 days taking my bath in the sea where I found my own little private spot.

The next day I headed for Dubrovnik's Old Town area. It is a gut-wrenchingly pretty place with limestone walls, narrow alleyways, stunning buildings and imposing towers. I love the way they have kept the traditional street lanterns too as the place looks great when the streets are lit up at night. Normally the alleys here are clogged up with wow-ed tourists but in November the numbers are minimal and the sleepy streets and little hidden squares are a great place to wander around.

The first thing you are greeted by at the main entrance is the Onofrio Water Fountain while at the other end of the street is the unmissable Clock Tower. Two bronze statues with hammers strike the bells at the top on the hour. The original men, Maro and Baro (known as the "Bronze Jacks"), can be found in the excellent Rector's Palace next door. There are plenty of other pieces on display in the Palace's prison cells and there is a gallery of the photographs from Bozidar Gjukic taken during the war-time destruction of the old town. On the other side of the Clock Tower is the Sponza Palace with the work of Ivo Grbic and a memorial room for those who died defending the city.

Behind the Clock Tower is the iconic harbour surounded by the tall city walls and on the edge of the harbour is a great little seafood restaurant called Lokanda Peskarija. The cuttlefish risotto is life changing and I assume they leave the ink in as it arrives completely black!

Back in town there are a number of beautiful churches and monasteries, too many to list here, but highlights have to be the Church of St Blaise, the Cathedral, and the Jesuit Monastery.

Perhaps the highlight of Dubrovnik though is to walk around the top of the walls of the Old Town where you can see out over the city, the sea and the surrounding hills. Along the way there are loads of little towers and look-out posts alongside naff souvenir stalls and cafes with overpriced drinks.

The next day, two big cruise ships arrived in Dubrovnik and the place went from a quiet local town to packed with Germans, Americans and Japanese. After getting suitably annoyed with the tourist crowds, I decided to take a trip across to the island of Lokrum for the day and booked a return ferry ticket. The island is road and car free while only a handful of people even bother to make it across to the forest-covered island making it the perfect peaceful escape.

Lockrum is linked by a number of little pathways and patrolled by peacocks amongst the trees and I took a hike up to the hilltop and the island fortress. The small stone fort is little more than a ruin now but it has some good views and is worth the walk. Back down near the ferry terminal is a nice little monastery, partly in ruin, with the Dead Sea lake on one side and beach on the other. I think the occupants must be the only people living on the island.

After returning to the mainland, it was time to move on once again. I found Dubrovnik to be a stunning place with great beaches and wondeful old buildings but I could imagine that visiting in the busy summer months would leave me with a completely different opinion.