Zadar and Krka...two cracking spots!! - 31st May 2026
- Brett Sedgwick
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
Zdravo,
After weeks of walking, these two old codgers needed a few down days. Plus, it was very bloody hot away from the coast, so we ended up driving Delph to Camping Falkensteiner in the coastal town of Zadar.
This was the most expensive place that we’d camped at so far, because the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia is super popular and the start of the high season was a week away.
Anyway we got there and the pitches were white gravel with trees growing between them. Our pitch had a giant pine growing in the middle of it, so we got a different one. This also had a pine growing in it but it wasn’t quite centre, and Jen-Jen managed to squeeze Delph in there.
Editor’s note: I’m sure I’ve said this before, but in the words of Jack White, it bears worth repeating. Our agreement for our van life journey is that Jen-Jen does all of the driving and photography while I take care of the rest. This includes cooking, waste, water, power, gas, food, navigation, guitar and blogging. Pretty fair trade I reckon.
Anyway I digress…
We parked up, rolled the awning out, got the bikes off, got the outdoor chairs and tables ready, hooked up power and settled in for four days. The caravan park was pretty well resourced and completely set up for families. I looked at the number plates in the park and most people - around 90% of them were German. I guess the company is German and they market this place nationally.
Anyway we roll down to the private beach behind the caravan park with our ocean shoes (oyster shoes) on because the beach is just sharp pebbles and dive into water that could quite easily have come from the Arctic Circle.
It was bloody freezing.
We decided to lay on the wooden pier and warm up.
After a few days of jumping in we started to get acclimatised and even started doing laps in the calm, shallow Adriatic.
Very nice.
We didn’t do much at Zadar, mainly chilled and tried to escape the heat.
Our pedestal fan that we bought in Ljubljana was on constantly, and we realised that free parking will probably be out while the European summer remains, as leccy is essential for the fridge and fans.
We did have a great ride around the harbour and marina into the Old Town and walked around for a few hours. This was probably the highlight of our stay.
The old town was charming and didn’t allow bikes or cars in the city centre. We walked around and checked out one of my favourite things so far this journey: the Sea Organ.
When they rebuilt the pier at the edge of the old town, an architect and an engineer worked out how to put pipes below the concrete that make organ sounds when the tide and waves roll in. You’re allowed to sit near the ocean and hear and feel the whale-song-like notes made by the ocean. The muso and the hippie, and the traveller in me all love this idea. Big ticks all round, people. Check out the video below: It was so cool, we loved it!
We also ate borek, that holy pairing of spiced mince and pastry wrapped into a circle shape, and I tried a few more of the Croatian beers. Good times.
After a restful few days we decided to move on and drive down to Dubrovnik.
We like to have big drive days on Sundays, as all of the trucks are parked up. So we left on Sunday 31st and after an hour or so we stopped at Krka National Park.
Now, you all know that we loved Plitvice, and from what we had heard, Krka is a mini version of Plitvice, but there were sections where they actually allow you to swim.
Sweet. Just what we needed on this 30 degree day!
Right, so we park up, pay the entrance fee and walk around this incredible place, but then find out the swimming season started on June 1st - yep missed it by that much - one day! (in the words of Maxwell Smart.)
Bummer dude. Oh well, one day I’ll get to swim in a European waterfall pool!
Krka lived up to its name and was a cracker of a joint. Check out Jen’s pics and vid below:
One shite spot on the day was that I forgot to close the top window in Delph’s bathroom and we snapped it off its hinges as we drove out of Krka. (I heard it crack too!) Something else to bloody get fixed. Ah, the glamorous life on the road.
So we then drove to Dubrovnik - massive drive day - got in at 6.30 pm, and that’s where we are now.
Summer officially starts tomorrow, and we need to get out of the Schengen zone soon, as we need our days later in the year to catch up with people.
Talk to you after our Dubrovnik adventure.
Ciao
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