Campeggio Brugger am Riegsee

Beautifully positioned on the edge of (Lake) Riegsee, with a distant ring of mountains, Camping Brugger is a family run operation, and one which is methodically maintained and serviced.

Two thirds of the site is given over to permanent static sites, which, in the usual german style, are re-roofed vans with solid extensions and manicured mini-gardens.

The touring section. Nearest the lakeside, is composed of good sized pitches, each with a gravelled, hardish, standing area, surrounded by grass. One water tap per two pitches means you are always close to H2O.

Small tents get the first terrace up from the 'grass beach' of the lakeside, followed by two more terraces for vans / motorhomes / FC's etc (Note: the tent terrace does not allow cars to drive directly to the pitch. A small parking area at the end of the terrace services the terrace, and tent pitches are not marked out).

The 'Grass Beach' is some 75 meters deep and includes some children's play structures, a couple of covered areas with tables for picnics and early morning yoga workouts (instructor led).

Off shore are a couple of floating platforms for swimmers to dive from/congregate. Swimming is popular, and conditions for it are excellent. Strong swimmers went well out into the lake. You can swim right across (about half a mile).

A small marina is part of the site. You can moor your boat easily. We took our inflatable kayaks out. Easily launched and carried/pulled (over grass) from water's edge to pitch. A circumnavigation of the lake takes about three hours.

The site is serviced by one main 'ablutions' block, very modern with excellent showers, toilets (paper provided at reception) and basins (an access electronic card is provided). A small toilet block is provided near the beach area, which has paper permanently in supply).

'Downstairs' is a washing machine area with plenty of room for hanging out washing and doing ironing.

A 'Washing up' room for dishes etc.

The site has a restaurant/bar with a terrace. The food was good and the service very friendly.

A shop provides the usual camp support plus some less usual hardware and beachgear (inflatables of various types!)

The reception office is efficient with one fluent english speaker and others with whom communication was not difficult.

Wifi is available, but charged. A weekly ticket for 9 euros was the best value.

The nearest main town is Murnau (three kms) with a selection of medium sized supermarkets and shops, pleasant rather than stunning, and functional for all your needs.

There are several other lakes in the area, hence the name (Das Blaue Land), and plenty of lakeside cycle routes.

Excellent sites and places to visit. None more than an hour and a half away, include:

Munich (you can get a train from Murnau, or drive using the nearby motorway). Munich has a great atmosphere and is a very friendly city. We visited Dachau (sobering) and the Residenz Museum/Palace (huge. Parts can be whistle stopped. But you'll find plenty of interest). And wandering the streets and squares of the centre is lots of fun.

Other places to visit: 'Mad' King Ludwig's famous palaces (the best two are the Scloss Neuschwanstein. The Disney-like castle. Fantastic location, though we felt a little 'herded through' (it saves queuing if you book on-line) and Schloss Linderhoff with it's beautiful lanscapes, stunning interiors, great fountain and Wagnerian grotto.

Oberamagau. Lovely small town, even when no passion play is on. See the inside of the theatre if you are interested (ask to get in).

The Wieskirche. Germany's most famous Rococo church is utterly breathtaking.

Kochel/Kochelsee to Walchamsee. Then up the cable car to some excellent hiking trails with stunning views.

Access to the bottom section of the famous 'Romantic Road' is not too far, and you may be tempted to explore some of the more famous towns along it.

Tons of picture postcard countryside and villages. Immaculately kept.

Spoke in English by phone the day before to check pitch availability but on arrival we found that only Bavarian was spoken! Fortunately an English speaking camper came to our rescue, thank you! All the local residents (there were many statics) were friendly and helpful and several spoke some English too. The overnight camping fee included tokens to provide 5kW of metered electricity (which ran out on a cool wet June night at 0600, no matter we were able to revert to gas as more tokens would have been another language challenge after we had found a staff member). Access to the toilet facilities was via a card key which was not offered to us (language problem probably) and also this card required a deposit. No doubt on a bright and sunny day the lake that this terraced site is adjacent to would be stunning, however for us on a single night stop on a wet night it did not raise much interest!

This evaluation has been obtained by our inspector from a questionnaire at the camp site.