Loch Etive is a 30 km sea loch which reaches the sea 5 km north of Oban. It heads east for half its length alongside the main road and rail link to Oban. It was a bright and clear morning. We walked down the path from Port na Mine to Loch Etive. The rest of the group arrived from Mallaig in the evening. We had…
Light rain fell in the morning and the sun struggled to appear. I went for another short walk in the village and noted for the first time the Württemberger Weinstraße sign and a carving depicting vineyards, grape harvest, pressing and wine drinking, just below the church. I noted the well stocked grocery store with no…
It was Sunday and Kleinbottwar was quiet in the morning. I walked in the hot sun past the small Schafer Winery to the little pastry shop at the bottom of the street next to the church, bought fresh bread and cakes and drank coffee. That evening we went to the annual street party in the…
A walk in the Kleinbottwar vineyards Kleinbottwar village in the Württemburg wine region Germany is known principally for wines from the Riesling grape. There are three adjoining Grosse Lage – classified vineyards on a southwest- and south-facing hillside to the northeast of the village, on low-yielding, stony Keuper soils. In the middle of the three, Süssmund (“Sweetmouth”, referring to…
The morning was glorious. The vineyards on the hills that surround Kleinbottwar were bathed in sunlight. We drove to Steinheim after breakfast to shop at the massive Kaufland Wine Shop. I purchased Riesling from the Kleinbottwar producer Graf Adelmann and Spateburgunder and Riesling from Rheingau producers Kunstler, Leitz, Kloster Eberbach & Schloss Vollrads. In the…
In July 2025, we spent six days in the pretty wine village of Kleinbottwar in the Württemberg wine region of southwestern Germany. A Central Taxi took us to the Harrogate Railway Station to catch the 07.37 LNER direct train to London Kings Cross. Cliona met us at the station and we took the Piccadilly Line Tube…
We drove to Meknes from Rabat after breakfast. The drive, initially through oak forests, took two hours and thirty minutes. Mekenes is one of the most fertile areas of Morocco and is the principal wine region of the country. Mild temperatures, sunshine, moderate rainfall and sandy clay-limestone soils create ideal conditions for growing grapes. The…
In mid-April 2025, we spent delightful five days with Nick, Renu & Seren at their London home. We drove to London on Thursday. The journey on the M1 from Harrogate took six hours with a short stop for lunch. We drank Argentinian Malbec and ate excellent home cooked steak with mushroom sauce that evening. Friday…
Early in April, we were delighted to accept an invitation from John Fells & Sons to visit Hambledon Vineyard for a tasting. We drove to London, took the train to Petersfield and a taxi to the vineyard. We could see the South Downs ancient chalky soil as we neared Hambledon. The welcome at the winery…
In September 2024, we spent two weeks in the Azores Archipelago, sometimes called “The Other Eden.” It consists of nine volcanic islands situated in the Atlantic Ocean, mid-way between Europe and America. The islands were discovered and settled by Portugal in 1427. We drove to Gatwick Airport from Harrogate, left our car with Maple Parking…
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