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…
We left Marrakesh after breakfast and drove 245 kms. on the A3 to Casablanca and then to Rabat. We visited the Hassan II Mosque and its ablutions hall in Casablanca with an excellent English-speaking local guide. The mosque is one of the largest in the world and sits on an outcrop jutting over the ocean.…
In March 2025, we visited Morocco for the first time, and spent two-weeks on an extensive tour with Exodus Adventure Holidays. That Sunday morning, Freedom Airport Taxis took us to Leeds/Bradford Airport from Harrogate to catch the 07.25 am Ryanair flight to Menara Airport in Marrakesh. It is the only direct flight from Leeds/Bradford to…
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…
Kleinbottwar is a pretty little village in the Württemburg wine region of Germany and is known principally for its Riesling wines. There are three adjoining Grosse Lage-classified vineyards in the area 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 is one of Württemburg’s…
In February 2024, I spent 3 days at Elkaduwa between Kandy & Matale, visiting Sembuwatte Lake and Hunnas Falls Beaming Down We left scorchingly hot Colombo at 6 in the morning and drove towards Kandy on the A1, stopping at Leone Cafe in Weweldeniya for a breakfast of hoppers, curries and tea. Green View Holiday…
Soon after Christmas in 2022, we spent 3 days in a delightful wood cabin in the Black Forest We left Kleinbottwar after breakfast and drove 118 km along the A81 towards Loßburg on the high plateau of the Northern Black Forest at an altitude of 600-800 metres. The source of the Kinzig, which crosses the…
We spent ten days over Christmas in Kleinbottwar – a pretty little wine village in the Württemburg region of Germany on the Murr river, around five kilometres northeast of its confluence with the Neckar river. Christmas Festivities started on the 23rd. Hot Glühwein was drunk with sausages in the evening with neighbours. There were heaps of…
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