Cochem Winefest
Wednesday 27th August - Tuesday 2nd September 2008
| Duration |
6 Nights / 7 Days or (
4 nights / 5 days )* |
| Tour Area |
Mosel & Rhine Valleys / Eiffel Region - Germany |
| Status |
Escorted Tour (E) |
| Accommodation |
4-Star Hotel |
| Mileage |
150 - 250 miles per day |
| Approx Tour mileage |
1000 miles |
| Roads |
Combination of Motorway, A and B Roads |
| Skills |
Suitable for intermediate rider |
Great Roads, scenic River Valleys, fairy-tale Castles and a great Winefest
Once again, we return to Cochem for one of our favourite events, the annual
Wine Festival. This year, we have secured accommodation at a 4 star hotel
across the river in Cond, known as the “sunny side” of Cochem. Our stay
at the hotel includes a package of trips and entertainment arranged specially
for the Festival, whilst we have also allowed time to ride
some fantastic roads and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The tour is based on
using the overnight Hull - Rotterdam ferry, but we are happy to arrange alternative
crossings and adjust costs accordingly.
If your time is limited, you can reduce your tour by two nights by travelling Dover to Calais on Thursday 28th, returning on Monday 1st September.
 |
This Wine Festival is the highlight of the Mosel Valley calendar, concluding on the Sunday night with a brilliant firework display which illuminates the valley and Cochem Castle in a spectacular flaming light extravaganza. For me, the Rhineland is one of my favourite parts of Germany - once you have visited it, I feel sure you will think the same. Set in the southwest corner of Germany, the area is dominated by the two river valleys of the Rhine and Mosel. With a climate perfect for wine growing, the steep river valley walls are dotted with vineyards, producing some of the finest wines in the world. As you ride the riverside roads, you pass through chocolate box villages, their half-timbered buildings seemingly unchanged since medieval days.
Tour Format
Day 1: Wednesday 27th August Today, you should make your own way
to Hull, where we will catch the P&O overnight ferry to Rotterdam. It
is possible to board early evening, which allows plenty of time to relax
and enjoy the onboard facilities. A 2 berth en-suite cabin, evening
meal and breakfast are all included in your package. (alternative crossings
available - see below)
Day 2: Thursday 28th August (250 miles) An 8.00am arrival means we
get a good start for our journey across Holland and into Germany. Our
destination is the Rhineland, and in particular Cochem, a lovely little town
on the banks of the Mosel. This will be our base for the next 4 nights.
Day 3,4,5: Friday 29th - Sunday 31st August For the
next 3 days, your time is your own, to explore this, one of Germany’s
most romantic regions, which attracts many visitors with its vineyards, river
valleys and fairy-tale castles. Set on the banks of the Mosel Valley,
Cochem is a popular tourist town overlooked by the magnificent Reichsburg
Castle. The town
has many other attractions, including a chairlift to the nearby Pinnerkreuz
where you can enjoy a drink whilst taking-in the fantastic Mosel views. If
you prefer, you can also visit an historic mustard mill, still in use today,
or take a cruise down the Mosel River. There is also a wide selection
of shops, bars and restaurants. Needless to say, it being the Wine
Festival week, the town will be the centre of attraction with its stalls
offering food and wine throughout the day, and long into the night. Be
prepared for plenty of noise as impromptu bands wander the streets with their
own brand of music!
Motorcycling is not completely forgotten, as, during your stay, we will
be having organised rides-out. We have selected a number of routes
which take you to some of the popular tourist attractions and on some of
the best biking roads in the area. Although the dates have not yet
been made available for 2008, the Nurburgring is generally open at some point
over the weekend. For those interested, there is the opportunity to
ride around the circuit or just to sit and enjoy the spectacle of watching
others testing their skills to the limit!
The weekend’s highlights include:
Friday - Evening Dinner Dance to live music and a disco at the
hotel
Saturday - A morning Walking Tour
of a Vineyard - just right for building-up
an appetite ready for your ‘Spit Roast
Lunch’. Then a further chance to look around the town, which
will be full of stalls and music as the Wine Festival gets into full swing,
before boarding your boat for an afternoon cruise up
the Mosel. Following
this, there is another evening’s Dinner
Dance to live music and
a disco back at the hotel.
Sunday - Cochem town square is one of the most popular biker meeting places
in the area, and, on Sunday afternoon, is the place to be. Sit and
relax in one of the many bars as you soak-up the atmosphere and prepare yourself
for the evening’s incredible Fireworks Display.
Day 6: Monday 1st September Our ferry back to Hull does not leave
until 9pm, so we can take a leisurely ride back via Monschau to Rotterdam. Having
safely stowed our bikes, time to make for the bar and enjoy another evening’s
entertainment on this overnight ferry.
Day 7: Tuesday 2nd September The ferry docks at 0800 hrs, just time to have
breakfast and bid farewell before making our way home.
Accommodation
An en-suite cabin and all meals are included on both legs of
your ferry crossing from Hull. Once in Germany, your accommodation
is a 4 star hotel in Cond, which - being on the eastern bank of the Mosel
- retains the evening sunshine, earning it the nickname of being the “sunny
side” of
Cochem. One of two sister hotels, the hotel enjoys an enviable riverside
location, being quiet, yet within easy walking distance of this popular tourist
town.
All rooms are twin-bedded and en-suite with shower, TV, mini-bar and safe. Your
stay includes an excellent buffet breakfast and 3 course evening meals. As
it is the Wine Festival, your stay also includes a package of extras,
including a Walking Tour through the Vineyards followed by a Spit Roast Lunch,
an afternoon Boat Cruise on the Mosel, and a Dinner Dance on both the Friday
and Saturday evenings.
You could not be in any better spot as the Wine Festival comes to a close on
the Sunday night with a truly magnificent Firework Display which takes place
just in front of the hotel, illuminating the town, Reichsburg Castle, and the
surrounding valley with an ear shattering, spectacular finale.
VALUE
TOUR - This tour is especially good value, as all evening meals are included
- leaving you only to budget for lunch, petrol
and drinks
| Tour prices are inclusive of the following |
| * return overnight Hull - Rotterdam ferry with
2 berth en-suite cabin (departs 2100hrs - returns
0800hrs |
| * 4 nights en-suite accommodation at 4 star hotel |
| * 6 buffet evening
meals (2 on ferry) |
| * 6 breakfasts (2 on ferry) |
| * full use of the hotel's
leisure facilities |
| * 2 evenings with live music & disco |
| * secure undercover parking |
| * wine festival souvenir |
| * walking tour of vineyard followed by spit roast
lunch |
| * afternoon boat trip on the Mosel river |
| * maps and route instructions as appropiate -
Garmin routes available |
| * Services of experienced Tour Guide |
| Tour Cost |
|
| Two persons, one bike, shared room |
£595 each |
| One person, one bike, shared room |
£652 each |
| One person, one bike, single room |
£695 (based
on single hotel room and cabin share on ferry) |
| Deposit £95 each |
|
** Ferry Choice
The tour is priced using the P&O Hull-Rotterdam Ferry. Should you wish to use an alternative crossing, please contact us and we will adjust the costs accordingly.
Note*: - If using a Channel Tunnel
crossing, you will shorten your stay by 2 nights as you will cross Thursday
28th August and return Monday 1st September - tour costs will be
adjusted accordingly.
Insurance
On all European tours (including Southern Ireland) we require clients to take
out some form of Personal Travel and Accident/Breakdown cover. This is
essential for repatriation of yourself and your motorcycle in the event of an
accident or medical emergency. We can offer cover through Gold Cover Insurance
Services Ltd, a company that have specialised in travel insurance for many years
and are used by many Motorcycle Tour Operators.
It is not a condition of your tour that you use our insurance; we only
offer this as a service to our clients.
GOLD COVER INSURANCE
