Exploring the Romantic Road

Last year I tried my first escorted Tour with the Caravan and Motorhome Club, and the destination was in France. I had such a marvellous time that I was keen to do it again.I discovered that two of the couples from the French tour had booked again too and they were going to Germany, and the tour took in four campsites along the infamous Romantic Road.

I had a look at the itinerary on the Club's website, and I decided that I wanted to book too. It looked very enticing and, as I had little experience of Germany let alone touring with the caravan in Germany, I knew that I would be in safe hands because everything is organised by the Club. I wouldn't need to worry about anything bar navigating myself to each of the campsites on the tour, even then there is so much information available on the Vamoose app that it would be hard to get lost if you tried to!

The ferry crossing is not included in the cost of the tour so that does give free reign to choose which way to travel to the continent. As we live in Yorkshire, we decided to book the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam. After a smooth and enjoyable crossing, we disembarked and drove a couple of hours in Holland and had an overnight stay just outside the German border.

Feeling refreshed and excited, we travelled the next day to the first site on our itinerary which was at Rüdesheim, right on the banks of the Rhine. This is where we met the rest of the group and our hosts, who are experienced caravanners and motorhomers themselves. We had been in communication with everyone already as the hosts Barry, Christine, Iris and Derek had set up a WhatsApp group weeks before. We had a lovely get together with drinks and nibbles and ice breaking games and we all relaxed and got to know each other very quickly.

There was about an equal number of caravans to motorhomes, most of us in couples but we also had a solo traveller in the mix too. We spent four nights at this site and amongst other things we enjoyed a cruise down the Rhine with a complementary three-course meal on board; we went up the mountain in a cable car and enjoyed the far-reaching views; and we enjoyed the most informative and enjoyable wine tasting session that I have ever experienced.

We moved on to our second site, every one drove independently so we were not in
convoys hogging the roads. Barry and Christine set off first to ensure they were on hand to welcome us as we arrived at the next site and Iris and Derek stayed behind until the last outfit had left, just to ensure they were handy if anyone hit a snag.

The next site was close to Wertheim, and it was on the banks of a river too. It was
wonderful to see the river cruise ships glide past us a couple of times each day, what a beautiful spot! The included excursions from this site, and indeed for the remainder of the tour we were taken on a luxury coach with a guide on board too.

We visited Würzburg and Rothenburg with a free day in between. What is lovely about the tours is that there is just enough organised activities and trips to complement the free days where the group go their own ways. Some cycling, some walking, some going off in their vehicles and some like me staying onsite to cook! We had two birthdays in the group, so it was incumbent upon me to make a birthday cake! That evening we all ate together and had a game of boules, and we all had a little birthday cake to finish off with!

We moved on again, further down the Romantic Road and our next stop was close to
the small city of Augsburg. As a group we were well bonded by this time, and it was
smashing to see people spending time together around the campsite. We travelled a
short distance by coach into Augsburg where we were taken around the city by guides.

My favourite part of that tour was when we visited the Fuggerei, the oldest social
housing in the world and still in use today, totally fascinating! The other day out was to Nördlingen, an impressive medieval city with almost intact city walls. We started by enjoying another three-course complementary lunch in a tavern before being shown all around the small city by local guides.

All too soon it was time to move once again, this time to our final site. Via Claudia is
way down in the Bavarian Alps and it was breathtaking to see those alps as we made our approach. Our coach duly arrived each morning that we were off and away on excursions. The first of which took in the fairytale castles of Schloss Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, which were both homes to King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The guide took us around one of the castles and I was captivated by the stories she told us.

After the tour we went for yet another complimentary meal, this time we had Goulash, my favourite, with a mound of dumplings on the side! Our final excursion found us all climbing aboard a gondola and heading up to the AlpspiX lookout platform and observation deck which extends twenty-four meters out from the cliff face and is situated a thousand meters above a vertical drop. The afternoon found us on a tour around a monastery at Ettal with a tasting session at the distillery there before a quick visit to picture postcard Oberammergau famous for the passion plays.

Our final evening together was so lovely. We had a complementary three-course meal in the function room of the campsite. A salad starter, pork, dumplings and red cabbage for main and a light and fresh Bavarian cream for dessert. Drinks were poured, speeches and thanks were made, and we finally returned to our caravans and motorhomes to prepare for departure the following day.

I can thoroughly recommend the Escorted Tours. For me they are perfect as all the
research for the best places has been done by the club. Guides are booked, entrance fees are paid, transport is organised, it is all laid on. I find due to personal reasons it is marvellous to have the support of the hosts on the tour, plus the companionship that inevitably comes when like minded people travel together. There are so many tours to choose from, in Europe, in the UK and further afield, all I need to do now is decide where to go to next!