Black Forest Rally 2014

[Parksy]

An Introduction to the Black Forest 2014 Rally in Germany

Monday 1st to Saturday 13th September

Hello everyone,

For those of you who have enjoyed the European Rallies organised by Practical Caravan, I have arranged, in conjunction with Jonathan Wills of Select Sites, a Rally to Germany that is open to everyone. The cost is fully inclusive of Ferry - Dover/Calais, site fee's and Coach Tours.

We have come up with what appears to be an excellent site, in Bad Liebenzell, in the Northern Black Forrest area. This is an area that I feel not many of us will have visited, and offers many possibilities for visit’s, walks, drives, or bike rides through beautiful scenery. We have arranged four excellent coach trips to Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Baden Baden, Hohenzolleren and Tubingen, taking in Castles, a Brewery, Boat Trip, Mercedes Benz Museum and great shopping opportunities along the way. We are very excited by the proposed visits, some of which will include a meal, whilst with the others you will organise your own food as required. At the beginning of the rally we will have an evening to all get to together and enjoy ‘A Taste of the Black Forrest’ and at the end of the rally we will enjoy a dinner with an appetizer, entrée, beverage of choice, & tea or coffee.

The site has allocated a specific area for the rally, it has 16 amp electrics, 2 wash blocks, Wi-Fi access, and dogs are allowed on a lead. There is a swimming pool next door, with a LIDL store close by, and is only 500 metres from the town centre, which offer many bars and cafes to choose from.

Have a look for site on: www.select-site.com & down load Adobe Pdf for the site, in Site Guide for full details.

Please Note: We will all receive a ‘Konus Guest Card’ covering the whole of the Black Forrest area, this gives Free Public Transport on Buses & Trains, anywhere within the area. The only exclusion is the Hi Speed Trains, and as the Railway Station & Buses are only a 15 minute walk from the site, you should be able to plan some excellent visits, without having to drive, on your free days.

The drive to Bad Liebenzell from Calais, is best done in 2 days and we have the option of an overnight stop in Chalons-en-Champagne (320km), which is about 3 hours+ (on Peage) from Calais, leaving about a 4 hour+ journey of 420km to the site. An alternative route, mainly dual carriage or autobahn, is via Lille, Mons, Liege to the E31 at Kerpen, then south on E35 then E52 Pforzheim to Bad Liebenzell, about 780km and doable in one long day.

Please also be aware that if required, you can book your ferry crossing at any time before or after the rally, this may come at an additional cost, but it allows you to extend your stay in Europe.

I do hope you will be able to join us, and please ask any friends to come along too. If you have any queries, or would like to speak to me, you can contact me in the following ways…

George : Tel : Home 01234 772181 Mob/Text : 07971 593802 E-Mail : gjandm.roberts@gmail.com

To receive the full details of the rally, including cost, you can contact Karen Camara from Select Sites on 0844 406 9876 or at karen.camara@eurocamp.co.uk and she will be happy to send you the complete itinerary.

Best regards,

George Roberts

 

[Brum1]

Sounds great but shame about the dates, Kids will have returned to school.

 

[BedfordGeorge]

Hello Brum,

Thats a pity, but it is one of the advantages of being retired, you can go out of the main season. We also take the opportunity of extending our stay in Europe after the rally concludes. by returning home late September.

Best regards,
George

 

[NigelHutson]

George,

Kay and I wish you all the very best with this.

Nigel.

 

[BedfordGeorge]

I thought that I should update the situation with the rally, now that it is only 8 weeks away. There are still a few place open if anyone wants to join us, for a rally that represents excellent value for money.

The rally will be held in Bad Liebenzell, in the Northern Black Forest area of Germany, and will be for 12 nights.The cost covers two people and includes all Site fee's c/w 16amp electrics, Ferry cost on Dover to Calais (other available if required, but may be at an additional cost) 4 excellent full day Coach Trips, including a meal on three of them and a boat ride on the other. There will be 7 free days for you to make your own arrangements and to do what suits you personally. Everyone will get a Konus Card giving 'free' public transport on Buses & Trains throughout the whole of the Black Forest area. There will be a welcoming meal at the start and a farewell meal on the last full night.

For full details and my contact information see Parky' original post.

Please contact me if you are interested in joining us, it's not too late. Alternatively get in touch with Select Sites on 0844 406 9876 and ask for Karen Camera. I can assure you of great company and a great time.

Regards,
Bedford George

 

[DavenGill1]

We have never done a rally before and were interested in this one so contacted Karen for a copy of the itinerary and have to say that if we hadn't have already booked some where else we would have both been there as we are fans of Germany.

 

[BedfordGeorge]

Hi, thought I should give a report on the rally for all who have shown interest. The weather was kind to us, and the site at Bad Liebenzell was an excellent choice, whilst the ground was a little soft at first, it soon dried out, as we were blessed with excellent weather. The site had a LIDL & Netto at either end, both within a 5 minute walk, so supplies were not a problem, and the village centre was only 10 minutes away. The site itself was flat and the pitches were all of a good size, the facilities were clean and well maintained. The small restaurant served good quality local food, and we enjoyed meeting in the bar for drinks, at the end of the day. It also has two tennis courts and direct access to the large heated outdoor swimming pools nest door, suitable for all ages, that is free to all campers.

Bill & myself laid on a ‘Drinks & Nibbles’ reception on the first evening, in a small room provided by the site. This allowed everyone to meet friend’s old and new, setting the tone for the rally. The following night we had a more formal meal, consisting of local Black Forest specialities, served in the site restaurant, laid on by the site. A great night was had, and enjoyed by all.

I mentioned the ‘KONUS Card’ that gave us all free travel on Trains and Buses throughout the Black Forest area. This facility was well used by all, with the Bus & Trains Stations less than a 15 minute walk away. As you would expect in Germany, the trains and buses all run on time, so this allowed you to plan your visits. The trains ran on a 30 minute basis, and this allowed you to visit 2 or 3 of the interesting village’s along the valley in one day. Pforzheim, Calw, Nagold, Horb and Herrenberg all had their own different attractions, and are well worth your time, if you are in the area

One of the important parts of the rally, are our coach tours, of which we had four. These were arranged by Debra the owner of the site, a Canadian lady married to a German, so no problems with language. As you can see below, she did a great job for us, and accompanied us at all times.

Our first was to Hohenzollern Castle, not an old one, built in the late 18th century, but interesting never the less. This included a guided tour in English, by a young guide who told us about the castle, the family, and history of the previous castles on the site. We enjoyed a coffee and cake in the cafe, including of course the Black Forest Gateaux. We then re-joined the coach and drove to Turbingen for an excellent meal in the Gasthausbraurei Neckarmuller, on the banks of the Neckar River. This brews its own beer in house, and we enjoyed this, whilst eating the excellent three course meal, based on local ingredients. We then had a couple of hour’s free time to explore this fascinating, and old city, with many medieval and half-timbered houses.

Our next tour was to Alpirsbach, known for its Medieval Abbey and Brewery; here we had guided tours, in English, to both. The Abbey has the most unusual modern Organ we have ever seen, built in 2004 at a cost of over 800,000 euro’s, it base is basically a ‘hovercraft’ that allows it to move anywhere in the Abbey. Our guide for the brewery was good, and with a great appreciation of English humour, made the tour even better. Of course at the end we enjoyed a ‘tasting’ of the product, this was accompanied by Black Forest Farmers Sausages, an acquired taste, with Pretzel and Beer Schnapps. We then returned to the coach for a tour of some of the best scenery within the forest, before arriving at Mummelsee, a lake on the scenic route, high up in the mountains. Here we once again enjoyed an excellent meal, in the restaurant which had amazing views all round, before returning to the camp site.

Our third trip was to Heidelberg; upon our arrival we were free to make our way around the town and to enjoy its many attractions. Many took the funicular railway up to the castle that dominates the town, before having a bite to eat and a drink in the town centre. We then all met on the key side of the Neckar River for a 1 hour boat ride that gave us great views of the castle and town. The boat was Solar Powered and we were all glad to have the coffee and cake included, to set us up for the journey home.

Our last trip was to Stuttgart and a visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum, this turned out to be better than anyone expected. Yes there is a full range of the cars they have made since their inception, but they have also made it a commentary on the 20th century. We possibly needed more time, and I would suggest leaving at least 3 hours+ if you ever visit it. The ladies also found it fascinating which was a good thing. We then returned to the coach for a drive in to the centre of Stuttgart, being dropped off by the Markt Halle, (Market Hall) which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. We then had a couple of hours to have a bite to eat and drink, before exploring the city, its shops and attractions.
Our last evening together was again in the site Restaurant, which gave us an excellent choice of German dishes, well cooked and presented. After a collection from all we gave Debra a voucher for Kaufhof, a store in Pforzheim, along with flowers & a bottle of Prosecco to show our appreciation, for the effort she had put in on our behalf. With old friendships maintained and new ones made, the rally had accomplished what Bill and I were looking for.

With the mix of organised full days tours, and free days to do your own thing the rally was a great success. I was particularly pleased that Norman, having been sceptical of visiting Germany, indicated he had been pleasantly surprised by his visit, and will certainly return in the future. I personally only used my car once, to visit Herrenberg, and made good use of the Konus card, so was very relaxed when we left the site.

We are looking at arranging one next year, in conjunction with Select Sites again, thanks to them for all their input and support on this one. It will be along similar lines, possibly in the Alsace/Colmar area, but this is to be confirmed. It is likely to be in the same timescale of early September and will last between 10/12 days.

If you are planning your own extended tour, consider joining us in the middle of it, Select Sites offer flexible ferry dates to all. If you think you may want to join us, please contact me and I ensure the information is sent to you, when the details are in place.

Regards,
Bedford George
Contact me either on…. gjandm.roberts@gmail.com or 01234 772181 or 07971 593802

 

[NigelHutson]

Sounds like you had a great time George, glad it went well!