Walking & Wine in Winter

Rob and Lucy recovered from trekking the first 5 sections of the Heysen Trail at Mulberry Lodge Country Retreat – Lucy’s written about it here 
 
In late June, we boarded a plane in sunny, tropical Cairns, and flew to Adelaide for a week of walking by the ocean and drinking wine in McLaren Vale. Obviously it was the best holiday ever. 

​As a base to explore, I can’t think of a better place. We didn’t get to stay for half as long as I would have liked (damn those kids), but what we did see was brilliant – top quality wineries and restaurants within walking distance, friendly hosts, beautiful gardens and delicious food (thanks for the brownies Hazel, they were divine).
 
With no car and not much time, we relied on our fantastic hosts to ferry us from winery to winery (you know some of them open at 10am? 10am!). We went conservative and only shipped home 42 bottles from 5 wineries, and spent our evenings at The Salopian Inn working our way through their fantastic gin menu.

We loved Mulberry Lodge Country Retreat and McLaren Vale, even in the middle of a blustery winter - our only complaint was that we didn’t get long enough down there to see everything…
 
But not to worry, we’re already planning the return trip for 2017. 
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The Blending Bench at d'Arenberg

Rob and I are both from somewhere more Southerly than Cairns, and while the long, dry, sunshine-y Winter is beautiful, it often makes us long for crisp days and fresh breezes. We walk when we can (and when someone else offers to take the kids), but getting to walk the start of the Heysen Trail was something special, with and abundance of fresh air, incredible scenery, and heart-pumping exercise.
n general, my holiday requirements include good food, beautiful scenery, and wine (I’ll substitute wine for cocktails in the tropics)

Rob’s perfect get-away looks more like something from a boys’ own adventure so finding a place that fits us both can be a bit of a challenge (thankfully he feels the same way about the wine).
 
We found the Heysen Trail when searching online for ‘epic Australian treks’, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Off the bus at Cape Jervis, and within 30 minutes we’d waved goodbye to civilisation and were watching dolphins frolic in the waves. What followed was 4 days of magnificent cliffs, rolling green hills, and long sandy beaches, along a well-marked track which has been maintained by the Friends of the Heysen Trail (and they really do a great job).

​77km later, we were weary but elated to reach Encounter Bay. Which is where the eating and drinking began. 
 
3 nights of camp food was more than enough for me (and even Rob was hanging out for a steak), so we ditched the packs and started sampling the best of everything the Fleurieu Peninsula had to offer.
 
We tried everything (obviously I needed to regain the weight I’d lost on the trail. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) and made our way the next day to McLaren Vale to stay at Mulberry Lodge Country Retreat

Lunch at Au Pear next door to Mulberry Lodge