by Janelle (
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I like to participate in life rather than be a spectator. Music, dancing, theatre, travelling, food, cycling and walking are some of my passions. Writing is an enjoyable pastime that allows me to share my experiences.
Spend a day in the Hunter Valley travelling between wineries in a horse drawn wagon with
Hunter Valley Classic Carriages. The full day tour can be tailored for personal preference and visits 4-5 wineries, cheese & chocolate tasting, breweries, shops and a lunch venue.
Frank & his trusty mares
As our Lovedale accommodation was not near the Pokolbin location of the horses our tour began with a 9:30am minibus collection. The eleven of us were dropped off in a paddock at the side of the road to await Frank behind the reins of his trusty Clydesdales Bonnie & Tilly and our canvas covered wagon. Entering the wagon via a rear ladder we jostled for position and settled in on the bench seats.The horses trotted off down Broke Road for a short distance before turning into the Hunter Valley Gardens driveway. Next minute eight hoof drive and two horsepower were engaged to transport us off-road through vineyards and paddocks to
Tamburlaine Organic Winery.
Tamburlaine Winery
After an informative, comprehensive tasting the wagon was boarded for a jaunt through paddocks to
Pokolbin Estate where we were able to sample a range of oils, chutneys, sauces and spices as well as a range of wines.
Peppers Convent
Frank, ably assisted by one of our party took us on a scenic drive to Peppers Convent and Pepper Tree wines. As we had never been here on previous Hunter visits many photographs were taken of the beautiful building and grounds.
Pepper Tree Wines
Our lunch stop was at
Hope Estate where we were able to taste beer as well as wine and choose what we wanted to eat (lunch cost not included).
Hope Estate
After lunch we visited Pokolbin Village to browse chocolate & cheese shops. The day ended with some retail therapy at the
Hunter Valley Gardens, where the beer tunnel and the British Lolly Shop were popular with our group.
At 4:30pm our happy group was transported back to our accommodation. There was plenty of flexibility in the itinerary and we were never rushed. The great day was full of laughs as Frank was a friendly driver with plenty of stories to tell as well as a 'girlfriend' in every venue. It was a good opportunity to observe Clydesdales at work and anyone who wished to was allowed to take the reins under Frank's expert tutelage.
Our happy group
